SUBIC BAY INTERNATIONAL TRIATHLON RACE REPORT

Sunday April 27th 2014

1.5km swim/40km bike/10km run

Pre-Race
This was the first triathlon race for Natasha and I since our Melbourne Ironman adventure just 33 days earlier. My training for the run and swim were good but I had not used my tri-bike since the 180km along Melbourne’s smooth roads. I had biked just once on my road bike for the Clark duathlon 2 weeks earlier. Despite a lack of kilometres riding on the bike I felt fresh, knew I was strong and light (62.2 kg) so I was confident I could still bike ok. Despite exercising less (and eating more) my weight was the lowest it had been for 20 years.

Having raced SubiT the previous year I was very interested to see how my reduced number of training hours might affect my performance. Compared to last year my average training 5 weeks before the race was a lot less. My swimming average went from 10km to 6km per week average, my bike went from 170km to 60km average per week and my run from 88km to 58km average per week. More does not always mean better as tapering is a vital component of competing and you must ensure you do not race tired due to over-training.

Unfortunately I would not be able to get revenge on my teammate, RJ, who beat me in 2013 as he sent me a text saying he could not make it. There is always a strong field for the SubiT tri and with Jojo Macalintal and Mark Ellis lining up, this year will be no different. It is always great to race with Kim Atienza and other friends like John Pangilinan, Sieg Sumicad and all the others in my age category.

Team Bonding
It was great to catch up with our Sante Barley team mates over dinner at Aristocrat in Subic. I enjoyed my chicken barbecue with vegetables and then had another dinner afterwards. I ate salmon with vegetables at our hotel’s restaurant so I would be well fuelled for our race the next morning. Of course, no carbo loading for me ever again as I stick with my Primed Lifestyle.

The Swim
It was great to see AntonTangan from Fitness First as one of the key organizers of the race. He did a great job, especially with the swim. It was a fast swim from point to point.

I felt very strong for the whole swim and felt that my weight training allowed me to swim strong right until the end of the 1.5km. Unfortunately I did go off line a few times and surely swam at least an extra 100 meters. At one stage I was way over with a marshal in a kayak who was yelling at me to swim in the right direction.

The Bike
Despite not touching my tri-bike for 33 days since the Melbourne Ironman I felt good on the bike. I could not open my nutrition bag for my beef jerky and dried apricots but it didn’t matter as I had eaten so well for dinner and breakfast that I did not need any gels or food for the bike.

My goal was to try to catch Natasha on the bike (her wave started 15 minutes before mine) but alas, she was too quick. I got to transition 2 just as she was putting on her running shoes.

I also saw my team mate David Richmond running as I just dismounted off my bike. I knew I would catch him at some stage but he looked to be running strongly.

The Run

I felt strong on the run and started at a pace of around 3:58 minutes/km. I overtook Natasha within 1km and was running after David. It took me till the 3.5km mark to catch David as he was running very well. My pace was 4 minutes/km for the first 5 kilometers but with the heat I was having my doubts that I could maintain that pace.

I ran past Frank De Wit, Paul Nevelos, David Almendral(all in the 40-44 age group) and 5 others in my 45-49 age group. They had all overtaken me on the bike so I was happy to get them back.

I couldn’t catch Jomac and finished in 4th place which was a very good result for me. I just got ahead of Greg Maranon by 17 seconds.

I finished the run with an average pace of 4:09 minutes/km which would give me a 41:30 minute 10km but the course was around 500 meters longer than 10km. My overall time was 44:09 for the run. I felt good till the end but a little hot with the sun beating down hard on us. The hydration was good on the course and the marshals very friendly and helpful.

Overall Result
I finished with my new personal best for a standard distance triathlon of 2:31:03. The course was easier than previous years and more similar to our Tri-U 1 race where I finished in 2:35:46. So, I beat that time by 4 minutes with a lot less training.
I was delighted to finish 4th for my age category. Natasha also did well to finish 4th in her age category. Our buddy Martha Goebel also finished 4th in her 40-44 year age category.

The 2014 bike course was easier than previous years which helped a lot of people get their best SubiT times. The swim looks slower than previous years but was actually a little longer according to reliable sources and also included the transition to the bike.