Posts Tagged with: "Marathon"

Just finished the California International Marathon in Sacramento! WOW. This was one fast course that made for a marathon that was one of the most enjoyable, hassle-free, and fun courses I have ever run. Highly recommended!

Here’s a photo of fellow Pinoy runners and I at Capitol Park where the race ended. Everyone was happy with their time with most of them hitting their personal records.  I didn’t break my Condura Marathon PR, but  absolutely no worries, I still ran my 2nd best out of 7 marathons and it was 40 minutes faster than New York City Marathon which I ran a month ago. I’m on a high!

Left to right: Sisters Veronica and Jane-Jane Ong (4:08 and 4:09 respectively), myself (4:41, my 2nd best marathon time), and Lit Onrubia (4:38). Not in photo: Andrew Ong and Amale Jopson (the one who persuaded us to run here)

I’ll post a more detailed race report within the week! Just let me enjoy the food and shopping here in Sacramento and San Francisco a wee bit more!

Woah.  This is the coolest thing!

ASICS launched the “Support Your Marathoner” system for the New York City Marathon next Sunday.  It will activate the RFID tag attached to runners’ shoes. As the runners run through the course, the tag will trigger special messages of love and cheer sent by friends, family, and supporters to the runner  on an LED screen as they pass it. The three screens will be located at Miles 9, 12 and 22.

I’ve registered for this already and it would be awesome if you could send in your messages for me.  It would be great distraction from the cold (expect temp of 8C and scattered showers daw. Brrrr!) or the pain…or both!  Thanks in advance!

Here’s how to send your message:

1. Visit Support Your Marathoner website

2. Use this data:

Name: Jaymie Pizarro
Entry Number: 797217

Thanks in advance!

For more info, read THIS article.

I’ve been getting chills on and off for the past few days this week.  Every day I don’t quite feel 100% fine hence just 7k total mileage the past days and zero gym or swimming. Every evening, as we get into bed, I show the kids the goosebumps on my arms and beg them to turn the air conditioning down but they giggle and grin and head off to lala land while I freeze and sneeze and toss and turn with this cold that never really comes.  No surprise, I guess. They’re little bull runners, after all!

My plan is to completely disregard this cold-that-never-comes and run my long run tomorrow.  Sunday, I’ll go for a 5k recovery run at Earth Run where I hope and pray “recovery” would mean getting over sore muscles and this annoying cold.

MORE GOOSEBUMPS FROM TBR DREAM 2011

This morning, as I was preparing for TBR Dream 2012 (yes, you all know plans are underway) I went through all the stories sent in by TBR Dream Marathoners 2011.  Woah, I got goosebumps from reading about how our little dream of a race had made such a significant impact in their lives.  Here are bits and pieces of some of the stories sent in…(To the runners who sent their stories in, thank you so much! I wasn’t able to reply to each one, but I surely will. Just give me time to sift through my Inbox!)

There is nowhere in the world where one runs a marathon in a more loving and nurturing environment than in the TBR DM. The pacers, the dream chasers, the hydration station attendants, the organizers, the fellow runners, the families, the onlookers, everyone was cheering at us and buoying our spirits up, as if our dream-come-true is theirs too. Some runners faltered along the way, labored painfully, grappled with injuries, struggled with each mile, but these people kept them on, pushed them literally…Each of us runners were facing our own bout but we moved as if we were one spirit, straining into one direction and wanting every comrade of the road to finish too. In the TBR DM, everyone who crosses the finish line is a winner and everyone who steps on the thin line that defines a marathoner owns the limelight to himself. There was no competition there, only a contest against oneself, and there, we conquered. And as we did, our families and friends and supporters roared and hugged and held because our victory became theirs. (For full story, click HERE.)

– Aisa Manlosa

I practically threw out any plans of targeting a particular finish time and just cherish every kilometer and enjoy the great company. We had a blast every time Coach Jim would pass us by with his motorcycle shouting loudly and egg us to move on. We would talk about how this year’s edition of TBR Marathon was setup from the Bull Sessions, Talks, Send-Off Party and the marathon itself. With all the exceptional things given to us by the TBR Team, it seemed like Jaymie paid us to do the marathon – it was just that good.

– Anton Badiola

TBR Dream Marathon 2011, race day… I describe it as one HELLISH experience but I don’t mind doing it all over again. There were a lot of emotions from the start, pains and soreness along the way, but crossing that finish line gave me and every participant an inexplicable feeling that would make one cry and smile at the same time. I’d like to thank Jaymie and the entire TBR Dream Team. TBR Dream Marathon is the best marathon setting anyone could ever ask for. We appreciate all the time, efforts, and sacrifices you’ve done in making this happen. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion with us. I pray to God that He may bless you abundantly for you to be able to continue this good deed and help more runners in the future.

– Mike Janeo

TEARS OF ELATED JOY.  That is how I would describe my feeling as I ran the last few hundred meters to the finish line.  The last few meters to the finish line just kept repeating in my mind, it was truly a EUPHORIC MOMENT for me. When Joy & I saw the sign 42K, she told me she will run ahead and she will see me at the finish line.  The moment she ran ahead of me I just could’nt stop running, I kept going and going and going and I was crying already.  Good thing I was wearing shades so my tears were not easily seen.  It was just me who crossed the finish line when I saw the TIMEX clock 6:48 (as I recall) so it was a glorious MOMENT indeed!  And you know what the BEST part was? Just a few steps near the finish line, my eldest son JAVIER approached me, HELD MY HAND and gave me a big smile and TOGETHER we crossed the finish line.  Then my youngest son, ENZO gave me hug and it was just a PERFECT moment.

All Dream Marathoners were acknowledged by the host as we crossed the finish line. I felt like a Hollywood star, cameras flashing and the host gave me a compliment that I still looked FRESH even after running the TOUGH 42K.  Then the TBR medal was placed on me and I surely felt like a REAL WINNER, whoohoohoo!!!

– Donna Gojo-Segunial

I’ve been treated like a “fragile being” by family and friends who cared about me — so many things I shouldn’t eat or do, just because I had asthma. When I was rushed to the ER and a doctor tells me my asthma was back (and with vengeance), I was told I can never take part in any endurance sport ever again — I was told I can never run. But finishing your marathon defied all odds. I was able to complete 42.2km even when they told me I could not. (Click HERE for full story)

– Gail Villanueva

To most serious runners, finishing a marathon in 7:51 may be something to scoff at. But I hold my head high. I, after all, finished! More than gunning for a faster time, it was the experience that mattered most. So all those tears were all about being surrounded by happy, shiny people who have nothing but my best interest in their hearts, thus making my first marathon worth running, despite the pain.

– Dittie Galang

I’m thinking of setting up a website just to hold all of the stories from TBR Dream Marathon.  For TBR Dream Alumni, it would be a great site to look back on.  And, for those who dream of something bigger in their lives, it would be a great place to draw inspiration from.  Soon!

What’s the best part of the marathon for you?

The common answer is, of course, the finish line. Words cannot explain the fulfillment one feels after running the long and arduous 42.195 kilometers of a marathon.  Other runners will answer the start or perhaps midway when they encountered a helping hand, a discovery of their inner strength, or simply feeling second wind when they were about to give up.

My answer? What I love most about the marathon is the training.  I love that raw, nervous feeling in your heart when you’ve found the perfect marathon training program, as you sign up for the race, or just day dream about the marathon.  I love waking up in the wee hours of the morning to meet friends for a long run, half of which will be done in the dark before the world awakes.  I love crossing out each run feeling like I deserve a medal for pushing myself hard each and every single time.  I love feeling fit and light and strong during the months leading up to the race and, even more, seeing how my body changes, how muscles suddenly pop out of nowhere, and the weight melts away.  Truth to tell, I love the journey—every single part of it, including sweat, tears, and pain—more than the destination itself.  The race is just icing on the cake.

Tomorrow, training officially begins for New York City Marathon 2011.  The program I’m using is from the FIRST program pulled out from the book Run Less, Run Faster (available at Runnr).  I am so ready!

– My marathon folder holds all my training programs from the past. It has my Nike Hood to Coast, Singapore 2009, Condura, HK, NYCM 2010, and now NYCM 2011 program. On the left is inspiration provided by Little Miss Bull Runner –

Talk about getting a surprise birthday present. Last week, I received an invitation to join the Laguna Phuket International Marathon (LPIM) slated for June 12, 2011.  Without batting an eyelash, I said YES!

– Laguna Phuket, Here I Come! –

Then, I realized that it conflicted with another race I had registered for…

Then, I realized it was just a day before the kids start school…

And, last but not the least, I realized I only had six weeks of training left.  Now, it’s down to five!

MAYBE NEXT YEAR, ANIMO TRI!

On a high from The Next Step Tri Camp I joined last April, I promptly registered for Animo Triathlon set for June 12, 2011.  While I’ve been suki to this race having participated in the mini sprint twice in the past, I almost keeled over when I submitted and paid for my registration a couple of weeks ago.  I signed up for the Sprint and the thought of a 900 meter swim (without my usual talk breaks) frightened me to death.  Good thing, I had swim squad!

For the past two weeks, I’ve been swimming thrice a week with good friends: Adel, Bic, and Jake together with Coach Martin Carandang. I’ve gotten so dark that I’m contemplating changing TBR to The Black Runner, but the sessions have certainly improved my swims significantly.  And, not just that, it’s helped my runs too!  I couldn’t keep up with my own legs during a 10k solo run last weekend.  Fantastic.

– My recent tri purchases: The Triathlon Training Bible by Joe Friel from Runnr, kickboard, pullbuoy (not in pic) and swim cap from Finis, and the receipt for Animo Tri –

Now, with Phuket falling on exactly the same day (darn it!), I’ll have to kiss Animo—and the P1200 reg fee…sob sob—goodbye for now.  Triathlon can wait.  Running is still my love, after all.

ALONE TIME

Good thing hubby is willing to watch over the kids while I’m away.  And, I can just get the kids school-ready a full week in advance.  We women need alone time—whether its a day at the spa or a weekend getaway—to pause, breathe, and reenergize.  For me, a 42km in scenic Phuket couldn’t have been more ideal!

FIVE WEEKS TO GO

Good thing I was racking up the mileage the past few months even with no serious race in mind.  This means that I don’t have to panic over the limited number of weeks I’ve got to train for what should be my 6th marathon.  Last week, we covered 25k and the next few weeks should be a build up for marathon day while I continue all this crazy triathlon training.  It’s a wild summer…and I’m absolutely loving it.

Laguna Phuket International Marathon, here I come!