Posts Tagged with: "race"

August 25 is National Heroes Day in the Philippines.  It is a national public holiday, held every last Monday of August, to honor and remember the country’s National heroes, men and women in Philippine history whose acts of courage enabled the Philippines to grow as a nation. Our known national heroes are:  Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio,Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat, Juan Luna, Melchora Aquino, Gabriela Silang.

During National Heroes Day, honor and salute are also given to those unknown heroes whose lives were given up for our peace and democracy.  Although there are commemorations and parades and wreath laying at shrines, etc., many of our youth no longer appreciate or know the significance of this day. Hence, HERO Foundation, through its upcoming activities, in cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, hopes to draw attention back to the importance of this day, to celebrate, with gratitude, for all our heroes. (more…)

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)

I’ve always been a goal-oriented person. The promise of achieving something big and impossible in the future motivates me each day to get up and work, work, work.

Since I picked up running in 2006, I used races to drive me to train day in, day out.  It was also a good test of my progress, a great opportunity to keep in touch with fellow runners and, for races abroad, a fantastic way to experience the world.  Since 2006, there has never been a period of time wherein I didn’t have an A-race to aim for.  I found that targetting 2 marathons per year with a training period of 4 months could have me training almost the entire year with just a few months off to allow my body and mind to recover.  It was— and probably still is—the perfect recipe, at least for me, to stay fit, maintain focus, and, last but not the least, keep me happy.

Last month, I dusted off an old book from our shelves and started reading it again.  It’s The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, a book I highly recommend. It basically reminds you to live in the NOW.  To leave regrets of the past behind or not to worry about the future.  To make the present moment the primary focus of your life.

In one portion, Tolle writes: “Are you always trying to get somewhere other than where you are?  Is most of your doing just a means to an end?  Are you always focused on becoming, achieving, and attaining, or alternatively chasing some new thrill or pleasure?”

This got me thinking about all my past races. Is this why I race?  Have I been living my life in the future by always aiming for the next marathon?  And, I wondered:  Can I possibly just enjoy running without a goal to work for?

After training for Ironman 70.3 Cebu for 7 months and completing it a couple of weeks ago, for the first time in my life, I woke up the next day with absolutely no A-race to train for.  (Usually, I have the next goal in mind  even before I finish the previous race!)  For the past 2 weeks, I’ve been running, biking, and swimming at my own pace and distance without having to worry about a future event.  And, surprise surprise, I’m absolutely loving it!

Truth be told, I don’t think I can last long being goal-less though.  That’s just the way I’m built, I guess.  Knowing myself, I’ll be scouring the web for a marathon to get me all excited again.  Perhaps this has less to do with the need to “chase some new thrill” and more about being inspired and motivated.  I think training for a marathon in particular gives structure to my days and weeks leading up to the race and that kind of focus subsequently spills over to the rest of my life.  It’s just one of the many gifts of the marathon.

What I can say is that I did pick up some wonderful lessons from this book. I realized that sometimes it’s not bad to give yourself a break from goals and to just enjoy the present moment.  Enjoy every single run for what it is without focusing too much on how it should improve your performance for your race.  Take a deep breath, put one step in front of the other, and just savor the experience.  It’s not the destination, but the journey.  More importantly, I learned while it’s great to have a vision of a better, stronger you in the future, it’s far more important to remember that you are good, strong, and happy where you are right now.

How about you?  Why do you race?

Over 12,000 runners participated in the first of RunRio and Unilab Active Health’s series of Run United events for the year: Run United 1 yesterday at SM Mall of Asia Grounds.

Majority of the runners participated in the half marathon with a whopping 5,000 runners registered for the event. Indeed a sign that runners have now progressed to longer distances. Other distances had the following number of runners: 10k – 4,000, 5k – 3,000 and the 500m – 169 runners.

As expected, the organizers offered runners yet another well-organized event. Despite the large population of runners, the gun start was quick and simple with wave starts to diffuse the crowd in the early portions of the race. The requisite marshals and traffic enforcers, kilometer and directional signs, portalets, and medical aid were present. Bonus bananas and sponges were available at key stations as well. Runners were also given giveaways (loved the free bottle) and medal.

Perhaps the only issue I had as a runner was the parking. I arrived at 3AM only to discover that only one parking lot was open (all other parking lots were gradually opened as the hours passed). Runners who had gone early to ensure they had parking space were faced with long lines and bumper-to-bumper traffic. Hopefully, next race, all parking lots will be opened by SM as early as 3AM to ensure smooth flow.

Notable changes in this race:

1) Shift in sports drink brand to G or Gatorade – I can tell you that many, including this runner, were ecstatic about this news. No need to BYOG (Bring your own Gatorade) in your hydration belt anymore!  Gatorade also launched their new branding following the global brand: G for Gatorade along with their new slogan: That’s G!

– with Lit, Ton, and Jun in our G (Gatorade) shirts –

2) 21k course all in SM MOA – When I heard of the change in course to SM MOA area, I instantly thought that the race would be fast, flat, and easy for all of us. Sure, it was flat and fast, but it sure wasn’t easy, at least for me. Three reasons: I shy away from flat courses in marathons because one uses the same leg muscles all throughout the entire run. I thought it would be fine for a half marathon, but, um, when my calves started screaming at Km 18, I kinda knew it was begging for some gentle hills and descents. Secondly, the vehicular traffic at Buendia was just awful. I honestly don’t think the organizers can do anything about this anymore. The fumes from the buses and jeepneys got into my eyes and I ran flinching in pain hoping I could douse it with water at the nearest station. Third, one word: humidity.

Don’t get me wrong. The course wasn’t bad at all.  In fact, I’m sure a lot of the runners enjoyed it (e.g, Itong Torres and Noey Lopez who were smiling from ear-to-ear about their run without wanting to tell us exactly what their time was.  My guess, based on how fast they disappeared from my sight at Buendia, was sub-1:50) But, I’m just saying that I did like the BGC-MOA course more despite the inconvenience of a point-to-point course.

3) Bigger and better Unilab Active Health – I didn’t think ULAH could improve on their post-race area anymore, but wow, they got even bigger this year. There were lots of photowalls, free samples from sponsors, running talks for beginners, merchandise, and Pedicab and Rivermaya were there to perform! How cool is that?

All in all, it was still the big race that everyone was looking forward to and, judging from the smiles of the people around me that morning, Unilab Active Health and RunRio gave the runners what they hoped for…and more.

MY PLAN

Coach Andy had initially plugged a 21k into the day of the race because he knew I signed up for Run United 1. Few days before the race, I asked if I could do 32k instead to build my mileage for London Marathon. After much thought, he said yes, but with the following words of caution: Do not get injured.

Gulp. I lifted my right hand up in the air and promised. Then, ran the numbers quickly in my mind.

The plan:

• Before the race – 3k easy
• Race – 21k comfortably hard. No time goals. No pressure. But not easy either.
• After the race – 8k
• TOTAL – 32k

THE RACE

Jun, Lit, and I started our run a little past 3AM. We easily covered the 3km running from the parking lot to the race start passing by the portalets and back. Done.

With barely time to rest, we entered the assembly area and had just a few minutes of waiting before the race started. We were in the 2nd wave.

As agreed, we would run our own race. We all put our earphones on and weaved through the crowd of runners in the first few meters of the race.

I felt strong, but I didn’t feel great either. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I just didn’t feel right.

Maybe knowing that I had to run 8k after the race kept me from pushing too hard? Maybe waking up at 1:30am with only 3.5 hours of sleep took its toll on me? Maybe the 1.5 hours on the trainer the day before tired me out? Or, maybe it was just one of those days when it’s not a great run, but it’s not a bad one either?

Whatever. I just allowed myself to run at an effort level of around 8 and I tried my best to keep up with the two boys without killing myself in the process.

– I’m definitely not a flat course runner! Photo: Yongsky. www.runningphotographers.com –

Before I knew it, I could see the finish line. It looked so near and yet so far! I glanced at my watch (which I wasn’t paying attention to because I wasn’t aiming for a particular time) and learned that I could actually reach a sub-2! I zoned out and ran full speed ahead.

Based on my Timex Run Trainer, I finished 21k at 2:00:34. Missed a sub-2 by 35 seconds! (It’s almost deja vu from my Ironman 70.3 Cebu experience! Waahaha!)

– 2:00:43 finish time for Run United 1 21k –

THE LAST 8K

Despite the missed sub-2, I was happy with my time. I changed my shirts and socks, both drenched from the race, put on my visor and shades, sprayed SPF 100 sun block and bid my friends goodbye. I was doing the last 8k on my own. And, secretly, I was looking forward to it.

I’ve missed my solo runs. I’ve missed my long runs. And so, I thought a long solo run by my lonesome was long overdue.

– Photo op with JayR, Jerich, and Justin in the middle of my run. Photo: Justin Gomez –

I ran one long strip of SM MOA back and forth and covered the last 8k to tick off my 32k long run from my marathon program. It was not so much physically exhausting as it was mentally challenging. One could’ve included it in my Coach’s list of Character Building workouts!

– Nice bumping into Spongebob Runner Merl and Running Host Boy Ramos after my LSD –

Injuries? None. Just terrible chafing in the perimeter of my sports bra despite using Body Glide. Feeling? Tired, but not exhausted. I felt like I could do more if I had to. Hunger? Surprisingly, I didn’t feel famished. I drank my Enervon HP for recovery and had a light salmon crepe for replinshment. Happiness? 100%. I live for long runs and marathon training, fantastic races, and great friends to run them with.

– Tired but happy. Photo: Justin Gomez –

Block your calendar for Run United 2 on June 2 and Run United Philippine Marathon on October 6. For more info, visit http://unilabactivehealth.com/

Race: Run BGC 2012
Date: 25 November 2012
Venue: Bonifacio Global City
Organizer: Runrio

It was no surprise that Manila’s favorite race venue, Bonifacio Global City, pulled off an awesome race with its event, Run BGC.  Partnered with the best race organizer around, Runrio, the race was another one of my favorite events.  The race was relatively small compared with other larger events with 3,000 runners attending, but this contributed to the relaxed, informal, and intimate affair.  The race start was on the road behind Mercato Centrale, a road infrequently used for race starts which was perfect for the size of the race.  The 15k course took runners through the long climb of University Ave. and Bayani Road and Lawton Ave., again, a race course that isn’t commonly used in road races.  This was a fun and challenging course.  Hydration, road marshals, and kilometer signs were perfect.  The race ended at 7th Avenue between Bonifacio High Street and Bonifacio High Street Centrale.  Runners gathered for the awarding at BHS Centrale, another perfect venue for a fun, intimate post-event celebration.

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To make things a wee bit more colorful, Lit, Ton, and I agreed to run this event fast.  It’s off season for us and we’re all pretty much goal-less, so, to keep boredom at bay, we put our game faces on and agreed to race this one.

We warmed up together and waited for the race to start, but when the gun went off, we sped off on our own.  Lit and I pretty much ran at the same clip throughout the first 8k.  We were going at around 5:25 pace.  Wow, I had so much fun running fast again. I felt great, but, in my head, with the lack of training especially tempo runs, I knew I would die before I hit the finish line.  True enough, by 9k, I found myself waving off Lit, telling him to go ahead and run his own race.  It was around that time that I felt nauseous, too.  I slowed down and managed to finish the race at 1:29 with an average pace of 5:56.

– When things were still good! Photo: Running Photographers –

For such a great course and a wonderful race, I was slightly disappointed with my run. But, over the years, I’ve learned to take it in stride and just commit to train better for the next race. (Well, that was actually great training for my Angkor Wat Half Marathon this coming weekend.)

– After the race at Jamba Juice with friends Ton, Jun, and one of my favorite people, Kim –