(This was an article I was asked to do for work last year, as a "special interest" piece. I'm posting it here as another "throwback" entry)
Ever since they came out with that film, The Bucket List[1],
people have started doing their own list of things they wish to do before they kick the bucket (i.e. pass away, expire,
go kaput, you get the idea). I am no
different from them. I call mine the Bakit
List. Bakit being the Filipino word for “why”. Things on this list are
mostly those that, when you are out there doing it, will prove to be agonizing,
sometimes crazy, sometimes life-threatening, but ultimately rewarding—assuming
you survive to reminisce about it. Like running a marathon or ultramarathon, or
travelling from north to south of the Philippines on a bike, you will ask yourself
over and over again, “Why the $^@#&
am I doing this? Bakit?”
In the past two years, I was fortunate enough to tick two
items off this Bakit List. I remember
them with sentimental fondness, now that I’m past all the suffering.
 |
| Our group on top of Kala Patthar (18,192 feet), the best vantage point to see Mt. Everest (the black peak with the plume of clouds at the center). |
I’m in an organization whose members are some of the first
Filipinos to climb Mount Everest. And I can’t help but imagine being there
myself, surrounded by the tallest mountains in the world and experiencing what
my friends have in chasing their dream. Climbing Mt. E is very expensive
business (costing upwards of US$60,000 per person), I have to be content with just
catching a glimpse of the great mountain, and probably—if the price is
right—climb a minor peak.
In 2011, I finally convinced a few friends that a hike to
the Everest Base Camp (EBC) was a good idea, even if it meant ransacking our
bank accounts in the process. We checked the cheapest flights to Kathmandu; got
a reliable outfitter; and prepared as much as any lowland Pinoy can for a hiking trip 12,000 feet above sea level (ASL). The
highest mountain we have here in the Philippines is lower than 10,000 feet).
Stepping out of the plane in Lukla (9,380 feet ASL) was a
relief. We just landed safely at the world’s “most dangerous” airport! Already
we see gigantic peaks surrounding us, higher than any we’ve seen in our lives.
And yet these are just hills compared
to the massifs awaiting us. We were told to start our hike at an easy pace as
we are very vulnerable to acute mountain sickness[2].
 |
| Goofing off at Everest Base Camp |
The next two weeks would be a mixture of excitement in new
experiences (first glimpse of snow and throwing my first snowball; seeing yaks
and dzos; looking up at the famous high
peaks we’ve only read about; being at the center of Buddhist culture), and the
agony of exposure to very a high, dry, and cold environment. We haven’t been
this cold, ever! My nose was leaking blood the whole time I was up there. By
the first week, we all had our bouts of headaches and migraines despite our
best efforts to avoid it. We sometimes had to take three breaths for each step
going up a steep pass; passing out a curse word or two. Why did we decide to go
here in the first place?
But for all our suffering, reaching our final destination,
the EBC, and seeing the black pyramid of Sagarmatha[3]
surrounded by other majestic peaks made it all worth it. We’ve set our
footprints on a place only a few Pinoys
have been lucky enough to visit. We were literally standing on the shoulders of
giants. We were sprightly in our trek back to Lukla, not caring about the fact
that we haven’t taken a bath in seven days. By the time we got back to Kathmandu,
we were planning our next trip. The migraines and bloody noses already
forgotten.
 |
| Just rock and ice. The final approach to Island Peak (20,305 feet) |
þ Do a Long Distance Triathlon
I’ve done triathlons in the past, but mostly short fun events.
I have not seriously considered joining a standard distance (1.5km swim, 40km
bike, 10km run) race, let alone the very popular Ironman 70.3 (1.9km swim, 90km
bike, 21km run). I knew the race would be hard, but the training would be
harder. But in August 2012, I saw an ad about the White Rock Triathlon (similar
to Ironman 70.3, with a distance of 2km swim, 91km bike, 20km run) and
inexplicably decided that I will finish a long distance triathlon.
With barely three months to get into shape for the three disciplines,
I have to start literally almost from scratch. Most beginner athletes need at
least six months to prepare for such races. The only thing going for me is that
my lifestyle wasn’t purely sedentary. Anyway, this was not the first time I
impulsively joined a race (my last Bakit
List event was a 50-km mountain race a couple of years before).
The following three months would probably be the most
intensive period I’ve had training physically; with the sole mission of ensuring
I survive the race. Serious lifestyle changes were put to effect for this
purpose. I was in the pool doing laps before breakfast (I found the fear of
drowning to be a great motivator to push forward). Most weeknights are spent
either running or biking around UP Diliman. Sunday mornings were always tough,
as I always had to fight off the strong gravitational pull of my bed in order
to bike 90 to 100 kilometers.
Then came the big day. I took a leave from work the day
before the race. I didn’t mention anything about this race to anyone in the office (it was only two months since I joined my new department).
 |
| 2012 White Rock Triathlon (2km-91km-20km) |
I drove to Subic with restless anxiety. The closer I got to
the venue, the more anxious I got. It was intimidating to see myself in the
company of competitive and seasoned triathletes. I tossed and turned all night,
and woke up much too early on race day. The butterflies in my stomach did not
leave until I heard the horn blast, indicating that the game was on.
My heart was racing at the start of the 2km swim. I decided
to relax and let the more experienced athletes claw their way to the front of
the swim pack, and kept to a pace I was comfortable with, also known as
“slow”. I got out of the water flushed
but relatively calm; happy that I didn’t drown.
The 91-kilometer bike ride was mostly flat. I tried not to
look at my bike computer to avoid getting demotivated by how far I still had to
go. The sun was partially hidden by the clouds. Thank goodness, one less cramp-inducing
punishment to worry about. It took three hours of hard pedaling to get me back
to the transition area.
The run section makes or breaks you. Coming out of the
transition area, I knew I was in for a beating. The sun was glaring by this
time, and there’s hardly a part in the 20-kilometer course where you can run
under a shade. The worst part is the two uphill sections that I found nearly
impossible to run. Heat, hills, and hunger; all I can think of was ice cream
and how much better it would be if I was in my bed watching television. Why was
I here again?
 |
| Finishing the race with a smile on my face. |
Two kilometers towards the finish line, I slowed to a walk.
I told the guy behind me to shoot past me. He said that I should be pushing my
limit instead of slowing down. I was close to the finish line. Jolted by those
words of wisdom, I dug deep and ran. I crossed the finish line a little over
six hours. I shook the hand of that guy who egged me on.
I ate more than my fair share of recovery food at the
finish line. I was tired, but the endorphins running through my veins were
masking any sensation of pain. I was high with the sense of accomplishment;
finishing this crazy goal, which was inconceivable to me just a few months
before.
***
My Bakit List
never runs out of things, much to my surprise. Every time I check off an item,
another crazy idea comes to replace it. The reason maybe is that for every
seemingly-impossible thing that you get to do, you gain confidence in yourself
that you can do more. The “bakit?” then becomes “bakit hindi?” (“why not?”)
[1]
Starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I haven’t seen it.
[2]
A serious condition which can start from a mild headache but can deteriorate
into fatal forms like pulmonary cerebral edema, especially for those not used
to very high elevations.
[3]
Nepalese name of Mt. Everest.
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