All things considered, last week was pretty busy with work, workout, and home duties. I had to lean pretty heavily on caffeine to give me that kickstart every morning, and by the end of the week I sorely needed to sleep in.
So even if I was just playing cute in this blog post’s header picture taken on Friday, by that point I was low on mental and physical energy and could barely lift a finger to tap away on my laptop without uttering a groan. (That’s what happens when you leave GDPR website compliance to the last minute. I’m such a crammer still!)
I joined a group run last Sunday where adidas launched the Solarboost shoe model, and I really appreciated the little side chats I had with a few members of adidas Runners Manila as we jogged around the UP Diliman Academic Oval.
In fact you could say that if on Friday I was dragging myself into the weekend, Sunday’s run renewed my energy going into this coming week. I really miss the social aspect of running and triathlon, and that’s a big motivator in me trying to regain my stamina so I can race again at some point (instead of quitting these sports).
Congratulations to everyone who participated in TRI-Factor Philippines in Naga City last weekend. It looked like a lot of fun based on the same-day video edit from the organizer, and various posts on social media from participants.
I know some did this race as a sort of tune-up to another race this coming weekend. This Sunday, Ironman Philippines in Subic Bay is finally happening. I’ve made plans to be there as well (I just hope nothing short-circuits them, unlike last week). You know a triathlon community has come to maturity when it can sustain a full Ironman event and field a thousand Filipinos — although since it seems like this is a one-time only event meant to celebrate 10 years of Sunrise Events holding Ironman-branded events in the country.
Time will tell if a full Ironman is sustainable as a business, but it’s nice to see Century Tuna putting its foot forward as the title sponsor, keeping its tradition of involvement in triathlon alive. Black Arrow Express is dipping its toes into sponsoring triathlons and is the logistics partner for the Ironman. Hopefully more companies like these will find that the business of triathlon is one they’d like to be in.
The endurance community itself in the Philippines has grown so much that triathlon and run events don’t cannibalize each others’ participant numbers. I love how diverse the community has gotten as well. Leg 2 of the Runrio Trilogy is happening at the Mall of Asia, while the Color Manila Challenge gives runners a different experience tackling obstacles at McKinley West.
And yet again even with a variety of races to choose from, I’m not signed up for anything on the horizon. I think it’s mostly because I feel like I’m in a good place health-wise right now, and I’m scared that if I race I might end up setting myself back once again.
But I might make an exception for the Takbo.PH Runfest in July. Opportunities to race fast don’t attract me anymore — but the opportunity to run alongside my friends? Now that’s something I could get out of bed in the morning for.
