Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The Joy of Doing H.I.M.
My First Half-Ironman Distance Triathlon
THE WHITE ROCK TRIATHLON 2006
07 October 2006/White Rock Beach Resort, Zambales, The Phiippines
2km Swim/90km Bike/21km Run
1. Nang finally nakita ko na ang sign sa highway pointing to the corner that leads to the White Rock Hotel I wanted to bellow out my joy but instead I felt tears were about to spew out of my eyes. So pinigilan ko. Slightly sprinting into the hotel grounds, down the carpet towards the finish arc I managed a big smile but as soon as I crossed the line hindi ko na napigilan. Umiiyak ako na hindi. Ang labo! Basta alam ko nagsa-swarm around me ‘yung mga organizers and fellow racers. I remember Monica Torres (1st, Female 18-25) and Junie Santos (Cyclist, Levy’s Angels Relay Team) kissing me, Eric Imperio putting on my Finisher’s Medal, then they led me to the mandatory weigh in (I lost a kilo) tapos dinala na’ko sa showers where I was still trying to catch my breath. Iba nga raw ang drama sa White Rock Triathlon (WRT) pero nu’ng napanood ko ‘yung footage, mukha akong tanga. Comedy pa rin, eh.
2. Race started kicked off around 6:45AM. I knew I will be swimming the entire two kilometers in an hour so I wasn’t surprised that even before I made my first turnaround out at sea, the green swim-capped swimmers of the relay teams were already in the water. Although I’ve practiced it just once some weeks before the race, “sighting” came quite naturally to me (lalo pa’t nu’ng mga times na hindi ko ‘to nagagawa eh nato-thrown off-course talaga ako.) For some reason hindi ko ma-execute nang maayos ‘yung stroke so dinala ko na lang sa sobrang relaxed na pace. Tutal isang oras naman talaga ang target time ko sa swim, hindi na’ko nag-push. It’s a pace that left me among the last to leave the water but it’s well within cut-off time and it also made me very fresh for the remainder of the race. To put things into perspective, Women’s Over-all Champ and first out of water Jenny Guerrero finished it about 28 minutes. Pucha! Akala ko pa naman ako’ng sirena rito!
3. Sa T1 nag-Powergel ulit ako tapos tuluyan nang sinuot ang aking red outfit. Kalalabas ko pa lang for the 90km bike naninigas na ang tiyan ko. Shet! Hindi ko na-practice kumain ng gel-gel na’yan at ngayon, nashe-shet ako! Pero sige lang. Sabi flat course lang ang bike so I stuck to my plan of maintaining a 95rpm. Pero that proved quite ambitious pala so I settled at 85rpm. This got me running an average of 27kph. The national highway was mostly scenic and clear of vehicles. Kapag dumadaan ng towns hindi naman nagkukulang sa mga traffic enforcers na pinapagalitan pa ang mga haharang-harang na sasakyan! Aba! Ito’ng isa pang hindi ko na-train kasi madalas ako ang tinuturing na haharang-harang sa daan. Medyo nag-ease na rin ‘yung tiyan ko kasi naiutot ko na. Para tuloy meron akong “nos” ba’yun (‘yung sa drag racing) na everytime I’d fart napu-push forward ako. (O nasobrahan lang ako ng Tito, Vic & Joey movies nu’ng bata ako?)
4. Pagsakay na pagsakay ko pa lang sa bike I found myself praying out loud, as in out loud. Hindi ako relihiyosong tao pero napa-thank you talaga ako sa good weather, sa freshness na naramdaman ko during the swim, at pinagdasal ko rin na sana hindi ako ma-flat. Hindi ko nga lang napagdasal si Popo Remigio (2nd, Female 31-35) kasi naabutan ko pa siya sa may tulay na nag-aayos ng flat. I didn’t know if I should stop pero naisip ko, “Si Popo naman ‘yan, eh.” Besides purely theoretical lang ang knowledge ko sa pagpapalit ng flat so wala rin akong maitutulong. (At pabalik sa T2 eh maabutan din niya ako.)
5. Turnaround/45km ang Barangay Hall ng Cabangan. Du’n huminto ako para mag-sip ng aking Gatorade Litro at kumagat ng embotido. Oo, embotido kasi naisip ko may eggs siya at raisin at protein. May mga volunteers pang nag-offer maghanap ng catsup pero naisip ko baka maging messy lang. Eeew! Again, sa bike, freshness ang habol ko. Pinasyalan na namin ni Coach Kiko Santos (3rd, Men 46-50) ang hilly raw na run route at alam kong kakailanganin ko lahat ng aking Darna powers para ma-survive ‘yun so steady lang ako sa bike. Besides, meron naman akong nao-overteykan kahit papaano so medyo nage-gain ko na’yung pangungulelat ko sa swim. At ‘yung mga nasalubong ko nang pabalik eh mga monsters na naman so ibang level na talaga sila. Got into T2 after cycling for about 3.25 hours. Racer 60 ako at kasabay ko sa changing room si Racer 61. “Heto na!!!” We both said. O, sino sa inyo ang nakasabay n’yo na‘yung racer na kasunod n’yo ang number sa changing room, aber?!
6. Hindi talaga mahirap as much as it is mahabaaaaa. ‘Yan ang swim at bike para sa akin. Pero ‘yung unang 2.5km pa lang ng run ANG HIRAP! For a moment kinonsider ko talagang pumara ng jeep at sumakay hanggang sa isang point na walang makakakita sa aking bumaba. Sa Papagayo ang unang aid station at papabol din ang nagma-man nu’n! (I think si Frank Lacson ‘to) Aaaay! Kung wala lang akong karerang kelangang tapusin eh tumambay na’ko ru’n pero naisip ko I am not really dressed to flirt at that moment. Kinarir ko pang takbuhin ang unang uphill papuntang 5km aid station pero a few meters before the station naisip ko na ang aking strategy: UP Mountaineer ako uphill, Lydia de Vega downhill. And except at the aid stations, I never stopped inside Subic Bay Freeport to take full advantage of the longest flat area in the course.
7. ‘Yung mga nakakasalubong kong leaders going into the Freeport eh hindi na namamansin. Unlike nu’ng sa bike na nagsa-smile back or at least tumitingin pa sila sa’yo kapag nagkakasalubong kayo. So napa-fighting stance na rin ako. Pero muntik na’kong naiyak pagpasok sa Freeport kung ‘di ko lang naisip na “Gago wala ka pa nga sa kalahati, noh!” Kinarir ko na ‘to. I took advantage of every aid station. Then I’d check my form before completely breaking into a run to the next station. Ito ang sinasabi ni Over-all Champion Hiroshi Takei na “I always get them in the run.” ‘Yung mga nauna nang ‘di hamak sa swim at bike eh isa-isa ko nang nalalampasan. Palabas ng Freeport, for the first time in my life ay ang saya-saya kong nakakita ng sementeryo. Pabalik na’ko!
8. ‘Yung mga uphills inisip ko na lang na isang bundok na napakadaling akyatin (maayos ang trail, walang nakahambalang na vegetation) at sa downhill inisip kong meron akong mahabang chiffon cape na kelangan liparin ng hangin para maganda ang effect so dapat mabilis-bilis ang takbo. Pero from Papagayo nagsimula na ang isa pa sa pinakamahirap na bahagi ng buong karera. Ni hindi ko na napansin si Papa Papagayo! Bago tumakbo ulit nag-concentrate talaga ako at lumarga na sa pinakamahabaaaang 2.5km ng buhay ko! People always say we’re crazy for choosing to go through this pero at that point I had to muster all my sanity to finish that race. I bet malakas ang immunity ng triathletes sa Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders because you’ve gotta be a little more sane do run those final kilometers just to cross the finish line.
9. I must admit, isang motivation ko sa may apat na buwan na training eh ang masulat ‘to. July pa lang inisip ko na ang opening ko ay: “Bilang mental preparation ko sa karera gabi-gabi akong nagsusuot ng costume ni Magdalena at kumakanta ako ng ‘I Don’t Know How to Love HIM.’” Naisip ko pang ending eh: “Now if some homophobe dare call me half-a-man, I’d grab him by the collar and growl at his face ‘That’s half-Ironman to you!’” Ngayon naisip ko na lang ang lagi kong sagot ‘pag tinatanong ako kung bakit ako nagta-triathlon: nakaka-thrill kasi just over a year ago I thought I couldn’t do this.
10. Sa White Rock Triathlon, ang sarap pumusta laban sa sarili mo…du’n sa sarili mong nagsasabing “Are you crazy?! Hindi mo kaya ‘yan, noh?!”
(You may visit Tonyo's site for outstanding photos of WRT.)
THE WHITE ROCK TRIATHLON 2006
07 October 2006/White Rock Beach Resort, Zambales, The Phiippines
2km Swim/90km Bike/21km Run
1. Nang finally nakita ko na ang sign sa highway pointing to the corner that leads to the White Rock Hotel I wanted to bellow out my joy but instead I felt tears were about to spew out of my eyes. So pinigilan ko. Slightly sprinting into the hotel grounds, down the carpet towards the finish arc I managed a big smile but as soon as I crossed the line hindi ko na napigilan. Umiiyak ako na hindi. Ang labo! Basta alam ko nagsa-swarm around me ‘yung mga organizers and fellow racers. I remember Monica Torres (1st, Female 18-25) and Junie Santos (Cyclist, Levy’s Angels Relay Team) kissing me, Eric Imperio putting on my Finisher’s Medal, then they led me to the mandatory weigh in (I lost a kilo) tapos dinala na’ko sa showers where I was still trying to catch my breath. Iba nga raw ang drama sa White Rock Triathlon (WRT) pero nu’ng napanood ko ‘yung footage, mukha akong tanga. Comedy pa rin, eh.
2. Race started kicked off around 6:45AM. I knew I will be swimming the entire two kilometers in an hour so I wasn’t surprised that even before I made my first turnaround out at sea, the green swim-capped swimmers of the relay teams were already in the water. Although I’ve practiced it just once some weeks before the race, “sighting” came quite naturally to me (lalo pa’t nu’ng mga times na hindi ko ‘to nagagawa eh nato-thrown off-course talaga ako.) For some reason hindi ko ma-execute nang maayos ‘yung stroke so dinala ko na lang sa sobrang relaxed na pace. Tutal isang oras naman talaga ang target time ko sa swim, hindi na’ko nag-push. It’s a pace that left me among the last to leave the water but it’s well within cut-off time and it also made me very fresh for the remainder of the race. To put things into perspective, Women’s Over-all Champ and first out of water Jenny Guerrero finished it about 28 minutes. Pucha! Akala ko pa naman ako’ng sirena rito!
3. Sa T1 nag-Powergel ulit ako tapos tuluyan nang sinuot ang aking red outfit. Kalalabas ko pa lang for the 90km bike naninigas na ang tiyan ko. Shet! Hindi ko na-practice kumain ng gel-gel na’yan at ngayon, nashe-shet ako! Pero sige lang. Sabi flat course lang ang bike so I stuck to my plan of maintaining a 95rpm. Pero that proved quite ambitious pala so I settled at 85rpm. This got me running an average of 27kph. The national highway was mostly scenic and clear of vehicles. Kapag dumadaan ng towns hindi naman nagkukulang sa mga traffic enforcers na pinapagalitan pa ang mga haharang-harang na sasakyan! Aba! Ito’ng isa pang hindi ko na-train kasi madalas ako ang tinuturing na haharang-harang sa daan. Medyo nag-ease na rin ‘yung tiyan ko kasi naiutot ko na. Para tuloy meron akong “nos” ba’yun (‘yung sa drag racing) na everytime I’d fart napu-push forward ako. (O nasobrahan lang ako ng Tito, Vic & Joey movies nu’ng bata ako?)
4. Pagsakay na pagsakay ko pa lang sa bike I found myself praying out loud, as in out loud. Hindi ako relihiyosong tao pero napa-thank you talaga ako sa good weather, sa freshness na naramdaman ko during the swim, at pinagdasal ko rin na sana hindi ako ma-flat. Hindi ko nga lang napagdasal si Popo Remigio (2nd, Female 31-35) kasi naabutan ko pa siya sa may tulay na nag-aayos ng flat. I didn’t know if I should stop pero naisip ko, “Si Popo naman ‘yan, eh.” Besides purely theoretical lang ang knowledge ko sa pagpapalit ng flat so wala rin akong maitutulong. (At pabalik sa T2 eh maabutan din niya ako.)
5. Turnaround/45km ang Barangay Hall ng Cabangan. Du’n huminto ako para mag-sip ng aking Gatorade Litro at kumagat ng embotido. Oo, embotido kasi naisip ko may eggs siya at raisin at protein. May mga volunteers pang nag-offer maghanap ng catsup pero naisip ko baka maging messy lang. Eeew! Again, sa bike, freshness ang habol ko. Pinasyalan na namin ni Coach Kiko Santos (3rd, Men 46-50) ang hilly raw na run route at alam kong kakailanganin ko lahat ng aking Darna powers para ma-survive ‘yun so steady lang ako sa bike. Besides, meron naman akong nao-overteykan kahit papaano so medyo nage-gain ko na’yung pangungulelat ko sa swim. At ‘yung mga nasalubong ko nang pabalik eh mga monsters na naman so ibang level na talaga sila. Got into T2 after cycling for about 3.25 hours. Racer 60 ako at kasabay ko sa changing room si Racer 61. “Heto na!!!” We both said. O, sino sa inyo ang nakasabay n’yo na‘yung racer na kasunod n’yo ang number sa changing room, aber?!
6. Hindi talaga mahirap as much as it is mahabaaaaa. ‘Yan ang swim at bike para sa akin. Pero ‘yung unang 2.5km pa lang ng run ANG HIRAP! For a moment kinonsider ko talagang pumara ng jeep at sumakay hanggang sa isang point na walang makakakita sa aking bumaba. Sa Papagayo ang unang aid station at papabol din ang nagma-man nu’n! (I think si Frank Lacson ‘to) Aaaay! Kung wala lang akong karerang kelangang tapusin eh tumambay na’ko ru’n pero naisip ko I am not really dressed to flirt at that moment. Kinarir ko pang takbuhin ang unang uphill papuntang 5km aid station pero a few meters before the station naisip ko na ang aking strategy: UP Mountaineer ako uphill, Lydia de Vega downhill. And except at the aid stations, I never stopped inside Subic Bay Freeport to take full advantage of the longest flat area in the course.
7. ‘Yung mga nakakasalubong kong leaders going into the Freeport eh hindi na namamansin. Unlike nu’ng sa bike na nagsa-smile back or at least tumitingin pa sila sa’yo kapag nagkakasalubong kayo. So napa-fighting stance na rin ako. Pero muntik na’kong naiyak pagpasok sa Freeport kung ‘di ko lang naisip na “Gago wala ka pa nga sa kalahati, noh!” Kinarir ko na ‘to. I took advantage of every aid station. Then I’d check my form before completely breaking into a run to the next station. Ito ang sinasabi ni Over-all Champion Hiroshi Takei na “I always get them in the run.” ‘Yung mga nauna nang ‘di hamak sa swim at bike eh isa-isa ko nang nalalampasan. Palabas ng Freeport, for the first time in my life ay ang saya-saya kong nakakita ng sementeryo. Pabalik na’ko!
8. ‘Yung mga uphills inisip ko na lang na isang bundok na napakadaling akyatin (maayos ang trail, walang nakahambalang na vegetation) at sa downhill inisip kong meron akong mahabang chiffon cape na kelangan liparin ng hangin para maganda ang effect so dapat mabilis-bilis ang takbo. Pero from Papagayo nagsimula na ang isa pa sa pinakamahirap na bahagi ng buong karera. Ni hindi ko na napansin si Papa Papagayo! Bago tumakbo ulit nag-concentrate talaga ako at lumarga na sa pinakamahabaaaang 2.5km ng buhay ko! People always say we’re crazy for choosing to go through this pero at that point I had to muster all my sanity to finish that race. I bet malakas ang immunity ng triathletes sa Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders because you’ve gotta be a little more sane do run those final kilometers just to cross the finish line.
9. I must admit, isang motivation ko sa may apat na buwan na training eh ang masulat ‘to. July pa lang inisip ko na ang opening ko ay: “Bilang mental preparation ko sa karera gabi-gabi akong nagsusuot ng costume ni Magdalena at kumakanta ako ng ‘I Don’t Know How to Love HIM.’” Naisip ko pang ending eh: “Now if some homophobe dare call me half-a-man, I’d grab him by the collar and growl at his face ‘That’s half-Ironman to you!’” Ngayon naisip ko na lang ang lagi kong sagot ‘pag tinatanong ako kung bakit ako nagta-triathlon: nakaka-thrill kasi just over a year ago I thought I couldn’t do this.
10. Sa White Rock Triathlon, ang sarap pumusta laban sa sarili mo…du’n sa sarili mong nagsasabing “Are you crazy?! Hindi mo kaya ‘yan, noh?!”
(You may visit Tonyo's site for outstanding photos of WRT.)
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# posted by rey agapay @ 3:16 AM 
