This week I asked my Instagram and Facebook followers to send me questions I could answer for my weekly vlog. I hope the questions and the answers I gave are interesting and entertaining!
You can watch the vlog below, or keep scrolling for the quick ‘n’ dirty text version.
“When will COVID end?”
I don’t know for sure. There are two ways a pandemic can end: through a vaccine that stops the virus transmission, and/or social behaviors and strategies that minimise its transmission. If a vaccine is available by mid-2021, it will still take some time for the world to get inoculated. One thing’s for sure: in the Philippines, it won’t be over for a long time.
“How are you holding up in this current situation?”
I’m doing as well as I can. Of course there are times I’m not okay, and this situation is never the optimal and I don’t want to consider this as normal.
“Do you plan to join full IM?”
I’ve actually already done a full iron distance triathlon: Challenge Roth. That was back in 2014, was a great experience, and I don’t plan on repeating the distance. (Still can’t figure out how I managed to do it.)
“What do you do when you’re not running?”
I run for a maximum of one hour three times a week. Other days, I cycle indoors or do yoga. The rest of the time I spend on my work as a freelancer (writing, graphics, video, social media, etc.) as well as my hobbies like taking care of my dog or my plants.
“The first time I saw you was on TV in a morning show on GMA7…”
That’s not really a question, but what a great excuse to reminisce about the time I appeared on Unang Hirit in Drew Arellano’s segment about learning how to surf at Club Manila East with the Philippine Surfing Academy.
“What superfoods have given you the best results as an athlete? Which junk food items do you still crave?”
I don’t really consider one food as giving me great results as an athlete because I’ve found my best results are when diet and training work well together. (There are no secret sessions, no secret superfoods.) But I guess I would happily subsist on peanut butter and banana sandwiches for training and racing.
And junk food? I crave everything. I just try not to have junk food on an empty stomach so I don’t eat so much, and I try not to have it every day.
“How to be as good as you?”
Just a disclaimer: I’m not that good! I’m definitely a recreational/age group athlete who’s had some success in small races and over short distances. I don’t do this for a living, nor do I plan to.
But I guess the answer to “how are you as good as you are” is that I always try to do my best whenever I set out to do something. I may not be the best, but I do my best and that’s all I can ask of myself.
“What is the last movie you watched in a theatre?”
I don’t remember anymore! It was probably in December. I was supposed to watch “Birds of Prey” in January and “Sonic the Hedgehog” in February but never got around to it. I did get to watch Sonic as a digital rental eventually.
Thanks so much for sending in those questions! I had a lot of fun answering them.
