The North Face 100…Ultras & Trails, anyone?

Monday, 21 April 2008  |  Race Announcements

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Boy oh boy, I can hardly contain my excitement. Trail running and ultramarathoning is finally hitting our shores! Are you up for this?

Venue and other details are still being finalized for The North Face 100, but it is definitely pushing through.

The Team Pinoy Ultra Runners will be training for this event. The team will be organizing an ultramarathon training program which will start around May and they are inviting anyone interested to join them. For inquiries, please email Neville Manaois directly at pinoyultrarunners@yahoo.com.

As for me, I’m eager to join the 10k trail runs. No more drooling over Rick and E-rod’s scenic courses. We’re finally having our fair share of trail runs in the country. Finally!

4th Bonifacio Global City Run

Sunday, 20 April 2008  |  Race Reports

Surprise surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed the Bonifacio Global City Run this morning. As I said in a previous post, I was NOT looking forward to this race at all, but it turned out that this was the best among all other 5ks I’ve joined the past couple of weeks.

Here’s why:

[ POSITIVES ]
1. Race started on time – 6 a.m. on the dot. Thank God my alarm clock rang this time…and my back up cellphone too!
2. Water was overflowing – In my 5k run, I passed three water stations. Three! Now that’s how to treat us hardworking runners. Pour on the agua!
3. Lots of marshals – There were marshals at every turn. If you lost your way here, you would have no one else to blame but yourself for drinking too much last night.
4. Clean restrooms – No need for those sucky, yucky, stinky, and hell on earth portalets. Bonifacio High Street’s restrooms were free to use…without the long lines too.
5. Food was being served – I didn’t line up for this, but hey I’m sure a lot of those runners who skipped breakfast appreciated it.
6. “Entertainment” – A number of celebrities showed up to run for charity…even more than the Kapuso race!

PLUS:
7. Hubby and I arrived a good 30 minutes in advance. I had enough time to warm up, stretch, and run to the restroom.
8. My best running buddy, Annie, claimed 4th place overall and 1st place in her age category. Congrats again Annie!
9. Hubby boasted of a faster time too.
10. As for me, I ran at a faster pace with much more confidence and less paranoia over my knee. It felt great to once again try to outpace some men (heehee) and break away from the walking crowd. I still didn’t go full blast; in fact, I kind of burned out at 4km due to my lack of training but oh it was awesome. I fell in love with races again! As for my time, errr was it around 29 minutes? Or 27? I’m afraid I’ll have to wait for the official results for that. Now, you must be scratching your head asking “Hmm…didn’t TBR time herself?” which leads me then to this…

The only bad experience of the Global City Run for me was…

[ NEGATIVE ]

Someone here forgot to charge her Garmin! (Ah, that’s me by the way.) Argh! It died on me while waiting for the starting gun to fire! The race was this close to being perfect were it not for my little booboo. No worries. The positives far outweighed the negative.

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– Celebrities who ran for charity took centerstage. Hats off to them! –

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– Athletes and hosts Drew Arellano (nice seeing you again, Drew!) and Paolo Abrera –

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– Jackie Castillejo and popular fashion models ran too…or did they really? I’m not so sure since, again, there’s not an ounce of sweat on them. Plus, I can’t imagine running with my hair down and bangs covering my eyes! –

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– Me with Annie, Jenny (another fast runner) and her sis. Next time, please remind me to lose 10 lbs before posing with athletes like these. I look huge beside them! –

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– Patrick C. and Annie A. –

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– I wish I had taken more photos of real runners like these cool guys above. Next time I promise…less celebrities, more runners –

One Day til Mizuno Infinity Run

Saturday, 29 March 2008  |  Bullish Insights

It’s Mizuno’s Infinity Run tomorrow. And, unlike past races, I am completely unprepared.

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I signed up for 5k tomorrow (the longest distance I’ve ran for the past two months as proven in my expanding waistline) and I laugh at myself for feeling all jittery just thinking about it. Will my knee cooperate? Will I have to walk? And, last but not the least, will I be able to resist the temptation of racing when I promised myself I’d run a slow, easy pace?

Truth be told, I was concerned about the last question as I was leaning towards a “No.” I worried about the fact that this bull-headed runner would glare at faster runners in the middle of the race, scratch her hoofs down on the ground, and with a loud, violent grunt yell “To hell with it. Bahala na yung tuhod!” And run as fast as I could.

Fortunately, the hubby came to the rescue. Almost like a night in shining armor (aw, how romantic), he accepts my invitation to run his first 5k with me and, by default, gained the respectable position of being my pacer. With him by my side, I’m certain I’ll run this one at a slow, steady pace making sure that the hubby enjoys the experience so that he turns into a running addict like me! (If this doesn’t one work, I’ll try hypnotism next)

Today, instead of my usual pre-race prep day wherein I rest, eat well, and sleep early for tomorrow’s race, I am doing quite the opposite. I’m working in the morning, playing golf (first time on the fairway) this afternoon, and watching Horton with the kids in the evening. Wish me luck tomorrow. (Insert nervous laugh here)

For those who haven’t seen the race route, here it is. (Thanks Mark for emailing) See you all tomorrow!

Mizunoroute

Baguio Adventure

Monday, 24 March 2008  |  Bullish Insights

Just got back from our annual Baguio family trip…

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But, this one was different. It wasn’t about lounging around at the hotel while the in-laws went on a golfing marathon. It was all adventure, adrenaline, and pure fun.

Like real miners, we put on our gear…

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and bravely ventured into the dark and eerie Philex mines.

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We took the kids horseback riding (where my daughter and I could’ve slid off a hill were it not for the quick hands of the guide),

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played in the park,

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and joined the Easter Party (where Anton found the black egg to win him the 3rd prize).

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We even had time for a day-trip to the beach in La Union.

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Last but not the least, I ran 5k twice through the roads of John Hay amid the cool, crisp, fresh air of Baguio. The first run was with the hubby and my sister-in-law. We ran at different paces but enjoyed every bit of it nonetheless. The second time, I ran on my own. It was a smooth and fun run—no pain from my knee, no pressure about the time—just me and my great big smile against the refreshing Baguio background. Amazing!

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Mizuno Infinity Run

Tuesday, 11 March 2008  |  Race Announcements

Mizuno is challenging you to push yourself to the limits, push your mind, and your body will respond. If you think you have the endurance and the power to drive yourself to maximum performance, we challenge you…

The first MIZUNO INFINITY RUN, this will be a 5, 10, 15 kilometer fun run open to all runners. More than 70,000 pesos in cash and Mizuno items to be won!

MIZUNO INFINITY RUN 2008
NEVER STOP
Registration Fees: 5k – P150, 10k – P200, 15k – P250
When: March 30, 2008 (Sunday)
4:00am – start of registration
6:00am – start of race
6:00am – 15k
6:30am – 5k and 10k
Where: Global City, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City
Starting point: Federacion Drive (the street near NBC drive and The Fort Strip)

Registration will start on March 11, 2008 in any Mizuno stores and Mail & More branches in NCR.

Race packs can be claimed starting March 15, 2008 in any Mizuno stores. Race pack includes race number, map of the route and race
information.

*Runners can claim their packs on the day of the race. Better if they claim it before.

IMPORTANT:

1. Upon registration, runners will be given an ACKNOWLEDGMENT RECEIPT.
They will need this to claim their race packs. *NO A/R NO RACE PACK.
2. Do not forget your race number on the day of the race. NO RACE
NUMBERS, RUNNERS ARE CONSIDRED UNREGISTERED.
3. Start of race is 6:00 am. Please come early.

For inquiries please contact 757.31.60 local 520 and 517, Mizuno marketing dept.

NEVER STOP TESTING YOURSELF. BRAVE THE INFINITY RUN!