Backtrack about a year ago, I was gearing for the Valencia V22, a 22-km run along the scenic mountain trails of Valencia. Having recently joined the Cebu City Marathon, I hoped to achieve a new personal record (PR) for a half marathon.
The big day. Gun start. I ran as fast as I could, hoping to cross the finish line a tad earlier than my time in the Cebu marathon three months ago. Did I do it? My Garmin told me I did. I crossed the finish line early enough, with only a slight pain at the bottom of my foot.
Unperturbed and excited even until a few days later, I then joined a 10-mile race together with some of my lawyer-friends who also run. The pain at the bottom of my foot only worsened. But as usual of me, I am stubborn as a bull. Besides, the EPCALM ultramarathon was just along the corner. No pain was ever going to stop me from running. I ran anyway, thinking I was ready, thinking I was fine.
Well, I thought wrong. A day after the run, I was limping. A nightmare — that was what it was.
I started to panic. The pain on my foot was, to my mind, bearable. Maybe because the thought that I may have to stop running was already killing me.
Don’t get me wrong. I was already training with the Dumaguete Adventure Runners & Striders (DARS) by the time I started joining those races. But I believed I was not addicted to running. (Or am I?)
You see, when I run, I am not really fast; neither am I slow. I do not run to compete or to win trophies. I simply love to run.
Paradoxically, running relaxes my mind and body, especially when I am stressed from work or from the everyday routine. For some unknown reason, running clears my mind. But I don’t think I am addicted to running.
It is just that the fact that I developed plantar fasciitis (an inflammation of tissues that connect the heel bone to the toes) was killing me.
Fast-forward to August 2014 in Shangri-La, Cebu. The Ironman — said to be the ultimate endurance event. I do not even know why it is called the Ironman. But maybe, just maybe, it is in this competition where one could see almost-superhuman beings race to the finish line. If it is your first time to see this assemblage of people race, their incredible feat of endurance and sculpted physique would make you think that each athlete must be a fusion of human flesh and iron. I know, right?
With their remarkable tenacity to swim 1.9 kilometers, immediately followed by a 90-kilometer bike ride, and finishing the course with a 21.1-kilometer run, who would think they’re normal?
But normal or not, they are who they are. They are tri-athletes.
It was in that one Ironman competition when my urge to join a triathlon began. Due to my injury, I had taken a break from running for almost three months by that time.
On hindsight now, perhaps my injury then was more of a blessing than a curse. During the interim break, I went into swimming; I knew how to ride a bike. The only thing left out in the picture was the training. And ahhh…there was also the issue about the trisuit.
The trisuit! Yes, the trisuit! That skin-tight, almost revealing outfit that triathletes wear. This was a big issue for me almost a year ago. At that time, I could not imagine myself clad in that “dreadful” piece of clothing. With my flabby arms and bulging tummy, why, in my right mind, would I wear something like that? How would I look like? Probably like a longganiza in the market. But that was a year ago. I now love wearing tri-suits.
Soon after I mustered the courage to wear the tri-suit, I set my eyes on the Buglasan SBR which was to be on October 2014. It was a sprint distance triathlon of 750 meter-swim, 20-kilometer bike, and 5-kilometer run. This was going to be my first-ever triathlon competition, so I still found the distance intimidating.
Training was set into motion. Never mind if I felt like a hamster at times when I ran round after round at the Perdices Stadium rubberized oval, like a fish in an aquarium after swimming back and forth at the pool, or spend countless boring minutes spinning on my bike trainer while staring at a blank wall, I knew training was the key to finishing my first triathlon.
Training truly paid off. I finished the Buglasan SBR tired…but happy. I thought, I can do this after all. It was not necessarily at the finish part which made it great; but the cheers from my family (who were all present, by the way), the encouragement from friends and fellow TriONE members, and the camaraderie of the athletes that made my experience perfect.
Prior to the race, I also met new Dumaguete triathletes who helped me gain the courage to complete the triathlon, by making me feel that I was not alone. There was the energetic Reagan Tan whose loquacity never fails to remove a dull moment in the race; Wing Dales whose tenacity is an inspiration; Judd Wilson Pasculado whose biking prowess and coaching helped me in the bike leg; and the quintessential athlete Razel Manso who eventually placed 1st in her category.
The body can do what the mind believes. But of course, this would only hold true with proper conditioning. A triathlon may seem intimidating, but this is not far from being achievable. At least, this is what I learned. The Buglasan SBR enthused me to join more triathlons.
I soon found myself joining the Bayawan Triathlon, the Sipalay Triathlon, and recently, the Dipolog Triathlon, which was a long distance event of 1.5 kilometers swim — 60 kilometers bike — 15 kilometers run. I joined these races with proper diet and adequate training.
Unlike before when training was stressful and boring, training now with fellow triathletes has become a daily routine that I look forward to. I have benefited from the sport in a number of ways. Not only have I found myself maintaining the ideal weight for my age –unintentionally through training, my eating habits have improved as well. I have become conscious of what to eat and drink, since I have come to understand that training is pretty useless if we do not eat the right kind of food.
To make a point, I have been carnivorous since I was a kid. But now, I’ve learned to eat fruits and veggies which I thought were unpalatable before. I also now prefer to drink plain water rather than softdrinks.
Training for triathlons has also helped me professionally. Through this sport, I have developed a keener sense of focus, discipline, and self-confidence in achieving what I intend or love to do.
Not only that, I have also discovered that many professionals whom I look up to, happen to be outstanding triathletes or who enjoy the same sport; through our mutual passion, agreements are often easier sealed. I am far from the likes of Ritchie Armogenia, Raymond Alo, or Jed Sibul, to name a few. They are my fellow TriOne members who have been bagging podium awards, and who can truly be classified as Certified Triathletes.
I do not even consider myself as a certified triathlete.
But then again, stubborn as they come, if the worst way to discourage a triathlete is to tell him that he will never make it, then maybe I am a triathlete.
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Atty. Michael Maxino Bandal is 37 years old, and one of the litigation lawyers of the Mercardo and Partners Law firm.
