From the Sunday Inquirer Magazine (July 4. 2010)

"Somewhere Between Michael Phelps and Maxim Magazine"

by Guy S. Concepcion

Michael Phelps is not human.  So please do not dream of doing what he can do in the pool.  The most imaginative fiction writer cannot come up with a story like his - eight gold medals and seven world records in the 2008 Olympiad.  That story is two years old, and he’s been in a few infamous headlines since then, but what he accomplished in the Beijing Olympics is timeless and unforgettable.

Closer to earth, ABS-CBN personality Enchong Dee is a superb swimmer too.  His 21 gold-medal haul at the UAAP swimming championships for DLSU the past three years, although not impossible to match, is quite amazing too.

These two swimmers are not our benchmarks. 

Whenever I read Maxim magazine for the articles, I notice the sport that the featured personalities list down as their favorite is often swimming.  Then I wonder, do they do butterfly sets for technique and speed, or do they just swim for distance?  Then I recall those I see lounging poolside, cocktails with small umbrellas in hand, who consider sun-tanning as swimming.   They shouldn’t be our inspiration too.

For the majority of the populace, swimming is somewhere in the middle of Michael Phelps and Maxim.  Long considered one of the best forms of exercise, swimming provides a total body workout.  First, all the major muscle groups are used, top down.   Next, cardiovascular endurance is optimized.  And third, due to its low impact and the protective cocoon of water, swimming hardly causes injuries.  All you need is a safe and accessible body of water, and off you go.

The Philippines should be a swimming world power like the United States and Australia since our nation is an archipelago.  What’s surprising though is the large number of Filipinos who don’t know how to swim.  Hopefully, that statistic shifts to those who know how to swim.  More so, to those who can swim already, perhaps they don’t swim enough because they think it’s too tiring or it’s too hard.  They just have to do it right and do it often.  This article will try to contribute to that mission.

BREATHING

In Australia, swim teachers are not discouraged to hold swim lessons in the ocean.  Just stay in shallow waters and first learn to inhale and exhale.  Some regular swimmers, or triathletes, forget this very basic task. 

 Try this exercise:

• Go underwater, exhale a lot of air through your nose, trying to empty out your lungs (perhaps start with a 5-count underwater).
• Go up and inhale through your mouth only, then quickly go underwater again.
• Do this 10x, and do three sets (increasing your underwater count to 8 and then 12).

You’ll notice it is easier to inhale when you exhale a lot of air.  The “panickers” who think they’ll swallow a lot of water or are not getting enough oxygen when they breathe simply do not exhale enough. 

On the plus side of training your breathing, your lung capacity will eventually improve since you’re not always taking short breaths.  This larger lung capacity will help you run better or even help you climb stairs faster.   

HOLD WATER

If by chance you are on a business trip and the hotel’s pool is not designed for lap swimming, you can still get in a good workout by doing some sculling.  Make your hands flat, with fingers together and wipe the water side to side, back and forth – pretending you’re doing wax-on wax-off on your shiny car.  The deeper the pool the better - you can feel the hard work of trying to stay afloat by just sculling.  You’ll realize you can give your fingertip muscles a gym workout!

Why is sculling crucial to good swimming?  Answer:  because you need to feel or hold the water with each stroke to gain distance per stroke.   Think of your hands as fins that pushes water, or as large wings that can lift an eagle with one swoop.   Swim coaches usually incorporate sculling sets into their workouts everyday, and you can even learn to scull with your toes, making your kick efficient too.

Who would’ve thought your fingers and toes can also be exercised?

GO OFTEN

When the weather is too hot, it’s discouraging to run.  When it’s raining, it’s dangerous to bike.  The gym can get crowded, and they are usually near ice cream stands.  But you can swim in most any weather, except when there’s a thunderstorm. 

Like any sport, the only way to improve is to do it right and do it often.  

There are dozens of swimming clubs nationwide that coach swimmers in different levels, from beginners, intermediate, to competitive – and not just for children or teenagers (the demographic most often associated with competitive swimming).  Any age can join, and the training is usually five to six times a week.  The coaches at these clubs know how to teach proper technique, provide the right workout, and monitor progress.  These swimming clubs have home pools either at country clubs, schools, or villages.  For sure there is one near you.

SWIM, COMPETE AT ANY AGE!

All types of physical training, if done repeatedly without any variation for about eight to ten weeks will cause a plateau.  The body will eventually adapt to the initial stress caused by training, and the adaptation will not produce positive change in important stuff like weight, stamina, and motivation.  Many wonder why they don’t lose weight anymore, or why they can still only do 20 laps in one hour even if they’ve been swimming for years.

The next step is to join races.   I know a dozen or so “die-hard” swimmers who swim only for exercise.  Often I encourage these regulars to join races open to adults.  Some do, many don’t.

Most local swim meets are for kids, and it’s a shame that what is known as “masters swimming” has not fully developed in the Philippines yet.  Next month, the FINA World Masters Swimming Championship will be in Sweden.      Thousands and thousands of swimmers aged 19 – 90 join this event held every two years (previously, it was in Perth, Australia).  The Philippines should send a team each time.

In the meantime, let’s race locally – either in the pool or out in the open water.  So far, open water races have been held in Mactan Island, Sarangani Bay, Anilao, and Hamilo.  Distances range from 2k, 3k, 5k, 8k, even up to 13k.  Training for long races will surely reinvigorate new life into your chlorinated blood.

Anyway, is swimming really the best workout?  Never ask a swim coach that!

The author is the head coach and founder of the Corinthian Ducks Aquatic Club, and is the head coach of the defending UAAP champion De La Salle University varsity swimming team. Comments can be sent to his email:  guy.concepcion@hotmail.com

But what I really want to do is direct…

By Rene F. Concepcion

     A little over a year ago, I wrote in this same column about my first true try at triathlon.  I said that the sport was pretty crazy and that the racers were crazier.  I did admit though that I got bitten by the swim-bike-run bug.  One year later, I’ve become a sponsored athlete, I can run faster than Piolo, plus I’ve lost a lot more weight - but I also lost four front teeth from flying off my bike, but that’s different story.  For now, I’ll just describe how big the sport has become, and how much more tries I’ll try when it comes to this insane sport called triathlon.

            The biggest multi-sport race in the country will be in sixty days:  the Cobra Ironman 70.3 Philippines in Camarines Sur.  Over 800 individual and relay participants will be racing in August, starting and ending at the Camsur Watersports Complex to complete a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, and a 13.1 mile run (hence, 70.3).  Professional stars of this sport will head to Camsur, including last year’s winner from New Zealand, Terenzo Bozzone.  Popular running coach Rio dela Cruz will also bring his Team Timex – RunRio three-man squad back to Naga to defend their tri-relay title.        

As for me, after a humbling attempt at this international half-Ironman event in its inaugural year last year, I swore I’d be better prepared this time around.  So, I haven’t seen my beer buddies in months.  And I’ve forgotten what KFC tastes like.  There has also been a couple more minor, albeit still skin-breaking bike falls.  I take on these sacrifices and deal with daily fatigue due to training for what exactly:  six hours on race day of continuous muscle pain felt by a delirious brain?  If you want to know what leftover Beef Stroganoff feels like being nuked inside a microwave, sign up for Ironman Philippines. But you’ll have to wait till next year because Camsur’s 70.3 is already sold-out.

There are really a lot of us out there, who pulverize our Nike shoes on the pavement, risk being side-swiped by truck drivers who don’t see cars let alone bikes, and hope sharks aren’t hungry when we’re out in the open sea.  If I subtract one second for every time I ask myself “why am I doing this,” I’d be faster than Terenzo Bozzone.  Right now, my 70.3 time isn’t much faster than one of our Senators. Thus, I train and train and train.  I swim, I bike, I run.  Thankfully, I am still able to balance work and family with my (ahem) hobby.  I can honestly say triathletes have mastered the juggling of three things.  You can’t deny there’s a strong admiration for that.

I haven’t done a full Ironman yet, unarguably the real barometer for triathletes who have embraced the multi-sport lifestyle and not just jumped in on a craze.  I haven’t even run a full 26-mile marathon yet, and an Ironman ends with that!  I’m sure to attempt it.  It’s a question of where and when.  I can choose any of the over twenty Ironman races offered all over the world – often staged at major tourist destinations such as Nice, Zurich, New Zealand, and Australia.  They sell-out fast, roughly 1500 participants join per race.  The question now is can I do it?

Before I answer that, it’s best to first focus on the next sixty days.  The training will be intense (sample run set:  5 x 1-mile faster than 10k pace).  Every minute of extra sleep will be golden.  Vitamin C sales will shoot up.  Good performances in races earlier this year mean nothing because as the adage goes, you’re only as good as your next race.  Kevin Costner won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for Dances with Wolves, but all that everyone remembers is that his next movie, The Postman, sucked.  It’s a tough crowd with a lot of hecklers and over-analyzers, but none tougher than one’s own midlife-crisis ego.

My words aren’t exactly reassuring especially to those wondering if they should try triathlon.  Just trust me that it’s not a cult or like a paddled-in-the-butt hazing to be in a fraternity. To those who are in this for the long-haul, to those who’ve made this sport a big part of their lives, you know what I am talking about.  Why am I doing this?  The answer’s easy:  because I love Beef Stroganoff.

Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member at De La Salle University, teaching marketing under the College of Business.   He is also the head coach of the defending UAAP champion DLSU varsity swimming team.   Comments can be sent to his email address:  rene.concepcion@dlsu.edu.ph

From the column GREEN LIGHT, Manila Standard Today, 8 March 2010.

Motivational Speakers Need Motivated Doers
by Rene F. Concepcion


I’ll never forget the first couple of times I attended motivational talks. I was only eight years old! First, sitting in the front, I listened to the University of Utah swimming coach, who came to the Philippines with his team for a training camp. He said (and I remember the key words distinctly) that to be a champion, one needs desire and determination. Next, and more significant in my memory, sitting in the front again, I listened to three-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, American Debbie Meyer, tell us Filipino kids she practiced so hard for the 1968 Mexico City Olympiad that there was no such thing as a rest day or holiday. She swam during Christmas, New Year, Easter, her birthday, etc.

I’ve attended many more talks over the years, with varying themes and industries. Some memorable ones would be sitting (you guessed it – in the front) with hundreds of film fans and aspiring filmmakers when Quentin Tarantino came to town. He said those present will be the future of Philippine cinema. Another was Silicon Valley pioneer Dado Banatao, whose message to MBA students and professors was straightforward: love what you do, and never give up. I wrote pages and pages of notes when swim coach, Bob Bowman, gave two lectures on how he trained his wonder boy, Michael Phelps. And I’ll always take to heart Ramon R. del Rosario, Jr. and Fernando Zobel’s separate speeches on corporate social responsibility.

There are dozens of these motivational speaking engagements going on daily, big or small, all over the world. You’d think all those attending and getting motivated would turn these great ideas and fantastic inspiration into some kind of world-changing positive energy. If you really believe gurus like Tony Robbins and John C. Maxwell, then you have no excuse not to be a great leader and super successful. People invest so much time and money to be thrilled by these talks; self-help books are bestsellers, sports stars like Jack Nicklaus charge over $100,000 per engagement, while Lance Armstrong earns double that. So how come there aren’t more 7-time Tour de France champions?

It’s obvious that extraordinary circumstances (perhaps the era one is born in, nationality, training, proper support, and a whole lot of luck) plus God-given natural talent, and/or fate bring these world-renowned champions, celebrities, composers, scientists, philosophers, businessmen, and billionaires to a higher-level. Author Malcolm Gladwell discussed this concept with a lot of convincing arguments in his bestseller Outliers. Fact is, there will only be one Bill Gates and one Usain Bolt. We can’t all be the world’s richest or the world’s fastest. Nonetheless, these speakers say we can all be outstanding in whatever it is we choose to do.

That eight year old kid who listened to and was coached for a few days by Debbie Meyer believed her. If we work hard for our goals, they are achievable. Such simple words: set a goal, do it right, work hard, achieve, success, satisfaction. By the time I was 16, I stood on the podium of a major swimming meet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and guess who presented me my medal - Debbie Meyer. I don’t know who was happier, Debbie or me (most probably it was my mom). Who knows if Quentin Tarantino will ever hand me a film award, but I certainly understand a motivational speaker’s message when I hear one – you can’t earn anything without trying. So, does anyone know Uma Thurman’s number?

Of course, trophies, money, or fame should not be the only measure. There will always be someone faster or someone will always have more fans, and if we are counting points, someone will always have more points. I don’t deny that society likes numbers because numbers don’t lie. But motivational speakers who go up there and simply read their CVs are the worst kind. What I glean from the most inspirational of these speakers is that they’ve humanized their struggles, they are just like you and me, and they hardly talk about actual results (we already know their achievements – they are famous – and also because the persons introducing these speakers have read their résumés!).

Therefore, Mr. Phelps, if ever you grace us with your greatness, please don’t talk about your eight, or what you ate (or smoked) – we know already. Just tell us what you love or hate, and make us believe that we too can be as great. Not in swimming, of course, but in living. Now that I’ve earned some kind of “success” and if I had a chance to give a motivational talk (or write a column), my message for living would be this - believe in what motivational speakers have to say because we believed them when they motivated us that one time too.

---------------------------------------------
Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a faculty member of the De La Salle University Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business. He teaches marketing electives and sports management. He is also the head coach of the DLSU varsity swimming team, which recently won the 72nd UAAP Championship. You may send comments to his email: rene.concepcion@dlsu.edu.ph

Now that the first decade of the 21^st century is coming to a close, maybe it’s a good time for me to return to one of my true loves in life:  the cinema.  I’ve neglected films for so long that I haven’t seen Inglorious Basterds yet – normally I’d be there on the first day, first screening.  It has also been ten years since I made my last film.  I wonder when (or what) I will direct next.

Perhaps to be inspired, I should immerse myself back into movies, and then who knows, I might be motivated enough to want to write/produce/direct again.  To start this re-immersion, I will look at the past decade and see which movies were my favorites.

In ascending order of my personal choices for the best films of 2000-2009:

1.  LORD OF WAR (2005) Directed by Andrew Niccol

This dark comedy stars Nicolas Cage, who plays an international arms dealer, supplying AK-47s, tanks, RPGs, and solid gold M60s (Rambo’s machine gun) to mad men in their quest for power, genocide, and thirst for blood.  Yes, it is a funny movie.  As Stanley Kubrick said about nuclear holocaust, the only way we can digest such a topic is through comedy.  Lord of War is the second film I’ve chosen by Niccol to be in my best of the decade list, the other being his beautiful sci-fi romance Gattaca (1997) in my favorite movies of the 1990s.

1. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (2007) Directed by Julie Taymor

This musical incorporated Beatles’s songs into the boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl-back plot, and when “Hey, Jude” was sung in the film’s climax, the movie reached emotional perfection.  Director Julie Taymor is known for bringing The Lion King to Broadway, adding a new visual dimension on-stage to the animated Disney classic.  Here, she colors the already bright-spectrum of Lennon and McCartney tunes with her super-talented palette.

1. GLADIATOR (2000) Directed by Ridley Scott

“My name is Gladiator.”  Try saying that line and realize how great Russell Crowe’s performance was.  Just like how Sean Connery perfected “My name is Bond.  James Bond.”

1. BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001) Directed by Ridley Scott

British filmmaker Ridley Scott had a creative peak early this decade [much like when he followed Alien (1979) with Blade Runner (1982)].  With repeated viewings, Black Hawk Down transforms each time from a purely visceral action film, to a study of precise filmmaking (cinematography, editing, production design, and sound) to a powerful commentary on war, and finally back to a visceral movie drama.  He has always been a great visual trendsetter:  How many films have tried to copy the “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” or “Black Hawk Down” look?  Too many. 

1. MASTER AND COMMANDER:  THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (2003)  Directed by Peter Weir

This Napoleonic-era naval epic is not just one of the smartest action-adventure films of all time – it is one of the smartest movies period.  The details of seafaring during the 18^th-19^th century is so complete, and the plot of a British naval captain (Russell Crowe again showing his superb talent) playing a cat-and-mouse chess match in the high seas versus a far-superior French ship is never spoon-fed.  But above all, this movie demonstrates better than most the ideals of honor, teamwork, and true friendship.

5.         THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004)/THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (2007)

Directed by Paul Greengrass

Although each film can most certainly stand on their own, when seen together, they become ultimately supreme movies.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  I wanted my own film to be a Bourne film.  If only I had the great editing, the fantastic locations, the awesome car chase scenes, the kick-ass fight sequences, and Matt Damon (who above any actor, in my opinion, can elevate any movie he’s in to a better level…like Euro Trip.  I rest my case.)

1. BATMAN BEGINS (2005) Directed by Christopher Nolan

A Batman movie wouldn’t be a Batman movie without the batsuit and batmobile, and here we are introduced to what they are really supposed to look like.  Director Christopher Nolan insisted that any gadgetry would be based on reality.  But the most important reality in this film is why Bruce Wayne became Batman, and finally, his reason made sense to me.  This film started the trend of revisiting the origins of movie franchises (James Bond, Star Trek, etc.).  The best comic book movie until…but first…

1. LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) Directed by Sofia Coppola

So far, my top films have been spectacles.  Movies are like that; they provide elements of another “world” – allowing us to escape then empathize with extraordinary persons and situations.  But when Bill Murray and Charlotte Johansson give us characters and situations that are so today and everyday yet transport us to what dreams are made of, then cinema has truly become art.  Sofia Coppola deserved her Oscar for original screenplay, but her great direction should have trounced any returning king or hobbit that year, or any other.

1. THE DARK KNIGHT (2008) Directed by Christopher Nolan

Perhaps one reason I stopped going to movies is because I can’t imagine any film can top the excitement, enthusiasm, enjoyment, emotion, and energy I got the three times I watched this film in the theater (twice in IMAX).  No one will ever forget the performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker (which earned him 29 acting awards all over the world, including the Best Supporting Actor Oscar).  “Why so serious?”  Yup, they’re only movies, but we’re lucky to have ‘em.  And we are lucky to have been in the same generation as Mr. Ledger, who made The Dark Knight immortal.

Eight Races and a Funeral

We have less than eight weeks to go before the big day, Ironman 70.3 Philippines.   Many of us are undoubtedly training as best we could for the 1.9k swim, 90k bike, and 21k run on August 23, but it seems all I’ve been doing is racing.  I’ve only had one Sunday since SUBIT where I didn’t race. Add one Friday and full Saturday of competing to that list - one can say I’m really due a recovery day. 

Here was my racing schedule since SUBIT:

Friday, May  29 – Open Water Swim 13K Relay Sarangani Bay.

Sunday, May 31 – IE8 (8-mile) Run at The Fort.

Sunday, June 7 – Mizuno Infinity Run (15K) at The Fort.

Sunday, June 14 – Animo Sprint Triathlon in Ayala Alabang.

Saturday, June 20 – Swim Masters Series (200m Free, 100m Breast, 50m Fly, 200m IM, 400m Free) at Trace College, Los Baños.

Sunday, June 21 – Open Water Swim 5K in Anilao.

Here are my race reports, starting with the Mizuno Infinity:

1.  I finally found the right pair of Nike’s for me – the Nike Zoom Start.  It felt light, it was cushiony, and it helped me go 1hr 14 – the day after my first Century ride (via Total – Naic).

2. ANIMO SPRINT:  I visualized the whole week that my bike leg would be better than at SUBIT.  Visualization works!  I imagined I would be off the saddle pushing hard on hills and flying fast after the climb.  That’s how it happened, and it felt fantastic not to be passed or be caught on the bike.  Too bad I didn’t visualize the run too.   Larry got me with about a kilometer to go!  Nice one, Larry.  I will now visualize the awesome tempo you had and how those pink Nike’s were like a blur.

3.  Swim Masters Series – 200m Freestyle:  It felt good to be back home (the 50m pool!), racing the same races I did as a kid.  PF thought I had gone out too hard in the first 100 meters.  But all that triathlon training got me my endurance back.  My splits were 1:04/1:06. 

4.  SMS – 100m Breaststroke:  With only four minutes rest between my 200 Free and 100 Breast, all I could do here was hope the lactic acid build up wouldn’t be too severe.  FYI, all swim races, since they are so short, are anaerobic efforts.  Some say one reason (of many reasons) why Michael Phelps won eight gold medals is because his body can flush out lactic acid quicker than most.

5.  SMS – 50m Butterfly:  I jammed my finger on the wall, trying for a strong finish.  My finger still hurts up to now, but the aggressive touch got me to the wall first.  (NOTE:  PF swam a great 100m Butterfly, beating ex-national triathlete, 22-year old Mikki Quilala, who is still a DLSU varsity swimmer!)

6.  SMS – 200m Individual Medley:   this is my favorite event.  I did well.

7.  SMS – 400m Freestyle:  this is my second favorite event.  I did really well (splits 1:12/1:14/1:11/1:09).

8.  SMS – 5K Open Water:  I truly appreciate that so many of the Polo Tri did the open water race.  Congrats to PF for topping his age-group (45-49), with Tony coming in 2^nd and Larry 3^rd.  Itong placed 2^nd (40-44), with Bea and Monica both 1^st in their age-groups.  And of course, good job Diego for placing 2^nd overall.  The 2K winners were:  Debbie (3^rd overall); Tricia 1^st in her age-group, and first overall in the pregnant category; and Mike 1^st in his age-group too.  It was a great effort by all who braved the big distance and the big waves.

Post-script:  Driving to Anilao that Sunday morning, I had strong feelings things weren’t well with the energies of the universe.  My mom’s old van (that I borrowed without her permission, to haul my DLSU swimmers to Batangas) broke down on the Star Tollway.  So I got stuck in Lipa getting the van towed, then I had to coordinate with a rental van to get the swimmers to Anilao, plus my pregnant wife was getting hungry. 

Two hours late, but I made it to the starting gate.  But as I walked towards the 5K race briefing, I got several text messages telling me the sad news…one of the true mentors in my life, Br. Ceci Hojilla, died of a heart attack in his sleep. 

Non-Lasallians may not be familiar with the role of the Christian Brothers in De La Salle schools worldwide. Many of them have strong personalities with great ambition and visions towards changing society through education.  Br. Ceci changed lives through caring – not about headlines, fund raising, rankings, or legacies – Br. Ceci changed lives because he cared about you – not as a student, an athlete, a professor, or alumni – he cared about you period.

I dedicated my 5K race to him.  Which is such a corny thing to do – the effort wouldn’t be enough.  To honor Br. Ceci’s life, I must keep on racing – not just in swimming, biking, or running – I must keep on racing in caring like him. 

I guess I’m not taking that recovery day because caring is everyday.

Article for the column GREEN LIGHT (Manila Standard Today, May 25, 2009)
 
A Triathlete’s Black and Blues
 
By Rene F. Concepcion
 
I competed in my first standard-distance triathlon two Sundays ago at the ITU Subic Bay International Triathlon.  That’s a 1.5km swim, followed by a 40km bike, and finishing off with a 10km run.  I’ve got blisters all over both feet to prove it.
 
One year ago, I questioned the sanity of triathletes.  I watched them do the run leg in severe summer heat; their faces expressed pain and suffering, with the scowl of someone desperate for logic and reason.  My reply to people who asked if I would ever join triathlons is that I get the same “satisfaction” racing a 50-meter freestyle, which ends in less than 30-seconds.  Why prolong the pain for three-hours?
 
A year and three hours later, I know the answer:  I look good in a tri-suit! 
 
For over a decade, I had the hardest time losing the girth I added due to age, slower metabolism, horrible happy-hour diet, and stressed-out, stuck-in-traffic or glued-to-the- tube sedentary lifestyle.  The occasional gym visit or the promises never to eat Spam again (till I lose the weight) never worked.  My life plateaued.
 
Today, the plateaus I long for are the ones after a heartbreak hill (biking and running), or steady 200-meter splits of an 800-meter freestyle time trial.  Training is everyday, if not, you will never finish a race.  The sport is simply too hard.  The attraction is that triathlons make you hungry again - hungry to satisfy a competitive urge inherent in the human spirit that could’ve been dormant, lost, or trampled upon by the drudgery of daily sign-of-the- times living.
 
Swimming fast doesn’t matter; biking faster than Ghost Rider (who can ride up the side of buildings – and believe me, hills feel like the y-axis) does not either.  You can be the world’s fastest runner, but what really matters is that you can swim, bike, and run fast back-to-back- to-back.  That’s the sport.  It’s a triathlon.  As a competitive swimmer, I was an IMer (Individual Medley) so I know what it’s like to do all strokes (fly, back, breast, and free) in one race.   How I wish it were as easy.
 
At the race in Subic, I was first overall for about 30 minutes.  I built a good lead in the swim, got on the bike in a trouble-free transition, and stayed “first” for maybe a kilometer.  Then the big biker boys starting speeding by me; I felt like a balut-vendor.  Ninety-plus minutes later, I reached the run.  At this point, hoping for a fast time or decent ranking was futile.  There was no medal to win, no best time to beat.  I’ve been so used to getting gold in the pool, maybe it’s time I learned to accept…
 
No!  I haven’t accepted anything except I swear I am going to be super ready for the next race.  It will be the Animo Sprint on June 14 at Ayala Alabang, then the much-anticipated Ironman 70.3 Philippines on August 23 in Camarines Sur.   Less than one year into this sport, I am attempting the half-Ironman distance of 1.9km swim, 90km bike, and 21.1km run in Camsur.  After that, I’ll accept my fate leading me to the Ironman distance of 3.8km swim, 180km bike, and a full 42.2km marathon run, wherever that race might be.  I’m throwing down the gauntlet.
 
Certainly I will continue to join swim-only races like this Friday’s 13k open water relay across Sarangani Bay, and the upcoming 1st International Swim Masters Series – Philippines next month (June 20 - 21) at Trace College and Anilao - pool racing on the first day and a 5k open water competition the next.  It would be nice to touch first again since it’s swimming only.  Water is my comfort zone. 
 
But I’ve been out to sea, sailing in comfort, too long.  No matter how blistered my feet may get, triathlons show me what’s beyond – beyond my mind, body, and soul’s limit.  It sounds cliché-ish, but true.  Human hunger seems to be a ravenous thirst for the extraordinary, the summit, of feeling a unique pulse as if thrown back by the blast of a space ship that no one believes you saw.  So many folks are now into this sport that perhaps the one-of-a-kind factor may be gone, but I’ve yet to experience all triathlon has to offer.   Show me the road - I’ll swim so fast to get to shore.
 
NOTE:  For more info on the following races, please visit their respective websites:  Animo Sprint Triathlon for the Benefit of the Jaime Hilario Scholarship Fund and One La Salle Fund (June 14) www.triathlon. org.ph; 1st International Swim Masters Series (June 20 – 21) www.sportsmgt. ph; Ironman 70.3 Philippines www.ironman703phil. com.  Train now, you’ll also look good in a tri-suit!
 
Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member at the De La Salle University Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business.  He has just finished a one-year sabbatical.  But he has continued to be the head coach of the DLSU varsity swimming team, with this coming school year as his 8th season.  Comments can be sent to his email concepcionr@ dlsu.edu. ph

Article for the column GREEN LIGHT (Manila Standard Today, October 20, 2008)

A New Deal Today

By Rene F. Concepcion

Call me geeky, but my comic book collection before Daredevil and Spider-man were those bookstore-published comic books on Philippine national heroes.  I liked the stories of Bonifacio and Lapu-Lapu the most, plus I was particularly fond of the Jose Rizal series that included the travels of Rizal and the loves of Rizal.  My major, to no one’s surprise, was history.

My college thesis dealt with the two world wars.  But the historic event foremost in everyone’s mind nowadays happened between WWI and WWII.  This was the period when millions of people lost their jobs and their homes, billions of wealth disappeared, thousands of banks closed, human dignity was at an all-time low, leading to the rise of evil ideologues, which then led to worse and unthinkable human suffering. The era was called The Great Depression, and if history teaches important lessons, this depression should never happen again.

Last year, I attended a finance lecture where the guest speaker assured the class that history has indeed been studied, that financial institutions have safeguarded the world economy against severe crisis.  Basically, he was saying that finance guys are smart, there’s nothing to fear, computations are under control.  One year later, doesn’t it feel like no one guarded the safe from the smart guys?

Call me Mr. Bean when it comes to bean counting, but despite my bumbling around numbers (finance wizards have bumbled worse, right?) history has hopefully provided enough information to combat economic woes. 

Here is a beautiful quote from Franklin Delano Roosevelt taken from his “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” speech during his first United States presidential inauguration in 1932, three years after the stock market crashed: 

The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit…Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits. These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.

Roosevelt’s policies, called The New Deal, had the U.S. government more directly involved in economic stimulation – by creating jobs through government projects despite deficits, regulating banks and capital markets, and protecting the poor through socialized government support.  They sound oh so familiar lately, don’t they?  The irony is that today’s Republican leadership, oh so against big government, is hammering a very interventionist new deal to quickly cut the current economic downfall.  They believe that their stimulus package will work.  Guess what, FDR’s New Deal didn’t end the depression, World War II did.  But there is nothing in the words and ideas of good men that the sacrifice of even one life is worth the restoration of tranquility, unless the life that is sacrificed is their own. 

Yet thanks to today’s Republican leadership, there is still war – although history has shown there has never been true lasting world peace.  Human instinct somehow reverts to conflict, it’s a survival of the fittest mode, a value system of "I deserve my property because I worked and earned to keep my land and fence myself in."  No trespassing once I’ve grabbed the land from you! 

It’s sad to think that all the consumption and consequent credit crunch could’ve been caused by the comfortability of an air-conditioned Camry or Cadillac, or the perceived power of a Prada purse.  Or maybe too many world leaders are still so easily willing to sacrifice the lives of others except themselves.

The bright side is that history is more replete with good news and progress.  It can be summed up with these words, again from Roosevelt:  “Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for.  Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it.  Plenty is at our doorstep.”

Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member at the De La Salle University Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business where he teaches Sports and Recreation Management and Culture and Arts Management.  He is currently on his one-year sabbatical, but he continues to be the head coach of the DLSU varsity swimming team.  Comments can be sent to his email concepcionr@dlsu.edu.ph

Article for the column “Mirror Image” (Business Mirror, September 3, 2008)

“Another Brick Off The Wall”

By Rene F. Concepcion

Michael Jackson turned 50 years old last week.  But does anyone know how old are his bleached skin, cleft chin, and nose?

This is my third of three pieces on the Olympic Games, but I’m starting off with Michael Jackson, who instead of the musical talent who thrilled us for decades has become what my 13-year old godson calls a freak.  I guess I can’t help but think our Filipino athletes of natural grace, talent, and potential have also been butchered, like Michael, by misguided beliefs in plastic solutions intent on the now, never the before, and with no intention for the after.

Since I’m already on a pop music tone, let’s listen to some Bob Marley:

Old pirates, yes, they rob I; Sold I to the merchant ships, Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty.
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly.

Usian Bolt has landed on Planet Earth!  The Jamaicans must be doing something right, man.  At 6’5” and can run 100 meters in 9.69 seconds, Bolt is superhuman.  Not many people know Jamaica also got gold-silver-bronze in the women’s 100-meter final, and added the men’s 4x100-meter (beating the world record set by the United States), the women’s 200-meter, the women’s 400-meter hurdles, plus, Bolt’s other superhuman feat, the 200-meter dash.  That’s six gold medals total.  It is inspiring that the redemption Bob Marley believed in, the triumph of a strong hand, is possible even from one, tiny island. 

I suppose it must also be possible for a nation composed of 7,101 islands.  But I learned some Filipino Olympians missed the celebration of the closing ceremonies due to airline ticketing trouble – although some Filipino sports officials were able to stay on longer in Beijing.  And while the Olympic issue is hot, many government soap-boxers are berating sport incumbents and then offering their expert solutions.  These blame-games result in the usual cosmetic surgery – politicians get press, the press gets headlines, and people get topical during happy hour. Meanwhile, the “atletang Pilipino” gets robbed by pirates with false promises of emancipation from the bottomless pit.    

          South Korea already has an Olympic gold medalist in swimming.  Indonesia is continuing its winning streak in badminton.  Even war-torn Afghanistan won a medal.  In fairness, there are still dozens of countries like us that don’t score on the medal board.  So to be less medal-count and medal-color conscious, let’s analyze specific results to see if our country’s sports program has generally improved or suffered:

* In 1992, a Filipino swimmer’s 200-meter breaststroke time would have won gold in 1972.  So back in Barcelona, one can argue that Philippine swimming was 20 years behind.

* In 2008, in the same event, the Philippines would still have only won gold in 1972.  Therefore in Beijing, it can again be argued that Philippine swimming has fallen 36 years behind.

* The Philippines has actually medaled in this event, courtesy of Teofisto Yldefonso, who won back-to-back bronze medals way back in 1928 and 1932!

Maybe the United States swimming program is to blame for our decline.  In ’92, 2008 (and even in Yldefonso’s time of the American Occupation), Philippine Olympic swimmers have been U.S. trained.  Hey America, why didn’t you coach our swimmers better!?  (Or, hey you Filipinos who married Americans, why didn’t you choose Caucasian spouses with better swimming genes!?)  All facetiousness aside, this just goes to show there is no viable local swimming program whatsoever. 

Maybe I’m the one to blame because I am a local swim coach.  I’ve coached some breaststrokers who wouldn’t be able to beat Yldefonso, perhaps proving my coaching is 80 years behind.  Wait a second, what am I saying!?  You see, there simply aren’t enough funds, there’s too much politics, there’s too much pollution, we only care about basketball, parents are pests, school is too hard, kids eat only fast food, Filipino athletes are always afraid, besides,  we’ll only win in sports with weight categories anyway, etc., etc., etc.

Excuses are just another brick on the wall; the wall plastered with political campaign posters and hard body billboards with factory-manufactured celebrity models who convince the populace it’s better to look good than to swim, bike, run, jump, shoot, throw, serve, kick, box, fence, and putt good. 

To paraphrase Pink Floyd:  We don’t need your kind of education.  We don’t need education that allows for no accountability; and the kind that doesn’t recognize heartfelt effort.  How sad for our Beijing squad to come home to bricks thrown at their performances - that is if they actually come home to the Philippines because some don’t call our country home.

Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member at the De La Salle University – Manila Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business.  He teaches Sports and Recreation Management and Culture and Arts Management.  He is currently on his one-year research sabbatical, but he continues to be the head coach of the DLSU varsity swimming team.  Comments can be sent to his email:  concepcionr@dlsu.edu.ph

Article for the column “Mirror Image” (Business Mirror, August 20, 2008)

“Phelps Plus Plus”

By Rene F. Concepcion

Many journalists have already written about Michael Phelps, and there’s no question their words are inspirational.  When a writer has a subject of extreme genius, any dummy can describe the once-in-a-lifetime gift the world has in the form of Michael Phelps.

So it’s time to write about other champions, someone like Jason Lezak.  Without him, Phelps would have one less gold medal.  As anchor of the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, Lezak had to chase Frenchman Alain Bernard, who at the time of the race was the world-record holder in the 100-meter freestyle, the event for which Bernard eventually won Olympic gold.  If the world-record holder has a lead, everyone probably agrees that chasing the fastest guy in the planet is impossible.  At one point, Lezak did picture defeat.

“I’m not going to lie,” Lezak said in the media conference after. “The thought really crossed my mind for a split-second, ‘There’s no way (to catch Bernard).’ ” But great champions find a way.  Lezak swam the most mind-boggling 100-meter freestyle relay time of 46.06 seconds.  For swimmers, this statistic is so incredible it’s like saying Tiger eagled all 18 holes, or Lebron scored 30 points per period.

At age 32 (old by swimming standards), with no major endorsement deals, and choosing to coach himself (training alone instead of with a team), plus harboring disappointing defeats from Sydney and Athens, Lezak proved that when the mind and body is faced with supreme obstacles, a superhuman spirit suddenly soars because it is imperative to be super.

Since the start of the Beijing Olympiad, I’ve been asked by reporters, organizations, and even good friends to describe the spirit of the Olympics.  I would hardly talk about my performance, but more so the qualities I saw in others.  Since many journalists have already described the greatness of a hundred Olympic feats, adding to the canon of stories is pointless unless I finally write about my personal Olympic experience. 

I did my lifetime best times two times, and faltered the other two times.  I guess my swimming results were 50-50.  Of course, I pushed myself 100 percent in all four events.  But as I climbed out of the pool each time, best time or not, and knowing I would never make it to the next round, I guess it took a lot of guts to accept being a tiny fish from a small pond, sunk in a big Olympic ocean.

Yet everybody, and I mean everybody, has a competitive nature.  No one will settle for silver if they can grab gold.  Since I was never going to win in the Olympic arena, I suppose my competitive nature automatically turned to something else that needed superhuman spirit.  And you know what, I bet Olympic gold medalists wouldn’t have the mettle to fight the fight I’ve been fighting for the past 20 years.  I’ve chosen to compete against the monster called Philippine Sports!  

I’m realistic -- we aren’t going to produce the likes of Michael Phelps in the Philippines.  But all countries, including ours, can create bravehearts like Jason Lezak.  If only Philippine sport doesn’t shoot itself in the foot before stepping onto the plane for the Games.

There isn’t enough space in this column to describe in detail the heartache of Seoul ’88.  I repeat, it wasn’t because of my swimming.  It was because of thieving.  What was stolen?  For one, Philippine pride -- our national flag fell to the ground because instead of embroidered flags sewn onto our parade uniforms, we were given car stickers that obviously couldn’t stick to cheap polyester.  You want to hear another?  Well, I could write an entire novel about fighting the monster.  I just hope my heart is brave enough to have a victory ceremony at the end of this story that’s a never-ending call to adventure.

In the meantime, I try to enjoy and appreciate the big and small blessings that come our way.  The other night, I saw Lebron James make this incredible bouncing pass in the USA versus Spain basketball game.  Plus, I felt emotional seeing 41-year old US swimmer Dara Torres crying on the victory stand.  Was she sad because she only got silver, or was she in tears because even she felt so much honor with her amazingly unbelievable achievement? 

To end, I must return to Michael Phelps, and say my two-cents-worth.  Despite his historic eight gold medal haul, I’m so happy to see that he is still a very simple, good guy.  He may be a monster in the pool, but I know he will never make a monster out of sports.

Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member in the De La Salle University – Manila Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business.  He teaches Sports and Recreation Management and Culture and Arts Management.  He is currently on his one-year sabbatical, but he continues to be coach the DLSU varsity swimming team.  This is the second of three parts that Professor Concepcion will write on the Olympic Games.  Part three will appear on September 3, 2008.  Comments can be sent to his email address:  concepcionr@dlsu.edu.ph

20-Year Old Olympic Soul

Seeing the Seoul Olympic stadium again, 20 years after the privilege of competing in the Olympic Games, wasn’t as dramatic as I thought it would be. 

Not that my memories of Seoul ‘88 were ordinary.  Quite the contrary, these were the Games when boxer Leopoldo Serrantes won bronze for our country.  I can still picture Serrantes dropping to his knees when the referee declared victory.  I also remember watching Steffi Graf and Greg Louganis compete, plus I saw them at the Olympic Village, heading to the dining hall to eat.  For those moments I felt like their equal -- even superstars get hungry like me! 

While in Korea last month, I had occasion to return to these memories.  Then I wondered what the adjective “Olympian” has meant to me for the past 20 years.  I had plenty of time to reflect because, for one, I couldn’t flag any cab down at the Seoul stadium.  Upon landing in Manila, my luggage was one of the last to come out.  Then on EDSA, what else can you do but think “heavy” when you’re stuck in heavy traffic.    

Over the years, I notice I always pick the wrong line at Jollibee.  I’m still subject to No I.D. No Entry.  And a virus killed the files in my USB.  Truth is the adjective is not a free pass to anything.  I’m not complaining, and I ask for no special treatment.  Other people actually volunteer that bit of info about me (someone said I’m modest and very proud of it).  Truth is I’ve been worried to write this piece knowing I’ll have to say I’m such and such.  Go ahead, roll your eyes, I could’ve picked a different topic, but I didn’t.

Not too many people know, but Leopoldo Serrantes has been confined at the Veterans Memorial Hospital the past two years due to a lung ailment.  High profile individuals helped him with medical bills, but he used the money to pay overdue rent.  The world’s third best light-flyweight in 1988 couldn’t pay rent.    

Some Filipino Olympians have lost dignity.  At the run-down and dirty national stadium named after our national hero, sometimes I would see them, stooped, shoulders down, hearts down.  Once upon a time they were literally our country’s best.  It is improbable that human beings of such high caliber could fall, but they did.  It appears they don’t even bother to dream of shining again, not anymore in their sport, but in simply belonging to the right line.

Some other Olympians have lost a different kind of dignity, and sadly, they don’t even know it.  They’ve lost moral fiber.  Sadder for them if they do know, so, they compensate their consciences with the carnivorous consumption that comes with corruption.  It is sorrowful that sportsmen who grew up being steadfast could spiral so swiftly down and out of scruples. 

Maybe it’s unwarranted to place grand expectations on people who just happen to be Olympians.  Many of them cheat, as you know, doping is always in the news.  And people cannot avoid sometimes being down on their luck (with rent, with health, with family, with emotions, with day to day living).  I’ve faced burdens beyond the trivial, and I admit I wasn’t always so strong. 

But I owe a duty to the sheer weight of this word.  Olympian is not only an adjective.  It is a big noun.  It is a powerful verb.  I have an obligation to keep my Olympic soul intact.  The once and future Olympians of pure virtue compete not for glory or gold, but for the beauty of what can be.  I cannot dishonor their philosophy.

Twenty years is now longer than the years it took me to become one.  By now I should’ve reached heights beyond the peaks of Mount Olympus if the spirit is supposed to keep me surging.  Or have I fallen too?  Do I need to return to sports just to prove my worth (and so be endorsing instead of queuing the slowest lines at Jollibee)?  It’s never too late, nor is anyone too old to be elite if your heart wills it –- just look at 39-year old American Sheila Toarmina, who’ll be competing in Beijing in her fourth Olympics, but in her third sport (Swimming 1996; Triathlon 2000 & 2004; Modern Pentathlon 2008)!

Back at the Seoul stadium, fantastic as it is, I realized it’s only a building.   The drama of climbing a whole mountain of valorous living is Olympian enough. 

Professor Rene F. Concepcion is a full-time faculty member at the De La Salle University Ramon V. del Rosario Sr. Graduate School of Business.  He is currently on his one-year sabbatical, but continues to be the head coach of the DLSU – Manila varsity swim team.  This is the first of Prof. Concepcion’s three-part series on the Olympic Games.  You may send your comments to concepcionr@dlsu.edu.ph.  The second part will appear on August 20, 2008.  

ARTICLE FOR THE COLUMN MIRROR IMAGE (BUSINESS MIRROR AUGUST 7, 2008)