Full House for Running Aid 4 at ROX
Despite the lack of sleep and looming work deadline, I found myself at R.O.X. last night to attend the 4th Running Aid organized by the Pinoy Ultra Runners.
– The place was packed! –
– Attendees got free The Bull Runner Magazines…well, at least, the early ones! –
The success of the Running Aid series never fails to amaze me. Each session is bigger than the last with over 150 people present last night vs. the first talk’s 15 attendees. The entire floor area was filled with people, so I found my own balcony seat on the 2nd floor stairway along with a few other runners. (TBR idea: Maybe they should do Running Aid 5 in a movie house next time complete with popcorn, cotton candy, and of course, Cheetos Jalapeno. What say you, Neville?)
– Special balcony seats –
The first speaker, Dr. Paolo Punsalan, gave a comprehensive talk on training programs, which was very informative even for a voracious running reader like me. He discussed the different types of workouts (LSD, intervals, tempo runs, etc.), training using your heart rate, and even showed a sample marathon training program. Great job, Doc Pao.
The next speakers were husband and wife team, Al and Joie Viado, Pinoy Ultra Runners and fitness instructors. Actually, it was Joie who did all the talking while Al demonstrated the exercises for core strengthening. It was a dynamic talk, a lot of laughing, movement, and sweat (well, at least for Al who followed every single order of Joie—now that’s a husband for you!)
Once again, congratulations to the Pinoy Ultra Runners for another successful event. Looking forward to the next one!
– Nice to see good friends Marga, Ben, and Jun there! They don’t look like they’re listening though –
Running Aid 4
WHAT: RUNNING AID 4
WHERE: R.O.X., BONIFACIO HIGH STREET
WHEN: APRIL 29, 2009, WEDNESDAY, 7 P.M.
HOW MUCH: FREE
The 4th Running Aid will be structured into modules. First speaker will be Dr. Paolo Punsalan, orthopedic doctor and Pinoy Ultra Runner, who will discuss the basics of running. He will also talk about how to train and structuring your program. Second speaker will be the Pinoy Ultra Runner’s fitness instructor tandem, Al and Joie Ligaya Viado, to cover core training for runners. They will focus on different exercise routines to strengthen runners. This will also involve warm up, cool down, core and gym exercise.
See you there!
Running Aid for Women
Over 60 participants (with males a minority, of course) showed up for the 1st Running Aid for Women held at ROX last night. Speakers were Beth Siojo, long time runner and Pinoy Ultra Runner founding member, and myself, newbie runner and self-confessed running addict.
– preparing for the presentation with Neville and Margaloo –
Beth discussed ultramarathons for women, which is where her passion lies as evident in her beaming smile during her entire talk. She gave practical tips on running on the road and trails, discussed running gear, and inspired women to take up running even beyond 50km as she has done over the years.
– Beth inspires future ultramarathoners –
Beth and I are very different: she’s been running since highschool, I only started in 2006; she runs up mountains while I’m allergic to them; and she loves ultramarathons while my ultimate dream would be to run a sub-4-hour marathon (and, knock on wood, run fast marathons annually after that) rather than to run 100km.
It was because of the contrast that I thought it was such a clever idea for the Pinoy Ultra Runners to have featured us on the same stage. I saw running from the eyes of a veteran runner and I realized that, despite the differences, we shared one major bond: our passion for running.
And, when I looked at the audience, it was pretty much the same thing. We had various levels of experience in running, but that was insignificant. One was not better than the other for running faster, longer, or better. What mattered was that we all loved running or, at the very least, wanted to fall in love with it.
I won’t tell you how my talk went; let the participants be the judge of that. But, what I can say is that I had a great time talking about one of my greatest passions to an audience that was so eager to listen (I don’t get that too often at home…kidding!)
– That’s me dropping beans into reluctant volunteer Car’s shoes –
To Pinoy Ultra Runners: congratulations once again for a successful event. Looking forward to the next one.
– with my favorite reader, CougCat, soon after he finished his homework. Thanks for both the virtual and real cookie! –
– Dinner at Pancake House after the talk. The place was filled with runners! –
More pics to follow in the next post. I gotta leave now for the Nike Training Clinic at Ultra…
Reminder: Running Aid for Women TOMORROW
Don’t forget about Running Aid for Women tomorrow, 7pm, at ROX, Bonifacio High Street. I’m working on my presentation as I type (talk about multi-tasking!)
Click here for more details.
See you there!