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Runner Interview: Blas Tiangco, Part 1 of 2

Blas Tiangco on the road in Bataan

During the Cebu City Marathon 2010 and Condura Run, I coincidentally photographed Blas Tiangco and it was in this circumstance that he invited me to photograph also the runners of the then upcoming Bataan Death March Ultramarathon (BDM102) by being part of his support crew. I readily accepted.

Check this two part interview I did with the 31 year old Blas. To date, he has finished five marathons, finished 81st in the BDM102 and blogs on life, work and running at Midnight Pencil.

Fit and Run (FaR): Can you give a short background of yourself?

Blas Tiangco (BT): I am pesco-vegetarian for almost 10 years now and I work as a business continuity planner/risk manager for a business process outsourcing company in Metro Manila. My passions in life include teaching, traveling, writing and lately… RUNNING!

FaR: Have you always been active? Why running? Can you give a background of your running history?

BT: Active? Hmmm, I guess on and off thing. I love the outdoors and climbing mountains. I love the feel of the sun, especially during the early parts of the day [but not the noontime sun!] and I just enjoy the sounds of nature too.

My mother was most instrumental in my running history. I remember very well the first time she bought me my first pair of Nike running shoes in 1988. I was in fourth grade and Nike was already all the rage back then during my childhood. I saw the print and television ads for the shoe and kept dreaming that somehow, someone would give me that pair of running shoes. When she returned from her trip to the USA, I was pleasantly surprised that she bought a pair of running shoes for me, slipped it on immediately and kept running around with playmates the entire day! The best part about those shoes was not that it was the latest model, nor because it was Nike — but my mother was sensitive to what I wanted without me telling her.

Over the years, I still kept running in school up until college. I trained a few months with the UP Track and Field team but gave it up because the discipline was just too much for me. I didn’t like the fact that I had to wake up early and train in the morning and evening. From then on, I was just doing leisurely runs instead of training hard for road races and competitions. I also dropped out of the UP Track Team training pool. When I started working, I totally forgot about running and took up mountaineering instead. It still required me to do runs, but not as much as running for a marathon.

Fit and Run (FaR): Does being a pesco vegetarian affect one’s running?

Blas Tiangco (BT): Being a pesco vegetarian (fish and vegetables) indeed affect one’s running though I would like to qualify it further. About two decades ago, people say that performance is 80% running and 20% nutrition. Now the thinking has reversed and that nutrition is more important to follow than the actual exercise program. I don’t really know if this is true, but I can tell you that I feel stronger now than before I changed my diet. I think the one thing that I enjoy about it is that I don’t have to worry too much about eating too much fat since the only fat that I eat comes from fish, which is considered as good fat.

One thing I can share about diets and running, what one eats before a race affect one’s run. It’s best to eat something light before a long run and then eat something heavy just after it. A good combination of carbs and a little protein before running and after running is what one needs.

FaR: You told me about some implants in your leg that you have. What are these?

BT: Ten years back, I had a knee injury in my right leg that affected the anterior cruciate ligament [ACL]. It was a complete tear of the ACL for me and that meant that my knee was now unstable. I had to undergo an operation and at that time, the best solution was to harvest part of the patella and make it into a new ligament. But to keep the new ligament in place, they had to use titanium alloy screws to keep it in place. Thus, I now have titanium implants for the rest of my life.

These implants have permitted me to do running again. Furthermore, I also need to keep running — for the muscles surrounding the knee that put the new ligament in place strong. So in a way, the operation became a blessing as it has allowed me to be in this sport. So far, I do not really feel it affecting my runs. Although during the cold months of December to February, I do notice that my knee tends to stiffen up a bit but there’s no pain and hopefully, none so far in the years ahead.

Pre ultramarathon preparation at KM 0

FaR: Why did you join the BDM102 Ultramarthon?

BT: I joined because it fell on the month of my first road race anniversary year. But as the months inched closer to race date, I started to reflect upon the history of the Bataan Death March. I was reminded of death itself, as the race date fell on the birthday of a good friend who had already passed away. Most of all I was reminded of many verses in the Bible that pertained to running a marathon and running a race to win. All these things, I have written in my blog entry and reminded me that running has become my form of worshiping God, my act of prayer as if each step that I take is like a prayer banging on the earth that goes to heaven and reaches His ears. So all these things are the reasons that made me join. I wanted to know what God has in store for me on the road to the finish line.

FaR: Is it difficult to do the ultramarathon? What were your preparations (in terms of psychological, fitness and logistical)?

BT: Having just finished my first ultramarathon, at 102 kilometers at that — I can say that it is indeed challenging to do an ultramarathon. I detest using the word difficult because it sounds negative. I am a naturally negative person to begin with and it is only my faith in the invisible God that has enabled me to transcend my state of gloom and doom. It is a daily battle, much like it is a daily decision to get out of bed and start walking or running. And the battle of the mind is the first plain that needs to be conquered in preparing for a race; whether it be a short one, like a 10k, a 42k marathon or an ultramarathon.

Preparing for the BDM was challenging too. Working in the night shift and sometimes doing double shift duty [as most part of 2009 I was technically a one-man department], carving out time to run every week seemed nearly impossible. But like I said earlier, the battle of the mind is important to conquer and so I told myself the moment I signed up for the BDM that I will finish that race, and will prepare for it. So I made it a point to put in my journal and calendar certain times of the day each week to run and joined many races in 2009 during weekends too. These helped me stay focused because there’s something magical that goes on during organized road races. The energy is just so positive among fellow runners regardless of one’s speed in finishing the course! I guess that positive energy rubbed on me and that also helped sustain me with my running schedule.

During one of the company sponsored runs that we had, I won first place for the company division! [10 Mile Power Mile Market! Market!] This totally shocked me and my officemates because they were expecting another person to grab it. None of them knew that I was passionate about running and that a week before the race, I just finished my first marathon, in the sweltering heat of summer 2009! [Botak 42k Marathon] That became a shining beacon of hope for me. It made me see that anything is possible. It encouraged me further to just push more and made me more confident about myself.

I guess the hardest part of preparing for an ultramarathon is the strength training program. Most runners don’t like lifting weights. It takes awhile for them to get into this routine. For me, it was the thought that I will be doing the BDM pushed me at least twice a week. Still, I think it was just barely enough to prepare me for the race.

This year, I will definitely up the ante with my strength training program. As for logistics, I learned that no matter how much one prepares for an event — there are things that just comes up. Friends that suddenly aren’t available to help out, other budget concerns like stretching one’s budget to make it to the next payout. Still, I think I would have to go back to my first line of thought — that the first battlefield is in the mind. I said to myself that I will join this race, I will finish this race and I will finish it strong.

Part 2 in following post.

Similar Posts:

• Runner Interview: Blas Tiangco, Part 2 of 2
• Making it to the Bataan102 Ultramarathon finish line
• I’m back to running again!
• Relieved that I finished the race w/o pain!
• Wrapping up my first week of couch-to-5k running plan

Estan Cabigas is a multiawarded blogger, freelance photographer and a newbie runner based in Makati City, the Philippines. A true blue Cebuano, he makes stunning images and meaningful photo stories. He has writtten for CNN Go and his photograph published in the May 2010 issue of the National Geographic Magazine.

To know more about him and his photography, visit estancabigas.com.

Tags: Interview, runner

15 March 2010 | Interview, Runners | .