Posts Tagged with: "Running"

This is part of a series of posts under the Quaker Challenge. It’s about the quest that my kids and I have to achieve our Quaker Goal to swim, bike, and run more. Read about it HERE.

When we started our Quaker Challenge in August, I was completely uncertain over how far I could take the kids with it. Sure, they were willing, even excited, to swim, bike, and run once in a while, but I didn’t know if they were ready to commit to regular training sessions for sports.

In the past, one or both of them had signed up for soccer, baseball, tennis, swimming, ice skating and more, and almost all the time they would quit in less than a month. I could’ve put up a TBR Sports Store with all our barely used equipment at home.

But, the past weeks, things have definitely changed. I fetch both kids from school on Tuesdays and Fridays and they know that they take swimming sessions after. Most of the time, I swim along with them.

– Before one of our swim sessions –

On Sundays, Anton looks forward to triathlon training sessions with Coach Norman and all the other tri kids that he’s made friends with. Last Saturday, Anton joined the BGC Cycle for kids too.  (Separate post on that in a bit!)  It’s almost normal for them to engage in some form of activity at least twice a week now. It’s a world of difference from the way they spent their time after school or on weekends. I’m not even sure if these are the same kids who used to have their eyes glued to Minecraft and Club Penguin all the time!

So, what helped to make my kids more active and healthier? This is what we did:

1) WE SET A CLEAR GOAL. Thanks to the Quaker Challenge I set a clear goal for the kids to swim, bike, and run more. It became even more measurable for Anton when we signed him up for Ironkids. Sit your kids down and agree on a target together. Discuss ways on how you will achieve it as a team. Gently remind them about this during the week since they tend to get distracted with school work and friends.

2) WE MADE NO EXCUSES. There were times, especially during exam week, when Anton would say that he had too much homework and he couldn’t train. I took it as an opportunity to teach him about proper time management. Together, we agreed on how much time he would spend on training and studying. Both had to be given their fair share of time and focus.

3) I LISTENED AND EXPLAINED. Not all days are good days. So, on days when the kids would complain, I would listen to them, yet I would explain. When Nia said she was having difficulty, I told her that all sports are hard in the start. One doesn’t learn the perfect swim stroke or running technique overnight. When she said it was a bit boring. I told her only after a few “slow” technical sessions can she join other kids and engage in the fun drills and races against each other.

4) WE CHOSE BETTER FOOD. With more activities, I needed to make sure that both kids were eating nutritiously. I have them eat a heavier breakfast to keep them fueled for the day, such as oatmeal and fruits. I give them fruit/veggie juice everyday.

5) WE HAVE FUN. My greatest fear is to have the kids engage in sports hating every single minute. I make sure that they’re having fun while they’re swimming, biking, or running. Thankfully, each and every time I’ve asked them: “Did you have fun?” They both answer “Yes!” even if it’s immediately followed by “Can we pass by McDo?” I know, I know. We still have to get rid of fastfood. That’s an entirely new goal altogether.

Last Saturday, November 16, 2013, almost 1,000 runners came together for ONE RUN: A Run for the Victims of Typhoon Yolanda. This coincided with Bull Session 3 for TBR ULAH Dream Marathoners.

– Hundreds of runners showed up to run and donate to victims of Typhoon Yolanda –

– That’s me asking everyone to pause for a moment of silence for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda before we start the run –

– Kuya Kim counted down to run start for us –

– Triathletes Kuya Kim Atienza, Raffy Zamora, and Erwan Heussaff joined by friends at One Run –

– Sen. Pia Cayetano ran with us too and invited all runners to dine at Slice with proceeds going to Yolanda victims –

– TBR ULAH Dreamers gather around Coach Lit Onrubia –

– good friend and teammates Drew Arellano and Jake de Guzman volunteered to man the donation booths –

We’re happy to report that we collected a whopping P615,000 in cash donations from the runners that morning. 100% of proceeds will go to our beneficiaries: Javier, Leyte via The Master’s Light Foundation of Anthony & Maricel Pangilinan and the 6 Islands of Agutaya, Palawan via triathlete/missionary Philip Leroux. (Update: P515,000 was donated to Javier, Leyte November 20 and P100,000 will be donated to Philip Leroux on November 22.  I’ll be posting photos of the check turnovers within the week for transparency.)

– Thank you to Unilab Active Health who managed all the in kind donation for us and delivered them directly to Red Cross –

In kind donations (listed below) were plentiful as well and these will be donated to Red Cross with the help of Unilab External Affairs Team.

– Clothes – 67 boxes and bags
– Footwear – 6 boxes
– Instant noodles – 6 boxes
– Canned Goods – 8 boxes
– Biscuits – 3 boxes
– Coffee with assorted breakfast goodies – 1 box
– Water – 19 boxes and bags with (1) Nature Spring Big Gallon
– Tetra Pack Juices – 5 boxes
– Medicines – 1 paper bag
– Toys – 1 plastic bag
– Rice – 1 plastic bag, 1 sack

Thank you so much for all runners who came by that morning to donate and run with us! Your help will go a long way for our beneficiaries!

More pictures of such a heartwarming and meaningful event for everyone…You may also visit the Facebook page of Photo Ops for more photos of the One Run event.

– Runners donated minimum of P100 before running or made in kind donations –

– TBR ULAH Dream Marathoners Batch 2014 –


– The Starting Line Triathlon Team –

– Runners/Triathletes from Alabang made their way to BGC for One Run –

– Phil. Drug Enforcement Agency was at One Run! –

– Ayala Triad Runners –

– Team Titan –

– with Rye and friend. They both initially volunteered to carry in kind donations on their backs and walk to the nearest to deliver them. They said they were willing to do anything to help! –

– with Bobby Cruz, Jun Cruz, and friends –

– with TBR DM alumni! –

NEXT: One Run thanks our sponsors and friends.

One Run was organized by The Bull Runner in cooperation with Unilab Active Health with the support of Gatorade. Thank you also to Bonifacio Global City, Run.ph, Simple Hydration, Proactive, Photo-Ops (our official photographer), HDSI Medic Team, Jun Cruz and Mike & Macel Janeo.

On The Heels of a Dream is a weekly column by guest writer Obbie Suguitan who is currently training for his first marathon, The Bull Runner Dream Marathon, on February 16, 2014.

The highlight of this week is me not being able to stand up from a sitting position. It wasn’t funny then (well. It was a little funny), it’s not funny now.

– Coach Jim Saret talks about strength conditioning, balance, and core for runners at Bull Circle 3 –

– TBR on TBR ULAH Dream Marathon –

At the Bull Circle last Wednesday, one of the things coach Jim Saret had us participants do was to do a move to show just how weak our bodies were – are still.  All I needed to do, with a certain body position, was to stand. My weak, non-marathon-ready knees did not perform. Good! It was a rude awakening to how much muscle balance and strengthening I need, along with dozens of other batchmates.

This on a night that I had a knee taped by a charmingly professional Rock doc named Ms. Carmela. At least I think they’re called Rock Docs because they’re experts at applying Rocktape, the best kenisiology tape around.

– Getting taped with Rocktape at Bull Circle 3 –

This time around, Coach Jim shared a lot of tips and exercises on how to achieve a marathon ready body – precious information on my way to the Dream.

– with TBR and fellow Dreamers –

This talk by Coach Jim, was sandwiched by my two maintenance runs for the week – both 45 minuters – which I did on Tuesday and Thursday. For both, I had relatively little trouble completing them with a few bursts of faster-than-my-usual speed. Due to being obedient to the program, I found that what little progress I’ve made is starting to build up in terms of endurance. Even in tiny, almost imperceptible increments, improvement is still improvement. Just a couple of months ago, 45 minutes running was unthinkable for a morbidly obese Obbie. During this week, a lot of talk went around about who and how the upcoming Sunday marathon was going to go. In my ‘un-readiness’ for that, I had to stay the course of my own training.

My new experience for this week was the 2nd of my maintenance runs because it was the first time I tried running in compression shorts AND a Rocktaped right knee. As much of a newbie as I am, I felt the difference the right equipment makes. As a try-athlete (I know this is not my original coined term but I’ll use it anyway), any advantage afforded by something as simple as the right shorts is a big thing. I know I’d still hurl chunks at the sight of myself in a compression shirt and pants but, fortunately, I have a few months more to achieve a better shape (‘in better shape’ is different from ‘in a better shape’). Plus, serious runners (of which I think I can count myself as right now) prefer performance over aesthetics.

My weekend LSD was a different story. I had chosen to do it on a Saturday night in the vicinity of my wife and her friends having a night out. This week my marching order was to do 90 minutes and my chosen pace is my uniform slow 2:1. Running around a big circuit around the neighborhood, I went up and down on a relatively hilly course and completed it, surprisingly, fairly fatigue-free. I know it was the case because I didn’t have the sun bearing down on me. What made this run different though, was the aftermath. I cooled down, post-stretched properly, then rested. But, as I got up from my seat barely an hour after finishing my run, I felt pain in both knees which continued well into Sunday. Maybe not pain per se but a peek-a-boo kind of ache. After I had congratulated the participants of the Sunday morning marathon, I received tips, advice, and offers of treatment from doctor batchmates. Yes! The group is coming together in support of one another! So now, after a soothing Sunday night cold compress and hopes of it being nothing serious, the pain has virtually disappeared even as I have two new Doc friends waiting in the wings to help – everyone needs help, yes? Now as I prepare to retire for the night, me and my knees will go to bed safe in the knowledge that I will not go this alone. I’m with friends. I’ll say my prayers, follow my training program, then ask yet again: When’s the next run?

St. Luke’s Medical Center calls on the Fitness Conscious people in the Philippines to put on their running shoes and step up for their health by joining the St. Luke’s Run for Wellness on December 7, 6 a.m. onwards at the Bonifacio Global City grounds.

Aiming to engage experienced and first-time runners, the young and young-at-heart in a running activity like never before, the Run for Wellness promises to be a creative, non-traditional fun run that combines the exercise of running and fun-filled activities along the race route. It is also St. Luke’s way of promoting disease prevention and overall well-being for the general public.

Among the stations the participants will encounter during the race are: the Water Gun Station where marshalls will spray runners with water along 100 meters; the Color Me Blue Station where blue powder will be thrown as runners dodge their way through the course; and the Air Blower Station where runners will be dried off and blown away as they try to reach the finish line. The fun doesn’t stop as other activities, such as the Giant Slide, Creative Photo Booth, and Balloon Wall await them.

Registrants may choose from the 3K, 5K, and 10K distance race categories all sold at 750 pesos only. Each runner also gets a St. Luke’s Run for Wellness shirt, bib and freebies from participating sponsors. Winners also get Executive Health packages. On top of that, part of the proceeds of the Run for Wellness will go toSt. Luke’s Medical Center Foundation, Inc. (SLMCFI), which funds projects that benefit social service patients, provide scholarships for underprivileged medical students, and support continuing medical education for doctors and medical research.

This activity also coincides with the hospital’s celebration of Dr. Joven Cuanang Week, which pays tribute to its Senior Vice President for Medical Practice and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joven R. Cuanang who has dedicated 51 years of service to the medical profession and has significantly been instrumental to the hospital’s success.

Register now to be part of St. Luke’s Medical Center’s milestone this December. For complete registration details, visit www.stlukesrun.com or visit any of the following establishments near you: Toby’s (Mall of Asia, Trinoma, Glorietta and Shangri la), Runnr (Bonifacio Global City and Alabang Town Center), SM Cinema, and St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City.

Garmin sent over the Garmin Forerunner 10 for road testing.

Last Sunday, I took this pretty baby (no exaggeration!) out for a spin on a 14k easy run with friends.  Without reading the manual, I wore it that morning and took off.  Good thing it didn’t rain despite the expected storm because I wasn’t even sure if it was water resistant!

– Garmin Forerunner 10 comes in various colors for Men and Women –

Here’s my review on the Garmin Forerunner 10.

[ LIKES ]

+ Provides Essential Running Info.  The Garmin Forerunner 10 provides the basic and most important information a runner needs from a workout: Pace, Distance, Time, and Calories. With the Garmin’s dependable GPS-based system, distance and pace are pretty accurate.

– Screen after the run. Hey, don’t judge my pace! It was an easy run! –

+ User friendly. To start running, just press the right top button to grab a satellite signal and within a few minutes, you’re good to go. As with all Garmin watches, all you need is common sense to get started. I never ever had to read through their product manual. We all have time for long runs, but we don’t want to waste 5 minutes figuring out how to start a running watch, right? To add, all functions can be easily accessed using the two right buttons.

– Just click on the right top button and you’re off! –


– Click on the right top button again to pause or end a run –

+ Backlight. If you start running before dawn or at night, the backlight is definitely a must.

+ Virtual Pacer. The virtual pacer is available in most, if not all, Garmin running watches. It allows you to set a target pace and you can race against a virtual runner. The watch will alert you when you are on pace or if you go too fast or slow.

+ Counts laps. The watch can monitor your pace and time for laps. I usually have my laps set per kilometer and this helps to track your average pace per lap for a long run.

+ Run-Walk Intervals. For runners who practice run-walk technique, this is a God-send. You can input number of minutes running and walking and the watch will alert. No need to add/subtract while on the run.

+ Easy to charge and upload. Just attach the charger to the watch and plug it in like a cellphone. This is also the way to upload data to Garmin Center.

– The charger attaches to the back of the watch –

+ Comfortable, Good size, Lightweight. This watch is as light as a feather, it’s comfortable, and it fits on the wrist quite nicely.

– The Garmin Forerunner 10 with its siblings the Garmin Forerunner 310XT (strapless because I use this for the bike) and Garmin Forerunner 910XT –

+ Comes in various colors. Black/Red & Orange/Black and Pink/White for men and Green/White, Violet/White & Black/Silver for women.  All colors are available locally.

+ Water resistant. Up to 50m.  (Great to know I can run under the rain with the watch again in the future!)

+ Functions as a watch. This is a big deal for me: You can use it as a regular watch! Battery life on watch mode lasts up to 5 weeks.  That’s fantastic.

+ Affordable. The watch costs P8,990. Not bad compared to other pricey Garmin models.

– Limited to 2 Data Fields. While running, the interface provides two data fields at a time: one screen provides time and distance and the other calories and pace. While I appreciate the simple and clear interface, I count this is a negative for one, like me, who is used to the Garmin Forerunner 310XT or 910XT which can provide 4 data fields at once. But, for the first time Garmin user, this won’t be a problem at all. One can easily switch screens by pressing the down arrow. Data is large enough to read while running. Data can be customized as well.

– Short battery life for training. According to the Garmin website, “for typical use (with GPS on 30 minutes per day), battery life is 10 days. If used continuously with GPS on, battery life is 5 hours.” For runners who run above 5 hours for a marathon or an ultramarathon, this is a serious issue.

– Limited archives. History can store only up to 7 past runs. If you’re OC over your training, make sure to upload your data regularly to Garmin Center.

[ TBR VERDICT ]

I highly recommend the Garmin Forerunner 10 as an entry level running watch. It provides the basic and essential info needed by a runner along with additional features. Garmin pretty much took the key features in their top of the line running watch and packed into this the Garmin Forerunner 10. No frills, all function.

My only concern with this watch would be its short battery life on GPS mode.  I’m assuming they designed this truly for beginner runners running short distances.

So, who is it for? I would say it’s for the beginner runner, the experienced runner (who runs half marathons or shorter) who is on a budget, the triathlete who wishes to have an extra running watch on top of his/her triathlon watch on casual days or running days. The latter is actually me. I’m pining for the purple one! Sigh.

[ PRODUCT DETAILS ]