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I was among the 50 plus runners who attended the The North Face 100 briefing last night at R.O.X. in Bonifacio High Street. The brief focused on the TNF 100km race but I was intent on getting more info about the 10k race to convince hubby—as I had been doing for the past few days—to join the event with me. Since it’ll be an out-of-town race, there was no way that I could register for this on my own.

By the time I arrived, Jundel Llagas of TNF, along with race organizers, Coach Rio de la Cruz and Vince Mendoza of Finish Line, were already discussing the prizes for the 100km winners. While the ultra runners listened, I stayed in the sidelines doing my own informal research with the race’s technical consultant Neville Manaois, and Dr. Paolo Punsalan, another experienced trail runner.

– with Marga (the Changeling Child), Mark (Mark’s VO2), Mariel and Jun (Sole Mates) –

My takeout: the race was going to be tough mainly due to the water and sand inevitably seeping into the shoes and making it difficult for anyone to run. But, it was going to be a different and exciting adventure for runners used to the road.

What outfit should one wear? I was told not to wear my Skins as they may be ripped apart. Hmm, I would rather get a cut in those compression pants rather than my own skin. I haven’t decided yet on this one.

Does one need to carry a hydration belt? Vince of Finish Line assured us about adequate water and Gatorade and more than enough water stations. When it’s Finish Line who says this, one has no reason to doubt. I’m definitely leaving my amphipod behind for this race.

What shoe should one wear? Of course, TNF trail shoes if one can afford. We discussed wearing Vibrams or sandals when passing through rivers, but Doc Pao said he tried this last year and sand went into the sandals making it difficult and uncomfortable. Jokingly, he said trash bags would probably work for a few minutes but rocks would probably rip them off too.

– Celebrity runners, Coach Rio and Sir Jovie (Bald Runner), and Vince Mendoza of Finish Line –

By the end of the night, I got confirmation from hubby via a brief phone call that he was in. Just this morning, I booked the hotel at Clark. Woohoo, TNF here we come! Am I the only one experiencing butterflies in my tummy?

Last year, I took Total Immersion (TI) lessons with good friend Nonoy Basa and since then I looked at swimming in a whole new light.

Since the start of this year, there have been only a couple of weeks when I missed a swim. I cover at least 1km 2-4 times a week depending on my availability.

I used to turn to swimming as my last resort when running aggravated an injury, spinning hurt the knees, or the elliptical was too boring. But, after one unforgettable swimming day, when I experienced the same inner peace that I used to get only during solo runs, I found myself seriously immersed into the sport. (No pun intended.)  

So, as with running, I have recruited the entire family into the sport.

The kids have started lessons with Aqualogic Swim Co., the same company operated by Ria Mackay and Nonoy Basa that taught me Total Immersion…

– Little Miss Bull Runner had a tearful 1st session but is all smiles by the 2nd class –

– Surprise, surprise!  One of my daughter’s instructors is Dess, one of the few female finishers of the Bataan Death March Ultramarathon –

– TBR Jr. on break –

And, just this morning, I accompanied the hubby on his first day of TI lessons with Nonoy. I swam 1k while the boys took their swimming lessons seriously.  

– Fitness First team cyclist Joel, Nonoy, Jamike (Try-Athlete) and my hubby –

Next week, I hope to add runs after the swims. Now, that would be just perfect training for Animo Tri, right?  I wonder when I can get the whole family to join that with me?

For more info on kids/adult swimming classes, contact:

Ria Mackay – Head Instructor & Founder
aqualogicswimco@gmail.com

Agnes Medel – Administrative Assisitant
admin.aqualogic@gmail.com

Or call 0917.858.AQUA (2782)/ 703-6386

Click here to visit the website of Aqualogic Swim Co.

I was fortunate enough to be featured in Southern Living magazine, March-April 2009 issue.  The title of the article was “Ahead of the Pack” and they called me the “Speed Mom,” which I initially reacted to with a burst of laughter, followed by a “Hmmm, I like!”

– Southern Living, Mar-Apr 2009, Cover –

– Feature on TBR –

I believe this was the first article on me that featured my life as both the pioneer of Baby Sign Language in the country and as the The Bull Runner.  Those two worlds never seemed to merge, save for a couple of people who knew me as both.  But, now I’m realizing that I can’t keep them so separate anymore.  

At first, I thought they depicted me as more active and busy than I really am.  But, upon reading it again, I realized it was pretty accurate covering my hectic but happy life as mom, entrepreneur, and overly obsessed runner slowly making my way into triathlon.  They misspelled my last name and gave out the wrong blog address, but after calling me “Speed Mom” those are non-issues to me!

The magazine also featured a friend, Patrick Joson, a running coach who trains in Alabang.  I first met him at the Takbong May Yabang race in Cuenca Park last year.  Since then, he has been inviting me to run with them at the Ayala Alabang golf course and, with the improving foot, I hope to do so soon.

– Feature on Patrick Joson –

Note:  Yes, I know this is old news as it was the last two month’s issue.  But, it took me quite a while to post this as my scanner died last month.  Hence, the slightly hazy images above using my digicam.

* Thanks to Ben Chan of Photovendo and Dindo Caguiat (RunningDATcom) for the photos.

TBR RACE REVIEW: BOTAK PAA-TIBAYAN 42K

Overall rating (10 highest): 5

THUMBS UP:

• Nice 10k course. Slightly different from Adidas KOTR and Condura which passed through the Buendia Flyover as we went straight through S&R instead of making a left back to the finish line.
• Several choices for the singlet design.  Marathoners could opt to have their names printed on their singlets.
• Gatorade at water stations.  Nice to see those green cups and Gatorade coolers along with the water.  No sign of baldes anywhere.
• Water from the fire truck at the bottom of Buendia flyover.
• Booths at the assembly area.

BETTER JOB NEXT TIME:

• Lack of marshalls led to a lot of marathoners losing their way on the course.  I have a marathoner friend who finished his “marathon” in a 32k course!  He probably lost his way in Rockwell.
• 21k/ 10k/ 5k started all at the same time at 6 a.m.  With this heat, race should’ve started earlier at 5:30 a.m. and at different schedules for each distance.
• Lack of information on race packet.  No course map in the packet, which was intentionally done to prevent cheaters for starting midway through the race.  But, my question is: why should all runners be penalized for this?  Why can’t they have marshalls to protect the course?  And worse, no race start time information for 21k, 10k and 5k on the race pack.
• Ran out of water at some water stations.  (I personally did not experience this.  It was reported by other runner friends.)
• No directional signs and kilometer markers for 10k and 5k.  I heard there were a few kilometer markers for the longer distances.

This was the first marathon set up by the race organizers of Botak Paa-tibayan Road Races.  Some experienced runners raised concern—perhaps not publicly but among their inner circles—over the ability of the organizer to put up such a complex race with little experience in other shorter distances.  Was this why there was a small turnout—just a little over a thousand runners in my estimate—that showed up for the race?

For the marathon, the race was definitely not in the league of international races, perhaps not even matching up to recently held local races, such as Condura Race.  The lack of marshalls at the Rockwell portion was a major oversight that led to runners losing their way.  There is room for improvement in other areas as well: more directional signs and kilometer markers, more marshalls, and more water stations.

For shorter distances, the race was satisfactory.  The oversights—such as same race starts for all distances, late start time schedule, and lack of water at stations—did not become major issues due to the small number of runners.  One can only imagine what could’ve happened had there been over 5,000 runners who joined.

Overall, it was an average race with a lot of room for improvement. The race was well-promoted, but the actual event did not live up to the hype.  It was the first time for these race organizers to launch a full-blown marathon, so we hope that they apply their learnings in future races, specifically the upcoming Botak Paa-Tibayan 100k on June 10.

Congratulations is still in order for Botak Paa-bilisan!

——————————————————

To say that I was anxious about this race would be an understatement.  The day before the race, I was still wondering why I registered for 10k despite the pain in my foot and whether I should downgrade to 5k.  That night, I got a massage and when I stood up, all pain was gone.  Okay, 10k it was.  Sheesh, my first 10k in training or in a race in months!  

Hubby and I arrived at the assembly area with enough time for a warm up and double visits to the restroom.  By the time we entered the starting line area, it was only 3 minutes before gun start.  The race started at exactly 6 a.m.

For the first time, hubby and I paced each other throughout the race.  He has significantly improved the past few months, while I have basically transformed into a turtle.  We ran at an easy 6 to 6:30 pace wary of every single tingle in my body, each footstrike I made, and which portion of the cumbered road I was running on.  Yes, I was over analyzing but that’s what injuries can do to you.

– Hubby and I after the race –

We ran together through Bonifacio Global City, up the Buendia flyover, down towards Kalayaan, through the turnaround, up Buendia facing the scorching sun (where I think I got sunburned despite sunblock on my face), and straight to the finish side by side.  Hubby said I made him dizzy because I would spin around him once in a while in search of the perfect portion of road that was flat so that it wouldn’t hurt the knees.  He, on the other hand, was a great running buddy.  He would update me of the kilometers, remind me of our pace, and even followed my every whim, including the time I asked if we could outpace a woman who had the same outfit as I did;  I just didn’t enjoy running behind someone that reminded me of my lack of uniqueness in the world.

We ended the race holding hands (Kidding!  Got you there, didn’t I?) with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 2 minutes for 10.15km.  Our average pace was 6:11 min/km.

I’ve had better times, but again, this was a momentous occasion for me.  My first 10k since the injury (don’t count the Condura Half Marathon…haha) and with very minimal pain during the race.  

– Fast runners, Jerry and Mari –

– Jay (Prometheus Cometh) still running after the race ended –

– with Allyn and Ever Go and Ever’s sister, Anson. Nice uniforms! Belated happy birthday to another bullheaded runner, Allyn! –

We shared a great breakfast with the Solemates Jun and Mariel at Paul Calvin’s Deli with Jay (Prometheus Cometh) dropping by for a quick chat.  Among the topics, are we well enough to join TNF 100?  Ooooh, give me this week to decide!

– with Jun and Mariel (SoleMates) and hubby after a filling breakfast –

She wasn’t a state champ nor an athlete.  The only time she would run was whenever she chased our big brown askal, Booger (my brothers named him), out of the house and into the street fearful of an attack on the neighbors.  Regular exercise for her was hopping onto a blue, circular board that would have her twisting her body from side to side, probably the most fashionable form of waist-trimming in her day.  She did not know a thing about sports (except for some trivia about Alvin Patrimonio perhaps) nor did she actively encourage her seven children, especially her youngest (that’s me), to take up any athletic activity.  

But, as a runner, I’ve realized that, during the most challenging, painful, and arduous runs, the one who has influenced my thoughts and actions the most has been this woman who knew little about the sport I’ve come to love—my mom.

– Mom with Dad and all seven of us kids. I’m on my mom’s lap thinking of the many races I can run when I grow up –

There are a lot of things I practice in running that I learned from mom—not really through her words (she’s non-confrontational and soft-spoken) but through her actions:

1. Don’t give up.  Mom had her fair share of tough times, but she faced all her problems head on.  Quitting was not in her vocabulary.  As in any race, I try to not to DNF (Did Not Finish) unless there’s a major injury that needs to be dealt with.
2. Be independent, but don’t be afraid to seek help.  Mom was very busy with all seven of us, so I learned to care for myself early on.  But, if I had a nightmare, problems at school, or work-related stress, Mom was always there to listen.  In running, I’ve learned that runners will always have little aches and pains here and there.  The key is injury management and learning to listen to your body to avoid aggravating the injury.  But, whenever I feel things are getting out of hand, I don’t hesitate to seek advise from more experienced runners, my therapist, or my doctor.  (Fine, there are times I may go overboard with the medical advice.)
3. Be humble.  Mom is the most humble person I know.  I feel she should give herself a pat on the back more often for raising all of us kids, but she isn’t the type to call attention to herself or brag.  Well, this blog kinda does the opposite as I’m compelled to talk about myself more often that I usually do in the real world.  But, I try my best to be just like mom in this aspect.
4. Pray.  Dad and Mom were always in church. If not, they would be praying at their altar in their room.  Every first week of each month, the whole family would do the rounds of churches in metro manila: Antipolo church, Baclaran, St. Jude, Mt. Carmel, and Quiapo on specific days.  As a child, I used to resent this, but now that I’ve grown, I realized that it helped to keep my faith strong.  Nowadays, it’s natural for me to turn to God in good times and in bad (well, more often when I’m injured during a race.)  My favorite prayer:  “Lord, please make the pain go away!”
5. Believe in yourself.  LIke any great mom, my mom thought that nothing was impossible for her kids.  While she stayed at home to care for us, she gave us wings to fly and dream.  She still can’t believe I run so much, she still worries about my knees, and she always tells me I’m getting too skinny.  But, if I told her that I was running a marathon tomorrow, she would probably smile and tell me to go for it.  Of course, she probably has no idea how long a marathon is!

Happy Mother’s Day to you, Mom!  Love you!

Happy Mother’s Day to all other mommies—especially the running moms—out there!