The Ironman 70.3 Philippines held in Cebu is arguably one of the most festive and enjoyable races in the local triahthlon calendar. The race, which takes place Lapu-lapu City, Mactan, is a favorite among both Filipino and international delegates because of its lively atmosphere, beautiful setting, and warm hosts. It also doubles as a vacation for the athletes' family and friends who tag along to support.
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| Courtesy of Tenminutes.ph |
PREPARATION
As I do every year, I decided to do something different in my preparation for this race. Since this is an A race for me, I want to be in the best form possible. This year, I decided to forgo the concept of mileage per se; instead, I looked at the training stress a particular workout gives. This meant I had more intense swims with shorter sets (no 2km straight swims), fewer long rides (a significant chunk was on the trainer), and almost no long runs (I never ran more than 18km). In short, I trained for the event using the specific intensity I intended to race it in. I dialed in my pace zones for every key workout and avoided mediocre workouts for the sake of mileage. I trained hard during my loading days, and kept my effort easy during my recovery days. Looking back, you could say I trained more similar to an "elite" olympic distance athlete versus a long course athlete.
THE SWIM
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| Photo Credit: Deng Richmond |
The swim was a bit challenging due to the current but still quite manageable. During such conditions, there is strength in numbers; hence, I did my best to maintain a steady effort and keep up with the front pack. By the first buoy, we had already caught up with a few people from the first wave consisting of pros and Filipino elites. I was extra cautious this time during the u-turns as this is where I usually get dropped. Going back towards the direction of Portofino, we swam with the current. I shifted to a slower turnover rate with a more pronounced glide to conserve some energy. By the time we got to the second set of buoys, I was still fresh and ready for the most challenging part of the swim. As we swam towards transition, the current was very strong. I noticed that the buoy line was barely moving beside me despite my pushing really hard. Short strokes and a faster turn over rate helped me keep up with the pack. Moreover, It was very difficult to keep your bearings locked because the current was hitting you at an angle; you would need to sight every four strokes or so to make sure you don't get swept away. I finished the swim (minus the run towards transition) in 32mins. This was very good considering as I was able to keep up with fast swimmers like Omar Paredes and Grant Preddy.
THE BIKE
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| Photo Credit: Leslie Maloloy-on |
Since I was in the second wave, my bike strategy was simple, go harder for the first part of the course until the end of the first M-Loop. By the second loop, I expected more traffic which would make it very difficult to maintain a steady effort. The first part of my race went as planned, I had a variable intensity (VI) of 1.02 which meant I raced it steadily with very little power variations. This is an excellent value and it's something that I've practiced quite often. The SRP segment of the course was very windy, there were times when I'd lean my bike into the wind to help maintain my balance.
By the second loop, I couldn't reach my target power as I was concentrating more on safety. It was really hard to pass other athletes who didn't maintain their line. I didn't want to get red carded for crossing the center line; and, I also paid extra attention in maintaining proper space. To avoid a drafting penalty, I would often freewheel and drop back to a legal distance. I'd have to wait for a proper time to make my move and surge ahead. My average power dropped by around 5% for the second M-Loop. VI rose as well because of the number of surges.
I got a bit frustrated with the chaos on the bike course; it was physically and mentally draining. Of course, this is all part of the race. Hopefully, next year, we won't have to deal with the Double M-Loop (or M&M as they called it). More importantly, I wish the roads were not "moon-like" and "crater-ish." I really felt sorry for my wheels and bike when I'd hit the rough patches. On a side note, several accidents took place in the course partly because of the bad roads, congestion, and pedestrians. Hopefully these can all be addressed next year (for the last point, spectators should also be briefed as well).
By the second loop, I couldn't reach my target power as I was concentrating more on safety. It was really hard to pass other athletes who didn't maintain their line. I didn't want to get red carded for crossing the center line; and, I also paid extra attention in maintaining proper space. To avoid a drafting penalty, I would often freewheel and drop back to a legal distance. I'd have to wait for a proper time to make my move and surge ahead. My average power dropped by around 5% for the second M-Loop. VI rose as well because of the number of surges.
I got a bit frustrated with the chaos on the bike course; it was physically and mentally draining. Of course, this is all part of the race. Hopefully, next year, we won't have to deal with the Double M-Loop (or M&M as they called it). More importantly, I wish the roads were not "moon-like" and "crater-ish." I really felt sorry for my wheels and bike when I'd hit the rough patches. On a side note, several accidents took place in the course partly because of the bad roads, congestion, and pedestrians. Hopefully these can all be addressed next year (for the last point, spectators should also be briefed as well).
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| Power Distribution Graph (Histogram) showing how evenly paced my bike leg turned out. |
THE RUN
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With triathlon racing, one could say that it's a balancing act between having a fast bike and a strong run. Going too hard on the bike would often mean having a sub-par run (and slower time overall). On the other hand, by not going hard enough on the bike, one would need to make up for lost time. I made the latter mistake and took it too easy on the bike. Coming into T2 I felt "too fresh" and found out I was behind Brian Borling by almost 9 minutes. I knew I had a lot of work to do and thankfully the legs responded.
I paced the first half of the run with my teammate Mervin Santiago and we averaged around 4:10min/km per km for the first 12kms or so. I was starting to feel heat fatigue from the conditions and did the necessary steps to cool myself down. After the 15th kilometer, I noticed that my HR stayed low and I was confident I could do a last push with 6kms left. I picked up my pace and made one last effort to catch Brian. It was starting to hurt really bad with my HR rising close to 92% of maximum. I didn't care about data at this point and just pushed on. Around 600m from the turn into Shang, I spotted Brian and made a surge to catch him. People shouted and cheered but this caught his attention and made him realize that I caught up. We sprinted from the turn all the way to the finish chute. I gave my all; my legs were going as fast as they can and they were starting to turn numb and wobbly. I was expecting myself to collapse at the finish line. (When I didn't, I was a bit irked and thought that I could have gone faster!). I finished with a time of 4:54:03 but I lost by 2 seconds. I missed out on the Lapu-Lapu Award (Fastest Filipino Age Grouper) by placing 2nd yet again and for the first time in Cebu, missed out on a podium slot (Brian was 3rd in our AG, I was 4th). Most people thought I was devastated. However, despite being frustrated and disappointed, I was really proud of my effort knowing that I never gave up. Only 4 Filipino Age Groupers finished in under 5 hours (Brian Borling, Myself, Jong Sajulga, and Mervin Santiago). This is something I'm proud of but of course I am not content with this. I'll keep on pushing to improve and get faster.
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| Photo Credit: Deng Richmond |
Since I've got handful of races left leading up to Enervon Activ 226 in Bohol, I couldn't really take a long break after Cebu. After a short block of recovery, I need to get back to work to build up my stamina for another full Ironman (my 4th).
"It doesn't get easier, you just get faster." - Greg Lemond
