Posts Tagged with: "Virtual Training Run"

I set my alarm for 5:00 this morning with the intention of running for 45 minutes on my treadmill for the scheduled V-Run today.  I was to run a bit earlier than my virtual friends hoping to run my last kilometer with them as they started at 6:00 a.m. Manila time. (Mommy duties beckon for me at the strike of 6.)

So, the alarm did ring. And, I swear I heard E-rod drop his martini on the white sands of the Bahamas just to free his hands and holler out to me “Get up, sleepy bull-headed runneeeeer!”

Unfortunately, it didn’t work.  I got up only to turn off the alarm and get back to bed to get my much-needed shut eye.

I should be excused.  I was a bit tired from last night.  I ran a total of 8km at Bonifacio High Street, my farthest since recovering from my shin splints. Woohooo! First, I ran 4.5k with Happy Feet peeps Ben, Aljo, and Tin (welcome to HF, Tin!) then another 3.5k with Ben and Marga. I also bumped into ultimate race organizer Coach Rio, Unang Hirit’s Drew A., Active Achiever Vince, and Eds Ochoa of OneSport. Phew, a full night of running and chatting with running friends, plus an hour of traffic on the way home, made The Bull Runner sleep like a log.

But, I know…there is no excuse.  Sorry to disappoint you fellow V-runners.  I promise to make it up to you in our next V-Run. I’ll provide everyone’s virtual water or preferred sports drink, hand out virtual bananas and peanut butter after the run, and even give virtual foot massages for your tired feet. Until the next V-Run!

Read about fellow V-Runners’ experiences here:

1. DATC – Philippines
2. Caloy – Davao, Philippines
3. E-rod – Freeport, USA
4. Stephanie – NY, USA
5. Hitme – QC, Philippines
6. Nora – England
7. Jinoe – Makati, Philippines
8. Chefsy – Philippines
9. Chaia – Australia

It’s back.  The Virtual Training Run that a few of us crazies so happily took part in last year.  (Search for “Virtual Run” in my archives if you want to read V-Runs 1 through 5).  Now, the headmaster of our V-runs, E-rod, is back from hibernation and is raring to go again.  

This is how it works:

Runners separated by geography do a training run “together” wherever they may be in the world. We set a distance (more or less) and meet at a specific time, so 6:00 am Manila time makes it 6:00pm US East Coast a day before.

DATE: 30 July 2008, Wednesday (Manila time)
TIME: 6:00 A.M. (Manila time)
DISTANCE: 10 km/6 miles (or whatever you wish)

The following are past participants and most of them have already committed to joining us. After the training session, each participant writes a quick recap of the session so that each of us benefits from this collective effort. If you don’t have a blog, fret not, just comment on one of our blogs about your experience.

1. E-rod – Newport Beach, USA/Freeport, Bahamas
2. HitMe – Quezon City, Philippines
3. Banggi – Makati, Philippines/Saigon, Viet Nam
4. Ben – Manila to Makati, Philippines
5. Renz – Metro Manila, Philippines
6. Marga – Parañaque, Philippines
7. Caloy – Davao, Philippines
8. TRF – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9. Gretchen – Truckee, USA
10. Rick – San Francisco, USA
11. Nora – Kent County, UK
12. Steph – San Diego/New York, USA
13. Runningmom – Philippines
14. Doc Oknoy – Philippines
15. Bartlby – Philippines
16. DATC – Alabang, Philippines
17. Jinoe – Philippines
18. Bobby – Philippines
19. Caloy – Philippines
20. TBR – Paranaque, Philippines

So what are you waiting for? Lace up those shoes and come join us.  Comment on this post with your city/country to let us know you want in.  

*If you have an injury that keeps you from running, participate by cycling, swimming, blading or anything that involves self-propelled constant motion.

Can one DNF in a Virtual Training Run? If so then that was exactly what I did this morning.

I was in Alabang, my running ground, at exactly 4:30 am as agreed upon with my other Virtual Running buddies who were running at their own spots all around the world. I was so ready to run after missing two consecutive VR’s due to family duties and the bad weather.

Entering the village gates, I didn’t realize that the guards would be the last human beings I would see around the area until I parked my car at San Juanico Street. It would be a gross understatement to call the scene eerie, it was chilling, spine-tingling and downright frightening for an overly imaginative person like me. The entire village was asleep but I already had visions of vampires having just devoured all its inhabitants and leaving this village like a ghost town. The orange lights that illuminated the streets did nothing to appease my petrified soul. It just added to the whole spooky Halloween ambiance I found myself in. Oh, I smelled fear in the air and it was emanating from the nerves of only one petrified runner — ME!

Having driven all the way here and not wanting to disappoint my fellow running buddies, I conjured up the little courage I had left and parked my car across the dimly lit tennis courts. I remembered the carpenter that was found dead there last year, the crime left unsolved, and perhaps his soul still yearning for justice. What if he decided to pop up and ask me for help? Ack, I scrubbed that thought from my brain, yanked out my ipod, and jumped out of the car. I decided to brisk walk towards Madrigal Avenue, the main road where the guards were, while I fumbled with my entangled earphones. I desperately needed to hear music — or anything at all — just not the deafening silence on these streets! How could I possibly get my ipod to work when my hands were shaking in fright?! I stared at the empty road before me and knew instantly that I would not survive this run.

I ran back towards my car as fast as I could and headed back home. I spent more than half an hour driving to and from Alabang. Reaching my house at 5:05 am, I wasted no time in squeezing in a good run on my treadmill before I reported for work as Mommy. I ran 6 km for 35 min while watching Conan O’ Brien and HBO. It could’ve been better but I’m glad I still ran. Hitme said “a run is still a run even on a treadmill” and, after my treadmill run, I can still echo what Mary texted this a.m. “Ang sarap tumakbo!” (It feels great to run!)

Next week, can someone please remind me to bring a running buddy or meet up with Coach?

Reports from other Virtual Running buddies:

1. E-rod
   
2. Hitme
3. Steph
4. Ben
5. Nora

It’s time for Virtual Run No. 5! By now, you should know what this is all about. But, if you don’t, slap yourself on the head first, then do either of the following:

1) Go to my archives and read the past 4 weeks’ entries on Wednesday (VR Run Invites) and Thursdays (VR Run Reports).

2) Scroll down and read the brief definition.

3) Don’t read anything here and just make sure you run on Thursday (tomorrow) at 4:30 am Manila Time.

During the Virtual Run, a group of runners run “together” at the same time wherever they may be in the world. Anyone can join!

DATE: 23 August 2007, Thursday (Manila Time)
TIME: 4:30 A.M. (Manila Time)
DISTANCE: 10 km/ 6 miles (or whatever you wish)
RUNNERS/ COURSE: (I’ll update this as more people join up)

Previous runners have been:

1. E-Rod – Newport Beach, USA
2. HitMe – Quezon City, Philippines
3. Banggi – Manila, Philippines
4. Ben – Manila to Makati, Philippines
5. Renz – Metro Manila, Philippines
6. Marga – Parañaque, Philippines
7. Caloy – Davao, Philippines
8. TRF – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
9. Steph – San Diego, USA
10. Gretchen – Truckee, USA
11. Mary – Paranaque, Philippines
12. Caloy – Davao, Philippines
13. Chaia – Makati, Philippines
14. Rick – San Francisco, USA
15. Nora – England
16. The Bull Runner – Parañaque, Philippines

Are you in?

If you’ve been a regular reader of TBR, you must know by now that there’s always something special happening on Thursdays. What?! Nope, I don’t give out free training shoes (although I’m open to receiving ’em.) No, I don’t break my PR every Thursday either (how I wish!)

Every Thursday, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve joined a group of runners all over the world who have agreed to run a certain distance at the same time no matter where we are located in the world. It’s what we call our Virtual Training Run.

The Virtual Training Run is open to runners of every age, nationality, size, weight, or fitness level. So, you—yes you!—may just leave a note below to tell me that you’re running with us tomorrow and you’ll be a part of our growing Virtual Running group. C’mon, join us and we assure you that you’ll have a lot of fun!

DATE: 16 August 2007, Thursday (Manila Time)/ 15 August 2007, Wednesday (US Pacific Time)
TIME: 4:30 A.M. (Manila Time)/ 1:30 P.M. (US Pacific Time)
DISTANCE: 10 km/ 6 miles (or whatever you wish)
RUNNERS/ COURSE: (I’ll update this as more people join up)

1. HitMe – Quezon City, Philippines
2. Banggi – Manila, Philippines
3. Ben – Manila to Makati, Philippines
4. Renz – Metro Manila, Philippines
5. Marga – Paranaque, Philippines
6. TRF – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
7. Steph – San Diego, USA
8. Gretchen – Truckee, USA
9. E-Rod – Newport Beach, USA
10. Jaymie – Alabang, Philippines

To Manila Runners, I hope we can run tomorrow despite the gloomy weather. Click here for PAGASA’s Real-Time weather forecast.

Once again, let us pray for Egay to leave us by tomorrow. After your prayer, chant this 20 times while lifting your arms up and down, eating a banana, and running in a small circle slightly below race pace (preferably when your boss is not looking):

Egay Egay, go away

Come again on a non-running day

Virtual Runners want to play.