Running is the best medicine, at least in my world; laughter comes a close second. (Laughing during a long run—which is a habit that Annie and I practice on weekends—will probably make us live to 100.)

Yesterday, after complications arose from the operation of my ill relative that brought my entire family into stress and worry on Monday until the wee hours of Tuesday morning, I woke up exhausted from hospital duties with only a short break to care for the kids before I returned to the hospital again. I desperately needed to run; I knew it would relieve me of all my concerns albeit temporarily and give me strength to face yet another day of troubles.

So, like a crazed woman, I pushed my body to the limits by running under the intense 8:30 a.m. heat with barely 3 hours of sleep.  I planned on running just 8km, enough to release a few pints of sweat along with the anxieties that were dragging me down. The first 2k was a challenge, but before long I found my rhythm and ran somberly through familiar roads.

When you run alone, there’s no escaping your thoughts, no escaping your own reality. Just as you can jot down your own bucket list, solve a problem, or create a new business while out on a run, you also come face-to-face with your anxieties, fears, and worst nightmares.  As it turns out, all my worries started chasing me during this run.  My initial reaction was like what most of you would’ve done, I ran away from them as fast as I could. In less than a kilometer, I was pooped.

Then, as I slowed down, I suddenly thought of visualizing my anxieties in words—being the graphic designer that I am, they were in Futura Bold, 48pt, all caps in case you wanted to know—and they popped up not in front of me like road blocks, but under my feet. I started stomping on words like FEAR, EGO, BILLS, and the biggest of them all, DEATH. This all occurred in a span of just a few minutes, but at the risk of sounding melodramatic and psycho, these things actually did work. Gone were the worries, replaced with a new sense of hope and optimism.

My relative did well during the operation last night. He surprised doctors—who told us to expect the worst—by staying strong during a 2nd operation even after suffering from a mild heart attack on Monday morning.  He’s slowly recovering and we’re all keeping our fingers crossed.

So, yes, running is definitely therapeutic; I experienced that for myself yesterday. We might as well believe what those wise runners from old have said about the benefits of running on our health: A run a day keeps the doctor away and A mile of running is better than a pound of cure.

Oh, I know a lot of runners out there who would want to join this one…

The North Face continues its campaign to bring runners to the trail as it supports the 1st ever Mayon Trail Run on October 19, 2008 at Legaspi, Albay. 18k of trail, lava gullies and unprecedented views of Mayon Volcano await athletes and outdoor enthusiasts who are willing to test their endurance and indulge their passion to Never Stop Exploring.

There will also be a 5k fun run and walk.

Call 0917-5588929 or visit website and The North Face shops nationwide for registration and details.

Guess what finally arrived: my trophies from the 2008 Philippine Blog Awards! Thanks to Mark of Sheeromedia for delivering them during the Hope in Motion race.

This shot was taken while they lay in the trunk of my car after the race, but these little babies have now found a special place in our home. I initially wanted to place them on the hubby’s night table to remind him how lucky he is to have a trophy-winning wife (mind you, not a trophy-wife) like me, but due to the limited space, I’ve conspicuously displayed them in our den instead where the hubby will have to stare at them as he runs on the treadmill.

In the October issue of Runner’s World, it says that a cup or two of coffee an hour before a race may cut your time by 30 seconds. Although I wasn’t aiming to break my PR (I don’t think I ever will beat my 46.57 10k PR), I opted for coffee instead of my usual pre-race drink of Rush together with, as always, 3 sheets of graham crackers. Big mistake.

By the time I stood on Mindanao Ave. in Ayala Alabang awaiting the start of the race along with other runners (the larger group of 6k walkers were behind us), I had paid the toilet a visit 4 times already! Good thing the race started just a little after 6:30 a.m. giving me enough time to give my bladder a little scolding.

When the gun went off, my bladder was empty (thank God!), I was feeling strong, and I felt completely race ready. I ran out of Mindanao Ave. towards Visayas Ave. going a wee bit faster than I thought I should.  I hate to admit it but I had no strategy for this race.  My only plan was to conserve energy for the gradual ascent along Country Club Drive and, after that, I felt I could go as fast as I wanted knowing the route would be mostly flat until the finish line.

I ran at around 5:15-5:30 enjoying the familiar route I was running. Annie passed me early in the race and I watched her outpace runners one by one. On Madrigal Ave., Bald Runner and I were able to exchange a few words before he ran ahead of me. Just like in Gabriel Symphony last weekend, JunC was a few meters in front of me so he pretty much became my involuntary pacer.  Surprisingly, I was pretty well-behaved at this race feeling no need nor compulsion to chase any runner down; this bull was good and tame that morning.

By the time we hit the dreaded ascent of Country Club Drive, a foreign lady runner swept by me and it was fine by me. She seemed awfully strong and I didn’t want to bust my lungs climbing up that hill. Before I knew it, the short climb was over and we made our way towards the flat roads of University Ave. Woohoo, there was nothing to be afraid of anymore!  

My experience on these roads proved to be helpful as I watched other runners climbing up sidewalks along Country Club Drive, while I confidently stayed on the paved roads knowing it would be easier to just stay where I was. On University Ave., as other runners crossed to the right side of the road, I stayed on the left because the trees would provide shade from the intense heat. Yup, Patrick was right about having a home court advantage!

As we neared the finish, I felt I still had enough energy to sprint to the finish. Nearing Anahaw, I started to increase my pace and enjoyed the rhythm of each step. I crossed the finish line back at Mindanao Ave. with a time of 55.38 min for 10.27km according to my Garmin.  My average pace was 5.25 min/km.  

I peeked into the list of finishers and saw Annie in 1st place with the lady foreigner in 2nd place.  I placed 3rd!  So, I guess the coffee did me well.

Together with Annie, Jun, and Prometheus Cometh (who extended his run even after we headed back), I ran another 5km around the village. Total of 15km for the day. Just perfect.

– 10km Winners: Annie (1st), French lady (2nd), and myself –