Testing The Limits

It's becoming a habit already, the penchant for extraordinary adventure. Nearly eight months ago, on my first ever official foot race, I braved and conquered an extreme 8-kilometer uphill run.  Shortly after my first stint at a half-marathon in September, we trooped to a  neighboring island for a great outdoor experience only trail running could offer.  And four weeks ago, I obliged to yet another test - The Columbia Trailmasters Duathlon in the rugged mountains of Balamban in Central Cebu.

Yes folks, it's my first duathlon. My what? Many still give me that blank look every time I utter the term so here's a little trivia.  A duathlon is a sports event that involves two disciplines, running and cycling (or biking).  It is commonly a run-bike-run format where athletes first run a set distance, bike a set distance and finally run another set distance.  This combo sport usually occurs on public roads but to put a more extreme element to the race, duathlons are now held off-roads. And such is the case of the October 17 event.

The day before the race, on a gloomy Saturday afternoon, we headed up the mountain and camped out in our tents on an uneven grassland courtesy of the generous owners of K33 Zipline, one that has the reputation for Cebu's longest.  Got settled in our temporary homes, the guys readied the burners and the ladies cooked their specialties - chicken barbecue and spaghetti (pasta on the mountain, who would have thought?).  Moments later, it's carbo-loading indulgence for everyone (even if I'm the only one competing, LoL!). 

I signed up for the executive individual category which they said was designed for novices, beginners and weekend warriors. It meant I had to run 5K on the first leg, bike 10K on the second and run another 5K on the final leg.  Really sounded easy!  At quarter past four in the morning on Sunday, we began to ascend from our camping ground, proceeded to the bike transition area, deposited my equipment, then went back to the assembly point and prepped.

 

Minutes past six, we were released from the get-go.  It was all good the first five minutes but when we shifted  from the road to the hill with less than two feet of brown clay to step on, the agony began.  It was nothing I had expected.  The tranquility in lush greens and vegetation was an outright contrast to the adrenaline rush everyone was into. We scaled mountains then sloped down the trail, then went up again and down again.  It did not occur to me that the first leg could be that punishing.  The subsequent stages couldn't be a little gentler.

    

It sure wasn't.  The bike part was brutal.  The one who mapped out the course was a Nazi! If the tracks were meant for bikes, we wouldn't be on our feet for the most part.  I slide, fell hard on my butt and held on to my bike countless times. Within that hour of absolute misery, I had to cross a very narrow path, slated and damped. One mis-step, maybe I wouldn't be here blogging about it.  Inside my head at the time were regrets and remorse. Had I only known.

     

The final 5K run leg was a bit forgiving.  At this juncture, only exhaustion was standing in my way of completing my first crack at a duathlon.  Well, believe it or not, I did graduate in my category.  There were moments though when quitting came knocking but the door's completely shut the entire time. What didn't kill me made me stronger. Going into the event, I only had the will, my tried-and-true TYJ support crew and the grace from Above. When it ended, I gained an awful lot.

So what's next, a Tri?

photo credits: 2nd & 8th - lorebelle joy, 7th - estan cabigas