TBR RACE REVIEW: ROBINSONS SUPERMARKET FIT & FUN WELLNESS BUDDY RUN 2010

DETAILS: Sunday, 11 July 2010, Bonifacio High Street
ORGANIZER: ExTribe

RATING: Excellent race! Highly recommended!

THUMBS UP:

• unique concept
• pleasant marshals that greet you with a smile and a “good morning!”
• clean and simple route
• ample water stations
• kilometer markers and directional signs
• huge lootbag
• relatively small race, but positive and happy vibe

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• merging of 5k and 10k at the last kilometer toward the finish caused delay for some 10k due to walkers at 5k
• vehicles along the I.S./British School area
• long race name. Kidding! Okay, I’m not. It’s like 4 race names in one

For the 3rd time, Robinsons and ExTribe staged a near perfect event with the Robinson’s Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run.

The buddy concept in itself is enough reason to join. It makes the solo sport of running open to teamwork and cooperation. Add to that the seamless race organization and you’ve got a winner.

Organizers fulfilled basic requirements for a race: clean, simple route with marshals and signs to direct the way and ample water stations for hydration. But, they went over and beyond that with the little things: marshals were extraordinarily pleasant and courteous greeting us with “good morning!” along the way, lootbags were humongous and heavy, and the overall ambiance of the race was that of a small community event where anyone and everyone was happy.

This race is on my must-run race list of each year. Better register early next year. I predict slots will disappear faster than you can find a buddy!

—————————

Hubby and I decided to run the first 3k at 6 min pace and the rest at sub 6. That was the plan. But, as always, when the race starts, adrenaline takes over and plans are thrown out the window.

With the foot traffic preventing us from running side-by-side, hubby went ahead. I told him to just dictate the pace and I’d be right behind. Lo and behold, the hubby, who is usually conservative with his pace, suddenly sped away, climbing up on sidewalks, sweeping past other runners, and leaving me heaving and panting in the background. I checked my watch to find his pace at 5:15 to 5:30. So much for plans, I thought, as I struggled to catch my breath.

– On the way to Beundia with my buddy/hubby-

– Full speed ahead -

SUB-6 ALL THE WAY

It turns out that we could go faster than we thought. We ran the entire 10km course at 5:30 to 5:45 pace, except for the challenging Buendia flyover.

Hubby and I hardly exchanged words, except for our favorite two words at that time: “Water break.” I know, I know, we’re so romantic!

TO PR OR NOT

At around 7k, I checked my Garmin to find we were doing pretty well. I asked hubby what his PR was and he replied “56.” I advised him: “If we maintain our pace, we could just break your PR today. Are you game?” I don’t recall him answering, but for me, silence was consent. Off we went!

By the time we reached Forbes Town, hubby saw the water station ahead across McDonalds. He said “Water break there.” I replied: “If you stop, say goodbye to your PR.” He looked at me and obviously decided to stave off his thirst in favor of a PR. I smiled with approval feeling like a coach. Then, I freaked out.

Alarm bells started ringing in my ear as thoughts of heatstroke and dehydration entered my mind, especially with the incident at Milo Marathon. No. No. NO. I asked hubby to just stop and take a drink instead.

We took a sip. Walked a bit. Then, plodded forward.

NEW PR…AS A COUPLE

We crossed the finish line at 58.27 mins, it was our PR as a couple.  Er, well, we only had last year’s 10k Robinson’s Buddy Run to compare it with. We beat our time by…drumroll please…a whopping 2 seconds!!!  Our average pace was 5:35 min/km for 10.4 km.

Next year, we shall plan our strategy a full month in advance and hopefully win the grand prize so we can fly off for our 2nd honeymoon for free…in our dreams!

– Nice bumping into TBR Dream Marathoners: Jonathan, Hec, Hubby, Bic, Bob, Mai, and Mayen -

– Hubby, partners Edward & Coach John who bagged 2nd Place, and Jun -

– New running flight attendant friends! They look so mowdel-ly while I’m dripping in sweat -

– Hubby with Kraft Running Club members who finished their first 5k. Congrats! -

– Coach friends: Coach John and Coach Roel -

And, of course, we can’t skip my favorite part of this run: opening the loot!

They came in heavy grocery bags…

which revealed nice reusable canvass totes…

and all these goodies inside!

I love it! Thank you Robinsons Supermarket for giving me a great Sunday run and saving me a trip to the grocery. Until next year!

Race photos courtesy of Jun Cruz (The Solemates)

Posted on 07.17.10 to 02 Race Reports. Tags: Buddy Run, Robinsons Supermarket. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 6 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.