Hi everyone, I moved to a new site. Pls visit me at http://pinayironmom.com/
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Friday, July 13, 2012
3 weeks to Cobra 70.3 - last minute shopping!
Last night I did some last minute shopping at Amazon.com for items I need for Cobra. These are to add motivation (again) and to remind me that hey I spent so much (again) therefore I should do my best and finish the race.
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| Reviews on this aero helmet are very good, plus I like the hibiscus flowers that will match my bike! Very feminine yet very firm looking! |
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| My left eye can not identify the letter "E" in the Snellen Chart for vision testing done by the ophtalmologists. However my right eye has a very good one so I can still see somehow. But, after biking once in stormy Subic and having a very hard time sighting where I was riding, I decided to change the dark lenses of my Oakley shades so I can get a better view of the road... just in case. What if it rains in Cebu right? Better to have 2 shades, some even bring 2 pairs of wheels! However, the price of lenses here in Manila is the same as a new pair from Amazon. |
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| Will this keep my hydration fluid cool to keep my cool? :) |
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| I dropped my Speedfil's bite valve (the white one) during one ride. Unfortunately parts of Speedfil's hydration bottles are not for sale in Manila. So glad it's available at Amazon. |
Hopefully these will be delivered on time to meet Johnny Air's cut off for consolidated shipment. Now, let me go back to work so I can pay for all these triathlon stuff!
Happy training everyone!
Thursday, July 05, 2012
6 weeks before Cobra 70.3 - Tri United 2
Friday, June 29
I received an image (shown in the previous post) from BBM that the waves in Laiya were very high. All the fear and anxiety hunted me from this time on. I prayed to all the Sea Gods to command the waves to be still on race day!
Saturday, June 30
The trip to Laiya seemed short, the weather cooperated. We came early because of the 2:30 P.M. road closure and to support friends and team mates joining the shorter race distance on this day. The first thing I wanted to check was the ocean. So, my daugher and I ran to the beach and gasped at how strong the waves were. My daughter got excited and wanted to swim. Told her to relax and wait for Coach Kaye. I will not go out there to swim with her! The waves were comparable to Hawaii's Waikiki and Maui. It was one perfect day for SURFING!
The swim was a challenge for the the participants. A number of these tri athletes had to back out as soon as they hit the water. I can not blame them because we tried the water right after the last participant finished the swim and it was not easy! The waves were really strong and very intimidating. I also had to stop several times and find the small buoys to hold on for my safety. There was even one wave taller than me that washed me away! However, I managed to learn the trick thanks to our coach and dove when the wave attacked me. The swim back was easier though. I was glad I didn't have to race in that ocean condition!!
Sunday, July 1
This was the day! My longest tri race ever, a practice for my date with Ironman!
A few minutes before the race, I couldn't find my 16 year old daughter who did the swim part of the relay for Team Fit + Academy. I was able to do warm up for a few meters but my mommy instinct had to cut my laps and brought me back to the shore. She has a stomach issue usually and my fear was that she was stucked in a rest room somewhere. I asked for her from fellow participants and searched for her in between photo ops (my photos all looked worried) with my team mates and failed to find her. So, I was still at the middle of the pack during gun time, with no sight of my darling daughter. I managed to swim with ease from the left side towards the buoy despite being kicked which made my goggles misaligned. I didn't panic and threaded with all those swimmers beside me and was able to fix it though water already sipped in, hurting my eyes. Well, at least now I know what to do if it happens again in another race. Then, I swam until I found my relaxed pace and managed to draft with newbie swimmers like me. On my 2nd loop, by the big buoy, my daughter waved at me from under the water. Seeing her was a relief! She swam away like a mermaid then to finish her last loop. I am proudly announcing that I did my 2 kilometer swim in 1:06, within the swim cut off time for Cobra! Well it was snail pace compared to my daughter's 39 minute swim time. :)
The 60k bike part was the same route as the shorter distance's race the previous day, but added a part of the scenic port of San Juan Batangas. The roads were mostly flat but with sudden winds from directions I couldn't identify. There were hilly parts as well but nothing compares to last weeks bike route for the 5150 race.
Run was 15 kilometers, twice the distance of the previous day's race. It was a hot day! Gladly there was cheering and unlimited water for "BUHOS" from the friendly residents of Laiya, Batangas as well as extra support from fellow tri athletes who did not compete for Tri United 2. Special mention are Richard Santiago of Camelbak Tri who paced with me in the first loop. Also his better half, Michelle, known also as "Ineng" for handling me bottles of water and ice that helped in cooling me down under the scorching Batangas heat!
Let me not forget how excellent was the stretching done by the Physical Therapy professors of the Univeristy of Santo Tomas. Thank you as well to the "Star for All Seasons", Governor Vilma Santos - Recto for the savory dinner. Too bad the caterer Ate Vi hired was not the caterer who provided the lunch after Sunday's race. Hopefully next year, it will be the Governor's caterer.
Lastly, I will not fail to mention the reaction of the female audience when the host described the winners as "Last time some of these girls were chubby, now they lost weight." It was not the exact words but the intention was to describe some participants as "bigger" before. I am sure it was only his intention to encourage women to do triathlon. However, please never describe a woman "chubby" or you will regret it. Hopefully, I'd like to see the host do some action in triathlon soon too so he may be less "chubby" during his next hosting engagement for Tri United. Peace Mr. Host! :)
It was again a well organized race by Raul Cuevas of Bike King. Congratulations to Raul and his staff and to all the participants! See you at Cobra!
Thanks to Coach Kaye Lopez and Bike King for the photos.
Race results can be viewed at - http://www.unilabactivehealth.com/triunited/results.html
I received an image (shown in the previous post) from BBM that the waves in Laiya were very high. All the fear and anxiety hunted me from this time on. I prayed to all the Sea Gods to command the waves to be still on race day!
Saturday, June 30
The trip to Laiya seemed short, the weather cooperated. We came early because of the 2:30 P.M. road closure and to support friends and team mates joining the shorter race distance on this day. The first thing I wanted to check was the ocean. So, my daugher and I ran to the beach and gasped at how strong the waves were. My daughter got excited and wanted to swim. Told her to relax and wait for Coach Kaye. I will not go out there to swim with her! The waves were comparable to Hawaii's Waikiki and Maui. It was one perfect day for SURFING!
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| The huge waves of Saturday's race |
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| Should I swim or not?! |
The swim was a challenge for the the participants. A number of these tri athletes had to back out as soon as they hit the water. I can not blame them because we tried the water right after the last participant finished the swim and it was not easy! The waves were really strong and very intimidating. I also had to stop several times and find the small buoys to hold on for my safety. There was even one wave taller than me that washed me away! However, I managed to learn the trick thanks to our coach and dove when the wave attacked me. The swim back was easier though. I was glad I didn't have to race in that ocean condition!!
Sunday, July 1
This was the day! My longest tri race ever, a practice for my date with Ironman!
A few minutes before the race, I couldn't find my 16 year old daughter who did the swim part of the relay for Team Fit + Academy. I was able to do warm up for a few meters but my mommy instinct had to cut my laps and brought me back to the shore. She has a stomach issue usually and my fear was that she was stucked in a rest room somewhere. I asked for her from fellow participants and searched for her in between photo ops (my photos all looked worried) with my team mates and failed to find her. So, I was still at the middle of the pack during gun time, with no sight of my darling daughter. I managed to swim with ease from the left side towards the buoy despite being kicked which made my goggles misaligned. I didn't panic and threaded with all those swimmers beside me and was able to fix it though water already sipped in, hurting my eyes. Well, at least now I know what to do if it happens again in another race. Then, I swam until I found my relaxed pace and managed to draft with newbie swimmers like me. On my 2nd loop, by the big buoy, my daughter waved at me from under the water. Seeing her was a relief! She swam away like a mermaid then to finish her last loop. I am proudly announcing that I did my 2 kilometer swim in 1:06, within the swim cut off time for Cobra! Well it was snail pace compared to my daughter's 39 minute swim time. :)
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| Beacon Fivefingers Team |
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| Elite Mathieu OHalloran who won 1st place in both short and long distance events for Tri United 2 |
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| Our coach - Kaye Lopez who did the bike leg for David's Salon Team |
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| So many blooms from the Caballero Tree! |
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| The winners of Tri United 2 |
Lastly, I will not fail to mention the reaction of the female audience when the host described the winners as "Last time some of these girls were chubby, now they lost weight." It was not the exact words but the intention was to describe some participants as "bigger" before. I am sure it was only his intention to encourage women to do triathlon. However, please never describe a woman "chubby" or you will regret it. Hopefully, I'd like to see the host do some action in triathlon soon too so he may be less "chubby" during his next hosting engagement for Tri United. Peace Mr. Host! :)
It was again a well organized race by Raul Cuevas of Bike King. Congratulations to Raul and his staff and to all the participants! See you at Cobra!
Thanks to Coach Kaye Lopez and Bike King for the photos.
Race results can be viewed at - http://www.unilabactivehealth.com/triunited/results.html
Friday, June 29, 2012
Laiya waves, June 29, Tri United 2
Sharing with you a photo taken by a team mate who was at Laiya noon time today...
This is like how it was in Matabungkay last year. If the waves will be like this on Sunday, I will have to think twice...
Now where are my board shorts and body board? :)
This is like how it was in Matabungkay last year. If the waves will be like this on Sunday, I will have to think twice...
Now where are my board shorts and body board? :)
Sunday, June 24, 2012
7 weeks before Cobra 70.3 - Last woman running
Today is the 1st 5i50 race held in the Subic, Philippines. Unfortunately, since I had too much deadlines yesterday, I was not able to witness the event and see my husband race. So, I was just given a workout for the weekend since our coach is racing too. For Saturday, I had to do a 40k bike and 10k run. My tri classmate Hazel (her's was a 60k bike ride since she is only doing the bike leg for Cobra) and I had to do the workout by ourselves in Nuvali yesterday morning. Since mommies like us had extra duties to finish, we started late, almost 8 a.m. in the sunny Laguna weather.
It was quiet when we got there, the usual tri people must have all gone to Subic for 5i50. Only mountain bikers and very few triathletes were present infact. We did the ride, no pressure, a relaxing pace with all the chit chats. So, when I had to do my run after several phone calls from people hunting me for our deadline, the sun was way up burning! I wanted to give up after two kilometers! The heat was terrible! Gladly, I saw a female triathlete doing her brick too and told myself - oh I'm not alone! But after 2 rounds, I asked her how many more kilometers to go, she said - just 15 more minutes! Oh my, am I the only one running? I lost track of the loops I did and varied several loops to see more land and more construction of the development undergoing in Nuvali. There were a few more guys doing their brick until they got fewer and fewer and gone...
I was the last woman running, infact the only one left in running in Nuvali at 11 a.m. It was my most peaceful visit there, alone in the vast lands of Sta. Rosa.
The heat was terrible, but there are only 7 weeks left till Cobra to train.
A reminder to myself and to all those training for Cobra - In Ironman there is NO "I can't" only "I CAN!"
How's your training everyone? Please feel free to share!
It was quiet when we got there, the usual tri people must have all gone to Subic for 5i50. Only mountain bikers and very few triathletes were present infact. We did the ride, no pressure, a relaxing pace with all the chit chats. So, when I had to do my run after several phone calls from people hunting me for our deadline, the sun was way up burning! I wanted to give up after two kilometers! The heat was terrible! Gladly, I saw a female triathlete doing her brick too and told myself - oh I'm not alone! But after 2 rounds, I asked her how many more kilometers to go, she said - just 15 more minutes! Oh my, am I the only one running? I lost track of the loops I did and varied several loops to see more land and more construction of the development undergoing in Nuvali. There were a few more guys doing their brick until they got fewer and fewer and gone...
I was the last woman running, infact the only one left in running in Nuvali at 11 a.m. It was my most peaceful visit there, alone in the vast lands of Sta. Rosa.
The heat was terrible, but there are only 7 weeks left till Cobra to train.
A reminder to myself and to all those training for Cobra - In Ironman there is NO "I can't" only "I CAN!"
How's your training everyone? Please feel free to share!
Wednesday, June 06, 2012
9 weeks till Cobra 70.3
Last week had been cold and rainy...oh so gloomy! Typhoon season in the Philippines has started! We had to do mag training session in our half roofed garage with rain drops splashing our tired and sweaty bodies. This formed relief but training seems to be harder each day...
June 2 was the last vacation weekend for the kids. Since no out of the country trip has been scheduled this summer, we promised them at least an overnight camping at Lake Caliraya, Laguna. It should have been scheduled last Saturday but the typhoon didn't leave the country yet. So Sunday, amidst the cloudy skies, we braved to camp with 4 kids in tow. Luckily, the weather cooperated and the wind was not as strong even with a typhoon still in the North Eastern part of the Philippines.
Feeling the cool wind passing thru my skin, blowing each strand of my unruly hair and hearing its melodic tune was a relief that released some of my body's stress from training and work. It was a golden time to just have sat down staring at the dark green lake and realize - hey what have I been dealing with recently?...
But the weekend had been fast, our bonfire died (with the marshmallows surviving to my kids dismay cause I left these at home), the roasted sausages almost finished and sunrise signaled it was time to pack our tents and deflate those air beds... head back to the city... to reality...
Ten weeks to Ironman, I cut my long hair to a more serious training style, just above my shoulders enough to make a pony tail. My hairstylst said it will make me run faster, so let's call it an aero hairstyle.
Ten weeks to Ironman, my skin started breaking and I seem to have lost the facial glow. My dermatologist's nurse's face looked worried when she saw me. Instead I have monochromatic shades of tan all over me. I probably look like a zebra or a leopard now!
Can I defer my registration for 2013? Hahahaha, Sunrise Events would surely raise their eyebrows on me if I request this!
My husband told me that the last 2 months will be some grueling training, and YES it is! I didn't do any gym works during the start of the year due to the very hectic schedule of building our house, so I am catching up now and just started last week with core and strengthening. It was a one hour torture experience twice a week!
Yesterday at swim, I was told that the swim route for Cobra will be counter clockwise, meaning the buoy will be on the left. Oh no! I am not a good bilateral swimmer!! I have been taught by our coach how to do this but I avoided training bilateral breathing. So, last night she had to make me swim doing bilateral breathing. My workout (those in higher and beginner levels had their own workouts) was 200m warm up, 10 x 200 with a 1:40 rest in between and a pace between 6:20 to 7:02 and 200m cool down. I did okay at the start, but when I inserted bilateral breathing, my time went slower...and slower...and slower! Now, I doubt if I can swim that 1.9k distance in Cobra and meet the 1:10 cut off :(
I have invested 5 months of training... two more months before my date with Ironman...
June 2 was the last vacation weekend for the kids. Since no out of the country trip has been scheduled this summer, we promised them at least an overnight camping at Lake Caliraya, Laguna. It should have been scheduled last Saturday but the typhoon didn't leave the country yet. So Sunday, amidst the cloudy skies, we braved to camp with 4 kids in tow. Luckily, the weather cooperated and the wind was not as strong even with a typhoon still in the North Eastern part of the Philippines.
Feeling the cool wind passing thru my skin, blowing each strand of my unruly hair and hearing its melodic tune was a relief that released some of my body's stress from training and work. It was a golden time to just have sat down staring at the dark green lake and realize - hey what have I been dealing with recently?...
But the weekend had been fast, our bonfire died (with the marshmallows surviving to my kids dismay cause I left these at home), the roasted sausages almost finished and sunrise signaled it was time to pack our tents and deflate those air beds... head back to the city... to reality...
Ten weeks to Ironman, I cut my long hair to a more serious training style, just above my shoulders enough to make a pony tail. My hairstylst said it will make me run faster, so let's call it an aero hairstyle.
Ten weeks to Ironman, my skin started breaking and I seem to have lost the facial glow. My dermatologist's nurse's face looked worried when she saw me. Instead I have monochromatic shades of tan all over me. I probably look like a zebra or a leopard now!
Exactly 9 weeks and two days last Sunday before Cobra Ironman 2012. Am I ready?
Can I defer my registration for 2013? Hahahaha, Sunrise Events would surely raise their eyebrows on me if I request this!
My husband told me that the last 2 months will be some grueling training, and YES it is! I didn't do any gym works during the start of the year due to the very hectic schedule of building our house, so I am catching up now and just started last week with core and strengthening. It was a one hour torture experience twice a week!
Yesterday at swim, I was told that the swim route for Cobra will be counter clockwise, meaning the buoy will be on the left. Oh no! I am not a good bilateral swimmer!! I have been taught by our coach how to do this but I avoided training bilateral breathing. So, last night she had to make me swim doing bilateral breathing. My workout (those in higher and beginner levels had their own workouts) was 200m warm up, 10 x 200 with a 1:40 rest in between and a pace between 6:20 to 7:02 and 200m cool down. I did okay at the start, but when I inserted bilateral breathing, my time went slower...and slower...and slower! Now, I doubt if I can swim that 1.9k distance in Cobra and meet the 1:10 cut off :(
I have invested 5 months of training... two more months before my date with Ironman...
Exactly 8 weeks and 5 days today before Cobra Ironman 2012. Am I ready?
I need all the motivation...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Happy Mother's Day!
Our internet has not been reinstalled since we have transferred to a new house. Would want to blog about Subit but I guess this will have to wait.
Sharing a clip of one of the best "about mom" TV commercial... Mommies are the best! Belated Happy Mothers Day dear mommies. We have the hardest job in the world!
Sharing a clip of one of the best "about mom" TV commercial... Mommies are the best! Belated Happy Mothers Day dear mommies. We have the hardest job in the world!
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