My Way of Living [Search results for Style] 

It’s Christmas time, and everyone is making wreaths, decorating for the season. So I thought I would share a little “DIY wreath making — farm style.”
Take one rung of barbed wire, nestle over a fence post, and voila… your new farm style country Christmas wreath.
Add a quick dusting of snow, or a touch of ice, and you have the perfect decor item for your outdoor display. Actually I have been longing to shoot these rings of wire every time I pass by them. It seems I never have my camera when I needed it. So this time I made sure to include this fence post in my roaming around yesterday. Head on down to your local farm supply store for supplies.
We are venturing out on another home search today, keep your fingers crossed. I know it’s out there, we just have to find it.

Saturday morning we were

on our way to the farm to take some photos of the first day of asparagus picking, but my husband needed to stop and get a coffee. He wheeled into the parking lot intent on his java, and we found it full of older men with great big smiles on their faces, a wide variety of colourful farm machinery, and other “guy style treats.” There were noises, smoke, exhaust, and engines running, antique cars parked and one full of gleeful old guys wheeling around the parking lot.

Fascinating collections of old tools, washing machines, and smiles, lots of “oh isn't’ this fun smiles on older male faces.” Boy’s toys…

As my husband disappeared into the store, I thought about taking a few shots with my camera phone, and then remembered that I had my big Canon with me.

What a treat, colors, noises, smiles, back patting, and hand shaking was going on all around.

One gentleman made eye contact and I asked who I should be talking to about permission to shoot some photos. “Oh that’s me, it’s my birthday and these are all of my friends.” He explained to me that years ago his wife told him he couldn’t take the day off on his birthday, so every year he gets all of his friends to drop by the store, with their steam engines, tractors, engines, and anything else old.

They celebrate in style, lots of smoke, exhaust, noise, and camaraderie. Now that’s what I call a birthday celebration.

Writing a blog post takes time, energy, thought, and preparation. You might start with a original idea, or a burst of inspiration. If you are the prepared type, a plan, editorial calendar, post it note, or book of ideas. Some know exactly what they want to post.

There are those of us who are sitting down, and writing as we go. One eye on the clock, the other mentally urging our computer to download photos faster. Whatever works. There can be great blog posts dashed off in 15 minutes. I've written posts in mere minutes, by the seat of my pants, my favorite TV show was coming on…and I wasn't going to miss it. Just don't tell the blogging police. Then there are other posts that seem to take days to show up, get themselves organized, and written, and rewritten, and done over again. One consistent aspect in blogging will always be that good content, and images are going to be be something that your readers will want to engage in. To read, to comment on, to share, to enjoy. While each of us is unique, and has our own style, setting our own personal standards there is nothing wrong with challenging ourselves to do a little better. We all have our favorite bloggers, the ones that speak to our hearts…they have a great sense of who they are. We might like the way they write, love their photography style, or are interested in the subjects they cover. They get their unique voice by constantly improving their writing, and photography. Great content means tweaking, and improving before you hit publish. Blogging is not a matter of how many words to write, or how many photos to include. You can have the shiniest, fanciest theme, tweaked by a designer…but it's a beautifully wrapped present with nothing inside the box if the content is poor quality.

The amount of followers your blog has, tens, hundreds, thousands, whether you post on Word Press, or Blogger, is no where near as important as the content. Good content stays around…it resurfaces, it's pinned, and tweeted, shared on FaceBook. And although it can be challenging sometimes to do it, it's well worth it in the end.

100% Canadian Content
All images and text created and copyrighted by Jane Vandervoort 2015 If you enjoyed this post, please consider clicking on the share buttons below, I would greatly appreciate it.

All of these images were taken circa Summer 2008/2009

This post started off with my wanting to share some old photos of my last garden at the condo. How when we finally get some spring my new garden is going to have some big boots to fill in order to have color, and texture of the old one.

But as I went through my archives looking for some of my garden images I realized that there was a huge shift in my style of photography as soon as I got my DSLR a few years ago.

I moved quickly from living large, wide angle shots that the little point and shoots could do so easily, to macro, or close-up shots that the DSLR specializes in.

The ability to clearly capture the tiniest detail is fascinating to me, and a good 100 mm macro was soon on my list.

While the DSLR did change the way I see, the way I shoot, and it did make me a much better photographer, it’s a journey, most of life is. But I do regret not taking the little point and shoot out once in a while for a joy ride, it would have been interesting to see what I could have come up with at the same time.

After all what is a camera but a tool to capture what, and how we see. And now I see differently. And I would have liked to be able to more clearly document that.

Tis' better to live your own life imperfectly than to imitate someone else's perfectly.” ― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love I think my blog is growing up… thinking, learning, and dreaming, sending out a few new tendrils. Having a bit more time and a new place to live makes for good changes in your life. I find myself stretching my skills, thinking a bit deeper, trying a little harder to write from the heart, and still remain true to myself, not to lose sight of who I am. Learning who I am through my blog is a interesting way to find yourself. Have you tried it? Finding myself as a blogger, learning how I want to present my writing and photography to the world. Living my own life, gaining inspiration from others, but certainly not copying them. I started as garden blogger, nice and colorful as the gloves were, they were a little tight, I found I had more to say and share then there were flowers in my garden.

I am still me, it’s just that I want to have a few more pairs of gardening gloves to try on. The other day I picked up a copy of Artful Blogger, this magazine inspires me, I love to dive into it’s pages, roll through them, a dip here, a patch there, try this on for size, discard it because it’s not a good fit, grab something else and give it a try. Love a photo, learn a line, get creative.

This is one of my most favourite quotes from a featured blogger, Feather and Anchor, “It’s such a fine line to walk as you write for yourself, and for your readers. If you stray to far into either territory, you become tired, overexposed, burnout, or uninspired.” Erin Ellenberger-March. So true.

That’s what I was talking about in blogging boundaries, wondering aloud how much to share, and how much to leave out. I loved the comments, many of them made me think about how much I share, sometimes not enough, other times too much. How to find that balance? I am inspired by other photographers, and bloggers but still determinedly searching for my true voice, my reality, my style, even as it evolves. Learning my own boundaries, even as I see others widening theirs, or drawing the lines tighter.

Finding my real voice, one that I can bear to listen to without cringing while it reads back a post from years before. For me consistency is a fickle friend, I can sometimes grasp tightly that gossamer thread of a thought, a idea, only to have it snatched and broken the next. Wanting to be able to write like other bloggers, but knowing that I can’t copy their style, and must be myself. I will change as the garden grows that’s life. There’s plenty of room on the potting bench for another pair of gloves. Trying on new gloves…

Busy weekend for all of us! It's one of those weekends that so many big events were held concurrently. Running denizens were divided amongst the Cebu International Marathon, Subic International Marathon, Fat Ass 24-hour run, and the 2011 Bull Run. With a veritable smorgasbord of choices, let's see how everybody fared with these different runs.

• I wonder how SIM 2011 fared this year? Among the people I knew, only Endure Multisport star Erick Guieb joined this one, and last I heard he was gunning for a modest below 5-hour finish. But knowing him, he probably did it in 3:45. Lol.

• I was part of it in 2009, running the 10k Nike Human Race (where I placed 13th) and the 21k race (where I ran with Tito Caloy) Sigh, how time flies so fast. Internet Legend Tito Caloy has since gone back to the professional competitive drinking circuit, he missed it too much. Came in to the scene too late to know who he is? Google google google.

Those were the days...

Back to his first love.

• In related news, SIM was also memorable for me because I ran into Ultramarathoner Abby on the way there at Kenny Rogers along NLEX. It was the first time I had seen her in years. Who would have known... ... .. :P Uuuy.

Our first ever picture together hihi.

• Back to SIM , that was also memorable because we were doing support for the marathoners and water ran out as early as 18k along the route. A trip down memory lane : Craig Logan was pushing Justin and collapsed. Rico sacrificed his race and rushed him to the hospital. Argow was overcome with emotion as his first marathon was marred by a lack of adequate water.There was a screaming mob afterwards, as a result there was TOO much hydration the day after for the 21k race. Fun.

It's howkay, we got your back. Hug.

• As expected, the Kenyans dominated this year's race with Vertek opting to compete in the 21k, eventually winning it. When will we ever have someone else other than Vertek to chase down these dudes?Can Cris Sabal hold his own? Someone give me data please. Winning time of 2:23 probably wasn't even close to their best.

• Sometimes, I just realized that if I were a girl, I would be a very fast girl. A very fast, tall, and fugly one with hairy legs at that.

• Congratulations to all who joined Cebu. Wonderfully organized race, I ran the inaugural edition last year and gave it rave reviews . It was as if the entire city was in synergy for one dynamic event. Haide Acuna, Doc Bontol, John Pages and the rest of the Cebu gang no doubt contribute to the robust running community they have over there, and this race is a succinct reflection of that. Only downside - you'll probably have too much fun with it that you might end up getting drunk and messing up your race. Not guilty as charged. Pockets of Endure, ANR and TPB people were there, tell us all about how it went! I have no doubt it was an awesome race as always.

Last year with Cebu running celeb/BDM 102 batchmate Haide

Cheering on Takbo.ph boss Jinoe on his first marathon

• The Fat Ass Run has long been some sort of an urban legend amongst ultra running folk, and I remember when quintessential ultraman Atty. Jon Lacanlale started it a couple years back. Back then, it didn't really garner that much attention save for a few hard core crazies. I had always wanted to run this, but for some reason it always worked against my schedule. So I was pleasantly surprised that it seemed that 1 in every 4 people seemed to be headed to Clark for it. If I'm not mistaken, you can run in 12 and 24 hour increments. Damn right it's crazy. Among the notables, BR did a leisurely 54k in about 8 hours, Frontrunner EIC/ Hardcore chief Jonel did an inhuman 121k in nearly 22 hours, and Albert "Run2dmoon" Salazar emerged this year's Fat Ass King with nearly 140k over 24 hours. Wow.

Jonel overcome with emotion at his "graduation" after running for 22 hours.

• While I'm having the time of my life being a spectator/heckler here, I shudder to think that I'll be running 160 kms in a little over a month. Ayayay.

• Don't you find it ironic that the people who join Fat Ass don't have anything close to resembling a fat ass? In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that after running for 24 hours, they may not even have an ass at all.

• Of the all the aforementioned races, the one I did join was the one closest t0 home, the 2011 Bull Run at BGC (yes, I'm hip like that. Fort? Ano yun?). Fresh from winning the team championship at Fort Running Festival, Team Powerpuff Boys (affectionately known as TPB or "those pink guys") decided to take a stab at the team competition once more with momentum on our side. I got to train once with the gang, and if before I felt we were on a somewhat parallel fitness level, their resolute dedication to training has reaped incredible dividends. Being engrossed into establishing some semblance of a multisport base, I simply couldn't hack the aggressive programs I used to pull off. The disparity was blatantly obvious. My guys (no homo) simply ripped the course apart en route to the team snagging 1st place in the team category once more. Our goal was at the very least 1:20, and everybody did way better than that. Notable performances included Chris Iblan running an inhuman 1:03 ( 3:58 pace for 16k??) and Brandow snagging a 1:13 (wild 4:34 pace) . As for myself, I served as the weak link, checking it a lame 1:21:15, 5:04 pace which ordinarily would have been fast but these guys put that to shame. I need to ramp up my running, the boys are tearing it up there.

TPB with, er, fans :P

Posing at the awarding "Bb. Pilipinas" style.

• Mary Anne Ringor usually does a good job at organizing, last year was pretty good. This year,epic fail at the 16k gun going off ten minutes early. It was supposed to start at 5:45 as was announced in the published material. We were at the corral already, and me Jix and Nick took a leak thinking there was more than ample time to get back. Much to our chagrin the gun went off as we were on the way back. We're vets at this, and it's really no big deal even if wading through hundreds of 10k runners and the back end of the 16k pack was draining. Still, it would be nice if we could keep to the published start times.

• Double fail to the drivers along the Makati ave intersection who kept on impatiently honking their horns. You see there's a race going on, a little consideration wouldn't hurt. Highly indicative of our mentality, in other countries people on the road would actually cheer runners on. Hay nako.

• Fail to Accel gels. Gu didn't have any chocolate variants, so we decided to give it a go. Tasted good, but I don't think it helped me one bit. In short, it was so bad that even the placebo didn't work. Shucks.

• Tip of the week : 1 pound lost = 12 seconds faster in a 10k run. Lose 10 lbs, that's 2 minutes off your time!

• Pilipinas Cycling League's season opener, a century race in Jala-Jala commences in Jan 23, Endure Multisport is competing. I'm antsy, haven't had a good road ride since my crash. Pray pray pray.

• It's BDM test run season, and I'm pretty much missing all . Why? For the simple reason that I plan to race Condura 42k. I have a friendly bet with bossing Jonel because he's doing the test runs. If he still manages to outrun me it's Mcdo breakfast time. Juicy. :P

I like my appliances to perform as they are described, coffee makers should make coffee, and fridges should keep food cold. Everything ran as prescribed until the other day, when our built in vacuum decided it preferred to be a blender, instead of just sucking it up.

It’s a funny shade of avocado green that is so old, it’s back in style again we inherited it when we bought the house. Frankly it didn’t suck barely at all but it was a built in vacuum cleaner, and it’s easier then dragging a canister up and down the stairs.’

It resides in the garage, and is vented outside, which is perfect for my allergies, and the noise level is pretty low usually a muted roaring coming from that area. When the vacuum decided to turn itself into a whirling blender complete with roaring, and grinding noises that echoed through the entire house we knew something was wrong.

But did that stop my husband from repeatedly plugging the hose in to restart the poor machine? Nope. What’s with guys, the garage is filled with smoke, and stinking burning metal odours, and he decides to see if it still works… just one more time. I was all about running for the fire extinguisher, and nothing would convince me that it wouldn’t burst into flames suddenly, not even unplugging the cord, or letting the poor thing die in peace. Is this just a guy thing, “let’s try it one more time?”

Oh well, it didn’t make very good margarita’s anyways… PS: these are photos of some old turquoise farm machinery that I just adore, been wanting to use… and they seem to fit the post. They are NOT pics of our vacuum.

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

Just came in the mail, unique and definitely lung busting race. The last time something similar was organized, if I remember correctly runners were running up and down the Enterprise Tower in Ayala. This time, Discovery Channel and Bonifacio Global City are putting up a 5o and 100 floor races at the E-Services Tower this Saturday at the Fort.

In order to ensure that no one drops dead from exhaustion, they even put in quirky rules like those joining the 100 floor race must have sub-40 times for the guys and sub 50 for the girls. Good luck in finding sub-elite runners willing to blow their quads over 100 floors for P25,000.
and a chance to win a car :P

Anyway, if this race strikes your fancy I have two free race kits for you guys. This is a "contest", although I'm usually terrible with these things. So if you have nothing better to do on Saturday and would like a freebie race, here are the mechanics :

1. Follow me on Twitter.
2. Add me on Facebook ( if you haven't already) :3. Leave a comment on this post telling me you've done the above, and tell us what you think is the most challenging aspect of racing up a building.

4. In the event that this contest sucks out and no one joins, first two people who post win. Or I can sell these kits on the street takatak boys style.

5. I'll notify you by Facebook or Twitter if you won, and we can discuss how you can pry them away from me. (that's why you need to add or follow me.)

Deadline is Thursday 9 pm. That's all! Good luck!

Juicy freebie kits.
Here are some more details on the race, if you don't know it already.

Run Details:
1. After the horn is blown, runners starting at Rizal Drive (the street fronting the Bonifacio e-Services Building) turn right to 3rd Street and then turn left to enter the building from the parking entrance up to the 1st floor ramp. (distance: 160 meters)
2. Runners will run up to the 9th floor using the ramp throughout. (distance: 1,090 meters) At the 9th floor they proceed to the stairwell and negotiate the stairs up to 25th floor where their split times are taken before they go in the opposite stairwell. (distance: 300 steps + 37 meters)
3. Overtaking shall be on the right side when going up the stairs.
4. Runners will run down 25 floors (distance: 407 steps) and go out to the lobby, then get out of the building (distance:15 meters)
5. At the street fronting the building (Rizal Drive), runners turn right to 30th Street and upon reaching the first corner, turn left to Third Street and run a stretch of the Third Avenue and turn left for the finish.(distance: 300 meters)
6. Overtaking shall be on the left side when going down the stairs.
7. FOR SAFETY PURPOSES: NO LIQUID SHALL BE ALLOWED INSIDE THE STAIRWELL. THE WATER STATIONS WILL BE LOCATED AT THE START AND FINISH AREAS ONLY. However, the Century runners may take water at the corner of the Rizal Drive and 3rd Street going into their second half of the run.
8. There will be three medical stations: at 1) 9th floor, 2) 25th floor and 3) finish area. There will be two ambulances: at 1) 9th floor and 2) opposite side of the entrance to the parking area of the Bonifacio e-Services Building.
9. Runners’ times will be flashed at the finish. But the top 3 winners in both men’s and women’s divisions of the half-century and century run will be officially declared only after the last runner has crossed the finish line.
10. From time to time, the progressive ranking of the runners (the top three runners after the first heat and the subsequent heat) shall be announced.
11. Finisher’s medal and other giveaways can be picked up near the stage at the parking lot in front of the building.

Editor's Note : This is well, um, about a month late. By the time you read this me and the Quest boys are already on our way to the Tour of Subic, our final multi-stage race of the season. But hey, just read it and hopefully enjoy it nonetheless, I probably spent more time writing this than I have been training. Due to recent changes in my work flexibility, expect a steady stream of backlog features on my recent races trickle in with the week. In chronological order. Cheers.

Quest 825 recently competed at the Pilipinas Cycling League's Immuvit Race Against Time Tour of Clark leg, held in, uh, Clark. It was a three-stage humdinger spread over two days and the team acquitted themselves decently given this wasn't our "base sport" if one would call it that. Here's an inside look at the pain, the agony and the glory behind this particular bike tour.

Prologue

Executive Cycling is one of those "hobbies" that I had gotten into as part of my multisport training. While triathletes in general are expected to go on long training rides to augment their preparations, not everyone has the cajones to join these multi-day, multi-stage races that would require one to ride and latch on, Tour de France-style, to a peloton ( or in the simplest way I could explain it, a big bunch of skinny guys riding their bikes at full speed separated by about hair's width from each other). Why even bother going on to this blatant invasion of personal space, where the slightest human error can cause everyone to crash like a deck of cards in a chain reaction ? We are all familiar with how drafting benefits cyclists through blocking the wind, that's why it is outlawed in most triathlons. But try hanging out with about forty other guys as a big pack, and your speed and efficiency jumps exponentially. It is a highly taxing discipline that requires both aerobic and anaerobic aptitude. Obviously, the inherent risk factor is part and parcel of the whole enterprise.

Alas, a strong bike split race target usually necessitates either superior genetics (dream on) or a solid cycling background ( you have a shot). Given that I am sure I wasn't blessed with the former , I have thus embarked on a journey of self-improvement on two wheels. This is my first full season competing on the executive cycling circuit, having debuted last year at Bike King's Tour of Matabungkay and participated in several other one-day races and tours from that point. Given that Quest actually started out as an executive cycling team, our participation in this race was a no-brainer.

On the day itself, after a late departure from Shell NLEX at around 5:30 am the determined gang scurried off to Clark for the tour's first stage, a 47.7 km Team Time Trial race.

Stage 1 - Team Time Trial. Bittersweet Symphony.

The Team Time Trial event or TTT is usually considered the glamor event of each tour leg. Given that cycling is more of a team-oriented sport vis-a-vis the rest of the multisport disciplines, the TTT is taken as a consensus of any given team's strength and caliber. Such is the importance of the event that rumor has it that some teams intentionally rest their members through earlier stages to preserve their legs for this relatively short event.

According to a passage I blatantly stole from Wikipedia, "the main principle behind a TTT is that a few riders can ride at the front of the formation slightly above their aerobic threshold while others draft behind these riders. The riders then rotate, allowing some riders to recover while drafting behind fresher teammates. A rider who is riding at the front is said to be taking a pull. Accelerations require harder efforts, and therefore it is desirable to have a smooth, steady pace. Different riders have different power outputs, lactate thresholds and aerodynamics. In order to equalize the efforts in order to not burn some riders off too early, the weaker riders take shorter pulls and stronger riders take longer pulls, all at the same speed to minimize the change in pace. A rider finishing a pull usually rotates to the very back of the formation, and the rider who was formerly behind this rider takes over. " Hmm, sounds complex. But the idea is, the team who could sustain the fastest pace without burning each others guts out is the winner.

Over here at the local scene, the TTT event is usually dominated by powerhouse club Fitness First. As for us, the team had steadily improved from last season. To give you some perspective, these things are usually an hour or less of lung-busting, intensely anaerobic, invective-filled fun. There's usually a minimum of five riders and a maximum of nine with the fifth rider to cross for the team coming in as the time to count. Thus, in theory the more people you have on a team the better the chance for your team members to conserve their energy. The thing with our team was, we had more than nine eligible riders, so we split into two teams. I was bundled with Team 2. On my side was team captain Deo, team manager and Ironman 70.3 World Championships finisher James, Army Col. Bong, veteran endurance athlete Ronald, TTT newbie Karlo and myself. All were capable time trialists in their own right, and ultimately this stage would all come down to teamwork and execution. But the paceline was beset with problems from the very beginning... .

A Shaky Start

Right off the bat, we were beset by unforeseen problems. With some teams a no-show for Stage 1, our release time was pushed forward by several minutes. This was exacerbated by the fact that we arrived late at the venue. To make a long story short, we barely made it to the release time and Ronald was caught up with something, forcing him to ride with Team 1 who had a later release. Thus we had one less comrade to stifle the wind and down to five riders, we were left with no room for error. We had been in a similar position at last season's Tour of Matabungkay, and the pressure- wracked, nausea-inducing experience was not exactly one to relish.

Completely out of sync for starters, we struggled to maintain the paceline. With no actual practice but having a general idea of what to do, the team eventually settled down with our speed hovering at about 35-36kph. So all's well and good. Problem was, Karlo was straining under the frenetic pace and it showed through his pained look specially through the inclines near the Fontana area. Now, we all knew that it didn't matter if the four of us kept up this pace - it was the fifth guy's time that would count. So we had to slow down. Frustratingly enough, we were passed by about three teams while going through this process. But this was a team effort, and no man could be left behind.

Man down... ...

At about the 40k mark our paceline was terribly falling behind our target already and was pretty much broken apart. With no breathing room to spare, each of us weren't taking way-too-long turns towing the line and it was starting to show with the suka pace that we were maintaining. Captain Deo and James had valiantly went back to provide the needed support for Karlo, but the effort had gassed them out. With but a few kilometers to spare, we were all running on fumes. The cycling gods finally decided to spare us a break and with about 500 meters to go the entire team managed to get intact in crossing the line with a 32.14kph ave, good for 23rd of 25 teams. Apparently, Team 1 was beset by their own troubles in finishing with a 35.29kph average for 18th place, seemingly below par for their capabilities. These results in no way did us justice at all, and essayed that even if our individual riders were quite capable on their own, there needed to be a strong degree of teamwork at play to maximize our results. Having less riders also exacerbated the situation. Drained and searching for answers, the Quest gang all set off for a quick lunch at SM Clark before stage 2 was due to commence in a few hours. Yep, you read it right. A few hours.

Wasted, rowdy, hungry bunch after TTT

Stage 2. Circuit Race. Lost in space.

The Tower Burger I had eaten from KFC had not gone down yet, but we had to go. Once again, this proclivity towards being late had us on a mad rush. The dour weather conditions were not helping at all, conjuring visions of crashes amid slick roads. Stage 2 was a 60km circuit race, which true its name counts several loops across the same course. In a stricter sense, some use the term criterium interchangeably to describe similar races, although those are usually shorter in nature and involves removal from the race once you get lapped by the leading pack. As a newbie cyclist last season, I haphazardly joined one of these crits which was stockpiled with old pros and looked more like a laughingstock more than anything else. The manongs watching were heckling me miron-style as I trudged along as the last cyclist to be removed from the course.. I'm guessing the aero helmet did nothing to help my case. Oops.

Di halatang newbie.

A year and a couple more thousand kilometers under my belt, I revisit the concept of the circuit race. At the very least, I hope to get the helmet part right. Anyway, going back to the race. Massaging my still sore thighs, the peloton set off amidst a moderate climb in Fontana that was the highlight of the course. The climb was fine, but having to do it several times over at full speed zaps out your legs one way or another. The first loop was designated as a friendship lap, presumably to serve as a weird form of warmup. Once that was over and done with, the cyclists went on a mad dash that would require every bit of anaerobic juice (at least for lackeys like me) on you to keep up. So I was able to latch on to the main pack, albeit the tail end of it. Predictably enough, my suspect conditioning gave way and I splintered with a group of about five riders, by my estimation about ten seconds behind the main packing. And here's where the fun started. Just as I was gaining some semblance of a rhythm, the guy towing us along took a wrong turn, bringing us all along with him. In the fifteen seconds it took us to get back on the course, the lead pack was out of sight. Great. I was slightly perturbed by what happened and I was left with one other guy. So while rushing to get back in it, at an intersection the marshal was signaling to turn right. Or at least I thought so. Turns out his hand gesture was connoting a "stop" to the other cars (geez how could we mix that up. But yeah we did) and I was off-course again. This was a longer distraction, about 30 seconds. By the time the entire thing was sorted out, I was all alone on the course, deflated and demoralized at such an unseemly turn of events.

I thought of abandoning the race altogether, but then again I'm not a big fan of DNF's. Sot suffice to say, it was like riding an ITT over the final couple of laps, a lonely, solitary route that most would not even bother completing. I even saw a crash along the route, which as I would learn later on involved national triathlete Kim Mangrobang, who was due to compete at the Elite Under-23 ITU Asian Championships in two weeks. She would later share that one of those hyperaggressive junior riders cut her, resulting in a crash on those slick roads. Sort of reminds me that in order to be successful in cycling, you just have to be plain fearless in taking risks. I guess it's still something I have to learn over time.

Loner...

I eventually crossed the line in what seemed like forever, much to the bewilderment of my teammates who figured I'm slow, but not THAT slow. Adding to my chagrin, when the results were released I was mistakenly placed in Excutive A, registering as the last rider to arrive in the division of the strongest executive riders. Oh the horror. Once everyone was accounted for, we all headed back to our hotel to freshen up and reflect on the day that was.

The Lighter Side

After a hearty buffet dinner prepared by the PCL people, the team retired to our comfortable villa at Fontana. We later indulged in the company of veteran elite triathlete Rayzon Galdonez and top executive cyclist Makoy Almanzor. You often see these guys in the heat of athletic competition, and it was refreshing to hear them dispensing race advice in equal doses with classic wisecracks. Here are some of my personal favorites :

Rayzon : Yung nakasabay ko sa run na elite na foreigner na babae nung Camsur, tinanong ako, "Are you Okay?" Ang sagot ko, "No, I'm not Okay. I'm Rayzon. Rayzon Galdonez pleased to meet you what's your name?"

Makoy : Panalo talaga ang Red Horse. Pag sa Red Horse, puro Tama, walang Mali!

With hearty laughter resonating from our living room, I quietly retired to my comfy bed, knowing that we would be in for the long haul for the Stage 3 road race the following morning, the longest leg in the tour.

Yum.

Stage 3. Road Race. A Valiant Effort.

An early breakfast at the nearby Mcdo served as preliminary fuel for the 118 km race that would pretty much replicate the TTT route, only it adds a relatively tough stretch on the outskirts of town to make for several 23k loops. We even ran into my Team Powerpuff Boys buddy and ultramarathon star Junrox Roque ( who's starting to become a force to be reckoned with as well in the short-course triathlon scene) hanging with his executive club Aboitiz Power, a team loaded with strong, veteran riders. For one, at least we all have knack for sausage Mcmuffins early in the morning. Having had our fill amidst the friendly banter, we make our way back to the hotel to get geared up.

We're Late Again

As you may have noticed throughout this feature, this is starting to become somewhat of a recurring theme. For some inexplicable reason, even with considerable lead time, we somehow end up rushing towards the starting grid, making it with less than five minutes to spare. As the peloton was finally released for the conventional "friendship" lap, my thoughts were drifting towards the specter of somehow churning in a creditable performance with my thighs already beaten down from the previous two stages. Word was going around pre-race that last year the peloton took it "easy" during the first few laps because of the relative toughness of the course. With this in mind, I was thinking perhaps I had an outside shot at keeping up this time around.

The friendship lap was relatively brisk, and it comforted me that I was pretty much within the same line as the main pack. So far so good, the whole gang was in sight and I was getting a good feeling about this. The rolling course was not easy though, and I pondered on how I could keep up with the frenzied peloton once they released us. The rain had gone away and the sun was slowly starting to beat upon us. Long ways to go for this.

As my luck would have it, the peloton was released just before the Fontana incline. Great. The funny thing with cycling is that the barometer for success and failure is measured in seconds , seemingly indiscernible nuances spelling the difference between victory and defeat. About a second or two before the peloton was released, my mind inexplicably wandered to some mundane subconscious trapping. And before I knew it, poof. Everyone had at least a five second lead (a lot) on me, and by the time I managed to get my bearings I was speeding along at 45 kph in a vain attempt to catch up. I passed by our team captain Deo and screamed "Habol tayo Kap!!" knowing very well that the slightest let up and we kiss this race goodbye. I raced uphill with cajones-shrinking gusto, and before I knew it I was converging with a fairly-sized group who dropped from the lead group. The pace was frenetic, right around 35-36kph during the early juncture and my lungs seemed to be bursting from the sudden rush. As we stretched out into the highway, a familiar uniform pulled up next to me, and I was overjoyed that Kap had mustered enough to make it into the safety of the chase pack. Save for the TTT, I have been working mostly as a loner for the entirety of the tour so this was certainly a welcome development.

Hanging On

The middle laps saw the chase pack dwindle from a high of as many as twenty to roughly about eight or nine guys. The tough course was unforgiving and the heat and humidity were starting to bear down on us. On the flats we'd hit it in the 45's, then would be focused on the low 30's in a bid to conserve. Slowly but surely, we were getting there and actually putting in a creditable performance by our modest standards. As we were lurching towards the halfway mark , we were quite surprised to see Col. Bong struggling alone against the crosswinds. A strong, consistent rider, we were not accustomed to seeing him get dropped by the peloton . He hung around with us until the feed zone, at which point we just lost track of him. We would later find out that he dropped out of the race after feeling the aftereffects of flu-like symptoms from the week prior. With our reserves slowly being depleted and the sun beating down heavily, it was an interesting proposition to just drop out as well and call it a day. But maybe we had enough to still hack it out... .

Going Down Swinging

As we approached the final lap, our original group had pretty much dropped like flies one by one, and with roughly 20k to go it was just me, Kap and two other dudes. We would take turns on the trangko in a bid to conserve energy, but from this point out it was pretty much all guts and glory. Me and Kap would alternately fade out from the group, then claw back with every ounce left knowing that getting dropped at this point could pretty much mean a knockout blow to one's aspirations of a good finish.

With about 10 kilometers to go entering the homestretch, I felt like I was bonking big time. The other dude fell behind and Kap was still going strong. I told myself, I fought so hard to be in this thing all morning, why give it up now? I figured, might as well go down swinging. As your body bottoms out its reserves and gradually starts to shut down, that's where one's mental fortitude is taxed to its utmost. So with as much effort as one could muster, my battered body was somehow able to throw down 37kph for about a 2 kilometer stretch to catch up with Kap, who I gather didn't even noticed that I was gone. Crossing the line together in 4:06 with the last of the Mohicans was as gratifying a finish I ever had in a cycling event. Checking my race data, the finish time was a bit misleading because of all the long stops we took at the feed zone, and the actual speed we maintained was practically 30kph over a distance that mirrors a Manila-Tagaytay roundtrip. None too shabby I guess for someone with marginal, intermittent training at best. Yipee.

Made it.

Epilogue

Overall, the team had a very creditable finish. Erick stuck with the Executive A main pack in all the road stages, which is highly indicative that he is racing at an extremely high level right now. Cycling main man Julius showed his worthiness to be promoted to the "A" level by nabbing 2nd runner-up podium honors in the 35-39 division of Executive B. The rest of the team all showed traces of significant improvement from the last time we raced here, so we all went home happy. A somewhat unfortunate accident during the last stage marred our good vibes though as Wilnar crashed in a freak accident with only a lap to go, bringing down three riders with him from within the peloton. He suffered a nasty gash on his forehead, but in typical manner he played it down even if he looked like one of them WWE wrestlers who open wounds on their forehead with their hidden razors.

That notwithstanding, it was a creditable effort with tons of room for improvement. As for me, it's back to the drawing board on how to get back into top form. Maybe I'll grab a Red Horse while I'm at it. Puro kasi tama diba, walang mali. :P

When we first start blogging, some of us shy bloggers do absolutely everything we can to keep others from finding out who we really are. Hiding ourselves under different names, shielding our privacy, moderating comments, keeping our own secrets.

We are like a closed flower, blooming for only a select few.
The internet is a big and bad we were told, don’t divulge anything, to anyone, especially your private details.
That person you think might be a new friend could be intent on impersonating you and stealing all of your information.
Gradually as we wander through other blogs we relax our standards a bit, sharing a few details, using our real names with those whom we have started to trust.
We even become comfortable enough to let it slip where we live, and what we do, opening up slightly like a dandelion in the morning sunshine.
We’d marvel from afar at the open book bloggers, those who tell all, share lots, showing images of their children, name their spouses, and even, horrors of horrors posting their real birthdays.
Shockingly brave.
And then we would read about a blogger who had images stolen, or blogs hacked, and that would be too much for us to bear.
Our quietly opening flowers suddenly snapped tight again in fear at what was out there.
We shy bloggers might have spent the next little while purging any pertinent data from our old posts.
Was my husband’s real name in that post, shudder and hit delete.
Ack, there is a hand, with a wedding ring on it in this photo, what to do?
Delete, delete, delete.

After awhile we become comfortable again with our level of openness, familiarity breeding not contempt, but contentment.
We might ask ourselves, who reads our blog anyways, who cares, what would they do with anything I write about? So we open up like a flower in the sun once again, spread our petals to the warmth of the blogging community, and bask in the warm light.

We find our middle ground, our patch of garden that lets us bloom, and flourish like the flowers that we want to be. We still have our internal blogging rules, the unspoken ones that allow us to share, but still be secret enough to quiet the scared voices in our heads.
While Muddy Boot Dreams might have started as my home based business, selling greeting cards and images, it’s been the last 6 years blogging that I have really started to dabble in social media. I have seen it grow in many directions, pages on Facebook, tweets on Twitter, Instagram feed, website, and more.
Meticulously commenting as Muddy Boot Dreams, I lived, breathed and was MBD in my interaction on social media. I worked hard at promoting the name, the brand, the image.
What I didn’t want to face up to was that with a bit of digging almost anything can be found out anyone on the internet. So blogging under MBD didn’t hide my real name, and it didn’t keep me the anonymous blogger I hoped it would.
I am a real person, and not just my “brand,” trying to keep the two separate isn’t working as well as I thought it might. And what happens when I no longer wish to be MBD, and want to be Jane?
Since that little epiphany I’ve connected my blog to G+, and am now commenting as Jane Vandervoort, authentically and openly showing everyone who I am.
Well almost, my profile pictures still requiring a little digging I’m not quite as comfortable with this “real” me stuff as I pretend to be.
I realized that while MBD is a brand, I am, and will always be me, Jane.
I want to be able to say proudly to anyone, yes that’s my blog, be it a future employer, friend, neighbour, or a stranger. Those photos are the ones that I have taken, those ideas are mine, I’ve worked hard on this, and I am proud of what I am creating.
Proud enough to claim it as mine.
Wow, that’s a little scary to put out there, but so be it.

I’m owning what is written, and photographed, if it’s under Muddy Boot Dreams, or my name.
Bit by bit, I will move forward, finding out what suits me best, and make my choices as I go along. Some parts will stay, some will change.
I’m choosing to be as real as possible, without revealing every single secret I have, it’s OK with me, to be me.
In the end, that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
Believing it’s OK to be genuine, and not just a reflection of your image, style, your blog, your presence on social media.
If you have been blogging under your real name for sometime you might wonder what all the fuss is about.
For me it’s just another step forward into the light, opening up those petals to bask in the sun.
This flower is learning to bloom. How comfortable [or not] are you with blogging under your name.
Do you use Google+ with your real name?

Hi there! My name is Luis Arcangel and I am a seasonal ultramarathoner and middle-of-the pack age group triathlete .I'm not intrinsically athletic but I love to break stereotypes and defy expectations. Not fast, but I dream of being fast one day.

In real life, I work as a communications professor at some of the country's top universities and I currently head a strategic management firm that specializes in across-the-board marketing communications solutions. Been blessed to be the site moderator of the Takbo.ph running community, the biggest in the country and the entire Asian region. I am also a regular contributor to Frontrunner and Sense and Style magazines, try to catch those when you have the time.This site is a two-time finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards, and maybe one day I'll finally win the big one.Thanks for dropping by and I'd love to hear from you!

We talk about personal journeys in blogging a lot.
How the road can be rocky at times, how you might lose your direction, your voice and how you will find it again.
It might seem just a matter of sitting down, writing, popping in a few photos, and voila, a blog post
Yes that’s a blog post, but when you share even the smallest details you become part of something that is bigger then you are.
Build a tribe, the experts will tell you when you start to blog.
Gather those together who like your blog and support it.
Those who tweet it, plus one it, and generally get the word out there into blog land.
Where does a tribe live?
They live in a village, I really like mine, and I think they really like me, we share, we comment, we celebrate good things, commiserate over the not so good, welcome newcomers, and look out for each other. Stop posting for awhile, and see how many of your villagers email to find out what’s wrong.
I’ve found blogging to be one of the most life changing social media experiences I’ve ever participated in. It’s a community, a like minded group that supports, and cherishes it’s members, allows them to grow at their own speed, and still remain true to themselves.
And despite that there are still those who are not involved in blogging that just don’t understand what all the fuss is about. You don’t blog for them, you blog for your village.

Why does it take a village to write a blog? Because it’s a support system, they are going to cheer you on, uplift, and inspire your thoughts, just as you uplift, support, cheer on the sidelines, and inspire others.
It’s give and take, it’s feeling that spark of creativity you might get after leaving a comment, a hey there’s a blog post somewhere in here, and you are off and running.
It’s following, and learning from someone who is an more accomplished writer then you are, not in order to copy their style but to better learn what yours is, and how to express it fully.
It’s looking at awe inspiring images that tug at your heart, wondering how they did that, and vowing to learn to be a better photographer, going back and rereading tutorials, taking the camera out once again, it’s that little push that encourages you to grow.
It’s reading a how to on something that has eluded you, learning a better way to do it, it a oh my goodness, I didn’t think I could do this, kind of feeling.

Building relationships with those who are into blogging is not just something to do because it’s pinned as the top 10 things to do to build a audience. It’s not just to keep your readers coming back, or your stats up, comments flowing.
It’s you being real, and authentic.
It’s only then that you realize just how big this village really is. It’s astounding how much support you can get from people that you have never met in person, how great friendships can develop.
F rom comments come conversations, those develop into friendships. Those friendships are real people… not just words on your blog, yes they are a tribe, and they live in your village.
Being part of that village will require honesty, truthfulness, and integrity, it’s not about oversharing, but discerning what to share, and how. It’s a driving force, that encourages you to write better posts with some regularity. You will want to write something worth reading, because you know that the people who read your blog, are interested in what you have to say.

In your village, bloggers will come, and some will go. It’s part of life, we are all nomads as bloggers, while it’s sad to lose touch with someone we have met and feel a connection to, and we miss their comments it was time for them to move on, interests change, situations change.
Expect the village to shift in size regularly, and be welcoming to those who are new to it, and c elebrate being part of something bigger then yourself.
Because it takes village to write blog.

It’s your blog, own it.

Might be contradictory advice coming from someone who is very selective about letting people she’s met know that she has a blog. When I first started Muddy Boot Dreams I told people at work.and later I regretted letting the cat out of the bag so to speak. I read stories about bloggers being found out, and fired, and was a little concerned that my very uptight corporate employer might be reading my blog, my personal thoughts, my description of how my life ran, and it made me tuck my personality inside for awhile.

I only wrote about gardening, after all they couldn’t complain about that. But while it felt great during the spring, and summer months, my roots were restricted by the feeling that there was more ground to cover. So I started to write about what moved me, how I saw life, and what it made me feel. And as I loosened up the “rules” I grew. And I liked it. In fact I love it.

In the early days, I was finding my voice, learning that there was life after hitting that first time scary publish button. Those early posts are almost embarrassing in the naiveté of the writing, but we all have to start somewhere. It’s life, it’s blogging, it’s kind of scary the first time you really put yourself out there, checking the stats, wondering if anyone is reading your posts. But we get so much out of blogging, that it’s worth it.

Own your blog, it’s what you do, maybe it’s not all that you do, you work, you have a life, you have interests, and blogging is one of them. Be proud of it.

I decided to make some postcards, and business cards, from Vistaprint to feature my blog, I love how they turn out… In fact I have plans for making more, some will reflect the other parts of my life, these show my blog, my style. While I am still selective about who in my personal life gets to know I have a blog, it’s nice to have a more polished way of giving out the information then just a scrap of paper with my blog name written on it. Click here to find out some other ways to incorporate business cards made by Vistaprint into your life.

Yesterday was the first official morning of spring. Spring wanted to celebrate, so she threw a party, but snow-one came. There was over a inch of beautiful fluffy white stuff covering the ground, the skies were dark, and gloomy. It certainly wasn’t very spring like weather at all, and we were disappointed.

But that was the morning, and by afternoon the snow was gone, spring was happy, the skies were gloriously bright and sunny. Even when we went for a walk the wind was kind, the birds were chirping, and the skies were bright and blue.

That spring, she sure knows how to celebrate with style.

And the best part? The snow encouraged a entire flock of tiny quail to run around our front yard, and search for food.

They ran right past my office window, what a change from the newspaper guy walking by. Talk about adorable, but I didn’t get a photo, maybe next time.

I have high hopes for spring, what about you?

I've got a friend who exquisitely files and organizes everything. From her silverware, and dishes, to her paperwork. She is the Martha Stewart of my life, so super organized she can put her finger onto anything you ask her to produce, dishes, documents, and the warranty for any appliance, no matter how old.

I admire her organizational skills, and part of me is asking? How do you do it? Did you learn it, where you born with this skill? Is there a class that I missed, did I misfile the ability somewhere between lost socks, and the cat demanding lunch at 10 am? I struggle to organize my thoughts, to be able to put them on the screen in a manner that is readable and interesting. We know it takes time to write a interesting blog post, and that good content takes effort. You've heard the phrase,"time expands to fill the space available" it's called Parkinson's law. The more time I have available the longer it takes to write my post. It can take me all day if I were to let it, and it won't be any more organized. Am I the only person this happens to? For me writing a blog post is similar to making dinner from scratch. I might start with p lans for homemade pasta, Alfredo sauce, broccoli, consider those the outline of my blog post. As I try to write down my thoughts the butter burnt, the cream curdled, and we ended up eating store bought pasta, and jarred sauce, with over cooked broccoli. It tasted OK, but it's wasn't what I had in mind when I began. Learning how to transfer the jumble in my mind onto the computer screen is one of the hardest things for me. The seat of your pants style of blogging has been my default for much too long, and I'm trying to improve by being more organized. Writing posts ahead of time still feels awkward, I'm still writing the night before, but I know that if I make something a good habit, it becomes much easier for me.

I'd like to be able to write a blog post in 20 minutes like this but I am far away from it. Sometimes I need to trick my brain into using organizational tricks to get things done in time. I've been using these and they seem to be working.

• Writing standing up, sitting down encourages me to daydream, and we all know that it's wonderful.but not going to get that post written.

• Setting a timer, the more time I have the longer it takes me to write my post.

• Drafting out a post, writing a outline, going back and filling in the details afterwards.

• Retyping awkward sentences in CAPITAL LETTERS. If I'm struggling with a word, I will just type it in caps so I can find it later and fix it.

• Planning sheets from organized home they offer free printables, calendars, and to do lists that I've been using to organize my thoughts.

I'm in awe of bloggers who are able to write posts that flow effortlessly, the kind that make you wish you had written them. It's a journey, and each step we take to improve ourselves, brings us closer to being better bloggers. I need that on my wall…each step brings me further along my blogging journey… I'm always on the lookout for more organizational tips to help my blogging, so if you have any tips that help you organize your blog posts, please let me know in your comments.

The big move update: My move to Word Press is still a couple of weeks away, I've purchased my hosting, bought the Genesis framework, and picked a feminine theme I love. I'll let you know the exact date of the move when we get a little closer, things should stay almost the same on your end. I understand changes to our routines can be difficult, and I am hoping that you will hang out with me no matter what platform I'm on. I'm not changing who I am, or how I blog, what kind of shots I take, just where I do it.
Laura from I'm so Vintage is going through the process of changing her blog name, and URL, she wrote a post describing it here. In the end, although changes might not be easy to go through, they help us grow in our blogging journeys.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this post you might want to read this post also.

I never thought that I would be asking for this, but after 4 weeks of dry weather, we need rain. A real wet downpour that can soak into the dry grass, a BC style rain. The kind that we are so used to in June. Yes that is right, in a rain forest climate that has a high precipitation levels, with rubber boots parked at every doorway, and raincoats dangling from every hook, we need rain. A climate that has only two moisture free weeks per year. Our grass is brown, not the usual verdant green that sparkles from the underground sprinklers raining sparkling water diamonds upon it, but brown. A awful dormant, late August brown. The birds are suffering also, gathering to drink from any water source they can find. This is June, t he gardens are dry, not the late August,"oh please don't leave me without water for another day" wilting, but leaves are yearning for moisture. With the foliage still fresh from a late spring burst, the garden is doing it's best to showcase the wide variety of green that it can offer, but some yellow is creeping in. The weather man promises rain, occasionally, and the clouds roll in, thundering across the sky, darkening the day, threatening, and after a few petulant drops are spit they scatter home again. I have heard that other communities are getting some sprinkles, but they don't amount to much. Sparse droplet that spread the pollen on the car windows into yellow puddles, but not much more.

When we were children on my Grandparents farm, they used to encourage us to do a rain dance on hot days, dancing in circles, whooping and laughing. Makes me wonder what the neighbours would think if I went out there now? Maybe I should just ask for rain, the neighbours already think that I am nuts.

As some of you may have read in Sir Rene aka the Jazzrunner's blog,during the presser for the Green Miles Run to be held at MOA this March 21st our favorite foil/celebrity speedster Piolo P. issued a 15k challenge to all his pseudo running critics out there - the most notable being um, your fun Gingerbread scribe. Apparently, 10k's are starting to bore to him, and he wanted to take it to the next level - a 15k! Oh boy! Here's the official Gingerbread response to that :

GBM says... .Dear Piolo,

How are you? How's it going? Before I begin, congratulations on a fine turn as both William and Phillip in "Manila". Although the premise of the country's most mainstream actor doing an indie film seemed absurd to me at the onset, the Brocka references and its "amplification through simplification" take on the stories really did the job for me. Congrats, any international awards are well deserved.

Good tribute to the master...

Anyway, back to the business at hand. As I understand, you have gotten bored with your 10k's and have decided to step it up a notch by issuing a 15k challenge to all and sundry during the presser which I oh so sadly missed. Anyway, given my pointed analysis of your previous running exploits, denizens have taken this challenge to be somewhat of a personal showdown, mano y mano , between yourself and this humble Gingerbread scribe.

Everyone is hyped over "The Challenge"

Sides have been taken in what has been dubbed the biggest pay-per-view run event of the year. In fact, even a betting line has emerged. Oddsmakers have put you as a -165 favorite, meaning one needs to bet P165 to win P100. Meanwhile, odds for good ol' GBM are at -125, P125 to win P100. When asked to explain the line,a representative from top Manila oddsmaker Sheerwill Sportsbook had this say :

The line first opened at -350 for Piolo, an astonishing number. We have a notion that most of those who placed bets were screaming females who got excited with his superb 10k time. A rash of P50,000 bets evened it out though, as running pundits realized that the difference between GBM's 10k time and Piolo's was less than 30 seconds. This was notwithstanding the fact that he has a lot more experience in the middle distances and Piolo is more or less untested. He is hella cute though, tell him I said hi?

Take your pick... ...

While the general betting public has more or less made me the underdog, I just realized that you had set a lofty 1:10 goal for this race. Coach Rio must have concocted a crazy regimen for you, because that sure is one heck of a crazy target. At 47:54, your net pace for your 10k was 4:47 min/km. A 1:10 15k would entail a 4:40 pace, which means that not only do you have to run a 46:40 10k, you need to somehow hold this pace with no dropoff for five more kilometers.

GBM Underdog? Horrible movie though.

There is no doubt in my mind that you can do this though, given your propensity to shock us. My best 15k is a 1:15:17, and there is no way I'm running anything faster than that anytime soon. Anyway, in as much as I would like to give the public what they want, I have a list of demands to somehow even out the playing field.

1. Fresh Legs?

After running the Condura 42k this February 7th, I'll be going out on a limb and will be attempting to conquer the Bataan Death March 102k Ultramarathon his March 6th. To be honest, I don't even know how long it would take me to walk straight after that, much less run on pace. Most runners take months to regain their normal speed after an ultra. BDM 102 takes a maximum of 18 hours to complete. So for the sake of parity, I demand that you complete a straight 18-hour shoot on the set of your next movie, possibly the one in the works with Sarah Geronimo, immediately before the race. Movie passes for the premiere never hurt too, I always wanted to be one of those screaming in front of the camera.

Bagay naman ah... .2. Should you lose "The Challenge"...

First, you will agree to an exclusive interview with Front Runner Magazine,the first full-sized running magazine in the metropolis today done by runners for runners. Grab a copy now at a PowerBooks near you before they run out!

Awesome mag!

Second, you will agree to a live, in-studio interview on Run Radio, which airs every Friday 9-10 pm at NU107. It is without a doubt the most amazing radio show on running here in the Philippines... and you have to listen in :)

Soon!

3. I need a celebrity coach

Let's face it. Coach Rio is one of the best in the business, and he probably has you do all these fancy drills and exercises along with quirky motivational sorties while adoring females snapping away at every opportunity. As for myself, I have no fancy coaching. A buddy concocted a masochistic program for me though, which I use while getting heckled ( Nagmamadali ka Phogi? Ayos ah Jagging na Jagging, tagay muna baka madapa ka!) traversing the "depressed" side of Gold Loop Ortigas. So I demand that your camp hook me up with a fancy celebrity coach. Or at least prod Coach Rio to give me a discount (@,@).

Not exactly Timex billboard material... .4. Olympic Style Drug Testing

Not that in any way I am accusing you of using performance-enhancing drugs, but in the spirit of transparency to the general public, I believe they have a right to know that we are running on the merits of our own blood, sweat, and tears. We will be subjected to unlimited, random urine and blood tests up to 14 days before the start of the race by a licensed PATAFA official. This is crucial, if only to erase any doubts the pundits may have. It's only a teaspoon of blood, and I reckon you don't have any "superstitions" like what that, what's his name oh Pacquiao dude has.
If you fail to agree to this, I will be prevailed upon to come up with a press statement much akin to this, and this more or less torpedoes the race :

I understand Piolo not liking having his blood taken because, frankly, I don't know anyone who really does. But in a race of this magnitude, I think it is our responsibility to subject ourselves to sportsmanship at the highest level. I have already agreed to the testing and it is a shame that he is not willing to do the same. It leaves me with great doubt as to the level of fairness I would be facing on the road that day.

They blew it... .

So with all of these things in consideration, I am awaiting your official response not more than 10 days after the publication of this article, and I am hopeful that you will agree to all of the aforementioned conditions. Be ready to bring it on March 21st!

Your Loyal Fan,

GBM

We live in a big inspiring world the internet is buzzing all the time the inspiration and creativity that is out there is amazing but it can seem that it’s just a tiny village when someone else posts your idea before you do. It’s eerie, and it’s happened to me a lot lately. It might even happen to you. It’s normal, relax no one is copycatting. It’s just thinking along the same lines.

A few bloggers have mentioned that it seems we are on the same path, thinking the same thoughts lately. That’s normal if you think of it, you read other blogs because you like the style of the blogger, it’s usually because there is some familiar threads that you are both connecting to.

If more then one artist weaves with the same color thread that doesn’t mean that the tapestries will have the same design or even look alike. So what’s a blogger to do? I say continue on, this is a big world, and unless you are copying the text, and photos exactly, it’s your voice and perspective that will shine through.

I get inspired by so many different influences, we all do, that’s how we create, and we all see it differently, and use different parts of what we see to create.

Let’s take a closer look at that tapestry that this artist created, there is a rushing stream, the sun is shining through the beautiful leaves in changing colors, the russets, auburns, gold's, and greens just glow. Did you see the squirrel hiding nuts in the crook of the tree? Did I? What about the deer that peeked it’s head over by that bush, oh you saw a rabbit, I missed that. We all get something different from the same scene, and isn’t it wonderful that we do? Keep on posting… On another note, we have a Snow Daze winner! Congrats to Lady Fi, who was the closest in her first snowfall prediction for the Okanagan… [sigh, thanks a lot for the early snowfall Lady Fi]… email me with your details and I will send you the pack of Muddy Boot Dreams cards.

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 ?

Just suck it up brother.

Welcome to the cycling world.

Where it doesn't matter how many times you fall.

Only the number of times you get up...