I was pleasantly surprised to see this on Philippine Daily Inquirer today. This ad is part of Sun Cellular’s new campaign called FIND YOUR FUN where a group of us bloggers from various fields share all the fun stuff we find online on the Find Your Fun website. I thought it was a great idea to keep everyone updated with new happenings and events so, of course, I signed in!
Thanks to Sun for this opportunity. And, for always keeping me logged in! Yey!
I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate my 35th birthday morning! As I said in the previous 5 to 5/5 Contest, I was going to start my day with a RUN! So, run at 6 AM I did!
Ran 11km through the roads of Valle Verde, Greenmeadows, and White Plains with good friends JunC, Lit, Jay, Hector, and JunB. Then, we rewarded ourselves with a scrumptious breakfast at Cafe Breton.
After breakfast, I swam 1km alone in a lot less time than I usually do. As in, 20 minutes less (mainly because I didn’t stop to rest as much anymore!) Woohoo…I am officially hooked on swimming!
Lunch followed with swim squad friends Adel & Bic plus more chatting with Jake and our swim coach, Martin.
The second half of the day will be a lot slower. And, it’ll be spent in the company of the family. I’ll probably gain all (or more) of the calories I burned in the morning. But, just like with age, I only have one thing to say: Who’s counting?!
Talk about getting a surprise birthday present. Last week, I received an invitation to join the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) slated for June 12, 2011. Without batting an eyelash, I said YES!
– Laguna Phuket, Here I Come! –
Then, I realized that it conflicted with another race I had registered for…
Then, I realized it was just a day before the kids start school…
And, last but not the least, I realized I only had six weeks of training left. Now, it’s down to five!
MAYBE NEXT YEAR, ANIMO TRI!
On a high from The Next Step Tri Camp I joined last April, I promptly registered for Animo Triathlon set for June 12, 2011. While I’ve been suki to this race having participated in the mini sprint twice in the past, I almost keeled over when I submitted and paid for my registration a couple of weeks ago. I signed up for the Sprint and the thought of a 900 meter swim (without my usual talk breaks) frightened me to death. Good thing, I had swim squad!
For the past two weeks, I’ve been swimming thrice a week with good friends: Adel, Bic, and Jake together with Coach Martin Carandang. I’ve gotten so dark that I’m contemplating changing TBR to The Black Runner, but the sessions have certainly improved my swims significantly. And, not just that, it’s helped my runs too! I couldn’t keep up with my own legs during a 10k solo run last weekend. Fantastic.
– My recent tri purchases: The Triathlon Training Bible by Joe Friel from Runnr, kickboard, pullbuoy (not in pic) and swim cap from Finis, and the receipt for Animo Tri –
Now, with Phuket falling on exactly the same day (darn it!), I’ll have to kiss Animo—and the P1200 reg fee…sob sob—goodbye for now. Triathlon can wait. Running is still my love, after all.
ALONE TIME
Good thing hubby is willing to watch over the kids while I’m away. And, I can just get the kids school-ready a full week in advance. We women need alone time—whether its a day at the spa or a weekend getaway—to pause, breathe, and reenergize. For me, a 42km in scenic Phuket couldn’t have been more ideal!
FIVE WEEKS TO GO
Good thing I was racking up the mileage the past few months even with no serious race in mind. This means that I don’t have to panic over the limited number of weeks I’ve got to train for what should be my 6th marathon. Last week, we covered 25k and the next few weeks should be a build up for marathon day while I continue all this crazy triathlon training. It’s a wild summer…and I’m absolutely loving it.
Laguna Phuket International Marathon, here I come!
Every woman—fine, a man too—needs a break from life every now and then. Thanks to Women’s Health, I got the perfect weekend getaway right when I needed it the most.
Last April 16 & 17, 2011, Women’s Health sent me to Boracay to attend the Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach in celebration of its second anniversary. It was a weekend of fun, fitness, and adventures shared among ladies who deserve to pamper their bodies and refuel their minds.
– with Lara Parpan, WH Editor in Chief, and Christine Ong, Summit Team Publisher –
– with Marie Calica, Runner’s World Editor in Chief –
We were encouraged to register for various fitness/dance activities over the weekend, which were all new and foreign to me: Indian Bollywood, Chair Cabaret, Hapa Haole Hula, and fitness Hula Hoop. Admittedly, my two left feet and I chickened out, so I ended up going for the competitive event: Havaianas Always Summer Race to Hawaii on Saturday followed by a relaxing Sunrise Hatha yoga session on Sunday.
– Mia Bayuga of Magic 89.9 hosted the event. It was a pleasure meeting you, Mia! –
For the Havaianas Always Summer Race to Hawaii, I was introduced to my teammate just a few minutes before the race: TV host/athlete Reema Chanco. Of course, she was a familiar face, but it was the first time we had met. We were enlisted for this race as “media” so weren’t qualified to win the big trip to Hawaii. Shucks. So, we took our time, walked—while everyone else ran—and chatted our way into the first challenge.
The first challenge: Guess the ingredients of two fruit shakes…
– with our shakes! Mission accomplished! –
The second challenge: Search for two items buried under the sand. Our team had to find a rake and a lei. By the time we arrived several teams had been digging endlessly. We dug, dug, and dug.
And, in less than 10 minutes, we found our items! We were the only team that found our items before cut off! Oh boy, this “win” triggered our competitive sides and got us raring to win the entire race!
– Mission Accomplished! –
By the 3rd challenge, Reema and I were running across the shore, sweating it out under the sun, and were pretty darn serious about coming in first for this race. (Uhm, this wasn’t really surprising given our backgrounds!) We worked well as a team and covered each challenge smoothly and seamlessly. Before we knew it, we accomplished all tasks and met the race director, good friend Neville Manaois, at the finish line. We had reached first place as Media!
– with Reema and Neville at the finish –
– Feeling like real winners! –
Since we didn’t qualify to win the Hawaii trip, we were given Sony Cybershot DSC-3000 as prizes! Woohoo!
– What a thrilling adventure! And what great prizes! We were happy campers! –
Dinner was at the Havaiana’s Cocktail Party followed by the Women’s Health Dinner Buffet.
– with my dearest sis, Janice of Creative Juice, the organizer of Havaianas Always Summer Race –
– with good friend Nevs who did all the brainwork for the race –
The following day, I ran 5k along the shores of Station 1 in Boracay. It was a fast run yet it felt easy with less impact landing the soft sand, the sea breeze hitting my face, and the wonderful view of Boracay. I then joined the Sunrise Hatha Yoga along with other participants of Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach.
– Lara Parpan welcomes participants –
The rest of the day was spent sunbathing by the sea. The perfect way to end a fit and fun vacation for this bull. Thank you once again to Women’s Health for a great weekend.
Here’s the little surprise we’ve prepared for The Bull Runner Dream Marathoners Batch 2011: a special way to remember how you chased after your dream…and achieved it.
For those dreaming of doing their first marathon, this is a must watch!
Presenting: CHASING DREAMS: a video of The Bull Runner Dream Marathon at NUVALI, Sta. Rosa Laguna on March 20, 2011.
Special thank you to Jake de Guzman, TBR DM Alumnus, and Peejo Pilar of Tripleshot Media for the video.
