Archive for December, 2010

This Bull’s eye spotted running shoes a couple of days ago at Runnr: New Balance 760 Night Race Rainbow Pack. Talk about starting the new year with a bang!

First time I spotted something close to these bright and bold NB shoe colors was way back in December 2009 when David of Team Fatbird had it on during their carboloading party for Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon.  I just had to take a photo.

I have a pair of NB 760’s which I used at Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon last February but it’s blue and white and not nearly as pretty.  It’s a shoe that I found had ample cushioning and was good for training, but not great for a marathon as it was quite bulky and heavy.  For these rainbow colors though, I may be more than willing to carry the extra weight!

New Balance 760 is available at Runnr, New Balance (Shangrila, Glorietta, Festival Mall, Marquee), Planet Sports (Rockwell, Trinoma, Glorietta, Cebu), Athlete’s Foot (Glorietta, Cebu).

Price: P4,995.

Today, Vicky, one of five of my dearest friends, turns 35. We first met in Prep and then became the best of friends in the 3rd Grade.

– Costume party at Vicky’s house. She’s in a pretty princess outfit. My brothers had the wonderful idea of dressing me up as a…golfer. I’m right beside Vicky –

We grew up together, like sisters, experiencing everything the world had to offer.  We slept over each others’ homes almost every weekend practically all throughout gradeschool through highschool. Over the years, we got chased by dogs and nuns and then boys (yes, in that order) and always managed to laugh about each experience.  We exchanged Nintendo games, diet tips, CDs, exercise tapes (we love you, Jane Fonda!), clothes, and even a boyfriend once (ack!).  You name it, we shared it.

– One of our biggest adventures together: After graduating from highschool, Vicky and I got on a ferry to Iloilo to teach catechism –

Through the years, we’ve been there for each other for every major milestone in our lives: graduation, college entrance results, first jobs, weddings, childrens’ baptism, and our father’s deaths.  When I started running and this blog, I would talk to Vicky about it and, although she didn’t run (she’s a treadmill walker), she showed her support just by listening.

– College 1993 –

Last week, as I was cleaning my Inbox, I realized that I had missed out on tons of email while I was in the U.S.  One of them was a letter from Vicky.  It turns out that she wrote me a pre-NYC marathon letter (just like the way we used to write each other palancas before retreats!)  Even if I failed to read it before New York, it still means the world to me and brought me close to tears. It’s something I can always draw inspiration from when the going gets tough in future marathons.

Here goes:

“Don’t tell me what I can’t do.” – John Locke, TV Series “Lost”

Dear Jaymie,

Well, you’ve certainly come a long long way from running away from an overweight pug, running away from the make believe ghosts of the bathrooms of Assumption, Antipolo, and running away from all the lunatic guys who pursued you in the past.

You are my closest friend, we’ve known each other for more than half our lives, and I would be remiss if I didn’t write you a little something right before what I recall you used to say was your dream when you decided some time back to start running marathons.

As I reflect now on how close you are to achieving yet another one of your greatest dreams, I can’t help but juxtapose how the determination you’ve had to get to where you are is something that the five of us have shown in each of our lives, in each of our own ways, to attain each and every one of our individual dreams.

Our spirits are indomitable.

So as you run the NYC Marathon, this is my wish for you… that all the collective achievements of our group, all the fruits of our perseverance, give you strength and push you all the way to the finish line.

Someday, I’m going to tell my daughter that her mom’s closest friend literally ran toward her dream.

And just kept on running after she reached it.

I am so proud of you.

Vicky

Happy Birthday, Kampups! Love you!

Until the night before, hubby and I were unsure of signing up for Bald Runner’s 32km Rizal Day Run.  I knew I wanted to run, but for how long?  I wasn’t quite sure what distance I could handle now that my body and brain are both in off season mode.  I ran a 10k yesterday and it went fine, thank you.  But, running past that distance is an entirely different story.

After much texting and thinking, hubby, Jun (The Solemates), and I decided to just go for the race.  Thank God for onsite registration!

BURN BABY BURN!

The race was a no frills, no fanfare kind of event, which was just the kind of race I needed after all the glitz and gluttony of Christmas parties.  There were a few hundred participants (most of them training for Bataan Death March), a minimalist set up, and a very simple race route: 7k loop to be run 4 times plus an additional 4k to cover 32km around Camp Aguinaldo. The race started and ended at the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand.

My goal for this race was simple: Have fun! With one foot recovering from NYC Marathon and another foot still deep into holiday festivities, I respected my body enough to know that it wasn’t ready for any pushing and prodding.  My plan was to run a minimum of 21k (I had no qualms about a possible DNF by the 3rd loop) yet still try to cover 32k if I felt strong enough.

TIRED AT 10

I thoroughly enjoyed running on the asphalted, quiet roads of Camp Aguinaldo (it was my first time!).  Running at the crack of dawn before the rest of the world woke up made it even more enchanting.  For a while, it was even relaxing with the cool weather and a soft breeze blowing on our faces every now and then.

But, with the cool weather, it took around 2km for my legs to warm up.  Then, after around 5k more, I was actually feeling a little bit tired.  Alarms started ringing in my ear.  Could it be the lack of sleep?  The extra weight? The tight compression socks? The lack of training?  The fast 10k run the day before?  It could’ve been all of the above!  All I knew was that I felt tired earlier than usual and it wasn’t good.

LOOPED IN

Looped courses can be a double-edged sword.  It’s good because it’s simple and easy to understand, one’s chances of getting lost is minimal.  You also know what to expect after the first loop.  But, it’s a course that plays with your mind and tempts you at every single turn to quit, quit, quit.  It requires a lot of self-discipline and willpower to say NO when your legs start feeling numb, your throat is dry, and your tummy starts growling and your car starts beckoning for you to just head home.

I passed the grandstand at 7k and stopped for a bathroom break and change of shoes.  I initially used my Brooks Glycerin 8, which was a half size too small for me, so I switched to my trusty ol’ Nike Lunar Glide 1 to avoid killing another toenail.  Good thing I brought it as backup.

By the 2nd loop, at 14k, I passed the grandstand again for yet another bathroom break.  This time, I had a chance to exchange a few words with Bald Runner before we sped off again.  I was tired, yet I plodded on again resisting the temptation to quit.

By the 3rd loop, at 21k, hubby, Jun and I were exhausted.  Hubby stopped at this point since he had covered a much too high mileage for the entire week.  Jun and I pushed forward, forcing our bodies to deal with the pain and allowing ourselves to run/walk through the course.  Somewhere in the middle I remember yelling “This is tougher than a 42k!”

GOING FOR 4

Jun and I reached the 4th loop at 28k and I was ready to head back to the car.  Then, we thought we should go for a solid number and hit 30k despite my wooden legs and throbbing big toe.  So, we ran down towards the end of the road and climbed back up the last ascent before heading back into the grandstand.  We reached 29.4 km, a few meters short of 30k.  We could’ve covered the last 2k, but we didn’t.

DNF at 30k for the last race of the year! At that time, it seemed like a wise decision. But, an hour or two later, I wondered what the hell we were thinking. 2k more and we didn’t finish it. I wanted to yank my shoes out and hit myself over the head with it.  What kind of endurance athletes are we?  What a dumb mistake.  What a way to end the year.  But hey, I’m not being too hard on myself just yet.  After all, there’s still 4 more days to 2010 to make up for it.

A runner’s Christmas is all about…

…running with people you enjoy being with so much that you wish the run would never end

– after this morning’s run with Jun and Annie –

…hitting the road at 5am when the weather is nippy just to get the chance to wear all the long-sleeved, dri fit running apparel that stays locked in the closet for the most part of the year

…running all you want because the kids are out of school and work has stalled for almost everyone

…trying to squeeze in a run after Simbang Gabi (compression tights under jeans and tank under a jacket!)

…increasing your mileage the week before Christmas to make way for all the eating in Noche Buena

…giving gifts you know only fellow runners will love and appreciate

– found these pouches at Mizuno. Reminded me of my Spi Belt (which I love) so I bought a few for my running friends –

…hinting to your beloved about all the gear you will need to attain your running goals in 2011 and wishing he/she picks up on it (Forget about hinting in my case. I’ll just spell it out for the hubby.  C-L-E-A-T-S for cross training. Or an I-P-A-D for easy blogging)

…baking Christmas cookies with the kids without even showering after a run. Oops, that’s just me. But, yes, that’s what I did this morning!

– Yummy! The kids and I had a blast baking these –

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Best running buddy is back home from Singapore! Of course, we had to celebrate her homecoming with a run.

Annie and I dashed through our playground yesterday in between guffaws and short walk breaks (we are so not in serious training mode) to cover 7k of one of the first of our many holiday runs while she’s here.

Tomorrow, we spend the morning running through hills and ending it with Bikram Yoga. When Annie’s here, there’s never a dull workout moment!

– Here’s Annie with her pasalubong for me: my favorite Bee Chieng Hiang! Drool drool. I’ll save this for Christmas Eve cheat day! –