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While the rest of Manila were off to Baguio or the beach this morning, a bunch of us decided to head for the trails. We ran through lush forests and fantastic trails right in the heart of Quezon City at La Mesa Ecopark.

For P200 per head, we got to run the trails with a runner guide, Julie.  We covered 13km for over 2 hours.

NOTE:
– La Mesa Ecopark requires a guide to run with you. No guide, no entry.
– For our guide, we contacted Mang Abe 0916-693-3981.
– Minimum fee is P1,000 to be divided among your group.

– Showing up on this easy holiday Thursday morning were Hec and Mayen of Secondwind, myself, Carl, Neville, Lit, Ton, Jun, Miriam and Angel. –

Here’s a video made by Hector of Secondwind…

The La Mesa Ecopark course makes for a nice and easy trail run even for beginners. It’s relatively flat and safe.

– On the right is Julie, our guide who seemed like he was going for a stroll while we were all trying to catch up behind him –

– Ton, Lit, and Jun searching for what I think were “gazelles” in the forest –

– View from the trails –

– We often stopped for walk breaks and photo ops.  I don’t know how many times we affirmed to each other that we made a good decision to run the trails today instead of the road. –

– So much fun! Trail running offers less impact on the knees, more scenic views, a great opportunity to commune with nature, and it’s just a welcome change from the usual concrete roads –

– Mayen and Jun run under a canopy on the tree-lined path –

At 8.5km, we stopped to rest and hydrate at the Bangkalan rest station along with some other mountain bikers.

– Of course, we needed a group pic here! –

– Lots of mountain bikers here too –

Overheard from the bikers’ conversations about our group:
Biker 1: Saan yung mga bike nila?
Biker 2: Anong bike? They ran!
Biker 1: Ha?! Bakit?!!

– Check out the view –

– That’s me with my Nathan Intensity Hydration vest. (P4,990 at ROX) Oh my gawd, I am in love with that hydration belt. I’ll post a gear review soon. –

– Group pic before we headed back to the end of the trail –

I highly recommend La Mesa Ecopark for a nice and easy trail run. It’s accessible, safe, and clean. Entry fee is reasonable especially since, as mentioned on its website, “all revenues generated by La Mesa Ecopark are utilized for the continuous preservation and protection of La Mesa Watershed.” Bathrooms are clean with running water, soap, toilet paper and even a bidette (as Hector mentioned thrice!)

TIPS FOR TRAIL RUNNING (as I learned today):

1) Bring a hydration vest. It’s quite pricey, but definitely worth the investment if you plan to run trails often. Tip I learned from Neville: Get the air out of the water bag. My water was so noisy while running!

2) Bring food or gels. As road runners, we often think 10k will take an hour just like the roads. But, this definitely takes more time on the trails. It took us over 2 hours to cover 13km today. Always bring food to stave off hunger and keep your energy high.

3) Use short strides. Lit mentioned that in Chi Running for trails they remind runners to use small steps. When in doubt if you should take 1 or 2 steps, Lit said you should take 3 steps.

4) Watch your step but enjoy the view. Be careful of each step to avoid injuries, but also glance at the front every now and then to enjoy the scenery.

5) Run in a group or with a guide. Even if the path is marked and the trail is relatively safe, you don’t want to be out there alone. Besides, there’s more fun in numbers.

For more info on La Mesa Ecopark:

Call: (02) 430-4051/ (02) 430-5207/ (02) 430-5207 (telefax)
Sarah – 09062234125
Dong – 09159013772
Email: lamesaecopark@abs-cbn.com
Website: www.lamesaecopark.com

Secondwind Running Store opened its third branch in Greenhills!

Address: Unit 107, G-Strip, Greenhills Shopping Center, San Juan

I just love Secondwind’s new campaign: IT’S ALL YOU. In running (and in life), there’s really no one responsible for your triumph or failure, but yourself. Your coach, teammates, friends and family will be there to support you, but, at the end of the day, it’s all you. That medal around your neck was borne out of your hardwork and perseverance. Conversely, struggling to make it to the finish of a race is also because of your lack of training and preparation. It’s all you!

Or, could they also mean that the store lives and breathes for its customers. It’s all us?! Hey, that works for me too!

Here’s the location map:

Secondwind has two other branches:
Ortigas: 914-0283
QC: 238-4005

Click HERE to visit Secondwind’s website.

If you’re going up to Baguio this Holy Week, drop by these two brand new stores in the summer capital!

OUTDOOR KINETIX

Outdoor Kinetix is a new outdoor lifestyle store which offers products for various sports: running, cycling, swimming, hiking apparel and footwear as well as nutrition (Gu, Hammer Nutrition and soon, PowerBar gels and chews).  For runners, triathletes, cyclists and other outdoor aficionados looking for a store in Baguio where they can get their gear, nutrition and even tips on where to ride, run or workout.

The people behind the store: JT Gonzales – a triathlete, mountain biker, motocross rider and adventure racer.  He lives and breathes the outdoors.  David de Leon – an avid mountain biker and knows the trails of Baguio by heart. Raoul Floresca – marketing executive for a large distribution and retail company by day, sports entrepreneur by night, and triathlete on the weekends. Oh, he’s a TBR Dream alumni too!

Address: Abad Santos Drive, Burnham Park, 2600 Baguio City. Beside the City Library, very close to Kisad Road, where a lot of hotels are located.
Mobile: 09175855350

R.O.X.

The biggest outdoor sports and recreation hub in Southeast Asia is now open in Baguio!

Address: Cluster C, Ayala Technohub, Camp John Hay, Baguio!
Phone: (074) 2447593

I always say that the marathon brings out the true character of a person. After observing three batches of runners on training for the marathon, we’ve learned that 99% of the time, we see the good in people: their tenacity, determination, generosity, humility, and more. After the runner crosses the finish line, there’s almost an instant awareness of all these good qualities inside that just want to shine through and take effect in one’s life. That’s just part of the magic of the marathon.

TBR Dream Marathoner Mikey shares a similar view and his thoughts on training and finishing his first marathon at TBR Dream…

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Name: Mikey Villanueva
Finish time: 6:43:43

I’ve always been a fan of Douglas Adams. His humor is not for everyone but his illogical, off tangent manner of thinking brought him a cult following.  Imagine a trilogy – of five books!  Or that the restaurant at the end of the universe is actually not a place but a point in time.

Out of all that he has written, his place in geekdom and in the universe is for giving his readers the “Ultimate Meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything!” which is forty-two.  How does forty two answer anything? Six times seven is forty-two.  Aaaand it is significant because????  To be correct, according to fans, it is six times nine equals forty-two.  In base 13.  Google it if you’re lost by now.  Anyway, forty-two has been the butt of jokes and rightly so because Douglas Adams chose it as he found it funny.  Dry British humor, I guess.

Last year, I signed up for The Bullrunner Dream Marathon (TBRDM) organized by Ms Jaymie Pizarro for first & second time marathon runners.  It is the only marathon in the world where everyone is given enough support and encouragement to cross the finish line.  It even includes a 22-week training program that assumes you have zero experience in running! Imagine that – zero to marathon in 22 weeks!  How cool is that?  Amazing!

All that is required is to run three times a week, one hour during weekdays and long runs during the weekend.  The weekend runs increase in duration and distance.  Aye, there’s the rub!  This is where commitment, determination, and dedication come in.  It is not easy to get up on Saturday or Sunday morning and run increasingly longer and longer distances.  During the first week, it is only for an hour.  By the time week 19 comes around, we were running 32km in about 5 hours!  It becomes easier because we get the chance to do it with fellow runners who have the same dream.

Forty-two kilometers.  That’s the goal.  But running it brings something out of runners.  Running that distance for the first time not only taxes the body but also the mind.  Runners dread “The Wall”, the point in the run where they begin to question things- “Why am I doing this?” “There’s a reason bikes and cars were invented…” “My heart is going to explode!” “My legs are cursing me and want to go on strike!” “I wanna go home to mama! Waaaah!”  It is in conquering the wall that separates the marathoner from the fun runner.  It is a mental battle.  Runners have mantras for it “Pain is temporary, Quitting is forever” “What Wall?” “Endure” “Marathoner!!!”

It is in facing the wall that Forty-Two will give you the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything. It makes you push your limits.  It makes you discover what you can do.  Makes you assess what you want in life.  It teaches you to plan on how to make things happen.  It digs deep and calls your soul.  It brings out your true character.  It makes you search internally for the meaning of YOUR life!

I guess Douglas Adams’ fans couldn’t figure out forty-two because most of them are not interested in running.  Now I understand.

Thank you Jaymie and The Bullrunner Team!

Event: Salomon XTrail Run

Organizer: Race Mechanics
Date: March 31, 2012
Venue: Tagaytay Highlands

TBR Rating:

The 3rd Salomon Xtrail Run at Tagaytay Highlands was a record breaking event with the most number of participants at 1,000 runners. The weather was nippy yet comfortable for a trail run.

The course, both road and trail with majority on the trail, was a scenic and challenging route best for competitive trail runners or serious runners looking for an alternative to road racing. There were steep ascents and descents and some slippery and muddy portions where one had to slow down to a walk, but there were numerous opportunities to run freely through the trails.

– Elevation chart of Salomon Xtrail 12k on my Garmin –

The course was secure, well-officiated, and very organized. Ample hydration and directional signs were provided. The post-race event atmosphere was casual and fun.  Highly recommend this race!  Congratulations to Salomon for a fantastic event!

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Time: 2:36:55
Distance: 12.43 km
Avg Pace: 12:38 min/km
Best Pace: 5:22 min/km

Yes, you read that right! It took us over 2 1/2 hours to cover 12km, but when you run (and walk) the trails with friends, time doesn’t really matter. We spent much of our time running through the wonderful trails of Tagaytay Highlands, grasping for vines or anyone’s hand when negotiating slippery slopes, gasping for breath when we climbed those awfully steep hills, or chatting and laughing about how slow we were going. Oh, we also cursed our good friend Neville Manaois who created the course, but forgave him as soon as we saw his rare smile at the finish line. (We love the guy no matter how much hell he gives us.) This Salomon Xtrail Run was all in good fun. A good break from the city roads and a perfect opportunity to celebrate running with friends. Now for the pictures:

– with Dr. Randy Molo, Hector and Mayen waiting for the 6am gun start for 12k –

– Waiting for the race to start. Thank you Lord for allowing the sun to rise already! –

– Check out that fog! And the road!  And the weather was perfect! Aaah, I loved this race atmosphere –

– More friends on the road! Nice bumping into Bobby Cruz and birthday girl Vima (Kulit Runner) –

– The road ends and we line up for the trails. This is what we came here for! –

– Hector Yuzon of Secondwind Running Store looked so at home in the trails –

– It was great seeing so many girls on the trails! –

– One must always stop and take photos on a trail run –

– Don’t be fooled by the smile. There were steep uphill climbs that left me panting. This was definitely a challenging course –

– Yes, that’s how steep it was! We hit the road on the last 3k of the route. We thought the race was almost over. Little did we know that the longest, steepest ascent I had ever encountered was waiting for us. We walked backwards, sideways, on grass…whatever worked to bring us closer to the finish ASAP! –

– So we were walking ever so slowly on the last few kilometers of our 12k run. Who else but Coach Ige Lopez overtakes us as he runs—yes, runs!—up that hill to end his 24k run! He didn’t look as happy as we did though hah! –

– Runners walking towards the finish after the steep climb –

– Last kilometer to the finish was an absurdly steep descent! –

– Walking gives you a lot of time to come up with great photos for Facebook –

– with the man to blame for the aching calves, muddy shoes, and soaked shirts, Neville Manaois –

– with friends from ROX Rain and Macel –

– with TBR Dream Marathon finisher Edwin of Runner’s Runner in the same costume he wore during TBR Dream. Remind me to wear all red compression tights next time. This guy doesn’t seem to break a sweat whether it’s a tough marathon or trail run –

– with Ian of Salomon. Congrats Salomon XTrail for a great event! –