The last Mizuno Run Club session will be held tonight at its usual place and time: Mizuno store, Bonifacio High Street, 7 pm. This is open to the public. Registration is free.
Mizuno will hold Running Clinics to replace the regular Run Club sessions. Details of the clinics will be discussed tonight.
It was my first Mizuno Run Club session this year and it was, for me, a reunion of sorts.
Last year, I never missed the run club, which is held every 1st and 3rd Thursday at 7 p.m. in Bonifacio High Street. Nope, not once. There was this one time when, despite a minor injury, I drove all the way there with my two kids in tow just to watch the runners from afar and smell the sweat from their bodies (er, the last line right there must not be taken literally.)
This year, however, I realized that my injuries had kept me from attending the run club for half a year already. You can only imagine how ecstatic I was over the fact that, with my shin splints gradually disappearing, I could finally run with everyone again.
So, I arrived a little before 7 p.m. to see that I didn’t recognize anyone except KC from Mizuno. All of a sudden, I turned shy and went to ROX to drool over the bikes first. I returned around 10 minutes after happy to see a lot of familiar faces.
From Happy Feet, there was Ben and his fiancee Missy who was going to run for the first time. Marga and her bike Sixto arrived along with her good friend Jeremy, my “editor”. I finally got to meet Maui who I have forever seen online and in pics but never got to talk to. Taki ran too soon after he signed up for the TNF at ROX.
My pathetic goal was to run a safe and slow 3k. This was, after all, just my second post-injury run. I started out with Ben, Missy, and Taki chatting about running, biking, and everything else in between. Soon after, I ran alongside Coach Ige who, as it turns out, was injured like me. I asked him the cause of his injury and he replied “overtraining.” As if we were two athletes on the same fitness level, I answered “hey, me too!” Then, he adds “Yeah, I just came back from two marathons, one in Vancouver, the other in Singapore.” I wanted to slap myself in the face; I just got injured from a pitiful 5k in U.P.
As we ran, I saw a man in white running in the opposite direction. It was Bald Runner. Now, I know for a fact that BR is true to his word. In his last post, he said he would try waving at lady runners just to see their reactions. I told him I would look forward to a wave from him should we run into each other soon. That wave definitely came sooner than expected. We got to run together for a few minutes but ended up parting ways as he completed his 10 mile goal for that evening.
I ended my run at exactly 3k. No more, no less. And, oh, no pain after the run either. Yes!
{THE GOOD}
For the first time in 5 weeks, I attempted a pain-free 3k run yesterday and I am all too happy to report that it was a success! Finaaaaallly, I can run again. Sure, it was slow and short. And, the entire time, I was focused on keeping my left foot from overpronating, but hey beggars can’t be choosers. I was just ecstatic over the fact that I was running (and sweating) again!
I can attribute my recovery to one thing: acupuncture. Last Monday’s acupuncture session brought instant relief to three weeks of stubborn shin splints. (Thanks to my good friend Kung Fu Panda for recommending it.) I actually felt strong enough to join Mizuno already but held back due to my PT’s orders.
{THE BAD}
Sure, I was an obedient little patient but that’s not to say that I didn’t feel awful, angry, and frustrated about missing the Mizuno-Rush to Infinity Run. I tried my best not to talk, blog, nor think about it to keep negativism at bay, which to a certain extent, helped to keep me sane.
{THE NOT-SO-UGLY}
So, who in the running world hasn’t heard about the long queu that awaited runners at the finish line of the Mizuno-Rush to Infinity Run? Certainly, it was an incident that no one expected nor hoped for—especially the race organizers. I don’t have the right to comment since I was not there. But, I do take my hat off to Coach Rio who handled the incident like a man. On the same day, he apologized for the mishap and took full responsibility.
To Coach Rio, hey I know you did your best. You always do. Mistakes happen and, from these accidents, lessons are learned. I hope you continue to wow us with your well-organized and innovative races. If there’s a Mizuno Rush to Infinity Part 3, I’m guessing it’ll be perfect! Remember, three’s a charm!
Congratulations to my dear friend Annie who placed 2nd overall in Women’s 15k. Her Garmin registered a time of 1:06. I believe many of the runners there are scratching their heads thinking that she should have been 1st. But, again, I’m not one to comment since I wasn’t there. At the moment, I just can’t figure out why Annie isn’t listed in the results.
Click here to view official race results.
To all those who signed up for Rush to Infinity Run, the race organizer has announced that starting time is:
15k – 5:30 a.m.
10k – 5:45 a.m.
5k – 6:00 a.m.
Disregard the 6 a.m. starting time written on the envelope.
Oddly, I am still in recovery mode after the Takbo Para sa Puso last Sunday. I think it’s pathetic that it’s taking my legs almost half a week to recuperate from a short 5k, but I am patiently waiting—while scratching my head, biting my nails (and soon toenails too if it takes longer), and eating loads of chocnut—for that one fine day when my legs feel light and strong again. Uhm, I’m optimistic that The Day will be tomorrow.
In the meantime, there’s one thing—actually it’s a race—that is keeping me happy and all giddy with excitement. It’s the Fuego-Mizuno Run on June 15. This race is for members and endorsed guests only, so if you are neither one, there are two options for you:
1) Buy a club membership before June 15, or
2) Befriend a member (even if it’s just for three weeks!)
Fortunately for me, Mizuno invited me for the race. Phew… I was already going through Facebook in search of prospective Fuego-member friends.
Here are the details of the race from Coach Rio‘s website:
DATE & TIME
15 June 2008, Sunday
Assembly: 5am
Start of Race: 6am
Awarding Brunch: est. 8am
VENUE
Start/ Finish Area Main Clubhouse, Peninsula de Punta Fuego, Nasugbu, Batangas
CATEGORIES
3K/ 5K/ 10K
ENTRY FEE
P450/ Member
P500/ Endorsed Guest
Non-refundable. Includes: Race Kit, Individual Medals, Brunch and Giveaways.
The Fuego-Mizuno Run is organized by Club Punta Fuego Inc. and Mizuno for the benefit of the Punta Fuego Village Foundation Inc.
Visit Coach Rio‘s site to download the registration form and view the coursemap.
