Even before I’d done my first sprint distance at SuBIT this year, I was already registered for the Animo Sprint Triathlon on June 12. I blame the early-bird discount on the registration fee for my itchy trigger finger. Never mind that the Animo sprint distance is 50 percent longer than the SuBIT sprint, involving a 900-meter swim, 30-kilometer bike ride, and 7.5-kilometer run. Gulp.
test of endurance *
Training went as planned, but I felt way more unprepared for Animo than I did for SuBIT, especially since I moved house during what was supposed to be my peak week for training. I definitely felt more nervous about Animo. Well, at least I had no jellyfish to worry about on the swim.
in the middle of the pack *
I’ve always considered myself a good swimmer, but time and again I encounter women who trump me in speed. After our three 300-meter loops, I exited the pool in 9th place at 22 minutes 58 seconds. Off to transition I went for the bike leg: three loops of the Ocho-Ocho route. I knew I had a lot of catching up to do.
Three ocho-ocho loops! +
The thing with the Ocho-Ocho in Ayala Alabang Village is it’s not an easy course. I’ve heard countless stories of people who had difficulty dealing with the consecutive uphill climbs and even worse, losing their way and not completing the required distance through the correct route. Thank God for a recon our team did a few weeks prior that firmly ingrained in my memory the route and how to attack it.
Heading to transition and beyond! ^
That’s not to say my legs weren’t screaming with every push-and-pull; I felt impossibly slow and was only too glad to get off my bike after 1 hour, 8 minutes, and 30 seconds to begin my run. I tossed my helmet and bike shoes, pulled on my visor, and slid my feet into my Mizunos. I was home.
Running is still my strength. ^
Because my legs were so heavy, I hydrated with some Lightwater, which has electrolytes to help fend off cramps. I kept a cap on my speed, scared I’d cramp up by opening up my stride too much. I just focused on a quick light step, praying for my legs to recover in time for a strong finish. I overtook women when I could, trying to climb up the ranking and hopefully snatch a top 5 overall place, not just in my age group.
The run route was the big loop from the Ocho-Ocho route, so it had sustained uphills and very few flats. Right at the end, about 200 meters from the finish line, I saw a woman ahead of me. I knew if i could creep up on her and if she had no juice left, she would have no answer to a sprint attack. That last corner before the finish arc, I made my move. I beat her to the finish line by eight seconds — good enough for fourth place overall! (Check out the rest of the Animo Sprint Triathlon 2011 results.)
If you place in the overall standings, you’re disqualified from winning in your age group. If I had just slowed down for a bit, I might have gotten a gold medal. Har har 🙂
I have to say that was my most painful triathlon experience ever — and that wasn’t even standard/Olympic distance! I have my work cut out for me if I want to do well in SuBIT standard distance next year.
* photo by Earl Choa
+ photo by Vincent Corpus
^ photo by Rod Ervin Sollesta
Congratz Kikay! Saw you at the awarding 🙂 I actually got lost for my first Ocho-Ocho loop (Missed the Cuenca loop) and corrected the mistake in my second Ocho-Ocho
Good thing your group were the first one’s in the pool, my Age-Group swim was like getting packed in a sardines can ^_^
very inspiring Noelle! Great write up!
Its not always about winning and collecting medals in the triathlon community. It’s also about camaraderie, good sportsmanship and a good attitude (there is talk about your behavior last time at the awarding ceremonies in Subit). You’re a very strong athlete obviously in sprint races, but you still have a long way to go. Mind your behavior and attitude if you want people in our community to respect you.
Hello Jane. Thank you for your comment. Of course it’s not all about awards and medals. I would have been happy just to finish at Subit. The awarding was a disappointment because I was actually given the third place medal and photos taken. And all of a sudden it was taken from me due to a clerical error.
I gave back the medal and award to the officials after they explained their error and I accepted my fourth place award graciously. Of course I gave the officials my opinion about their error (as did Tricia), but I’m not sure what “behavior” you’re talking about. Were you at the ceremony or is this just secondhand gossip someone told you? I would email you privately about this but you gave an invalid email address.
Hey Jane, how long have you been doing tri events? I think all sports are all about camaraderie, good sportsmanship and a good attitude. NOT only triathlon.
“You’re a very strong athlete obviously in sprint races, but you still have a long way to go.” – Kaw ba, anu na ba napatunayan mo? I’m sure you’re one of those triathletes who brags so much about the distance that they’ve finishes pero sa totoo lang, mediocre lang yung performance.
You mind your behavior too. I’m sure, not a lot of people like your attitude either. Nangangalingasaw yung insecurity sayo para maglakas loob ka magcomment ng ganito withour revealing who you really are. Pathetic.
Kung ako sayo, practice ka pa, wala kang mararating sa insecurities mo.
I hate people like you, andaming insecurities sa buhay. See you at the races na lang!
BTW,I’m not even a triathlete. Subscriber lang ako dito, pero yung mga taong gaya mo, kahit saang sports, hindi mag gogrow.
Well, I’ve learned my lessons from Subit and I hope to continue earning respect, even from people who don’t like me. Thanks everyone for your comments.
Now, let’s get back to talking about the Animo Tri, shall we?
SportyTechie, they’ve got to do something about the age group swims due to the increase in number of people joining tri’s. Perhaps split up the age groups even further? 🙂 Nakakahilo talaga yang Ocho-Ocho!
Kurt, thank you. 🙂