Category Archives: Bullish Insights

Over 60 participants (with males a minority, of course) showed up for the 1st Running Aid for Women held at ROX last night.  Speakers were Beth Siojo, long time runner and Pinoy Ultra Runner founding member, and myself, newbie runner and self-confessed running addict.

– preparing for the presentation with Neville and Margaloo –

Beth discussed ultramarathons for women, which is where her passion lies as evident in her beaming smile during her entire talk. She gave practical tips on running on the road and trails, discussed running gear, and inspired women to take up running even beyond 50km as she has done over the years.

– Beth inspires future ultramarathoners –

Beth and I are very different: she’s been running since highschool, I only started in 2006; she runs up mountains while I’m allergic to them; and she loves ultramarathons while my ultimate dream would be to run a sub-4-hour marathon (and, knock on wood, run fast marathons annually after that) rather than to run 100km.  

It was because of the contrast that I thought it was such a clever idea for the Pinoy Ultra Runners to have featured us on the same stage. I saw  running from the eyes of a veteran runner and I realized that, despite the differences, we shared one major bond: our passion for running. 

And, when I looked at the audience, it was pretty much the same thing.  We had various levels of experience in running, but that was insignificant.  One was not better than the other for running faster, longer, or better.  What mattered was that we all loved running or, at the very least, wanted to fall in love with it.

I won’t tell you how my talk went; let the participants be the judge of that.  But, what I can say is that I had a great time talking about one of my greatest passions to an audience that was so eager to listen (I don’t get that too often at home…kidding!)

– That’s me dropping beans into reluctant volunteer Car’s shoes –

To Pinoy Ultra Runners: congratulations once again for a successful event.  Looking forward to the next one.

– with my favorite reader, CougCat, soon after he finished his homework. Thanks for both the virtual and real cookie! –

– Dinner at Pancake House after the talk. The place was filled with runners! –

More pics to follow in the next post.  I gotta leave now for the Nike Training Clinic at Ultra…

– Clockwise: TBR, Dindo (RunningDATcom), Wayne (SFRunner), Doray (Doralicious), Gene (Barracuda Running), Eric (Run for Change), Bards (Banana Running) and Jay (Prometheus Cometh). Not in photo: Marga (The Changeling Child) –

Last Monday evening, a few of us running bloggers had dinner with Wayne, who is on a 10-day vacation here in Manila, at Sentro, Greenbelt.  

Truth be told, Wayne and I are not very close. Even online, we are not the best virtual pals with only a few comments exchanged between each other’s blogs. But, I was so curious to meet this man who has such a strong online presence in the local running community via blogs and egroups—even if he doesn’t have a single drop of Pinoy blood in his body.

When I first met Wayne at VSO, it was hi and hello.  During dinner last Monday, I was fortunate enough to have conversed with him longer and to finally get to know more about the SFRunner.

Wayne shared the story about how he serendipitously got chosen by cross-country and track coaches in high school after he ran the fastest mile at PE class.  Since then, he has run almost 60,000 miles with 900 races under his belt. With all that experience, you would think he would go on and on about his achievements in his running career, but he doesn’t; this guy is as humble as you can get. 

At one point during our conversation, he even gets serious as he shares his dream for our Filipino elite runners to join the Olympics and the need to uplift running here in the country.  Wayne seems to be more Pinoy than most of our fellowmen.  I think that if there is anyone who should be given honorary membership into the Filipino running community, it should be Wayne aka SF Runner.  

Hope you enjoy your stay here, Wayne!  10 days is too short.

To the running bloggers, it was fun!  We should do it again.  Next time sana may chicharon bulaklak at si Jay ang magbayad ng lahat 🙂

Click here to visit Wayne’s blog: SF Runner.

Last October 30, 2008, my dearest Daddy went to sleep and never woke up again.  He passed away at 78 in his own bed with half of the family at home with him.  We are still grieving, but there is comfort in knowing that he left with peace in his heart and a gentle smile on his face.

How ironic that I found myself in the Happiest Place on Earth just a few days after his death.  I woke up at 5:30 a.m. in HK Disneyland’s Hollywood Hotel, laced up my shoes, and prepared for a run which would pay tribute to my Dad’s life; it wasn’t going to be a “grief run” but a celebration of his life and his legacy.  It was—in a spiritual kind of way—a kind of prayer as I offered this run to God and asked him to care for my father and welcome him with open arms.

I stood at the start of my favorite jogging path, the same one I ran last summer, which faced the sea and offered a breathtaking view of Hong Kong.  I took in the cool breeze, switched my ipod on, and started with a slow jog.  

The first track that played was Mariah Carey’s “Bye Bye” and—with all the tiny hairs on my arms standing as well as a small shiver up my spine—I knew that this was not sheer coincidence.  Trying my best to keep the tears from falling, I took in the lyrics of the song and thought about Daddy:

…I never knew I could hurt like this
And everyday life goes on like
“I wish I could talk to you for awhile”
Miss you but I try not to cry
As time goes by
And soon as you reach a better place
Still I’d give the world to see your face
And I’m right here next to you
But it’s like you’re gone too soon
Now the hardest thing to do is say bye bye…

…This is for my peoples who just lost somebody
Your best friend, your baby, your man, or your lady
Put your hand way up high
We will never say bye (no, no, no)
Mamas, daddies, sisters, brothers, friends and cousins
This is for my peoples who lost their grandmothers
Lift your head to the sky ’cause we will never say bye

I ran like a madwoman thinking of nothing but my Dad through the run even as I reached Disneyland Park on one end and Inspiration Lake on the other.  I felt I could’ve gone on forever but decided to end at 12k to make it to my flight home.

It was the interment for my Dad yesterday morning.  I am the youngest of 7 children and I was asked to give the eulogy in behalf of the family.  It was the toughest talk I had ever given, but it was also a release of a multitude of emotions, and my last chance to tell Dad how much I loved him.  Somewhere in the lengthy speech I had stayed up all night to write, I told Dad that we loved him, we would miss him, and with my head lifted up to the heavens, I said to my dearest Daddy that we would never ever say goodbye.

– Love you, Dad –

Thank you to all the runners who sent their condolences and offered prayers, especially those who took the time out to come to my Dad’s wake.  Truly appreciate it.

To pee or not to PR, yes, that is my question.  

As I mentioned in a previous post, in the much too green November 2008 issue of Runner’s World (page 44 for those of you who have a copy), they said that “one or two cups of coffee or tea an hour before a hard workout or race” can lead to faster times.

With that in mind, I drank a cup of brewed Starbucks coffee one hour before Hope in Motion Race last October 5 hoping it would give me even just 1/8 of the speed of Usain Bolt. Sure I felt stronger and meaner (raaawr!) especially climbing up Country Club Drive.  But, I could have missed the start of that race with the seemingly unending pre-race visits to the little girls’ room. My bladder was uncontrollable.

Thinking that the first race was a fluke, I drank yet another cup of my brewed coffee before Adidas KOTR last week as added assistance to reach my sub-55 hour goal. Yes, I did achieve my goal, but I intentionally left out one little detail when I shared my race report: I went to the comfort room twice before the race, and just as the race was about to begin, I felt the urge AGAIN!  There was no time so I ran through the entire 10k praying to God that I could hold it in without doing a Paula Radcliffe in London Marathon 2005.

{ For late comers, I decided to remove the video clip from this blog in respect of the great Paula Radcliffe.  As others have said below, I think she chose to do whatever she had to do to achieve her goal of winning the marathon—I commend her for that. Some people have been poking fun at the video so I thought it best to remove it from this blog. }

So, the question I place before you is this: Would you drink a cup of coffee to boost your chances of breaking your PR in a race (or even just to improve your time) risking the constant visits to the bathroom, or worse, peeing in your pants?

For tomorrow’s Takbo May Yabang race, I know my answer already. No coffee for me, dear. I’ll stick to a cold bottle of Rush for breakfast and my three graham crackers.

Once again, runners of all shapes, sizes, and experiences flocked to ROX last night for Running Aid 3 led by speakers Neville Manaois, team principal of Pinoy Ultra Runners, and Dr. Paolo Punsalan, Orthopedic Surgeon and member of Pinoy Ultra runners.

– The crowd keeps getting bigger –

– Neville Manaois discusses form –

As in Running Aid 2, Dr. Punsalan discussed proper form and technique. This time, however, Pinoy Ultra Runners effectively demonstrated gait and form using two treadmills on stage. Dr. Punsalan also provided free analysis for runners who wanted their running form critiqued in front of the audience’s discerning eyes.

I made the big mistake of showing up in full running gear as I had run 7k around Bonifacio High Street prior to the talk. Pinoy Ultra Runner Jeremy basically volunteered for me and pushed me onto the treadmill where I ran—much like an experimental hamster observed by scientists—while being interviewed by the good doctor about my form and previous injuries. Notice that I called him the “good doctor”; well, that’s because he didn’t have anything bad to say about my form. Phew, phew, pheeew!

– Trying not to make a fool of myself –

Neville Manaois covered a new topic: Troubleshooting, which was very informative as he discussed exactly what to do when little hitches such as cramps, sidestitches, etc. creep up during a run. I think I mentioned before that I enjoy Neville’s talks because most of his tips aren’t picked up from a book or the web but are gleaned from his experiences out there on the roads and trails.

Again, congratulations to Pinoy Ultra Runners for yet another successful gathering. More power to you guys.

– Members of the exclusive BWK society –

* All photos courtesy of Second Wind. Click here for more photos. Thanks Hector!