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Little Miss TBR crept up on me while I was working on the laptop, “Mama, when will we run?” Confused, I ask her what run she was talking about. She replied that I told her and Kuya about a race we were all going to join together, that I said it was that day, and that she wanted to wear her new running shirt already (the one I bought on the 1st day that Runnr opened, an excellent local athletic brand for kids called Equipe). All this she blurts out in a whiny tone, like she was ready to burst into tears out of exasperation with her seemingly forgetful mother.

“Oh, the Mommy Milkshake Marathon?” I did recall telling her about this in passing a week or so ago. The MMM is an annual fun run my sister organizes, not a major race, but an advocacy run for breastfeeding mommies and families. The past two years, I ran along with my son and nephew. (Click here for Year 1 and Year 2)  This year, I told Little Miss Bull Runner last week that she could join us already. She cheered “Yes!” complete with the elbow into the stomach action, like she clinched a deal.

Well, I explained to her very slowly, “It’s still in September. You have to sleep many more times before we run.” But to Little Miss Bull Runner, “next month” and “later” or “tomorrow” or “next century” are pretty much synonymous. So, she starts to make her awa face, the one that gets her Papa all the time, the same face that’s about to let out a loud shriek due to anger.

To save me from another tantrum, I excitedly asked her “Do you want to just wear your running shirt and then I’ll take your picture?” This got her. She smiled and agreed with enthusiasm. She chose her bottom (a floral skirt!), asked me to pull her hair up into a ponytail, and searched for Lucy (her partner-in-crime puppy who never gets left behind) then she hammed it up in front of the cam.

Here are upcoming child-friendly races that you can run with your children:

AUGUST 30: Looney Tunes Active Fun Run, SM Mall of Asia, 3k/ 5k. Reg fee: P300/ P500 for 3k+5k until Aug. 15; P350 until Aug 16; P500 onsite. Register at Nike Bonifacio High Street.  Visit LOONEY TUNES ACTIVE RUN WEBSITE.  (I heard even their directional signs at the race will be moving Looney Tunes characters!)

SEPTEMBER 5 (moved from Aug. 9): Mommy Milkshake Marathon, a fun run for breastfeeding, Bonifacio Global City.  Call 780-9898.  More details to follow.

TRB Review: Run For Home Globe Ayala Land City Run

Overall Rating (10 highest): 8

Organizer: Finish Line

THUMBS UP:

– New 21k course. One of the rare times Ayala Ave. was closed for runners.
– First time the disposable timing chip was used (and hopefully not the last.)
– Very organized and ontime race start.
– Adequate drinking stations with ample supply of 100 Plus and bottled mineral water (this was my experience. I heard of other runners who fell in line just to get a sip.)
– Portalets along the half marathon route.
– Presence of marshals all throughout the route.
– Complete race packet.
– Comprehensive race website, which included a forum, running blog links, pixlink (race day photos), and more.
– Free Photovendo photos (coming within the next few days).
– Race result analysis (coming soon too)

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME

– Limited kilometer markers for 21k.
– Crowded race packet redemption (first day).
– Sloppy online registration system.
– Lack of explanation on use of timing chip for beginners. Confusing directions on attaching the chip to the shoe.
– Slightly delayed race results considering a timing chip was used.

Awesome race. I had serious concerns about the ability of Globe and Finish Line to fulfill their lofty promises for this event, but truth be told, this race surpassed my expectations. With 6,400 registered runners for this race, a great number of problems could have arisen due to the sheer number of participants. However, the race went smoothly with minor flaws, mostly in pre-race preparations, at that.  Congratulations to Globe and Finish Line for pulling off a race that raised the bar for local races.

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OFF TO A BAD START

– Assembly area post-race –

The Run for Home race started ominously for me. Less than a few hundred meters into the 21km run, my Garmin Forerunner 305 decided to die on me. (It’s been very naughty ever since I toyed with the idea of getting a Polar RS800CX or Garmin 310XT) Good thing I had backup: Nike+ Sportsband on the other wrist and JunC, my run buddy, with his Garmin as substitute pace setter!

Shortly after my Garmin’s demise, right before the Buendia flyover ascent, I felt the need to run to the little girls’ room. How embarrassing that I had to go this early in the game, but when I spotted a handful of male runners running towards the bushes, I threw caution to the wind and rushed towards the Chowking restroom. In a snap, I was out the door and ready to rejoin JunC and the rest of the half marathoners.

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

After the Buendia flyover, it was smooth-sailing for me. Running “blindly” without my Garmin and “deaf” without my ipod allowed me to enjoy every single minute of the race. JunC would periodically announce our pace—that we were going much faster than our planned easy, training pace of 6:30 min/km—but I would always reply with a reassuring nod, or a short rationalization, such as “It’s okay. We need buffer for the Buendia ascent.” I cannot count how many times Jun answered back “Remember, we still have Bayani Road after.”

Almost all 21km went by in a blur, like a dream, really. Surprisingly, I felt strong all throughout the entire run. There was no instance when I felt exhausted or parched nor did I feel any hint of pain in my legs. Even the climb back up Buendia towards Bonifacio—where I always find myself rolling down the flyover wishing the race would soon end—didn’t cause any major difficulty. I didn’t know what I did differently for this race: Was it a good night’s rest? Hammer espresso? Or, pure adrenaline that kept me feeling so great the entire time? All I know is that it was the way I would’ve wanted any of my long runs to play out: no injuries, no weariness, no boredom. Sure, no PR either, but that really wasn’t my goal for this particular race.

PR IF I DIDN’T P(EE)

We ended the entire 20.92km (according to JunC’s garmin) with an unofficial time of 2:09, average pace 6:13. My uncalibrated Nike+ Sportsband registered 22.46km at 5:50 pace.

It occurred to me shortly after the run that at 2:09, I would’ve broken my Singapore Half Marathon time of 2:08 had I not stopped for a pee break. Annoying thought, isn’t it? So, I spent the past couple of days reminding myself over and over and over again: It was a training run. You didn’t plan on breaking your PR. Training run. Forget PR. Training run. Forget PR…

One minute. Sheesh. Next time, can someone just remind me to run to the bathroom thrice before the race starts?

– with Armand and TBR Magazine. TBR Magazine (July-Sep 09) was distributed on race packet redemption day and race day. Hope you got a copy! –

– with Hector of Second Wind, Armand, Jun, Coach Rio, Mikey, Neville of Pinoy Ultra Runners, and hubby –

– with Cristy, Nora, Johnny, Mariel, Annie, hubby, Jay, and Vener –

– with Toby of Runnr, Jun, Annie, Mari (who broke his 21k PR at 1:29!), Lester, Kim, Jonel and Mariel –

– with Mark, Annie, Jun, Tiffin, Nicole of Runnr, Mariel and hubby –

– Met Karen Davila and gave her copies of TBR Mag, of course! –

– Head-to-toe unplanned matching outfit with Mariel. Maybe we’re the Solemates?! –

– with the hubby who ran 10k –

– with Jun & Mariel (Solemates), sorely missed Annie girl fresh from Singapore, and the hubby –

I didn’t make it to this Halloween race last year, so I missed seeing Coach Rio as cupid, showing off his well-sculpted abs with nothing but a diaper on, Marga in her school girl costume, Gelo A. with his Lance Armstrong christmas balls, and many more.  It looked like one of the most hilarious and fun races held last year.  

For this year, I nominate Shake, Rattle and Run for the scariest teaser design of the year! More details to follow soon, but block off your sched (and think of your costume) already…

Do you need customized insoles? If you’re one of those lucky runners with a neutral arch and neutral gait, then probably not. But, for most runners who overpronate or supinate, customized insoles may provide the support, stability, cushioning, and propulsion that the sockliner (the one that comes with the shoe) doesn’t offer.

I’m a flat footed, overpronating runner. And, I swear by my Spenco insoles. Last year, I had custom orthotics made (it cost me a hefty P4,000 plus huge blisters on my foot after Buddy Run 2008) but it’s weight and thickness made it uncomfortable for me to run. I think the pair I got wasn’t made for runners.  What a waste.

Last night, I passed by Runnr store on the way home from dinner and spotted Toby, owner of Runnr, inside his store. I wished him good luck for Runnr’s grand opening on Friday and, before I knew it, I had been invited to try out his new customized insole machine called FLASHFIT.

The FLASHFIT basically follows the shape of your foot and molds the insole accordingly. It looks like a miniature xerox machine for the foot and, truth be told, it practically performs like one as the customized insole is ready in as little as 10 seconds.

– Retail price: P3,950 for runners. They have customized insoles for bikers too –

– Sideview of Conform-able Insole –

The insoles are called CONFORM-ABLE. These are 75% pre-molded so that when one steps on the machine, the insole is quickly customized to your foot by 25%. According to the packaging, the insole provides cushioning and anti-vibration, stability, and propulsion. It is thinner than my Spenco orthotic insoles, but it feels like there’s more arch support.  

As the rest of the Runnr staff watched, Toby began to demonstrate how the flashfit worked. Should you decide to get insoles (which I highly recommend), here are the steps we took to get the insoles customized for my foot:

1. Check my arch. I was asked to stand on a contraption to determine if am low-, neutral-, or high-arched. I stood on it for several seconds, took a step back, and saw an imprint of my foot. With my very low arches, Toby said that I was the perfect runner for this job. Great! It was obvious my left had a very low arch while the right was slightly better. Toby asked if I was left-handed (yes, I am) and explained that as a lefty, the left leg is more dominant hence the lower arch on the left. Now I know why it’s my left leg that’s always beset by injuries.

– See everyone staring at my feet? Good thing they provided Runnr socks (which I loooove by the way). If you plan to try this, bring socks if your feet-conscious –

– Can you see my arch? Or the lack of it? –

2. Measure the insole for my foot. I was asked to step on the insole to ensure that I got the correct size.

3. Step on the Flashfit platform. Position your feet properly by aligning your foot with the arrows. Put your weight in the middle.

4. Practice neutral position of foot. Toby asked me to position my foot properly by lifting my arch upward so that the two notches near my ankles were out. (See photo below) This would put my foot in neutral position, the way it should be. And, that would be the same position I had to use when I stepped on the insole later on.

– Toby checks if I’m positioning my feet properly. It should be in neutral position –

5. Insole is heated for a few seconds right before my eyes.

– Cooking time! –

6. Insole is placed under the foot. Step on the insole in neutral position (as mentioned in no. 6) Wait a few seconds.

6. Voila, it’s done! Allow the insole to rest for 2 hours before using.

7. At home, you may cut insoles to fit your shoe or follow shape of your old insoles.

PRICE LIST:

UNIVERSAL COMFORT (1/2) – For low arches – 1,350.00
UNIVERSAL COMFORT – For low arches – 1,750.00
UNIVERSAL CUSHION – For neutral to high – 1,850.00
UNIVERSAL ENERGY – For flat/no arches – 1,950.00
UNIVERSAL GEL PAD – 950.00

MULTI PLUS – 3,450.00
BIKE PLUS – 3,950.00
RUN PLUS – 3,950.00

Now available at Runnr, Bonifacio High Street

For more info, visit conform-able insoles website here.

PRESS RELEASE:

The quarterly Botak Paa-Bilisan Road Race Series held in Manila will hold its third-quarter race outside Metro Manila. The first two races were held at the Bonifacio Gloabal City last March and May. The third quarter Paa-Bilisan Road Race Series shifts to Baguio for the Pines City’s centennial celebration.

This event dubbed: Botak Paa-Bilisan Road Race Series in Baguio is included in the City’s Centennial Calendar of Events. The race is organized by OlymPlus Sports with the University of Baguio Sport Head Ed Laureano as the Race Director. Scheduled for Sunday 6 September 2009 at the Lake Drive of Burnham Park, the event will have a 5km, 10km and 15km race distances.

Top three winners in each race division for male and female will receive cash awards and trophies. While the top three runners in 10 different age groups in the 10km and 15km will receive medals. There will be a total of 80 winners.

Registration forms are now available for downloading at www.paaligsahan.com and www.takbo.ph. Filled up registration forms will be accepted at Laperal Building along Session Road, Sports Director’s Office of the University of Baguio and at the Botak Sportshop at 131 Kamuning Road in Quezon City on August 3, 2009.

Race Packets include original Botak sports running singlets along with your runner’s bib, safety pins, route map and race instructions. The race route will pass through South Drive and Loakan Road for the 15km distance.

Botak Paa-Bilisan Road Race is a quarterly road race event, in the PAA-LIGSAHAN Takbong Pambansa Running Program, open to all runners and fitness buffs that opt to choose a healthier active lifestyle. It will have a 5km run as side feature. This road race is designed to be highly competitive event with big prize money and awards.

The course will be well planned and measured to provide top runners to set new running records for the 10km distance. The winner who will set a new Philippine Record gets double the prize money and a time of sub-29 minutes will entitle the winning runner a sponsored trip to see action in one of the prestigious 10km road race in the USA.