February 15, 2013 · 1:19 am

There’s Nothing Like Small Town Racing

In today’s fast growing world of Multisport wherein everyone tends to gravitate towards branded races, it was so refreshing for me to join two events which were very warm and personal.

They were both held in small coastal towns and organized and supported by locals. What they lacked in numbers, they made up for in heart.

The first one I want to highlight is the Timex 226 Ironman Distance Triathlon held last December 2012 in Anda, Bohol by the local government/ Art Yap, Bike King, and Timex Philippines. I had wanted to join the first one staged in Dec 2011 but I had just given birth three days beforehand, so that was my excuse 🙂 I was happily able to participate in the second staging of the race, and even though my preparation was sub-optimal, I knew I was going to have a great time.

It was a very good course, we had a wavy swim, a nice rolling bike ride, and a pancake flat run. Plus some really delicious local fare at the party. All in all a wonderful experience I wouldn’t mind doing again!

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The second race I did fairly recently was an Enduro Aquathlon put up by the Tomaree Tri Club in Nelson Bay, Australia. It was a really fun day for my husband and I as we were able to convince his Dad, Mom, and sister Anna to join as well! While my father-in-law and the two of us joined the long version, my mother-in-law and Anna did the shorter version. Eva, Dash and our babysitter Gwen came to cheer for us, and I ended up being first female overall, while Dan finished 4th male. It was amazing to have so many family members on the race course, and we motivated each other well. We had coffee/ tea and toast afterwards with the local Tri club. What a great morning!

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Apart from doing these two races, I had a really relaxing Christmas and New Year Holiday wherein I only worked out when I felt like it, and even then the sessions would all be at an easygoing pace. Highly recommended every now and then!

Wishing everyone a successful racing season in 2013!

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Run Anyway Marathon NY 2012

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We all know by now the NY Marathon 2012 was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy. The race cancellation was announced only 36hours before the starting time and it was a huge letdown for people like me, who traveled halfway around the world. My husband, baby and I were even stranded in Korea for 4 days as all the flights to JFK airport were put on hold when we were already enroute to the US.

Needless to say, I, along with thousands of other individuals had given a lot of physical, emotional, mental, and financial investment into this event. We were fully aware that the city was still trying to recover but we knew that the marathon offered a huge boost to New York’s economy, and I personally thought that we were doing our part to help out. We all still did, as the expo staged by the organization directed the proceeds towards the victims of the hurricane.

The most amazing thing for me though, was that the runners of New York organized an impromptu marathon on the original race date and dubbed it the “Run Anyway NY Marathon 2012.” Maricel Pangilinan and I and the other Filipinos, including my cousins Asa, Kris, Edel and my uncle Dr. Glen Mendoza, Melodee Arevalo Mendoza, Carlos de Guzman, Raeanna Cranbourne, Geraldine Santiago, Gem Padilla Thomas, Paul Loyz joined and showed solidarity. Pledges were made once again to help the relief efforts.

Big big crowds of marathoners participated. Supporters came out in droves at Central Park. I felt like tearing up when we passed the finish arch, which had already been set up. Maricel and I ran together and marveled at the collective spirit of the running community–it just cannot be broken, and this is what non-runners will never understand.

I would like to thank Timex Multisport Team and Timex Philippines, with special mention to Keith Meyer, Tristan Brown, Avi Uttamchadani, Gemma Pagsibigan and Jose Sarmenta. This trip has been very special, official race or not. You can never tell how things will turn out, and this is a perfect example. We were all given lemons, and we combined forces to make a giant lemonade.

My friends and I have vowed to return next year with a vengeance, and celebrate again with our fellow runners. We’re pretty sure they will all have a New York state of mind too.

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November 7, 2012 · 9:16 am
September 24, 2012 · 5:28 pm

The Unilab Active Health Calendar 2013 @ULActiveHealth

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September 4, 2012 · 6:06 pm

Gabriel’s Symphony 2012 Update

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August 27, 2012 · 4:48 pm

The Proof Is In The Pavement

It’s a Saturday and am not riding my bike.

And nope, I am not fussed.  Given the time constraints that I have, today is the day I put my foot down, lace my shoes up, and start training properly for my first marathon.  Yup, you read that right. I’ve never really done a stand-alone marathon event.  The six 42k runs which I’ve done have always been preceded by a 3.8km swim and a 180km bike. I’m not downplaying those runs at all, but I think it’s high time I give myself a chance to try and start a 42km without my old unwanted companions Backache and Energy Deficit.

I’ve always known that my first marathon event was going to be special, and this year I am finally realizing my dream with the help of my Timex family, who was generous enough to give me a slot for the famous New York Marathon on Nov 4.  Timex has been a part of the NYM for a long time now, and am happy to have their support, as well as the support of my local partners Timex Philippines, Unilab Active Health and Adidas Philippines.

Most of my major triathlon races of the year are done with, and now I finally feel like I have the all-clear to focus on one event. When I gave birth to Dash almost 9months ago now, I set certain goals for myself:

1. To race within two months: Check, Timex Run, Jan 22 2012.

2. To race a Half Ironman within the first quarter: Check, Aviva Singapore 70.3 March 18 2012.

3. To race an Ironman within the first 6mos: Check, Ironman Australia Port Macquarie May 6 2012.

4. To race New York Marathon with a decent runner’s time, 3.5weeks before Dash turns a year old.

5. To race Timex 226, our local Iron distance triathlon, to mark the weekend of Dash’s 1st birthday!

Looking at the calendar, I have 10weeks to prepare for no.4 and 14 weeks to prepare for no.5. At this point though, a run focus is what the heart and soul is asking for, and THANK GOD the body is healthy and injury-free.

If I were to be brutally honest to myself, I just haven’t done the work this year to merit being called a marathon runner. I have too much respect for the distance. When I was training for Ironman Australia, the longest run I did was 22k. Granted, I only had a very small window of opportunity to do this as during the peak week of training for that race Dash was only 4mos old. So I am not beating myself up over that! But I told my husband Dan that I wanted to stop using Dash as an excuse after 6months–the “I just gave birth” card was just getting old. Maybe not for anyone else but for myself it was.

So I am calling on my inner Pam Reed as I will need that persevering spirit to help me last in the longest of my long runs.  I am also calling on the Lady of Fortitude, the Lady of  Endurance and the Lady of Multi Tasking Moms. Why we don’t have icons in their images beats me. I would also like to honor the original marathoner, Pheidippides (and pray that I don’t suffer his fate!).

To my fellow would-be marathon inductees, happy running and see you at the finish line…the proof is in the pavement.

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July 5, 2012 · 5:26 pm

THE TIMEX FACTORY TEAM! Applicants welcome…

Timex and Team Sports, Inc. Launch New Team for Multisport Athletes to Join

Timex Factory Team Gives Multisport Athletes Opportunity to Achieve Racing and Training Goals

MIDDLEBURY, CT (June X, 2012) – Timex, a leader in outdoor sports performance timepieces, and Team Sports, Inc. announced today The Timex Factory Team, which is designed to provide multisport athletes the opportunity to connect with Timex in a way that was not previously available.

Timex Factory Team was designed to be a complementary program to Timex Multisport Team and built off its long-standing success. Timex Multisport Team, currently in its 11th year, is a diverse, successful team, of male and female athletes—both professional and amateur—ranging in age from 18 to 57 years old, and hailing from around the world.

The Factory Team is being launched in an effort to support the large number of outstanding athletes that exist in the multisport community. Hundreds of multisport athletes apply to be a part of the Timex Multisport Team each year but only a few make it. The Timex Factory Team will give more athletes the opportunity to represent the Timex brand in addition to growing the community of Timex athletes who are dedicated to achieving their racing and training goals.

“We have to turn down hundreds of very qualified applicants every year. Now, with the Timex Factory Team, we are able to offer a spot within the Timex family to so many more,” said Keith Meyer, Manager of Event Marketing & Sponsorships at Timex. “We are eager to grow our community of amazing athletes to a point where you can attend any race across the country and find a few Timex Team members at the start line.”

The Timex Factory Team application is available online and will be available throughout the year. Athletes will be selected based upon their athletic achievements and their community involvement. Applicants of all disciplines are welcome to apply. Those selected will receive products from Timex and will be given exclusive rights to wear the Timex Factory Team uniform developed by Champion System.

The Timex Factory Team application can be found here.

About Timex Sports Watches

Currently celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first Timex® Ironman® watch, Timex has an unparalleled heritage of creating innovative, technologically advanced and reliable timepieces for endurance athletes. The Timex Ironman brand legacy of leadership, innovation and style in international sport is evident in the brand’s extensive anthology of elite training devices and fitness aids. Timex Ironman timepieces are worn by athletes on every continent and have been added to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Consumers are invited to interact with the brand and its strategic partners, including World Triathlon Corporation, New York Road Runners Club, Penn Relays, and the New York Giants, on Facebook.com/TimexSports.

About the Timex Group

Timex Group designs, manufactures and markets innovative timepieces and jewelry globally. Founded in 1854, Timex is part of Timex Group, a privately-held company with numerous brands and over 5,000 employees worldwide. It is one of the largest watch makers in the world with companies and exclusive licenses worldwide.

The Timex Factory Team Contact: Sara Stanford TimexFactoryTeam@gmail.com

Catalyst Public Relations for Timex: Liz Rigolosi Timex@catalystpublicrelations.com

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July 3, 2012 · 4:04 pm

Yurbuds in the News! Hear The Sound And Feel State Of Pure Joy

Yurbuds featured in major newspapers this week:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=822629&publicationSubCategoryId=449

Yurbuds: Hear The Sound And Feel State Of Pure Joy – Manila Bulletin

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June 20, 2012 · 5:29 pm

Coffee Run

This morning Filipino Triathlon Champ Arland Macasieb and Bobbit Atendido hosted an informal run session with friends in the village. It was very enlightening for the runners and we even got free trial shots courtesy of Athlete Octane (and, it being a Coffee Run, also coffee)! Running and Triathlon are sports for the individual but I love that it also has this kind of collective group energy 🙂

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June 17, 2012 · 7:05 pm

Alaska Ironkids Aquathlon Palms Country Club Photos

This was our race today, at the Palms Country Club. Love our Ironkids events! Next up: July 15 Aquathlon Philsports (ULTRA), Aug 4 Triathlon Cebu, Oct 27 Triathlon Pico de Loro.

Some photo credits: Iron Mommies Mariela Powell & Ting Joson and Coach Joel Santos

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June 17, 2012 · 6:30 pm

How I gained weight and found myself on the cover of Runner’s World Magazine….

Sometime late January this year, I got a call from Runner’s World Editor-In-Chief Marie Calica. She asked if I could drop by their office and studio for a feature. I said, “sure!” without thinking too much about it. So come early Feb I went to the Summit Studio with Dashy in tow, and lo and behold: I was informed then and there that I would be their Cover Feature.

Marie and Angel Constantino told me they did not want me to feel pressured which was why they didn’t tell me sooner. My baby was just two and a half months old then so I was still not back to my normal weight. Far from it. I took it in stride but deep down I was thinking, “Err….COVER? Right Now? Are you serious ???” Please don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have an issue with the extra weight I had, and I was on the way to getting back into shape, in my own time. But as a lifelong athlete, I loved this magazine, so forgive me for wanting to look good in it!

Thank goodness the camera and styling crew were real pros, and Adidas had supplied me recently with loose-fitting outfits! This is the one time I had hoped they would “photoshop” any unflattering bits. The actual cover shoot was quite funny, which found yours truly inhaling sharply and deeply on several (okay, maybe like 50) occasions just to get my tummy to look flat. Not only that, they did not tell me this but I think it took them some time to configure which top and bottom would have the most coverage. Haha 🙂

I had to wait a couple of months just like everybody else to see how the photos came out. I was resigned to the fact that I had just graced the cover of one of the most iconic sports magazines not looking my best.  When I finally saw it I had to send the Runner’s World crew a thank you message saying thanks for editing it so that I didn’t look that bad (read: fat)! According to them, I was mistaken because they didn’t even need to edit the photos that much. Well, I’ll never know if they were just saying that to be nice.  But here it is, plus the featured article inside.

In hindsight, I am impressed that they chose to go with a subject who was not necessarily skinny. Runners do come in all shapes and sizes, and I am happy to represent in whatever manner  (see blog: https://anikarina.com/2009/07/03/becoming-a-runner/).

 Thanks for entrusting me to be on the newsstands, Runner’s World Philippines 🙂 It’s a real honor!

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