5150 Course Preview

 

The Century Tuna 5150 Triathlon  is one of the most challenging races this year. Being a standard distance triathlon, it consists of a 1.5km Swim, 40km bike, and 10km run; however, what sets it apart is the level of difficulty involved. Despite the expensive price tag of $150 (I signed up initially at $180), I know this is going to be another epic and memorable race. Other races of this distance simply come up short when compared to this; the organizers really pulled all the stops to make this something out of the ordinary.

The first leg is a point-to-point swim from the Grande Island ferry dock to All Hands Beach. The swim start is several hundred meters deep; one has the option of either doing a treading start or starting from the walkway near the shore. I highly recommend starting in the water as starting from the shore puts you at a huge disadvantage; not only would one have to dive during gun start, you'd also need to swim out several hundred meters towards the real start line. Moreover, it gives you a Kona-esque feel; another aspect of this race that makes it so notable. To those who aren't that comfortable with treading, perhaps this link would help. It's not that difficult as long as you relax and practice it several times before race day.

The bike course is definitely the most exciting portion of this race. Coming out of transition 1, there's a short warmup along NCT road towards the airport; I highly recommend to start firing up your legs for this as the next phase would be the airport runway. During the race last year, the organizers had this Timex Challenge (Fastest Runway Split). If you want to have a good race overall, I recommend not shooting for this; save your legs, the next parts of the race will be a lot more difficult.

Out of the airport road, Subit racers would be familiar with the route leading towards Ocean Adventure; however, just before Morong Gate, racers turn right into the IDESS loop. This is one very technical portion of the race where passing is discouraged; roads are twisty, narrow, and fast! Watch out for tight turns, cracked pavement, and loose sand/gravel. I suggest dropping to a light gear for this part as it makes acceleration out of the turns easier. The final part of the loop is a hard climb where the burning heat of the sun greatly adds to its difficulty. After IDESS, one would need to make his/her way back to the airport. Take this time to let your legs recover and prepare for the infamous Tarlac Road.

Tarlac road is the winding and steep climb towards Crownpeak and Forest Hills. Turn right from Argonaut Highway, and you're immediately greeted by a gradient of around 6-7%. Drop down to the small chainring and a light gear; it's going to be a long climb. Once you "finally" reach the top, make your way through the roads near CUBI (make sure you watch out for signs and don't get lost).

Photo Credit: DrivingExperiences.co.uk

Even if I've raced it several times, the downhill road opposite Tarlac (Aparri Road) still scares me quite a bit. There are several sweeping turns near Tree Top Adventure are something to watch out for. My best advice for this is to brake and scrub off some speed before the turn, take the outer portion of the lane (make sure there are no oncoming vehicles though), put your inner leg up, lean into the chicane, clip the apex, and let your momentum carry you towards the outside. Do not make any sharp adjustments and merely feather the brakes; hard braking and sudden line corrections might cause you to lose traction. Once you reach the bottom, relax a bit, the hardest parts are over, it's time to find a good rhythm on the way to the Subic Exhibition Center, where transition 2 is located.

 

T2 is located well within the Subic Exhibition Center; this is where the Expo Center, race briefing /dinner, and race awarding/brunch takes place (unless they moved it for 2013). One thing I noticed out of T2 last year, was the immense heat. This area isn't very shaded so you really feel the intense rays of the sun. Take the first portion easy; the exhaust from the vehicles together with the ambient heat from the asphalt is challenging in itself. The organizers learned from last year's mistakes; instead of turning left towards Rizal Highway, the route traverses Argonaut Highway first before turning into Causeway Road. I hope this remedies the traffic deadlock we caused last year; we got our share of horns and cusses from irate motorists.

Most of the run course takes place in the Subic Golf Course. To say the least, it was full of turns and quite hilly! Aid stations were spaced out quite well which one should take advantage of to avoid dehydration and subsequent cramping. Despite the challenging terrain, the golf course is a good venue as it provides a refreshing atmosphere and scenery. On the way back, it's mostly downhill towards the Exhibition Center. If you don't feel exhausted by this point, it just means you didn't go hard enough. Once you pass Petron, there's roughly a kilometer to go before you reach the finish line. zip up your tri suit, fix your race bib, and practice your finish line smile; you've just completed one of the most difficult races in the Philippines.

Photos Grabbed from: Century Tuna 5150

SBR.ph Triman Race Recap

The final leg of the www.SwimBikeRun.ph race series took place in Fontana Leisure Parks last May 26. It consisted of a 1k pool swim, 30k bike, and 5k run. With roughly a month to go before Century Tuna 5150, I found this to be a perfect tune up race. Aside from the swim, the course was good preparation for the terrain in Subic.

Breaking down the race, the swim started out as expected. I knew how pool races go and already had a strategy laid out. Once we were given the go signal, a few of us sprinted to get away from the pack, the intense surge often pays dividends as you save yourself from the notorious "washing machine." This plan, however, backfired as most of the other racers decided to skip the mandatory wall touch. After the hard surge, I pushed off the wall only to encounter the mass of racers who crossed the line without reaching the end of the pool. This was trouble as I found it hard to navigate these guys especially with my heart rate through the roof. I decided to be patient and find my way around; after a few more hard sprints, I was in front and decided to cruise the rest of the way.

Photo Credit: Running Photoraphers

Photo Credit: Jana Cruz

Transition 1 was several hundred meters away and I literally had to run to my bike. Being a "test race" of sorts, I decided to use a full aero setup despite the somewhat hilly terrain. I used my disc, aero helmet, and went all tri-geeky with a camelbak hydration system. Since this was more of a fun race for me, I decided to play around try out how aerodynamically efficient I could be. The bike leg consisted of a long downhill segment, followed by a short flat portion, then another long "climb" with an average gradient of around 4-5%. I kept myself tucked in for around 95% of the course as I wanted to build my leg strength in this position

Clean and Very Aggressive Setup

Bike Course Profile: Roughly 270m total elevation gain.

Being in the aero position can have it's disadvantages, lower back strain is common for those who lack flexibility and shoulders and arms tend to fatigue quite easily. Another problem is the lack of visibility when you have your head hidden from the wind. I tried out Smith Optics' new Pivlock V2 to try and address this issue. Being rimless both in the lower and upper portion of the lens, it gave me the best visibility possible. I could easily glance behind me for oncoming traffic, and also keep my eyes focused up front without tilting my head up too much. Lens are also interchangeable which gives you more options for those overcast or rainy days. Weight (or lack thereof) is also an added bonus; these are the lightest sunglasses with interchangeable lens. I had no issues with the glasses sliding off my nose or with the edge of the lens rubbing against my cheek. I'll definitely keep on using this for my next races.

My Race Essentials: Newtons and Pivlock V2.  And Yurbuds as my training buddy (no pun intended)

Coming into Transition 2, I still felt quite fresh, and decided to try and push the run. I found this to be quite challenging due to terrain. There were uneven portions wherein you had to hop over tree roots, gutters, and loose soil. There were also a lot of twists and turns which meant you had to accelerate quite often. Despite this, the run course kept your mind busy which is definitely better than some of the boring courses I've encountered in the past. Surprisingly, it seemed like the three loops went by quite quickly for me and I raced towards the finish chute emphatically. There, I was greeted by Mr. SBR.ph himself and rushed to the expo center to grab drinks.

Photo Credit: Monkey Saladeer

Photo Credit: Running Photographers

 After the race, instead of chugging down on electrolyte drinks, I probably drank around 5 cups of Enervon HP and Choco Barley from Sante Barley. Something different and refreshing that I'll probably do more often.

Looking back on my race, I came from a high mileage week and still felt the load from the Tour of Subic. Since I'm focusing more on the half-ironman distance, my body now favors steady state efforts as opposed to hard sprints and short time trials. With the race wrapped up, I immediately began to analyze what aspects of my race I need to improve on. In the end, I'm still quite happy since I was able to bag first in my Age Group. The only embarrassing part is that I forgot the time my wave started and ended up blurting out the wrong finish time haha (my watch's timer paused because of the hard contact from the washing machine). All things considered, it was a great race! Thanks to Secondwind and Hector Yuzon for the slot and as always SwimBikeRun.ph and CDG for a great experience. Dapat next year may half IM distance na!

Photo Credit: Running Photographers

You can check out the pictures from Running Photographers and Monkey Saladeer (Don't forget to like their pages!)

P.S. Thanks to my friends for the support and cheers! Hope you guys had a great time watching us suffer :)

Jona, Steven, Me, Daniel, Jon, Jana, Rashell
Photo Credit: Pinoy Fitness and Jeff Lo

A Triathlete's Guide to Road Racing

Last Sunday, I joined the Aboitiz Tour of Subic Cycling Event in Olongapo. I prioritized Stage 3 since I wanted to have a really hard long ride that weekend.

Initially, I thought it would be the same as last year's road race.Which was an out and back ride from Subic Holiday Villas to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. That ride was one of the hardest routes I've done. The hills ("hells" seemed more apt) were steep and quite numerous. Going back, there were riders literally lying on the floor; it was a crampfest.

ToS Stage 3 for 2012

The organizers changed the route this year due to the numerous road repairs going to Bataan. The course, despite being faster and easier, was still quite enjoyable. It consisted of 4 loops inside the Subic Freeport Zone. There was a steep climb from Edgewater (near Dungaree Beach) towards CUBI (top of Tarlac road). This made it a great training ride for 5150 in June.

ToS Stage 3 for 2013

Of course I entered this race with training in mind. I love the thrill joining of these races and will continue to do so as long as schedule permits. Road racing adds another aspect in training in terms of bike handling, strategy, and physical conditioning. First of all, one must be confident with his/her handling skills especially when riding in a group. Be prepared to literally rub elbows with the riders beside you. Energy conservation and team tactics are also important in these types of events. Whilst this might not be very beneficial for triathletes, it is quite interesting especially when you watch the grand tours like Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, etc. Surges are also more prominent in these types of races versus the steady pace riding in triathlon bike legs. Attacks are more common and you are often out of your comfort zone. To prepare for these types of events, make sure you do a lot of VO2Max work and hill repeats. 

I compiled a short list for triathletes who wish to venture into road racing but are somewhat apprehensive in doing so.

Road Racing Tips for Triathletes

1. Remove the Aerobars - These aren't legal in cycling races unless you're joining a Time Trial event. Riding them in pacelines and pelotons is quite unsafe. It takes more time to reach for the brakes than if you were to ride the hoods or drops of a road bikes. This also means Time Trial or Tri Bikes aren't allowed unless you put drop handlebars and roadbike brake levrs (aka STI or Brifters).

Safe hand position to ride in a group or paceline.
Photo Credit http://www.nzta.govt.nz

2. Practice Riding in Pacelines - This skill is seldom used by triathletes since most triathlon races are non draft legal. As mentioned in #1, riding your aerobars in a group is quite dangerous and should be avoided (even in training). There are certain rules in paceline riding that are very important the most important one would be not to "half-wheel." This is when a rider overlaps his front wheel with the rear wheel of the one ahead of him. Once the rider in front suddenly decides to change lines, it would be a recipe for disaster.

Paceline by Leroy and TheBrick (Photo Credit to Garmin Center)

3. Look Through the Riders Ahead of You - Don't stare at the rear wheel of the rider ahead of you. Be aware of what the riders in front are looking at or doing. This gives you more time to react especially when there are obstacles, potholes, or turns that the group must navigate.
4. Microadjust - Don't make sudden changes in steering and pedaling; when riding in excess of 35kph, small changes are quite noticeable. More importantly, if you need to slow down, just feather the brakes to make sure that you wont surprise the riders behind you. In the event of a sudden stop, make sure you alert the people behind you and try to get out of the way of their "braking space".
5. Shave Your Legs - More Aero? Probably not, but it does look nicer! On a serious note, the main reason for this is to help clean "road rash" (knock on wood) easier. Bandages stick better and wounds are less prone to infection.

I Think This Guy (I shall not name) Prefers Waxing :P

6. Don't be a Tri-Geek - I know I'm guilty of this one so learn from my mistakes. Ditch the Aero Helmet, Speedfil, and other tri specific gadgets at home. Compression socks are a gray area since some people consider them Tri-Geeky. In my humble opinion, if you feel more comfortable with them then go ahead.

If you choose to wear compression socks, choose black or a dark color. The grease smudges from the chain won't be too obvious. Photo Credit CW-X

On a final note, since I wasn't able to use my tri-geek-gear this weekend, I'll use them this Sunday in Triman by www.SwimBikeRun.ph ... Of course I will write about my experience in this event so please check back in a week or so. Better yet, watch and experience the event!

www.SwimBikeRun.ph's Triman Sprint Triathlon