Groundhog Dude

Race Report – 2013 Ironman 70.3 Philippines

groundhogdude — Thu, 08 Aug 2013 07:08:39 +0000

Race day greeted us with some light rain. We woke up at 3 am, went down for breakfast of rice, ham, scrambled eggs, and toast. Our shuttle to Shangri-la was scheduled to leave at 4:30 am, so we were down by that time, and made the 5 minute ride to the race site.

It was still dark when we arrived at the transition area. There was plenty of time to pump the tires. fill the drink bottles, and prepare our gear. Towards 6am, we proceeded to the beach to warm-up for the swim.

The Swim

There were 3 waves for the swim. I was in the last wave , the 40 and above age group plus females wave. The swim start was in the middle of the sea where we had to make one big rectangular loop. We had to swim some 200 meters into the start line, and begin treading while waiting for the gun start. It was scary and funny at the same time, as we were packed liked sardines in the middle of the sea, treading and pushing against each other. Good thing it took only a couple of minutes before the gun to signal the start.

As expected, the start was a jumble of arms and legs and bodies hitting each other. What surprised me was that it would last almost the entire course as I found myself swimming with the main pack the whole time. Interesting things I saw: a couple of divers below watching over the swimmers; several participants pulling themselves with the buoy ropes practically the entire course!

Like last year’s, the last part of the swim was confusing since the swimmers were making a short cut towards the finish line, instead of following the buoy line. In any case, I wanted to finish the swim as soon as possible as I was getting sick of the salt water. I emerged out of the waters really pooped and made my way into the bike transition.

The Bike

I took my time doing the transition to bike as I was still recovering from the swim. My bike was the farthest from the mounting area, so I had to walk my bike a little bit before starting the bike.

As I made my way up and down the Mactan bridge, the exact same thing as last year happened to me. My aero bottle flew out of the aerobar strap as I went down the bridge. I thought I had already fixed this by putting tape around the bottle, but I guess this wasnt enough. I had to ask the bystanders to get my bottle lying on the ground. The bottle dropped again somewhere in kilometer 20 and I was really getting annoyed. Finally the cover of the aero bottle flew somewhere at the 50Km mark and I decided not to retrieve it. Bad idea – I had to endure my face was being splattered with Gatorade the rest of the ride.

The headwinds this year were on the opposite direction. It probably didnt matter which way, as we had to make two loops around the SRP highway.

The Run

I arrived at the transition area and again took my time. As usual, the place was almost full of bikes already. I ate my spam/anchovy sandwich. Changed to rubber shoes. Went to pee. Then started the run.

As expected, I couldn’t run as fast as I wanted. The lack of run mileage was evident as I could only manage a slow trot. On the first loop, I was memorizing the landmarks to help me pace myself on the second loop.

The run was on a road named Punta Engano. As you may know, “engano” means “deceit” in Spanish (the Tagalog meaning is different). It refers to the deceit of Lapu-Lapu, King of Mactan, on Magellan, who was deceived into battle by Lapu-lapu and died at his hands. That thought was on my mind as I was running, this time the triathletes being deceived by the small, medium and large loops along the route.

Good thing this year was that the water at the aid stations did not run out. Finally, I made it past the second loop and entered Shangri-la. The final deception was how far the Finish Chute was from the Shangri-la entrance. It took a good few minutes before I finally crossed the finish line, heard my name announced, my Fifth Ironman Philippines in a row

Preview

Back to Cebu – 2013 Ironman 70.3 Philippines

groundhogdude — Sat, 03 Aug 2013 04:17:17 +0000

I’m here in Mactan Island for the second staging of the Cebu Ironman 70.3. I arrived yesterday Friday late afternoon as I had work duties to attend to. As usual, it was a flurry of activities to get to the airport. I had to pack my stuff and gear, go through the Friday traffic, worry about getting parking space in Terminal 3.
Fortunately, everything turned out well. Traffic wasn’t so bad, I was able to get parking space (with help from the maintenance guys at the parking lot), and was able to check in peacefully at the Cebu Pacific counter, with kilos to spare.
One thing I noticed is that this is the year of the bike bags. As I landed in Cebu, and waited for my bike in the baggage carousel, mine was the only naked bike box. In any case, I zipped through the airport, found my suki driver waiting, and we proceeded to the Sabak bike guys in Shangrila where they were setup. My bike was assembled quickly and was able to test drive it before dark.These guys provide a bike packing service, where they pack the bike in Manila, assemble it in Cebu, pack it after the race, and assemble it back in Manila. Nice service I would say,
We woke up this morning with strong rain and thunder. In the twitter feed, I saw that they canceled part of the Ironkids race this morning. I hope it doesn’t get that bad tomorrow.
Registration this morning was also a breeze. One thing new is the body marking which they do before race day, using Tattoo stickers. This is a welcome improvement as it removes one less activity to do on race morning.

Body marking using Tattoo Stickers.

I also tried the Gatorade hyrdation test at the Expo. My tests show that I am borderline hydrated. TIme to drink up. No wonder my lips are dry.

Gatorade booth at the Ironman Expo

Urine test to determine hydration state

Next up – bike prep and gear checkin. Maybe do some swim and running.

Road (back) to HK

groundhogdude — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 15:12:01 +0000

Registration for the 2013 Hongkong marathon starts in October 24, 2012. I penciled that on my todo list as I wanted to make sure I get my name on it since it usually takes just a couple of weeks to fill out. HK marathon is now the other half of my schedule of main events, the other one being Ironman Philippines in Cebu.
I’m in a renaissance on running, partly fueled by switching back to New Balance shoes, getting back to speed intervals and an energized effort to reduce weight.
I did the Ironman 70.3 in Cebu last August with plantar fasciitis bothering my right foot. I knew it was because of my old pair of K-Swiss shoes. Soon after the race, I got a pair New Balance 1260 and immediately felt the difference. A lot more cushioning and a roomier toe box. And no more plantar!
I’ve been more diligent in doing speed intervals and I have felt stronger in my long runs. Proof is the recent Adidas King if the Road last Sept 30 where I did the 16.8 K distance in a shade less than two hours, not quite fast but good enough by my standards.
My quest to reduce weight has been made more interesting with the discovery of an article describing the 5:2 diet, which is quite promising to me. The numbers refer to 5 days of normal eating and 2 days of fasting (which means 600 calorie intake for the day). The secret of this diet is its simplicity – an all or nothing approach that does away with calorie counting or agonizing at each meal. It’s really quite close to skipping meals. Quite coincidentally, at about the same time, a friend pointed out an Iphone app, My Fitness Pal, calorie counting diary, which is the perfect partner for the normal days when one is inclined to binge.
Next race is the New Balance Power Run in November, a 25K distance race. Perfect runup to the HK marathon next year. Here’s hoping to a healthy foot, a strong run, and the perfect racing weight.

Shade resources

groundhogdude — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 06:33:18 +0000

I looked around the internet and found several websites about providing shade structures. Most of them come from Australia and New Zealand, where providing shade is a serious concern because of the prevalence of skin cancer in those areas. In the Philippines, this does not seem to be that pressing probably because of our skin which seem to have adapted to the sun, unlike the Caucasian skin which has few melanoma to fight against the sun rays.

In any case, we still need shade just because of the hot summer sun! Here are some of the handbooks I found on shade:

http://www.cancernz.org.nz/Uploads/Guidelines_Under_Cover.pdf

http://www.cancercouncil.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/theshade_handbook.pdf

These are handbooks that describe the importance of shade, the options for creating shade structures. Although it’s written for Australia and New Zealand context, it’s applicable to any tropical climate. Let’s point these handbooks to our friends to generate more awareness, and have more shade here in the Philippines.

Let’s have more shade

groundhogdude — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:15:26 +0000

The headlines are about the searing temperatures in Manila. It’s averaging 35 degrees Celsius and it’s mostly because of the cloudless skies and the sun hitting us directly.
Which makes me wonder why there are very few shade structures in Manila. Hundreds of years of experience of the hot summer sun should have produced shade contraptions but there is none. It’s probably the influence of Western architecture which is more appropriate in temperate countries: glass buildings, skylights, no sun shading.
I have a proposal. Instead of spending thousands of pesos on Christmas lights and decorations every December, let’s have a summer festival where people, households, establishments and companies will put up temporary shade structures around their area in order to block the sun, produce shade and make summer more pleasant. At least such structures are more functional than the Christmas lights and Snowman that we have during Christmas.
In fact there should be an ordinance to put up shade structures in public places like open parking lots.
Temporary structures can be tents, or recycled materials such as tarpaulins. Now we can have use for all the billboards using those big tarps.
Hopefully it will be more bearable to walk in the city during summer, to get in the car in the open parking lot.
Then we will see unique ideas to generate shade. I suspect that the banderitas used during fiestas have the double purpose of providing festive atmosphere as well as shade. Maybe somebody can invent a portable tent for the car. In the long term this will generate more awareness in the environment as we think of planting more trees, designing buildings which are cooler through natural means, and of course making summer living in the city more fun

Marathon Recovery

groundhogdude — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:26:26 +0000

One week after HK marathon, my legs are fully recovered and can begin to think of joining next year’s edition. I thought the whole experience was a lot of fun. But first I must write something about recovery.
I couldn’t bend my left knee right after the run, up until Monday afternoon. The physical therapist, at the end of the race, said it was most probably because I did not do enough stretching before the run. So this is something I need to remember. It was a good thing I brought with me a pack of Ibuprofen which helped speed up recovery.
The hotel staff was kind enough to volunteer a bucket of ice but I wasn’t able to use it because I didn’t have an ice bag, something which needs to be part of the kit next year.
Of course, post-race nutrition is important, courtesy of room service late lunch burger and dinner buffet in the evening.
The best thing for recovery was definitely the Thai massage I got along Wan Chai street the following monday. The therapist felt the tightness in my legs and proceeded to knead it, with me screaming all the while.
Afterwards I could walk a little more straight, can walk down the stairs more normally. I took the flight to Manila the next day. Straight to the office, and back to reality.

Marathon: Check (Hongkong Marathon 2012)

groundhogdude — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:27:01 +0000

Yesterday I completed what was on my todo list for the past 10 years, which was to complete a marathon. And I did it by finishing the Hongkong Marathon.
What follows are some notes while the event is still fresh. I’m writing this post from a small restaurant in Wang Chai.
The marathon start was at Nathan road, in Tsim Tsam Tsui. This is the reason why we chose a hotel near that area. On the other hand, the finish is
at Victoria Park on the other side of Hongkong, so not sure which better place to stay.
The 42k marathon started at 7:15. You can deposit a marathon bag near the start line, which the organizers will bring to the finish area. The contents of my bag: just a clean shirt and shorts, and a windbreaker/jacket.
The temperature was around 16 degrees C, just right and you don’t need to bring extra clothing to warm up. I had planned to bring extra clothes to shed during the race but good thing I didn’t need to.
I was feeling full from a heavy breakfast in the hotel during the first 10k. Good thing that I felt better in the next 10k. I was making a good time of under 7min per kilometer. I made the 21k mark in 2:15. At the 30k mark I think I was at 3:30. Things started to slow down after that. At the 4:30 mark, I think I was at km 35. At 5:10 I was at km 38, doing 10 min per km, more walking than running.
Inspite of the good pace in the first 30km, it came to my mind several times that I might not make the 6hour cutoff, primarily because of the pain in my left knee, something i did not experience in any of my previous long runs. There were several markers which showed the cut-off time at that point, which sent my mind calculating how much time left.
I was quite relieved to reach the 5:00 mark with 4km to go. I thought I was going to make it in 5:40. However, at that point my left knee was quite painful and could barely manage to run. I had a mild panic at the last kilometer because I could not run and it was already 5:45. Good thing I had enough in the tank to finish at 5:57.
The whole race was run on the skyways, tunnels and bridges of HK. It wasn’t really that scenic. In fact there’s a clamor to have it pass through the central city. Also, the way the bridges and roads circle through the islands, the road is inclined 30 degrees in many parts which makes it difficult to run; I suspect that the sideways sloping surface caused my early knee pains.
The organizers did a great job. Aid stations were well stocked. They were giving out menthol ointments. At one point I had to get Vaseline, as my chest was chafing already.
At the finish, there was physiotherapy available. This was not just massage therapy, but knowledgeable physical therapists doing a scientific diagnosis.
The most painful part was the return back to the hotel. I couldn’t find a taxi and had to go back to our hotel on the other side by train. It was slow walking all the way. Now I know it’s better to have the hotel on this side.
As I read the morning’s papers, it said that one person died, there were close to 70,000 participants, and the Africans duked it out at for a 1-2-3 finish. It was quite an experience, something I’m sure I’ll be looking forward to doing again next year. But that’s farthest from my mind right now as I nurse my aching legs.

Photos:

Preparing my race kit:

Last kilometer in sight. What a relief.

All smiles after the race.

Course Elevation Map. The route went through so many bridges and tunnels.

Looking forward to 2012

groundhogdude — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:30:29 +0000

At this time of the year, having finished all my vacation leaves, I’m practically alone in the office. It’s not a bad situation as I have the time to do some planning and to tidy up my mailbox and papers.
Reviewing the year in terms of triathlon, I was fortunate enough to have completed the following races: Subic International Triathlon, Ironman Philippines, and White Rock Triathlon.
Next year promises some new events and venues for me: Hongkong Marathon in February and Ironman Philippines, which will be held in Cebu next year, after being in Camsur for the last 3 years.
Registration for the HK marathon closed in one week, while IM Phils is fast filling up. You really need to plan ahead and register in advance for such races. I wasted no time in registering for both events.
Hopefully my increased running mileage, in preparing for my first marathon, will improve my runs and my triathlon times.
But first things first. I need to shed the holiday pounds gained in the last few days.
Part of my resolutions for next year is to blog more often and regularly. Perhaps doing it from my mobile phone, such as what I’m doing now, will help. Till then, enjoy the holidays and happy new year to every one!

Schools invade Makati

groundhogdude — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 10:34:32 +0000

I received an invitation to attend a leadership class in FEU. I was prepared to go to Morayta, but pleasantly realized that it was going to be held in the new FEU building in Makati, where the old Zuellig building was. Looking for parking space took time, as there was really nothing available. Going around the school, I learned that they offer MBA courses, culinary arts, and legal management.

The class I attended was organized by John Clements, part of their Executive MBA program that they have in partnership with FEU. The speaker was Dr. Steven DeKrey from HKUST, who gave us a day long seminar on Leadership Priorities in Asia. There was a lively discussion as most of the participants were seasoned executives as well as professors in the MBA faculty. I had a great time listening to the insights shared by my classmates.

The FEU school in Makati is the latest academic institution to add a Makati presence. Offhand I can think of Mapua along Buendia, Lyceum somewhere in Salcedo, of course Dela Salle and Ateneo have always been there, CEU I think also has a presence. This makes sense as it makes them closer to the corporate world, making their students and faculty more or less attuned to the industry

Understanding Filipino time

groundhogdude — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:13:27 +0000

DOST is launching Philippine Standard Time as a way to change Filipino time from being known as always late to being on time.

Filipino time is actually what Philip Zimbardo calls event time. According to him (he of the famous Stanford prison experiment), historically, there are two types of reckoning time practiced by people in the world: clock time and event time.

Clock time, which is to follow the clock on the dot, is followed by people in temperate countries, in which the seasons are clearly marked. Time is followed as something external to them.

On the other hand, event time is followed by people in countries near the equator, in which there are no seasons, and everyday throughout the year seems the same. In this case, events are started when people “feel” like it, not so much the external indication of a clock. That’s why the additional function of a host is to determine when to start, say 15 minutes after, or when there are enough people.

Filipino time is kind of tricky because we are in a kind of dichotomy where we live in a environment of both clock time and event time. Clock time for business meetings, and event time for social gatherings. In between, we have to get clues as to the actual start, watching out for messages such as “We will start on time”, or “Please come 5 minutes before the time”.

Why don’t we just say what clock to follow: event time or clock time. Clock time means we will start on time. Event time means come when you please!