Archive for February, 2010

I was so busy chasing after work deadlines and packing for the entire family that I failed to bid you goodbye last night. I am now in Hong Kong thanks to the wonderful people of Planet Sports, especially Anton Gonzales and Bing Buenaventura, who sponsored my trip and registration for the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon tomorrow.

I wish I could sit down and chat with you more, but, after a long day at Disneyland with the kids…

– Forget rest for now. Disneyland beckoned. Tomorrow we attack Ocean Park (after the marathon, that is!) –

Plus the fun-filled New Balance Regional Running Event held this evening…

– with Team Fatbird of Singapore and Jinoe of takbo.ph –

…I am pooped.  It’s a terrible way to spend the eve of my marathon, but, at least, I have a good excuse already if I bonk…heehee.  Don’t worry, I promise to share all the details after the marathon.

Please say a prayer for me tonight. That I don’t get fished out of the marathon tomorrow with a net and thrown into a bus if I don’t make the cut off at each point. That my ITB doesn’t get cranky the way it did at Km40 in Condura. That I don’t die of thirst as I didn’t bring my hydration belt only to find out that hydration stations are only at every 5km (panic I tell you!) And, last but not the least, that I stop worrying aready, get some sleep despite the anxiety, and enjoy my 4th marathon experience!

Good night, Manila!

– Gear is all set. But is the body ready? –

I was at Runnr last night…and so was he. (he…he…he…)

I yearned to meet him, to look into his brown eyes just to say “Hello, would you stop staring at those shoes and give me even a few seconds of your time?” (time…time…time…)

But, shyness overcame me. (me…me…me)

Then Raymund called him. And, we exchanged a few romantic words about compression tights and knee injuries. (ries…ries…ries)

And that was the end of our brief encounter.  I know we shall meet again. If not in this running store in this lifetime, then in the next. We shall meet again. (gain…gain…gain)

– TBR with Jericho Rosales hence the  echo (cho…cho…cho…) above.  Gosh, I look like I’m not breathing. And there’s that awkward distance between us –

– Now that’s much better. Too bad I couldn’t photoshop his arm unto my shoulders too.  Hay, so close, yet so far –

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when the R word was not mentioned at all at home or with friends. The only time we used it was when mommy would RUN errands, or we RAN out of fresh milk, or I wanted to RUN away from nasty clients.

If you gave me P10 for every time I said the R word last month though, I would probably be able to get myself new running shoes. RUNNING rolls out of my tongue every hour of the day. If I am not thinking about it, then I am doing it. It’s taken over my shoe cabinet, closet, pantry, refrigerator, calendar, inbox, social life, marriage, and family life.

I bumped into an old friend yesterday and, even if I had not seen her in years, the first thing she says is: “Hi Marathon Mom!” Blame that on facebook. Even my co-parents at school just ask me about running all the time: “How do I start?” or “Where are the clinics?” And, pretty soon, I’ll forget what my real name is and use “TBR” instead.

Running is definitely a big part of my life. It keeps me fit and healthy. It gives me a goal to work for. It provides me with my daily dose of sanity and peace amid all the to-do lists, meetings, and errands to run.

But, is it my life? I would be happy to report that it’s NOT. I can skip a run in a heartbeat if the kids had homework. I can miss a race for a family event. I have a happy family, work, other passions, non-running friends, and a life outside of running that make me feel complete.

Perhaps the best gift that running has blessed me with is this: It serves as a constant reminder for me to live up to my fullest potential, to become a better person. That if I just commit to do some good in running—whether it’s to run four times this week, lace up even when I’m tired, or help a newbie runner run her first 5km—then that positive move inevitably and naturally flows into other areas of my life. That if I push myself to run that last kilometer no matter how stiff my legs are, I am actually doing myself some good by overcoming my weaknesses and achieving the impossible.

If it happens that I find myself getting cranky because I missed a new PR or angry because of a flawed race, or I note that I may be getting over competitive, then I take a deep breath, go out for a good slow run, and remind myself about the beauty of running.

I run to live. And it’s never the other way around.

TBR RACE REVIEW: Century Tuna Superbods Run 2010
ORGANIZER: Run Rio
RATING:

LEGEND:
5 TBR medals – Excellent | 4 TBR Medals – Very Good | 3 TBR Medals – Average |
2 TBR Medals – Poor| 1 TBR Medal – Terrible

THUMBS UP:

• gigantic event with 11,000 plus runners
• timing chip
• spectacular set-up: wide open spaces for post-race event, supermarket, go-see, freebies, program, etc
• plenty directional signs along the route
• marshals lined the route
• abundant water and Gatorade in long tables (given out by Brazilian models!)
• organized parking and assembly area
• LCD screens for the start/finish
• display of finisher’s name on LCD screen upon finish
• challenging 10k route
• convenient and easy registration and race packet redemption
• immediate release of results (Click HERE for results)
• Run pix and Photovendo

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• early start of 10k
• cars along the route (runners were literally running through traffic)
• dark areas despite floodlights
• many runners lost their way despite marshals directions and directional signs (or some due to wrong directions of marshals)

SPECTACULAR. GRAND. UNBELIEVABLE. All the superlatives were rolling out of my tongue as I viewed the gargantuan stage set-up, LCD screens in the starting line, and all 11,000 plus runners sprawled across the expanse of road across Bonifacio High Street. This was definitely the biggest, most high-tech, and world-class race I had the pleasure of joining.

Early on, due to the magnitude of the event, I quite frankly expected the worst. I expected traffic, chaos, crowds, and a runner’s worst nightmare: a whole lot of pushing and shoving during the race leading to the slowest performance ever. Yes, there were reports of misdirected runners, close-call road accidents, or advanced gun start of the 10k, that some runners complained about. But, fortunately for me, mine was a near-perfect experience.

This was THE race to be in. This was the kind of race that brought surprises, made my heart race with excitement, and gave me a thrill over the entire running experience. As I stood there amid the organized chaos after the race, I thought: How far running has come in the Philippines…and I can’t wait for even more surprises!

Bravo to Century Tuna and Run Rio for staging, for me, was one of the best race events of the year!

– So many runners at the finish line. Amazing!  –

– Huge fair after the race. Raymund, Vimz and I were like highschool kids in a school fair –

————————————–

LIMBO LAND

What do you do 2 weeks after Condura marathon and one week before HK marathon? Can one race in a training shoe (New Balance 1225) that’s just being broken in? I had no clue. I just knew I registered for 10km for Century Superbods run and I was in the mood to race.

I stood at the assembly area with Atty. Raymund (Everybody Loves Raymund) and his friend, Jolon and waited only a few seconds before the race started. Here’s the funniest short clip about our foolish mistake!  You have to see it…Click HERE.

FAST…TOO FAST!

We sped off into the dark along with all the other 10k runners. It’s been so long since I joined a 10k event that I completely forgot about warming up (something I do during 21k runs).  We were running at sub-5 min/km pace and my legs felt stiff and heavy. Argh. We were running way too fast.

A couple of kilometers after, I reminded Raymund that we should slow down. We kept a steady pace at 5:30 min/km instead. Still, the pace kept me challenged all throughout the run. I realized how the past week’s workload and late nights had taken a toll on my body.

LONG UPHILL

There it was again. That long uphill near I.S. that tormented me during the last 2kms of Condura Marathon. The same one I’ve run over and over again during training runs. I mustered up my strength and pretended I had fresh legs and went at it. For a while, I zoned out again and kept a strong pace climbing up. Before I knew it, the hill was gone and the roads were flat again.

FUN FINISH

That 10k was fun and fast. It’s been so long since I raced that way; I didn’t know how much I missed it!  According to my Garmin, my time was 53:54 for 10.14km. Average pace: 5:18 min/km.

Official time was 54:11. And, for another surprise to end a wonderful run, I placed 12th overall for females out of 628 runners.  Woohooo!

Cick HERE for results.

– with pace buddy Atty Raymund (Everybody Loves Raymund) –

– In a sea of 11t runners, we managed to bump into the fastest of ’em all: Eduardo Buenavista with Raymund, Vimz (The Kulit Runner), and myself –

– Poor hubby didn’t reg for the race thinking he’d be camping out with Lil Bull Runner. Plans changed and the sched freed up but it was too late. Hubby ran around BHS instead during the race –

– with Raymund, Vimz (The Kulit Runner), and Edward –

– with Renze of Newton, his friend, and Raymund –

– The day wouldn’t have been complete without a photo with the giant Century Tuna can! –

* Thanks to Vima (Kulit Runner) for some of the photos.

With the advent of more high-tech races, more and more races have the TIMING CHIP to give you accurate results for your performance during the race. The organizers provide you with the timing chip, usually a white, circular chip that you must securely attach to your laces. Most runners still don’t know how to do this properly. Here’s a video I made to show you how to tie your timing chip into your shoe…(next time i”ll learn how to put background music!)

* This is the first of many more videos to come on basic how-to’s or tips on all things running. Any other thing you’d like to learn?