Shoes. Nothing piques our fancy more than a nice new pair to break in. From time to time, I'll be running shoe reviews, depending on what comes in the mail. Expect these reviews to be brief, concise, and coming from a very practical runner's perspective.
On today's menu is the Adidas Supernova Sequence 2. While not as glamorous as the Adizero series , its precursor was known as a good stability shoe for moderate pronators (yeah, not the exag overpronators like me) that's somehow gives off the vibe of silent effectiveness.
Underappreciated?
It's main upgrade from the original series is that Adidas has now included a new "geofit" feature, a collection of padded areas inside the shoe that help out areas which receive the most pressure. The Sequence 2 has a lightweight sole with blown rubber coatings, and is supposed to be durable. The outsole also uses the "ForMotion" feature that helps to adapt to different angles or types of terrain. The shoe is supposed to be versatile, and Adidas suggests that it can be used for numerous different running styles.
I took it out for a quick spin on a leisurely 14k. Immediately noticeable was that it was heavier than my trusty, BDM-scarred Adizero Tempo. As the run progressed, I felt that it corrected my stride a lot more (maybe because of all that fancy" geofit material". OOooh.) and that it afforded a lot more stability. Better yet, my ITB didn't give way at the end. Amazing. Speedwork doesn't seem to be affected all that much by the incremental increase in weight. In hindsight, it's even lighter than my New Balance 848.
Style-wise, it's alright. As I said, not as glamorous as the Adizero line, nor doesn't give off the the vibe of a Asics GT. However, it has a workmanlike yet versatile excellent for everyday use and is excellent for those non-exag overpronators. I'd recommend it :P
Hi there everybody. What's up? My name is Rain. And I'm convinced ... . that runners hate me. Days like these, I just want to go out and hang around. This is my time of the year. Do you realize how booooring it could be when my good-for-nothing sister dominates the scene? You know, Summer? She thinks she's sooooooo hot. Well, uh, um, I have to agree. She thinks she's all that. But I've seen people around these parts. They hate her. Curse her very presence in the vernacular. ( sample : !@#$ ang init sa Pilipinas!) Promise! But enough about her. This is my time, and I revel in bringing smiles to the denizens of this metropolis. See those kids jumping up and down the street? They like me! See those little men in weird hats in the fields? They thrown parties when I get here! I even see movie stars dance for me in one of them box-office blockbusters. Boy that was a riot. Sarah Geronimo is so cute. Sigh. It feels so good to be loved.
Would have been perfect. Save for one group I can't seem to get a grip on. Runners. They abhor my very presence. I don't even know what I did wrong. I'll give you guys an example. It's a wonderful Tuesday afternoon, and I'm just going out for a walk. My perfect day is ruined by this dude in shorts waaay tooo short and a watch waaay to big for his own good. Why the forlorn look? He looks so crabby. Whiny even. Ohhh. Must be a runner. Oh. I know this guy. He works in that place where there are a lot of young people. He wears those long flowing things that look like curtains. Wears a cap everytime he runs. Maybe because his hair is horrible. Maybe he just likes to hide his face. Hmph. But yeah. He hates me. He's grumbling to what looks like a big fat cat. Oh, it's a dog. A big fat dog. Geez what do they feed this thing. My bad. No wonder they're called man's best friend. They just keep on listening. Hmm. Anyway, this dude wants to run, but he doesn't like me around. He looks so... down. Check him out... I'm convinced... ..
Looks pretty down eh? And of course the blame goes all back to me. He whines. He whines because his clothes are drenched, because his socks in his fancy gait-analyzed shoes would get wet. He sardonically thanks the gods for his good fortune. Hmph. I hope his watch breaks down. He runs along as I observe. He steps unto a puddle , !@#$ is what you hear. This guy needs to get out more. He is putting his hands behind his back so that his fancy watch won't get wet. Like it won't. Read the manual buddy! IPX7! Submersible! 1 meter! Even I know that! He runs into this really fast dude. I see him all the time as well, seems to be from around here. I mean, he is fast. So they run together, he manages to keep up for like 2k, then really fast dude is gone. Guess what? He blames me for not being able to keep up! Runners.
Oh the horror! The nerve! That really upset me. Upset me to the point that I cried so hard. No one has maltreated me like that. Ever! I cried my heart out because I didn't even do anything. *Sob* Then something unbelievably incredible happened. Mr. evil runner guy, in solitary mode because the fast bald dude made him eat dust, suddenly smiled amidst my sorrow. That took me by surprise. I could almost hear his thoughts as his soaked persona glided through the drenched alleyways of his favorite training jaunt... ... .
Yeah. Why did I even do this. Stupid Rain. I will be sooo sick later. The Garmin's probably messed up. I am completely drenched. My socks feel gross. Dang I really had to catch Javy aka Tri'n Hard on tempo run/fartlek day. He's on a totally different level. And because of the rain, my projected 20k mileage builder turned into a 7k race pace run. I'm exhausted. Out of shape. It's the rain's fault. Should have done the Sarah/John Lloyd rain dance. Since Sunday. It won't go away. Had to cancel all my runs. I'll get sick eh. Daw. At least that's what the old people said. But you know what? This is actually... .. fun! I feel like a kid again. It's so cold. I feel so relaxed. Why am I so scared about getting sick? It's just water anyway. The old folks just like to scare you I guess. But hey, I am genuinely enjoying this .
Everyone is running for cover and they're all looking at me like I'm some crazy lunatic but hey, I don't care. This is strangely... therapeutic... ... I never realized. You see a microcosm of the metropolis - the hustle going yin/yang against the bustle of our mundane lives, all seemingly frozen in time as a virtual snapshot is encapusulated in a single raindrop. Awesome.Everything seems to be moving in slow motion amidst the deluge. I am in conplete control, freedom of movement married to a psyche completely bereft of any negativity at that precise moment. I feel... . alive.
Sigh. Just when I had counted him out. People. I could never figure them out.
It was hard to admit at first. You hear the comments, you here the snide remarks. But still, you refuse to face up to it. But deep down inside, it stings. It stings that you are reduced to a mere mocking point all while pretending to be unperturbed by the banality of it all. So face it - you're fat and you're getting old. The six pack abs have since been replaced by an unforgiving mass of jiggling fat. It's not like you can tune out and ignore it.
You have to man up at one time or another. So that's what I did. I decided to run. Cancel out all the PR's and endless training, for me it all boils down to losing weight. And in 6 mos of running I think I have been relatively successful. I stand about 5'10 in shoes, and I ballooned to 195 lbs already. Eeek. 6 months of blood, sweat and guts later I'm at 167 :) My original target was 165, but now I'm adjusting it to hit my college weight of 155 :) Wish me luck!
At Takbo.ph we have an abundance of weight loss success stories as well, people like Timmy, Natz, Sam, Carlo, Rodel to name a few. We are all fighting a common malaise, and while the battle appears to have been won, the war is far from over.
Much has been made about the "gait analysis", a hitherto unheard of term for me before I started running. However, once my running injuries started to pile up one after the other, I realized it isn't quite as simple as slipping on the fancy looking pair out the window. Here's my post on my gait analysis experience at Second Wind, a specialty running store located in Quezon City :) Okay, so finally I have had it with my injury-causing Mr. Quickie shoes that caused me to have an agonizing Greenfield Run. I have been using an Accel lying around the house as a very poor replacement. Well at least they didn't cause me blisters. But after running it during the MOntalban LSD and using it for my regular training runs it's like I was getting more aches and pains around my quads and calves, even the heels. I decided that enough was enough, and that I had to go and get a gait analysis just to know what precisely was going on. Highly recommended was Hector Yuzon of Second Wind. Second Wind is a newly opened shop located in Teacher's Village, QC. An accomplished ultra runner himself, he told me that his shop is envisioned to be one for runners by runners. He could train salespeople to talk about sizes and specs, but it takes a real runner to get to the crux of the matter when customers ask very specific, experience-based questions.
So without further ado, we began with the analysis. You're supposed to run with your current shoes, and I was embarrassed when he told me that that Accels were actually badminton shoes
I was made to run on a treadmill, and actual video stills were taken. It showed that I was essentially an extreme overpronator with my left foot while my right was normal. I also learned that I was a midfoot striker which is good for long distance running. Apparently , there's an acceptable degree of variance when your leg hits the ground, and my left leg was way out there. This was the reason why I get injured often. So to combat this, I was referred a stability shoe to correct the problem. Hector offered 5 choices from best to good, then had me test them on the treadmill after. I ended up getting the New Balance 848's, and they worked like a charm during last Sunday's race, helping me set a new 10k PR
Overall, Hector's amiable demeanor and encyclopedic knowledge of all things running related helped me immensely in making the right choice. Happy customer here, and I highly recommend his shop. Lots of singlets, shades, shorts to choose from aside from of course the shoes.
Check out my gait analysis here guys. It's by appt by the way, just give his shop a call
Click to zoom and drag to navigate! Open publication - Free publishing - More gait analysis
Some days, you wake up and you feel that it's going to be a wonderful day. On the flipside,some days there's just a dour aura of gloom pervading around you. For whatever it may be, I was lucky that just two Sundays ago it was the latter that came into play. The ATC Southern Run had a terrific setting, there was barely any heat around, and it seemed like the perfect day for a race. Here's my take on what happened as previously posted on the Takbo.ph forums : Ako I must admit I really had fun with this race. The venue, the whole atmosphere seemed very relaxed and highly conducive to running. The course itself was rolling up and down, which provided somewhat of a challenge to the fatigued
Started the race up front with ultraman PAt ( my goodness elite na to, 46 mins 29th place) Natz (another Takbo elite 47!!!) and Boss Jinoe (52 I think, new PR too lupet!) . I tried to pace with PAt, and suceeded in doing so for like 500 meters. He was like Usain Bolt out of the gates. The blazing start took me out of my rhythm. Wrong mistake. I learned that attempting to pace with someone way above your league isn't exactly the best thing to do. Although that first kilometer attempting to catch up with PAt amounted to a 4:40 lap, it took me out of my comfort zone and I need about 3 K's t0 recover. Boss Jinoe caught up with me at 4k mark I think, we paced until the 7k mark which was when broke away na. I was planning on making my move at the 8k mark, wasn't too confident if I could sustain a neg split pace that early. At the 8k mark I picked up the pace na, from a comfortably hard 5:40 I lowered it to 5"20, and last K was 5:05. My goal for the race was a sub-55 finish, which was somewhat of a stretch. Sabi ko kahit madaplisan lang ang 55 okay na ako. But perhaps a combination of real running shoes (goodbye Mr. Quickie! Not PINK NB's!), a 305 to help me strategize and more mileage helped me immensely. I was so happy to cross the line at 53:40, a time that once seemed like an impossibility for me. My first 10k race I finished at 1:28. I'm so happy. It's like all the hard work, the "getting roasted in the sun because you started your 20k run at 5am" sacrifices were all worth it. And it made me believe na it's possible pala for average athletes like me to realistically lower PR's over time. Dati kasi I used to think it's either you have it or not. Of course, hanging out with the Takbo.ph gang made it all the more special. The kulitan pictures and the camaraderie truly made it worth the long drive. Happy runner here
Congrats everyone
I'd upload my run but MotionBased aint working now
Being a slightly overweight guy at the time, people kept on talking about breaking the sub-60 barrier for the upcoming race. That race was the now-infamous Men's Health Miracle Run (with the results still unpublished to this day, save for a couple of paltry 5k snippets). Singlet was nice except for the obtrusive Frenzy logo on the back. Great for shock value! Casually, I was dared by Takbo.ph resident 'coach' Pojie to pace with him if I wanted to beat it. For a guy whose best previous finish was a 1:08 with maximum effort, a sub-60 finish really seemed like a stretch, a veritable impossibility if I may add. But coach Pojie was determined to push me to the limit. Check out my thoughts at the time :
Thanks everyone!
Thanks master Pojie for the terrific pace! I was really, really pushing myself
Mali lang calculation ko nung huli, kala ko lapit na may mga 1 km pa pala hehe. I need to train more! Feeling ko also not drinking anything for the entire race zapped me during the homestretch. Wala ako hydration belt, tapos di ako magaling mangkamay ng tubig.
Lol with no hydro belt, awful form and even more awful shoes I finished in 57:40. Eternal thanks to now-marathoner/coach Pojie for giving me the jumpstart in the sport that I needed. And that was more or less where my story began... .
"So, do you guys wanna score tonight??" I was cringing at how the two DJ/Hosts were painstakingly wading their way through innuendo-laden copy. "Who wants to score with (Name of fun male host) ?"
(Awkward silence)
Not as awkward as the look on the face of the old lady in the back though. And while the overbaked wordplay on the theme wasn't exactly resonating with the crowd, the product at hand seemed to have loads of potential. Enter the SCORE CARD, an intriguing sports lifestyle discount card that would make you forget all about your SM Advantage Card (admit it, you have one tucked in somewhere)
Infinitely cooler than your Mercury Drug Suki card.
The venue was chic nightspot Fiama (where I constantly evade drunken teens at 5am en route to Sunday Morning MOA races), Lots of beautiful, sporty people abound with a cool indie band playing in the background; it really didn't take a rocket scientist to ascertain where they were positioning this card to.
I'm getting too old for this.
The beautiful people of the athletic world abound, like these Frisbee gals.
Do you wanna SCORE? The premise is relatively simple. Introduced into the country by promotions group Sports Media Asia, the card is touted to be the "Ultimate Athlete's Sidekick". Once you get past the hyperbole, what you really get is a discount card that is specifically targeted towards the recreational or serious athlete. You get cool discounts and perks at all sorts of establishments that encompass nearly the entire sports spectrum.Gear, nutrition, shoes, food, yoga, spas - name it, they've got it.
Cool indie band helped set the overall vibe
Pretty Score Card people with guests
Multimedia affair Of course, given the propensity of athletes to be injured, they also threw in free P20,000 insurance coverage to boot just in case you blow out your ITB or chip your brand new nail polish (apparently, this phenomenon happens more often that I had imagined). You just need to register your Score Card at www.sportsmedia.com.ph to validate the whole thing.
My Where's Wally shot :P Sports-minded altruism is apparently also one of the focal points championed by the company. And from what I understood, they will be allocating a certain percentage of the proceeds from card sales to help athletes and sports groups raise funds for training, equipment, etc. for their competitions. So have a worthy cause? Tell them all about it!
Score Card head honcho explaining stuff.
And to cap it all off, it's not like its some lame card you shuck away in your wallet. It's actually an ergonomic, eye-catching piece that would make you the envy of your running buds. Just wearing it would... .change you. Look at these photos to see what I mean.
Geeky looking loser guy with no Score Card
Cool Score-Card toting dude.
Amazing isn't it? So what are you waiting for? Grab your Score Card today. Visit their site at www.sportsmedia.com.ph if you're interested.
Thanks by the way to Doc Marvin Opulencia for the presser pictures, I shamelessly stole them from your photo blog smirk. :P
Hi gang, been awhile. Hope you enjoyed the BDM series I put out for you, it was so crazy I thought it would never finish writing it. Believe it or not, I typed out the last part of that article at about 12 midnight at a Mcdonald's branch in a seedy part of Kuala Lumpur. The free WiFi was worth the "You want lady love you long time?" catcalls while attempting to grab a cab home. Eeek.
Anyway, I'm running this just because I felt so guilty for missing the presser, my car arrived late and so that's that . In a nutshell, wat's the spin on this? Out of town, flat course, sunset race. Nuff' said.
I wanna run this...
I'm hopeful that the ITBS injury I sustained during BDM would be completely healed by the time this race comes around. It sort of has sentimental value, as it was maiden race was my first ever 21k. You should have seen me. Check out this passage from an ancient blog entry of mine :
Get a nice Running Shoe! Believe it or not guys, after all these races I have been running on a 1998 retread cross trainer with the heel replaced by (gulp) Mr. Quickie. At the 14k point my toes and heels were burning, and who knows the crummy shoe may have been the reason for my injury. Mr Quickie! (shudder). Before kasi I'd just use it to run 2km outside my condo, no biggie. Never thought I'd be this hooked into running. Now, I need to buy! I feel I'm losing so much efficiency because of it.
With matching trucker cap, basketball shorts and weird shoes.How fast time flies. I think I finished my maiden half-mary at 2:28 that day, then I could barely walk after. Lol. Anyway, here are the details for the race. Seems pretty straightforward. And just in case you have never ever been to Enchanted or Tagaytay ( fun life you lead eh?), I put in a map of how to get there for good measure. Sunsets sound good. See you all there!
Greenfield City Sunset Run 2010 Sta. Rosa, Laguna April 24, 2010 500m / 3K / 5K / 10K / 21K
Registration Areas: Regular In-Store Registration: March 22 to April 11, 2010 – Planet Sports – Trinoma – New Balance – Glorietta and Shangri-la Mall – Athlete’s Foot – Alabang Town Center – R.O.X. – Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig – Greenfield City Sunset Run Booth – Paseo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna
Late In-Store Registration: April 12 to April 17, 2010 – R.O.X. – Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig – Greenfield City Sunset Run Booth – Paseo, Sta. Rosa, Laguna
It's sorta near EK and that cold place with Bulalo. Yum.
life that when you finally get rid of them give you a little spark of delight. Some for good reason, like a bad relationship, an old beater of a car, a ragged pair of shoes. Or a website? How on earth does finally cancelling a web site give me this type of oddly freeing feeling? I have no idea.but it does. Maybe because I am severing ties to something that became more of a burden, than a joy and I couldn’t let go of it. Or maybe because there are new and open roads in front of me that there didn’t seem to be before. New horizons, it’s up to me.
Having Muddy Boot Dreams blog tied directly to my business, was both a good and bad decision. Who knew that blogging would turn out to be so much fun, such a delight [at times], and inspiration [almost all of the time]. Having had to censor what I was writing because it represented my business, was at times stifling, a garden blogger was what I started out as. That square peg didn’t fit into my life, it was too constricting, too limited for what I grew into. Who can write only about plants, and gardens, never venturing past the garden gate. I’m not a niche blogger, I’m like a dragonfly, I like to sample all of the flowers in the garden, and then fly the fields.
I love to write about what I feel, see, experience… the swooping sound of the giant raven’s wings as it passes over my head, or how it feels to see more then one eagle at a time fly by me on the way to the mailbox. How the copper colored sky makes the purple swelling of the tree branches glow above the snow in the fields, and why I didn’t regret not taking the camera that time.
It means taking photos for myself, experimenting, learning, reaching past what were once boundaries… and loving it. Opening my heart, and soaring about my expectations… writing, and taking photos of what makes my heart sing, and hopefully entertains you. Now that’s a odd freeing feeling.
day. I got my feet poked, my husband got his back crunched, and Boo got a two for one get out of jail free card for all you can eat lunch. Oh, and the smelly salmon. That stunk. Heel Toe Hip-hopper He runs 10 k [that’s pretty far] every other day, or at least he did, until his toe started to hurt, and then it moved up to his knee, and of course because it was the weekend, and everything is closed, it went to his hip. He was in excruitiating pain all weekend. Yesterday he saw the Chiro, now he is fine. The toe is connected to the knee, the knee is connected to the hip… simple math. Go figure.
Foot Worn not fancy free I have Planter Fasciitis.in my heels.got a cortisone shots in both heels… think twice if your Doctor tells you that it is going to hurt like crazy… it does. And when she tells you to take a deep breath… do it. Don’t try to be brave, and say it can’t hurt as much as your feet do when you walk on them… it does.
And that wasn’t the bad part… once again I almost fainted… I want to laugh at it, but it wasn’t that funny. I was seeing only black fog, feeling like I was going to fall over, they brought me a tiny dixie cup of water… I stumbled out of there as soon as I could. Sat in the truck with the windows wide open, seat down breathing in, and out until I could drive.
Two for one, and get out of jail free Meanwhile Bootsie is at home, I fed him before I left, my husband comes home, Bootsie ever the opportunist begs and cries like he is a starving homeless kitty. He got two feedings for lunch, the cat has it made.
The Stinky salmon Mom and I did some shopping around town.she needed to return some ground salmon that she had bought that was spoilt. When I got in the truck I thought it smelled a little off, but chalked it up to maybe some old shoes, or something. We drove around town, went to the bank, ran errands… and the smell followed us from store to store. After we got to the grocery store parking lot I asked her if she had remembered to bring the ground salmon… she opens her purse and pulls out a open plastic bag… with the ground salmon in it. No wonder it stunk so much. What a day. These are as close to Salmon related images as I could find… or I could show some feet, toes, hips, but I think you would prefer shells.
Hey gang. I took a week off due to a very hectic schedule, but otherwise here's the latest lowdown on all and and sundry in the running and multisport communities.
Multisport aficionados are buzzing about the country's participation at Ironman China on May 29th, with the Philippine delegation presumably campaigning under the "One Pilipinas" banner. The full Ironman distance will be held on May 29th, and this early the country's top triathletes are already ramping up for what promises to be one of the most highly anticipated multisport events of the current season.
The year's edition will be held at a completely new venue in Jixian, Tianjin province. The race takes advantage of the perfect late spring weather of the locale, and people are scrambling to look for wetsuits as temperatures during the swim leg ( to be held at a clean water reservoir) are expected to be in the low 20's. Among others, Endure Multisport's ITU Level I Coach James Dulalia is expected to compete in the 70.3.
2012 goal : IM China. Smirk. Wait, I need to learn how to swim a wee bit faster.I timed myself swimming 500m and the average was 3:18 per 100m. Wow. Any recos regarding a coherently structured program?
One of them more hilarious threads in Takbo.ph has someone creating a firestorm amongst running denizens by stating that he's aiming for a 4:30 marathon with 6 weeks training. He's an admittedly newbie runner with a 2:15 21k pr. 2:15 x 2 = 4:30. Makes total sense (x_x). While I can't discount the possibility that he may be a genetic freak blessed with iron will, truly there is nothing scientific about this approach and leaves a lot of room for long term injury. Seems that there's an obsession with distance amongst the newer runners, like some sort of prestige thing. I can't blame them, I was once in their shoes. But latest news through the grapevine is that a lot of the newbies who rushed into buying a 42k slot are "downgrading" due to injury. Conventional wisdom (or lack of it) wielding its ugly head? Don't say we didn't warn you. Oftentimes we all feel invincible until it actually happens to us.
Congratulations to my TPB fellas for snagging three of the top 10 slots during BR's first BDM test run. Why do I get the feeling you guys raced it like a marathon?
On a happy note, congrats to Takbo.ph head first couple Jinoe and Que for welcoming their first- born , cute baby Gab. I think this early, they're already having him undergo heat training :P
Heat training this early never hurt
"Holdapan" is on the rise with both road and mountain bikers very susceptible to syndicates on the prowl for expensive bikes. To all our fellow cyclists out there, extra prudence and vigilance. It's good that Senator (and sometimes cyclist) Pia Cayetano has actively sought out the help of the PNP in thwarting these so-called bikejackers. These bikes represent a massive investment on the part of their owners, and this announcement somehow alleviates the growing concern brewing in the community. Even if the skeptic would say that it is only political grandstanding, a placebo never hurt right?
Last I checked, using a gel during a race was never considered "cheating". Let me check again ha.
To cyclists : does using Viagra during a race really help your performance by as much as 40%? Wouldn't there be a little, er, stiff discomfort down there?
It works. It really does.
If I have Team Powerpuff Boys for running, I also have a newly formed dedicated cycling team! Say hello to Quest 825 Cycling :) It's a mixture of cyclists from different multisport teams, and we'll try to give the pros a run for their money.
Quest 825 Cycling at PCL's Jala-Jala Classic
Okay, maybe that would take a little more time . Having previously completed Bike King's Tour of Matabunkay (dubbed as the premiere multi-day road race event for amateur cyclists) in god-awful conditions, I had a certain amount of confidence coming into this race. The team had spent the past couple of weekends toiling around the proposed race route at a strong pace, and regular speed work with the pro peloton at the Mall of Asia had us pretty hopeful for this race. A more discerning eye could even call it subliminal swagger. Fate had other ideas though. A late assembly caused us to reach the start line at Pililia barely 15 minutes before the race was about to start. Suffice to say, all that last minute rushing didn't exactly put us in the most relaxed state of mind. My eerie observation was that there were barely any triathletes around. This seemed to be a pure cycling event where we were virtual noobs from the outside looking into a close- knit fraternity. The peloton breezed through a fast-paced neutral zone for the first 40k, but even then the rough roads of Jala-Jala were taking its toll. I've never seen so many cyclists get flat tires. A portent of things to come? Just as we were prepping for the start of the breakaway, a guy was avoiding a ginormous crater on the road and tried to cut left. Unfortunately, in perhaps a split-second loss of focus, he missed out on speeding pros who were catching up after the requisite jingle . Hard break. My tire hits his tire. I uncleat. Some guy hits me from behind. I fall over.Pain. Guys to the right ram right straight into me while I'm on the ground. Wheel straight to shoulder. More pain. At that point it was sheer machismo that had me prop straight back up, but damn my knee and shoulders hurt like heck. I haven't gone 500 meters when I was pulled over by a marshal, turns out my transponder was bent to the point that it was nearly hitting my wheel. By the time I had sorted everything out, the road was as deserted as high noon at the OK Corral. The pain was not deathly, but bad enough to add to the aggravation of doing an ITT over a hilly 110 km course. Thoughts of just calling it a DNF day constantly swirled through my head. Entering the 8k climb at Mabitac, my overcompensated left leg started to cramp up bad, and I was forced to dismount several times (rubdowns from our teammates supporting were a boon) After a draining mental battle, I finally reached the hilltop finish and almost instantaneously cramped up on both legs. As I would learn later, it was a tough day at the office for nearly everyone. Endure powerhouse Erick Guieb ( the only Cat 3 rider on the team) also crashed and lost significant minutes off his target. Multisport vets James Dulalia and Ronald Declarador DNF'd. Strong riders Emil Ancheta and Julius Dela Rosa both succumbed to cramps and exhaustion. If any,mercurial Jason Dela Rama made up for a string of shaky performances by finishing strong and bullstrong Wilnar Iglesia's better-than-expected time were bright spots, but in general the team had a tough day at the office. Back to the drawing board, but there's nowhere to go but up.
Preparing for two big events spanning two disciplines (PCL and Condura) is tough, and somehow I feel burnt out. A 130k ride/32k run combo on successive days left me sluggish for the entire week after.Once again, back to the drawing board.
As we welcome one new life into the world, sadly another one is snuffed out in the cold of the night. Yesterday, the entire multisport and ultramarathon communities lost a member of the family in J Cu Unjieng, who succumbed to a severe case of pneumonia. I'm not completely in the know with regard to what exactly happened, but word is ever since he collapsed at a Cebu race he was never the same. We both have regular columns with Frontrunner magazine, and I got to run with him for a good 20-30k during the last edition of BDM. There was a time I didn't know a lot of these fancy triathlon people, and he was one of the first to make me feel welcome in the community. Always self-effacing, I last saw him during speedwork at MOA two or three months ago. The vicious abruptness with how his disease progressed was nothing short of shocking. The world will miss your talent and wit my friend, may you rest in peace.
Massive loss for the community. Anyway, bittersweet news for this edition. Alas, we soldier on. See you all next week, catch you on the road.
and wet shoes you know that smudges, drips, and splotches are inevitable. Our front door does double duty as the main entry way and everything comes through those doors, snow groceries, wet shoes kitties with dirty feet and visitors. I usually use our steam mop and it does a great job of getting rid of any marks or splotches on the floor, but sometimes I just don’t feel like hauling it out.
So this simple hint I found on Pinterest from Nature’s nurture’s blog is super easy to mix up, and easy to apply. Just mix one cup of rubbing alcohol, one cup of vinegar, one cup of water and a few drops of dish detergent, and pour into a spray bottle. Mist floors and clean with a microfiber cloth… or micro fibre mop like I use.
And it can be used on stainless steel, countertops, faucets, mirrors… and other hard household surfaces. She does mention if you find the smell of vinegar too harsh you can add some essential oils to mask it… I just cut the vinegar down slightly.and it doesn’t bother us too much. I find that all natural castile soap, and oxygen bleach also make great cleaners and are environmentally safe. And I will tell you all about them another day… it’s late, I am writing this the night before and I… am… falling… asleep.
I know you're reading that and thinking… what? At least you probably are thinking what’s up… unless you are like me and forget to read the headlines. It’s kind of a inside joke. “Let me explain.”
We’re a country with a great interest in the weather, actually not just a great interest, but almost a obsession. If you have spent any time near the West Coast, [I’m Canadian eh… so this means the Canadian west coast] you would certainly understand our relationships with umbrellas, and gum boots. Necessary, and not evil if you lived there. In fact there were approximately 10 calendar days a year that you could safely leave the house without your umbrella. I think they were called summer. That’s when we all complained about the heat. I can’t tell you off of the top of my head the difference between Celsius and Fahrenheit… but I find both of them hard to spell. When I am reading a blog post and a Canadian tells me that it’s –20 it makes perfect sense to me. But when a American bloggers says it’s –20 I’m confused. Exactly how cold is that? Growing up we were the generation that spanned the great divide. In elementary school, learning to measure everything in cups, and inches. Pounds, feet, inches, miles, Fahrenheit. Someone had the less then bright idea to change it all up to metric… Centimeters, Celsius, meters and grams. I’m sure that they meant well. Now that was fine, I suppose, but much of the country didn’t embrace the move to metric, instead they adopted a wait and see approach, some merely moved to measure in the old movement.
Imagine your Mom sent you to the store to pick up a pound of sausages. But because you were more interested in the notes that Jimmy Houseman was passing you in school that day, than listening to what your teacher had to say… you missed the lecture on converting to metric. So you returned home with a kilogram of sausages, about two point two instead of one. That’s a whole lot of sausages. The Americans were quite happy to keep on keeping on, and obviously smarter about it if you ask me. And they didn’t need to figure out the optimum new Celsius temperature for outdoor swimming pools in the summer. If you grew up on the West Coast… you would be saying something like, people can swim outdoors? Would that be during the 10 days of summer? And did they need to take a umbrella? When someone says it’s –30 in the US, for us in Canada, that means pretty darned cold. As in freeze your toes off if you were silly enough to go outside without shoes on. And I still have no idea how cold it would be there. That’s why I so appreciate Far Side of Fifty’s blog posts, she converts for me, most likely because she doesn’t a kilo of sausages but only a pound. 62 Fahrenheit might mean slightly warm/coldish to you if you are a American… but to me it means the temperature that my husband thinks the house should be in winter, while I think 20 C is perfect… neither of us can agree. So Zero below frozen came around when I started to complain onto deaf ears… [I really think that they were frozen and not about to thaw] about the temperature in our house. I would mutter as I turned up the heat ever so slightly, about it being Zero below frozen here, and he would exclaim how warm it was and turn it down.
Life in Celsius, and Fahrenheit… Things to take away from reading this post.Canada is a land of igloos, and ice, and has only 10 days of summer.No one swims outside without a umbrella.Jimmy Houseman passed notes to Jane in Elementary school, and that’s why she can’t spell Fahrenheit now.A Kilogram of sausages is a lot of sausages, they took a week to eat them all up.Jen’s house is much colder then she thinks it should be… should she buy one umbrella or two.There will be a quiz after reading this post, and it will be in metric.Good Luck!
Contains: 100% Canadian Content All images and text are original to Jane Vandervoort If you enjoyed this post please make my Mom’s day by clicking on the buttons below to share this post.Then she can brag to all the Ladies in her building about how famous her daughter is… LOL. You realize the famous part is a joke right? We of course know better… but I do appreciate you sharing anyways.
how to achieve your personal goals on the internet, it’s amazing how much information you can find in-between Pinterest pinning, and searches. One site suggests telling everyone your goals, write about it, tell about it, share about it… I guess the next time I am standing in line at the grocery store I will point to a magazine of a overweight celebrity and tell the person standing behind me that one of my goals is not to end up looking like that.
So in order to achieve my goal of balance, [remember I don’t do words for the year, but if I did, that would be my word… ] I am choosing to tell all of you my goal, and to ask for your help in staying on track. We all know how easy it is to get off track.
I want/need to get into better shape, just exercise a little a lot more, I won’t be claiming to enjoy it half as much as my husband does but it seems sensible not to have anything jiggling. Now that’s a sensible goal for someone who just turned 50 isn’t it? I suppose I could ask for spanx for Christmas, that would solve the slightly jiggly bit, but I would really like to put a effort into this.
We bought a treadmill, now the real reason for purchasing what I hope isn’t to be a very expensive cloths hanger like some people have [and I won’t mention names, but you know who you are] was so he could run all winter, he loves to run. With the rather large accumulations of snow we are getting it’s hard to get out there everyday. Did you know that donuts can accumulate on your hips? I had no idea, hmmm I should create a calorie free donut, woman all over the world would thank me.
Apparently the treadmill was also bought with the idea that I use it, and this is where you come in. One, it needs a name… got any ideas? I am thinking Frankenstein… Franky, seems appropriate for someone who really doesn’t love exercising, but please feel free to suggest something. And two, the most important, please hold me to exercising, ask me about it in the coming weeks, remind me I need to do it because donuts have calories.
It’s not my goal to give up the occasional donut, so Franky and I have to make friends. Maybe not BBF’s, but at least during the long winter months we had better get to know each other a little bit better. Hey Frankie, prepare to meet some donuts. Yes, those are shiny new shoes… and I took photos of them the first day I got them. But they will stay shiny, because of my allergies they will not be worn outside, they will remain indoor shoes. Jane
We are still out there actively looking for our perfect “dream home.” House hunting continues for us whether there are snowy roofs, or above normal temperatures. Of course the Christmas season has slowed us down a little, but we were back at it yesterday.
Honestly, I have a hard time touring peoples private enclaves [houses]. I know that they are up for sale, and I need to envision myself living in the space, but I have found that a uninhabited house is easier for me. It makes me uncomfortable to see people’s Christmas trees, and pressies all laid out there. I feel a little like a voyeur, touring the bedrooms, and ensuites especially of those whose people let it all sit out on the counters. I try not to look too closely, after all, I am not interested in what kind of deodorant they are using, but in what color the bathroom sink is. How do you feel about this? Or is this just a quirk that I have?
Some of the houses we have looked at are perfectly staged, music playing, heat on, lights on, and the most important part, clean floors. Oh to have clean floors, and not worry about what you have picked up on your socks. I guess I could get those little slip on blue booties… but it’s the norm to take off your shoes. Some of the places, well let’s just say that taking off your shoes should be a option, you are more likely to get dirty socks, then dirty the floors. When we get home the first thing to come off is my socks… ugh. I hate dirty socks, and dirty floors.
It seems if the yard is perfect, then the house isn’t. If the house is a good fit, then it doesn’t have any privacy. We have looked at so many houses that they are starting to blur into one big smozzle. Our Realtor had a great suggestion, take a feature and identify it with each house, kind of like giving it a nick name. Maybe next time I will tell you about the “dog mess house,” and the ice house.
Holiday cheers to everyone! So how was your Christmas? Got the gift you wanted? Gained 10 lbs worth of holiday blubber just in time for the next race? Let's take a look at some random stuff you guys have been sending in over the Yuletide season.
Were you naughty... ... or nice?Mr. GBM, Merry Christmas! I was just curious, what's your Christmas wish for Piolo? - Maya S. Hi Maya! Happy Holidays to you! Hmm, what do I wish for my favorite celebrity foil? I wish him the best of health in 2010, a couple of blockbuster movies here and there, and since he has accomplished all there is to this running thing, move on to the next level - Ironman 70.3. No really, this running is going to be super boring for him. He should leave it behind, lest he pull a muscle or heck even develop ITBS. Multi-sport, oh yeah that's the way to go.
(Santa, I've been a good boy this year... ..)
Looks like so much fun Piolo, running is boring. Right? Right?
Hi GBM! Came across your blog last week and I'm liking your posts. My friends and I aren't in any way acquainted with the basics of running. I hope you can blog about what runner-wannabees like me should know including the basics like what to wear, what to bring when running, warm up and cool down exercises, shoes, places to run, gadgets and such. Am I asking for too much? Hope not Ü - Lilly C.
Hey Lilly thanks for the kind words, it inspires me to come up with more fun stuff for you guys :) Anyway, as for your request, there is a volominous amount of information on the net that could help you out. If you want to make your way through the clutter, log on to Takbo.ph and check out the numerous threads that would cater to your running needs :)
As for your other queries, in a nutshell here's what I could give you. :
For Warm-up and Cool Down Exercises, you could check out this link. I Googled it and in 2 seconds this is what came up. For the right shoes, that sort of depends where you live. If you live down south, you could check out Runnr at Bonifacio High Street, and their knowledgeable staff there will do a gait analysis to find out what's the right shoe for you.
If you stay at the QC or Pasig/Mandaluyong/Marikina area, there are Second Wind branches at Teacher's Village and Ortigas Home Depot which offer a similar service, and you could chat up shoe gurus/ultrarunners (meaning they have ran distances longer than a marathon, which means they're beyond cool) Hector Yuzon and Neville Manaois for a personalized consultation.
As for the others, either I come up with an article about it or I'll email you, because I'm... holiday lazy :P
Holidays have rendered moi into lazy Gingerbread blubber Ginger, I just want to know if you running the Condura Marathon? And if you did, how long do you training for it? I am planning to join the skyway run. Tnx. - Aris N. Thanks for dropping by Aris. Yes I am doing the full 42k this time around. It's THE running event of the year and it's a cant-miss. I am actually in the middle of a 12-week program for it, and am set to taper about second week of January. If you are planning to run across the Skyway, you should be joining at least the 21k. Am wishing you all the best and hope to see you there!
I can hardly wait. Kamusta Kuya GB. Tatanong lang po, sana mas magupdate po kayo, tenbits kami ng utol ko. Ang huliing takbo po namin ay yung Celebrity na 5k. Pabati nga pala po kay Kuya Hernan dito sa Tandang Sora. TY po. - Ramil M.
Ramil, salamat sa pagbisita. Minsan kasi sobrang busy ko I only have time to make one article. Depende din yang kung madaming races or presscon. Pero promise, try natin iupdate more. Bagal ko kasi magsulat (x_x) Kamusta Kuya Hernan, salamat sa suporta! (para tayong radyo ah hehe)
Hi there Luis. I'm trying this out just to see if you will actually publish it online. Long-time lurker of your site, even when you had that logo with the man stretching and magulo pa siya. Laki na ng pnagbago niya, saludo ako. Was just curious, sa mga dati mong stories lagi mong binabanggit si Gingerbread Gal. Ngayon wala na. May... . nangyari ba? Haha sorry ha napansin ko lang kasi, you don't have to answer kung personal - Patricia G. Hi Patricia, um, next question please? Haha kidding lang, thanks for the visit. Wow you were lurking even back then? You mean people actually read that crap I used to post? Woaah. I don't even have a backup copy of that template, but for those who never reached it, there are some thumbnails of that bygone era here.
As for your question, oh gaks how showbiz :P (preps for showbiz answer) Ehem. Well, since you pointed out her non-inclusion in our body of work, I guess you have your answer right there :)
This is... . embarassing :P
That's it for the holiday mailbag folks! Keep on running and watch those waistlines everyone :)
Our friends at Sunrise Events, Inc. headed by it’s President and Chairman and also Alaska Milk CEO Fred Uytengsu – the same people who have brought to us the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 race in the Philippines for two years in a row has again brought to Philippine shores another world-renowned sporting brand. Xterra, said to be the “de facto world championship of off-road triathlons”. Cool stuff.
Xterra Philippines has just recently held it's initial offroad race, a biathlon called Putik Pare last month at Nuvali, Sta Rosa, Laguna. This January 30, 2011, Xterra Philippines is set to hold it's trail running race dubbed as Pang Rave Run, with venue at the Tagayay Highlands.
Don't you notice their penchant for fun kalog ( does anyone still bother to use that nowadays?) names for their races? First Putik Pare, now this. Must be a fun place to work at.
Anyway, here's the presser. To trail fans out there, this seems to be a can't miss.
Did you enjoy XTERRA’s Putik Pare biathlon (I didn't know there was such a thing lol )held in Nuvali? Are you in search of a different and thrilling run this time? Do you want to experience an extraordinary physical rush? If your answer is yes, then we bet you’ll enjoy even more XTERRA’s unique and rare Trail Run entitled “Pang Rave Run!” this coming January 30, 2011 at Tagaytay Midlands. Join the most enjoyable, root slipping, mud hopping, tree ducking and hill climbing race in the country today! Take the challenge of running on a mountainous terrain while enjoying the breathtaking view of Taal Volcano and feeling the cool breeze in Tagaytay. Exciting cash prizes awaits the winners for the Male and Female Categories! Register now, book your hotel and slip on those running shoes for the most action-packed trail race adventure! Travelling to Tagaytay Midlands was also made easy for you! Check out the shuttle service schedule below and reserve a seat now! Be raved! Be thrilled! Be fired-up! XTERRA’s “Pang Rave Run!” is definitely the kind of run that you’ve been searching for! RACE DETAILS:1. REGISTRATION PERIOD: - December 1, 2010 to January 23, 2011 (both online and in-store registration) 2. REGISTRATION VENUES:ONLINE: http://www.xterraphil.com (MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED) IN-STORE: - RUNNR - Bonifacio High Street - SABAK SPORTS Unit 401 Auto Precinct, Westgate Center Filinvest, Alabang, Muntinlupa Cit - SECOND WIND uNIT 03A Ortigas Home Depot Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig City 3. REGISTRATION FEE: 10K - PHP 1,000 Inclusions: - Race Bib - Finisher's Shirt made with Technical Material - Buffet Breakfast - Loot Bag - Xterra Race Belt 21K - PHP 1,500 Inclusions: - Race Bib - Finisher's Shirt made with Technical Material - Buffet Breakfast - Loot Bag - Xterra Race Belt - Xterra Visor
Free stuff
I want one. 4. SHUTTLE SERVICE - A round trip bus service is available to participants for a minimal fee of PHP 250. Details of shuttle schedules: A. Pickup from Bonifacio Global City going to Tagaytay: 1st batch – 3:00 AM 2nd batch – 3:30 AM B. Leave Tagaytay back to Bonifacio Global City: 1st batch – 11:00 AM 2nd batch – 2:00 PM 5. ASSEMBLY and GUN START TIMES ASSEMBLY GUN START 21K - 5:00 AM 5:30 AM 10K - 6:00 AM 6:30 AM 6. OTHER NOTES: *21K Race Participants are advised to bring head lamp *for further inquiries, please contact: secretariat@xterraphil.com
We are still in the grip of the frozen north. Natures cold fingers squeezing out every drop of warmth. Plants in the garden fighting a losing battle because there is no snow covering. Our wood framed windows frozen shut, too much moisture from before this cold spell. Forecast predicting warmer temperatures this coming week will bring some welcome relief. Warm socks, gloves, scarf, hat, big boots… and that’s just to go to the mailbox. So if you live somewhere colder then here, don’t make fun of us, it was down to chilly below zero for too many nights, a rather rude introduction to the winter that is to come. And if you live where it’s warmer, count your blessings.
The best part of all this is the glorious sunshine, the beautiful almost bright light streaming in the windows. Highlighting the lacy frost patterns on the trucks window, picking out diamonds, and hand polishing them. It’s a world of glisten, and glow here. I’ve not started to decorate for Christmas, we don’t do that until a week or so before, so I have plenty of time… sure I do, it goes faster then you think doesn’t it? But I do know that I need to gather up some greens before the snow comes, or we won’t be able to get out there and find them without snow shoes. I need to visit the farm, and go for a gathering walk… this year I am inspired by the simplicity of nature, all I want is natural greens, rough hewn logs, bark, feathers, clear glass, and maybe some silver metallic for touches of shine.
What are your plans for Christmas decor? Are you planning on going wild, over the top, restrained, traditional? Tree, no tree? Fun, fake, or real? What I like about Christmas is every one gets to do what pleases them, there is no must have, only this type of decor anymore… create, express, and delight. It’s more fun this way. My mind wanders over to caramel, and cookies, it seems to be the perfect time to bake, and dream of baking, think of baking, plan for baking. Sugar cookies, brownies, chocolate anything, peppermint is replacing pumpkin as the “it” flavour of the season for me. My Pinterest boards sure come in handy when I have a craving for something sweet, and by pinning those sweet recipes think of the calories I save. I’m dreaming of lemon mug cakes with sauce, does anyone know of a recipe that works? I would love to have some lemon flavoured sauce on the bottom of the mug to complement the cake. I made a chocolate brownie mug cake the other night, it was rich, but a little over the top, so lemon sounds delightful.
I am having some difficulties with my blog roll, so do me a favour and if you are a regular visitor and don’t see your blog on my blog roll here let me know. T here are 5-7 blogs whose feed disappears from my blog roll each time I put them on. Blogger is having some glitches again, and my blog is one of the ones affected by this problem. Thinking of chilly peppermint, glitter, glow, glistening lights, and snowy days.
Bikes. They have been around since time immemorial, pretty much as ubiquitous as they come. For this formerly indifferent running dude, everything is pretty much all the same on two wheels right? I mean, come on, it's just a bike right? Two wheels, you try not to fall, and everything's cool! Little did I know that there lies practically an entire canon of technical knowledge in what turns out to be a highly sophisticated enterprise. It is within this mindset steeped in naivety that our brave new undertaking begins, my running relegated to the background temporarily.
Tricked out racer here
Being a 90's kid, I grew up going to CCP and the Ortigas area where you could rent them for about P25 an hour. Sigh. Not exactly one to have perfect balance, I had to start with every kid's safe haven- the ever-lovable sidecar. If it was any portent of things to come a decade later, I already had too much pride to ride one with training wheels. Even as a pre-pubescent Gingerbread lad, the machismo (perceived or otherwise) was already emanating. I would rather be caught driving those Barbie jeeps you could buy at Plaza Fair or SM Toyland (cue in... . SM toyland is the place to go, lots of toys, g.i.joe ... .board games, laser guns, so mom, dad let's go to toyland... .we got it all for you! )
Cheers to a bygone era
As I had inferred in a previous article, I had a laundry list of problems on two wheels as a youngster. A foray into the world of multisport suddenly necessitated a real-time crash course on all things biking, which was somewhat of a challenge because I was never really the handyman/let's-get-our-hands-dirty mekaniko type. Heck, I could write about them but to do it myself? Ah now that's an entirely different story. I'll try to relate to you as much of the experience from a total newbie perspective.
Not my sorta thing
Frame Well, a bike frame is supposed to be self-explanatory right? It's well, uh, a frame. I mean, it's a bike. Just ride it for crying out loud. Apparently, this simpleton thinking didn't hold water in the highly technical cycling world. The frame's top tube has to be just the right size for you , or else you'll be setting yourself for a wide variety of aches and pains. There are common fit guides easily googable, or have one done at your friendly bike shop. My first one was at least one size small for me, hence me feeling like crap after every ride. How much is a frame anyway? The spectrum is wider than one could think. If you're more of the "assemble" type, you could the manong-style bakal bakal ones for as low as P5,000 . Depending on the brand and where you actually buy it, lightweight carbon-fiber frames could range anywhere from P40,000 to more than P100,000. Also, custom-made titanium frames could set you back a cool $2,500 or more. Cheap thrills.
Looks weird but could probably send your kid through college
"Grupo" Apparently, a bike's groupset is as integral as any other component towards the whole thing. It all seemed Greek or Parseltongue (sorry, couldn't resist the Potter reference) to me when I first got my bike. In common parlance, this is more or less defined as a bicycle component manufacturer's organized collection of mechanical parts. This pretty much includes your brakes and gear shifters (for Shimano {a well-known brand. Wow, parenthesis in a parenthesis, my Grammanazi 7th grade English teacher would be turning in her grave } branded components, this is called an STI, or Shimano Total Integration. Because of Shimano's popularity, "STI" has come to be accepted as a common noun of sorts for gear shifters, like "Colgate" even if it comes from a different brand) , chain, crankset, deraillers (the thing that moves your chains from one sprocket to another to accomplish gearing) et, al. Collectively, these serve as the "engine" of your bicycle, and enthusiasts/serious cyclists pay premium price for any possible technological advantage they could muster.
It's complicated.
There are numerous brands, with perhaps Shimano being the most ubiquitous. I'll try to give you a quick, layman's look into it. The Shimano brand offers different groupset lines, which purportedly cater to anyone from the amateur cyclist to the touring professional. The 2300 is an 8-speed groupset which to be very honest with you I didn't even know existed before I wrote this article. It's probably in the bottom rung of the foodchain, and most professionals will find an 8-speed set lacking for their, well, professional needs. The Sora is a 9 -speeder, and it's a very decent groupset specially for those starting out. It's also what's in Ultramarathoner Abby's roadie, random trivia.
Next in line is the Tiagra, which someone once compared to a Toyota Vios or Honda Jazz if you want to quantify it in car terms. . Noooot sure if that's completely accurate. The 10-speed 105 is probably the most commonly used, a very decent groupset you could go to war with. Is this the equivalent of an Altis or Civic? No idea. My groupset is a well-worn (aka old) 9-speed 105 from a forgotten era. It hasn't failed me so far. On the upper end of the spectrum are the Ultegra and the Dura Ace. A brand new Ultegra set is more expensive than my entire first bike (named Bob, check the old article), while a brand-new Dura-Ace set could either buy you a 2nd hand Honda Hatchback or serve as downpayment for that dream home of yours. Whew.
Car... .. or bike parts?
Aerobars/Seatposts Since most of do bike within the context of multisport, aerobars are more or less a must-have. Ever see those ultrafit triathletes crouched in that weird but cool-looking position? The aero position is designed to save your legs for that run portion and if executed correctly, propel you faster through the magic of aerodynamics. Thing is, the bikes your Ironman idols are riding on those Youtube clips are made specifically for triathlon. Meaning, they're specifically expensive. Not too uncommon to find P250,000 Italian-made tri-bikes around the corner. While that's a tad bit unrealistic for commoners like you and me, the tipid meals solution would be to buy clip-on aerobars ( cheapest would be about P2,500 a pop) combined with a fast forward seatpost ( anywhere from P2,500 - P5,000) for your road bike. The fast forward seatpost changes the seat tube angle frame from 73° to 78°, effectively moving the rider 38 mm forward in replicating the fancy tri-bike's geometry. Note, without the fast forward seatpost it would be quite difficult to maintain aero position, so these two add-ons usually come hand in hand.
You could put a down on that house already.
A practical fix.
Wheels
Same thing with wheels. High-end brands like Zipp or HED which specialize in deep, lightweight, aerodynamic wheels that are more or less made to make you go faster. They spin a lot faster too. Maybe that's why you go faster. Smart. Smirk. Anyway, the eye candy factor notwithstanding though just to get your head out of the clouds these are very painful to the wallet. The set that Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara was using in the photo in the previous paragraph could easily north of P120,000. Fun. On the other hand, if you could care less about aerodynamics and just want your bicycle to run, a decent pair could be had for as low as P3,000. Hmmmm.
I'll get my bling bling one day.Sniff.
Helmets
Whaaaat? Even helmets? It goes without saying that helmets are there for one thing - to prevent your brain from becoming mush on the floor in the event of some horrible accident. Cool. Of course, leave it to modern technology to somehow figure out a way to "pimp up" your standard issue helmet. While a basic helmet could go as low as P500- P1300 depending on where you get it, a tricked out aerodynamic helmet that "makes you go faster" with matching water vents to boot could set you back a cool P10,000 easy.
He's faster already
Cycling Shoes/Cleats
The quintessential newbie rider's rite of passage. People speak of it in hushed, even fearful tones, like it was the Loch Ness Monster or something. Some riders go on for months still wearing sneakers, avoiding the big jump at all costs. Why the fuss? These shoes have cleats that latch on to a special kind of pedal, allowing for a more efficient stroke and the added power benefit of an upward pull. If utilized correctly, these make for probably the most immediate improvement in terms of performance.
So if bike shoes are such a godsend, why do newbie cyclists speak of them with relative dread?
Well, there's always a caveat, and here's the rub. Once on bike shoes, you're practically "glued" to your bike, and you could only disengage by doing a nifty outward twist move. That nifty move takes some time to practice, and that extra half second it takes could be enough to niftily knock you down in the classic "semplang" move - even while you're still attached to the bike. Without the benefit of just putting down an emergency leg for leverage and balance, things could turn ugly in a hurry.
Face the fear As it is, the thought of having no safety backup is mortifying to a lot of novice cyclists. It's just one of those things that's easy to procrastinate over, but at the back of your head you know you have to face it eventually. It was with this mindset that I decided to get my first pair, "just to get it over with". This little conversation at the bike shop where I bought it from did nothing to assuage my fears :
Bikemann : First time mo ba mag cleats? GBM : Yes pohz Bikemann : Ah ok. Sesemplang ka. GBM: !!!!!!
And indeed, the deadpan oracle had spoken. Ironically, over several months on no cleats I had done a treacherous 120k road race, a duathlon and triathlon with no incident whatsoever.
Got home, tried on the shoes, and cleated up downstairs in the garage.
BANG. Less than 5 minutes in, I'm sprawled on the ground. Still attached to the bike. Sob. Muscle memory apparently gives way to a lot of bad habits, and it reared its ugly head in real time.
Much like a fallen gladiator recovering from a devastating blow, I staggered up and gave it another go
3 minutes later, same result.
My confidence shaken and knee banged up, I went back upstairs to regain my senses. Alarm bells were anxiously ringing in my head. Is it reaaaaallly that hard? I am really not meant to be a cyclist? Do I really suck at this?
Let's just assume it hurts. But then again, as that old adage goes it isn't about how many times you fall but how many times you get up right? The following day I was at it again, convinced I could do it. I rode for 20 kms along my familiar training jaunt, so far so good. As I pulled up near the back gate of UA&P, I dismounted to check if everything was in order. Cool. Went back up, did a u-turn, and before I knew it was hard on the ground. This was a really hard fall, much harder than the previous two ones. My STI was jarred to the point of misalignment. To make matters worse, my students had seen me and were prepared to laugh over that silly cyclist until they saw it was me. Oh the horror. Did I mention I was still attached to the bike?
Where's that adage when you need it? I limped home, tail between my legs dragging my bike with me. This was really depressing. All that fuss about fancy frames, groupsets, wheels, and helmets - yet here I was, couldn't even manage to keep myself off the pavement. That in turn invoked perhaps the single most overused line in the history of cycling, hence I'm going to use it again -
It's not about the bike. Kuya Lance Armstrong probably knew what he was talking about. First time I ever got wind of these figures, I could hardly believe it. Turns out there are two sides to this bike thing - both the competitive side and the hobby side. And maybe somewhere in between where the two sides converge. You could see people spend hundreds of thousands on the aforementioned items, but they're nowhere near competitive. As they say, if you can't perform, japorm. Sometimes, going through the fancy bikes at multisport or cycling events it's easy to see that the sport is also somewhat akin to a grown man's Tamiya . You get the best components, put it all together and talk about it with your buddies over a beer or two while planning your next salary burner.
I have a borderline mid-range bike at best, and I would be lying if I told you that I didn't take some lurid form of satisfaction in overtaking them italian-made, Dura-Ace equipped bikes on a race. On the other hand, how many times have I been lapped and overtaked by manongs with bakal bakal bikes that seem to have been used and abused since the 80's. No aerodynamics here, just sheer brute strength and athleticism. I shudder to think at what they could do with all this fancy technology at our disposal.
Which brings us back to the immortal words of Mr. Armstrong. Truly, it really isn't about the bike. The best bike in the world will be utterly useless in the wrong hands. Or legs , for the matter. You can spend all you want, but these advancements will only be noticeable if you actually bother putting in the requisite saddle time. The competitive athlete is both well conditioned and utilizes technology with maximum efficacy. However, if you could care less about competition and are just thrilled with the science and intricacies of putting it all together, well and good. We'll gawk at your fancy toy during the next race.
He has a pointThis bike thing. It's a fun, crazy thing, and it appeals to a whole wide range of personality types with hugely contrasting goals.
Did I mention I never fell from my bike again after that embarrassing episode ?
I’ve been walking most mornings, my feet hitting the floor, gulping down my 1/2 cup of coffee that he brings to me. S liding into yesterday’s clothes, stumbling down the stairs, slipping on shoes and heading out the door. No time to spend eating breakfast, that’s for later. It’s wake up, and out the door. Because if I linger, I’m not going to get out there.
Each day that I can walk on dry pavement is a day that I can spend outside. Breathing fresh air, watching the ravens fly, and the sun eventually slipping over the mountain to tumble down it’s slopes. A early morning glory ride for the upcoming day. When the snow falls, and stays, I will be forced to become a good friend of the treadmill. Listening to the monotonous drone of the endlessly looping belt over the sound of the stereo. It’s not the same at all, and it’s boring. When the snow flies, walking country roads slows down to a crawl, high stepping from patch of bare pavement, to a avalanche of partially melted ice, hoping it will hold your weight without moving. So for now I will happily take photos with frozen fingers that can’t grasp the phone. My dollar store techie gloves working fine for hitting buttons, but not for warmth. I don’t care if it’s frosty, and cold, it’s beautiful and fresh, and it’s outdoors. I inhale deeply, and walk up the slight hill running next to a field of sheep, so busily shearing the last remaining grass, that none of them look up as a black streak of cat darts by. Hastily chased by a tall, brown, tightly pruned poodle, and a small bundle of furiously barking white fluff. The owner of the errant dogs comes running down the long sloping driveway in his housecoat. Bare legs flapping, slippers on his feet, and more on view then I care to see this early. He is yelling with his outdoor voice for the retreat of the dogs, who are not obeying. As he rounds the curve of the driveway, and further exposes himself there is little I can do other than give a awkward wave, and look down as I pass by. Thankfully he was further from the road than the dogs growling at the gate, and I hope he doesn’t recognize me. With the cat long gone, the dogs are herded back into the house, while the sheep ignore all of the chaos. I walk on as quickly as my cold legs can get themselves moving after stopping and clicking a shot of the hungry hawk perched in the treetops looking for early morning takeout.
A battered blue pickup rolls past on the usually deserted road that crosses in front of me, revving it’s engine as the driver grinds the gears. I’m hidden from his sight by a clump of bushes. A old stripped couch is dumped haphazardly in the back, it’s 70’s style round castors spinning slowly. Inside a middle aged man, and a small child perch on the seat, peering out at me as I pass them. Would there have been a lesson on illegal dumping if I had not walked by? Judging by the way he speeds off, it might have been. All this excitement would be missed if I were treadmill thumping. So for now, despite the cold, despite the warm bed beckoning, the road is preferable to the treadmill.
