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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…

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.

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!

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!

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

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 and Paco Sandejas and kids –

– Patricia and Vince Hizon and kids –

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

Plus mommy friends and their kids…

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

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

– 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)…

– 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.

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

– 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.

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!

– Ready…Set…Go! –

– Li’l Miss TBR with her cousin –

– They had a blast… –

– …and a tough workout too –

– Bonding time! –

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

– Caught in the act –

Spin like crazy to make herself dizzy, and…

– Whooopeee! –

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

…and again…

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.

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.

Congratulations to Mommy Milkshake Run! Until the next one!

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!

You know how some of these running shops have this cool sign “Out Running” displayed on their doors when no staff is in sight.  Well, I took the liberty to make my own for TBR.  See above.  (Yes, I still have a lot of time to design completely useless stuff for your entertainment.)

You see, I spent most of the week catching up on lost time with my beloved running.  After two months of sorely missing my free, painless runs when I had Morton’s Neuroma, and now that I am fully recovered (woohoo!) and completely stoked over my NYC Training, I ran almost everyday of this week: Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  I ran a 10k Tempo yesterday (which I hadn’t done in months and I was panting like a dying dog out there but I loved every minute!) and I have a  29k long run pencilled in for tomorrow.

One of my friends told me last night after seeing me run: It was so nice to see you running strong again.  I only have one thing to reply: Oh baby, it feels great to be back!

Disclaimer: To the beginners, do not run daily as I did! Hah!  I really only run 4x a week to allocate time for recovery and to avoid injury.  I just HAD to run this often this week because I missed it too much.  Be back to my regular training program next week.  Be good!

Last month, race organizer ExTribe launched its Camp Run series which is composed of several running events throughout the year all at, where else, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City hence the series name. Camp Run will feature a military or boot camp theme, a unique race format, and a novel route for the runners. It will also be tailored to encourage continuous participation rather than competitiveness, and will ultimately be developed to become a nationwide program.

Race: CAMP RUN Train/Race/Serve
Date: August 20, 2011 (Saturday)
Venue: Camp Aguinaldo QC
Assembly Time: 5:00PM
Race Start: 5:30PM

Registration:

• 5K – P400
• 10K – P600
• Period: July 20 to August 18, 2011
• Registration Outlets: Chris Sports SM Megamall, SM MOA, SM City Annex, Glorietta 3, Market Market

Two things that make the Camp Run a worthwhile race:

1. “VeteRan” system. All runners who join the entire Camp Run series will receive a special race bib, event shirt, and a commemorative dog tag and medal.
2. One of its beneficiaries is 57-75 Movement: Reverse the Education Crisis which iamNinoy-iamCory Runners Group, a group I’m a member of, supports as well