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On Sunday, July 26, 2009, the Management Engineering (M.E.) alumni community, will be celebrating the program’s 40th year with a Fun Run dubbed “Run with M.E.”   The event consists of a 10K Open (Men and Women), a 5K Team Race, and a 3K Run/Walk.   Races start at 6:30 am at the front of the Blue Eagle Gym.

All proceeds from this event will go to the ATENEO SCHOLARSHIP FUND, and will help in our efforts to send forty (40) deserving scholars through four years of the prestigious M.E. program at the Ateneo, thus continuing the proud tradition of our school.  

Note: Organizer decided not to give out singlets or Tshirts to save cash from sponsors for the Ateneo scholars.
 
Registration Areas:

1. University Athletics Office, 2F Blue Eagle Gym, Ateneo de Manila campus Loyola Heights, QC. Entrance is at the back of the gym, facing the Ateneo Grade School parking lot.  Registration period is from June 22, 2009 to July 24, 2009, Mondays to Fridays (8am to 5pm), and Saturdays (8am to 12 noon). Look for Mr. Rodel Cubos or Mr. Mick Perez (Tel No. 426 6001 loc 4193).
2. NIKE Bonifacio High Street B3, Ground Floor.  Registration starts on July 8, 2009 until July 24, 2009.  A special registration table will be set-up beside the running wall. (Nike BHS Tel 8562586, 8562587). Registration hours : M-Th from 3pm to 9pm / F-Sun from 12 noon to 9pm.

Race Organizer: Mr. Misael B. Perez  
University Athletics Office – Ateneo de Manila Track and Field Program
Contact Details Tel No. 426-6001 loc.4193

For Race Inquiries: Mr. Rodel Cubos
Tel No. 426-6001 loc.4193
email address : rcubos@ateneo.edu

For General Inquiries:
Manman Jalandoni, ME 1990  
Primary Email address : runwithme2009@yahoo.com

Website http://mealumni.org

On most days, we take everything for granted: the air we breathe, waking up beside a loved one, the safe trip to work, or an incident-free race.  We live our lives fulfilling our daily duties expecting all things to go our way—and usually they do.

But, there are those rare occasions when something happens to wake you up from your slumber and remind you of what you have—or worse, what you once had and suddenly lost in the blink of an eye.

Your father slips away after he is checked out of the hospital and nothing is the same anymore.  A child is crushed to death in a tragic school accident and, as a mother, you hug your children a little bit tighter that day.  Michael Jackson dies and an entire world is jolted.

This morning was one of those days, the ones that tap you on the shoulder to remind you that you are blessed and you should be thankful for what you have.

I drove the kids to school as I always do every weekday morning.  Parked the car and stepped out to unload my son’s bags in the trunk while my son got out and waited for me at the sidewalk.  My daughter was left seated in the backseat.  I gave my son his bag, put his nametag around his neck, told him I loved him, and kissed him goodbye.  As I headed back to the car, which was just a meter away, I watched in horror as the car behind mine slowly rolled down the road and bumped my car.  

I checked my daughter.  She was fine.  The little one murmured that she just felt butterflies in her stomach when she felt the nudge.

The owner of the car quickly apologized and said the damage was minor.  Just a quick paint job on the bumper should do the trick, he said.  I agreed.  When I asked how it happened, he said his preschooler was alone in the car playing with the breaks.  (Errr, please don’t ask me to comment about this because it would take up an entirely new post.)

The man apologized profusely and I, perhaps still unable to fully wrap my brains around the whole incident, told him gently and even with a smile “What if I was getting my son’s bags in the trunk when it happened?”  He didn’t answer.  And I didn’t want to think about it.

But that’s all I could think of today…all the What ifs…

What if I had been 30 seconds late in unloading my son’s bags that day? 

What if my son had followed me to the rear of the car?

What if another student had passed between the two cars right before the breaks were released?

What if the car was farther up on the road and it gained speed before it hit mine with my daughter inside?

What if I had been crushed in between the cars, got my knees broken, and was told that I could never ever run again?

Today, I’m going to pray a little longer with a special thank you to my guardian angels for watching over us.  Today, I’m going to hug my husband and kids a little bit tighter.  Today and everyday from hereon, I’ll try to be more grateful for all that I have: food, shelter, good health, little luxuries, and, of course, the opportunity to run.

For the past few years, running as a sport has increasingly become popular among Filipinos, leading to the prevalence of road races around Metro Manila. The aforementioned races has become a congregation not just of people from all walks of life united in their love for running and resolution to lead a healthy and fit lifestyle. From elite athletes to weekend warriors, from multisport enthusiasts to the weight-watcher, running has become an integral part in the public’s efforts to keep fit.
 
With running at its peak, the idea for producing a viable medium to promote and sustain the sport’s presence in the public eye came, hence the idea to produce Run Radio.
 
Run Radio will be a 60-minute radio show featuring the following segments that both newbie and serious runners (and to an extent, non-runners too!) would find interesting — product review, advice segment (docs, coaches, nutritionists), power songs (to pump up your adrenaline as you run!), hitting the wall with our guest runners (from celebrities to running groups), and the 5k challenge where non-runners from all walks of life will transform into a 5k finisher in a matter of 6-8 weeks.
 
The show will be hosted by Jaymie Pizarro, a known catalyst for influencing people to take up running as a lifestyle choice, and Jay Nacino, a former Ateneo track team member who has rekindled his love for running. Both hosts are known figures in the running circuit through their blogs (http://thebullrunner.com for Pizarro and http://prometheuscometh.wordpress.com for Nacino) where they give detailed accounts of their training, their races, and running in general.
 
Also to be featured in the nutrition, coaching, and injury prevention segment would be premiere race organizer and running coach Rio dela Cruz, nutritionist and triathlete Dr. George Bodegon, and ultramarathoner and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Paolo Punsalan. They are among the many other experts who will give the running public advice on how to keep healthy while training for higher mileage.
 
Moreover, our resident product tester would be shoe expert and ultramarathoner Hector Yuzon, founder of the Second Wind running store.
 
The Nike+ 5K Challenge aims to dare non-runners to make running an integral part of their lives. For this season, our challenger is an MBA student who seeks to combat the unhealthy , sedentary lifestyle. Ten Most Outstanding Students awardee and Ateneo de Manila batch valedictorian Patrick Echevarria will be trained by the Nike Running Clinic for eight weeks until he starts running his first 5k race.
 
Run Radio will start airing on July 24 at NU 107, and will continue to air every Fridays, 9-10pm.
 
Run Radio is made possible by Nike, Print Avenue, Botak, Finishline.ph, Pinoy Ultra Runners, Second Wind Running Store, and RUNNR.
 
For the latest updates please visit http://www.nu107fm.com/profile/runradio

Another informative running talk brought to us by Pinoy Ultra Runners:

July 16, 2009
7pm
R.O.X Fort Bonifacio
Admission is Free

Speakers:
Dr. Paolo Punsalan – Running Form and Technique
Hector Yuzon – Running Shoes 101

No more guessing…this is what the runner above is all about…

WHAT: Run Radio
WHEN: every Friday starting July 24, 9:00 pm to 10:00pm
WHERE: NU 107.5

On July 24, tune in to NU 107.5 to hear the first airing of RUN RADIO, a new radio show made especially for runners. Listen to power songs you can use on your MP3 playlists, get the latest info on races and running events, and learn from experts in the running field who will guest on the show. Cool eh?

Now, the DJ’s…Run Radio will be hosted by myself and Jay Nacino (Prometheus Cometh)—Jay and Jaymie! We run together and chat about running to no end, so I expect that we’ll make a great team talking about our beloved running while all of you listen in.

Next Thursday, Jay and I will be guests on NU to talk about Run Radio. Hope you can tune in.

The brains behind Run Radio is no other than Marga Deona (The Changeling Child).