Thailand Tri-League has fast become one of my favorite triathlon series in Asia. Since first racing in Cha Am and Pattaya last year, I've noticed a huge improvement in the quality and organization of their events. Kobkiat Sangwanich has a unique vision and approach to organizing and promoting triathlon, with his background in entertainment and sport. He and his Sport Master crew definitely know how to put on a great event on and off the race course; making the decision to come back and kick off my 2016 season at the Bangsaen Triathlon last February 21 the obvious choice.

Just over an hour drive outside of Bangkok, Bangsaen is a favorite tourist spot for many locals and foreginers in Thailand. The long beach, rows of hotels, bars, shopping stalls, and smooth roads make it a perfect location for a fast and fun 1.5km swim - 42km cycle - 10km run.

With about 1,200 participants on a mostly flat 2-loop course, I was a bit worried about the congestion on the roads for our second lap on the bike. But the Sport Master crew definitely stepped up their game, and improved upon their previous races by putting in bigger gaps on the wave start times, and also thoroughly briefing the participants.

​I was very impressed by the fact that though 50% were first-time racers, riders were respectful and aware of cycling etiquette and drafting rules, and kept to the sides except to overtake. A massive improvement from my experience in Cha Am last year, where riders were in full on pelotons going every which way.

When I got the call to go to Singapore for three days to be part of the Nike Women Project, I immediately said yes (after clearing my race sched, of course ;p). And only much later after hanging up realized that I hadn't really been given any details about the event. But, NIKE. So, YES!
​

I had assumed I was in to speak for another retailers' conference, and would get a chance to learn more about the products in the upcoming season. To my surprise, I found myself in an America's-Next-Top-Model-Amazing-Race type of situation with 20 other Nike loving girls from the Philippines, Singapore, Malayisa, and Indonesia. It was an awesome mix of TV presenters, musicians, athletes, Nike Training Club (NTC) trainers, fashion bloggers, and fitness and yoga instructors.
​
​
​DAY 1

We kicked it off with a very inspiring talk by the first All Woman Singaporean Team to summit Mt. Everest. Five ladies who had little to zero experience in mountaineering, had by chance and opportunity, come together to prepare, train, and fund the massive undertaking of conquering Mt. Everest. It took them a period of five years, and the big take away for me was that as women we are Strong Alone, and Unstoppable Together.

We also had a quick workshop on photography basics and social media (how to hashtag, I kid you not). No lessons on taking selfies though! :p I think this bunch of girls are all highly-skilled on that front.
​

We each found necklaces on our hotel room beds before we started our day. There were two pendants, one of which was a key that had our initials on it. The other had inscribed, "better for it," and on the flipside one of three words: Hustle, Power, and Ignite. We quickly realized that we would be grouped for challenges based on these three words.

​And later after our workshops, we were presented with a set of lockers, and we used the key pendants to open them up. So cool to see each locker personalized with pics from our instagram accounts, and with Nike kicks and apparel perfectly sized for each of us to change into for our first workout. And we also received personal notes from a mysterious "P." I wonder who had the tedious task of scrolling through 20 instagram accounts and picking out the perfect pics to print! Definitely a highly experienced social media stalker :P

It's been seven triathlons since my last post! I've finally gained a bit of inspiration to write again as I sit at home, and think back to all the fun moments from the last three months. And don't laugh at me - this is not a tri-geeky mini novel of seven race reports interspersed with gratuitous selfies and food pics! It's just a small collection of the lessons I've learned in the past few weeks... with one drunk selfie and one pic with food in it. :)

 PATTAYA TRIATHLON, THAILAND 10/17

I was feeling a bit off early on during race week, and was anxious about traveling and getting sick right in time for the race. Being based in Subic is great, but the downside is I have to drive to Manila (anywhere from 2-4 hours) for meetings, sponsor events, and flying through Manila airport. I knew the smart thing to do would have been to postpone the dinner and early morning meeting I had scheduled before my flight, so that I could get more rest. But stubborn me kept the appointments, and by the time I landed in Bangkok I was feeling really sick. I finally listened to my body and just rested as much as I could in the hotel before the race. I didn't have a fever on race day, but it was definitely a struggle.

All in all, it was not as bad as it could have been, and I enjoyed my time in Pattaya and catching up with my triathlete friends. I was aiming to get a podium spot, but just came up short on the day and finished fourth.

Lesson (that I should have) learned (a long, long, time ago): Don't underestimate the power of Manila traffic and stress in f***ing you up. Listen to your body, get enough sleep the night before your flight, and hydrate!
​

 IRONMAN 70.3 GURYE, KOREA 10/4

I had my first DNF in a triathlon because of some bike mechanical trouble. I actually cried about it for a minute, took a selfie in tears, laughed, sent the selfie to my friends, and went on texting them about my shit day. It was my first time in Korea, and I was very excited to finish in a quicker time, given the perfect weather conditions on a beautiful course. It was really disappointing and frustrating not being able to finish. Anyways, big thank you's to my friends who were so human about listening to my drama that day!

And despite being super unlucky on race day, I actually felt quite lucky having a good group of athletes to hang with on the 4-hour drive back plus the 6-hour wait at Incheon airport. Hellos to the Naude bros from South Africa, and Mitch Kibby and Katy Duffstar from Aus! I learned quite a bit from you guys in our little cultural exchange. :) Thanks for not making me want to shoot myself in that 10-hour wait.

Lessons learned: Shit happens. Life goes on. When in Korea, stop and smell the kimchi and make new friends. Air BnB is awesome. Also, Incheon airport is great for layovers. They've got good shower and massage/spa facilities, and day beds/ reclining chairs for passengers to have a rest. 

This past May was quite possibly the hottest Philippine summer I've ever had! With three triathlons and one run race, the Mayweather Pacquiao fight, my birthday, and a lot of traveling around the country under the scorching sun - summer 2015 is definitely one I'm going to remember.

Kickstarted the month with the Durianman Triathlon in Davao over the May Pac fight weekend. LC, Michael and Mitch (our friendly, neighborhood, over-staying Aussie pros), and I had a superstar welcome! It was an absolute blast getting to know the local tri community, and sampling all the local fare! Could not get enough of Davao seafood - so fresh and so cheap. Big thank you's to JJ Sarona, George Cang, and everybody at Tri Davao and The Podium Multisport for showing us a great time!

Morning after the race was the much anticipated May Pac fight! This photo doesn't even come close to showing how much I was emotionally invested in it! But I drowned my disappointment in pilsen, lechon, and kinilaw, and had quite an entertaining afternoon watching LC pack her bike after having one pilsen per round from round 6 to round 12 :p See mine and LC's instagram accounts for some awkward videos :p

Once in Manila, we hit the ground running and headed straight to my favorite little Mexican place, El Chupacabra, for tacos, and more pilsen, with more friends. And afterwards, we ended up in the weirdest bar called B-Side. Cheers to unplanned evenings with good friends, where you end up dancing 'til 4am on your birthday, in run shorts and a pair of Nike Airmax! Thank you Junie, Benj, LC, Ian, Artem, Michael, and Mitch!

The following weekend I drove down to Manila for the Nike Women's 10km Run, where 9,000++ women ran the streets of Alabang at 9pm! Here are some of my favorite scenes from that unforgettable night:

When asked why I do triathlons, my default answer is usually one of the following: 
"A lot of my family members are obese. Just trying to delay the inevitable."
"I had a crush on a triathlete, so I took it up."
"I volunteered for one, saw all the people without 6-pack abs finishing, and thought to myself, "Hey, I can do that!'"
"Because Red Horse."

I always joke about it, especially at interviews (mostly to buy myself time to come up with a more profound answer). But it really is only through the years of training, racing, exploring different places, meeting different athletes, learning more about my sport, and learning more about myself, that I have been able to identify what it is in me that aches to cross another finish line.

It goes back to that first time I ever heard about triathlon from my older sister, who is a member of the UP Mountaineers, and has several triathlete friends. Swim, bike, run... It just struck me as terribly impossible, especially as I had never done any swim training and was (and still am) afraid of open water. But it was also terribly exciting. The challenge was right there in front of me! So I responded. And as I went along, the challenge grew from a small obstacle - actually finishing a race, to a tremendous mountain - actually winning races. 

This quote from British climber, George Mallory, describes it best:

“People ask me, 'What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?' and my answer must at once be, 'It is of no use.' There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron... 

If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won't see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.” 

― George Mallory, Climbing Everest: The Complete Writings of George Mallory
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                    ***

Why do you go?