Climb Central Manila and getting back to sport climbing
I finally got to try the routes of Climb Central Manila, the newest climbing gym in the country. The joint venture between Climb Central (Singapore) and Joey Cuerdo (Power Up) boasts of at least 30 lines with color-coded routes for all climbing skill levels.
The upgraded facilities, however, comes with a price. Fees are double that of Power Up, but climbers I saw didn't seem to mind. The place was packed in the two times I've been there. My officemates also prefer it because of it's location. The addition of auto-belay devices is also attractive, especially for loners or for climbers who couldn't find a belay partner.
At my present condition, the gym offers a lot of room for me to develop. I did manage to top out on routes that I thought was above my abilities, but there is no shortage of problems that remain unsolved.
I'll definitely be back. I have no choice, since I already bought a 5-session pass. hehe
The "regular" climbers in UPM have also started to meet-up regularly again. In the past two months, we've been switching between Centro Atletico and Tandang Sora. Even if we climb just once a week, it's still better than nothing.
UPMSAR Training
The 4th batch of "formal" trainees has started going the modules. The very enthusiastic bunch began their practical course with basic rope and abseiling techniques in Power Up Centro Atletico.
This was followed up by a "wilderness" session somewhere in the hills of Tanay, Rizal. Where more rope and transport techniques were shared. The weather wasn't cooperation a lot that weekend, so we lost some time waiting for the rain to stop.
As with the earlier batches, this batch quickly learned that getting someone who is not ambulant out of the mountain is very serious and exhausting work. And despite soul-sucking conditions, rescuers must find in them the ability to keep a light atmosphere in order to function and get the job done.
For me, training rescues is hard work. But harder still is washing muddy and stinky gear.
Columbia Trail Masters Offroad Duathlon
I've been longing to join another off-road race. My last multi-sport race was three years ago. A very long time to stop "competing". But since I couldn't commit to any training program, I had to pass another opportunity.
Until Romi messaged us, offering slots to relay with staff of Primer/Columbia. I'm more confident that I'll finish the bike course with limited training, so I said yes. Who refuses a free slot, right? Three days later, he informed us that the relay is now out, and we had to do the full race, including the run section. Oh snap!
Nothing to do but enjoy and not die. I did a token "training" just to gauge if I can manage the run somehow.
Race day came. We started with a 6km run, followed by a 20km trail bike, and finishing off with a 3km run. I kept a running pace that put me in the middle of the pack. Just enough so that I'll still have reserves for the bike section. My riding skills were still suspect in the new bike so I just relaxed. Still in the middle of the pack, I found myself with a clear trail ahead. But I cannot take advantage and speed up, because halfway through the course, my calf muscles started to twitch, on the verge of cramping.
Not wanting to walk all the way back to the transition, I held back and kept the cramping in check. Luckily, it didn't go full-on attack. I still found a way to enjoy the slippery single tracks on the approach to the transition (though I did finally cramp up at the transition while changing shoes).
I was struggling by the last Section, unable to completely run the 3km course. Every few hundred meters I had to brisk walk to catch my breath. Adrian, whom I managed to pass at the bike section, caught up with me in the last 300 meters. He was still in fighting form, so it was just right that he finishes ahead of me. I was happy to just finish strong, relatively speaking.
The fact that I did not die in the course got me thinking if I should discard my current "couch-tomato" philosophy and pick up sports again. 2017 would be another milestone year for me, so it might be a good idea to celebrate it with something athletic.
AkyatCon, and celebrating 39 Years of UP Mountaineers
The club has been very busy celebrating its 39th year. The flagship event this year, excluding the annual Anniversary Run, was AkyatCon: Mountaineering for Everyone. This is the brainchild of my UPM batchmate and current training head, Rolly. The two-day conference covered a whole slew of topics related to mountaineering, from environment protection, formation of mountains, weather, to mountain explorations and alpine climbing.
Participants from all sectors listened and participated. I found the topics covered very interesting, and most of the speakers were engaging. Not surprising, a lot of people lined up to get a photo with Romi, who closed up the conference by inviting everyone to try the Himalayas. With the warm reception to this event, it seems we're on the way to making this a yearly event; with plans to invite more people, especially those in the provinces.
I finally got to try the routes of Climb Central Manila, the newest climbing gym in the country. The joint venture between Climb Central (Singapore) and Joey Cuerdo (Power Up) boasts of at least 30 lines with color-coded routes for all climbing skill levels.
The upgraded facilities, however, comes with a price. Fees are double that of Power Up, but climbers I saw didn't seem to mind. The place was packed in the two times I've been there. My officemates also prefer it because of it's location. The addition of auto-belay devices is also attractive, especially for loners or for climbers who couldn't find a belay partner.
At my present condition, the gym offers a lot of room for me to develop. I did manage to top out on routes that I thought was above my abilities, but there is no shortage of problems that remain unsolved.
I'll definitely be back. I have no choice, since I already bought a 5-session pass. hehe
The "regular" climbers in UPM have also started to meet-up regularly again. In the past two months, we've been switching between Centro Atletico and Tandang Sora. Even if we climb just once a week, it's still better than nothing.
UPMSAR Training
The 4th batch of "formal" trainees has started going the modules. The very enthusiastic bunch began their practical course with basic rope and abseiling techniques in Power Up Centro Atletico.
This was followed up by a "wilderness" session somewhere in the hills of Tanay, Rizal. Where more rope and transport techniques were shared. The weather wasn't cooperation a lot that weekend, so we lost some time waiting for the rain to stop.
As with the earlier batches, this batch quickly learned that getting someone who is not ambulant out of the mountain is very serious and exhausting work. And despite soul-sucking conditions, rescuers must find in them the ability to keep a light atmosphere in order to function and get the job done.
For me, training rescues is hard work. But harder still is washing muddy and stinky gear.
Columbia Trail Masters Offroad Duathlon
I've been longing to join another off-road race. My last multi-sport race was three years ago. A very long time to stop "competing". But since I couldn't commit to any training program, I had to pass another opportunity.
Until Romi messaged us, offering slots to relay with staff of Primer/Columbia. I'm more confident that I'll finish the bike course with limited training, so I said yes. Who refuses a free slot, right? Three days later, he informed us that the relay is now out, and we had to do the full race, including the run section. Oh snap!
Nothing to do but enjoy and not die. I did a token "training" just to gauge if I can manage the run somehow.
Race day came. We started with a 6km run, followed by a 20km trail bike, and finishing off with a 3km run. I kept a running pace that put me in the middle of the pack. Just enough so that I'll still have reserves for the bike section. My riding skills were still suspect in the new bike so I just relaxed. Still in the middle of the pack, I found myself with a clear trail ahead. But I cannot take advantage and speed up, because halfway through the course, my calf muscles started to twitch, on the verge of cramping.
Not wanting to walk all the way back to the transition, I held back and kept the cramping in check. Luckily, it didn't go full-on attack. I still found a way to enjoy the slippery single tracks on the approach to the transition (though I did finally cramp up at the transition while changing shoes).
I was struggling by the last Section, unable to completely run the 3km course. Every few hundred meters I had to brisk walk to catch my breath. Adrian, whom I managed to pass at the bike section, caught up with me in the last 300 meters. He was still in fighting form, so it was just right that he finishes ahead of me. I was happy to just finish strong, relatively speaking.
The fact that I did not die in the course got me thinking if I should discard my current "couch-tomato" philosophy and pick up sports again. 2017 would be another milestone year for me, so it might be a good idea to celebrate it with something athletic.
AkyatCon, and celebrating 39 Years of UP Mountaineers
The club has been very busy celebrating its 39th year. The flagship event this year, excluding the annual Anniversary Run, was AkyatCon: Mountaineering for Everyone. This is the brainchild of my UPM batchmate and current training head, Rolly. The two-day conference covered a whole slew of topics related to mountaineering, from environment protection, formation of mountains, weather, to mountain explorations and alpine climbing.
Participants from all sectors listened and participated. I found the topics covered very interesting, and most of the speakers were engaging. Not surprising, a lot of people lined up to get a photo with Romi, who closed up the conference by inviting everyone to try the Himalayas. With the warm reception to this event, it seems we're on the way to making this a yearly event; with plans to invite more people, especially those in the provinces.
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