Conquering Myself at the Ateneo Aquathlon 2013

I swam like there's no tomorrow. I ran my farthest race. I conquered myself at the Ateneo Aquathlon.

I'm not an athlete. Never was, perhaps never will be. But I do try to stay healthy, and I love to swim.  The feel and the sound of the water soothes me to the core. When I'm in the water, I feel isolated from everyone and everything else in the world and being in that state can be very calming. It clears my mind and I emerge revived, refreshed, recharged.

I'm a fitness swimmer at best. My strokes are far from perfect, my speed in the pool is less than average, and I remain doubtful of my endurance since it has never really been tested. Moreover, I can't dance. I have no such talent nor ability in it and I'd be clueless if I ever find myself on the dance floor. Swimming is the closest I can get to making rhythmic coordinated body movements.

As a runner, I suck. I rarely enjoy the act of running. It doesn't give me the isolation I get from swimming, but the sound of the wind, rustling leaves, and chirping birds are a welcome treat. Most people would say running is easier than swimming. I beg to disagree. I run because I have to, when I have to, and that's usually when I'm training for a hiking trip. Plus, there's a quiet strip at a nearby village close to where I live giving me no excuse not to run as a fitness activity.

That being said, why did I join the Ateneo Aquathlon?

Because I wanted to push myself. I wanted a sense of achievement. The Aquathlon is not a serious athletic event, but it's a multisport event that has regularly seen its share of serious triathletes among its participants. Olympian Jessie Lacuna of the Philippine Swimming Team was said to have signed up for this year's race. Besides, the Aquathlon was something that would make me feel good about myself. In the past 12 months, I've had to heal from an ankle injury, aching knees, and a spine condition that left me with sore shoulders and a stiff neck. Conquering myself at the Aquathlon would mean putting all these behind me.

The Ateneo Aquathon is a swim-run event held at the Ateneo De Manila University and organized by the Fast Ateneo Swimming Team (FAST). The event has 3 categories: Classic (600 meters swim + 5K run), Lite (400 meters swim + 3K run), and Relay. In the Classic category, the participants are divided by age groups, but children 12 years old and below take the length and route similar to that of the Lite category.

The first time I joined was in 2011. I was, quite literally, testing the waters as I took on the Lite category. I struggled through it. I survived the swimming leg just fine, but the run leg was such a pain. I had chest pain that felt like my entire diaphragm has contracted. Breathing was hard, which made running even harder. I finished at a decent time though, somewhere in the middle of the pack. I later found out that it may have had to do with the rhythm of my breathing and the amount of air I was taking in during the swimming leg.

Because of that, I promised myself that I'd do better, be stronger the next time around. But I had to wait two more years before I got that chance. In 2012, I had to back out because of an ankle injury. My doctor advised me to let my ankle rest and heal to avoid any further damage.

Getting to the 2013 race was not easy. I'm a sleep-deprived stay-at-home mom. I juggle my tasks, and preparing for the Aquathlon was another ball added to my juggling act. I swam between errands and I ran between doing laundry and making dinner. I had the support of my husband and kid. Both were very busy with work and school, but they pitched in with house work to allow me time to run, swim, and sleep a little bit earlier than usual.

At 6:00 AM on March 3, hubby drove us to the Loyola Swimming Pool in Ateneo where the race was to start with the swim leg. I was both nervous and excited. I could still remember the pain I felt the last time I raced. I was praying I have done enough to avoid it this time. I was out to conquer the race, conquer my fears, conquer myself.

My race for the 30-35 age group was scheduled to start at 7:45, but we had to be assembled an hour before.

I was marked with number 419, same number as last time. I wonder if we're assigned our "permanent" numbers. This time we had an RFID timing chip; it's strapped around my ankle.

While at the briefing area, I waved to my favorite spectators- hubby and my daughter.

Feigning excitement. I was scared. 

Making sure my new goggles fit.
(My swimsuit was two years old, and could you belive it- my swim cap is 10 years old!)

The whistle blows and I swim like there's not tomorrow.

And the race begins. I'm the one with the brown swimsuit and black cap at the bottom of the photo.

Third from the bottom, that's me.

This time above the girl with the pink swim cap

After the 600 meter swim which meant 3 rounds of the pool, I quickly put my shoes, running shorts, and singlet on and proceeded to the run leg. My transition was not as smooth as I expected- the singlet wouldn't simply slip on I had to pull it down from all angles! I told myself I shouldn't have insisted on getting the small sized singlet and should have accepted that I was a medium.

The run leg was surprisingly not as hard as I anticipated it to be, I even enjoyed it! Was I fast? No way! I saw at least 3 other competitors run past me. I did not feel bad about it because my goal was just to finish the race. I had a bit of chest pain but it was manageable, and I was able to finish the run without taking a walking break. Ateneo is a beautiful campus and because I was running in a new environment, I was seeing new things, new faces, it was rather exciting.

About 2K out of the 5K run.

The downhill race to the finish line felt liberating.

And I DID IT!

Crossing the finish line was a very proud moment for a non-runner like me. Seeing my hubby and my daughter waiting added to the excitement. I tried so hard not to trip because that would ruin my picture-perfect finish-line moment.

With my Finisher's Kit. There wasn't much inside- a banana,  wafer sticks, wheat crackers, bu it included the latest edition of Swim Magazine.

With my ever supportive crew- my daughter Gianne...

and hubby Naldy.

Five race markers- 3 bands for the swim (black/white), 2 bands for the run (blue)

I've been on a moderately disciplined diet on the days leading up to the event. So after the race, I indulged in some soda and a big slice of pizza.

The celebratory pizza at Sbarro in the new Glorietta.

I can see myself joining the Ateneo Aquathlon again in the future, perhaps for as long as I'm capable. It's a break from the routine run and workout swim. It inspires me to do better, be stronger, maybe even faster. It's a chance to meet others who share the same passion for staying fit. Besides, I may never get to do a triathlon so this one will have to do.

Race results are not out yet but it doesn't matter to me how I placed. I'm proud enough of having finished it because that's what I set out to do. Maybe higher goals can be set for a later time. Just maybe.

RACE RESULTS UPDATE
I placed 9th overall among the 11 women I raced with. Not bad at all for someone who aimed only for the finish. But I was elated to find that I outswam and outran my personal best by 2 minutes in both parts of the race making my total time about 5 minutes earlier than what I expected. This gives me hope that I can possibly do better next time. If things go well, God willing, maybe I can come back stronger, faster. We'll see.

Race results can be seen at eXtribe AIR: Athlete Information and Results.