Road to Vietnam, Week #4: Great Indoors

I finally feel I’m hitting my groove training for Challenge Vietnam. Last week I ran my first sub-30 minute 5K since marathon recovery, so I know I can now start pushing the intensity again. Some post-marathon chub has also dropped off, which is a good sign considering how much I’ve been eating.

I feel the struggle the most on the bike. My cardio fitness is great; it’s my legs that have a hard time coping. I did a long trainer session this weekend in lieu of riding outdoors in potential rain, and I literally could not push the pedals hard enough to spike my heart rate into the right zones. This was exactly how I felt in 2013 when I first started using these indoor bike sessions.

getting a great session out of the rain

Pretty much I’m trying to duplicate the success I had in 2013 in Cebu, except I’m about four weeks behind everyone else currently preparing for that race.

Speakig of Cebu, Cobra and Sunrise Events held the press launch for the Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship last week at Shangri-la The Fort. While feasting on Cebu delicacies like lechon and mango we went down memory lane with the history of the event. It’s amazing how the race and this sport has grown in the Philippines. Imagine: from a field of 500 athletes for the first edition of 70.3 Philippines in Camsur, this year there will be more than 3,000 in Cebu!

(The final frontier is in boosting women’s participation in triathlon in the country. I’m doing my part by covering the inspiring pro women in Cebu for Witsup.com.)

Cobra Ironman 70.3 Asia Pacific Championship: sketch of the 2016 medal by Kenneth Cobonpue

Unlike 2013 though, this body has been through a few more battles and is just a little more reluctant to “go to the well”. That’s okay; it just means the will and mind have to be that much stronger.

I had two of those willpower exercises this week: locking myself down onto the bike trainer and treadmill indoors, and running in the pouring rain. My mentality was just to GET IT DONE. No more whining; suck it up, princess.

rain or shine

Hopefully this attitude pays off. I got my new passport back last week and will be booking my flights to Nha Trang finally. After that, there’s no turning back.