Eco Warriors Slash Runners (Nat Geo Earth Day Run 2016)

I was supposed to run at the half marathon category, but decided to downgrade to a 10K instead. Good thing I did, as I really enjoyed the leisurely run, especially since we've been drowning in sweat these past few weeks. Is is just me, or is this summer especially scorching?

I must say though, I'm glad that the organizers had the foresight to make the gun starts earlier. Though it's not unusual for the full or half marathoners to start madaling araw, I appreciate that the 10K category started earlier than usual at 4:30 AM, which saved us runners from the extra hot morning. 

I even finished the run early enough to enjoy the runner's village with no lines at the booths. Little victories. haha. I felt bad that I wasn't able to line up to drop my "I am running for the..." stub my chosen beneficiary's drop box though. I kinda forgot 'coz I was busy checking out all the booths. For the record, I am running for the Irrawaddy Dolphins!

All in all, I think the Nat Geo Earth Day Run 2016 was a success! Thousands of people joined (I think they even added more race bibs), not only in the Philippines, but also simultaneously across Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Taichung. And what's good is that I saw a lot of runners bring their own water bottles to help minimize the disposable cups at the water stations. Good job, eco-warrior runners! :)

Nat Geo Earth Day Run 2016 Results here.

10K Starting Point at BGC

Rockstar mascot!
Didn't know who he was.
I heard someone say he's the Meralco Man, but it turns our he was the Cherifer Boy. ;) 

Kalayaan bridge.
Look at that sky! How do you even describe that? Cotton candy, maybe. :)

A kilometer away from the finish line at McKinley Hills.

Congratulations, eco warrior finishers!

Betadine game. Steady hands (not mine).
I won a bunch of sample packs here.

A new muscle spray player in town. All natural ingredients and all the way from India.
Bought a can, since it's only P120 introductory price here at the run (from P400 original).

A Starbucks booth at the runner's village.

I probably deserve this Frappuccino, right? ;)

All natural brewed tea by homegrown brand, Bayani Brew.
The teas were brewed by nanays from Gawad Kalinga.

Ice cooooold iced tea!

Thank you for the race kit, Takbo.ph (Jinoe & Que). :)

Facebook Memories & Mark Zuckerberg's "A Year of Running" Challenge

I like how Facebook has this "Share a Memory" feature which takes you back to the posts of yesteryears. This morning, this photo popped up in my news feed...

This was from the Condura Run way back in 2010(?), I think. It's a nice memory, especially since it kinda bummed me out that I didn't get to join this year (because I'd like to think I'm such a Condura loyalist. haha). It was my cousin's wedding the night before, and we stayed up merrymaking until the wee hours of the morning. So, family (and sleep!) trumped running.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

On that note, have you heard about Mark Zuckerberg's, yes, the founder of Facebook, running challenge? It's 365 miles in 1 year, or basically a mile a day. 

Add yourself to the group "A Year of Running" on Facebook. This is a pretty attainable goal for newbies and a fun community to take part in for seasoned runners. Check it out!

A Year of Running

https://www.facebook.com/groups/954704787945183/

Are you up for the challenge?

I love seeing the different places people run in on different countries. From a leisurely run around a mundane neighborhood, from urban jungles to the real ones, it's just cool to see how people from all around the world are connected via running. Everyone has good and bad running days. Everyone needs a push every now and then. Everyone is just out on a run. How fun. ;)

Oh my, now that's an awesome running backdrop!

I feel ya! It's like you're running in UK too.

From running in urban jungles to trail running in jungle jungles... Just wow. 

Rainy Days and Run Days (Tempra Run Against Dengue 2014)

Running for Dengue Awareness

Monsoon season is here and rainy days abound. It's been so hard finding the chance to run after work since it's been raining cats and dogs almost every day. Visibility is almost always zero. Fortunately (or unfortunately), this run, that was supposed to have gone on last week, was postponed to this weekend due to the typhoon. As luck would have it, my sister was able to register for me just the day before. So here I am! 

The Tempra Run Against Dengue is on their third year and counting. Their advocacy in creating awareness towards thwarting those darn dengue carrier mosquitoes is bigger than ever. And I think it's just apt that they use running as a means to spread it. I mean, after all, it's the runners who are mostly up and running in the morning when those dengue mosquitoes are out and about.

So in line with that, here's a friendly public reminder on the prevention of dengue for you runners!

Tips on Preventing Dengue (while out running):

1. Know thy enemy. The aedes aegypti mosquito, adorned in black and white stripes, is usually found in tropical climates. Watch out for stagnant water and the like. 

2. Cover up. Wear long sleeves, leggings/compression pants, or jogging pants when out running. But if you still prefer wearing shorts...

3. Use insect repellent. Or any insect-repelling paraphernalia like those mosquito patches or citronella wristbands.

4. Fight back. If and when infected, know the symptoms and start taking the necessary measures (e.g. Consulting with your doctor and drinking medicine to lower the fever right away).

Now, back to our regular post-run analysis...

I woke up to the sound of pounding rain sometime after midnight. Good thing the rain was all gone by the time I woke up for the run. It was still pitch black at the venue when I got there (that I couldn't even find where the assembly was). By 5:30, the race still hasn't started (10K was supposed to start at 5:00 A.M.), and I was getting a little bit impatient. It was still a bit dark, and I wanted to run before the sun came out because I forgot to put on sunblock!  

Apparently, there was a mugging incident somewhere along the route earlier, so the organizers decided to wait until the sun came out-- which was around 45 minutes later. Better safe that sorry, I guess. 

The race was off to a great start: the weather was cloudy and little windy; the 10K runners were sparse (Yeah, I liked that. I miss small runs.); and the route was flat and familiar. Starting point was the empty lot across Folk Arts Theatre, then headed towards Roxas Blvd., then to Buendia, turned right towards World Trade Center, then headed back to CCP area. Aaand repeat.

The first half of the race was nice and easy running. The second half, however, had us share the road with the 5K/3K(?) runners, which were mostly composed of student groups walking as a pack, like they were in a rally instead of a race! There were a few times that I missed out on some turns because the corners were blocked (by the pack). I had to back track a couple of times when I realized I missed the openings. There were no markers for the turns, and some of the marshals I asked gave me wrong (or rather unsure) directions. They probably weren't briefed enough. Or maybe it was too early in the morning. Which I can also blame for my missing the turns! haha. 

It wasn't really much of a big deal, but I kinda got bummed as I crossed the finish line and realized that I missed breaking my 10K PR (personal record) by a mere minute. Those were approximately 3 precious minutes that I could have shed off my time. Argh~ Although, record or not, it was still an enjoyable run.

Oh, and the best part in running in the CCP area (Viva Manila!), are the dime a dozen taho vendors roaming the streets. I treated myself to a cup of that muscle-recovering, superfood, soy, before heading home. You know, for almost (@!#%!?) breaking my PR. ;)

Post-Run Recovery Food: Tahoooooo!!! 

Keep On Running and Hanger On

My takbo.ph Medal Hanger

Meet my new running motivator!

Finally got down to posting about my new medal hanger (I've had this hanging for a few days now), after I finally got down to displaying my medals on the hanger (I've had this hanger for a few weeks now). haha

I call this my "Blood, Sweat, & Tears" medal hanger. I'm exclusively filling it up with only full marathons (42K), ultra marathons (50K), and Doggie Run medals. 

The "Blood" is for the ultra, because I got my first ever running injury when I did my first run over 42K last year. The "Sweat" is for the full marathons, because, well, you know, it's really hard! And the "Tears" is for the Doggie Run races, because although it was only 1.5/3/5K distances, organizing a race is a bitch! (That's female dog to those unfamiliar with canine lingo.) The first time we held it and encountered a major snafu, I just walked around in a daze for an hour and cried! It's all good now. I'm glad I went through that stress. It taught me to believe in myself, the rest of the team, and to just carry on. The Doggie Run series is going strong on its 4th year, and it's true what they say about whatever doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger! But I digress. Let's go back to the hanger. 

I can't wait to fill this baby up! As you can see, I have a loooong way to go. I have a couple of marathons that I'm registered for this year, so DNF (Did Not Finish) is not an option! I keep seeing the empty slots and wanting to sign up for the next big run. haha. OC-ness... How's that for motivation? ;)

Oh, I got this nifty little paraphernalia from Takbo.ph (can you spot their logo?). It comes in black or white finish, and can hold up to 30 medals. You can order  your very own running motivator here. 

Rescue Run 2013: Bangon Visayas!

Rescue Run 2013

"Greentenial Run raised Php 293, 380.00. Thank you for running with us." -from Greentenial Run's Facebook page

It's Skyway or the Highway

#4.A.M. #Makati #runningbuddies #longrun

Finally managed to squeeze in a long run. Yay! The weather was perfect. Cool, breezy, cloudy, with a sprinkling of a split-second shower. Tagged along with Dennis & Per, who's training for her first marathon- in Disneyland- on January 2013, and a couple other runners, Val and Mary, who will also be running their first marathons via The Bull Runner's Dream Marathon. Good luck, guys!!!

Meanwhile, I'm happy to start my first official training run for the upcoming Condura Skyway Marathon 2013. Marathon #3, baby! Woo-hoo!!! I know a month (40 days as of today) is a bit of a short notice to train for a full marathon, especially after a long hiatus, but I was feeling quite confident that I could do it.

First of all, since I haven't been consistently running, I've been eating healthier and consciously being more active in mundane tasks. Having coffee break at the office meant walking a whole kilometer to the nearest cafe just to get a cup o' Joe. And that's knowing I have a month's stash of 3-in-1s (I'm not a coffee snob) in my desk drawer.

Secondly, we all know how the Condura 42K slots sold like hotcakes soon as it went up. It was 42K or nothing for me at the Condura Run, so I wasn't expecting to join after learning it's been sold out already. But then slots opened up again just as I was in Greenbelt. Talk about being at the right place at the right time! I say this was meant to be, because my sister was just at the Condura registration area during lunch time, and there were no more 42K slots available anymore. I was in the area that same evening, and casually asked if they still had 42K slots. Surprise, surprise, they were just delivered a handful of bibs a few minutes ago. I'm taking that as a sign from the Universe. I was meant to run the Sky. ;)

To everyone running Condura, see you guys soon!

How To Win Really Awesome Shoes

Skechers? Running? Really???

Those were the first things that popped into my head when Skechers Philippines invited us runner-bloggers to the launch of their minimalist shoe, the Skechers GO RUN series. To be honest, I was so used to associating Skechers as a lifestyle and "street dance" shoe rather than an athletic brand, that I was a bit skeptical and a lot curious.

Being the early bird in the bunch, I was able to browse through their selection of running shoes in peace. Aesthetically speaking, Skechers GO RUN is actually in the running (pardon the pun) for being one of the best-looking athletic shoes in the market. The collection boasts of rainbow hued trainers- one for each day of the week and more! My eyes quickly gravitated towards the neon blue ones, and I remember thinking "Yep, I want you".

Skechers GO RUN features SmartShoe technology for a mid-foot strike.
(Notice how the shoe doesn't lay flat? Now that's smart.)



Impulse sensors are strategically placed for enhanced sensory feedback.

As soon as the rest of the runner-bloggers arrived at the Skechers store in Market!Market!, the event started with Skechers GO RUN endorser and Runner's World Philippines' cover girl, Michelle Estuar, giving a testament on how awesome Skechers GO RUN is.

(Continue reading and you'll see how I became a convert...)

Michelle Estuar

After all that technical talk, it was time for a few fun and games. Apparently, those treadmills sitting around the event area wasn't for a demo, but for a running contest! And since I was already clad in my running outfit (there was a dress code), I naturally volunteered. ;) Natch! (Okay, maybe there was a little bit of that competitive spirit hovering too.)

I was grouped with fellow long distance runners, Gigi (32K) and (102K), all of us admittedly competitive, but more importantly, loved the would-be prize: a pair of Skechers GO RUN shoes. Those alone were reason enough to get on that treadmill and run as fast as we could to be the first to reach 500m.
 

Gigi and me hamming it up.

 

Let's get rrrready to rrrumble!!!

My heart was pounding so hard.

I haven't been the most diligent runner lately, so to be paired with accomplished runners was both a thrill and a threat. But, hey, I've never been one to back down from a challenge, and it's all in the spirit of fun anyway.

But yes, I do have a gameplan. Since this would be a race to finish first, I kind of decided that pacing would be out of the question. Half a kilometer of intense running was, umm, doable...

The countdown begins, and off we go!

I started off on #5 speed on the treadmill for a few seconds and quickly leveled up to 10. I was feeling strong. 11... 12... 13... Whoa, this is kinda fun! 14... 15... I think I can do more. 16... aaand then hurriedly went back to 15. Oops, no I can't. I was laughing so hard in my head. Whew, almost flew off the treadmill there! I stayed on level 15 until I heard the spotter yell out Done! Then immediately stopped and jumped off the conveyor belt (Kids, don't do that at home!). What a rush!!! I felt exhilarated. It didn't even register right away that I had already won.

This is what exhilaration looks like. A little unruly, but great!

I walked around to cool myself down afterwards. Truthfully, I kind of saw spots for a bit, but that was such a trippy experience. Not to mention so cool that I won really awesome shoes! They were surprisingly really soft and comfortable. It was like running on air. I'm definitely a believer.

So to sum the night up (and I'm pretty sure everyone else felt the same thing too), win or lose, it was a good run!

Bernice of Skechers awarding the winners with a pair of GO RUN shoes.
Yay! Congrats to everyone!

Thank you, Skechers, for the awesome event. Can't wait to use those baby blues on my next road run.

P.S. Blog post on my Skechers GO RUN shoe review during the Condura Marathon 2012 coming up!

Blogger celebrities and a soon-to-be Hollywood royalty. ;)

Running Fatboy and TAKBO.ph Main Men with Michelle Estuar.

Couldn't resist. She's soooo fluffy!

Looks like Takbo.ph little man couldn't resist too! So cute. Both of 'em. ;)



Class Picture



There's Something About Orange

There's something about orange that makes me want to run.

If there's a color for running, then mine would probably be orange. This I serendipitously discovered while shopping for new workout gear with my friend, Lisa, in BHS.

After a long text consulation with my inside man, Mr. Nike Shoe Specialist (not to mention after half an hour of squatting and making "running start" poses to know if it could adapt to my moves), I had narrowed down my choices to the WMNS Air Pegasus+, Lunarelite+ 2, until I finally decided on the Nike Lunarglide+ 2 for its stability and cushioning. .

We were shopping in the middle of the day, so I had loads of time to make a decision on the model of the shoe. Oh, but wait, then there's that superficial issue on what COLOR to get...

I was torn between orange and purple. And when I say torn, I really mean t-o-r-n. Fellow geminis can relate.

After much deliberation, I gave in to the footwear version of the orange Stabilo Boss highlighter. I then realized that most of my past running shoes were also orange/gray combos.

So, then it got me (over)analzing more. What is it about orange? I mean, I did dedicate a freakin' blog post to this thought!

Maybe because...

Orange (and yellow) reminds me of sunrise, traffic cones, a citrusy tower of fluffy breakfast pancakes.

Whereas purple reminds me of dusk, lavander tea, things that make me go Ohm...

I dunno, there's just something about orange that makes me wanna run.

What about you? What's your color for run?

21 Kilometers, 16 Roadkills, 1 Clean Run (Greenfield Clean Air Run 2011)

{Running Fatboy and Me- Gasping for air while attempting to give an easy post-21K smile for the camera.

Di halata that we're dying inside 'no? ;)}

{Thanks for the pics, Running Atom!}

Hello, Greenfield. We meet again.

No, there's no animosity involved with running in Greenfield. Quite the contrary. My first run in Greenfield (some 2 years back) was memorable in so many ways. It would be my first time riding the provided shuttle that would take us from Greenfield EDSA all the way to Greenfield Sta. Rosa, Laguna. The run was hard, but what made me panic was losing a running buddy (nothing dramatic in the end-- just a dedicated runner that lost his way post-race) and missing the shuttle bus that would take us back to good ol' Manila.

This year, although skipping the shuttle this time, would be no different. I remembered my last Greenfield route to be hot, hard, and long, so it was a blessing that the looming summer showers provided a cool breeze during the run. Picturesque fields and wide desolate roads as the backdrop was a welcome change to the urban streescape of Manila races. Really, traveling to Sta. Rosa for that dose of fresh, clean air alone was definitely worth it.

The race was well organized (by RunRio), with an abundance of road marshals in almost every turn (so you can be sure that no one would be getting lost this time). Coach Rio himself was riding around in a motorcycle (or was it a scooter?) cheering the runners on too! With the terrific weather and the ample hydration stations, I'm guessing no one could use the heat as an excuse for a less than stellar run.

I had my earphones plugged to my ears, but it conked out on me at the 12k point of the race. Still, it wasn't such a bad thing, since the silence made me appreciate this race more and feel one with nature. In fact, nature was the one thing that kept me company during my long run, as I played a game of "Spotted" and mentally ticked off the number of dead animal carcasses I passed by on the road (I know, it's morbid. But I had to keep my eyes peeled for them since I didn't want to hear the squish of frogs, rats, or some poor woodland creature under my running shoes). I'm just glad that I had an enjoyable, leisurely run that I NEVER once felt like roadkill.

I'll be seeing you again, Greenfield. It was good, as always. ;)

 {Yay, 21K!}

{Heya, Bloggerunners!}

Heroes Welcome

"Soldiers selflessly offer their lives for the protection of their country, but their deaths would definitely shatter their children's dreams of a bright future. Education is a big help to those kids. This is our chance to help."

- Takeshi Yano, Yamaha Motor Phil. President

{Wecome note by YMPH President Takeshi Yano}

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the press and bloggers launch of the "Yamaha Run for Heroes" race. Despite the rain and traffic, media people trooped over to the Yamaha Motor showroom in Ortigas to know more about this upcoming heroic run.

Yamaha Motor Philippines, with the help of RunRio, spearheads another run that's one for the books. On July 3, 2011, recreational and serious runners can choose from the 3/5/10/21K routes running through the urban landscape of Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. (More race event information and registration details can be found here. )

Help the "Yamaha Run for Heroes" reach 10,000 participants, and Yamaha Motor will generously donate 1 million pesos to HERO Foundation, a non-profit organization for orphans of fallen soldiers via education- a project initiated by Ayala Group and former Pres. Corazon Aquino.

Join and help spread the word. This is your chance to be someone's hero.

{The Yamaha Run route- illustrated ala "Snake" from old school celphone games.}

{Can you spot Coach Rio's silhouette?}

{The good people behind the run, RunRio and Yamaha.}

{The unveiling of the New Balance Yamaha Run singlet.}

{Join the run, be a HERO and get a chance to win a Yamaha Mio Fino.}

{Me likey! Hey, Universe. I hope you're listening. ;)}