Now I can say it. I am a triathlete! A momma triathlete! Woohoo.

So I really toed the line, and made it all the way to the finish. AND survived all of that! Wahoo!


The evening before the race, as if taking cue from my rising anxiety, his temperature rose to full-blown fever, enough to put me on Momma Alert Level 3. He started getting antsy and we had a hard time putting him to sleep and keeping him asleep. I was worried sick about him. I was up all night, half of it trying to entertain the awake little boy (boy, he wanted to play at 2 freaking a.m., was very hyper and chatty until he was crying already from exhaustion and perhaps, headache) and another half tossing and turning and constantly checking on the little guy. By 3:30 a.m., and with barely an hour of sleep (staggered), I was ready to quit the race.

But something deep inside (plus the husband's prodding) made me don the team colors. Feeling like zombie, I reluctantly pedalled off to set up my bike and run stuff at the transition area.

Good thing the electrified atmosphere at the transition and start area rubbed off on me and in no time, I felt like the girl who went there to race. It was a huge plus that my wave was star-studded: the Gameplan TV host Amanda Fernandez, Iya Villania, and Jennilyn Mercado were in my wave. Not to say I'm actually a diehard and celeb-crazed, but there's something so inspiring and calming and nakaka-pressure being around these strong, fit, gorgeous ladies who I'm guessing have a lot on their plates, too. Admirable, to say the least.

With Gameplan TV host Amanda Fernandez, also a first timer, who totally rocked the race.

Right before my wave's start. Spot the Iya Villania. Too funny! :)

Of the three disciplines, I feared most the swim. I am a newbie swimmer, still continuing to learn, and I have not joined any race that involved swimming (unlike running and cycling). And as you may know, our tri simulation with my teammates a month ago put things in perspective -- that although I can swim a kilometer (confidently and peacefully) by my lonesome, being in the pool with a dozen other adrenaline-pumped able bodies fighting for space just petrified me. I literally forget how to swim by merely thinking about it!

Surprisingly, I had no single panic attack on the swim. On the contrary, I was surprised to have found my rhythm by the first lap. I would bump into someone now and then, but I would regain my composure the moment after. "Just keep swimming" echoed in my head as I focused on the stroke and technique I've been learning from my Aqualogic instructors for months now. 


Keep swimming, keep keep swimming, love.

Now, here's the clincher. I was so timid about my impending swim that I started at the dead last of the pack, not wanting to be "ran over" and killed (the spirit, that is) by the stronger swimmers. But as it turned out, I was the faster swimmer among the slower swimmers in the tail-ofthe-pack pack. Hah! I saw it with my own eyes, I actually overtook a few girls at every single lane. And my husband was there, cheering me on, assuring me I was doing fine, and that I was actually not as slow as I initially assessed myself. He tried talking some sense into me, that I could actually swim faster than the girls I thought would all leave me behind.

But as I was not that confident with my swim, I paused and took my sweet time resting (and ogling all the other swimmers) at the end of each lap. So, what happened was, I would let the few girls go ahead of me (while resting and ogling), then swim off, catch them after a few strokes, reach the end of the pool ahead of them. AND rest. The other girls go off to the next lane without resting. Then I'll swim off again, inadvertently catching up and getting ahead of them. Repeat. 

Completed 6 laps of the 50-meter pool (halfway through). I just had to smile and pose, like I have all the time in the world! LOL.

Not a very good gameplan, huh? Don't worry, I've learned my lesson. :) And it all sank in in retrospect. I was just too ecstatic to have completed the swim in one piece. When I got out of the pool, I knew I finished half of the race already.

The Bike Leg.


Triathlon transitions are an art that require expertise and practice.

But oh boy, I was dead wrong, dead wrong. Finishing the swim was not tantamount to finishing half the race. While I may have underestimated myself at the swim leg, I probably overestimated my capabilities for the bike leg. I've always thought, hey I was riding bicycles since I was a kid and I should be able to finish it despite minimal training. What's so hard about pedaling, right?

Not at all thrilled with the bike course. But I just had to smile. :P

Hah! 30 kilometers with loooong, seemingly endless stretches of uphills was HARD and painful, dammit. I wonder how others can go so fast (they zoomed by!) while I stay snail-paced even with my best efforts. All I wanted was to finish the bike leg so I can run and see my boys already. Painful lessons learned on the bike that morning.

The Run Leg.

The run was hot, hot, hot, hilly, and mentally challenging for having so many mini loops inside Fontana. Imagine seeing the Finish Line and breathing a sigh of relief "ah, I'm so near," only to be crushed because you have an almost-hairpin loop between where you are and the Finish line, and then another of that, plus one more, and another.

So happy to be running in the outdoors again.

Good thing I was armed with the most potent energy booster, ever -- the sight of my two teammates who drove all the way from Cavite just to cheer us, along with my husband and oh boy, my little guy Thirdy was waiting by the roadside! With a very huge smile on his face, eyes twinkling, like he had no sinat at all. He sweetly called out to Momma, and I planted a kiss on him as he grinned. I was so kilig.

Apparently, he had been waiting for me by that roadside for 20 minutes or so. "Tagal, Momma," the little boy said to his Dad. Sorry baby, Momma's was not fast enough for you! :)

The most potent energy boost, ever. Waiting for me at the run course.

The rest of the run went on quickly after that Thirdy boost. He was happy, he didn't look sick (he actually still had sinat), and he flashed me his biggest smile. It took me to the Finish Line, heart soaring and legs actually lighter.

Couldn't get happier, despite being beaten, than that. :)

Happy Momster's Takeaway.

I finished the grueling course in 2 hours 34 minutes. Nothing impressive, I placed right below the median and I was 40 plus minutes behind from the very fit and grogeous lady who was the champion in my age group (guess who? Iya Villania!).

But you know what? I don't bat an eyelash and I am past cringing whenever I say my finish time. As they say, finishing dead last is better than not finishing, which trumps not starting at all by a huge margin. Finishing the race may have been the ultimate goal, but committing, OH FINALLY COMMITTING, to wade my toes into triathlon despite an already challenged balancing act, was the highlight of my first triathlon journey.



Sweet icing on the cake, baby.

And remember in my previous post when I told you what my gameplan was? I did enjoy myself -- HEAPS -- out there! :)

I guess I'll keep doing this, after all. ;)

Finished, or not, pass your papers!!!

Yep, that's exactly how I feel now with just a few days to go before my first triathlon. *hyperventilating* Actually, that gnawing finished-or-not-pass-your-papers feeling started kicking in last week, since, as you may know, we had no Yaya for a week. No last-minute cunchtime training for this Momma, aaww.

Guess I'll just rely on my mileage logged (not much), all heart and guts, and lots of prayers on race day.

For the mean time, let me share with you Gameplan TV's interview with us. Drum rolls please!



Caveat though: I'm in no way near THAT fat in real life. :P I hate you, cameras, you, for adding on a hideous extra xx pounds on me. Mwuhahaha.

On a more serious note, the final cut is quite inspiring, don't you think? Now I'm inspired and pumped AND I totally have no reason not to finish this race after shouting to the world that my gameplan is to go out there and enjoy myself. :)

Okay, folks, I've kept it under wraps, but time for the big reveal: I'm officially a celebrity and I am hosting a game show soon! OMG I'm so thrilled, I've been absolutely totally dreaming of doing this job! It's not work, it's play people, all play!

Woot, mein a trisuit again!

ERR. BLUFF. I was indeed a sport junkie TV show host, but only in my dreams. *glassy eyed and zoning out again* Okay, back to Earth. I know I can do anything, but what are the chances of me being anything near a sports show host, not even a double or a minor role's sidekick? Hah, I know, I'm also rolling my eyes.

 This high na high post is brought to you by sports plus TV plus adrenaline pumping event last weekend.

Gameplan TV interviewed a few first time triathlete hopefuls for Tri United 4, myself included. They also shoot us while walking on wires and playing with fire while running and biking, both solo and with the group. We were in Nuvali from sun up 'til noon, and although the celeb experience for half the day was rather tiring, it was very inspiring to be up close with the hosts and the other novice triathlete wannabes.

Gameplan TV hosts Ton, Juls, and Amanda with the interviewees.

Those are the three hosts with myself and my teammates Macky and Alvin.

It was good to know I was not alone racing for the first time. But while we may be on the same boat, it's noteworthy to point out that others are just way stronger and faster in that boat. :) So yes, it was quite a pressure-trigger experience too! For one, no excuse now not to show up on the race (haha, just a very hazy and fleeting scenario playing in my head). And two, what is more nakaka-pressure than claiming in front of the camera that you are in it, that you can do it, and that you are going to give it your best shot? :P

Whew, in retrospect, I'm thankful there was none of that fist-pumping adrenaline-crazed moment claiming I will be the best version of me running that race. *tongue in cheek* But whatever, my Gameplan, is to go out there come race day, yes, give it my best shot, dig deep, dig deeper, cry in pain -- and the best part -- enjoy and savor every moment of it! Sounds like a plan! :)

Hello everyone! My first triathlon is inching closer and closer. It's less than a month away. Gasp! I know I'll never be prepared enough, but really, I'm getting more antsy as the days seem to speed by.

While I do get some pool time, a little bike time, and so-so run time, I didn't realize the full gravity of what I signed up for until our triathlon simulation with our teammates last weekend.

For this newbie swimmer (actually, I feel like a newbie everything), the swim leg turned out to be the toughest. I do jump in the pool and swim laps as much as I can. And on Saturdays, I still attend swim coaching at the Aqualogic, simply the best swim school in town for the most suave freestyle technique in the world! And recently, I just broke a new personal best by swimming a kilometer at a time. See, a kilometer? A kilometer swim, hah! Boy, ain't I a rockstar motherswimmer? *tongue in cheek*

But lo, came swim simulation time, and all sanity, technique, poise, and training miles logged flew out of the window pool. It's so hard to try to stay calm, swim, and not drown while jostling and fighting for space and trying to stay in zen with 8 other guys (all competent swimmers, I'll say) in the pool. I almost literally forgot how to swim! :( And we are talking about just 8 guys here. How much more come race day? I'll be fighting tooth and nail for pool space with very able-bodied triathletes.

Felt like a party before the ack-oh-so-painful (for me) swim. Hah, we did an entire triathlon simulation for three hours and this is the only photo captured by the husband. :P

  You see, the problem is not exactly the distance. I can go the distance. But going the distance while someone is kicking your face and hitting your shoulders swimming in front of you, a few others by your side, maybe a couple or two inadvertently swimming over you, plus the many others generating a washing machine-esque turbulence around you -- that's the real challenge.

Whew, just thinking about it makes my heart race so fast again. I guess I just gotta do what I got to do, log in the miles, get as much pool time as I can, and swim laps with minimal rest.

That, or I got to devise my own way on how to grow some fins and gills.
Hmm. Gills and fins, anyone? :)

Today, I am a superwoman. I clocked in my fastest 5 km run post pregnancy and birth, and felt like I still have the energy for another kilometer after that. Woohoo!

How fast is fast, you ask. Well, not too fast, but fast enough to be my fastest as of late. :)

Way before I became the happy momster, my normal 5 km runs were anywhere between 30-34 minutes. What I meant by normal is regular after-work runs around the UP academic oval after parading around in high heels all day and sleeping no more than a meager six hours the night before. Times would vary on factors like the weather, my mood, stress level, on how heavy my merienda was, how competitive or lazy I felt that day. Anyway, come to think of it, I used to run at an average of 6:00 to 6:50 minutes per kilometer pace, or thereabouts.

When I started running again after I gave birth, I could barely complete a kilometer, and with my best shot, I could only muster an excruciatingly slow 15-minute per kilometer pace. Huffing and panting, and scared for my CS incision to burst open. For a frigging kilometer. Hah, you could have walked faster!

But through the months, I soldiered on, albeit not as constantly as I liked to. You know the feeling of pushing a concrete wall, and pushing and pushing and feeling like nothing is happening? For most of the months I got back into running, that's how I felt.

But alas, the wall really do give in after some time. And I am on a high. Seven months ago, I almost believed I will never be able to complete a 5k run again, much less a 40-minute 5km run. Gaaah, that's even slow. It was so out of my reach and it got me frustrated most times. But today, I pushed my limits, and finally, I crushed that wall.

It was a very empowering moment. It left me hungry for my next adventure, aka run. And although a 32-minute 5km run still seems, uhm, mighty challenging, I know that eventually (sooner than later!), I'm at it again. Maybe I won't drop dead on the treadmill or on the road, as I initially feared. Ha-ha.

As I pushed my limits today, higher limits and hurdles were set. I will keep pushing some more and try to do better each time. I am a fit momster! I am a fierce momster! And I'm gonna get there!
*Adrenaline overload*

Oops. I terribly missed this kind of high and positivity brought by my favorite sport. :)

Ta-ta, 'til my next run! *game face*