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On its 125th anniversary, Avon will stage a nationwide race called “Avon Run to 125,000 Kisses” to raise funds to essentially “kiss” breast cancer goodbye. It’s going to be a walk/run event held at SM Mall of Asia on October 2, 2011. I’ll be there! Hope to see you all.

The world knows I’m a huge Nike Lunar Glide fan. I was never a fan of Nike running shoes until the first Lunar Glide came along. I used the Nike Lunar Glide+ for all my five marathons so far. It has literally gone the distance with me.

The recently released Nike Lunar Glide+ 3 is very much like the Nike Lunar Glide+ and nothing like its predecessor, the Nike Lunar Glide+ 2. For that, I am extremely overjoyed; nothing quite sucks as to have your favorite running shoe massacred into what was coined an upgrade.

– From the 1st to the 3rd Nike Lunar Glide –

Back to Lunar Glide+ 3…

– Nike Lunar Glide+ 3 for Women –

I’ve used the Nike Lunar Glide+ 3 for the past couple of weeks at races and training runs.  Here’s what I think:

PROS:

• Comfort: Snug fit. Feels like the shoe wraps around your foot comfortably, like I’m wearing socks.
• Just-right cushioning: Perfect balance of cushioning and stiffness. Not too soft that I feel there’s no support, but not too stiff either that it feels like plywood
• Light: This is a lot lighter than other bulky stability shoes out there.  Great for those long slow distances.
• Dynamic Support System: Still has the Dynamic Support System which adapts to the runner’s gait so that with each step the runner gets cushioning and support to guard against overpronation
• Midfoot strap: The shoe has a strap on the side for additional support. This was a feature only for the Women’s shoe with the 1st Lunar Glide, then it completely disappeared with the Nike Lunar Glide+ 2, but I’m glad Nike revived it for both Men and Women’s shoes since it’s one of my favorite features.
• No need for break in: Okay, don’t quote me on this. But, I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’ve used brand new pairs of this shoe to run marathons and I had no problems! For any other shoe or model, I would never dare to do this. But, based on experience, this shoe needs no break in.
• Handsome shoe: Love the colors!

CONS:

• Lacks bounce: I’m yearning for that springy, bouncy feeling with each step, but I can’t find it with this shoe
• Durability is a concern: Since the shoe feels like a sock, I noticed that it expires much earlier than other shoes. After 4 months, cushioning significantly decreases.
• Too narrow for runners with bunions: Since the shoe is a bit narrow, I wouldn’t recommend this for runners with bunions. I have bunions so they start to hurt after over 5k distances in this shoe. I never experienced this with the 1st Lunar Glide, hence I’m not sure if this will be the marathon shoe for me this year. So sad.

THE VERDICT

I would highly recommend this shoe for runners with mild to moderate overpronation who are looking for a light stability shoe for training or long distance races.  Oh, and those that have no bunions!

Where to buy: Nike, Runnr

Retail price: P5,495

The rains didn’t stop me from running at the NBA Fit Run this morning and it turns out neither did it stop all 6,000 runners that showed up.  Organized by Runrio, the NBA Fit Run was another well-organized race event where everything from the course to marshals and hydration stations were provided.

This was definitely a memorable race for me for three reasons:

(1) First 21k after injury. It was the first time I reached 21k again after my injury last May 22.  Woohoo!  I still have a long way to go to get back into tiptop shape, but I’m quite satisfied with my performance.  After all, my goal was just to finish without pain!  According to my Garmin, my time was 2:20 for 21.3 km at a pace of 6:35/km.  Easy does it. Speed will come in time.

(2) Start of training. This was the first run which officially started my training for New York City Marathon.  If I just wasn’t stingy, I would’ve treated my friends for breakfast just because of this.  Too bad, I am. Hah!

Last but not the least…

(3) I met Coach Spo! I kid you not. I am Coach Erik Spoelstra‘s biggest fan.  And, any woman who contests this will  be challenged to a road race!  This isn’t a silly highschool crush.  I truly admire Coach Spo for his work ethic on the court and his efforts to go back to his Filipino roots and give back.  He inspires you to be a better person, a better Filipino.

After our 21k, Jun and I wasted no time in heading over to the awarding to just catch a glimpse of Coach Spo from afar.  I told Jun I’d be happy to just see him if it was too crowded. Sigh.

When we got to the stage, by some stroke of luck—and a lot of good connections (Thank you Coach Rio, Angel, and Ton of Gatorade!)—I got called up onstage.  It was a scene that made me want to burst out in laughter.  There I was, little ol’ me, squeezing my way into the awarding with the heads of NBA Fit, Coach Rio, Air 21, and Coach Spo. I bet the world was wondering what the hell I was doing there, but hey I didn’t mind: I was there to meet Coach Spo and if he didn’t come down from the stage to see me then I would go up!

With a huge grin on his face, Coach Rio introduced us. The rain stopped, clouds parted to let the sun shine in on us, and then Coach Spo and I shook hands.  After some quick chitchat, I left the stage feeling like I had won the race!  Who cares about pace and personal records when you’ve got Spo?!

Okay, I have to admit.  When we shook hands, I was screaming like a highschool girl in my mind!

What’s the best part of the marathon for you?

The common answer is, of course, the finish line. Words cannot explain the fulfillment one feels after running the long and arduous 42.195 kilometers of a marathon.  Other runners will answer the start or perhaps midway when they encountered a helping hand, a discovery of their inner strength, or simply feeling second wind when they were about to give up.

My answer? What I love most about the marathon is the training.  I love that raw, nervous feeling in your heart when you’ve found the perfect marathon training program, as you sign up for the race, or just day dream about the marathon.  I love waking up in the wee hours of the morning to meet friends for a long run, half of which will be done in the dark before the world awakes.  I love crossing out each run feeling like I deserve a medal for pushing myself hard each and every single time.  I love feeling fit and light and strong during the months leading up to the race and, even more, seeing how my body changes, how muscles suddenly pop out of nowhere, and the weight melts away.  Truth to tell, I love the journey—every single part of it, including sweat, tears, and pain—more than the destination itself.  The race is just icing on the cake.

Tomorrow, training officially begins for New York City Marathon 2011.  The program I’m using is from the FIRST program pulled out from the book Run Less, Run Faster (available at Runnr).  I am so ready!

– My marathon folder holds all my training programs from the past. It has my Nike Hood to Coast, Singapore 2009, Condura, HK, NYCM 2010, and now NYCM 2011 program. On the left is inspiration provided by Little Miss Bull Runner –

The sun was covered by clouds today, but it was bright and happy at Sun Cell’s Fun Run at Bonifacio Global City this morning.  With the huge set up, the Sun Fun Run looked like a major race that was just as well-organized (or even better) than other public races, but this was actually a corporate affair.  It was part of Sun’s annual sports fest for its over 5,000 employees.  Wow, they sure know how to keep their people fit and healthy!

– with serious runners from Sun Cell: Charles Lim, Business Unit head, and Ricky Pena, SVP for Postpaid Marketing –

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the run this morning.  I ran 5k since I’m also running the NBA Fit 21k tomorrow.  According to my Garmin, I ran 5km at 5.23 min/km finishing at 27 mins 18 seconds.  It was the first time I ran fast after being injured for 2 months…and boy did I love it!

After the race, I made new friends from Sun (and tried to convince two of them to join TBR Dream 2012) and then led the oath taking for the start of Sun’s Sports Fest.  Thanks to Sun for the opportunity to be part of their event!