Category Archives: Bullish Insights

– I get my NYCM 2011 medal plus a bonus thumbs up from a race volunteer –

I did it!

As I write this, it’s 7:30 am and I’ve been up since 3 am.  I’m in my recovery tights sipping French Vanilla coffee and munching on leftover pretzels from the finisher’s bag of the race.

It’s just the morning after I crossed the finish line of my 2nd New York City Marathon and 6th marathon finish. It wasn’t a spectacular performance; it was quite the opposite.  My slowest and most painful marathon ever.   Time on my Garmin: 5 hrs 21 mins. (I never crossed 5 hours before, but hey there’s always a first.) But, it was the best I could do given the circumstances.  I gave my all as most marathoners did and we should all be proud of the 42.195k—including the months of training before that day—that we conquered.

After my first few marathons, I learned that one doesn’t have the right to complain about bad runs or awful performances in a 42km. No use killing yourself over what you should’ve done or what you could’ve done better.  Each marathon—whether a BQ, a PR, or the slowest one ever—is unique, special, and is a celebration of life. You only learn from your mistakes, accept the fact that, as with life, not everything is under your control, and you move forward knowing that there are many more marathons to run in your lifetime.

I fly home to Manila tomorrow. So, give me this week to write my full marathon story as I savor my last day (along with some steak with other Pinoy runners. Yum!) in what I think is now my favorite city in the world, New York.  See you all soon, guys!

Check my Facebook for all NYCM 2011 pictures I took while on the run!

Thank you again to Gatorade for an amazing experience!

Hello from New York!  The weather is perfect here, a bit nippy but not as freezing as last year.  I arrived yesterday afternoon and woke up this morning feeling fresh and energized. Jetlag is not in this bull’s vocabulary—at least not for this trip!

This morning, a group of us Pinoys running the ING NYC Marathon agreed to meet up at the ING NYCM Expo to claim our race packets. Plan was to do it today, Thursday, the first day of claiming, to avoid the huge crowds on Friday to Sunday. Little did we know that we arrived soon after it had opened, so we had to wait in line which extended to the road outside Javits Center where the expo was held.  Talk about excited!

– myself, TBR Dream Alumni and now NYC Marathoners Rico and Gene, and NY-based Carla on our way to the expo –

– Long line for the early birds! Gene, myself, Karinna –

The lines moved fast though. The staff was welcoming. And I breezed through the claiming of my race kit and went on to my favorite part of every marathon abroad—SHOPPING!

– First we submitted our race registration form and passport for verification –

– Then we claimed our race pack and official shirt (no lines here!) and it was done! –

I spent over an hour shopping at the expo. There were a lot of commemorative shirts to fit, new gear to ponder over, and a lot of samples to taste and drink (for research purposes, you see)…

– Some of the booths at the expo. I stopped at the Gatorade booth for quite a while to taste the pre-race fuel, race drink, and post-race drinks (yes, they have 3 different drinks there!) –

– Met Tri Fil-Am runners, US-based William and Ronald, for the first time –

– Bumped into the Osmenas who I usually see on the road in Manila –

– with Joey Torres of Polo Tri –

– with our flag bearer in the parade of nations tomorrow, Anthony Pangilinan –

–  with the rest of the Pinoys running NYC Marathon!  Pinoy Pride, guys! L to R: Julian, Gene, Rico, Anthony, Joey, myself, Ronald, William, Karinna, Gene, and Jonel –

Then, we had a late but great Japanese lunch before we parted ways…

– Busog na so uwian na! We sorely missed Angel of Gatorade here! –

Back at the apartment, I opened my loot. Oh baby! You know, I really only get this excited about my running purchases…

– The race kit. Official shirt on the right side. Love it. I hope it rains often in Manila just so I can wear this long-sleeved shirt! hah! –

– Got myself NYCM shirts from Asics and Mizuno, beanie, and a cap –

– Glad I found this: tear away jacket and bottom for pre-race chilly wait. You can just rip this off while running when your body warms up. $20 –

– Medal rack to hold my medals. All my medals are currently housed in a humble old ice cream container. So excited to hang them on my home office wall instead. Strictly for 42k medals only though! $48 –

– My favorite find! I’m not into jewelry, but I just had to get this when I saw the pendant. It says “GOTTA RUN” which is the way I end all my emails. It was meant for me, don’t you think? $25 –

Aaah, the many benefits of being a TBR Dream Marathoner. We work hard to give our runners these privileges because we know they’ll work hard to finish their 42km come marathon day. Right guys?

Allow me to share details of being a TBR Dream Marathoner. To those registered, please avail of these especially if you wish to sign in for any of them:

1) TBR DREAM CARD

All our runners received the TBR Dream Card in their Registration Kit.

The benefits and privileges are listed below.

Runners, please click TBR DREAM CARD BENEFITS 2012 to download full details of discounts (validity period, branches, etc).

• NATHAN: 15% discount on Nathan products at ROX
• NEW BALANCE: 20% discount on all regular priced New Balance items
• CHRIS SPORTS: 10% off on regular priced items
• BROTHERS BURGER: 10% discount on all food purchase for every minimum purchase of P500.00 and 20% discount on all food purchase for every minimum purchase of P500.00 for dine in or take out between 2pm to 6pm every Mondays to Fridays

2) TBR DREAM WEIGHT MANAGEMENT PROGRAM LED BY ARMAND AND MITCH MENDOZA

100 lucky TBR Dream Marathoners will receive FREE consultation and personalized instruction with fitness couple Armand and Mitch Mendoza. While they usually charge for their services, they’ve waived all fees just for us. They will meet with the 100 runners once a month for weigh ins, discussions on diet, nutrition, and more.

50 slots were taken up during onsite registration during the last Bull Circle. We are opening 50 more slots for online registration. This is only for registered participants of TBR Dream Marathon 2012.

Are you interested?  Click on the link below to sign up.  First come, first served basis only.

<<<<  NOTE: LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED. SLOTS ARE FULL >>>>

3) DISCOUNTED CHI RUNNING WORKSHOP

One of the members of TBR Dream Team, our organizing committee, and head coach of our Bull Sessions is Coach Lit Onrubia, Chi Running instructor. He will be offering Chi Running Workshops exclusively for TBR Dream Marathoners at a discounted rate of P1,200 (regular fee is P2500).

What is Chi Running?
Chi Running is a revolutionary running technique developed by Danny Dreyer that focuses on energy efficiency (through “focused relaxation”) and injury prevention (through proper alignment and balance). Chi Running emphasizes that the correct running form is the foundation for longer, faster, effortless and pain-free running.

What is the format of the Chi Running Workshop?
The Workshop will be a 3-hr session, specifically targeting the areas you need to develop for The Dream Marathon. We will discuss correct posture and balance, the advantages of having a slight forward lean, how to relax the feet and ankles, cadence, breathing techniques, how to tackle uphills and downhills, mental strength, racing strategy and several other topics. The session includes a few kilometers of running so please wear your running outfit.

How will Chi Running help me while training for TBR Dream Marathon?
We will analyze your form and correct the flaws in your biomechanics (if any). With the Chi Running principles, you will understand how to run more efficiently and safely as you pile on high mileage in training. All this will translate into less fatigue, faster time and greater confidence during your marathon because you’ll have the tools to allow YOU to control your race instead of letting the race control you.

Chi Running Workshop for TBR Dream Runners
Dates: November 15 OR 24, 2011 (choose one)
Time: 630 to 930 PM
Venue: Colegio de San Agustin Indoor Track
Participants: Max of 20 TBR Dream Runners
Fee: P1,200 (Regular price is P2,500)

How to register: Call the hotlines to make a reservation: +63915.638.5801 or +632.507.4507. Or email Ina Buan: ina.buan@forwardleanrunning.com. Slots are on a first come, first served basis.

For more info: click HERE to access Forward Lean Running website

Download: Chi Running Workshop FAQ for TBRDM

It was a full house last night for the 1st Bull Circle entitled: The Marathon Dream at ROX, Bonifacio High Street.

I started with a talk on my life as a runner, mother, wife and my journey towards my first marathon. I also shared the story of how the concept of The Bull Runner Dream Marathon was born.

Neville Manaois, team principal of Team Pinoy Ultra Runners, co-owner of Secondwind Running Store, and the guy who paced me in the last 10k of my first unofficial marathon, gave a great talk on the history of the marathon and the reasons why thousands of people all over the world are enamored by it.

TBR Dream alumni Bic Ferreria and Ton Gatmaitan shared how they despised running in the past and ended up loving the sport. They shared their experiences running TBR Dream in 2010 and 2011 and gave tips on training for the big day.

Fitness couple Armand and Mitch Mendoza gave a brief introduction on the free TBR DM Weight Management Program that 100 TBR Dream Runners will undergo for free while training for the marathon.

I had a great time meeting some of our runners face-to-face and seeing the excitement and thrill in their faces. Until the next time, TBR Dreamers!

Man, something must be wrong with me.  I chose these winners as soon as I spotted the words: TOILET, FART, BONGGACIOUS, and TIKBALANG in their answers.  Just goes to show the kind of humor I have!

Congratulations to our winners below!  (Remember I said we’ll have 3 winners winning 2 race kits each in THIS post?  Correction: I’m getting 4 winners to win 2 race kits each instead!

And the winners are:

1. TOEL – whew! rule #10 made me join this contest. what a relief because i guess i can’t muster enough courage to wear this costume yet it would have been really funny!!!  http://www.fugly.com/pictures/12619/toilet_costume.html
2. JOEY – It’s called Fart-O-Meter…well it may not be the most enviable job, but surely it will cause riots with your friends and family. The Fart-O-Meter costume includes: tunic with hose and humorous meter print, and gas mask. Try to put this on and you have a very one of a kind costume. Happy Halloween!
3. RIKKI SUAREZ – My running monicker is RunningInDrag, the very pseudonym I use in running forums. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to run in one since I have yet to procure a bonggacious outfit. Nevertheless it is one of my dreamed running moment, to be able to run in the most glamorous, avant garde, mardi gras outfit that can rival those worn in Rio!
4. JAYMAR – A running “TIKBALANG” or petrang kabayo. would be an eye-catcher. Pinoy na pinoy at initimidating dahil mabilis ang kabayo tumakbo. Then ill ask my friend to go ask Vice Ganda para partner na partner kami.

Congratulations!  Please pick up your 2 free Adobo Run race kits at Runner’s Runner, 2/F ROX, Bonifacio High Street during ROX store hours anytime starting today.  Please present a valid ID. Thanks!