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Until the night before, hubby and I were unsure of signing up for Bald Runner’s 32km Rizal Day Run.  I knew I wanted to run, but for how long?  I wasn’t quite sure what distance I could handle now that my body and brain are both in off season mode.  I ran a 10k yesterday and it went fine, thank you.  But, running past that distance is an entirely different story.

After much texting and thinking, hubby, Jun (The Solemates), and I decided to just go for the race.  Thank God for onsite registration!

BURN BABY BURN!

The race was a no frills, no fanfare kind of event, which was just the kind of race I needed after all the glitz and gluttony of Christmas parties.  There were a few hundred participants (most of them training for Bataan Death March), a minimalist set up, and a very simple race route: 7k loop to be run 4 times plus an additional 4k to cover 32km around Camp Aguinaldo. The race started and ended at the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand.

My goal for this race was simple: Have fun! With one foot recovering from NYC Marathon and another foot still deep into holiday festivities, I respected my body enough to know that it wasn’t ready for any pushing and prodding.  My plan was to run a minimum of 21k (I had no qualms about a possible DNF by the 3rd loop) yet still try to cover 32k if I felt strong enough.

TIRED AT 10

I thoroughly enjoyed running on the asphalted, quiet roads of Camp Aguinaldo (it was my first time!).  Running at the crack of dawn before the rest of the world woke up made it even more enchanting.  For a while, it was even relaxing with the cool weather and a soft breeze blowing on our faces every now and then.

But, with the cool weather, it took around 2km for my legs to warm up.  Then, after around 5k more, I was actually feeling a little bit tired.  Alarms started ringing in my ear.  Could it be the lack of sleep?  The extra weight? The tight compression socks? The lack of training?  The fast 10k run the day before?  It could’ve been all of the above!  All I knew was that I felt tired earlier than usual and it wasn’t good.

LOOPED IN

Looped courses can be a double-edged sword.  It’s good because it’s simple and easy to understand, one’s chances of getting lost is minimal.  You also know what to expect after the first loop.  But, it’s a course that plays with your mind and tempts you at every single turn to quit, quit, quit.  It requires a lot of self-discipline and willpower to say NO when your legs start feeling numb, your throat is dry, and your tummy starts growling and your car starts beckoning for you to just head home.

I passed the grandstand at 7k and stopped for a bathroom break and change of shoes.  I initially used my Brooks Glycerin 8, which was a half size too small for me, so I switched to my trusty ol’ Nike Lunar Glide 1 to avoid killing another toenail.  Good thing I brought it as backup.

By the 2nd loop, at 14k, I passed the grandstand again for yet another bathroom break.  This time, I had a chance to exchange a few words with Bald Runner before we sped off again.  I was tired, yet I plodded on again resisting the temptation to quit.

By the 3rd loop, at 21k, hubby, Jun and I were exhausted.  Hubby stopped at this point since he had covered a much too high mileage for the entire week.  Jun and I pushed forward, forcing our bodies to deal with the pain and allowing ourselves to run/walk through the course.  Somewhere in the middle I remember yelling “This is tougher than a 42k!”

GOING FOR 4

Jun and I reached the 4th loop at 28k and I was ready to head back to the car.  Then, we thought we should go for a solid number and hit 30k despite my wooden legs and throbbing big toe.  So, we ran down towards the end of the road and climbed back up the last ascent before heading back into the grandstand.  We reached 29.4 km, a few meters short of 30k.  We could’ve covered the last 2k, but we didn’t.

DNF at 30k for the last race of the year! At that time, it seemed like a wise decision. But, an hour or two later, I wondered what the hell we were thinking. 2k more and we didn’t finish it. I wanted to yank my shoes out and hit myself over the head with it.  What kind of endurance athletes are we?  What a dumb mistake.  What a way to end the year.  But hey, I’m not being too hard on myself just yet.  After all, there’s still 4 more days to 2010 to make up for it.

A runner’s Christmas is all about…

…running with people you enjoy being with so much that you wish the run would never end

– after this morning’s run with Jun and Annie –

…hitting the road at 5am when the weather is nippy just to get the chance to wear all the long-sleeved, dri fit running apparel that stays locked in the closet for the most part of the year

…running all you want because the kids are out of school and work has stalled for almost everyone

…trying to squeeze in a run after Simbang Gabi (compression tights under jeans and tank under a jacket!)

…increasing your mileage the week before Christmas to make way for all the eating in Noche Buena

…giving gifts you know only fellow runners will love and appreciate

– found these pouches at Mizuno. Reminded me of my Spi Belt (which I love) so I bought a few for my running friends –

…hinting to your beloved about all the gear you will need to attain your running goals in 2011 and wishing he/she picks up on it (Forget about hinting in my case. I’ll just spell it out for the hubby.  C-L-E-A-T-S for cross training. Or an I-P-A-D for easy blogging)

…baking Christmas cookies with the kids without even showering after a run. Oops, that’s just me. But, yes, that’s what I did this morning!

– Yummy! The kids and I had a blast baking these –

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Best running buddy is back home from Singapore! Of course, we had to celebrate her homecoming with a run.

Annie and I dashed through our playground yesterday in between guffaws and short walk breaks (we are so not in serious training mode) to cover 7k of one of the first of our many holiday runs while she’s here.

Tomorrow, we spend the morning running through hills and ending it with Bikram Yoga. When Annie’s here, there’s never a dull workout moment!

– Here’s Annie with her pasalubong for me: my favorite Bee Chieng Hiang! Drool drool. I’ll save this for Christmas Eve cheat day! –

Guess who’s on Men’s Health’s December issue?

Uhm…aside from Rich Herrera…

Yup. You’ll find me in one of the back pages…

Thanks to the magic of makeup I look like a speed demon here.  A friend had the perfect description for this photo: “very bullish!”

Thanks to Men’s Health and Peejo Pilar!

This is what I wrote about Condura Race in 2010: “If Condura Run hopes to remain as one of the best races in the country, it must step up its offerings next year and inject newer, fresher ideas to compete with world-class local races that runners will definitely see this year.”

And, after the bloggers briefing about the race and going through Condura’s E-reg system, this is what I have to say about Condura’s upcoming race in 2011: “Goodbye Condura Run, Hello Condura Skyway Marathon! Leeeet’s run!”

For 2011, Condura is definitely pulling out all the stops to make their race one of the biggest and best events of the year.  Their tradition of running for a cause continues—this time, P50 goes to the dolphins of Bohol with the rest of the proceeds donated to other beneficiaries.  By 2012, Condura hopes to be the premier marathon event in the Asia-Pacific region. (Challenge for Condura is how to make tourists see and feel the culture of the country if they’re up on the Skyway 90% of the time….but I’m sure the Concepcion brothers will figure that out!)

WHO’S NOT JOINING CONDURA?

You can check out the Condura Skyway Marathon website, which is just wonderfully made by the way, to learn more about this much anticipated event in the running world. They enumerate 12 reasons why you should join the race (e.g., 3inch medals for 42k, cool shirts, tons of freebies, etc.)—not that a lot of people need convincing.  I don’t know anyone who isn’t joining this race.

For me, Condura Skyway Marathon is a must-run event for me every year. Here are my 5 reasons why I’m definitely joining:

1) I have fond memories of Condura. In 2009, this was where I launched The Bull Runner Magazine.  Last year, Condura Race was my first official local marathon. And it was a PR at that. It was made extra special because my best running buddy Annie came home from Singapore to run it. We ran side-by-side on the Skyway.

– with my irreplaceable running buddy, Annie-girl! –

2) Route is simple and relatively fast. It should even be faster now without that awful Condura Hill. (Oooh the memory of that steep ascent still sends chills up my spine!)

3) Coach Rio de la Cruz is the race director. By far, RunRio’s races are the most well-organized events in the local running scene from marshaling to traffic management, there are rarely any mishaps anymore.  (Hey, Rio’s my friend but I remain unbiased and I speak the truth!)

4) Race organizers Ton and Patrick Concepcion are runners who will toil away for months on end to deliver a bigger and better Condura event each year. Ton says he is the only runner who hasn’t joined the Condura Skyway Marathon!  (How can he when he’s so hands on managing his own race?)  Ack, I can’t wait to run the race this year.

5) I need a goal. And THIS IS IT!

CONDURA’S NEW E-REGISTRATION SYSTEM

At the bloggers’ dinner hosted by Condura, we were briefed about the race and then treated to a special surprise. We were brought to the Condura Kiosk right in front of Asics, the race’s official shoe sponsor, and were guided through the convenient and efficient race registration system.

– Bloggers register. Say hi Bards (Banana Running)! –

Here’s how Condura’s E-registration goes:

1) Register online. Or, you may also register at the computers provided in the kiosk. Print out the confirmation form.

– Hubby keys in his information –

2) Submit at the Condura Registration center. Pay the fee. Sign the waiver.

– Staff checks the printout and collect payment at Step 2 –

3) Present confirmation stub and claim race shirt and bib.

– Vener claims his shirt at Step 3. He gets a free Hershey’s bar too! –

– Nice shirt, Condura! Logo was designed by Team Manila –

I allowed everyone else to register as I bit my nails and pulled all my hair out over the huge decision I had to make: Was I going to register for a 21k or a 42k?

At the very last minute, I decided to go the conservative route: 21k.

– with Jun (The Solemates), hubby, Ton Concepcion, and his daughter –

THE MORNING AFTER

I woke up the following day and felt like crap.  I couldn’t get Condura out of my mind.  My brain told me I did the right thing in registering for 21k.  But, my heart told me otherwise.  I waaaant to do the 42k!  This requires some deep pondering among good running buddies over a long run this weekend and a tapsilog breakfast.  Let’s see!