Archive for September, 2012

After a flight that felt like forever (10 hour layover in Doha, baby!), Team Berlin from the Philippines—that’s Lit, Ton, Angel, Miriam, and myself—arrived in Berlin last Thursday. As soon as we landed, we checked into our hotel, washed up, and headed straight for the Berlin Marathon expo to claim our race packs.

– Lost in the subway with the boys hauling our luggage. Thanks Ton and Lit! –

– Bromance in Berlin. Roomies Ton and Lit –

– Outside the race expo at Flughafen Tempelholf (say what?!) –

– Balloons (and German boys) to welcome runners! –

– Friendly staff welcomed me as I claimed my kit –

– We’re all in for Berlin! Ton, Lit, me, Angel, and Miriam. Behind us is the 42k course we run on Sunday! Woohoo! –

– That is exactly how the race will look on Sep. 30 with the assembly at Brandenburg Gate! Of course, I’ll be in running clothes and lost in the huge crowd of 40,000 runners –

The Berlin Marathon Expo was huge with booths of most running brands represented. There were a lot of official marathon merchandise from adidas, but I couldn’t find anything that interested me. Absent as well from the expo were the brands that I usually go crazy over: Cliff Blocks, Gatorade for pre-race fuel, GU or Hammer gels, and other items that I don’t normally find in Manila.

I ended up buying only one thing: Phiten discs which work very well for me to alleviate minor aches and pains. (Some friends used to make fun of me over this, but they freaked themselves out when, after trying, it worked for them too!) I usually buy the plain ones, but there were limited edition Berlin discs this time! Cool!

– Limited edition Berlin phiten discs. Pretzels and beer on my toes!  (Yes, I know my bunions are big!)

When we got home, I checked out all the loot in the bag.  First thing I always do is keep the important race items safe and secure.

– My check in bag, reusable BMW timing chip (It’s that tiny BMW chip on the left of the bib. So sosyal!), and personalized race bib –

– Official Finisher’s Shirt of the Berlin Marathon. Love it! –

– Most of the items in the kit. A box of pasta, Powerbar sample, chocolate. Most of these were marathon flyers I collected as well during the expo –

– adidas provided a mi time wristband which you can engrave with your finish time after the race –

– Anyone who trains and finishes a marathon has every right to receive this in the race kit. Yum! –

Next article: Our pre-race run through Berlin roads

Thank you to Unilab Active Health for sponsoring my Berlin Marathon adventure!

Last night, almost 80 TBR Dreamers attended the 1st TBR DM Weight Management program led by Armand and Mitch Mendoza.  The program—only for 100 lucky TBR Dreamers who managed to grab slots—aims to provide nutrition counseling and information during the next 22 weeks of training for the TBR Dream Marathon.

The Weight Management Program is a feature of TBR Dream Marathon that greatly benefits those who are serious about managing their weight. For those who are committed, the results by marathon day can be astounding. Believe me, I’ve seen how some past TBR Dreamers would shrink before our very eyes every time we’d see them. Some of them have successfully maintained their weight with running and proper diet.

With Mitch and Armand, I can rest assured that all of our runners are in good hands. They don’t only give each one personal attention, but they do this all for free! It’s a gift. And, I’m glad some TBR Dreamers jumped at the chance to learn from them.

– me with Armand and Mitch when I joined their Misibis Bay Fitness Escape last year –

From now on, the next five TBR DM Weight Management sessions will be held at the newly opened Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Bar on top of Muji and Gap, 3/F Gap Building across Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street. I discovered this place only last week and I love it. It’s a little sanctuary amidst the chaos outside. Thank to Jay Ong of CBTL for allowing us to meet here. Special thanks for the free coffee for all our TBR Dreamers too!  (Ang sosyal!)

For those interested in signing up for TBRDM Weight Management Program, you can still contact mitchfelipe(at)gmail.com. Remember: This is only for registered participants of TBR Dream Marathon 2013!  For more info, click HERE.

To all TBR Dream Marathon 2013 Participants:

Most of our announcements and news for the race will be posted on our website: www.tbrdream.com.  Please check that often for upcoming events or information pertaining to the site.  NOT all race info will be posted here on thebullrunner.com so as not to bore all other readers hah!

Just to let you know:

Over the weekend, we posted the following:

1) Final list of registrants for TBR Dream Marathon 2013

2) List of TBR DM Weight Management Program participants.  For those on the list, please attend your first TBRDM Weight Management Session at 7 tonight in Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Bar, 3/F Gap Building, BHS (on top of Gap and Muji). Thank you to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Bar for hosting!

Say what?! Don’t ask me to verbalize that. It took me a while to just type it!

It’s how the organizers of the Berlin Marathon describe their race. It means: “flat, fast and unforgettable.”

– Map of Berlin Marathon on my bulletin board –

In seven days, I, along with four of my running buddies, will be running those flat and fast roads of Berlin, the fastest marathon course in the world.  WOW!  To say I am excited would be an understatement.

Earlier this morning, some of us in Team Berlin (yes, that’s what we’ve been calling ourselves for the past months.  I told you we were excited about this race!) ran our last weekend run together.  Looking back, I told a friend I felt like we breezed through those long runs together.  We ran consecutive Sundays hitting 21k, 24k, 28k, then 35k until we tapered off.  Today, we capped off our marathon training with a 12k run.

For me, it was bittersweet.  While I was glad to have ended training, I do have to admit that I’ll miss those long runs, the company of friends, and the sumptuous breakfast after.  I can’t help it.  I’m just one of those people who love both the journey and the destination when it comes to marathons.  I just live for long runs!  (Hey, I can make  t-shirts with that line!)

For the next few days, I plan to just do one more run, one Bikram yoga session, and one bike trainer session.  That’s on top of trying to finish work, tutoring the kids for exams, and packing.  Waah!  After all that, I fly out on the 26th for what I’m sure will be a flach, schnell und unvergesslich marathon on September 30!

* Wish us all Pinoy runners luck!  We’re around 40 from Manila.

** Piolo (yes, Papa P) was supposed to join us, but he had to back out because of work. Boo! (Funny side story: He personally told me this in the Shangrila Cebu elevator.  I entered.  He was inside and called me by name.  Me?!  My jaw dropped.  He spoke matter of factly about not making it to Berlin and I managed to listen without drooling or fainting.  Hay life is good!)

Oh yes, you read that title right! As early as now, Unilab Active Health is releasing its race calendar for 2013.  This includes the Run United series of RunRio Trilogy, Run United Philippine Marathon, TriUnited Series, and, of course, TBR Dream Marathon where Unilab Active Health is our Presenter.

Bring out your calendars and note these dates down so you can plan your training and set your goals for the coming year!  (Zoom in to read the dates and distances)

Click on Unilab Active Health’s website for more info.