I’m also way in over my head training like these crazy triathletes. Yes, I can truly say now that they are absolutely insane for training this long and often!

The past couple of weeks, while I’m trying not to swallow any more chlorinated water from the pool, losing my head in all the little details of race organizing, rushing the kids off to school, or running up a hill hoping to get my speed back, I ask myself why I put myself through all this. It would be so much easier to NOT blog, NOT organize a race, NOT train for a marathon or triathlon, NOT meet other people and just live my own happy life at home.

Then, I look in the mirror, see the person in front of me, and realize that she wouldn’t be happy living a quiet life at home. This girl’s gotta live her life to the fullest even if it results in sweat, blood, tears, sleepless nights, and perhaps (knock on wood) a few scratches from bike rides. Gulp.

So, a few minutes ago, while I was going at a frenetic pace working on my laptop as I usually do, I opened an email that made me stop and remember yet another reason why I put myself through such hell. At the risk of sounding cheesy—which must be allowed during this time of year so close to Valentine’s, right?—I realized that I also put myself out there because there’s so much good to witness in the world.  In TBR Dream alone, I already sense there’s so much love to give, share, and receive among the runners and volunteers.  What more in the world around us?

Here’s an email from a TBR DM participant. It warms my heart whenever I meet runners who truly understand the essence of TBR Dream, why we put it up and what we want to accomplish. Love is all around guys and girls! Thanks Edna!

I’m Edna Mamuyac, a participant of TBRDM 2012. I work in a Tourist Bus Company and I would like to offer one tourist bus to shuttle the participants of TBRDM on race day, March 18, 2012, for free. Our bus has a capacity of 49 regular seats and 11 jump seats. It will be up to you to make the arrangements of pick-up points and who will ride the bus. This is my way of saying thank you for being a part of TBRDM.

Edna

For those interested in the bus ride, we’ll work out the details on the bus ride with Edna and get post information on this blog soon.

1 Alfred Roderick A. Estefani
2 Allan Gregor Bulos
3 Ariel Abril
4 Carlo Molod
5 Christian Jay de Castro
6 Craig Logan
7 Daves Espia
8 Edward Kho
9 Enrico Mostoles
10 Eugenio Saluta
11 Irene Zyra A. Diama
12 Jenny Aggangan
13 Jonard Aries Gamboa
14 Jose Ritchel G. Viñas
15 Joseph Yapchulay
16 Joy Bagason
17 Juan Carlo M. Peralta
18 Jun Cruz
19 Katherine Andaya
20 King Nicklaus Quimpo
21 Kristine Joy Cerame
22 Leo Tugade
23 Lester Castillo
24 Lit Onrubia
25 Loy Danila
26 Macel Janeo
27 Mara Guevara
28 Marc Anthony Villanueva
29 marie grace alano
30 Marie Joyce Negapatan
31 Mark Mostoles
32 Marvin Trilles
33 Mary Gold dela Cruz
34 Mary Maureen Albarracin
35 Michael Arcilla
36 Michelle Logan
37 Mike Janeo
38 Miriam Valero
39 Obel Mercado
40 Paul Steven F. Famador
41 Raymond Posadas
42 Reylynne de la Paz
43 Rhodora Celis
44 Ricardo P. So Jr
45 Rikki Suarez
46 Rizzalyn Damaso
47 Rjay Mercado
48 Rod Nepomuceno
49 Rosalia S. Castro
50 Rosemarie Beltran

One of our major sponsors, Gatorade, has gone out of their way to offer our TBR Dream Marathoners this: an exclusive Gatorade Sweat Test! They usually offer this test only to their high-profile athletes, endorsers, and/or sponsored teams. Experts from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute conduct the tests using strict standards. They provide the Gatorade and water for you to drink.  And, they use materials and other equipment to conduct the tests, so it can be quite costly.  Perhaps they thought little ol’ me needed some wise hydration advice last November so they conducted the test on me too! Read about it HERE.

We’re lucky that Gatorade decided to offer this to 40 of our TBR Dream Marathoners.  Wish we could accommodate all, but I didn’t win the last grand lotto.

If you are a TBR Dream Marathoner and you wish to find out about your own sweat rate and how much fluids you should drink when you run, sign up for this rare opportunity for the Gatorade Sweat Test.

Below are the details:

What: Gatorade Sweat Test exclusively for TBR Dream Marathoners
When: Saturday, 18 February 2012
Assembly time: 5:00 AM
Start time: 5:30 AM
Where: Ultra Track Oval
Fee: The test is free. But please pay for your own entrance to the Ultra Track Oval.

REMINDERS:
- Eat last main meal 2-3 hours before the test time;
- Be in Running attire but be ready to strip down to underwear in the restroom (not in public!) for the weigh-in and also for the weigh-out (bath towels needed to towel down after the test and prior to weigh-out);
- Once you are weighed in, you cannot drink from any other source except the Gatorade and Water that the staff supplies. There will be designated water and Gatorade Bottles with your names at the hydration station.
- You will be briefed on-site prior to the test. Please come on time.

TEST PROCEDURE:
1. Measure Body Weight
2. Urine Test (collection of urine)
3. 1 hour 30 minutes running on track oval
4. Cool Down
5. Towel down and Weigh out.

There are only 40 slots for the Gatorade Sweat Test. Registration on a first-come, first-served basis only. Please sign up only if you are sure that you can make it so as not to waste the slot. Click below to access the sign in sheet. Accepted runners will be posted in this blog.

<<<< CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR GATORADE SWEAT TEST >>>>

- 5 Dream Chasers escort TBR Dream Marathoner to the finish last March 2011. Photo courtesy of Vener Roldan -

– Dream Chaser Banggi (who joined TBR DM the following year) helps runner Odie. Photos courtesy of Junrox -

For TBR Dream Marathon 2012, we will once again call on volunteers to help and support our first time marathoners. We will be accepting 60 Dream Chasers and 40 Personal Pacers. There will also be volunteers from Team Secondwind manning the station at the last 5km of the marathon, which we call The Secondwind Zone.

– Team Secondwind supporting Roxy last TBR DM 2010. Photo courtesy of Chin Chua -

- Ruby Gan finishes TBR Dream 2012 with Dream Chasers on both sides -

If you are NOT interested in running your own race on March 18, 2012 and you are willing to wake up in the wee hours of the morning to help others run 42km by providing them support, without receiving anything in return but a smile and a huge Thank You, then this is your chance to “pay it forward.”

Please see below for details on how you can volunteer at TBR Dream Marathon 2012:

[ DREAM CHASERS: 60 SLOTS ONLY ]

Dream Chasers are runners who will be stationed at various points on the course (4 stations with 15 Dream Chasers along the route) to provide support to the runners when they need it most. Dream Chasers will be given official Dream Chaser dri-fit shirts. This will serve as their official uniform. Must be an experienced runner, but not necessarily a marathoner.
* TBR Dream Alumni will be prioritized.
* Dream Chasers are required to attend the pre-race meeting to be announced by Edward Kho.

ROLE OF A DREAM CHASER:
1) Be on standby at the Dream Chaser station along with other Dream Chasers from start to finish of the race
* Each Dream Chaser station will have 15 Dream Chasers with one being the DC Leader
* Dream Chaser stations will be placed along the route much like water stations
* Each station will work as a team and may brainstorm on ways to make the run easier, more entertaining, or more fun for the runners. Ideas may be implemented with approval from TBR Dream Team.

2) Provide the following support to the TBR Dream Marathoners who request for help:
* Run with the runner a few kilometers (never exceeding more than 5km)
* Motivate
* Chat
* Provide food or hydration
* Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!

QUALITIES WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN DREAM CHASERS:
* Serious passion for running
* Positive, pleasant, cheerful attitude
* Willing to provide exceptional moral support throughout the entire race
* Believes in “paying it forward” to first time marathoners who need the same support as he/she received in the past

[ PERSONAL PACERS: 40 SLOTS ONLY ]

Personal pacers must be experienced marathoners chosen by a TBR Dream Marathoner to run with him/ her throughout the entire marathon.
* Personal Pacers must register to be an official TBR DM Personal Pacer.
* Personal pacers will be charged a P500 fee to cover hydration, emergency, and other operational services and will be issued a race bib.  The race bib will be distributed during a Pacer briefing organized by Edward Kho.

ROLE OF PERSONAL PACER:
* Pace one (1) registered participant throughout the entire 42km
* Your name must be “attached” to the name of a registered participant. Participant must accept you as his/her personal pacer
* Bikers not allowed. Pacer must be on foot.

[ Sign in sheet ]
Signing up to be a Dream Chaser or Personal Pacer is on a first come, first served basis, but organizer reserves the right to invite and prioritize runners and likewise reject applications.  We will not accept reservations or special requests.

Please expect the accepted the names of accepted Dream Chasers and Pacers to be announced on both thebullrunner.com and tbrdream2012.com within this week.  We will need ample time to screen and process the requests.  Since these slots are in high demand, we apologize in advance to those who will not be accepted.  While we wish we could accommodate all requests, we prioritize the safety and security of our TBR Dream Marathoners and limit the number of people on the course.

UPDATE: Link has been removed. Thanks to the 260 runners who signed up as volunteers! We’ll announce the accepted volunteers soon.

HALF MARATHON

First, I’ll be running my first 21k for 2012 tomorrow. It’s not going to be a fast nor an easy one since I’ve been off serious training mode. But it’s going to be fun.

There’s nothing much to see on top of the Skyway especially since it starts before sunrise. But, I’m looking forward to seeing thousands of runners fill the road. If there’s one thing I like about Condura Skyway Marathon, it’s feeling like we runners own that strip of road so close to the sky! Don’t forget to wave to other runners on the other lane tomorrow, especially the marathoners.

TBR MAGAZINES

We’ll be giving out free TBR Magazines at the village after the finish. Hope you can get a copy.

We have Clinton Hess, CEO of Unilab and my teammate, on the cover. Not a lot of people know that Clinton is an avid runner and, may I add, one that knows a lot about running shoes having worked for Reebok USA in his younger days. We’re glad to feature a runner who can easily balance the demands of corporate and family life with his passion for running.

- TBR Magazine – Jan/Feb 2012 -

TBR DREAM MARATHONERS UNITE!

Most TBR Dream Marathoners will be running 21k tomorrow as part of their training for March 18. On our Facebook group, TBR DM runners suggested we meet after the race wearing our blue TBR DM official shirt at the Pinoy Fitness booth at the Condura Village. I can only drop by, but hope to see everyone there for a group shot! TBR DM alumni from Batch 2010 and 2011 are welcome to join us!

See you on the Skyway!

FEB. 8, 2012, WED: BULL CIRCLE 5
Register: 6:30 PM. Start: 7:00 PM
Venue: Across Secondwind Running Store, Ortigas Home Depot, Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig. For a map to venue, please visit Secondwind’s Website by clicking HERE.

This is a must attend talk!

Lit Onrubia and I will give a talk on The Art of Tapering before the big day.

This will be followed by a talk and no holds barred Q&A portion with a panel of experts, TBR Dream Team, and TBR DM alumni to discuss marathon preparations and running the race—specifically TBR Dream Marathon in NUVALI.  We’ll give you the technical and practical tips to running the roads of NUVALI.  Got any questions bugging you?  This is the time to ask them!

See you then!

Winners of 10k Race Kits
Michelle Nibalvos
Rosemarie C. Beltran (Scout)
Louie Lopez (Louie)
Mark Lactaoen
Kay Parra

Winners of 16k Race Kits
Paul ablaza (CM Pol)
Orland Salomon
Jennybave dela Cruz
Cris dela Cruz
Alfred Roderick A. Estefani (basuraboy)

All winners will be emailed tonight.  Please claim your race kits at RIOVANA, BONIFACIO HIGH STREET.  Print the email I’ll be sending you and bring a valid ID.  See you on the Skyway on Sunday!

By the way, if you manage to read until the bottom, you’ll find out how to win one of 10 free Condura Skyway Marathon race kits!  Good luck!

2008: CONDURA RUN FOR TUBATAHA REEF

Race start at BGC was small and intimate. First time we had seen floodlights light up a race start that way and oooh it seemed so high tech!

Click HERE and HERE to read my race report.

Nanette Medved was still preggy. So unlike the fit and slender mommy she is now that makes us all wail in jealousy.

That’s me in my usual just-got-out-of-bed look with Mon of Happy Feet (Happy Feet! The coolest running group back then!) and Pat Concepcion (Yup, he was wearing all black already way back then and until now!)

Coach Rio’s hair was still in its infancy stage. (Mon, Pat, Coach Rio, and Aljo)

2009: Condura Skyway Run for the Whale Shark

Condura was the first race to ever have people running on the Skyway.  It was surreal for most of us runners to finally do this!

Click HERE and HERE for my race report.

Concepcion brothers, Ton and Patrick, up on stage for the awarding.

I launched TBR Magazine at Condura Marathon. (Thanks again Ton and Pat!)

We also launched the iamNinoy Running Group! Shucks, I miss seeing these yellow shirts in races.

After the race with my favorite (and probably one of the smartest) TBR readers, Cougcat. Miss you, Anton!

2010: Condura Run for Dolphins

Condura finally went into the marathon! Plus, it was on the Skyway again! How could I resist Ton Concepcion’s personal invite to run the 42k even if I had run 42k in QCIM in October and Singapore Marathon in December 2011. Three weeks after Condura, I ran Hong Kong 42k too. It was an awesome five months of marathoning, but I wouldn’t recommend it and I don’t think I would do it again!

8,500 runners participated in this event. Click HERE and HERE for my race report.

With Team Secondwind at the race start.

Ran the Skyway with my bestest running buddy Annie who had come home for a brief trip from Singapore where she was based. She had left for Singapore the year before and when she did I was crying buckets worried that running would never be as fun (or fast) without her.

Ran my 3rd marathon here at 4:24 (PR) paced by my good friend Alvin.

Mark Parco and his now famous Dolphin cap. Missing in pic is his wife Tiffin with her cap. (We sorely miss this fun and wacky couple! Come back to Manila soon!)

2011: Condura Skyway Marathon – Run for the Dolphins

Condura had raised the bar for races giving local runners a world-class race that was at par with other international races.

13,000 runners participated in the event. Click HERE to read my race report.

That’s me running 21k without training.  Whoa boy, I think history will repeat itself in this Sunday’s race.  Gulp.

Congratulations for reading through this 4-year historical blogpost. Hey, it was fun, wasn’t it? As thanks, here’s a chance to win one of 10 free race kits to the Condura Skyway Marathon this coming Feb. 5, 2012.

Prizes: 5 race kits to 10k, 5 race kits to 16k
Winners: 10 winners will win 1 race kit each to the distance of his/her choice

How to join:
1) Post a comment below telling me what your favorite Condura race was and why? (1-2 sentences only please.) If this Sunday’s race will be your first (assuming you win the race kit), tell me why you’re looking forward to running it and why (1-2 sentences only)
2) Please indicate your complete name and what distance you prefer

How to win:
- First 5 commenters who indicate 10k race kit as their preferred prize will win one 10k race kit each.
- First 5 commenters who indicate 16k race kit as their preferred prize will win one 16k race kit each.
- Missing info in the entry will lead to automatic disqualification.
- Double submissions will lead to automatic disqualification.

How to claim:
Winners will be announced on this blog by tonight, Jan. 30, 2011, 6 pm. You may go directly to Riovana at Bonifacio High Street to claim your prize. Please present a valid ID.

By the way, if you don’t want to join the contest, and you just want to comment, feel free to do so!

What’s a Ragnar?  On its website, they describe it as an: “overnight running relay race that makes testing your limits a team sport. A team is made up of 6-12 individuals; each individual runs 3 legs. The legs of the race vary in difficulty and distance, from 3-8 miles, allowing elite and novice runners to run together. Over 2 days and 1 night, teams run across 200 miles of the country’s most scenic terrain. Pair that with crazy costumes, inside jokes, a great finish line party and unforgettable stories. Some call it a slumber party without sleep, pillows or deodorant. We call it Ragnar.”

There’s a series of Ragnar Relay‘s so the team can take their pick in various states.  Wow, I’d love to do Chicago in June, Colorado in July, or Napa in September!  If I win the lotto, then perhaps all of the above every year! How about you and your friends?

1) SUBSTITUTION DEADLINE: Deadline February 6, 2012, Monday

We have moved the deadline for substitution (transfer of slot to another runner due to registered runner’s inability to run) earlier from February 28, 2012 to February 6, 2012, Monday.   This is to provide us, the organizers, ample time to prepare for the race kits which, for the first time, includes a personalized race bib.  This also ensures that substitute runners have more than a month before race day.

After February 6, we will strictly implement this rule and accept no special requests for substitution.  Runners who run TBR Dream under another runner’s name will not be officially recognized as a race finisher and will not receive a medal or lootbag.

2) MEDICAL CERTIFICATES – Deadline March 10, 2012, Saturday

As stated in our rules, we will be requiring you to submit a medical certificate from a licensed physician confirming that you are fit and ready to run 42km on March 18, 2012.  This is for your own safety.   The medical certificate must be dated anytime from February 1, 2012 to March 10, 2012.  Deadline for submission is on redemption of race kits on our TBR Dream Send Off Party on March 10, 2012.  No medical certificate, no race kit.

Medical certificates may be submitted during Bull Sessions and Bull Clinics.  We will also inform you of a drop box at a convenient location.

3) www.tbrdream2012.com

Our website is up and running.  This should provide you with info regarding the race as it draws near.  Please do not comment here.  All inquiries should be directed to macel(at)thebullrunner.com or our TBR DM hotline: SUN 0922-771-8014

4) Facebook Group (only for TBR Dream Alumni and TBR Dream 2012)

Make sure you are signed up for our Facebook group.  Now that we’re fully immersed into preparing for the race, we’ll be posting questions or polls to ensure we get your opinion on the race.  Click on this LINK for a request. Our moderator will accept you only upon confirmation that you are a registered runner.

5) Pacers and Dream Chasers

We’ve been getting a LOT of inquiries regarding pacers (one person who will run with a runner throughout the entire 42k) and Dream Chasers (volunteer runners who will be stationed at various points of the course offering support, cheer, help, and anything else the runner will need to get him/her to the finish).  We will be releasing the sign up sheet for this within the next couple of weeks.  As always, first come, first served basis.  Organizers will also screen the applicants and reserve the right to approve or reject applicants.

Thanks and see you tomorrow for our 3-hour Bull Session in NUVALI!  Woohoo!