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It had been two weeks since Michelle contacted me requesting for—of all things—my autograph.  Don’t laugh.  This is serious stuff.  It was to be a surprise birthday gift for her boss, Gen, who she said was a big fan of this blog.  Certainly, I was flattered.  But, more than that, I was in serious doubt that this boss of hers would appreciate such a present.  What would you do with a TBR autograph?  (I had never signed anything under this name and my hubby jokingly said “Tell Michelle to just sign for you.  No one will be able to tell it’s fake since there isn’t an original signature!”

After those two weeks of arranging our meeting, Michelle and I finally met during our Happy Feet Girls’ Night Out dinner last week.  Meek and shy, Michelle approached Marga and I and handed out a birthday card for me to sign for her dearest boss.  I happily obliged—yes, complete with “The Bull Runner” underneath my real name.  Then, she left us to say she’d be right back with her boss in tow for some photos.  Okay!

What happened next was a scene straight out of the movies.  It’s stuff that only celebrities and rock stars experience—and, quite honestly, something that I don’t dream of nor hope for.

Marga and I chatted away while enjoying our buffalo wings and mozzarella sticks when a girl popped up in front of us, her hands clasped in front of her mouth in a futile attempt to muffle her tiny screams of “Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!” in between gasps for air.  Marga and I stared at each other in disbelief.  Looked back at the girl.  Glanced at each other again.  This must be Gen.  

– with birthday girl, Gen –

Gen continued to shriek for several more minutes before I invited her and Michelle to sit down with us. “Breathe, Gen, breathe.  When you get to know us, you’ll realize we’re nothing to scream over.” I told her.

So, we talked with Gen and Michelle for more than an hour.  And, we learned a lot about Gen—her passion for running, her first race, her dedication to reading my posts (and the fact that she’s read through all the archives), her upcoming birthday, and more.  She openly called me her “Inspirunner,” a clever term she coined for the person who inspires her to plod on—how creative is that?!

– with Gen, Marga, and Michelle –

It felt a little bit awkward to chat with someone who gushed every so often because she was such a big “fan.”  As Gen sat in disbelief over who she was talking to, I was probably as overwhelmed as she was over the fact that someone could ever react to my presence that way.  It was crazy, unbelievable, embarrassing, and awesome all at the same time.

To Gen, happy birthday again!  Thank you for allowing me to make a little difference in your life.  See you at the races.  And, oh, take care of your shins!

* Photos from Gen

I know, I know…I’ve been absent lately.  Mother Hen has been watching over her kids at school the past few days and was also neck-deep in work.  

Despite the chaotic sched, I just knew I had to take time off to post about Rush’s Run Clinic after seeing that the 1st of only 2 female sessions was today!  Ack, sorry to disappoint my fellow running women!  Men can still sign up until June 19.

Sessions are free!  Click here to visit the Rush Active Achiever website.

To Vince of Rush, hats off to you and your company for promoting running through these sessions.  I hope more companies follow suit.

After a tiring, stressful week of rushing the kids to school, helping my daughter adjust to her first few days of nursery, beating work deadlines, dealing with new household help, and mourning the loss of yet another week’s run, I welcomed the thought of meeting Happy Feet girlfriends Marga and Banggi for a full night of chatting, eating, and pure fun last Thursday.

With these two high-spirited women, one has no time to yawn, complain or get bored. Both have the same zest for life and adventure that makes my life suddenly seem so mundane—not that it is! 

Banggi is constantly traveling the globe, meeting handsome men on plane trips (ehem), and exploring new cities and delicacies that once made locals in Hanoi yell out “You’re the rockstar!” after she “bravely” swallowed a chicken embryo (aka balot).   Marga is constantly on the go as a freelancer, entrepreneur, swimmer, biker, runner, skateboarder, yoga enthusiast, and more that one wonders how she possibly achieved and experienced this much at such a young age—she’s a full decade younger than me! Champion talaga!

Our lives are so different.  Our personalities on opposite poles.  If you had told me a year ago that I would be having dinner with these two girls, I would have answered “Oh sure…and that dinner would be followed by dessert with Bono and Lance soon after.”  But, thanks to running (and the world wide web), the three of us are no longer just running friends but real friends who run.

To all those running tomorrow—be it at Mizuno-Fuego, Men’s Health All Terrain, or DND—good luck, have fun, and stay safe!  I envy you!

I wish I told you how ecstatic I was over my first ever mountain bike ride last Sunday where my Garmin got his first taste of a biking event and registered it at 40 min for 9km.  Or, how my first Ashtanga yoga session last Wednesday completely blew me away and gave me a peek into the spiritual side of yoga which I am all too excited to explore.  Or, how foolish I felt for thinking that the pool would be open yesterday, a holiday, so instead of doing 50-meter laps, I found myself swimming with my children complete with lifesavers and noodle floats at my in-laws little pool.

No, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you about last week’s little details because it had nothing to do with running.  This is, after all, a running blog.  

Truth be told, running and I haven’t been in good terms lately.  I have been furious with him since the day I learned about the shin splints.  I yelled at him from across the room (making sure my kids couldn’t hear) “After all that I’ve given to you—my heart and my soul—you give me runner’s knee and now this shin problem?!  What kind of a person are you?  Are you even human?!”  To which, he replies “Of course, I’m inhuman.  I’m a sport, dummy.”  Such disrespect!  I couldn’t take the cruelty so I packed my gym bags and took off.  (Okay, now you know why this post is entitled LQ.  Ang baduy ko, I know!  This is what happens when I don’t run.)  I haven’t seen him for a full two weeks—16 days, to be exact—since my last run. Despite therapy sessions, the lumps on my shins haven’t disappeared and continue to bother me at every step.

Since then, I have moved on.  I’ve been getting my cardio workouts from the elliptical trainer at the gym, swimming, and biking.  (Sadly though, none of these will ever compare to the workout that running gave me.  I am still gaining weight despite all these other cardio activities…grrr.)  I also have at least two sessions of either bikram yoga, ashtanga yoga (my new love), or yogilates each week.

When I recover from my shin splints (don’t ask me when because this is taking a lot longer than I expected), I’m sure I’ll be the one knocking on the door of running screaming “Let me in!  You’ve been a jerk but I love you anyway!”  

While I’m injured, please be patient with me as this “running blog” will feature posts that will discuss more of my cross training activities than actual running.  If there’s one good thing that has come out of these injuries, it is that it’s pushing me to become a triathlete ahead of schedule!

The much-awaited “Mizuno Infinity Run Part 2” is now open for registration!  It is now officially called the “Rush to Infinity Run”:

Date: June 29, Sunday

Time: 5:30 am

Place: Bonifacio High Street

Distance: 5k/ 10k/ 15k

Here are just some of the race details that one can look forward to:

1. Discounts for old runners — Runners who participated in the first Mizuno Infinity Run (upon presentation of race bib or ID) will get a discount on registration fee.  I know, I know, some of you were hoping it would be free, but this is fine by me.
2. More convenient registration — Some of us (that includes me) had difficulty registering for the last race.  Now, registration will only be at Mizuno Bonifacio High Street from 1 to 10 pm (which I think is a great idea), and…
3. Online registration — Yes, there will be online registration at Coach Rio’s site.  If it isn’t available yet, just visit every now and then.  It will definitely be up soon.  Payment will be made at Mizuno Bonifacio High Street.
4. Prizes — We don’t have to beat the elite to win prizes in this race!  March 30 Mizuno Infinity Runners get a chance to win an ipod Nano, Oakley shades, or Samsung dual sim phone in a raffle courtesy of Rush.  (I shall be chanting Oakley shades during my entire run.  Don’t you dare imitate me.)
5. Overflowing, endless supply of fluids — Uhm, they didn’t really guarantee me this, but we all pretty much know by now that race organizers will try their darndest best to ensure an ample supply of fluids at every water station lest they get chased by an angry mob of double-dehydrated runners.