Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Training for the Triathlon

I've  been doing a lot of traveling as usual. Over a week ago I went to Cebu to be the guest speaker the 9th BEC anniversary attended by around two thousand delegates coming from six parishes of the Mactan Vicariate. I also helped facilitate a 3-day gathering of priests from Calbayog which was held at the Redemptorist Retreat House in Cebu.

My plane landed at the Mactan airport at 10:15 in the morning of August 4. I was surprised that there were no taxi outside. No problem - I just ran/walked - carrying my heavy backpack (with clothes, laptop computer and LCD projector inside). When I reached the highway I found why there were no taxis. The Cobra Ironman 70.3 was on! The bridge was close to traffic - so I just continued on foot across the bridge up to Mandaue. I watched the triathletes on their bikes go by - and I was filled with envy and admiration. I told myself: someday, I will be there as participant rather than a fan or spectator.

Several years ago, I made a bucket list - things I would like to do before I die. There were many things to do on the list. Among these were: Bike around the Philippines - check. Run/walk across Mindanao - check. Run/walk barefoot on the Camino de Santiago - check. Run/walk across the Philippines (Davao to Aparri) - check. Join the triathlon before or when I turn 60 years old - not yet. Next year I will be a senior citizen. So I have started training for the Triathlon.

I already bought a road bike (carbon-fiber frameset) and I use it for long-distance cycling. I bike to the office and back three times a week. I run/walk to the office twice a week. And I swim for over an hour once a week at a nearby public pool.

I have no problem biking and running long-distance. My weakness is long-distance swimming. I have difficulty even swimming 25 meters - how much more 1.9 km!  I already bought a book on Total Immersion swimming method and I also downloaded video-instructions. I wanted to take up formal swimming lessons but my schedule is so irregular and erratic, I decided to coach myself.

I plan to join the DurianMan Triathlon in April 2014 in Davao City and hopefully, the Cobra Ironman 70.3 in August 2014 in Cebu. Perhaps, I can do the full Ironman Triathlon before I reach 65 years old. I haven't heard about a "Triathlon Priest" so far - I might be the first to claim that title.


1 comment:

Surfbux Global Market said...

So what are the incontestable health benefits of triathlon trainings? The primary benefit is you develop lean muscles and improve your stamina. It is also considered to be the fastest way to lose fats because of the intense cardiovascular exercises it involves. This is one of the chief reasons that more people are training for triathlon.

training for a triathlon