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There’s a very well-written article on “How to Avoid Pitfalls of Long-Distance Running” by Romina Austria on Philippine Daily Inquirer today.  Click HERE to read the full article.

The article comes on the heels of the recent death of Remus Fuentes who passed away after the Milo Marathon.  It provides us with a glimpse of Remus, a runner and family man, like many of us and what exactly happened on the day he collapsed.  It also presents the side of Milo and its organizer, Rudy Biscocho.  More than that, it offers tips on proper training and how to avoid heatstroke.

As I said in an earlier post when I wrote about Remus (click HERE), I feel that the best response many of us can give at this point is to listen to our bodies and practice caution in our own runs. While it is the race organizer’s role to provide adequate support and medical assistance, it is also our responsibility as runners to train properly for the race.

If you are an experienced runner help spread the word about proper training and racing, especially to the beginners.  Let’s encourage people to run, but to do so at their own pace and to build their mileage gradually.  It took me months before I had the courage to run a 10k, and it took me longer to run the 21k.  Nowadays, it’s quite frightening to hear about newbies signing up for a 21k for their first event when they’ve never even run 5k (nor do they know how long 5k is!)

Yes, there’s a running boom.  Yes, we love it that more people are getting fit and healthy through running.  But, as I told a friend last year: We have to be careful that we don’t have a boom in injuries or worse fatalities.  This is a wake up call not just for organizers but for runners as well.

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Just one comment about Rudy Biscocho’s claim in the article.   Mr. Biscocho said: “There was a hydration station (water or Gatorade) around every one kilometer of the 21K race path for a total of 13 water stations…”

I have deep respect for Mr. Biscocho as one of the leading race organizers in our country.  But, Sir, while there were stations at the last 3km of the 21k course, there was absolutely no water left to serve when I and several runners passed it.

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These other articles may interest you:

• Remus Story as told by his Father – Pinoy Fitness
• Tips on Running Races Safely from the Experts – TBR

TBR RACE REVIEW: ROBINSONS SUPERMARKET FIT & FUN WELLNESS BUDDY RUN 2010

DETAILS: Sunday, 11 July 2010, Bonifacio High Street
ORGANIZER: ExTribe

RATING: Excellent race! Highly recommended!

THUMBS UP:

• unique concept
• pleasant marshals that greet you with a smile and a “good morning!”
• clean and simple route
• ample water stations
• kilometer markers and directional signs
• huge lootbag
• relatively small race, but positive and happy vibe

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• merging of 5k and 10k at the last kilometer toward the finish caused delay for some 10k due to walkers at 5k
• vehicles along the I.S./British School area
• long race name. Kidding! Okay, I’m not. It’s like 4 race names in one

For the 3rd time, Robinsons and ExTribe staged a near perfect event with the Robinson’s Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run.

The buddy concept in itself is enough reason to join. It makes the solo sport of running open to teamwork and cooperation. Add to that the seamless race organization and you’ve got a winner.

Organizers fulfilled basic requirements for a race: clean, simple route with marshals and signs to direct the way and ample water stations for hydration. But, they went over and beyond that with the little things: marshals were extraordinarily pleasant and courteous greeting us with “good morning!” along the way, lootbags were humongous and heavy, and the overall ambiance of the race was that of a small community event where anyone and everyone was happy.

This race is on my must-run race list of each year. Better register early next year. I predict slots will disappear faster than you can find a buddy!

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Hubby and I decided to run the first 3k at 6 min pace and the rest at sub 6. That was the plan. But, as always, when the race starts, adrenaline takes over and plans are thrown out the window.

With the foot traffic preventing us from running side-by-side, hubby went ahead. I told him to just dictate the pace and I’d be right behind. Lo and behold, the hubby, who is usually conservative with his pace, suddenly sped away, climbing up on sidewalks, sweeping past other runners, and leaving me heaving and panting in the background. I checked my watch to find his pace at 5:15 to 5:30. So much for plans, I thought, as I struggled to catch my breath.

– On the way to Beundia with my buddy/hubby-

– Full speed ahead –

SUB-6 ALL THE WAY

It turns out that we could go faster than we thought. We ran the entire 10km course at 5:30 to 5:45 pace, except for the challenging Buendia flyover.

Hubby and I hardly exchanged words, except for our favorite two words at that time: “Water break.” I know, I know, we’re so romantic!

TO PR OR NOT

At around 7k, I checked my Garmin to find we were doing pretty well. I asked hubby what his PR was and he replied “56.” I advised him: “If we maintain our pace, we could just break your PR today. Are you game?” I don’t recall him answering, but for me, silence was consent. Off we went!

By the time we reached Forbes Town, hubby saw the water station ahead across McDonalds. He said “Water break there.” I replied: “If you stop, say goodbye to your PR.” He looked at me and obviously decided to stave off his thirst in favor of a PR. I smiled with approval feeling like a coach. Then, I freaked out.

Alarm bells started ringing in my ear as thoughts of heatstroke and dehydration entered my mind, especially with the incident at Milo Marathon. No. No. NO. I asked hubby to just stop and take a drink instead.

We took a sip. Walked a bit. Then, plodded forward.

NEW PR…AS A COUPLE

We crossed the finish line at 58.27 mins, it was our PR as a couple.  Er, well, we only had last year’s 10k Robinson’s Buddy Run to compare it with. We beat our time by…drumroll please…a whopping 2 seconds!!!  Our average pace was 5:35 min/km for 10.4 km.

Next year, we shall plan our strategy a full month in advance and hopefully win the grand prize so we can fly off for our 2nd honeymoon for free…in our dreams!

– Nice bumping into TBR Dream Marathoners: Jonathan, Hec, Hubby, Bic, Bob, Mai, and Mayen –

– Hubby, partners Edward & Coach John who bagged 2nd Place, and Jun –

– New running flight attendant friends! They look so mowdel-ly while I’m dripping in sweat –

– Hubby with Kraft Running Club members who finished their first 5k. Congrats! –

– Coach friends: Coach John and Coach Roel –

And, of course, we can’t skip my favorite part of this run: opening the loot!

They came in heavy grocery bags…

which revealed nice reusable canvass totes…

and all these goodies inside!

I love it! Thank you Robinsons Supermarket for giving me a great Sunday run and saving me a trip to the grocery. Until next year!

Race photos courtesy of Jun Cruz (The Solemates)

Attention TBR Dream Marathoners:

Finally, TBR Dream Marathon Certificates and Souvenir Program will be available for pick up starting Saturday!

– Sample of TBR Dream Certificate (with my dream time on it) and TBR Dream Souvenir Program –

Sorry for the delay.  I honestly didn’t realize how tough it was to compile all your photos into the souvenir program.  (It was as tedious as running a marathon!)  Well, the effort was well worth it.  We’re glad to give you this souvenir program/yearbook to remember all your marathon batchmates by.  I don’t know any other race who has ever done this!

TBR DREAM MARATHON SOUVENIR PROGRAM

• For all registered participants – You get one as long as you registered for the race regardless of your presence on race day.
• 1 copy per registered participant

TBR DREAM MARATHON CERTIFICATES

• Only for finishers of TBR Dream Marathon
• Includes participant’s name and official time
• Printed on board paper (for your immediate framing eh?!)

DETAILS ON PICK UP:

All TBR Dream participants may pick up the Souvenir Program and Certificate at ROX, Bonifacio High Street (counter for race registration at the 2nd Floor).

• Schedule:
  • Saturday, July 17, 2010 – 1pm to 8pm
  • Sunday, July 18, 2010 – 1pm to 8pm
  • Monday, July 19, 2010 – 1pm to 8pm

• Look for Angela
• Send a letter of authorization if you’re sending a representative to claim for you.
• Any certificates or souvenir programs left unclaimed after July 19 may be picked up at: CREATIVE JUICE, 3/F Fun Ranch, Tiendesitas only until JULY 31, 2010.

For inquiries/clarifications, call Angela 0908-756-8859

Boo to you Basyang for wreaking havoc in Metro Manila and other provinces. Boo to you for causing some deaths and injuries, sweeping a crane off of the skyway creating hellish traffic on South Super Highway, and worst of all, creating problems with Meralco’s electricity thereby leading us to lose wifi access for over a day. Ack.

Running for me did continue regardless of Basyang’s wrath (and I hope it was the same for you as well.)  You must know that no freak storm messes with The Bull Runner’s training program, especially when she has her eyes set on a serious goal (read: New York).  So, I spent my morning at the gym yesterday as my usual training ground looked more like a trail route (as confirmed to me by Francis who ran on fallen branches and leaves rather than the usual clean, concrete roads).

For first time, I survived 7k on the boring treadmill gym; 5k is usually a feat for me already!  There are only two reasons why I got to run that “long” on the treadmill:

1. My laptop and cellphone were charging at the locker room, so the longer I ran the better!
2. It was the first time I tried out my brand spankin’ new Sennheiser MX680 Sports earphones indoors (given to me by Sennheiser at last week’s Sennheiser-Adidas tie up press conference).  I never did give much importance to the brand of earphones I used, but now that I’ve tried Sennheiser, I realize it does make a huge difference!   I didn’t notice how long I was running on the treadmill due to the sound quality.  I’m so happy I’m dedicating a separate post for this soon.

So, here I am sitting at Starbucks reconnected with the world wide web.  I still owe you a report on Robinson’s Supermarket Fit and Fun Wellness Buddy Run. Let me get to that after I’m done with the backlog of work.

Hope you’re all safe out there!

I used to loathe oatmeal. My mom would make my sister and I eat this for breakfast before school. Before I even picked up the spoon, I would feel like throwing up.  I never ate oatmeal again…until I got married.

Hubby introduced Quakers Old-Fashioned oatmeal into my life.  (No, this is not a paid advertisement!) Much like the way I stumbled into running, I got a quick taste of it, fell in love, and got wildly obsessed over it.

This old-fashioned oatmeal isn’t like the local oatmeal that mom used to serve, mushy and soggy.  This one (in carton cylinders in the grocery) has bits of oats that you can munch on, and it’s less sweet.  I eat mine with almonds, granolas, bananas, or peaches depending on my mood.  I drop low-fat milk and a bit of honey and I’m good to go.

When I’m feeling a bit heavy (or I’m being good with my diet), I usually have it for lunch since it keeps me full all throughout the day.  If I could, I’d have it for dinner too!