Candid Conversation with Coach Moi: Get GOing this 2025!

Haven’t felt the "new year new me" vibe for your health yet? Check out this conversation between our very own Dan Bergonia, Alumni of Broadband Business, and Coach Moi Yamoyam, the official coach of the Broadband Business Ironman Relay team!

INTRODUCTION

Dan: Ako po si Dan from Broadband Business. I'm currently a trainer for our teammates here in broadband and to our partners.

 The first time I joined a marathon was the ASICS marathon a week before. Pero ngayon po three time marathoner na ako. Kasi nag three-time na marathons po ako. Nag participate din ako noong Hoka National Finals just last year. 

Coach Moi: Last year. So you joined Asics, you joined Hoka, and you joined SG Marathon?

Dan: I just started my running journey lang over a year ago and then I had the vision for myself na what if I do a half marathon by mid year next year and then a full marathon by the end of the year. So meron talaga akong ganong road map before 2023 ended. 

Coach Moi: What a journey, three marathons in three weeks. Grabe ‘yon. You did it on your own or do you have a coach to guide you?

Dan: Actually Coach, I did it on my own.

Dan with the Puma Nitro Run Club

BUILDING A COMMUNITY

Coach Moi: Nice, nice. Ah it's very important to have a community ah, whether what your interest is, mas maganda to have the community because there will be accountability already. Iyon yung maganda doon.

Dan: Agree coach plus, you get to learn more about the sport from people with actual experience na. 

Coach Moi: Exactly. You shortened the learnings, oo.

Dan: Sinimulan ko lang talaga siya as a form of exercise or passion or actually talaga because work is engaging yet also has a lot of challenges in your day to day. So one way to de-stress or parag makaron lang ng mental break for a few hours, I do my runs. So yun yung isa sa mga benefits na nakuha ko from running.

Dan with fellow Ka-BB (Broadband) at Ayala tACbo 2025

Coach Moi: That's nice,, oo. With exercise, it helps talaga your mental health and headspace.

THE BEGINNING OF COACH MOI

Dan: Kayo, Coach Moi, san kayo nag simula po?

Coach Moi: I got involved more in sports when I was in college. Kung balikan ko 'yon, 'yong mga best years ko, nung college ako. 'Cause I'm actually doing four things when I was like college: so I'm a student. So when I was in college I'm very active in sports. Pangalawa, I'm also a swimmer of the school. Pangatlo, I'm actually also the head of the sport of the students. So pang apat, when I was on my third year, I was part of the national team triathlon. So four things at a time altogether. 

Coach Moi doing his thing, coaching Ka-Globe!

So now I'm, I've been coaching since I was in college. Every summer nira-racket ko income-income,  but nag full-fledged coach ako starting 2011.

COACHING AND THE ACADEMY

Coach Moi in the Open Water Swim Circuit in the Visayas region.

Coach Moi: I stated in 2011, I went out of the country that time and attended a seminar for coaching. I went back to that country after I got the certification. And that was a swimming certification that I attended. Then I started to open team but unfortunately, we are not able to continue reason why I started the Swim Academy where I put a decade of my knowledge to the Swim Academy so now next year 10 years na siya, isang dekada na. With one thing in mind, "what if I put up a community where everyone can come and go."

Openwater Swim Mastery is a program Coach Moi proudly has for aspiring athletes

Now in the next decade I'll dedicate myself to something that I can actually scale up already. So now I focus on events.. I'm doing open water and aquathlon events. And that's what we're preparing for in 2025 . And moving forward, possibly running. Hopefully soon baka mag move ako doon into running.

So kung nag simula ang Academy ng 2014, I organized open water events on 2015 naman. So almost isang decade na rin siya. Since, I love to organize events too.

Dan: Okay, Coach, noong nag start kayo with Swim Academy, how many students do you have versus currently? 

Coach Moi: So I started the first batch with 11 students. But usually, we have about 30 to 50. For now, I have cugro siguro lahat na naturuan ko na individually 'yong ah 'yong iba-iba baka almost more than a thousand people narin. Kasama na 'yong one on one and Kasama na sa academy. 

I am also doing some performance testing. So, I dedicate a part of my time and my life in bringing testing dito sa Philippines. I think currently we are three coaches who are doing it. One is Coach Don, the other one is Coach Allen, and Us. We are doing VO2 Max and Lactate Testing. ‘cos I think that’s something our elites need to have, like putting science into what we're doing.

Dan with the Puma Nitro Run Club because your community is important!

GETTING CONNECTED WITH GLOBE

Dan: Coach Moi pano naman po kayo nakapag simula with partnering with Broadband? May I know kung sino po yung first person you were able to get in contact with from Broadband or maybe from Globe?

Coach Moi: There are several Globe people in the academy. Like Janice, Tony, Kat! But it was Danny Theseira when he became my student and I know he has a significant role in Globe and Singtel. He always has a vision, and that is what you need to really perform in a corporate.

Coach Moi with Ka-Globe!

Part of that vision is where you can build sport –as a way of life. Kung ano ginagawa mo in sport exactly is what is you are doing in life. Danny always wanted to have more of that in Globe. To get many in sport and engage then into activities.

Coach Moi’s selfie with Danny and friends!

There's a reason why sinimulan niya for others to follow. So, he started swimming with me, then he joined races, and he encourage people “why not you join as well?”, that's I think where everything started.

And then an engagement like run clinic with Globe where I introduced the Running efficiency. So, these are few engagements we can create through Danny. I would like to thank Danny; he opened these opportunities.

WORK LIFE BALANCE

Dan: It is very important to have an active lifestyle. Kasi nga whatever discipline you build in the sport, para sa sarili mo, it follows through sa ibang aspect ng life mo. Like if you have the discipline to stick to a program, let's say a running program, you can definitely emulate that same discipline pagdating sa working or sa work ethics mo.

And I'm really happy with Globe kasi when I entered Globe then five years ago 2019 nagugulat na ako na para syang school, parang HR is openly promoting na join these clubs meron badminton club, may basketball club, sabi ko para ako nasa elementary ulit. Merong life outside of just working. You can spend your free time with your workmate not in the office pero somewhere else where you can all enjoy the same passion.

Coach Moi: You're very fortunate to have a company that also value active lifestyle. We are really opening up these opportunities for Ka-Globe para magkaroon ng work life balance.

ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS

Dan: Coach Moi, how about naman doon sa mga people who are trying to start their active lifestyle na journey especially for those maybe para magsisimula pa lang silang mag-brown kasi naeengganyo sila ng friends nila or gusto nila mag-venture into biking or swimming. Ano po yung one piece of advice that you can give them as as they start their journey?

Dan at the finish of the 21k Galaxy Watch Marathon.

Coach Moi: Siguro you ask yourself first if you have time for it. Kasi I think yun yung nakikita kong palaging challenge. They want to do something else. But they realize "oh no I'm too busy to do it pala." Kaya ginawa nila na one-month nalang. Kasi that will be your first step.

Second, I would say, find a community. You find a community who do exactly what you are doing. Do not go to a coach muna, for me ha. And if you think that you can put time and you have a community that helps you, now is the right time that you can now ask a coach to help you. Yun yung tatlong step for me ha.

Kasi baka sabi nila maghanap na kaagad ng coach. But for me, I think you need to have that commitment first the find a coach kasi pag may coach kana may accountability ka na that you have to follow.

Coach Moi and the community he's built, with Ka-Globe present too!

Dan: At first it might be challenging kasi bago siya sa routine mo pero once you have started it, na-set mo na yung sarili mo, mindset mo, magiging normal routine siya eh. 

I'm just happy with with how yung naging journey ko looking back kung pano po siya nag progress. Kasi nagsimula ako 10K ko, parang sabi ko “shoot kakayanin ko ba 10K?” The night before the race medyo worried ako kung matatapos ko ba siya pero ngayon parang 10K  kaya ko siya gawin kahit trip ko lang, 'di ba? Don't focus too much kung ano 'yong progress mo ngayon. Gawin mo lang siya consistently without you knowing it makikita mo nag-i-improve ka.

At some point talaga coach magiging competitive ka on yourself. Hindi naman sa gusto mong i-best yung other. Pero gusto mo lang mag-improve pa. Gusto mo lang maging better version of yourself.  So darating at darating pala talaga sa ganitong point.

Coach Moi: Yes correct. Everyone goes throught that journey. Ganon palagi. Be better yourself at yung sinasabi ni Garmin always, "Beat Yesterday!"

Finish strong and Beat Yesterday!

Were you inspired to share about get GOing? Why not drop a like and comment on your health resolution for this year! And if you’re interested in training with Coach Moi, check out Swim Academy PH, Run Academy PH, and Endurance Lab PH.