Two weeks after achieving my latest goal and ending my first official triathlon season, I’ve yet to get back into any serious training. I started worrying about losing my fitness, gaining weight, and all the other consequences of a less active lifestyle. This, however, gave me time to reflect, to look back at the year that past since I started taking up the sport.
It may seem that triathlon is something that has always been my main focus since, but looking at the bigger picture, I started to remember that I first fell in love with running. In addition to completing my first Ironman 70.3 (or half-Ironman as some would call it), I was also able to accomplished my unfinished business. I was able to avenge my first, and only DNF. I was able to complete the Bataan Death March 160k edition.
Finally finishing my 2nd attempt at the 100-mile edition of the Bataan death March Ultramarathon with the Blazeman roll!
I failed my first attempt at the distance, and felt really bad about it. It left battered physically, mentally, emotionally. I’m sure a lot of those that have experienced their first DNF’s felt the same way. It takes time to get over something you set yourself out to do, only to have to make that tough decision of calling it quits. This failure though put me on another path. It was this DNF that influenced me to get into triathlons. I needed a distraction, a challenge that would take my mind away and re-ignite my passion for sports. That’s when I attempted to learn to swim. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was hooked!
My first triathlon… The mini sprint event of the Century Tuna Animo Triathlon last year (June 2011)
I’m glad that I eventually got into these different activities, or else my health would’ve continued to spiral and be in a really bad place. I used to not watch what I eat, smoked a couple of packs of cigarettes, got intoxicated regularly. Just talking about weight, I hit a high of 170++ lbs! Not a good combination, coming from a guy who had asthma growing up.
Looking at where I started, I’m now extremely grateful to have these opportunities to continuously try something new, to set new goals, to achieve those goals, and set even higher ones.
Despite the opportunities though, I don’t think I’d have the guts to go through any of these if I did not have the full support of my loving wife. She would be with me, supporting me ever since my first ultramarathon. It’s not an easy task to be part of a support crew for 17 (and ever 30!!!) hours. Yet, she stuck with my crazy ambition and backed me up 100%.
My loving, patient, and always very supportive wife… Extremely happy with her cheeseburger 
My photo here was during off-season from marathon training. We were in Tokyo. Hence the cheeseburger. Which I only eat once a quarter. Yes, I NEEDED TO DEFEND MYSELF :p