Team Total Fitness: A Season After

New Kids No More

Time does move so fast when you are having a great time.  It just seem like yesterday that the team were just  a group of strangers bundled together in a photo shoot for the Team's feature launch in Total Fitness magazines.  The new kids in running and multisport block (read here) we were back then as we came in full force in our debut race in Adidas KOTR with most conquering new distances and the rest conquering new personal records.  Of course, that says the story from in the beginning and here's to look back at the first full season before we became new kids... no more.

Race... Race... and more Races

One of the basic tenets of a team is that you have to establish presence and with that the Team was active in the running and multi sport scene with a racing load of about 2-3 races in a month.

• We've raced in the rain in the Anvaya Cove Triathlon, Energizer Night Run and New Balance Power Run on our first full weekend racing.
• We've had a crampsfest in Powerade on a full duathlon distance.
• We've conquered 400 meters of elevation of Tagaytay Highlands in Nathan ridge run.
• We've raced in the country's largest highway in Quezon City International Marathon.
• We've tested our limits against the uphill trails and terrains at Corregidor International Marathon.
• We've welcomed 2012 in back to back races with Run for Pinoy Glory and PSE Bull Run.
• We've took on the scenic yet challenging Subic International Marathon.
• We've conquered the skyway and the country's first midnight marathon in Condura Skyway Marathon.
• We've opened our triathlon season at Speedo National Age Group Triathlon.
• We've run the extra mile with Rogin-E's last man running.
• We've started 2012 duathlon season with Powerade duathlon in Filinvest.
• We've conquered the Tagaytay Highlands trails at Salomon trail run.
• We've survived a zombie infestation in Outbreak Manila.
• We've coasted on the fine white Boracay Sands in Skaython.
•  We've gone the long course in TNF100.

Training Time
Total Fitness is the brand we represent and most of all it's the lifestyle that we live.  We do take our training seriously as we have a day to run as a group in either an all-out effort interval session, a core and run combination workout or a long and tough hill run.  There's also our long runs and long rides on weekends wherein we at times workout as a group.  Every start of the week just means you have a new program to complete where you start logging the required swim, bike and run mileage.  At the start, it gets difficult to comply with but as the season went on you get to find ways in squeezing the needed workouts while trying to balance the other stuff in your life.  After all, Total Fitness does mean being fit mind, body and soul.
We also have triathlon camps conducted by Coach Andy Leuterio wherein we get to have an actual brick workout which usually combines a swim session, a long and tough hill ride and a run workout.  This aim to simulate actual triathlon and duathlon events improving the team's endurance and transitioning from one discipline to another.

And the Fun Times
Before you get the impression that Team Total Fitness is all work-out and no play, we do also meet socially just to have time to bond over a good meal or a round of drinks.  It also does take longer to leave our training grounds now as we do have a lot of stories and experiences to share as a group.  We also just don't swim, bike and run, we also write.  Total Fitness was kind enough to include us in their writing pool and some of us had the opportunity to see our actual by-lines and photos in the magazine.  The Team also enjoyed full coverage from the magazine during the whole duration of the season.  Of course, part of the fun is having supportive sponsors (Total Fitness, Oakley, ON Cloudrunners, Brooks Apparel, Polar, Cep, i-pure, Chris Sports, Honey Stinger, Dermplus,  Epic Triathlon and Cycling Wear, Moving Comfort and 100 plus) were all the way to support us and we are all grateful for all the support.

Better and Bolder

In just a few days, it's gonna be a whole new season.  New team mates, new sponsors and new challenges.  We're definitely better and bolder... Stay Tuned!!!

Dear Papa

Sequel to Half a Life Time Ago.
 April 15, 2012


Dear Papa,

Looking back at the fateful day of April 15, 1994... What if things would have ended differently???  Instead of the heart-breaking news that came. It was you that came home with your usual warm and funny personality.  What if to this day, you were there to guide us and see how we grew up and became successful professionals.
18 years could have made a world of difference.  Let me start with the last thing you taught me.  The last thing you taught me was how to shave my facial hairs.  My high school self has adopted your genetic structure in terms of facial hair and am starting to grow a beard and that is when I had my first shave.  I need to relearn that as I now tend to go most of the time with the bad-boy unshaven look.
I think one of the daddy duties that would have easily been taught back then was driving a car and it would have been illegal to have my 16 year old self hold the steering wheel and drive.  I learned to drive when I was 28 years old after finally getting enough funds to buy me a car.  Imagine if I learned to drive earlier, I would have aspired to get a car earlier in my career.
And speaking of careers, I would have needed your fatherly advise sometime during my career as we have similar business degrees and you have the entrepreneurial spirit in you.  For most of the time in my career, I was way ahead and carried too much load my early adulthood self could barely handle.  Of course, I somehow got some resilience from your DNA that had me endure the tough times.  I would have wanted someone to talk to when I was stressed or if I seem that it if I'm up against the impossible.  You could have said anything and I would feel energize with the work at hand.
I think the major difference is that Mama would have her contra-pelo, you tend to balance each other with your 'sutil' ways and Mama being able to absorb it in her funny bunso-type of way.  By the way, I did inherit some of your mischief along the way.  It would have been great to come home once in a while with the whole family intact or you could have visited us in Manila where we could drive you around. Oh wait, I am not sure if you'd let me hold the steering wheel in your presence or you'd just say, I'm driving.
You always was an independent minded person and even if things were difficult back then, you won't throw it back at us.  You'd silently find a way to make both ends meet.   You didn't force the idea of being content with what we had but seeing the concept in your lifestyle, it did leave a mark.  I somehow got your independent-mindedness.  I take ownership of my actions and my problems.  I don't take it out on anybody but I just find a way to solve them.
The list could go on but the longer the list goes, the more I realize that you never left.  You left as much of yourself in us all before that fateful day.  The way we react to things... the way we endure... the way we are content... the way we own up to our action... It was you.  It was how you would have done things.  You did pass on the baton, albeit earlier than usual.
Your presence is what I could have wanted but it was always there.  While it gets confusing to carry the name Francisco Ramon Jr. (as it's both a common first and last name), I wasn't just a Junior.  I was you.  Did I ever say thank you for all that. I probably wasn't able to as you left so fast without any goodbyes but  I'm thanking you by carrying out your legacy.  I really appreciate how you molded me even if it was just for the first 16 years of my existence.
Thank you!

Love,

Cocoy

P.S. I'm not a fan of writing letters but I did enjoy writing this one as it felt like really talking to you on your death anniversary.

Lasema SPA

SPA-dict
I'm a SPA-dict and it does go with my lifestyle.  My sister would always mention how I try to break myself training and then eventually end up in the SPA for rest and recovery.  I guess it goes both ways, I love testing my limits and at the same time, I'd like to reward myself with a soothing massage after accomplishing my goals.  Well, you can add SPAs to the business that has benefited from the running fad.
Lasema SPA

I heard about Lasema Spa years ago but it was just recently that I tried out their spa facilities.
As an overview:

• They have the wet sauna area which has sauna rooms and 3 kinds of Jacuzzi pool (Hinoki, massage and cold pool).
• They have the dry sauna area consisting of (Chungito, Salt Charcoal, Oak and Clay and an Ice room.
• They have 12 cave rooms for sleep and rest and recreation area (Internet, snack bar and TV) if you would want to maximize the 12 hours maximum stay at Lasema.
• They also have massage rooms.

Jjim Jil Bang
I took the full package meaning I can use up all the facilities but spent more time using the Jjim Jil Bang (dry sauna area) which is the korean style of sauna made famous by those Koreanovelas.  3 hot and dry sauna's and 1 cold sauna so here we go wherein you alternate 1 hot and 1 cold sauna. Here we go.
Oak and Clay Sauna (54 degrees)
I first tried out the Oak and Clay Sauna which was about 54 degrees hot.  The room was filled with natural sedimentary stones which has a natural curing effect for the body and can help relieve skin and respiratory ailments.
Ice Room (-7 degrees)
Alternated the Ice Room at negative 7 degrees after a visit to each of the hot saunas and even with the shirt and short uniform, 5 minutes in the ice room was tolerable.  It does help soothes tired muscles, tendons, bones, nerves and also close out skin pores.
Salt Charcoal Room (51 degrees)
Next up was the Salt Charcoal Room at 51 degrees which contains carbon and minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron.  It helps the body detoxify, speed up the body's metabolism and good for relaxation.
Dome Clay Sauna / Chungito (74 degrees)
Last on the hot sauna was the Chungito which consist of porous mud which is the hottest room at 74 degrees.  The mineral in the mud helps energize the body by releasing negative ions in the body plus the warm feel also helps you sweat out some unwanted fats.
Jjim Jil Bang Experience
I did enjoy switching from hot to cold to hot to cold again and again.  It does increase your tolerance of the heat and makes you stay a bit longer knowing that the next stop will have you cool down.  The best part about it is that after just a round of trying out each of the room, I lost a full pound.  It could have been more had I gone for more rounds.
Deep Tissue Massage
I didn't try the wet sauna this time but it would have been cool to go for those warm 43 degrees jacuzzi pools and massage.  I went directly to my scheduled deep tissue massage for my overused and stress-ridden muscles. They have a separate area for the massage and what was good is that it's packaged together with the wet and dry sauna.
Energized
After completing the Jjim Jil Band and the massaged, I felt relaxed and energized.  It's a great alternative over a regular spa and it does come in reasonably priced rates of Sauna (P250), Jjim Jil Bang & Sauna (P450 on weekdays and P550 on weekends), Massage + Sauna (P650) and Jjim Jil Bang + Sauna + Massage (P890 on weekdays and P990 on weekends) and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Address
Lasema Plaza, #7232 Malugay St., Brgy Bel-Air, 1209 Makati City

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Holy Week
I used to spend my holy week out of town or on domestic trips to take advantage of the long weekend.  This year, it was supposed to be spent at my home town as it's my sister's birthday celebration and my first run on my hometown via Baguio 21K.  One thing led to another and a series of unfortunate events after, I ended up with a totally different experience.  It was not a good one but its an experience and as they say, what doesn't kill you could only make you better.
Baguio 21K
I've handpicked Baguio 21K as one of my key races for the year.   Running in my hometown was one thing I really did looked forward to and up to hours before I was still eating several kilometers of hills just for this challenging run.  Though may have lost a little bit of long run endurance preparing for my first duathlon a few weeks ago, I was really looking to enjoy the hills and a bit sentimental coming home for something I'm passionate about.  This is the second edition and I've been registered for both events and I've missed both. Last year was due to my cousin's wedding and this year was due to series of unfortunate events.  Oh well, Baguio has also been struck with the run craze so I'll still get my run in the City of Pines one of these days.
Series of Unfortunate Events
Timing Belt
We would be taking an early dawn trip to Baguio and hope to be in Baguio early on Good Friday morning.  After a quick meal at Jollibee in NLEX and a few kilometers before Pililan exit.  Our car speed slowly decelerated though my sister was able to bring the car in the shoulder bay in time before the car went dead.  There we were stuck in NLEX in still a very dark 4:30 am.   It was real creepy being stuck in the middle of nowhere in pitch dark of dawn.  You could feel your car sway every time a car passes by because of their speed.  We were able to call NLEX and had a patrol officer assist us and was able to call a tow truck which would bring us to the nearest exit, which is Pulilan.  It's also nice to note that the Patrol Officer was so helpful and professional.  I learned that when you get help from Patrol Officers when you are in NLEX and SCTEX, it's all part of your toll fee.
At Pililan, it turned out that it was because of a torn timing belt and problem was since it was Good Friday, there were no parts available so it took the whole day just to look for a timing belt and have it installed.  Next problem was that they also chipped the main pulley installing the timing belt but it was good to go but since it was a bit late, we decided just to eat dinner and spend the night at Clark.
Hard Rain
Another sign that things were not going right was that after we had dinner, it was raining real hard.  We just took it slow and arrived at Widus Hotel in Clark at night.  We then proceeded with our trip at 7 am.
Main Pulley
On our way to Baguio, we had another mishap in SCTEX.  We heard a screeching sound and then the car had a sudden jump so we went back to shoulder.  It turned out the belts in the Main Pulley has been displaced.  We were able to bring our car to a repair shop in Tarlac and it turned out that there was a problem with the Main Pulley.  CRV parts are a bit hard to find and a good thing my cousin was just in nearby Concepcion, Tarlac so we had an extra transport to find the missing parts and we were able to find it in Angeles, Pampanga after checking in Tarlac.  It was also my sisters birthday so her aborted party in Baguio became an impromptu Chicken joy lunch at the repair shop.  The car was ready by evening and it was another day spent at the repair shop.  We had dinner and drinks at Concepcion, Tarlac with my cousin and went back to Clark past midnight to check in again at Widus Hotel.
Clark 21K
Since Baguio 21K did not push through, I was planning to do my scheduled long run at Clark and I even arranged my gears already.  Clark was such a wide space for a good run but after having back-to-back stress ridden days at the repair shop, my body just didn't have the energy to rise up early and ended up waking up at past 10 am.  It was just in time to catch the checkout time of 12 noon.  I'll just have to run and bike in Clark soon or I may just have to set a training session here one of these weekends.  Oh well, one thing you'll realize at doing multi-discipline sports is that your body do have limitations that's why you have to sleep and recover well to remain fresh and rejuvenated on a year long training program.  We had lunch at the London Pub in Mimosa compound and we were off headed home.  I'm just glad to be back in Makati safe.
Flat Tire
But wait, just as I thought all the bad luck has gone away.  I went for a bike ride from house to my office parking area to get my car and do some loop and I wasn't even on my 3rd kilometer biking.  I heard some screeching sound and when I finally went down to check on it, one side of the tire just popped and BANG, a flat tire.  Good thing, I was just nearby my parking lot so I was able to get my car.  I have since fixed the tire by using an extra set.  It was another chance to practice my bike tire changing skills.
Bad Luck?
After a series of unfortunate events, do I believe in bad luck?  I'm more in the mode to say that we create our luck though it does help to remain cautious but not too careful either.  I guess, everything happens for a reason.  Some may perceive it as bad luck but I want to see it that after a series of unfortunate events, I'm still safe.  Some protective hands might have been cushioning some of those mishaps.  It was not a comfortable experience and it was nowhere near fun but it did teach some valuable lessons that could go far away.  I've learned more about cars the past two days than my past six years driving.  It's also a lesson in patience and presence of mind in tough situations.  In some eerie way, you just can't fight the signs and just have to make the most of the situation.  Somehow, the closer we got to Baguio the more mishaps happen.  So I'd just shake of these series of unfortunate events and go on.
Half A Lifetime Ago
In a few days, it's also gonna be my father's dead anniversary and in my blog written two years ago (click here), I mentioned of a coincidence that my lolo and lola's death was on a year that ended in 8, my dad and uncles on a year that ended in 4. Does that mean our generation would end in 2?  2012 does end in a 2 so makes you think but I'd rather dismiss it as just mere coincidence.  Everything is uncertain and that what makes life exciting.  I'd leave it that way.

Sambo Kojin

Barbeque

The first time I had a do-it-yourself grilled barbeque experience was during my first trip in Taipei years ago and it was a perfect match.  My tummy immediately liked the taste of barbequed lean meat. Play around with the sauce and spices and there you go a savory treat for your taste buds.  From then on, grill your own barbeque has been one of my favorite cravings.
Sambo Kojin

Mascy cooking for us.

And then came Sambo Kojin cook-all you want, barbeque-all-you-can eat barbeque.  I am not really a fan of eat all-you-can restaurant as I don't eat much but Sambo Kojin should be an exception.  I don't know if this goes as a sound excuse for eating much but somehow you get to eat in moderation since you still have the cooking time in between food intakes.   If that doesn't count as an excuse then might as well fall into the temptation of grilling meat, fish and other seafoods or go for their immediately available meals like sushi, maki and tempura or the variety they have for dessert ranging from fruits to cake to ice cream. Throw in good company, then that's definitely a great combination.

March 9, 2012

March 30, 2012

Birthday

Spent my birthday here with Team Total Fitness and another follow up weeks after with Mascy, Jeff Lara and Nicole and it seems that a lot of people are spending their birthdays too here as you get to see the birthday greeting from the crew every now and then.  A good way to pamper your guest and yourself is an all-you-can easy to digest meal.  It was a good celebration and once I get that craving for grilled food, Sambo Kojin is on top of my list.

The Cost
The Sambo Kojin experience is priced at a flat rate of P600 per person. A bit pricey for those who don't eat much but if you're in to treat yourself and indulge in the different barbeque variety and also play around with the different sauces and spices, the cost is something you can maximize.  The place is usually packed so it would be good to reserve or have yourself wait listed at a specific time.  That says much on how the business is doing and how people are hooked on the Japanese barbeque variety but probably the best way to appreciate Sambo Kojin is to visit them at:
Sambo Kojin EDSA - 207 EDSA, Greenhills, Mandaluyong City
Sambo Kojin Eastwood - Eastwood Citywalk, Queaon City
http://sambokojin.com