Author Archives:

Last July 13, Monday, I was invited to the Timex Send-Off Party for its teams and individuals participating in the Ironman 70.3 Triathlon in Camsur on August 23, 2009.  (It was hard enough to accept the fact that I won’t be joining the relay for this, even tougher to see all these triathletes in one room all excited over this…sob sob)

I took the time out from work and braved the heavy rains and hellish traffic to arrive at the North Forbes Park, Makati an hour and a half late. By the time I entered the pavillion, almost all seats were filled and worse, I didn’t see a single familiar face. Fortunately, Harvie of Hammer Gel approached me, and together with his lovely wife Eizza, the three of us found the last empty table in the corner of the room, right in front of the stage.

Turns out I arrived at the perfect time. The program began, hosted by no less than ironwoman Ani de Leon and a deejay whose name escapes me at this point. A host of party games ensued where athletes such as Ernie Lopez, Chesca Carpo, Lara Parpan of Women’s Health, and even our good friend, Coach Rio, were made to sing, act, dance, and basically have fun onstage with Timex watches awarded to those who did it best. The luckiest person of the night was probably Will Ottiger, husband of Fiona of Polo Tri team, who said “Timeeeeeeex” the longest in one breath thereby winning for himself the Timex Expedition worth P30,000+ (I had just read a positive review about that watch online the night before so I was literally drooling when I saw it.)

– Coach Rio goes first in the game –

A brief yet inspiring video was shown about the history of Timex’s partnership with Ironman Triathlon. The Timex teams were also presented: Timex-RunRio, Timex Women’s Health, and two Timex-TMM teams as well as individual triathletes, Ani de Leon, Arland Macasieb, Nonoy Jopson, Leica Carpo and Tessa Prieto-Valdez. Each of them said a few words about their participation in the upcoming Ironman Triathlon.

– Nonoy Jopson, my batchmate and Pinoy who reached highest ever ranking among world’s triathletes, Boston0-finisher Leica Carpo, and David Charlton of David’s Salon –

– All the best to Timex Teams –

The event was a success and worth the long trip for me. I was in the presence of the country’s top triathletes, I came home with a new Timex watch, and I finally got to see Marc Nelson in the flesh!

Congratulations to Timex and best of luck to the Timex Teams, especially RunRio! Woohooo!

– We shall see each other again at Kenny’s Urban Run, Marc! –

I’m in high spirits today.  Work had been overwhelming and exhausting the past week, but since I submitted everything this morning, I felt a huge burden was lifted off my shoulders.  I plan to block my entire week only for light meetings, absolutely no design projects, and lots and lots of running.

Perfect timing since my bestest running buddy Annie just arrived from Singapore today.  Woohoo!  We’ll definitely be running all over the place—from our favorite training grounds to the Run for Home half marathon this coming Sunday.  I’m so psyched.

It seems that nothing can faze me.  Even this comment attacking me for my post on the One La Salle post (which was over a year ago!) didn’t bother me; in fact, it was wonderful entertainment.  This  “bitch” (she called herself that, not me) who seems to have nothing in between her two ears posted this:

Author: Bitch in Disguise (IP: 121.1.53.31 , acl1-257bts.gw.smartbro.net)
E-mail: atenista101@yahoo.com
Comment: 
ang corny mo naman! papansin ka lang. masyado kang disrespectful! kung gusto mo magblue, then don’t join the La Salle race.

To think that I had written this in my post:

Now, to my La Sallite friends (or is it, La Sallian?) please don’t find offense in this.  It is not meant to be disrespectful either.  We just want to express our fierce loyalty towards our own alma mater.  (Click here for full post)

Ack…some people.  I find it ironic that 1) she finds me corny, but she read my blog and  2) she said I’m disrespectful when she’s the one being offensive.  Is this girl even a runner?  We runners have more respect towards each other than this girl will ever fathom.  If she is a runner, then she must be having an awful day.  She probably found five dead toe nails when she removed her shoes, or she has an injury, or maybe she was forced to cut her run short due to a bad case of diarrhea.  Whatever.  

To Bitch in Disguise:  I find humor in this, really.  Maybe you should try getting a sense of humor, too. By the way, I’m okay with this for now.  But, don’t you cross my path in a race.  This Bull has got horns, too.

Uhm…where was I?  Oh, about my overall happy feeling. Yup, it’s a good day and I look forward to a great training week ahead.

See you later, beeyatches!

RUNNR store will have its grand opening on July 17, 2009.  In line with this, they’re giving away RUNNING SHOES on their Facebook Promo and RUNNING ACCESSORIES for those who drop by the opening on Friday.  Read on for more details…

RUNNR, a pure running specialty store in Bonifacio High Street, is giving away five (5) top-of-the-line running shoes from top brands like NEWTON, ADIDAS, NIKE, MIZUNO AND NEW BALANCE. To get a chance to win, simply add us on Facebook and post your thoughts about running on our wall.

Winners will be announced on the Grand Opening of RUNNR on July 17, 2009, 8:30 PM.

So add RUNNR store on Facebook now and run to Bonifacio High Street on the 17th.

FREE RUNNING ACCESSORIES will be given away to the FIRST 100 runners who visit our store. Remember, be there on July 17, 8:30 PM onwards for a chance to take home running accessories. See you there!


*Deadline of entries is on July 17, 2009, 4 PM.

*For Philippine Residents only




Mechanics for RUN AWAY WITH FREE RUNNING SHOES Promo:


1. Write your thoughts about the sport of running and get a chance to win FREE Running shoes at RUNNR. 


2. 5 Lucky participants will win Free Running Shoes at RUNNR (Bonifacio High Street).
3. Deadline of entries is on July 17, 2009, 4:00pm.
4. Winning entries will be notified via e-mail and will be contacted by RUNNR for the details on how to claim the prize. 

5. In claiming the prize, winner must present 2 valid IDs and the printed notification e-mail from RUNNR .


6. Winners will be announced on July 17, 2009, 8:30pm at RUNNR, Bonifacio High Street. 



Mechanics for 1st 100 guests in RUNNR:



The first 100 guests (ages 5 & up) who will register in the “I AM A RUNNR” booth on July 17, 2009, 8:30pm onwards will be given FREE running accessories via “pick-a-prize”.

UPDATE: The first 50 RUNNR customers with a minimum purchase of P 1,000.00 will be given a singlet worth P 600.00

Note:
– All RUNNR customers who purchased running accessories P 1,000.00 and up from 8:30pm onwards on July 17, 2009 will register in the cashier, for RUNNR staff to monitor the number of customers who will be entitled to the promo.
– Customer’s receipt will be validated and will be signed by RUNNR staff to avoid duplication of use of the receipt.
– Customers who will qualify for the singlet will register in the cashier.

For more information on this promo, please log on to RUNNR accounts:

• facebook
• twitter

TBR RACE REVIEW: ROBINSONS FIT & FUN BUDDY RUN

Overall Rating (10 highest): 7
Organizer: ExTribe

THUMBS UP:

1. Great 10k course. Relatively flat except for gradual yet manageable inclines and downhills around Bonifacio Global City. I especially enjoyed running on that narrow, car-less strip of road after Bayani heading towards the rotonda.
2. Unique concept.
3. Ample water at stations, mineral water at that.
4. Lots of freebies and drool-worthy prizes for race and raffle winners. There were even pre-race freebies such as iced tea, Milo, and strepsils!
5. Limited number of participants (they only accepted 1,000) made it a controlled affair.
6. Very well organized from check-in to distribution of freebies (right after exiting the finisher’s chute)
7. Presence of marshals all throughout the route
8. Complete race packet.

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME

1. Late start. 10k started at 6:15 a.m.
2. No kilometer markers or directional signs.

You can always depend on ExTribe to organize a great race. The Robinsons Fit N’ Fun Buddy Run was a well planned event from beginning to end. Although relatively small compared to other major races, this race was well-attended with the elite racing to win the all-expense paid trip to Boracay and CEOs (Lance Gokongwei & Fernando Zobel), politicians (Sen. Pia Cayetano and Rep. Gilbert Remulla) and celebrities (Drew Arellano and Paolo Abrera) running with their respective buddies. The flaws of the race were negligible and forgiveable. Hats off to Robinsons and ExTribe.

——————————–

This was the 2nd Buddy Run that hubby and I were joining. Last year, he could hardly keep up with me for our 5k. This year, with more races under his belt, we registered for 10k and I was afraid I would slow him down.  For the past two days, I had been getting less than three hours of sleep due to tight work deadlines. Best case scenario would be for me to finish the 10k race without collapsing due to exhaustion. I took two Hammer anti-fatigue capsules and said a prayer.

FIRST 5K: FOR BETTER

Hubby and I practically went on a double race date running alongside two couples: Vince and Jun who crept up from behind to surprise us with their pinkies gripped tightly around each other’s and their hands playfully swinging in the air (I hope Mariel, Jun’s wife, isn’t the jealous type) and, soon after, we ran with inseparable running couple, Mark and Tiffin.

The first 5k was incident free. In fact, our pace hovered around 5:30 to 5:45, much faster than our planned training pace of 6.

SECOND 5K: FOR WORSE

After passing Paul Calvin’s deli, hubby and I realized we both needed to pee. We decided to bite the bullet and enter McDonald’s at Forbes Town. The other two couples ran ahead.

As soon as I stepped out of McDo, I felt the intense heat of the sun. When we started to run, my feet felt heavy and it was difficult to find my momentum again. My heart rate was too high for such a slow pace.

When we entered Bayani Road, I started feeling side stitches. I focused on breathing properly, watched all the other runners make their way back from the turnaround, and soon enough, the minor pain went away.

By this time, I was also depending on the hubby for distance and pace. My Garmin decided to conk out and die early on, so hubby had to deal with my constant nagging: “What’s our pace?”, “Distance?”, or “Did you pay the bills already?” (I’m kidding about the last one.)

There was improvement at the last kilometer where hubby and I went faster and finished strong. Our unofficial time was 58.29 mins for 9.98km with average pace of 5:52.

Hubby would’ve PR’d if we hadn’t stopped at McDo…argh.  I was satisfied with my performance considering how tired I felt the night before.  I was pretty surprised with myself when I invited hubby to run extra miles around Bonifacio High Street as we had initially planned.  We met up with oh-so romantic couple Vince and Jun for additional miles. Plan was 5k but we stopped at 2k and headed for Pancake House for a well-deserved breakfast with other running friends.

– Made a quick stop at Starbucks for my favorite low fat iced chocolate with mint and guess who I bumped into. TBR Mag cover boy himself: Drew Arellano. Thanks again Drew! P.S. TBR Mags will be at all Starbucks branches soon –

– Breakfast with friends (with Vince, Bobby, Mariel, Jun, Tiffin, Tin, Vimz, Ben, Mark, my hubby, Aljo, Ipe, Art)   –

First thing I did when I get home: checked out the loot…

– These huge bags of freebies (green for hubby, orange for me) intrigued me… –

– Groceries to last a month! Okay, I’m exaggerating, but this is a lot! The only thing I probably won’t use here is Anlene (I’m an Alaska Slim milk loyalist…so yummy) but even our dog can enjoy that –

– Even Li’l Miss Bull Runner got flashcards and tshirts from the loot. Thank you Robinsons. Great job! –

Fresh off the press, The Bull Runner Magazine (July-Sep 2009 issue) will be yours for the taking starting tomorrow!  

On the cover is Drew Arellano, TV host/celebrity and triathlete, who organized the successful Happy Run early this year to raise funds for a public school in Taguig.  You’ll find other informative articles on gear, training, nutrition, and events on our pages.  Of course, you’ll have the race and running clinic calendar and the running directory as resource too.  

We’re giving runners a better, more informative, and thicker (almost double the pages from our maiden issue) magazine for FREE!

By tomorrow, you may grab your copy at BONIFACIO HIGH STREET:

• Runnr
• R.O.X.
• Mizuno

By the next couple of weeks, The Bull Runner Magazine will be at:

RACES

• RUN FOR HOME RACE (July 19) – limited number
• Other races will be announced on this blog

STORES

• Runnr, Bonifacio High Street
• Selected Toby’s outlets 
• Mizuno
• R.O.X., Bonifacio High Street
• The North Face
• Second Wind Running Store

RESTAURANTS/ COFEE SHOPS

• All Starbucks branches 
• Paul Calvin’s Deli
  

CLINICS/ TALKS

• Running Aid – July 16, R.O.X. Bonifacio High Street
• Selected running clinics

RUNNING GROUPS (Limited number)

• Runnex
• Happy Feet
• takbo.ph
• Team Bald Runner

DOCTOR’S CLINICS

• Moro Lorenzo Sports Center, Ateneo de Manila
• Miguel del Prado

RUNNING COACHES

• Coach Rio de la Cruz
• Coach Miguel Lopez
• Coach Patrick Joson
• Ria Mackay, Aqualogic Swimming Co.