Category: Triathlon

Tri United 2: Great Race Great Venue in Laiya Batangas

by Pia July 3, 2012 Comments0

The weekend of Tri United, I was under the weather – nursing a cold and flu-like stmptoms including eyes so red and swollen that I had to have it checked for sore eyes (doctor said everything was an allergy – the cold, the sneezing and red eyes), I had doubts about doing the race.

But I wanted to do this race. It was my tune-up race for Ironman 70.3 Cebu. So I drove out to San Juan, Batangas. And in the early morning concluded that my head was clearer and the irritation in my throat was manageable, red and puffy eyes gone.

You don’t see much when you get up on triathlon race day. Its pitch dark. When you first arrive at the transition area where you set-up your bike and gear, it’s usually day break and the sun’s soft rays are still yawning across the sky.

But as I finished up in the transition area, I noticed what a beautiful day it was turning out to be… A pleasant surprise was the brand new and tastefully done club house of Playa Laiya… now I was wishing, I could walk around and explore the place! But no time for that. The only place I had time to explore was the bathroom… and whoa! Was that a treat for triathletes who are used to but never truly embrace the use of a portalet!
Im voting this as the best bathrooms ever of all the races I have joined throughout the world!

With that, I proceeded to the swim area for a quick warm-up swim. Water looked calm and inviting… sand was soft on the feet… I told myself I will swim and see how I feel. If I’m good, I will continue on with the bike…

It was a 2k swim-60k bike-15k run.
Mass start wasn’t too bad. I have been practicing my fast starts where I swim at a fast pace just so I can move out into the open water sooner. After that I settle into a more manageable pace.

Water conditions were just right, compared to the conditions the day before during the afternoon sprint Tri. I’ve done races where we described the swim as being in a “washing machine,” or a “roller coaster.” Other less than ideal swims included waves that ended up in your face and mouth everytime you came up to breath or waves that were too high that even when you lifted your head to sight (see where you are going), you are greeted with water in your face.

After three laps, we ran to the transition area. I grabbed my bike, helmet and shades and was off.

The bike course was mostly flat with a few rolling hills, all very manageable. The turn around at the Port was very scenic. Loved it!

Any triathlete will tell you that racing on roads that are closed to traffic is really the ideal race simply because it’s safer! I did have to contend with a few stray dogs though.

Next and final segment is the run. By this time, the sun was bearing down on us and it was quite a relief to see that part of the run route was shaded by the big trees along the road.
I also loved that it was 3 loops of 5k instead of an out and back course. With a shorter loop, I find it’s easier to push myself and simply more fun cause you cross paths with the other participants. Same with the cheerers and supporters who provide a big moral boost when you are tired and hot.

And finally the finish line!

This was a good race for me! I had set out to push myself and just held back a bit given the allergies and sore throat. But I was happy with the effort I put in. I couldn’t ask for better race conditions.

Because the finish line was on the beach, I went straight for the blue water and did a relaxed recovery swim… Ahhh, even now as I write this article, I can feel the ocean water cooling me off, lifting away the heaviness in my legs… I floated on my back, looked up to the sky and thanked God for this day.

I was able to steal a few minutes with Unilab President and CEO Clinton Hess, congratulated him for a great event and for Unilab’s commitment to health and fitness. So many life threatening health conditions can be addressed or minimized through fitness. It’s just great that corporate citizens are supporting events like this.

Filed under Triathlon

5150 Triathlon 2012

by Pia June 30, 2012 Comments0

Even though I’ve been doing triathlons of various distances for quite a few years, race day is still always exciting.

Filed under Triathlon

Another Year of Remembering Gabriel

by Pia October 13, 2011 Comments0

Like every night before our 12-hour multi-sport event in memory of my son Gabriel, I get very little sleep. Read More

7th 12 Hours In Memory of Gabriel (2009)

by Pia September 25, 2009 Comments0

My son Gabriel lived for 9 months. Every September, we celebrate his short life with a 12 hour event in his memory. Friends come to run, walk, bike or do a triathlon. By doing this, our foundation, Gabriel’s Symphony Foundation, raises funds for kids who are disadvantaged either because of a disability, sickness or poverty.

I like to think of it as a venue for families to have a day of fitness and fun while helping others. My own kids have done different things over the years. The first year, they actually biked and ran throughout the day stopping only to eat and rest. The succeeding years, they did the kids tri. This year, they both ran the 3k run with their friends. Anthony Pangilan and his son Donny won the Parent and Child buddy run (official results of all the events will be posted on Gabriel’s Symphony Foundation).

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The kids triathlon and aquathlon was fun as always. Coach Ani de Leon’s Super Kids, our future national triathletes were there in full force. Three year old Kira Ellis was our youngest participant (youtube video of super kids).

Fresh from the CamSur 70.3 Ironman, my tri-friends, organized themselves into groups to do an ironman relay. There were 12 teams in all, including two all girls teams called Little Twin Star and Hello Kitty! The Carpo sisters crossed the finish line with their teammates in colorful head gear and attire. Similarly, the sea princess, Tessa Prieto Valdes biked in her tutu. Inspired by all this, I told Ani and Mailet, we should have a best in costume award next year!

Polotri relay team and me at the finish line

Coach Ani with women who did the ironman relay

Tessa, Ani and I after Tessa finished her bike leg

Some of the visually impaired kids, beneficiaries of our Foundation were there too. They did a demo swim, which prompted me to tell their coach that they may want to train and participate in the aquathon next year.

Visually Impaired kids swimming as the other kids cheer them on

Later that morning they did a demo of table tennis specially designed for visually impaired individuals. We have donated 2 of these tables to blind schools and has committed to donate some more.

table tennis demo of visually impaired kids

We also forged a new tie-up with Carewell Community, a foundation dedicated to provide support for cancer patients and their families. We did a Carewell Bikes for Hope and raised funds both for Gabriel’s foundation and Carewell.

And of course, my friend, Maiqui Dayrit, did his 5^th ironman. Every year, he worries that he is not in shape. But regardless of the shape he is in, he does his 3.8k swim, 180k bike and 42k run. He is by far, the foundation’s, longest running, largest individual donor. God bless your heart and keep you healthy and running strong Maiqui!

Ani Joey and Me with Maiqui after he finished his 5th Ironman distance.

As Maiqui was finishing his run, my brothers and some friends on a whim, decided to do a 200 meter sprint. The arrangement was regardless of who wins, the group would donate to the foundation. The run lasted all of a few seconds but it was totally fun watching them.

Then we came up with the idea of having my senate staff do the same 200 meter sprint. Some of the women in my office are quite fit… In fact, three of them Mich, Marvee and Karen did their first sprint triathlon relay in the UP College of Law Dean’s Cup a few weks ago.

There was just too much that happened that day for me to be sad. I miss my son every day of my life. But so much goodness has come out of his short life. I thank everyone who has made this day memorable, for taking time to join us and for making a difference in the lives of children.

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Filed under Gabriel's Symphony Triathlon

Rice and Eggs and Other Surprises in Desaru (A Tri Story)

by Pia August 14, 2009 Comments0

We found ourselves in Desaru, Malaysia when the 70.3 Ironman Putrajaya was suddenly postponed. We had trained for months and were ready to race. Ani de Leon instantly found another race, just 1 week after the original race we trained for. It was called the Desaru Long Distance Triathlon (2k swim-90k bike-21k run).

Our small Philippine contingent consisted of National tri-champ Ani de Leon, Phil team triathlete and now Coach Peter Gonzalez, my training partner Joey Torres and me. Ani’s boyfriend Patrice also joined us. We flew into Singapore and caught a 30 minute ferry to Malaysia.

None of us had ever been there. The roads were beautiful, perfect for biking. Unfortunately, the hotel we stayed in was not as nice as the roads. It was run down, there were leaking pipes in the bathroom, and there was hardly any food in the restaurant. We had rice and eggs every meal. Breakfast buffet was..all you can eat rice and eggs. Buti na lang girl scout ako. I had gone food shopping in Singapore and bought fruits and yogurt and some bread.

On Friday morning, we got on our bikes in search of food. We biked about 25km til we found heaven – a Petronas station with a store. We loaded our back packs (I loaded Joey’s since I did not have one) with instant noodles, drinks and chocolate bars.

Race morning breakfast was boiled water in the coffee pot and voila..instant noodles and egg. We biked to the Desaru Golden Beach Resort where the race would start. Nadine, my daughter and Che would be our water girls and cheering squad rolled into one. nads-and-me-swim

The swim turned out to be a mini-roller coaster. I felt I was moving up and down, not forward. Thankfully, I made it and transitioned into the bike segment. I loved that bike course! The roads were smooth and wide, rolling hills without too many turns. bike

Soon enough, I was on to the last segment – the run.It would take me about two hours. Course was hilly with one killer hill where I found most people walking. I didn’t walk it, but I could feel the strain on my calves going up that hill. We passed the Desaru Golden Beach Club a couple of times.This was the best part. Spectators and supporters waited there, cheering and handing out refreshments. Nadine and Che handed us water, energy bars and whatever they had.

Halfway through the run, I was running towards the crowd of people, and I spot Nadine holding out a banana. She shouts,” Mommy, mommy, banana?” As I pass her, I shout back, “Later, later, after the turn around.”

my sweet water girl ready to hand me my drink

Throughout that turn-around I dream of that banana. All I have had for the last 4:30 hours is water, some energy drink and gel. 4k later I am back. I can practically taste the banana. I imagine its sweet taste, the potassium and whatever other nutrients a banana has flowing thru my veins and nourishing my body to give me 1 more hour worth of strength and speed.

As I approached Nadine, I shouted, “Banana! Banana!”

My daughter replies, “Sorry mommy, its gone.”

I said, “What?! Why? What happened?”

“The monkey ate your banana, mommy.”

What can I say? In some triathlon races, you look out for cars, in others you look out for potholes on the road. In Desaru, you look out for monkeys…and your banana.

I took 6^th place in the age group 35 and up. Ani took 5^th place in her age-group and Peter Gonzalez took 2^nd. Not bad for our small Philippine contingent. We dedicate our race to President Cory Aquino.

flag in one hand, yellow flower in the other

Like many other women, I’m a trimom. I had promised Nadine that after my race, I was all hers. She wanted to go swimming and show me her dive. So we swam in the pool, and then headed to the beach to catch the waves. Then we we went back to our hotel to pack-up and eat.

What was our post-race meal?… but of course more noodles and eggs.

Filed under Filipino Pride My Daily Race Nutrition Sports Travel Triathlon

My brother, the weekend triathlete and runner

by Pia June 20, 2009 Comments0

Lino got me into triathlon. He was hooked at a time when I was a contented runner and scared of venturing into something new. He took me on my first “serious” ride around the village. I got hooked after two rides. Then he got a job that kept him up throughout the nights. I continued to train. He watched me with pride and envy, occasionally joining me for a 10k race or a duathlon.

Last year, he took a year off to study and live in New York. I missed him. He suggested we do the New York tri together last July since he lived only a few blocks from the race venue.

He didn’t tell me we had to park our bikes in his bathroom, that we had to carry them down 5 flights of stairs..and then carry them back up. But hey, what could be better than racing in NY with my brother..

Bikes and wetsuits and everything else parked in the bathroom

I trained a LOT in Manila, he trained a LITTLE in NY. I ran and biked under the sun, he sunbathed in Central Park..

I did wet suit swims, he bought a wet suit one week before the race. I raced seriously, he smiled for the camera. n1350397913_75918_2901

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He threatened to beat me. I laughed…Not this race, baby. nytri-lino

nytripia

Truth is, he could beat me any day IF he trained just a little bit more.

That same year, he convinced me it was a chance of a lifetime to do New York marathon together. I convinced him to meet up with me after my conference in Geneva and do Amsterdam Marathon. We did both 2 weeks apart. I ran to do my personal best, he ran to capture his first marathon on video.

After crossing the finish line of NY Marathon

The day he returned to Manila was a surprise to me. I was running with my training partner Joey early one morning and out of the corner of my eye I saw this familiar figure in black sitting on the curb of the road. I started screaming. Joey had no idea why until a few seconds later when he saw Lino.

Lino is now back in Manila working. It’s harder for him to train when he has shoots. But we text each other daily making plans to meet within the week. He joins me for a swim or a run. Some days, we lie around talking about my work, about his work, about my life and his life. About our dreams of watching my kids become world class athletes. In Boracay over the last weekend, we gave my girls a crash course in volleyball which was both our sport in college. 4224_1169839050057_1350397913_473514_6090666_n

Other times we hang together reading our books and ignoring each other. When he can, he comes over and cooks in my kitchen, eats and hangs with my kids. And we all go to church together.

Lino with my daughters Maxine and Nadine

And yes, we train together whenever we can.

n.b. Ani, Joey and I are convincing him to join the Camsur 70.3. Easy for him to do once he sets his mind to it… and if he had a bike. He left his in New York.

Filed under Family Sports Triathlon

Sleepytrigirl is back

by Pia April 24, 2009 Comments4

I don’t recall suffering from jet lag as much as I am now. Its been more than a week since I got back from Ethiopia and my body clock is still off. Last Sunday, I ran the Greenfield 10k race on 1 hour sleep. That night, I slept soundly and after 7 hours of sleep, was able to train at 7 am. The next day however, I could not get out of bed! I skipped training all together.

But jet lagged or not, I’m suppose to be back in training. It’s triathlon season for me. And I do miss doing triathlons. The last six months I did three marathons – Amsterdam in October, New York in November and just this March, Tokyo. The week we got back to Manila, my training partner and I swam and biked and he said “Partner, we’re triathletes again!”

I laughed and said, “yes we are.” Truth is, we never stopped being triathletes. Though my last three major races were all marathons, we actually did our fair share of triathlons in 2008.

Last July, Joey and I planned a trip to NY and looked for a race to join in the area. His sister lived in New Jersey. So did my cousins. Best of all, m my brother Lino was living in New York. We ended up doing the Rhode Island inaugural 70.3.

The next week, I did NY tri with Lino. A few weeks later, Joey represented HSBC Philippines in the HSBC triathlon in London. Then he did the 03 triathlon in Subic. I did the Olympic distance.

Finally, in September, I did the Singapore 70.3 and he did a full ironman distance at my event “12 hours in Memory of Gabriel.”

Ani de Leon, who completes our trio had her share of triathlons that year too. She did Ironman Langkawi in February where she qualified for a slot in Kona, the world championships. To prepare for Kona she also did the Singapore 70.3 and the 03 in Subic. Then she was off to Kona to fulfill her dream.

Although I love doing tris, it definitely takes a lot of time to train for one. I have to plan my training schedule very carefully.. I need to plot and work in 3-4 sessions of running, biking and swimming, plus at least 1 yoga and 1 boxing session (boxing is our easy day/cross-training work-out).

My training partner and I need to juggle work, parenting and other commitments throughout the week. And in my case, I need to be protective of the amount of back-to-back runs my legs can handle to avoid injuries.. And yes, I need my sleep.

So every week, we start out with a training plan. But every night, my training partner texts me and asks, “What’s ETT?” That’s estimated time of training. You see, even though we already have a plan for each day, he knows that it could change depending on:

– How my body feels/what’s on my mind

– how much sleep I will get

– changes in my schedule

Although I always try to stick to the training plan, I sometimes alter the distance or intensity of the session, depending on the three factors above. If I suddenly have an early day, then we will just do a quick run or box for 45 minutes.

What makes our ETT even more difficult to predict these days is the summer heat. I always fantasize about starting at day break..IF I could only get to bed early. But that rarely happens when you have a long day with lots on your mind, kids to take care of and work that you take home.

So what’s a sleepytrigirl to do? Same thing, I’ve done the past few years. Kiss my kids goodnight and set my alarm; hit the snooze button a few times before I finally roll out of bed in the morning; text or reply to my partner that I’m awake or check that he is and down my oatmeal and vitamins before he walks in the door.

Rain or shine, sleepy or wide awake, its time to train and be grateful for the gift of fitness.

Filed under Sports Triathlon

A Sleepytrigirl is Made not Born

by Pia June 16, 2007 Comments6

How does a sleepytrigirl who has been a night owl most of her adult life become a triathlete or a morning athlete -runner, cyclist whatever?

It was a process. It started with the death of my son… Running consoled me..
As I added on the mileage, I decided to train for a marathon (the Chronicle Marathon in SF in 2002) to help me deal with my grief. At that time, I was an entrepreneur then working at home, which allowed me to do my runs at sunset, my favorite time. Before that I was a practicing lawyer, doing my runs in the evenings and weekends.

But right after the marathon, I was so sick of running and needed something else to do. My brother Lino, friends Earl Medina and Patrick Joson kept bugging me to try the tri. Lino lent me his yellow mountain bike that he bought, I think, in the supermarket. I’m not kidding!

Despite my bike being an eyesore and my not knowing which was the front or back side of my bike helmet, I managed to learn to ride with cleats and even survived a few scrapes and stitches..

I disciplined myself to sleep earlier than normal so I could wake up earlier than normal to bike. After about a month of this, I had to leave for the US to be with my dad who was very sick…He needed a liver transplant and as it turned out, Lino gave our dad, 2/3rds of his liver…

We eventually took my dad home. I did my first duathlon that weekend (5k run-20k bike-2.5k run). Lino also joined and finished the race, a mere 4 months after the liver transplant. I actually won that race. Sadly, my dad died the week after…Lino and I went for a run when they took him away. It was the only way I knew how to console myself.

I continued to do duathlons, waking up early to bike or run. Fast forward a few months, I ran, uhh.. I mean, I ran for public office as a senator. I squeezed in a run or bike wherever I was. Some of the more memorable ones were, running around a church compound in the pouring rain.. running in a state-of-the-art track oval on a moon-lit night in Lanao del Norte, surrounded by soldiers and the PSG.. biking through Cavite, just me and Dags (our ever reliable former Tour, now bike mechanic), shaking hands with people in the jeeps and going down at every market we passed… Oh, and how could I forget, biking up Baguio via Marcos highway.

As fate would have it, I won, became a senator and went back to a more predictable training schedule – that is morning bike rides and runs 4-5 days a week before starting my workday and 1 or 2 afternoon/early evening sessions. Last year, I started swimming regularly and made the shift from duathlon to triathlon. Today, I do both.

How does a sleepytrigirl do it? Believe me, with much difficulty. I come from a family of late sleepers. I’m used to working past midnight. When I reviewed for the bar exam, I studied til 3 am in the morning everyday, ran in between review classes, joined a half marathon a month before the bar exams and got typhoid fever, but that’s another story…I guess that’s just the kind of schedule that works for me…

Since I became a duathlete/triathlete I have had to try to be in bed before midnight, preferably 11 pm. Tough..especially with two girls who know mommies are on call 24 hours a day…

These days I’m a sleepytrigirl who needs to constantly review her schedule to balance work and family time, speaking engagements, meetings, study time, training and yes, sleep… I have no fixed sleeping time, and no fixed waking time. Some days, though rarely, thank God, I’m up at 5am (like the days when I biked from my house to Batangas). Other days, even more rarely, thank you, thank you God (!!!), I sleep at 6 am (when we had marathon sessions in the senate and the day after election- that’s at the campaign headquarters). I just do what I can every single day.. and at night, my girls and I thank God for all the blessings.. and then, I pray that my daughters let me sleep and I wake up with a smile without having to hit the snooze button 10x.

Why do I do it? Because…

– i like being fit, I hate being fat and I love to eat.
– i love to race…and race well. But I need to train well, if I am to race well..After the grueling campaign period, Philippine team manager Melvin Fausto signed me up for and olympic distance duathlon (10k run-40k bike-5k run). I knew I would suffer…After the first 10k run and the 40k bike, I was dragging my feet to finish the last 5k. I was so slow, I was almost walking and one of the race marshals, Rene Zablan, who was on a bike beside me kept saying, “out of shape ka ‘no?”..and, “gusto mo nang maglakad ‘no?” I wanted to bop him. But everything he said was true and I realized it wasn’t fun doing this when you haven’t trained well.

-its a great way to spend your vacation.That’s the Philippine Duathlon team in the World Duathlon Championship in Australia.

-I love being around all these disciplined crazy people who work hard and persevere in the pursuit of victory.
-I love seeing friends and meeting new people at races.
-I love the bond I have with my dua/tri/cycling friends, some of whom have become very good friends.

– when Im out there running and biking, I have peace.

Are you ready to tri?

Please check pinayinaction.multiply.com soon for more updates on running, triathlon, fitness and women’s health.

Filed under Family Gabriel's Symphony Rene Cayetano Senate Sports Triathlon