For years now, I wanted to put my Health Coach certification into practice. But, for those who know me well, running always came first. My focus was running my own marathons. And, inspiring people to run their own through TBR Dream Marathon.

Then, the pandemic happened. Without races as goals, I was lost. I gained 10 lbs even if I was running and biking. My cholesterol was at an all-time high by October 2020. I was at my unhealthiest both physically and mentally.

Thankfully, I pulled myself out of that rut. I lost 8 lbs and stopped obsessing over my weight, went vegan, dropped my cholesterol back into the safe zone by May, and ran my 19th marathon at the virtual Global Marathon Challenge. Last but not the least, I found myself in a better, healthier headspace.

Through that rollercoaster ride, I realized that people may need help to get healthier, fitter or just feel better about themselves.

I created TBR LYF.

TBR LYF is a four-week virtual challenge for what I call my 3Ms: MOVEMENT, MINDSET and MEALS. It goes beyond running. It goes beyond just fitness. It goes beyond me.

TBR LYF is about a whole-person transformation brought to you by myself and our team of experts in their fields. We’ve basically done all the prep work for you and all you have to do is show up.

Registration will be on August 1.  We start September 3.

For now, let it simmer. I’ll tell you more about it in the weeks to come.

Not many people know that I’m an introvert and loner, but I am. So, running alone and practicing social distancing, as required during these Coronavirus times, is nothing new for me. I love my solo runs. If you’re struggling with running alone and missing your run buddies, here are some tips while we’re waiting for all this to blow over (and, yes, we will get through this!):

*Start early. If you’re working or studying from home, it’s easy to lose all track of time. Get your run done first thing in the morning.  Don’t even think about it. Just do it.  It also sets you up for the rest of the day.

*Mix it up. Don’t just run 5ks or 10ks at the same pace throughout the week. Include fartleks (alternate fast and slow runs), short tempo and easy runs. I don’t recommend you push too hard this time because we’re not aiming to break record.  Priority is to stay healthy.

*Cross train. Running daily can feel like a chore, even to me. Add strength or body-weight exercises, yoga, biking, or other activities into your routine.

*Listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts. I listen to music during fast runs. Nowadays, to manage the anxiety and stress during these times, I’ve been listening to more positive and enlightening podcasts.  I believe it’s important to filter the information that goes through your ears because it truly influences your way of thinking.

*Set virtual group runs.  We used to this back in the day with blogger friends across the globe.  We’d set a date, time and distance  convenient for all and run together… virtually.  Once you agree to this, you can’t skip it!

*Set goals. Now that there are no group runs or friends to motivate you to run, you have to be accountable to yourself. Set clear goals at the start of each week. Write it down as if it were an important meeting and follow through.

Note: The assumption is made that your government allows for going outdoors and that you are not currently experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or illness.

If you have any questions about your safety while running during COVID-19, here’s an informative article by Runner’s World:
https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a31439358/running-during-coronavirus/

Dear Dreamers – Batch 2020,

Due to the Taal ashfall and its health risks for runners as well as the potential eruption of Taal Volcano in the coming weeks, TBR Sun Life Dream Marathon 2020 will be moving its race venue to CLARK PARADE GROUNDS, Pampanga. Gun start will be moved to 2AM.

Event: TBR Sun Life Dream Marathon 2020
Venue: Clark Parade Grounds (in front of Clark Museum)
Assembly: 1:00AM, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020
Gun start: 2:00AM, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020
Cut off: 10:00AM (8 hours)

Please know that we assessed all possible alternatives and chose this to be the best option for majority of the runners with the HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL RUNNERS as top priority. This move is not something we wanted, but as it is with calamities or emergency situations, we learn how to manage. We made this difficult decision with two priorities in mind.

1. Runners’ safety: As of January 24, Filinvest City was not safe for runners to run in due to ash circulating in the air despite the best efforts of Filinvest City to regularly clean the roads. While Filinvest City advised us that the roads would be safe to run on by February 1, we were still faced with the risk of a possible eruption of Taal Volcano. According to a Phivolcs report (21 Jan 2020, Philippine Star), Taal Volcano is on Alert Level 4, which means that it has the potential to erupt in days. We decided on moving the event to a safer environment rather than risk the health of runners or worse a possible full cancellation of the event should an eruption occur.

2. Runners’ training, schedules and preparations. We had been receiving several questions and concerns about the race: Will it be postponed? Will it be moved? Most of you requested for a change in venue due to booked flights or blocked calendars for race day. We also felt that we had to make a decision as early as we could and not wait for the last minute, such as early February, since you were about to run 30km on January 26. If the race would be postponed after that date, as marathoners ourselves, we knew that you would have hit your peak even before the new race date. That would not have been good for your performance. We knew that deciding earlier would also give you time to prepare for the race in the new venue.

What does this mean for your race entry? Our race rules and regulations state that we do not offer refunds or deferments for whatever reason. You consented to this when you registered for the race. Majority of your race fee has been spent on Bull Sessions and Bull Circles as well as all race giveaways (e.g., finisher’s bags, medals, shirts, etc.), which have been produced. However, we care about you and fully understand your concerns so we decided to allow for deferment. Below are the details:

100% cost deferment to next year’s TBR DREAM MARATHON 2021
This means you’ll get a guaranteed spot in next year’s event. You will NOT have to pay a registration fee for 2021.
• You must be a first or second time marathoner when you register for TBR Dream Marathon 2021.
• We still want to see you! We invite you to still join us at the Send Off Party on Feb. 12, 2020

If you will opt to defer, please fill the form at the link below before JANUARY 31, 2020, 12NN. You will receive an email to confirm deferment by the 1st week of February.  If you will be participating in the race, there is no need to fill up the form.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you, but we are doing our best to work with the situation. I will say this again with all sincerity: This decision was made with your health and safety as top priority. I am crossing my fingers that we’ll see you at the starting line of your first marathon with us at Clark.

If you have any concerns, please email our hotline at tbrdream@gmail.com. You can also send me a direct message on IG @thebullrunner. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

< LINK: No longer available after Jan. 31 >

Gotta Run,

Jaymie
IG @thebullrunner

WHAT: SHAKEY’S COLOR FUN RUN
DISTANCE AND FEES: 3K (P500) and 7K (P600)
VENUE: RC Santos Parade Grounds, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga
REGISTRATION: any Shakey’s store, online at https://www.shakeyspizza.ph/, and on-site at Clark Freeport Zone

In line with its commitment to provide great times and great memories, Shakey’s, the leading casual dining restaurant in the country, is hosting its very own “Color Fun Run” on August 31, 2019. (more…)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” (Mark Twain)

I’m a Dreamer. Always has been, always will be. I know no other way to live but to constantly strive towards achieving, learning, and growing as much as I can. I’ve always felt the need to make sure that I’m living this one life I have the best way I can… even if that meant I had to say good bye to some things to make way for the new.

Looking back, I’ve always been comfortable with reinvention. I went from being a sedentary 30-year-old mom to a marathon maniac in her 40s lol. I was a research analyst turned marketer turned freelance graphic designer who fell into blogging and, in the last few years, went full circle by finding my way back to my roots in corporate marketing. As The Bull Runner, I went through an evolution of sorts too adding magazine editor and race organizer under my job title. Last but not the least, in my personal life, I’m now a single mom and happily co-raising my two children with my ex-husband. I used to be scared of being alone, but now I relish it. In the past five years, I’ve found strength and happiness in my own independence and solitude.

Some people fear change. I embrace it.

Now, it’s time for more change as I chase after a big dream. A dream I’ve had for myself since my 20’s, but I chose to prioritize other people or maybe life simply got in the way. A dream so big that I actually do cartwheels in my head with excitement, but at the same time I also want to pee in my pants due to stress lol.

For the past months, I’ve asked myself over and over: Am I doing the right thing? Why am I making my life even more difficult? Will I be strong enough to do this all on my own? Am I going nuts? So many questions. None of which I can answer if I don’t take this giant leap. So, here I am. Jumping. All in.

By next month, with my two teens in tow, I’m leaving Manila to take up my Masters in Digital Media at Centre for Digital Media in Vancouver. It’s a 16-month program that I feel was made for me. I’m so excited to be a student again! The bonus? I’ll be in a beautiful city where I look forward to running and biking to my heart’s content. (Hello Seawheeze Half Marathon and GranFondo Whistler!)

But, at the same time, my heart breaks for all that I’m temporarily leaving behind. Aside from family, friends, and the running community, there is TBR: my TBR babies, our TBR friends, and most especially the incoming batch of TBR Sun Life Dream 2020. While I feel separation anxiety as I write this, I also trust that my team will take good care of all of you, Dreamers. (TBR Dream Team has known about my plans since last year so we’ve actually been preparing for this!) Among other things, we plugged in a 6^th Bull Session into the program, I added IG Live sessions with myself and our coaches, I will try my best to do more IG Live to hear your achievements or address your concerns (I’ll try to overcome my vlogger shyness too. Gulp), and last but not the least, I’ll be home in December for a Bull Session and February on race day so it’s like I won’t even be gone! You won’t even miss me! Wait, I hope you miss me even juuust a little bit.

If there’s anything I want to leave with you for now, it’s to remind you that whether in running or in life, always welcome change in your life.  In fact, if things become too easy or dull, seek change in you or around you.  Always ask yourself if you can do more, work harder, or be better than who you were yesterday.  Listen, you don’t have to move countries like craycray me is doing lol.  It could be something as simple as changing your hairstyle, or signing up for a marathon, starting a new business, or finally asking that cute runner out.  If there is anything to be afraid of, it would be living a mediocre or stagnant life.  So, please, chase after dreams that scare the crap out of you, and when you achieve that, go and look for another one. Don’t ever stop. Grab life by the horns and live it to the fullest. Take it from this 43-year-old Tita who’s going back to school eager to hang out with her millennial classmates lol.

No goodbye, Dreamers.  Just see you again soon! Mwah!