JAYMIE CRISOSTOMO-PIZARRO: KICKING IT UP A NOTCH
In her chosen spheres of activity, she’s an emerging power. She is a prime example of how, even as stay-at-home moms, we can shape the world we live in.

– I wanna pinch Li’l Miss Bull Runner’s cheeks everytime I see this -

Jaymie Crisostomo-Pizarro isn’t inclined to hog the limelight or steal someone else’s thunder. But she’s definitely one of our local movers and shakers, influencing change in the areas of baby communication and sports.

Ever heard of baby sign language? One of the comedic highlights in the 2004 hit movie, Meet The Fockers, was when Robert de Niro’s character was seen communicating with his infant grandson through baby signing. It soon became a widely-used means of communication between parents and their babies across North America.

At around the same time, Jaymie Crisostomo-Pizarro was vacationing in Texas with her husband, Miguel, and their son, Anton. Pregnant with her second child, Nia, she chanced upon a magazine article on baby sign language and wanted to learn about this new baby communication phenomenon. By the time she was going back home, she was armed with a U.S. certification in baby sign language instruction. Since then, she has been shaking our mommy world by bringing to our awareness the fact that, even if our child is too young to talk, it’s never too early to communicate with him. This she does with her Baby Lingo workshops.

– I’m always in running shoes or Sanuks. So, on the rare occasion that I’m in regular shoes for this shoot, I discover that there’s still a tag underneath! How embarrassing! -

Baby Lingo on a Saturday

Soon after she gave birth to her first born, she left the corporate scene. Her path to the post-corporate world has led her to many arenas. Now a full-time wife and a hands-on mother of two, Jaymie is a work-at-home graphic designer on weekdays. She holds her Baby Lingo workshops every first Saturday of the month. The workshop is a 3-hour session where parents of children aged 0-24 months learn how to “sign” with their infants. Yes, that’s how quickly parents can get into the baby signing habit.

Jaymie explains baby signing, “Sign language is a real, living language. It’s as real as Filipino, English, Chinese, or French. ASL, or American Sign Language, is as real as FSL, or Filipino Sign Language.” Like all languages, it continues to grow and reflects cultural changes and the times. For example, Jaymie says, “The deaf community in the Philippines has developed a sign for “Jollibee”. So Baby Lingo picks out the commonly used signs of babies and that’s what we teach the parents… and as a Sign2Me-certified instructor, I am able to customize the signs to suit the Filipino family. I’ve been able to add a sign for “yaya”, which they don’t have in the States.”

Her daughter, Nia, was a signer until she started verbalizing and she learned over 50 baby signs. These signs eliminated the guesswork in communicating with Mommy and allowed Nia to convey exactly what she wanted or needed.

You can start your child on baby signs as early as 6 months because, as Jaymie explains, “their memories are more developed at that age so they can remember what you teach them. Their refined motor skills are better also.”

While the jury is still out on the scientific merits of baby signing, many experts contend that, instead of impeding speech development, it hastens speech ability as well as brain development. Jaymie enthuses, “There are studies to prove that it makes babies smarter. Like a study was done in 1987 wherein they had a group of baby signers and non-baby signers. When they were 3 years old, they were given tests. Those who signed when they were babies were talking like 4 year olds while those who didn’t sign were average. Fast forward to when they turned 8 years old, the same group took a test again. The baby signers had IQs 12 points higher than those who didn’t sign.

Personally, with Nia, I was amazed with the way she could talk. At 3 years old, she could speak in complete sentences. She was more articulate than her classmates. But, of course, I can’t cite specific studies. It’s all experiential.”

If You Just Sit There, You Get Run Over

The first man in history to run the mile in less than 4 minutes, Roger Bannister, says of running, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must move faster than the fastest lion or it will not survive. Every morning a lion wakes up and knows it must move faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter if you are the lion or the gazelle, when the sun comes up, you better be running.”

At the start of the day, Jaymie is up and running. She’s running her household while creating and combining symbols, images and words as a graphic designer, or teaching baby signs to eager parents, or just on the road …running perhaps with the family or with human lions and gazelles, or with the wind.

– Gotta print and frame this for the family room -

A self-admitted yo-yo dieter, Jaymie would slim down and bulk up until she took to running in 2006. Initially, she was just running on a treadmill. Soon after, she went outdoors, signing up for Pia Cayetano’s Pinay In Action race. From the moment she finished the race, she was hooked on running. Jaymie says, “At that time, I didn’t know a single runner. I’d talk so much about it to my husband and my girlfriends but they couldn’t relate. So, on my birthday, May 5, while I was sitting at the dining table with the computer in front of me, I just thought ‘Why don’t I create a blog and just talk about running.’ I also wanted to put up a list of races because at that time there was just one page of a web site with a race list. Since it was my birthday and I’m a Taurus and my dad said ever since that I’m bull-headed, I ended up with the blog name, The Bull Runner.” Today, her top-rated blog is a must-read for running enthusiasts and has developed into an income-generating hobby for Jaymie.

Personally, running has transformed her. Jaymie confesses, “Running has completely turned my world upside down. Before, I didn’t feel like I was growing. When you’re a work-at-home mom…you have an income but I felt I was exactly in the same place I was 3 or 4 years ago. But when running came in, it’s like I could set goals for myself, achieve those goals and feel that I was reaching for something that I want.”

Indeed, Jaymie runs her life like a bull. And she’s got quite a kick. While naming her Philippine Blog award-winning site blog, The Bull Runner, was an off-the-top-of-her-head idea, her blog is aptly named.

Like the bull prized for its stamina, Jaymie continues on in the clutch. An intrepid student of life, she never stops learning and will never close the book till she achieves her personal best. Always moving, she has endless passion to finish what she started. It is that tenacity that gets her to places where the less courageous of heart would dare to tread further. Running in front of the bulls of humanity, she remains ahead of the herd, equipped not with speed but with knowledge, experience, and endurance.

- Four of us with crayons on the floor. A common sight at home -

– Thank you to the IQ Time staff. We had a wonderful time! -

* IQ Time is distributed at doctor’s clinics in leading hospitals. All copy and images are courtesy of IQ Time.

Remember I was at Hong Kong, not just for the Hong Kong Marathon, but also for the New Balance Tech Summit? During the talks, I jotted down notes as I learned more about the wonderful world of running shoes. Methinks New Balance unleashed the monster running shoe addict in me!

Here are running shoe tips I picked up from New Balance:

1. Check the INSOLE and look at the imprint to find out if you have the right fit.
2. Don’t just measure the length of your foot.  Measure the width and where the joint bends (ball to heel) too.
3. When checking the shoe fit. Feel the WIDTH. You don’t want too much pressure on the side or too much material.
4. You should be able to play the piano with your toes to ensure the TOE BOX is wide enough. But you don’t want too much excess material in this area either.
5. Get the shoe size for the bigger foot.
6. There should be 1 to 1.5 thumbs width from the tip of the longest toe to the end of the shoe. Why? Your foot expands. Your foot moves such as when you run down the hill.
7. The MIDSOLE is like the engine of the car, materials that hold the shoe together.
8. Check the TONGUE. How much of the tongue is showing?
9. Women have about 4x as many foot problems as men.
10. Women are more difficult to fit.  We often worry that the shoe is too wide when we’re probably just not used to a spacious toe box since we wear narrow shoes (e.g., high heels).
11. Shoes should last 300-600 miles, which is roughly 3 to 6 months.
12. Best way is to rotate between two pairs. Pair A and B. Introduce second pair after roughly 200 miles on the first pair of shoes.
13. Foot size changes as you get older because ligaments stretch. Your feet may not get longer, but they may get WIDER especially for women who have given birth.
14. Never wash your entire shoe. Do not put them in the washing machine. Do not throw them into the dryer.
15. Test a running shoe by flexing the shoe. If it flexes in half that’s not a good shoe.
16. When you run, you run on an S-shaped angle. Land on the lateral side of the heel and exit on the big toe.
17. Running generates 2-3x your body weight.

DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 27, 2010
TIME: 5 A.M.
VENUE: in front of R.O.X., Bonifacio High Street
DURATION: 2 hours (runners who wish to run shorter may choose to end earlier)
GUEST COACH: Coach Jim Lafferty, race director of The Bull Runner Dream Marathon. He will briefly discuss the TBR Dream Marathon Training Program before the run.
PACERS: Team Secondwind

Click HERE to view photos from our 1st Bull Session.

To TBR Dream Marathoners: we will not have a Bull Session on March 20 to make way for the Globe Run for Home which many of us are joining.

Along with the Compression line, other Zoot products are also available for multisport enthusiasts such as the Zoot Triathlon Shoe, Zoot Triathlon apparel, Cycling Bibs, Jerseys and Visors.

Check out Planet Sports Rockwell/ Trinoma and Bike King.

Garmin is offering an exclusive discount promo for 30 lucky readers of The Bull Runner. Get 10% off the following Garmin watches:

Garmin Forerunner 305 w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P16,500
Discounted price: P14,850
Savings: P1,650

Garmin Forerunner 405 w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P20,500
Discounted price: P18,450
Savings: P2,050

Garmin Forerunner 310XT w/ Heart Rate Monitor
Regular price: P24,500
Discounted price: P22,050
Savings: P2,450

* All units come with 12 months warranty

RULES FOR PROMO:

• Only the first 30 runners to email sales(at)navco.com.ph, cc thebullrunner(at)gmail.com. Subject: TBR-GARMIN PROMO will obtain the 10% discount.  Include your delivery address.
• You will receive a confirmation email from Navco with directions.
• Print the confirmation email.
• Bring the printout and ID to purchase the Garmin at Garmin Sales office.
• Note: Please do not send TBR any queries regarding the watches.  Direct all your inquiries to sales(at)navco.com.ph

GARMIN SHOWROOM: 2nd Floor, JG Building, C. Raymundo Ave. Rosario Pasig City.

I’m Mrs. Marshmallow Mommy with this extra 4 lbs. and I’m nursing a weekend hangover, but hey I’m thinkin’ happy thoughts for today and the rest of the week.

I’m neck deep in work. And, by tomorrow, I’ll be drowning in school work too as exams for TBR Jr. begin. But, there’s a lot to be excited about:

1. Summer’s near! In fact, it officially begins this Thursday; I’m doing cartwheels already!  Summer for this running mom means curfewless, full-blast morning training runs on any day of the week with no one to send to school. Do I hire a coach for summer? Do I join a group? Do I start swimming more often? Aaah, sky’s the limit!
2. Regular training begins. No more excuses for sore or tired muscles from the marathon. Good riddance to taper and recovery runs and hello to tempo!  Next goal is to do better at half marathons and I’m excited already.
3. New secret project will soon be released. There’s this Secret Project I was invited to be a part of that’s been cooking since late last year and I was told it will be revealed to all of you soon. Secret Project Leader sent me the Secret Teaser before I left for Hong Kong and I myself was “teased.” Let’s just say that, when I sat down to type my first post in this blog 3 years ago, never did I imagine that it would lead me to this new Secret Role. I’ll keep you all updated here, too.

Gotta go and get my first run this week ticked off. Chris Sports sent me a new Nordictrack treadmill to test (yes, a treadmill!  How crazy is that?!) and I’m off to try it the third time before I post a review.

You can now download The Bull Runner Magazine March-April 2010 issue for free.

Just click on my MAGAZINE PAGE then click on the thumbnail image of the magazine. Enjoy!

1. As a woman, I fully support this race led by Sen. Pia Cayetano as it’s all about women power!  It promotes women rights, health, and empowerment and includes females with women-specific type of cancers as its beneficiary. Go Pinay!
2. As a female runner, I love the fact that it’s an all women’s run. It encourages women, regardless of their running background, to come out and take a step towards getting fit.  Last but not the least,
3. P.I.A. will always be one of the most memorable races for me.  Did you know that Pinay in Action 2007 was my very first race?  It was my first 5k and I remember it vividly.  I was a bundle of nerves, but it turned out to be such a wonderful experience that I caught the running bug and never looked back.

This 2010, the Pinay in Action gathered over 1,000 runners (mostly female of course) to run in SM Mall of Asia.  The roads were covered in pink as runners dashed out for their respective race distances.

I registered for 10km, but I felt awfully tired. My body still hasn’t fully recovered from the double marathons of February.  Add gym work the day before plus Coach Rio’s late-night birthday bash the evening before the race and I knew it was wiser to run a short and easy 5k this morning.

Despite the weary feeling, I got an instant energy boost talking with the super women I bumped into this morning.

While waiting for the race to start, I chatted with DORAY ELLIS of Fitness First Team and met her 10-year-old daughter who’s into tri as well.

Before the gun was fired, I stood among the other women with JOYETTE JOPSON of David’s Salon Team who I learned had stayed at Coach Rio’s party much later, yet still pushed herself to run the full 10km.

During the race, it was a pleasant surprise to bump into JOY ROJAS, the woman who truly inspires us all to reach for our goals when she ran across the Philippines and America.

– with Joy and her friend -

I stopped at 5k and spotted SEN. PIA CAYETANO and IZA CALZADO surrounded by a crowd. I stood in the back attempting to get a photo of them, but they were both nice enough to call me into the circle for a quick photo op.  They are two of my favorite celebrity women—sincere, smart, strong, and women you can basically talk to as if they were your best girlfriends!

– with Iza and Pia -

As I was about to head to the car, I then spotted three strong men standing out from the crowd of women: Lit Onrubia, Jun Bisnar, and my hubby.  All three are registered TBR Dream Marathoners and they used this race for their 20k training run. I decided to run an additional 2k with them and decided to DNF at 7k.

– Hubby with Lit Onrubia, Chi Running instructor, and Jun Bisnar, Nuvali GM -

After the race, I chatted with APRIL LEE of Pace Partners, a friend I met through this blog.  She leaves our country tomorrow and I wish I had been given the chance to get to know her better.

– April Lee and the Pace Partners -

It was a run filled with positive energy and women power.  It practically wiped my exhaustion away!

– with new mommy runner friends and their kids -

Read TBR archives of Pinay In Action here:
Pinay in Action 2009
Pinay in Action 2008
Pinay in Action 2007

That was my reaction as I viewed the numbers on the scale the evening we arrived from Hong Kong a few days after the marathon.

I had gained a whopping 6 pounds in 4 days. Even my husband was shocked as he noted that I didn’t indulge so much during the trip. (Of course, he wasn’t with me during New Balance’s eat-all-you-can buffet where I had three whole lobsters. Still, that’s seafood so it doesn’t count!) Even if I had binged in one meal, I ran a marathon for God’s sake (plus I ran 3 more during the past months), so I should at the very least maintain my weight, right? Well, not this body of mine! Grrrr…

So, I moaned, and groaned, and complained, and whined about it all.

Now, almost 2 weeks after, I lost 2 of the 6 pounds but I’m still heavier than ever. Thus, I am still complaining and whining.

What’s the cause? After much analysis, here’s my bullish theory (for all you experts out there, correct me if I am wrong, but then again this is my body so I should know it best):

1. Reduced mileage. I cut my mileage after Condura (recovery) and before Hong Kong (taper) thus reducing my calorie burn. (Can I just tell you that I absolutely hated this period?! Remind me never to do anything as crazy as this again.)
2. Reduced activity. So I got busy with work and kids like a lot of you, and I stuck to my one love: running when I was pressed for time.  All the other stuff I used to do on a weekly basis: gym, spinning, swimming, and yoga were put on the back burner for the entire February.
3. My body is used to running. I’ve been running since 2006 and I’m guessing that my body needs something new to get excited about for weight loss (or even just maintenance please!)  Triathlon world is that you calling once again?
4. I’m eating more than I know. So, I cut back on meat, but I’ve been bingeing on fruit shakes (Sexy Chef, Stabucks, Frutas…you name it, I drink it!), yoghurt ice cream (Golden Spoon is love!), and more which is still too much for my reduced mileage.

The good news: I lose weight as fast as I gain.  So, as I told my gym instructor this morning—while we were both staring at my protruding belly and bulging arms in front of the mirror—”I’ll be back on track come Monday and I’ll lose those 4 pounds fast.”  This bull works hard for what she wants, and she usually gets it.

Unfortunately, I can’t make it as I registered for Pinay in Action tomorrow. For those who didn’t sign up, I hope you can make it to the iamNinoy Run!