What's Up, Doc?

(I know, I know, the title is a lil' bit cliche and cheesy, but I couldn't help it...)



The heatwave has been unbearable lately, but I'm so psyched to get a good run this weekend. Good thing there will be lots of doctors around for any fainting spells! ;)

Thanks to my good friend, Running Fatboy, who got me the free race kit. Awe-some!

Good Run: Shake Yo' Booty-Tail (Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run 2011)

After all those meetings, and everything about running and dogs and running and dogs (yep, that's no typo error) for the Pet Express Doggie Run, MY RUNS and MY DOGS ironically took a backseat. You can just imagine how envious I was seeing all the other dog lovers running with their four-legged running buddies. But of course, all that "seeing green" just took a nanosecond before it was quickly replaced with excitement, happiness, and overwhelming gratitude at the successful outcome of the run.

So when another run opened its doors to the canine kind, you can bet that I'd be there, dragging my running buddy and its furry behind ASAP!

The Good Housekeeping Family Fun Run 2011 (pets included!) was held at the Manila Ocean Park last April 3. I decided to bring our golden retriever, Phoebe, to run with this time. (My dachshund, Imp, ran a 3K in last year's dog run while BFF Phoebe cheered him on. Imp ran with my sister. I was working as one of the organizers. So, yeah, green with envy! ;P)

RACE DAY- Phoebe and I piled into the car and set off to Luneta Park. And, in true Phoebe form, as soon as the car doors opened, out she rushed excitedly wagging her booty-tail as we ran from one end of Luneta to the Grandstand. Apparently, pacing was NOT an option.

Phoebe was already all pooped out (Really. We had to make a "quick stop"...) before the 1K Pet Run, that when the actual race started, we had to take it slow and took a few walking breaks in between that looooooong stretch. But who cares? We ran, we finished, we had a whole lotta fun! It's always a blast running with (wo)man's best friend. Always.

{It's Phoebe's first official race. Woo-hoo!}

{Good Houskeeping family fun!}

{Hanging out with dogTV peeps: host John Hendrix, Sugar, and Marvin}

{The unveiling of Summit's Good Dog Magazine.}

One Free Run, One Free World (Hyundai Run for a Cause 2011)

They say nothing in life is free anymore, but the organizers of the Hyundai Fun Run beg to differ. With all the races out there, and a lot of organizations and brands joining in the bandwagon, it doesn't take a genius to realize that there's money to be made in the running boom. So when you chance upon a cheap, or in this case, a more unbelievable FREE registration fee, the first thing you'll wonder about is "What's the catch"? And they're giving away a singlet, plus there's a racing chip too! So, yeah, there must be a catch there somewhere... A well organized race, the Hyundai Run for a Cause 5K and 10K race is their company's version of a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), supporting (4) major causes:

1. GAWAD KALINGA CENTER for Social Innovation – whereby Hyundai will forward its advocacy of PRO-People Empowerment, particularly of the youth, to become the new forerunners of economic progress and development through entrepreneurial dynamism.

2. ST. SCHOLASTICA'S PRIORY – In recognition of Sr. Mary John Mananzan as One of the Top 100 Most Inspiring People in the World by Women Deliver, the leading global advocate fighting for women’s rights and maternal health, Hyundai has forged into a partnership with the Institute of Women’s Studies of the St. Scholastica’s Priory to propagate its PRO-Health and Well-Being advocacy.

3. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY – This alliance will bring to fruition the Hyundai mission to provide decent homes for the marginalized sector of the society, encapsulated in its PRO-Poor advocacy. Beyond providing the structure, Hyundai aims to build new homes in a nurturing and thriving environment to ensure the sustainability of the Filipino families.

4. HARIBON FOUNDATION – whereby Hyundai will hope to realize its vision for a thriving and sustainable world “where cars, people, and the planet coexist as one dynamic system” embodied in the green slogan of its PRO-Environment campaign, Together We Can for a Green Tomorrow.

So, how does this work, how were they able to help when there were no portions of the registration fees to be donated at all? Did Hyundai pledge to donate a peso for every person who ran? The way I see it, with around 25,000 runners who participated, that's 25,ooo people they managed to make aware of their (4) causes. And since Hyundi has done its part in educating the masses, it's now up to us to do something about it. So, to those who ran in the Hyundai Run for a Cause (free) fun run, what were YOU running for?

{Just 1 out of the 25K+ runners at the Hyundai Run.}

{Running for a cleaner environment.}

{Ran for a Cause}

{Ran into my mom... =) Support!} {Rediscovered: Luneta Park's Running Path}

Zebra Day (A.K.A. Ze Day I Ran Up, Down, All Around)

{April 1 is Swatch Zebra Day}

.

I've always known that April Fool's Day is a day of fun and practical jokes. Last Friday, I went to Rockwell Power Plant Mall thinking that I'd finally be getting the picture frame-esque Jeremy Scott Swatch Opulence I've been drooling for. Little did I know that it wouldn't be your typical malling afternoon. But then again, I guess I should've known that the moment I saw human zebras zipping by...

Apparently, Swatch Watch is celebrating Zebra Day!

My friends and I were just curious onlookers when we first spotted the zebras at the parking lot, and then all over the mall. Ahhh, then we saw the "tourists"- ordinary mall goers rushing to have their pictures taken with the zebras. What's up with that? It was a race! The first 20 people who completes the challenge gets to win a spankin' new Swatch Zebra! How. Cool. Is. That?

Aside from the infectious excitement in the air, an impromptu foot race was just too hard to resist for this dormant runner. First rule, you had to be wearing either: a) A black & white outfit; b) Neon anything; c) Zebra print. Lo and behold, zebra printed me!

So, off I went in search of a zebra, with my very game, albeit slightly embarassed, posse in tow. The task was to get photographed with a zebra in all 5 color zones spread out in the mall. If you're fast enough, and your entries check out, you get a neon, stripe-y prize.

Sounds easy enough, eh? But those zebras can sure be frisky. They wouldn't stay still and kept frolicking around. You had to gently coax them to follow you to have their pictures taken. And to add more to the challenge, I had to make a few detours because some of my supposed zones were not the specific color zones. Sneaky, sneaky. That cost me a few precious minutes too. After rushing to complete the missing zones, I finally made it back to the marshals just in the nick of time.

Whew, snagging a Swatch spot was literally a photo finish! .

{A very colorful list.}

{First zebra sighting at the pink zone.}

{Orange you glad you spotted a zebra?}

{Sigh, April Fool's joke on me. No zebra zone had me do a detour.}

{Note: The zebra zone was just on the other side of this wall!}

{Aha! Caught a wild one!}

{Please don't run and make me go after you. I'm not in my running shoes today...}

{Hello, yellow!} {Blue Zebra Zone} {The elusive zebra zone. Haaay, you almost made me lose, green!} {My Amazing Z-Team! Thanks, guys!} {Ze sister, ze BFF, and ze BFF's BF} {My winning ticket to a cool zebra watch. Yay!} {Ze Ultimate Prize: A Swatch Zebra in Pink}

A day of wild, spontaneous fun with a fabulous souvenir to remember it by. Definitely no zzzz's on a Friday malling afternoon, that's for sure. ;) Thanks, Swatch, for an amazing experience!

P.S. I'll get my Jeremy Scott Swatch Opulence soon. But first, let me enjoy a little QT with my new Swatch Watch named, Z!

UPDATE: I got my kick-ass Jeremy Scott picture frame Swatch already. Love it! Now if only it matched my running outfits... ;)