I believe that we won’t know how much we’re capable of
until we do it. This has been my mantra
for the longest time. I may have taken
more time than I should have on some occasions, and I had my share of
disappointments, but this made me what I am today. The journey goes on, and I still bite the
bullet every once in a while.
Same goes with my running.
I have been pushing myself for the longest time to know my peek. And it seems that running a 2-hour HM was the
best I can do. It is unfortunate that I
have diverted much of my efforts in cycling.
But still good in a sense that I’m still maintaining my runs while doing
it. It is sad that I couldn’t make
myself go to the next level. I guess I
reached my peek? Or I just can’t manage
to squeeze in running, cycling, work and most especially family?
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| Memories that last |
Which leads me to this weekend - it was a very busy
weekend. I managed to take a leave from
work last Friday to spend time with my family at the Hamilo Coast
Friday was also the Alaska Race expo as well. So I had to squeeze it in the morning to
pickup the race pack. Traffic was sooo
bad on a weekend, not to mention that weather was sooo hot, too.
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| daughter sees a fountain and just needs to get a photo taken |
It was my first time to do a race pack pick up. I hated this when it was implemented on run
races, but for my first bike race, I did it.
It wasn’t that bad, actually. It
was smooth and quick. It was a work-day,
after all. There were quite a few
sights, among them a Specialized booth, F2P merchandise, Alaska booths and then some sponsors. I’m not the type who would actually buy
something out of impulse. More so a bike
shorts that cost P1,800! And I can’t let
my family wait for me that long, so after pickup, just a few sight-seeing then
I’m done.
It was almost lunch so we did a quick brunch at The Coffee
Bean. I don’t know where the Starbucks
is, so it had to do. I can say that we didn’t enjoy the food as much as we
would have if we were in Starbucks. Just
the same, my daughter loved her Mocha frap!
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| its inevitable... |
Race pack was good, actually. I got Rudy Project EFX performance bracelet
(looks cool and just the right size!) that makes me look athletic, some Alaska milk products that
my daughter chugged down on the same day and a very nice race bib (I actually
asked to change it to XS from S as I felt that is where I’m at right now – and
it is!)
Fast forward to race day.
I was assigned on Wave A, along with other Tri teams and some Pro’s. I really didn’t know why I was assigned
there, but it is where I am so that’s where I stayed. You can say that I felt out of place as I
found quite a lot of good bikes there. I
have been used to run-races where the only tools we have are our shoes and
caps. It’s a totally different scenario
in a bike race. Then again, I am a
newbie in this, and I don’t (probably) need all those hi-end parts (at the
moment, hehe!).
Gun start – I couldn’t get my cleats on! I traveled quite a distance before I got them
on. First 5k I was moving at-pace with
the Pro’s. I didn’t focus on myself, so
I kinda bonked up to km15. I was out of
breath, and my legs were heavy. There
was a feeling of DNF.
I got my second wind on km15, focused on breathing and
pacing, and I made just fine on the roundabout flyover. I wasn’t competitive anymore, and just went
on my own pace. Sure there were some who
overtook me, but I stayed on my own pace (I’m a fast learner! Haha!)
I was still fine upon the second half of the race. Although I had a bit of a hiccup as I swerved
out of the cones and left me stranded on traffic. I had to lift up my bike to enter the
cones. I had cramps upon doing this and
felt sore until the end of the race.
The second trip up the flyover was devastating. I had tunnel vision as I finished the
stretch. It was also getting hotter so
it didn’t help. I think I only managed a
2:50/km on this stretch. I wished I had
GU with me!
I finished strong, a lot different from running where I
normally feel beaten up. This is one the
reasons why I enjoy biking more than running.
I haven’t seen much at the staging area when I got there, perks of being
in the first wave.
Recovery meals were McDonalds sausage Mcmuffin, and a box of
Cupcakes by Sonja, bottle of Gatorade and of course, Alaska milk. I just the ate the muffin, and
refilled my water bottle with water from Maynilad (with ice!).
I didn’t stay long, after the race. I just queued up for a photo booth. I couldn’t let that pass. Haha!
So I circled the expo and went my way back to the car and home.
Overall, I can say that it was a good experience. I learned
a lot from my first bike event, and I’m sure to avoid those newbie mistakes on
my next one. There were some reported
accidents and a few flat tires on the way.
I do hope they turned out okay.
I’m happy that aside from the bonking I had and a close encounter with a
metal railing, I finished safely.
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| Let's see how it goes |
The first half of “The Challenge” is complete. My next one would be a HM for the RUPM2 this
coming June 1. I really am not fully
prepared for this. I’m hoping that the
cross-training with my bike can translate to good running performance. But if I am to base it from my previous HM
training, it’s a definite fail. So I am
just hoping for the best, and that best is a 2:06 finish at the most. If not, well, just enjoy the view and accept
it.
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| Cool underwater shot! |
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| Good time |
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| A welcome addition |
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| Just can't let this pass |
