Category Archives: Gear + Gadgets

Secondwind Running store has just released it’s “2011 Runner’s Choice” – a comprehensive list of the top 3 choices for running shoes made by their customers for each category of running shoes: Beginner’s, Trail, Neutral, Neutral (Cushioning), Stability, Stability (moderate), and Lightweight/Racing.

As for the Best Shoe of the Year for Secondwind, guess who won…the KSwiss K-Ona.

Best Lightweight/Racing shoe for women was my very own pair: the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light. This was my shoe for 2011 too.

– the 2012 Kwicky Blade Light for Women that I currently use –

What running shoes will we see next year and what shoe will stand out?  Let’s wait and see.  Just another reason to get excited about 2012!

Click below to download Secondwind’s 2011 Runner’s Choice file in PDF.

<<< Secondwind 2011 Runner’s Choice >>>>

I’ve been lucky enough to run three races abroad this year—Guam, New York, and Sacramento.  Each time, as I packed for the trip, there would be a last minute mad hunt for any apparel that screamed: I’m Pinoy and I’m proud of it!

For the Guam KoKo Road Race, I simply pinned the Philippine flag on the back of my shirt…

Good thing adidas recently launched the fourth installment of its Philippine Range collection. It features jackets and t-shirts that play on the Philippine flag’s trademark colors—blue, red, white, with a few touches of yellow—in a simple, minimalist design.

Cool eh? I wish they’d make running singlets and shirts with Pinoy colors too!

The adidas Philippine Range is available at adidas stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/adidasPhilippines.

My head was in a whirl before leaving for New York last week that I completely missed out on something that would’ve kept me dancing and prancing all day…or even the entire month.  Here’s the letter that came with the package I received but failed to take a 2nd look at before hopping on the plane:

Ooooh baby! If there’s one shoe I go googoo gaga over, it would be this: the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light. I have two pairs -both of the same color, the yellow/black model.

I was a very loyal user until I got injured in May this year. After this, I tried a variety of other shoes, namely Asics Gel Kayano 17, On running shoes, Brooks Glycerin 7, New Balance 870, and Nike Lunar Glide+ 3.  I wasn’t fully recovering from injury for months. Needless to say, I was frustrated.  It wasn’t until exactly a month ago, during the Guam KoKo Race 21k to be exact, when I decided to try my Kwicky Blade Lights again that I completed a race with absolutely no pain or discomfort.  That’s when I knew the Kwicky Blade Light would be my marathon shoe for both the NYC Marathon in November and California International Marathon (CIM) in December.

Lucky me, Steve of KSwiss in Singapore sent me a little surprise: the note above and, of course, the brand new shoe below.  Just in time for break in before CIM! Woohoo!

Check it out:

– New color for KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light 2012, Womens –

– Side view –

– Love love love this shoe –

For my take on the KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light, click HERE.

Thank you Steve! Hoping this gets me to run as fast as you do at CIM!

My cousin, Celine and I woke up to a slow and sleepy Saturday morning and set out for a half day of shopping ahead.  Of course, shopping had to be brief because I didn’t want to stay on my feet all day.

– We shopped around the midtown area and hunted for my Canon S100 which was out of stock everywhere. Sob sob. –

I dropped by Jack Rabbit, a running store on Lexington Ave. between 83rd and 84th, to buy my Gatorade pre-race fuel and a cool new shirt. I chose to wear my race day shoes already, KSwiss Kwicky Blade Light, because my poor little toes have been getting a beating from walking in the wrong shoes the past few days…

We had a late lunch at an italian restaurant with Jet, NY-based member of Adobo Run Club who is also running NYCM for the 2nd time and a good friend of Celine’s. Celine carbo-loaded along with us. Haha!

– Loved this caprese! –

– with Jet and Cel –

Jet and I bought bagels at H&H for our breakfast during the long pre-race wait at the race. I’ll be spreading peanut butter on my whole wheat bagel and I’ll down it with Gatorade probably at the ferry headed towards Staten Island tomorrow.  Oh, just mentioning my beloved peanut butter gets me drooling. Oink.

– with Jet –

As soon as Cel and I arrived home and after oohing and aahing over our shopping finds, I laid out all my gear for the big day.

On one side of the room, I set all my gear to wear for the race tomorrow: three layers of Nike tops, 2XU compression tights, Nathan hydration belt, Asics gloves and Oakley shades.

Check out that bib. Looks so simple, but it gives so much info about each runner:
– Name
– Color: Green. This means I’m in the green Village. Others are in orange and blue. This tells me which start line I’ll be crossing and what village I should wait in before the race.
– Wave No. 2. This indicates my start time of 10:10 am. Others start at 9:40 and 10:40.
– First two numbers: 37. This tells me I’m in Corral 37 within Wave 2.

Then, I set my PRE-RACE clothes that I’ll be wearing in the morning heading to the race, but not during the race. (Complicated huh?)  Weather is expected at 57F which is awesome! But, I’m still bringing my fleece jacket, throwaway clothes, and tear away gear to be safe.

I packed a lot into my check in bag this time, a lesson I learned from last year’s race. I placed two sets of clothes for changing post-race just in case I head straight for post-race celebrations with other Pinoy runners. I also brought a blanket, trash bags, food, medicine, and toiletries for pre and post race. Depositing and claiming of the bags are quick and efficient at NYCM despite the huge number of runners.

I prepared my pre-race nutrition. I’ve been drinking Gatorade today to ensure I’m hydrated and I’ll take the Gatorade pre-race fuel tomorrow. Results of my Gatorade sweat test indicate I should drink 125mL every 15 minutes.  I’ll also take Hammer Gel 30 minutes before the race and at 10k, 20k, and 30k.

Phew. It took me close to an hour to pack. That doesn’t even include all the brainwork on planning how to get to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and more importantly how to get home to Celine’s apartment which is not a joke when you’re a tourist in New York!  Despite all this, the New York City Marathon is worth all the troubles for me…even the second time around.

I’m all set for the race. Even my toenails say so! NY, here we go…

– Just like Dara Torres, I painted my toenails as part of pre-race preps. I wanted to put NYC 42K but they wouldn’t fit into my tiny toenails! Those Phiten circular stickers are supposed to help circulation around my tired toes. I hope they work! –

Wish me luck tomorrow!

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 –