Off and Running

There’s a symbiotic relationship between Jay Teodoro’s work for Ayala Land’s fitness-forward estates and his success as a triathlete

“JUST do it.” A cliché, yes. But this was the motto that got Ayala Land Estates Assistant Vice President Jay Teodoro, Jr. into the challenging world of triathlons.

What has now become an indispensable part of Jay’s daily routine started with an event at the fitness-geared Vermosa estate. “Before, I only used to go biking, but because of the active lifestyle espoused by Vermosa, I had to walk the talk, as they say,” he says.

Jay had been biking for the past 20 years, but triathlons entered his life through an aquathlon event in Vermosa, one of the estates he is handling. 

“After we launched the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub, we organized an aquathlon. It was a swimming and running event. To support the event, I decided to register even though I didn’t know how to swim. I took a three-week swimming program and successfully completed the event. It was a natural progression to triathlon after that.”

When asked of any specific habits he developed in pursuing this passion, he says it’s simply a matter of setting your mind on the goal and putting in the hard work to achieve it.

Discipline

For many, 4 am is an unremarkable time of day—too late for restless night owls, and too early for energetic early birds. But for Jay, it is the perfect hour to start his daily routine. “I usually wake up at 4 am, start training at 4:30 and get to the office around 8,” says Jay.

“I train almost every day. I just have one rest day, Monday,” he says. “With triathlon training, you’re doing at least one of the activities every day—running, biking, or swimming. Then during the weekend, you dedicate that to your long training for either running, biking, or a brick workout, which is a combination of any two events.”

Through it all, discipline has become paramount to maintaining Jay’s routine as he juggles work, fitness, and family duties. When asked what his secret is to maintaining this balancing act, he says he owes it all to starting his day before sunrise. “It’s difficult, especially at first. But I think there’s a way to do it. You just need to wake up really early.” Down to the weekends, Jay plans his mornings to sustain a thriving work-life balance. “When my family’s sleeping, I’m already training. Then, I’m already home when my family’s awake.”

So, what makes this rigorous routine worth it? 

For Jay, it’s the achievement of a higher level of performance. “They say for most triathletes, if they aren’t able to train for a day, their day is incomplete,” he says. “You get used to it. Honestly, early in the morning, I wake up thinking, ‘Do I have to do this?’ Then I push through that thought, pull myself up, and start working out. When I’m done, that’s the time I think, ‘Uy, buti na lang I got up.'”

Passion 

Fortunately, Jay’s work in fitness-oriented estates like Vermosa and NUVALI and his love for fitness were able to coexist in a harmonious symbiosis. “In a way, being an athlete is what inspired me to conceptualize these estate projects. At the same time, these projects themselves paved the way for me to become a triathlete.”

As his genuine passion for fitness drove his work forward, the projects became successful. Now, NUVALI and Vermosa have grown into fitness-forward estates that host thriving athletic communities. Jay himself has also enjoyed success as a triathlete, having finished his first full Ironman—a 3.8-km swim followed by a 180-km bike ride and a full marathon, a 42-km run—just last March.

As the world starts to reopen and more sports events are coming back, like the recent Green Run at Vermosa last July 3, Jay is even more excited to renew this passion and be more active in training again.

“Not everyone can finish full triathlons,” says Jay. “Very few people can. There’s a unique satisfaction you get from knowing, ‘Hey, I can finish it pala.’” 

After years of simply saying “Do it,” Jay’s mindset of conquering the seemingly impossible has become second nature, as it takes some superhuman strength for him to simply accomplish his everyday routine.