Archive for July, 2009

TBR RACE REVIEW: ROBINSONS FIT & FUN BUDDY RUN

Overall Rating (10 highest): 7
Organizer: ExTribe

THUMBS UP:

1. Great 10k course. Relatively flat except for gradual yet manageable inclines and downhills around Bonifacio Global City. I especially enjoyed running on that narrow, car-less strip of road after Bayani heading towards the rotonda.
2. Unique concept.
3. Ample water at stations, mineral water at that.
4. Lots of freebies and drool-worthy prizes for race and raffle winners. There were even pre-race freebies such as iced tea, Milo, and strepsils!
5. Limited number of participants (they only accepted 1,000) made it a controlled affair.
6. Very well organized from check-in to distribution of freebies (right after exiting the finisher’s chute)
7. Presence of marshals all throughout the route
8. Complete race packet.

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME

1. Late start. 10k started at 6:15 a.m.
2. No kilometer markers or directional signs.

You can always depend on ExTribe to organize a great race. The Robinsons Fit N’ Fun Buddy Run was a well planned event from beginning to end. Although relatively small compared to other major races, this race was well-attended with the elite racing to win the all-expense paid trip to Boracay and CEOs (Lance Gokongwei & Fernando Zobel), politicians (Sen. Pia Cayetano and Rep. Gilbert Remulla) and celebrities (Drew Arellano and Paolo Abrera) running with their respective buddies. The flaws of the race were negligible and forgiveable. Hats off to Robinsons and ExTribe.

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This was the 2nd Buddy Run that hubby and I were joining. Last year, he could hardly keep up with me for our 5k. This year, with more races under his belt, we registered for 10k and I was afraid I would slow him down.  For the past two days, I had been getting less than three hours of sleep due to tight work deadlines. Best case scenario would be for me to finish the 10k race without collapsing due to exhaustion. I took two Hammer anti-fatigue capsules and said a prayer.

FIRST 5K: FOR BETTER

Hubby and I practically went on a double race date running alongside two couples: Vince and Jun who crept up from behind to surprise us with their pinkies gripped tightly around each other’s and their hands playfully swinging in the air (I hope Mariel, Jun’s wife, isn’t the jealous type) and, soon after, we ran with inseparable running couple, Mark and Tiffin.

The first 5k was incident free. In fact, our pace hovered around 5:30 to 5:45, much faster than our planned training pace of 6.

SECOND 5K: FOR WORSE

After passing Paul Calvin’s deli, hubby and I realized we both needed to pee. We decided to bite the bullet and enter McDonald’s at Forbes Town. The other two couples ran ahead.

As soon as I stepped out of McDo, I felt the intense heat of the sun. When we started to run, my feet felt heavy and it was difficult to find my momentum again. My heart rate was too high for such a slow pace.

When we entered Bayani Road, I started feeling side stitches. I focused on breathing properly, watched all the other runners make their way back from the turnaround, and soon enough, the minor pain went away.

By this time, I was also depending on the hubby for distance and pace. My Garmin decided to conk out and die early on, so hubby had to deal with my constant nagging: “What’s our pace?”, “Distance?”, or “Did you pay the bills already?” (I’m kidding about the last one.)

There was improvement at the last kilometer where hubby and I went faster and finished strong. Our unofficial time was 58.29 mins for 9.98km with average pace of 5:52.

Hubby would’ve PR’d if we hadn’t stopped at McDo…argh.  I was satisfied with my performance considering how tired I felt the night before.  I was pretty surprised with myself when I invited hubby to run extra miles around Bonifacio High Street as we had initially planned.  We met up with oh-so romantic couple Vince and Jun for additional miles. Plan was 5k but we stopped at 2k and headed for Pancake House for a well-deserved breakfast with other running friends.

– Made a quick stop at Starbucks for my favorite low fat iced chocolate with mint and guess who I bumped into. TBR Mag cover boy himself: Drew Arellano. Thanks again Drew! P.S. TBR Mags will be at all Starbucks branches soon –

– Breakfast with friends (with Vince, Bobby, Mariel, Jun, Tiffin, Tin, Vimz, Ben, Mark, my hubby, Aljo, Ipe, Art)   –

First thing I did when I get home: checked out the loot…

– These huge bags of freebies (green for hubby, orange for me) intrigued me… –

– Groceries to last a month! Okay, I’m exaggerating, but this is a lot! The only thing I probably won’t use here is Anlene (I’m an Alaska Slim milk loyalist…so yummy) but even our dog can enjoy that –

– Even Li’l Miss Bull Runner got flashcards and tshirts from the loot. Thank you Robinsons. Great job! –

Fresh off the press, The Bull Runner Magazine (July-Sep 2009 issue) will be yours for the taking starting tomorrow!  

On the cover is Drew Arellano, TV host/celebrity and triathlete, who organized the successful Happy Run early this year to raise funds for a public school in Taguig.  You’ll find other informative articles on gear, training, nutrition, and events on our pages.  Of course, you’ll have the race and running clinic calendar and the running directory as resource too.  

We’re giving runners a better, more informative, and thicker (almost double the pages from our maiden issue) magazine for FREE!

By tomorrow, you may grab your copy at BONIFACIO HIGH STREET:

• Runnr
• R.O.X.
• Mizuno

By the next couple of weeks, The Bull Runner Magazine will be at:

RACES

• RUN FOR HOME RACE (July 19) – limited number
• Other races will be announced on this blog

STORES

• Runnr, Bonifacio High Street
• Selected Toby’s outlets 
• Mizuno
• R.O.X., Bonifacio High Street
• The North Face
• Second Wind Running Store

RESTAURANTS/ COFEE SHOPS

• All Starbucks branches 
• Paul Calvin’s Deli
  

CLINICS/ TALKS

• Running Aid – July 16, R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street
• Selected running clinics

RUNNING GROUPS (Limited number)

• Runnex
• Happy Feet
• takbo.ph
• Team Bald Runner

DOCTOR’S CLINICS

• Moro Lorenzo Sports Center, Ateneo de Manila
• Miguel del Prado

RUNNING COACHES

• Coach Rio de la Cruz
• Coach Miguel Lopez
• Coach Patrick Joson
• Ria Mackay, Aqualogic Swimming Co.

On Sunday, July 26, 2009, the Management Engineering (M.E.) alumni community, will be celebrating the program’s 40th year with a Fun Run dubbed “Run with M.E.”   The event consists of a 10K Open (Men and Women), a 5K Team Race, and a 3K Run/Walk.   Races start at 6:30 am at the front of the Blue Eagle Gym.

All proceeds from this event will go to the ATENEO SCHOLARSHIP FUND, and will help in our efforts to send forty (40) deserving scholars through four years of the prestigious M.E. program at the Ateneo, thus continuing the proud tradition of our school.  

Note: Organizer decided not to give out singlets or Tshirts to save cash from sponsors for the Ateneo scholars.
 
Registration Areas:

1. University Athletics Office, 2F Blue Eagle Gym, Ateneo de Manila campus Loyola Heights, QC. Entrance is at the back of the gym, facing the Ateneo Grade School parking lot.  Registration period is from June 22, 2009 to July 24, 2009, Mondays to Fridays (8am to 5pm), and Saturdays (8am to 12 noon). Look for Mr. Rodel Cubos or Mr. Mick Perez (Tel No. 426 6001 loc 4193).
2. NIKE Bonifacio High Street B3, Ground Floor.  Registration starts on July 8, 2009 until July 24, 2009.  A special registration table will be set-up beside the running wall. (Nike BHS Tel 8562586, 8562587). Registration hours : M-Th from 3pm to 9pm / F-Sun from 12 noon to 9pm.

Race Organizer: Mr. Misael B. Perez  
University Athletics Office – Ateneo de Manila Track and Field Program
Contact Details Tel No. 426-6001 loc.4193

For Race Inquiries: Mr. Rodel Cubos
Tel No. 426-6001 loc.4193
email address : rcubos@ateneo.edu

For General Inquiries:
Manman Jalandoni, ME 1990  
Primary Email address : runwithme2009@yahoo.com

Website http://mealumni.org

On most days, we take everything for granted: the air we breathe, waking up beside a loved one, the safe trip to work, or an incident-free race.  We live our lives fulfilling our daily duties expecting all things to go our way—and usually they do.

But, there are those rare occasions when something happens to wake you up from your slumber and remind you of what you have—or worse, what you once had and suddenly lost in the blink of an eye.

Your father slips away after he is checked out of the hospital and nothing is the same anymore.  A child is crushed to death in a tragic school accident and, as a mother, you hug your children a little bit tighter that day.  Michael Jackson dies and an entire world is jolted.

This morning was one of those days, the ones that tap you on the shoulder to remind you that you are blessed and you should be thankful for what you have.

I drove the kids to school as I always do every weekday morning.  Parked the car and stepped out to unload my son’s bags in the trunk while my son got out and waited for me at the sidewalk.  My daughter was left seated in the backseat.  I gave my son his bag, put his nametag around his neck, told him I loved him, and kissed him goodbye.  As I headed back to the car, which was just a meter away, I watched in horror as the car behind mine slowly rolled down the road and bumped my car.  

I checked my daughter.  She was fine.  The little one murmured that she just felt butterflies in her stomach when she felt the nudge.

The owner of the car quickly apologized and said the damage was minor.  Just a quick paint job on the bumper should do the trick, he said.  I agreed.  When I asked how it happened, he said his preschooler was alone in the car playing with the breaks.  (Errr, please don’t ask me to comment about this because it would take up an entirely new post.)

The man apologized profusely and I, perhaps still unable to fully wrap my brains around the whole incident, told him gently and even with a smile “What if I was getting my son’s bags in the trunk when it happened?”  He didn’t answer.  And I didn’t want to think about it.

But that’s all I could think of today…all the What ifs…

What if I had been 30 seconds late in unloading my son’s bags that day? 

What if my son had followed me to the rear of the car?

What if another student had passed between the two cars right before the breaks were released?

What if the car was farther up on the road and it gained speed before it hit mine with my daughter inside?

What if I had been crushed in between the cars, got my knees broken, and was told that I could never ever run again?

Today, I’m going to pray a little longer with a special thank you to my guardian angels for watching over us.  Today, I’m going to hug my husband and kids a little bit tighter.  Today and everyday from hereon, I’ll try to be more grateful for all that I have: food, shelter, good health, little luxuries, and, of course, the opportunity to run.

For the past few years, running as a sport has increasingly become popular among Filipinos, leading to the prevalence of road races around Metro Manila. The aforementioned races has become a congregation not just of people from all walks of life united in their love for running and resolution to lead a healthy and fit lifestyle. From elite athletes to weekend warriors, from multisport enthusiasts to the weight-watcher, running has become an integral part in the public’s efforts to keep fit.
 
With running at its peak, the idea for producing a viable medium to promote and sustain the sport’s presence in the public eye came, hence the idea to produce Run Radio.
 
Run Radio will be a 60-minute radio show featuring the following segments that both newbie and serious runners (and to an extent, non-runners too!) would find interesting — product review, advice segment (docs, coaches, nutritionists), power songs (to pump up your adrenaline as you run!), hitting the wall with our guest runners (from celebrities to running groups), and the 5k challenge where non-runners from all walks of life will transform into a 5k finisher in a matter of 6-8 weeks.
 
The show will be hosted by Jaymie Pizarro, a known catalyst for influencing people to take up running as a lifestyle choice, and Jay Nacino, a former Ateneo track team member who has rekindled his love for running. Both hosts are known figures in the running circuit through their blogs (http://thebullrunner.com for Pizarro and http://prometheuscometh.wordpress.com for Nacino) where they give detailed accounts of their training, their races, and running in general.
 
Also to be featured in the nutrition, coaching, and injury prevention segment would be premiere race organizer and running coach Rio dela Cruz, nutritionist and triathlete Dr. George Bodegon, and ultramarathoner and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paolo Punsalan. They are among the many other experts who will give the running public advice on how to keep healthy while training for higher mileage.
 
Moreover, our resident product tester would be shoe expert and ultramarathoner Hector Yuzon, founder of the Second Wind running store.
 
The Nike+ 5K Challenge aims to dare non-runners to make running an integral part of their lives. For this season, our challenger is an MBA student who seeks to combat the unhealthy , sedentary lifestyle. Ten Most Outstanding Students awardee and Ateneo de Manila batch valedictorian Patrick Echevarria will be trained by the Nike Running Clinic for eight weeks until he starts running his first 5k race.
 
Run Radio will start airing on July 24 at NU 107, and will continue to air every Fridays, 9-10pm.
 
Run Radio is made possible by Nike, Print Avenue, Botak, Finishline.ph, Pinoy Ultra Runners, Second Wind Running Store, and RUNNR.
 
For the latest updates please visit http://www.nu107fm.com/profile/runradio