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Lack of time is the number excuse for someone not to exercise, or in the case of triathlons, the top excuse not to train for one. Balancing time is always a delicate work that most triathletes find a challenge to manage. Training for triathlons is a time-consuming pursuit, and nowadays, lives are busier and multi-tasking is always a must.
Others have coped up with it by involving the whole family together in the pursuit of having a healthy lifestyle. One of those triathlon family in the Philippines is the Ramos family from Baguio City. Jet Ramos leads the bunch, and his most recent accomplishment was finishing as the top overall age-grouper in the National Age Group Triathlon in Subic last January. His wife Louann and their 3 male kids are all into the sport. AsiaTRI reached out to Jet and his family for an interview:
AsiaTRI: Can you tell us about you and your family’s background? How did the family started training for multisport?
Jet Ramos: I work for a non life insurance company while my wife, Louann works for a bank. Our kids are all in school Josh (14 yo) is in high school, Dash (10yo) and Arrow (8yo) are both in grade school. It may be one of those typical stories but after living a very unhealthy lifestyle (and with my dad and my wife’s parents succumbing to illnesses caused by vices), we came to the point where we wanted to start living clean, so we started running and the rest they say is history
AsiaTRI: As a triathlete based in Baguio, which is 1,700 meters above sea level, can you expound on how it has helped you be a better triathlete?
Jet Ramos: Baguio is definitely a beautiful place more so a very ideal training ground for athletes. with temperatures that usually don’t go higher than 26 C, lowest temperature this year was at 7.4 C, recovery is much faster for us. We also enjoy the high altitude training with our climbing bike routes where we can go as high as 7,400 meters above sea lvel- this is the highest point of Philippine high way system. Also, we have many vegetables and fruits ready available that contribute to our overall nutrition.
AsiaTRI: You are a family of triathletes, for you and your wife, how do balance work, family and training. And for the kids, how do you balance their time too..between school and training?
Jet Ramos: To begin with, it is not easy. Six days a week we are up by 4am. We start our workouts by 5am so that we get to work by 8am. Since we have a structured training program, we are able to plan our week ahead of time. This means making sure the kids’ things are ready for school, their uniforms prepared,etc.
After work, I sometimes do a short workout. a quick run or a quick swim. We are home before 7pm to make sure we all eat dinner together with the kids after which its homework time.
Josh our eldest follows almost the same training schedule as ours since he is also preparing for a big year ahead while the 2 smaller ones swim before school 2x a week. The 2 small ones Dash and Arrow usually have longer training time in the afternoon after school. We try our best to make it a fun time for the kids. Of course we see to it that their academics do not suffer.
AsiaTRI: You have become one of the top age groupers in the country, and well-known as the strong age-grouper from up North, what propelled you into the level you are in today.
Jet Ramos: First of all thank you I would want to say that it is a huge compliment however I would not want to completely believe all that because i know there are so many other stronger athletes out there. But again, thank you. As I mentioned,it never crossed my mind to consider myself as one of the top age groupers which may be one reason why i enjoy my trainings a lot– because i am always hungry for improvement.
With no background in swim bike or run, I always look forward to new learnings. In the 3 years that I have been in the sport, I have come to appreciate consistency as key if we want to keep moving towards our goal. I am blessed to be under the watchful eye of coach Ani De Leon-Brown who gives me my workouts. As she has said, 99% of athletes are probably doing what i am also doing, what makes the difference is the 1% that is found between both ears. So i always keep that in mind. Her traditional approach has been working very well plus her years of exposure and experience in the sport adds up to my good results on race day. I also get very good and productive advise and insights from the coach of my son Josh coach Kevin Eijansantos. With his advanced approach I am also able to better understand my body and its adaptability better. Coach Melvin Fausto who I also met early on in my so called triathlon career has also been very helpful with his insights and wisdom which have kept me well grounded thru the years- triathlon is not all swim bike run per se after all.
AsiaTRI: What would be the goal for in this year? And for your kid Josh? Family’s goal?
Jet Ramos: Towards the end of each year we always look back at the year that was. It gives us perspective of what the new year brings. As we closed 2016, we couldn’t have been more thankful for all the lessons learned. Some doors closed but more doors of opportunities opened. We are grateful to TRAP and PSC for believing in Josh’s potential and including him in the national team as one of the youth athletes. He is preparing for a series of races this year in the hope of qualifying our country to join the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires 2018. Whether he makes it or not, we are behind him 200%.
On the other hand, I’d want to collectively say that our family would want to continue loving the sport by pursuing excellence. In doing so together, I believe we will be able to reach our individual goals and aspirations. Aside from that, we would want to keep helping the TRI community grow in whatever way and thru whatever way we could be of help.
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