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Guess who we bumped into at Bonifacio High Street after a quick, exhausting and completely fulfilling hill training session with Jun: Coach Rio and good ol’ friend, Philip Le Roux (Foreign Runner).

Philip was an active runner and blogger a couple of years ago. We would see each other often in races and occasionally at get togethers.  I still remember how nervous we were when we joined our first triathlon at Animo Tri in 2008.  If I recall right we were two runners worried about two things: 1) how we’d look in a tri suit and 2) drowning!

Philip and his wife together with their three adorable kids relocated to the province for work a few years back.  It’s nice to know they’re enjoying life there and that Philip has plans of joining the Milo Eliminations in his province.

Philip used to be pretty good at speaking Tagalog, now I can say he is super fluent!  The staff at Runnr couldn’t help but listen in on this “Foreign Runner” asking us: “Saan ba tayo kakain?”

So, we had an impromptu dinner at Pancake House.  Catching up and laughing about all things running.

It was nice seeing you again, Philip!  Until the next time.

If there’s one race hubby and I never fail to join together, it would be the Robinsons Supermarket Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run. It’s the only race that’s consistently been staged for the past three years that allows us to partner together and run the race as one.  It’s always been relatively small and very well-organized, just the kind of race hubby and I love to attend.

Hubby and I have yet to decide what mode we’ll be in this weekend: “easy” or “race” mode.  While we want to enjoy every minute of the race, we also want to beat our time from last year (58.29 for 10k).  By definition, here’s what “easy” and “race” will mean for us on Sunday’s Buddy Run:

“EASY RUNNING MODE”: holding hands, chatting, wiping each others’ sweat, smiling at each other longingly with occasional motivational words, such as “Your form is perfect honey and I love you for it!”

“RACE MODE”: No talking. No smiling. Stop only to hydrate. Hold hands only to drag the slower partner into a faster pace.

Hmmm…hubby and I will huddle over this tonight.  How about you?  What mode will you be in?

Click HERE for more info about the race.

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To read our old posts about Robinsons Supermarket Fit & Fun Buddy Run, click below:

2008: Click HERE to read
2009: Click HERE to read

During last Sunday’s 34th Milo Marathon, a young male runner gunning for his 21km PR, collapsed 1km away from the finish line and was rushed to the hospital.  Sadly, he passed away yesterday.

I haven’t stopped thinking about him since I heard the news.  I’ve collapsed once when I had just started running, and so did my best running buddy, Annie, as she ran so swiftly for a podium finish at Nike Human Race 2008.  Yes, it could’ve been any one of us.

I thought the best way to help in this kind of situation was to try to prevent it from happening again.  I publish race reviews with the sole purpose of guiding organizers how to improve our races, not to rant or complain.  I thought I’d post this today to guide our runners, especially the beginners, on how to run safely in races.

I got in touch with our top experts in the field and asked for their top safety tips when participating in a race.  Read it twice or thrice over.  Run safe, guys and girls!

EXPERTS:

1. Coach Rio de la Cruz
2. Coach Jim Lafferty
3. Coach Jim Saret
4. Coach Ani de Leon
5. Dr. George Canlas

ON PREPARATION

• COACH RIO: Prepare for the distance you are planning to participate in by training properly.
• COACH RIO: Before the race, especially when it’s long distance, eat a minimum of 2 hours before the race.
• DR. CANLAS: Be fit to run and not run to be fit.

ON HYDRATION

• COACH ANI: Hydrate well, and douse yourself with water at the aid stations. Keep your core temperature as low as you possibly can.
• COACH JIM L.: Stay hydrated. Not only water but importantly electrolyte solutions such as Gatorade or Powerade. When you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated!
• COACH RIO: Don’t wait until you feel thirsty to hydrate. Drink fluids at least every 10 to 15 mins. Better yet, take a few sips at each water station.
• DR. CANLAS: Have a good hydration plan.

ON SLEEP

• COACH ANI: Sleep, sleep, sleep… it has been shown that without enough sleep running races like this is extremely high risk
• COACH RIO: Make sure you get enough sleep a day or two before the race.

ON LIMITATIONS

• COACH ANI: Stay within your zones… do not go beyond your aerobic threshold, especially for longer races.  Manage your efforts well and stay within your capabilities.
• DR. CANLAS: Know your limits.
• COACH JIM S.: Avoid the urge to “sprint with the pack” during the start of the race. Stick to your regular or planned pace.

ON TRAFFIC

• COACH JIM L.: Watch out for traffic! This means both other runners, particularly in larger races, and cars/jeepneys in open road races. Always be prudent and stay clear!

ON SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

• COACH JIM S.: If you feel some form of pain during your run, slow down and have a feel of how bad it really is. If it seems to be going away, then go ahead and resume your regular pace. However if the pain persists and/or even increases in pain as you continue to run, seriously consider stopping and getting some help. Pain is the body’s way of letting us know something is wrong. No race is worth the risk of hurting yourself by continuing to run and causing a minor injury to turn into a major setback.
• COACH JIM L.: Be smart. If you’re feeling poorly or sense “something is wrong”, a pain or sensation that’s new to you, TAKE A BREAK. Its not worth the risk and better to run again another day. I’ve seen too many runners trying to “push through” and they either ended up in extended injury, or worse.
• COACH RIO: If you feel something is wrong, such as difficulty of breathing or pain in the chest, slow down. Stop and look for a medic or ask for help from fellow runners.

POST RACE

• COACH JIM S.: Decide if you need to see a medical specialist if you feel something “off” with your body.
• COACH JIM S.: Do not think of lying down immediately after your event. Keep moving.

Ricky G. posted this earlier today:

Just saw the race results today…you’re the only flower among a group of thorn 21K finishers! and 12th place at that. Kudos jaymie!

Nonchalantly, I browsed through the official results to confirm 12th place.  Upon seeing the results, I was tickled pink.

Ricky was right. I was the only flower among the thorns.  Or, to be more literal, the only F among the M’s…on the entire page 4!

This may only happen once in my entire lifetime.  So, please allow me this 10 minutes of pure happiness and pride.  I may just print this out and tuck it under my pillow tonight.

The Bull Runner Dream Marathon was featured on Philippine Daily Inquirer today, July 6, 2010.  The well-written article was by  Lorenzo Manguiat, a proud finisher of TBR Dream.  Thank you, Lorenzo.

Click HERE to read the full article.

For all those dreaming of their first marathon in the most ideal and supportive environment, please make sure to read the LAST LINE of the linked article very very well.