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A friendly reminder from your Bully (as Ton Gatmaitan would put it)…

Bull Sessions are open to the public, not just for TBR Dream Marathoners, but anyone and everyone who is interested in running.

See you guys tomorrow!

Hey, I just heard I was featured in the Wellbeing Section of Manila Bulletin, Nov. 1, 2011.  This was about my running the Guam KoKo Road Race last October 16, 2011.  Sigh, fond memories of that rainy race. Thanks to Nina for informing!

My head was in a whirl before leaving for New York last week that I completely missed out on something that would’ve kept me dancing and prancing all day…or even the entire month.  Here’s the letter that came with the package I received but failed to take a 2nd look at before hopping on the plane:

Ooooh baby! If there’s one shoe I go googoo gaga over, it would be this: the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light. I have two pairs -both of the same color, the yellow/black model.

I was a very loyal user until I got injured in May this year. After this, I tried a variety of other shoes, namely Asics Gel Kayano 17, On running shoes, Brooks Glycerin 7, New Balance 870, and Nike Lunar Glide+ 3.  I wasn’t fully recovering from injury for months. Needless to say, I was frustrated.  It wasn’t until exactly a month ago, during the Guam KoKo Race 21k to be exact, when I decided to try my Kwicky Blade Lights again that I completed a race with absolutely no pain or discomfort.  That’s when I knew the Kwicky Blade Light would be my marathon shoe for both the NYC Marathon in November and California International Marathon (CIM) in December.

Lucky me, Steve of KSwiss in Singapore sent me a little surprise: the note above and, of course, the brand new shoe below.  Just in time for break in before CIM! Woohoo!

Check it out:

– New color for KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light 2012, Womens –

– Side view –

– Love love love this shoe –

For my take on the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light, click HERE.

Thank you Steve! Hoping this gets me to run as fast as you do at CIM!

– I get my NYCM 2011 medal plus a bonus thumbs up from a race volunteer –

I did it!

As I write this, it’s 7:30 am and I’ve been up since 3 am.  I’m in my recovery tights sipping French Vanilla coffee and munching on leftover pretzels from the finisher’s bag of the race.

It’s just the morning after I crossed the finish line of my 2nd New York City Marathon and 6th marathon finish. It wasn’t a spectacular performance; it was quite the opposite.  My slowest and most painful marathon ever.   Time on my Garmin: 5 hrs 21 mins. (I never crossed 5 hours before, but hey there’s always a first.) But, it was the best I could do given the circumstances.  I gave my all as most marathoners did and we should all be proud of the 42.195k—including the months of training before that day—that we conquered.

After my first few marathons, I learned that one doesn’t have the right to complain about bad runs or awful performances in a 42km. No use killing yourself over what you should’ve done or what you could’ve done better.  Each marathon—whether a BQ, a PR, or the slowest one ever—is unique, special, and is a celebration of life. You only learn from your mistakes, accept the fact that, as with life, not everything is under your control, and you move forward knowing that there are many more marathons to run in your lifetime.

I fly home to Manila tomorrow. So, give me this week to write my full marathon story as I savor my last day (along with some steak with other Pinoy runners. Yum!) in what I think is now my favorite city in the world, New York.  See you all soon, guys!

Check my Facebook for all NYCM 2011 pictures I took while on the run!

Thank you again to Gatorade for an amazing experience!

My cousin, Celine and I woke up to a slow and sleepy Saturday morning and set out for a half day of shopping ahead.  Of course, shopping had to be brief because I didn’t want to stay on my feet all day.

– We shopped around the midtown area and hunted for my Canon S100 which was out of stock everywhere. Sob sob. –

I dropped by Jack Rabbit, a running store on Lexington Ave. between 83rd and 84th, to buy my Gatorade pre-race fuel and a cool new shirt. I chose to wear my race day shoes already, KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light, because my poor little toes have been getting a beating from walking in the wrong shoes the past few days…

We had a late lunch at an italian restaurant with Jet, NY-based member of Adobo Run Club who is also running NYCM for the 2nd time and a good friend of Celine’s. Celine carbo-loaded along with us. Haha!

– Loved this caprese! –

– with Jet and Cel –

Jet and I bought bagels at H&H for our breakfast during the long pre-race wait at the race. I’ll be spreading peanut butter on my whole wheat bagel and I’ll down it with Gatorade probably at the ferry headed towards Staten Island tomorrow.  Oh, just mentioning my beloved peanut butter gets me drooling. Oink.

– with Jet –

As soon as Cel and I arrived home and after oohing and aahing over our shopping finds, I laid out all my gear for the big day.

On one side of the room, I set all my gear to wear for the race tomorrow: three layers of Nike tops, 2XU compression tights, Nathan hydration belt, Asics gloves and Oakley shades.

Check out that bib. Looks so simple, but it gives so much info about each runner:
– Name
– Color: Green. This means I’m in the green Village. Others are in orange and blue. This tells me which start line I’ll be crossing and what village I should wait in before the race.
– Wave No. 2. This indicates my start time of 10:10 am. Others start at 9:40 and 10:40.
– First two numbers: 37. This tells me I’m in Corral 37 within Wave 2.

Then, I set my PRE-RACE clothes that I’ll be wearing in the morning heading to the race, but not during the race. (Complicated huh?)  Weather is expected at 57F which is awesome! But, I’m still bringing my fleece jacket, throwaway clothes, and tear away gear to be safe.

I packed a lot into my check in bag this time, a lesson I learned from last year’s race. I placed two sets of clothes for changing post-race just in case I head straight for post-race celebrations with other Pinoy runners. I also brought a blanket, trash bags, food, medicine, and toiletries for pre and post race. Depositing and claiming of the bags are quick and efficient at NYCM despite the huge number of runners.

I prepared my pre-race nutrition. I’ve been drinking Gatorade today to ensure I’m hydrated and I’ll take the Gatorade pre-race fuel tomorrow. Results of my Gatorade sweat test indicate I should drink 125mL every 15 minutes.  I’ll also take Hammer Gel 30 minutes before the race and at 10k, 20k, and 30k.

Phew. It took me close to an hour to pack. That doesn’t even include all the brainwork on planning how to get to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and more importantly how to get home to Celine’s apartment which is not a joke when you’re a tourist in New York!  Despite all this, the New York City Marathon is worth all the troubles for me…even the second time around.

I’m all set for the race. Even my toenails say so! NY, here we go…

– Just like Dara Torres, I painted my toenails as part of pre-race preps. I wanted to put NYC 42K but they wouldn’t fit into my tiny toenails! Those Phiten circular stickers are supposed to help circulation around my tired toes. I hope they work! –

Wish me luck tomorrow!