Is Running Today’s “It” Sport?

Is it just me or are there a lot more features on running and races in local newspapers nowadays? It’s great that running is getting a fair share of the sports spotlight lately—although it is still a far cry from the exposure of basketball and boxing.

Yesterday, Inquirer had this on the front page of it’s Lifestyle section:

Is running today’s “IT” sport? Is it the new badminton? Yes, perhaps. So many people are getting into running with mundane reasons such as “it’s what’s in right now” to the more serious ones like weight loss and fitness. You’ll spot more runners on the road—U.P., Salcedo, High Street, Alabang—they are everywhere. Why, you’ll even see some runners on TV. Television commercials feature runners with long silky hair (tell me why a woman would even run without her hair tied up?!) or one in pain as Pacman leaves him by the wayside.

Then, the races. The number of races lined up for the year will remind one of that time when badminton courts where sprouting up like Starbucks around the metro. Oooh, there are so many races lined up for the year that one’s racing calendar is filled to the brim. One ends each run bidding his fellow runner “See you at the next race!” and that’s almost synonymous to “See you next Sunday!”

Running may be the “in” thing right now. But, honestly, the thought sends shivers from my toes through my patella and up my spine. It’s great that running is gaining in popularity but I don’t want to see running as yet another fitness trend that people discard like a fad diet. For many of us, moreso the elite and master runners, running is our life. We run because we love it. I just hope that people who try running now will fall in love with it as much as I have.

Moving on, guess who got a brief glimpse of stardom (or Inquirer-dom) on that same page! Just below the article was this box:

Can you see it? I circled it for you! Sen. Pia Cayetano mentions her favorite books and online resources on running and #6 is yup yup: The Bull Runner! (Oh, stop it with the applause I’m already blushing!)

By the way, I’m leaving for Baguio tonight so I’ll be on blogging break for five days. I’ll be thinking of all of you as I run up the hills of John Hay. I just have to figure out how to get down since running downhill can aggravate my runner’s knee. Hope you enjoy your break. Happy Easter in advance!

Posted on 03.19.08 to 01 Bullish Insights. Tags: Inquirer, Pinay In Action, Running. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 27 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.

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27 Responses to “Is Running Today’s “It” Sport?”

1. coolness miss jaymie! YOU”RE A STAR!!!!!!!!

   See you next week!

   ben said on Mar 19 08 at 10:53 AM Reply
   

2. awesome! you are a “superstar”! aha, you are going on “altitude training” in Baguio City..last month, i tried to trace the multi-colored trails along the perimeter of John Hay but the access road after entering the gate coming from Baguio Country Club is “off-limits” to visitors, so i guess, you can run along the roads of John Hay or take the trail being used by “horse back riders”. Since you have a knee problem, you can run on the grass/fairway of the Golf Course by following the golf cart route. Also, I suggest you run at the baguio airstrip and try going up to the Gidaya Trail and get inside Ft Del Pilar/PMA and run the 5K loop inside (from the Gate of Ft del Pilar to the swimming pool area and back). If the guards will try to stop you, just say my name (& run with your fastest pace!..hahaha!) For your oval track runs, you go to Teachers Camp and use the former Gintong Alay Project Oval Track (I think the people there will ask for an entrance fee). Anyway, enjoy your “secret training” & vacation! Lastly, don’t forget to taste the Pancit Canton at Rose Bowl Restaurant along Harrison Road for your “carbo-loading”.

   kingofpots said on Mar 19 08 at 1:03 PM Reply
   

3. Wow sikat! Enjoy your altitude training. Go easy on the hills.

   taki said on Mar 19 08 at 1:29 PM Reply
   

4. Bull Congratulations you deserve all the glory and praises. It really gives you that juice to run more and motivation. i pray your injurie goes away permamently so i can see you on the road again in AAV. When i had some problems with my knee asides from strenght tranning etc. i would run with a knee suport the one you can buy in nike. It helped a lot and after a few weeks i was ok without it. Just one note : the knee problem will never really go away from my exprience but hey whats a little pain for as long as you can run. Have a good time in baguio . Baguio is 1 of the best place to run in the phil. love the cold morning wind. I love it in Baguio.
   again congratulations !!! – patrick concepcion / runningshield

   patrick concepcion said on Mar 19 08 at 1:45 PM Reply
   

5. Ms Jaymie…

   haha …..Ang galeng!!!!! YOU MAKE THE HAPPY FEET FAMILY PROUD….
   Truly…..Your blog has been part of the “it” thing……every runner in the country should follow your blogs………..very very inspiring…..
   I am so grateful …..it was through your blog that i learned about my unforgettable Subic lifetime experience… and it was through your blog that I got into happy feet…again many many thanks….
   Happy Easter!!!! (go easy on the hills…dont get too excited!!!)

   Oknoy

   oknoy said on Mar 19 08 at 1:52 PM Reply
   

6. hi TBR, i attest to that statement of Sen Pia mentioning TBR as one of her on-line resources…ako rin…my day wont be complete without checking your blog…hahaha…thanks for all the post, idol.. take care!

   anna said on Mar 19 08 at 2:22 PM Reply
   

7. i actually don’t like it when people get into it just because it’s uso. it’s really demeaning for the sport and the people who truly love running.

   marga said on Mar 19 08 at 2:55 PM Reply
   

8. Ben, see you next week!

   Baldrunner, thanks for the running routes! Unless the hubby joins me, I’ll probably stay close to the John Hay/ BCC area. I’m afraid to venture out in places I don’t know too well—especially in baguio where i may literally run into ghosts. I ran in John Hay last year and despite the fact that I could hardly breathe at the end, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

   Patrick, you said what I’ve been trying to deny all along. That this injury while seemingly gone will probably rear its ugly head again at some point. Oh well, never mind as long as we can run right?

   Oknoy, happy easter to you too! Well I’m glad you joined Happy Feet. You’re such an inspiration to all of us too.

   Anna, thanks a lot! Hope to see you around.

   Marga, same here. I actually didn’t feel comfortable reading the first paragraph of the article about running ladies who brunch. No offense of course to the writer because she probably loves running as much as we do. But, I’d really rather pay attention to the people who are in it for the long run (no pun intended)

   bullrunner said on Mar 19 08 at 3:11 PM Reply
   

9. exactly, jaymie. it’s making running an expensive sport, more like something that serves as an avenue for one to be uber-fashionable. parang you have to wear this and that lang when running, ganun. i’m like, heck, i can wear non-matching running shorts and top. i’m not gonna make rampa anyway.

   marga said on Mar 19 08 at 6:38 PM Reply
   

10. hi br, welcome to baguio, hope you enjoy your stay here.

    roadrat said on Mar 19 08 at 8:41 PM Reply
    

11. i guess these people in the lifestyle section of newspapers notice and write about running largely because of personalities like senator pia. it is good since it brings attention to the sport. but calling it today’s “it” sport and “the new badminton”? sorry but i don’t think so. running and the races have been here for decades. sila lang ang hindi pumapansin dahil nakatingin lang sila sa basketball with all its tv glamour. and before i forget, congratulations! your’s is really one of the best running resources online, hands down.

    caloyb said on Mar 19 08 at 9:11 PM Reply
    

12. wow sikat ka jaymie

    as for running being the “it” thing, i think ok lang that a lot of people are taking it up now. by creating awareness, siguro out of the 100 new runners who take it up, if half of them continues to run ever after the “fad” fades, that’s already 50 healthy people right there.

    enjoy your baguio run. have a safe trip!

    Meeya said on Mar 20 08 at 2:55 AM Reply
    

13. wow, sikat!!!

    yeah hopefully it will be there to stay. running is a sport for the masses. people will find out that it has a relatively low cost of entry (all you need are a pair of running shoes), doesn’t require a lot of athletic skill (one foot in front of the other and repeat), and it’s something that you can do alone or with a group. well, these are what’s appealed to me about it. in time i’ve found a ton of other reasons to stay with it, as i hope a large percent of those running now would find their own reasons.

    happy easter there, jaymie.

    e-rod said on Mar 20 08 at 1:20 PM Reply
    

14. Happy Easter you running superstar you. That’s quite a plug. Very nice!

    rick said on Mar 21 08 at 7:17 AM Reply
    

15. Congratulations to the creator of the “It” Blog of the new “It” sport!

    mark p said on Mar 21 08 at 8:28 AM Reply
    

16. Hooray for you Jaymie! You deserve it.

    Daniw said on Mar 21 08 at 8:49 PM Reply
    

17. hi marga, who knows, the people who take up to running because it’s ‘uso’ might actually end up loving running like we do now.

    roadrat said on Mar 24 08 at 6:56 AM Reply
    

18. Roadrat, I was hoping to bump into you on the road! Sayang…next time!

    Caloyb, thanks! Hehehe I was the one who called running the new badminton. Badminton also had been in existence for years but gained popularity for reasons I don’t know of. And, it was amazing because just about everyone wanted to get into it. I think it’s happening with running too. Yun lang naman.

    Meeya and Roadrat, you’re right. The more people who try out the sport, the more chances for people to love it. I’m a bit sensitive about people getting into running for the wrong reasons such as being uso. But, at the end of the day, who am I to judge anyway. I’m practically a newbie too. The more the merrier! Bahala na kung sino ang tumagal

    E-rod and Rick, happy easter to you guys! Do you have a long break over there too?

    Markp, over naman. But thanks! hahaha

    Daniw, thanks! I wonder when we’ll ever get to meet!

    bullrunner said on Mar 24 08 at 8:58 AM Reply
    

19. leica carpo the writer has entered very respectable times, most notable is the new balance 25k where she finished just above 2hrs…though she was just new in running then…not sure though how she is related to elite amanda carpo…well important thing is we are all into running, and the more the merrier!!! at least something good for everyone’s health, and TBR, you have contributed a lot to this so KEEP IT UP! enjoy in baguio, get in touch with roadrat! hello senor roadrat, missed you in baguio just last palm sunday weekend…

    mond

    mond said on Mar 24 08 at 2:58 PM Reply
    

20. Mond, hey I actually envy the Carpo sisters who run races together and travel the world in search of great marathons. Again, I have nothing against Leica Carpo. She’ll probably kick my butt in the next race! See you at Mizuno!

    bullrunner said on Mar 24 08 at 4:33 PM Reply
    

21. hello too mond, sayang walang Palm Sunday run this year, but the variety of routes up here always make up for it.

    p.s. baka you think mond and i know each other personally, hindi po.

    roadrat said on Mar 24 08 at 7:45 PM Reply
    

22. Roadrat, I thought you and raymond know each other. You met at the last race up there, right? Wait a minute…there’s usually a Palm Sunday race in Baguio?!

    bullrunner said on Mar 24 08 at 9:41 PM Reply
    

23. yes tbr, i met the roadrat at the milo 21km where i did a leisure run…the only way for me to finish it and unlike leo oracion who just knew about the race the day before it thru me, ran it like he was trained for it…anyway that guy is always tuned up! as for roadrat, he should take us running there in baguio…and i and roadrat’s common denominator? the bullrunner blog!!! unlike any other sport, running races mix up the “left to right” (thats the term for the known personalities in the lifestyle sections) and the masses…unlike golf or badminton, or tennis, this is the race where we all get to rough it up all ages, levels in society etc…thats the fun and challenge of it…so lets all just run to it!!!

    mond said on Mar 24 08 at 10:52 PM Reply
    

24. hey mond, now i remember you, sorry about that, bro. ei, must be the aging or something to be forgetful. yes, jaymie, aside from milo, the Palm Sunday 10K was one of the longest annual running races here. till pharmaton/nike then pharmaton/adidas gave up on it.

    roadrat said on Mar 25 08 at 1:22 PM Reply
    

25. This has been a topic of discussion for me and my friends as well–before the article came out, brought about by our observations from the two previous Sunday runs.

    I don’t think that running being “uso” is demeaning to the sport though. To a certain degree, the ‘me too’ factor is a tad irritating but at the end of the day, our personal satisfaction or enjoyment of the sport is more than enough to just let it pass.

    For me, one of the great things about running is that elitism or exclusion plays no part in the equation. I’m sure you’ve all seen a motley collection of runners, some running fast and others, not so. Some equipped to the gills, others pared down to the very basics (to go back to a few of tbr’s posts, some are in need of shoes). I remember an old (nike?) ad that sums up how I think of running, it pretty much says the road doesn’t care what you wear, how much money you make, how old you are, it only cares that you visit it once in a while.

    Overall, I think the exposure is good for the sport. As some of you previously mentioned, if only a portion of the current runners develop a real love for the sport, it’s still a gain. Also, the increasing participation in all these races will encourage more sponsorships for such events, more events will bring in (hopefully) more runners (some kind of a chain reaction or maybe chicken and egg ba), giving all of us more opportunities to get together to run.

    roadkill said on Mar 30 08 at 11:55 PM Reply
    

26. Mond, where were you at Mizuno? Didn’t see you!

    Roadrat, too bad they discontinued Palm Sunday run.

    Roadkill, very well said. You hit the nail on the head.

    bullrunner said on Mar 31 08 at 5:32 AM Reply