In[FOCUS] Camsur Special | Noy Jopson, Peter Gonzalez, Ferdinand Catabian

Kona On My Mind

By: Carlos de Guzman | SWIMBIKERUN.ph | Philippines’ Multisport Source

“At first dreams seem impossible, then improbable, then inevitable.” – Christopher Reeve

As soon as word got out that 30 slots for the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii is going to be given away at the 2011 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, the question on everyone’s mind was how is it gonna be distributed? In most Ironman events, the norm is, Kona slots is awarded to the overall winners male and female, the top 3 male age groupers, and the top female in each age group category. But since our 70.3 has a division for Filipino Elites, it has been a wild guessing game if the Fil-Elite division will also be given the much coveted Kona slots. It didn’t take long before an announcement was made by Fred Uytengsu of Sunrise Events, Inc., that there would be no Kona Slots given to the Fil-Elite category. Should anyone in that division wish to vie for Kona, he/she has to go down to the age-group category and race with the best of the rest.

For most triathletes, racing in Kona can only be a dream. For this special SWIMBIKERUN.ph In[FOCUS] release, we put the spotlight on three Filipino Elites who’s going to try and make that dream a reality.

SBR.ph welcomes on board Noy Jopson, Peter Gonzales, and Ferdinand Catabian. Three familiar faces in the local triathlon scene. Outside the national team, arguably 3 of the top triathletes that we have in our country today. Read on as SBR.ph pick their brains regarding training, tactics, race nutrition, and how they make it all work. In case anyone has forgotten, they placed 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd overall at the 2009 Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines respectively.

SBR.ph: Welcome to SWIMBIKERUN.ph!

Noy: It’s great to be here! The SBR site looks better and better all the time!

SBR.ph: Lets get straight to the point guys. What made you decide to make the leap and compete in the age-group category?

Ferdie: Well, chances like these come once in a lifetime and I feel like this might be as close as I’ll get at my shot for Kona, so I’m taking it.

Noy: Just want to make it clear that I’ve been racing as an Age Grouper since 2002, the last time I raced Elite for the Philippines was in the Asian Champs in Tianjin, China where I raced as a guest, paying my own way as I really wasn’t part of the RP Team at that time (I raced since I was there anyway, as my wife Amale was in the RP Team at that time). So for me there was really no leap to be made, I just didn’t want to vie for the excellent prizes that Sunrise offers the special “Filipino Elite” Category in the light of the 30 available Kona slots.

Peter: I want to try to qualify for Kona

SBR.ph: How much does qualifying for Kona mean to you?

Ferdie: Every long distance triathlete at some point in time will dream of racing in Kona, and as of now I can say its pretty much at the top of my list of things I want to accomplish. I always watch the Kona coverage on the internet (the full 16-17 hours of it) and I visualize myself being part of it some day. Won’t miss the underpants run too hahaha.

Noy: It’s always been a dream to do it one day, as I grew up following the Iron wars of Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Back in the day when I started the sport in 1991, the Ironman was the reason I became a triathlete. Almost immediately after I got involved with the sport came the opportunity to represent the Philippines in international ITU events and that became my focus for around my first 10 years in this sport. But the Ironman was always there, so in 2002 when the first Iron- distance race was held in our soil, the fire in me was rekindled and I made a commitment to keep going well after my RP team days were over. Being fit became a lifestyle, managing to keep everything else going, taking care of family, kids, work and businesses while being ready to battle and represent my club, Polo Tri at every Subit and Whiterock, all the while having fun and enjoying a healthy lifestyle along the way. Staying reasonably fit and competitive, all became worth it when the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 came along, and once again I was in the right place at the right time. Until now, I can’t believe I actually won it! And now, all of a sudden, we have 30 slots for the big show! It’s unbelievable, I always thought of Kona as something that I could maybe do when I was 50 when I would still be fit but would already have all the resources in the world to chase the slot. But with Camsur opening slots this year comes this opportunity to tick something off my bucket list.

Peter: Actually I’m just looking for an excuse to go to Hawaii. Kidding aside, I’m really more after experiencing the high-level of competition/racing that Kona will offer. It’s not about winning, getting there will already be the reward.

SBR.ph: With Kona as a factor, what difference have you done with your training?

Peter: Nothing really. I can’t just jack up the mileage as my speed will suffer for Camsur70.3, not to mention risking injury as well. If ever I do qualify, I’ll have to rely on the years of training/racing I did as my base for IM.

Ferdie: Coming off a full ironman training program, I’ve changed my workouts to shorter and more intense sets. More quality for each session and have tried to focus on my weaknesses while at the same time still working on my strengths. I think core strength is one of the more overlooked aspects of triathlon training, so I’ve included a lot of Crossfit strength and conditioning workouts to address this.

Noy: Not much, just hope there are good draft-busters policing the AG ranks. There were huge packs last year while I had a personal draft buster escort with me the entire way.

SBR.ph: Be honest! How many times have you checked the roster since making the decision?

Noy: About twice, but my wife is also doing background investigation on the 15 foreign participants in the 35-39 AG for me in her spare time.

Ferdie: Hahaha you got me here, I honestly can’t count any more. Lets just say I did my research.

Peter: 5 hehe

SBR.ph: Noy, you already won the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines, if you qualify for Kona, what would mean more to you?

Noy: Winning the inaugural Cobra will always be special to me, as I said in the awards 2 years ago, even if I don’t win a single race anymore in my career, I can be satisfied with what I’ve done in the sport because of it. I won Camsur already, but I’ve never been to Kona so that’s something that I’d also like to experience. In that sense, winning a Kona slot this year, will mean more than winning Pinoy Elite a second time.

SBR.ph: Peter, you suffered a season ending ACL injury last year, but you came back in exceptional form and crushed the field at the 2011 Pico de Loro Invitational Triathlon with the only sub-2 time and a race best 34 minute 8k run. You then capped it with another podium finish at the 2011 Subit International Triathlon. You’re definitely back. One question, how did you do it? From being on crutches and then on to the podium! I can barely run a sub 1 hour 10k after catching a cold!

Peter: Surprisingly, the injury didn’t take too much out of my fitness. Of course I had to be careful about my diet as I wasn’t burning as much. My leg muscles also had atrophied, and it took several months of rehab/therapy (3x in the gym) to regain the muscle mass. Up to now, I’m still doing one-leg strengthening for it. I’m still not 100%

SBR.ph: Ferdie, you we’re supposed to gun for Kona at Ironman China, with the event being cancelled, you now have another shot at it at the 2011 Ironman 70.3 Camsur. Which for you is harder? Qualifying at IM China or at IM 70.3 Philippines?

Ferdie: That’s a tough one, both are hard, just obviously on different levels. IM China is a full IM distance race, so a lot could go wrong along the way. But somehow the pressure is less, maybe because I don’t know who I’m racing against there. On the other hand, IM 70.3 Philippines is on home turf, all eyes are on you, so the pressure is on like a pressure cooker. At the same time, 70.3 being a shorter distance, you know it will be pedal to the metal right from the start, so its definitely going to be painful. Not to mention some potential puking along the way no thanks to the hot weather in Camsur. I think qualifying in Camsur will be more special.

SBR.ph: Let’s talk about race dynamics and strategy, you guys are gonna be competing against foreigners, which in 2 previous IM 70.3 Camsurs, posted times that is faster than the fastest Filipino Elite time. What adjustment are you going to make race wise? How does this change the race dynamics and how is it going to change your pacing and strategy?

Noy: I’m always trying to race my best pace in every race anyway, but in terms of strategy the difference in my approach to this year’s race will be huge, previously I would let foreign athletes go ahead as I was only really watching four people in Camsur namely, Ferdie, Peter, Neil and Arland. This time, if a foreign athlete comes along and tries to pass, it’s game on! Also this time, if I have a chance to pace with Peter and Ferdie so that we can all qualify then it’s even better, we are all in different age groups anyway. The more Pinoys qualify the better, so Im gonna be cheering everybody on. Im especially looking forward to racing together with Ferdie, who is now my Polo Tri teammate, we match-up well. We raced together practically the whole way in Subit this year and it was awesome. I certainly hope all three of us original Cobra Podium placers go to Kona.

Ferdie: Hmmm, this has been something I’ve been pondering over the past weeks. One thing that comes to mind is what Macca did the last Kona race, where he worked with the Germans to build a significant gap from Crowie. In our case though, Noy, Peter, and I are not competing against each other anymore (at least that’s not how I see it for this race), so I think it would be beneficial if we all work together on the bike since we’ll all be coming out of the water at about the same time. That way we can all execute a good run. For the past two years, the race in Camsur was won and lost on the run. Other than this, I’ll try to race my own race, stick to the plan, and not let my strategy be influenced too much by my fellow racers.

Peter: Triathlon is an individual sport. My strategy has always been the same – train as best as I can, race as fast as I can, and focus on my race.

SBR.ph: With barely a month to go before the big dance, without giving anything away, can you give our readers a sample of your typical 1 week training block?

Peter: Monday-Weights + Swim, Tue- am: 60min ride, pm: 60min run, Wed- am: 2-3hr ride hills, pm: Swim, Thur- am: Bike intervals 60min, pm: 60-90min run. Fri- Swim, Sat- long ride + run off the bike, Sunday- Long run

Noy: Im working with my coach Mat O’Halloran and Im averaging 4 workouts/ sport/wk. My actual week last wk:

• Mon – Long Swim 3x1000m, legs off day

• Tue – Brick 2 hour steady ride- Track, 7x 600m fast- 400m recovery done continuously. (Im hitting sub 30 mins on those 7k now, hopefully translates to sub 1.40 run in Camsur.) pm swim 3x10x50m swim, paddles and fins set.

• Wed – Am Medium Run 1.30 over hills. Pm swim 1300m then immediately run 200m then jump back in the pool and swim 500m time trial  (Camsur specific swim simulation)

• Thurs – Am Bike 1.30 steady pm rest/ massage

• Fri – Am T1 Brick swim 400m – bike 8mins on the trainer varying efforts total of 5 sets. Pm recovery run 40 mins nose breathing only.

• Sat – Criterium 1.5 hours (planning to join Tour of Subic so need to work on my sprinting) or 4 hr steady ride

• Sun – Long Run 2.40min Galloway Run-Walk-Run Method.

Ferdie: My typical week consists of 3-4 swim sets, 4-5 bike sessions, 4-5 run workouts, and two Crossfit strength and conditioning WODs. That also depends on how I’m feeling; if I’m feeling tired, then I go easy, or not work out at all. I hope I didn’t reveal too much haha.

SBR.ph: What advice can you guys give to our age-groupers who wants to compete at the highest level?

Ferdie: Have a goal, focus on that goal, and have the discipline and determination to reach that goal.

Noy: Love the sport but don’t forget the family- you owe them everything. Be realistic with your aspirations and talent level, there is so much enjoyment to be had with our sport to worry about “competing at the highest level.”

Peter: Set realistic goals in the beginning, and try to achieve them methodically by doing a consistent and well-structured training program. Work with a certified coach if you have to.

SBR.ph: Tell us how do you balance work, family, personal, and training life?

Noy: What life? Hehehe, seriously I’m so blessed with a supportive wife and family. Amale’s the one who pushes me off the bed when Im sleeping in since she typically also has an early workout as she prepares for the California Marathon this December. Also my daughter Mikele tells me I should win Camsur again so I can take Piolo’s place in the giant Timex billboard here in Mactan like the first time I won it. I would very much like to do that for her, as one of my highest thrills in the sport was when I picked her up from school one day and she told one of the teachers, “Do you want to meet the winner of the Ironman? He’s my dad!”

Ferdie: First, and most importantly, I have a very supportive family and I also have Karen by my side, my one and only groupie haha. But seriously, you really have to be disciplined. I used to be able to train full time, but now because of work, I end up training at odd hours of the day. I squeeze in my workouts during lunch break when the sun is at its hottest, which might be why I’m so dark, and also after work. I get off at 8.30pm so sometimes I’m still out on the road running till 10pm. Takes a bit of sacrifice on both sides, myself and my loved ones, but it has to be done.

Peter: I’m lucky because my wife, Sandra, is also a triathlete so that’s how we spend our time together-training. Whenever we go on out-of-town training weekends, we would take the kids with us to capitalize on family time.

SBR.ph: Give us a peek at your race nutrition. For Camsur, what’s your typical breakfast? Do you take anything 15-30 mins before the start? Whats on your bike bento box? (if any) And if you carry a hydration system for run, whats gonna be in those bottles?

Noy: Energy Bar, a banana and a bowl of cereal for bfast, 2.5 hours before race start. Gel 15 mins before race start. On the bike a gel every 30mins, Hi-5 Isotonic on my bottle, I’d take a Cobra on the last aid station on the bike and run. On the run, gel at the start and every 5k, I take whatever they have at the stations. I’ve had bad cramps previously in Camsur so I’m experimenting with salt, but Im not yet convinced.

Peter: Typically, I’ll have an omelette with toast for breakfast. If I just need a quick fix, it’s the ever-dependable peanut butter and jelly sandwich, paired with a banana. For the race, I just take gels, no solid food, for both bike and run.

Ferdie: Nothing special about my nutrition. For breakfast I usually just eat whatever is available in the hotel. I take one gel 15-20 minutes before race start, and I take one gel each hour on the bike and run depending on how I feel. I try to make it a point to drink water and electrolytes every 10 minutes on the bike, particularly on a hot race day. In my bento box I have salt sticks, energy gels, and a nutrition bar just in case. No hydration belt for the run, I use whatever is provided on the course. IM 70.3 Philippines is a well organized race, they have cold drinks all throughout the run course, so no need to carry a hydration system – that’s just extra weight if you ask me.

SBR.ph: The biggest change in the race course this year is the run course, now being an out and back instead of the usual 2 loops, does this make the run harder or easier?

Ferdie: It is harder, not because it’s a tougher course, but because you wont get to see your friends and family cheering for you. That’s extra support along the way that can’t be replaced by aid stations.

Noy: Harder I think, since I quite like the way the two loops break the run up into 4 nice segments. Also Im concerned this may take more burden on resources as you need more aid stations when before you get served by a single station twice. Finally, from a spectator standpoint, I don’t think my family will wait around for 2 hours in the heat just to catch one short glimpse of me, I will actually advise them not to.

Peter: I think I prefer the multi-loop courses since it breaks down the distance mentally. Instead of a 21k run, I’ll approach it as 4x5k portions.

SBR.ph: Talk to us about your team and your sponsors.

Peter: I’m part of Team Bike King. We are a group of enthusiastic and dedicated professionals who are also fun-loving. My sponsors are K-Swiss shoes and Hammer nutrition.

Noy: The Polo Tri Team is guided by our Papa’s Rune, David and Fred. They live by example and are driven by excellence in everything that they do, it’s inspiring to be in such good company. We are supported by Nike, Alaska, David’s Salon, Timex, Oakley, SKI, Rudy Project, Gatorade and Jelly Belly. I’m also a Cobra, Timex, The Brick Multi-Sport Store and Oakley Endorser.

Ferdie: I love my team, ‘nuff said. But on a more serious note, my team really is great. It makes a big difference if you belong to an organized team where the members train together and are well bonded. Since I’ve been with POLO Tri, I no longer have to endure all those long training hours on my own. I remember times when I would get so bored that I couldn’t wait to finish the workouts. Other than that, the team mostly consists of veterans in Ironman distance races, so I learn from hearing their stories and experiences. It also helps to have access to pick the brains of Lance Watson and Dan Smith, and I’m once again under my former swim coach, Guy Concepcion who is responsible for most of my training and racing philosophies. Our sponsors are very supportive, they provide us with varying triathlon needs for training and racing.

SBR.ph: In typical Pinoy fashion, anyone you wanna greet or give a shout out to?

Noy: Thanks to my family, teammates, sponsors and friends who have been with me through this amazing journey. The athletes I’m coaching, the Cebu Team Reborn squad, Team Jopson Family of Joyette and Redg who will be in the midst of their own Kona quest. Special thanks to my bro, Coach Mat for all his support. To all my fellow participants, Godspeed to all of us.

Ferdie: Not really, haha. The people who matter, already know.

Peter: My kids Nicole, Sam, Alex, and Cheska. Also my 6-month old grand daughter Zoey!

SBR.ph: Thanks for the time guys and wishing you nothing but the best of luck in Camsur! Go for it! SWIMBIKERUN.ph will be there to cover your race every step of the way.

Ferdie: Thank you as well, its always a pleasure to have SBR.ph around. See you guys on D-Day!

Credits: Photos of Noy, Peter, and Ferdie taken with their permission from their Facebook Accounts.

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