TBR Dream Marathon 2011 Certificate and Souvenir Programs Out Tomorrow

Thursday, 25 August 2011  |  Race Announcements

Belated Happy 5th Month Anniversary to our TBR Dream Marathoners 2011! It’s been 5 months since you crossed the finish line of your first marathon and most of you, as I’ve seen and heard, are going strong and dreaming big!

As promised–and I’m sincerely sorry for the delay–we’re giving you your TBR Dream Certificates and your PDF Souvenir Programs. These will be made available to all FINISHERS of TBR Dream Marathon 2011.  (Click HERE to view results.)

CERTIFICATE
– Just a sample above of me finishing in dream finish time hah! –

Here are details for pick up:

WHEN:
4 weeks Friday to Sunday from August 26 to Sept 18, 2011. Exact dates would be:
– August 26 to 28, 2011
– Sept 2 to 4, 2011
– Sept 9 to 11, 2011
– Sept 16 to 18, 2011

WHAT TIME:
– Midnight Mercato: Fri-Sat 10pm-3am
– Mercato Centrale: Sat-Sun 7am-2pm

WHERE:
Mercato Organizers Booth at Mercato Centrale.
Address: 34th St. Bonifacio Global City beside MC Home Depot near Starbucks Drive Thru

Mercato new_low

FOR INQUIRIES, CONTACT:
– Midnight: Angela 0908-756-8859
– During the day: Miko 0999-655-0138
– For special requests (such as mailing to the province or corrections), please email macjaneo(at)yahoo.com with this in the subject line: TBRDM2011 FINISHER

NOTE:
– A representative can pick up upon presentation of valid ID of runner.
– Certificates and PDF souvenir programs left unclaimed after Sept. 18, 2011 may no longer be claimed.

Manny Pacquiao and TBR at Misibis Bay

Friday, 19 August 2011  |  Bullish Insights

In the middle of reviewing both kids for their exams a couple of days ago, this stressed out mom couldn’t have received a better gift: an invitation from the lovely people of Misibis Bay to revisit their resort.  Before I could answer “Yes!”, they added: Congressman Manny Pacquiao will be there, too.

Fast forward to two days after and here I am resting comfortably in one of Misibis Bay’s luxurious suites completely starstruck after spending time with the best boxer in the world, Cong. Manny Pacquiao, and wife Jinky.

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– Beach front at Misibis Bay –

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– Most of the suites face the pool –

MANNY PACQUIAO: THE RUNNER

While the rest of the press were eating and chatting earlier today, I managed to steal a long 5 minutes of one-on-one chit chat with Cong. Manny Pacquiao! Boy was I lucky!

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– Once in a lifetime chance to be this close to the Pacman. Check out what he’s reading! –

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– Starstruck! –

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– with Jinky Pacquiao –

What did we talk about? Running, of course!

I learned that Manny runs six times every morning of the week except Sundays.  It’s in the afternoons, 1pm to 4pm, that he trains for boxing.  He runs anywhere from 40 mins. to 1 hour and uses time as gauge rather than distance.  His longest run to date has been 1 hour and 15 mins.  He added that he loves hills and trains in Rizal when in Manila and Griffith Park when in the US.

MORE Q&A

Before I knew it, the rest of the press came to ask more questions.

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While I was satisfied with learning about Manny’s running regimen, I was of course interested to hear what else he had to say on other matters:

* ON OTHER SPORTS ASDIE FROM BOXING: diving, jet ski, basketball, billiards, pingpong, badminton, and running

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– Manny toured Misibis in this segway. That’s one good way to escape the paparazzi. For us runners, a sure way to PR! –

* ON WHAT SETS HIM APART FROM OTHER BOXERS: his faith in God.  He prays the rosary daily nine days before each fight and offers mass before and after the fight

* ON HIS KIDS FOLLOWING IN HIS FOOTSTEPS: he started boxing at age 12 and he’s quite relieved that his kids are not at all interested in boxing

* ON HIS BOXING STRATEGY:  There’s a lot of strategizing involved in boxing.  It’s hard.  But, if you plan it well, then it becomes easier.

* ON MOST VALUABLE MATERIAL ITEMS: his trophies and belts

* ON THE BEST INVESTMENT HE’S MADE: buying MP Tower, the first gym he trained in when he went to Manila.  It was old and decrepit when he purchased it, but he tore it down and built a 7-story building

* ON RETIREMENT: No comment at all

Here’s a video of Manny explaining how he trains for his fights by analyzing his opponents:

MANNY PACQUIAO READS TBR

I couldn’t believe it.  The Manny Pacquiao reading The Bull Runner Magazine.  Faint!

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Misibis Bay is located in Cagraray Island in Albay. It’s a 45 minute flight from Manila to Legazpi and less than an hour land trip from the airport to the resort. For more info, call 661-8888 loc 3007 or visit their website at www.misibisbay.com

Read about my Misibis Bay Fitness Escape here and here.

Tampons to the Rescue

Wednesday, 17 August 2011  |  Gear + Gadgets

Its time for some running girl talk. So, guys (and any other squeamish people out there), step out for a quick 5k while us girls discuss some important matters, specifically the best way to manage our menstruation.

Getting our monthly period is more of an inconvenience than anything. We have to deal with bloating, cravings, discomfort, occasional pain, and moodiness (well, our boys usually usually suffer more with this one). It’s much worse for us runners who have to suffer through this discomfort during speedwork or long runs. Groan.

A female runner once asked me if I run when I have my period. Me? Of course I do! Nothing stops this bull from running.

What’s the best way to deal with the nasty monthly visitor? Just one word, ladies: Tampons!

Tampons!  One cannot have enough of them.  Check out my hefty stash…
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As you see, I have various brands of tampons: Tampax Pearl Compak, Tampax Pearl, Playtex, and Playtex Sport. I’ve tried them all and they all vary in size, comfort, material, and efficiency.  Some are just plain uncomfortable (Playtex: thumbs down, Tampax Pearl: too long), while others are so efficient you completely forget you’ve got your period.  You can run freely without worries of any mess or staining.

My favorite brand: Tampax Pearl Compak.  No, not just the regular Tampax Pearl; it’s gotta be the “Compak” one.  This brand is small (“compak”, remember?) so it’s comfortable even when you’re active.  It’s also portable; it can fit in your hydration belt if you need to change during a long run or race!  If you get the triplepack box, it has three variants: Super, Regular, and Lite depending on your needs.

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On a recent trip to the US, I bought loads of boxes of these only to find them being sold in S&R. (Next time I came back they were gone though!)  Well, the boxes at S&R didn’t have the neat little Tampon purse that came with mine…hah!

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So, never ever let your monthly period hinder you from running. Just always have a stash of Tampons waiting to be used. Oh, and absolutely no need to stock up as much as I do!

Mommy Milkshake 2011

Monday, 15 August 2011  |  Race Reports

There’s one race that the kids and I look forward to every year. It’s the Mommy Milkshake Run!

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Yesterday, over 400 parents and kids trooped over to Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio High Street for some 3k and 5k running action and to show their support for breastfeeding.  Spotted there were active families and friends…

Christine

– Christine and Paco Sandejas and kids –

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– Patricia and Vince Hizon and kids –

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– breastfeeding advocate, Abbie Yabot, with husband Mike (not in pic) and her family –

Plus mommy friends and their kids…

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– Mommy Power!  Gigi (Fit Mommy) and my “twin sis” Jaimie carrying their kids. That’s tougher than a 42k! –

Gab
– The Janeo Family: Gab, Mike, and Lola. Missing in pic: Mommy Macel! –

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– The Jao Family (Missing in pic: Daddy Jayvee –

Last but not the least, race organizer and my dearest Sis (who really should start running already)…

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– Janice, bro-in-law Gary V., and kids –

As for The Bull Runner family, oh, the kids and I were present too even if hubby was off to the beach over the weekend.

The morning started out a bit slow and gloomy for us.  It was quite tough to drag the kiddos out of bed, there was an eerie silence in the car and not the usual chatting and shouting, Li’l Miss Bull Runner got cranky after she complained that I was “taking too many photos of her,” and I was just too exhausted from the 21k in such hot and humid weather the day before.

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– To think they were so excited about this race! Check out that fake smile and frown! –

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– Could they have been any more irritable? –

Before we could rant any further, the race started.  There were a few who were serious about racing (my friend ultramarathoner, Toto, was keen on winning the 5k…and he did!) but most were out there to just have serious fun.

Start

The Bull Runner family couldn’t have walked any slower. I was contemplating on replacing Bull with Turtles, Snails, or even Sloths when I had another idea. A few meters into the race, I declared to the kids: Finishers of this race gets a new cheap toy later! (Yes, the word cheap found its way in there!) I saw Li’l Miss Bull Runner’s eyes light up. Then, I made a second announcement: Winner of the race gets an extra cheap toy, too! Before I could finish, the two were gone and had charged ahead just like little bulls!

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– Ready…Set…Go! –

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– Li’l Miss TBR with her cousin –

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– They had a blast… –

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– …and a tough workout too –

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– Bonding time! –

During the race, naughty Li’l Miss Bull Runner would entertain herself by taunting her kuya…

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– Caught in the act –

Spin like crazy to make herself dizzy, and…
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– Whooopeee! –

…Just like Mommy taught her, Li’l Miss Bull Runner would cool herself down at the water station just like the pros do…

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…and again…

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Both crossed the finish at the same time. (Thank God because this Mom plays no favorites so they both enjoyed the same reward later in the day!) This was truly a fun and memorable bonding experience for us.

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We dropped by Mercato Centrale for Mommy Milkshake’s post race activities and to shop for food of course (brazo de mercedes and cupcakes…yum!), but had to leave before the mommy talks and kiddie activities which we heard were a lot of fun.

post race

Congratulations to Mommy Milkshake Run! Until the next one!

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Cam-sure!

Friday, 12 August 2011  |  Bullish Insights

Expect the roads of Manila to be empty this weekend as runners and triathletes fly off to Camsur for the Ironman Camsur 70.3.

Swim squad classmate and triathlete Roland Benzon said his training was: Cram-sure!

And he was going to Cramp-sure!

Well, all I can say is that I wish that all you triathletes who worked long and hard for Sunday’s big race stay Calm-sure until the big day…

And that you all swim, bike, and run your own race to the best of your abilities!  We’re all proud of you already…that’s for sure!

Good luck to all my friends joining (You know who you are! I won’t name names since I may forget some of you!) especially to Team Hammer!