“Laspag!” In English, it means exhausted or worn out. “Laspag” is a word commonly heard in the running and triathlon world after a grueling workout that leaves the athlete feeling completely spent. You may presume that the said endurance athlete would opt to collapse in bed after the workout gorging on food, but some will be forced to proceed to the office, others will play with their children when they get home, and for some completely insane ones (and believe you me, there are many!), they will workout AGAIN later in the day. (I know, I was once of them. Heehee!)

Personally, I’ve used the word “laspag” often because, well, I feel it quite often too. I feel exhausted after long workouts or even shorts ones where I push extra hard. I also feel tired after races where I give my all. Now, if I had nothing to do the following day, I wouldn’t worry about a thing. But, really, when does a working-running mom like me ever have downtime? So, to make sure that I fully recover from a tough workout, I do the following:

1- If it’s not too hot out, for long runs, I wear compression tights or calf sleeves. These aid in blood circulation and muscle recovery. My favorites are CW-X for compression tights and Zensah for compression sleeves.

2- I take Enervon HP within 45 minutes after a long run or ride. (I even took some with me to Berlin and drank it right after the marathon!) I like Enervon HP because, well, it’s chocolate hehe. Second, it offers the perfect combination of 3:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio that’s important for muscle tissue repair and recovery.

For long workouts, I usually have a bottle of cold water in my Spider bottle packed in my cooler. This bottle has a container to hold the Enervon HP powder plus a mixer for easy blending. Super cool!

Spider Bottle is available at Chris Sports, Secondwind, and Sabak.  The Spider Mini2go (seen above) is Php990.  They also have a mini (no container) for Php500.

3- I raise my legs for around 15 minutes when I get home. Sometimes I fall asleep while I do this LOL.

4- If I feel any aches or pains, I ice the area for 10 minutes.

5- I eat clean food for the rest of the day to aid in recovery.

6- I drink tons of water throughout the day.

7- I train easy the following day. Always make sure that your program allows for hard-easy days so that you allow your body to recover from a hard training day.

8- I get a massage every Sunday evening.  I chose that day because I usually have my long runs or races on Sunday.

That’s basically what I’ve been doing the past couple of years to avoid laspag attacks. So, when Enervon HP asked me to be their endorser and record a radio ad for them I said “Yes” without batting an eyelash (then, I got nervous and warned them that I get bulol sometimes and I have a nasal voice LOL!) Have you heard it already? Lemme know what you think. Please be kind haha.

For 2014, I told myself I wouldn’t resist change, but I would embrace it.  Well, it looks like I went a bit overboard!

Tonight I am launching the new The Bull Runner logo and TheBullRunner.com layout.

This is the first redesign of the TBR logo ever since I designed the original identity on a whim, in 15 minutes, when I created this blog.  I thought it was about time that I made it look more contemporary, strong and simple, yet striking.

As for the layout,  I believe this redesign comes after over 3 years using the old layout which I felt was cluttered and confusing (much like my life then! LOL)  Every year, I would dream of creating a new fresh look, but life always got in the way. This time, I committed to working on the design bit by bit whenever I had spare time from work or training (i.e., on long flights, while waiting at doctor’s clinics, sitting in the car in traffic).  With the help of my fantastic web designers (and TBR Dream Alum, mind you) Marc and Gail Villanueva of Intuitiv Solutions and Cres Yulo who shot my photo in all of 15 minutes right in her condo, I was finally able to launch this little part of me on the world wide web.  Thank you Marc, Gail, and Cres!

For this year, I have bigger and more exciting plans!  Hope you can join the journey with me!

What do you think about the new layout?  Any new topics, articles, or features you’d like to see on running?  Just let me know!

The past few weeks, I’ve been somewhat troubled.  It’s been so hot outdoors that I’ve been compelled to run on the treader at my gym.  It’s bad enough that I have to run indoors, but it gets worse when I have to run on the decrepit treadmills at my gym.  I love my gym, but man oh man their treaders are dying!  Among the five facing the television, one does not incline anymore and another takes forever to speed up.  I’ve even run 10k on one that had these words screaming at me on the monitor every few minutes: “Replace belt!”  All the other treadmills seem like they’re just waiting to DNF while someone is on it.  Gaah!  Needless to say I’ve been toying with the idea of switching gyms because the only thing I use at my gym, apart from the mats and the lockers, are the treadmills!

Last week, I was invited to a Fitness First event where they unveiled plans for 2014 that had me drooling with envy.  (It was probably a sign!) Fitness First launched its new logo, new programs, and new innovations for their gyms worldwide.

Fitness First’s New Logo

Simon Flint, CEO of Fitness First Asia, and Mark Ellis, Fitness First Philippines’ Country Manager

Fierce and fast triathlete friends 

Simon Flint, CEO of Fitness First Asia talked about the new Fitness First Philosophy. The club aims to inspire and motivate people to work on their fitness by engaging and interacting with them through Fitness First’s innovative new programs and expert trainers, and not just through exercising on the gym equipment. “With the new innovations of Fitness First, we help you go further in life with the right balance of training, healthy eating and inspiration. With us you can reach your personal best and achieve more than you thought possible. We provide you with fitness that suits your style and your life. And more importantly, we keep you moving forward,” Flint explained.

Fitness First has built on the principles of behavioral psychology to radically change their gyms and create workouts that will help people stay motivated such as their four signature fitness programs that are delivered by highly skilled staff. These were showcased during the launch with exciting performances cum fitness demonstrations by Fitness First’s professional trainers. The signature programs that are Fitness First proprietary products designed to produce maximum results in minimum time are Pro Cycling, Advance Flow Yoga, Freestyle Group Training, and Hardcore Maxx.

The company is also co-producing a first-of-its kind reality TV show called Fit for Fashion that will subject the contestants to Fitness First’s innovative training programmes to help them get fitter and go further in life. The show will transform contestants into fit, stylish and confident individuals who will inspire and motivate viewers watching the show. A fashion show was one of the highlights of the night as Fitness First showed fit and confident individuals of different shapes and sizes who walked down the ramp.

As a fitting end to the night, the newest Fitness First Ambassador Ginebra Gin King and Gilas Pilipinas’ renowned point guard L.A. Tenorio was introduced alongside members of the Fitness First Triathlon team who are advocates of fit, active and healthy living.

Fitness First Philippines Managing Director Mark Ellis said, “Fitness is a lifestyle choice. Ultimately, Fitness First wants to provide members with more than a box of equipment. We shaped our new staff training programme which includes expert instruction on how to motivate members. We want to provide them with the expert support they need via highly qualified fitness expertise, effective exercise programmes and a motivating workout environment. We believe that we can help people go further in life, and our teams are in the forefront of helping members push their limits to go further in life and inspire others to do the same.”

Good job Fitness First!  Thank you for the complimentary day pass.  I shall use it for at least a day’s respite from rickety old treaders LOL.

4 more days for EARLY BIRD registration for Carbtrim – The Bull Runner All Woman Race! Sign up now to join in on all the fun on race day! Here’s what we’ve got in store for all you women (and a few good men) on July 20 at Filinvest City:

All 21k Female Finishers get this beautiful charm bracelet

5k, 10k, 21k Female Participants get this drifit, women-specific singlet in their Race Kit.  Race Kit also contains: race bib, pico timing chip, and Carbtrim capsules and iced tea for the Race Kit

AWR Race Singlet Size Chart

Carbtrim – TBR All Woman Race 5k Route

Carbtrim – TBR All Woman Race 10k & 21k Route

To register, visit our registration centres! See below for more info:

For more information, you may download our FAQ on this link:

Download: AWR FAQ (PDF File)

Over 10,000 runners participated in 2014 Run United 2 yesterday. I joined the 21k.

For the first time, Run United started at Km 0 in Luneta instead of SM Mall of Asia where the past year’s races had started. The change made for a more unique experience as no other race has done this. It was awesome for runners to see the Rizal Monument at the starting line. If Run United Philippine Marathon starts here, it would definitely be more meaningful.

The downside of this change was the inconvenience of having to travel this far and brave the traffic just to get to the starting line. Not to mention we had to do it in the wee hours of the morning as race start was 4:00 AM. No thanks to you, Heat!

We arrived at the assembly area at 3:30 AM which was pretty well organized. I liked this ambiance more than MOA. No long lines at the potty since there were quite a number of portalets. As we waited for the race to start, the crowd was controlled and quite disciplined. As always for Run United races, the race started on time.

When the gun went off, I bid my friends goodbye, put my Yurbuds on, and focused on my race. I planned on racing this fast. I knew I wouldn’t break my half marathon PR, but I hoped to at least run this at sub-2 hours. At the back of my mind though, I had my doubts. The longest I had run was 16k in the past few months so I lacked training, but I thought I might as well give it a shot. Good luck to me LOL.

The out and back course through flat roads and just a couple of flyovers was fantastic! Wide roads except for a few crowded areas due to road work, no sharp turns except for the major turnarounds, and the climbs at the flyover weren’t bad at all as they allowed the legs to take a break from the flat course. Hydration, kilometer markers, and marshals were plentiful. I loved it. It was a PR course!

But, for me, not a PR day haha! I was fine for the first 15k then, suddenly, I hit the wall. The last 5k was dreadful! There’s no one else to blame but myself. I hadn’t trained for the 21k properly and one just doesn’t wing a half marathon.

The humidity made race conditions even more challenging. I think, by now, we all know how doubly difficult it is to run under this crazy summer heat. The best race organisers can do is make race start early so most runners finish before the sun rears its ugly head.

A friend, Bea, mentioned on Facebook that too many runners would stop abruptly during the race unmindful of the runners behind them. She experienced this at 10k and I also did at 21k. It’s an issue that isn’t just for Run United or even the Philippines. It’s common in races abroad as well. When I ran a half marathon in Laguna Phuket International Marathon, a foreigner yelled at me as I slowed down at the side of the road.  I yelled back: “As$H@%!”  Tell me, what kind of runner yells at fellow runners this way?  Aren’t we all supposed to have fun?  Is your PR so important you lose your manners?  The key is for local race organizers to inform runners, especially beginners, about proper race etiquette.  This is more of a problem on proper education for runners rather than manners. (I’ll do the same at TBR Dream Marathon from now on.)  Runners who walk or slow down should move to the side of the road to avoid blocking faster runners. As for experienced runners, you should NOT yell at the runners nor embarrass them. Sure, I cursed to myself when I almost tumbled over a runner last Sunday who stopped right in front of me, but I didn’t pick a fight with him. As an experienced runner, you should practice proper etiquette yourself.

I crossed the finish line at around 2:12 disappointed with my bad time, but I took this all in stride. I think I’ve reached a point in my life where I love the benefits of running and triathlon, but I never allow it to affect my life negatively. At the end of the day, I run for fun. Why cry over missed PRs? Just train harder and crush it next time.

Congratulations to Unilab Active Health and Runrio for a fantastic race!

Ton, Lit, and I didn’t break our PRs that day but we laughed it off over breakfast

Bounce back before laspag attacks!  I took my Enervon HP after the race.  You should too.

The Tamaraw and The Bull

With teammates Ani and birthday boy Dan Brown and Ting Joson

with these fierce and fast triathletes from Fitness First: Ton, Doray and Mark Ellis, Keshia, and Belle

Bromance in Luneta

with strong triathletes Reujen and Lala

My car was parked on this road turned parking lot.  We couldn’t leave the race.  Thank God for Starbucks!