Peak and Taper
Coming into Timex 226, I had already gone through what most would call a full season (or two). I kept the intensity up the whole season by constantly joining races. Though most have been concerned whether this would be detrimental to my health and performance, I honestly knew what I was doing. Each race, whether an A, B, or C race had a purpose; I had not gone into them blindly without considering the greater picture. I had a goal, I knew what I needed to do.
A couple of weeks before race day, I knew I had a good build, peak, and taper when I really felt like crap. The drop in mileage, abstinence from caffeine and junk food really wreaked havoc on my system. I felt sluggish, lethargic, and irritable: typical widthrdawal symptoms. "How can you race feeling like that?" was a question that was often asked. "Well, things will only get better" I replied.
Pre-Race
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| Jeremy, Enzo, Ugi, Eya, Me (Team Secondwind-Sun Broadband) |
During race week, my body was steadily priming itself for the race. I had scheduled my "off" day on Thursday which coincided with our travel day. To get to Anda, one would have to spend an hour on plane and two and a half hours in a van. The following day, we knew things were going to pick up.
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| Andapants Run |
A day before the race, organizers scheduled the Andapants Run which emulated the "Underpants Run" in Kona, Hawaii. This is a charity event where racers and their family/friends donned their underwear to participate in a short "fun run." For each of the 60+ participants for this event, the organizers would donate 5 shirts to the local school children in Anda.
This really set the mood for the rest of the week as initial shyness and apprehension was brushed aside. "Bawal mag tag sa Facebook," "No posting ha?" and "Hoy bawal kumalat" were some statements I often heard; ironically, they said this while gamely posing for the camera! After half an hour of PG-rated fun, all the racers felt closer to one another.
Race Day
This really set the mood for the rest of the week as initial shyness and apprehension was brushed aside. "Bawal mag tag sa Facebook," "No posting ha?" and "Hoy bawal kumalat" were some statements I often heard; ironically, they said this while gamely posing for the camera! After half an hour of PG-rated fun, all the racers felt closer to one another.
Race Day
Swim 2.4 miles! Bike 112 miles! Run 26.2 miles! Brag for the rest of your life. ---Commander John Collins
Race morning seemed like any other training day; I went through my morning rituals, checked and double-checked my gear. Within an hour, we were off to the plaza. Once there was daylight, nerves settled down as the racers and their families took snapshots of one another; the enormous task ahead seemed distant from most of their minds.
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| It's Time! |
The Swim
The swim leg starts roughly 150m from the shore. One would have walk towards the sea and traverse through corals, rocks, and sea creatures. Despite the sandbags laid out on the path, some were still unlucky enough to encounter the sea urchins and their spikes.
The swim leg starts roughly 150m from the shore. One would have walk towards the sea and traverse through corals, rocks, and sea creatures. Despite the sandbags laid out on the path, some were still unlucky enough to encounter the sea urchins and their spikes.
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| An Epic Day Ahead! |
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| Water Start |
After a short countdown, Raul Cuevas and Congressman Art Yap sounded the horn which officially began the race. Unlike last year, the participants seemed more eager now; they went out with guns blazing. I was quite surprised when I had to sprint the first 200m to gain position; unluckily, I got caught up behind a group of swimmers and lost sight of the stronger swimmers ahead. After the first turn, things started to settle down. I knew I had to regain lost time and pushed quite hard to close down the gap. After 5 to 10mins, I was able to form a pack with a few strong swimmers like Raymond Ordoveza, Mark Rivera, and Philip Atento. We stuck with one another for the entire swim leg as we knew there was strength in numbers. By forming a swim pack, we were able to draft off one another and push the pace harder. This also made sighting and navigation a lot easier.
After one loop, I looked at my watch and read 23 minutes; we were right on target. By the second loop, waves started to pick up. This, however, was no problem as we were still able to do the second loop in about 25 minutes. During the last loop, things went from bad to worse. The waves were enormous. We struggled keep within a few meters of one another. As each strong wave hit our group, we would get pushed apart. Whenever this happens, we would consciously seek out one another to try and regroup. To make things even worse, the boat stationed near the turnaround got detached from its anchor. As we went around it, I noticed that I could almost reach the sand beneath me, I realized that it had drifted towards the shore.
After the swim leg, we were very dizzy and disoriented. As we were guided by the volunteers along the sandbags, I tried to regain my sense of balance and focused on what I had to do next.
After the swim leg, we were very dizzy and disoriented. As we were guided by the volunteers along the sandbags, I tried to regain my sense of balance and focused on what I had to do next.
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| Off to T1 |
The Bike
After a sloppy T1 I was off to the bike course. I decided to wear my bike jersey as It would give me some protection from the sun and it had enough pockets to carry my 2,000+ calories worth of nutrition.
Early in the bike, I settled down on a steady pace. The swim took a lot out of me and I waited for my body to recover. I waited for my heart rate to go down as I tried to get in the necessary calories. The first loop, was more of a "warm up" for me. I had trouble reaching my usual power numbers. I didn't force it and knew that it would only be a matter of time. During this part, a lot of racers passed me; I tried to stay patient and stuck to my game plan.
Early in the bike, I settled down on a steady pace. The swim took a lot out of me and I waited for my body to recover. I waited for my heart rate to go down as I tried to get in the necessary calories. The first loop, was more of a "warm up" for me. I had trouble reaching my usual power numbers. I didn't force it and knew that it would only be a matter of time. During this part, a lot of racers passed me; I tried to stay patient and stuck to my game plan.
By the second loop, I was ready to push the pace. I steadily increased my effort and got a rhythm going. This is where I started to catch up on the cyclists who had a gap on me. After reviewing my data files, I found out I paced the bike very evenly. This allowed me to close down on the guys ahead of me whilst staying fresh.
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| Trying to stay aero for 180km is hard |
Moreover, I timed my nutrition perfectly and had no gastric distress or bloating. I noticed early on that the pre-mixed Gatorade was a bit diluted compared to what I usually drink. This concerned me as I might not get in the necessary calories. I made a gamble and decided to get my special needs bag and added a flask of EFS Liquid Shot and two extra Shotz gels to my banquet. This was more than what I used in training; luckily my body absorbed it quite well.
With around 40km to go, I was surprised when I caught Martin "The Machine" Lorenzo on the bike. I found out he had stomach cramps from his nutrition and ended up vomiting a good part of it. This would be a huge problem for most people as one is basically going into a marathon depleted of nutrients. Martin later on still finished 1st in his age group with a strong sub-12 finish!
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| Into T2 |
The Run
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| The Hosts Kuya Kim and Tricia |
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| One of my favorite shots by Expert Photographer Jijo de Guzman |
The run leg was composed of 4 loops. My game plan, just like last year, was to think of it as four 10km races. I did the first loop in 55 minutes but knew that it would be a struggle to maintain that pace for the next three. The heat was unbearable for me; I frequently poured cold water on myself as I tried cool my system. By the third loop, I was really starting to feel the fatigue; my legs were starting to tense up and my mind was telling me to stop and walk. I put on my game face and focused on surviving the run.
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| Struggling through the run |
As a mental "break" I chopped up the run leg into segments. I would focus on running towards the next aid station and as I went through each one, I rewarded myself with two glasses of coke, a handful of chips, and a short rest. This kept my mind busy and distracted me from the pain I was going through. By the fourth and final lap I was digging really deep. I knew this was going to be one tough lap and I focused on keeping my pace up even when my body was already shutting down.
My stomach was already bloated, I knew I was not absorbing the calories anymore and decided to take a break from chugging down the cola. As I was running I thought my pace was flying; yet, when I took a glance at my GPS watch, I read a pace of 7-8mins/km (sometimes close to 9). I was surprised as this was far from the 5-6min/km pace that I perceived. The fatigue has taken its toll, the next 5km would be really tough. Each kilometer seemed like an eternity; I impatiently looked at the dark road trying to scope out the markers along the path. As the sun was setting, it was getting difficult to see the dimly lit road. The organizers foresaw this and provided each participant with Energizer headlamps. These could be mounted on your forehead or cap and I can't imagine running the remainder of the course without it.
With 2 km to go, things were starting to pick up. The adrenaline rush kicked in as I flooded my mind with the thoughts of finishing with a new PR. Going into the plaza, I was ecstatic. After I ran through the chute and up the ramp the race finally over, I glanced up to look at the race clock: 11:09. I had shaved off almost 50mins from my previous finish time. "Mission Accomplished" were the next two words that entered my mind.
Post-Race
After a few pictures, I rushed to my phone to tell my loved ones about the good news. I knew that even if they weren't there in Bohol physically, they were with me in spirit. Later on, I spent a while in the recovery tent for a much needed massage. Once my stomach settled down, I got in some calories to kick start my recovery.
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| T3: The Recovery Tent |
I went back to the Finish line to greet some of my friends. Seeing them happy with what they had achieved also added to my joy. We greeted each other, exchanged high fives and short anecdotes about the race.
| Je and Dan |
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| Ronald (finished in Vibram Five Fingers!) |
| Steph and Raymond |
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| Mr. "First out of the Water" PJ :) |
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| Retzel's Tocino |
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| Javy and Hannah |
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| Jomer and Coach Guy :) |
The next day, the adrenaline rush was still there. My teammate Ugi and I woke up at around 5am ready to go! We were looking forward to the post-race breakfast/awarding as we were already starving!
I was lucky enough Top 10 Overall and Third in my Age Group (29 and Below). This year's lineup was really strong. In spite of the harder conditions compared to last year (choppy swim, windy bike) the Top 19 racers finished in under 12 hours. To put things into perspective last year, I finished just a few minutes under 12 and it was already good for Top 10.
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| Mayor Simacio, Cong.Yap, Me, Gerrie Calinawan, Franz Baguio, Timex GM Avinash Uttamchandani, Raul Cuevas |
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| Time to replenish the 6,000+ Calories burned |
After awarding, we chilled out in the hotel/resort and spent time in the pool or jacuzzi. Our season was finally over, it was time to relax and have fun. Later into the day, we had another post-race party which was definitely a banquet. Three lechons, trays of shrimp, plates of shellfish, several kilos of roasted chicken, a pot of clam soup and heaps of fruits were served. Once again,we were starving, and the organizers/hosts did not disappoint!
There was a bit of fun as the live band played and a few triathletes joined in on the fun. My role models Levy Ang and Bobby Go showed off why they were very popular with the ladies as they showed off their musical talents. Other good friends TJ Isla, Erick Guieb, Omar Paredes, and Jomer Lim joined in on the fun "Gangnam Style." And there was also an exhibition of core strength, flexibility and agility as Pompo Arroyo, Sam Lapena, and Lee McMeekin's daughter Lauren, faced-off for a limbo-rack match. Hats off to you guys as I would've probably lost during the first round.
There was a bit of fun as the live band played and a few triathletes joined in on the fun. My role models Levy Ang and Bobby Go showed off why they were very popular with the ladies as they showed off their musical talents. Other good friends TJ Isla, Erick Guieb, Omar Paredes, and Jomer Lim joined in on the fun "Gangnam Style." And there was also an exhibition of core strength, flexibility and agility as Pompo Arroyo, Sam Lapena, and Lee McMeekin's daughter Lauren, faced-off for a limbo-rack match. Hats off to you guys as I would've probably lost during the first round.
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| Levy's Serenade |
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| Core Strength! |
Aside from the actual finish, this was one of the best moments in my Timex 226 experience. Hanging out with the guys I spent training with for the last year was really memorable for me. We exchanged race stories, sentiments, and our plans for next year. Coming from different teams our barkada is not just a training group, we are a brotherhood.
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| Ronald, Ordo, TJ, Erick, Javy, Levy, Bobby, Me |
"Sports can unite a group of people from different backgrounds, all working together to achieve a common goal. And even if they fall short, sharing that journey is an experience they'll never forget. It can teach some of the most fundamental and important human values: dedication, perseverance, hard work, and teamwork. It also teaches us how to handle our success and cope with our failure. So, perhaps the greatest glory of sport is that is teaches us so much about life itself."
---Ahmad Rashad
Timex 226 Official Results: 2012 Timex 226
***Thanks to Bike King and Timex for the pictures. More to come as the official photos get published!
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