Tuesday, July 27, 2010

RunRio Trilogy Leg 3 : Unilab or Timex?

July 27, 2010 - From their facebook fan page (click here), the admin of Unilab Run United For Wellness announced that the Leg 3 of the RunRio Trilogy will be a Unilab Run, instead of a Timex Run.

As of June 27, runrio.com still shows that Leg 3 is Timex.

Is this for real? Well I honestly do not mind (I'm still doing 32k at Leg 3 either way). I'm just curious. P

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Early Runs the Takbo.ph Runfest

I can say that this is my fastest run so far. I usually average a little over 6 min per km for 5k and 10k but I was finally able to break my 30-minute barrier for the 5k earlier today at Takbo.ph Anniversary Runfest with an unofficial time of 28:17!

I believe my girlfriend Tey also got a new 5k PR at 35:24 and also Coach Noel (Deemen Runner) at ~27! Yeah, PR day!

And if that wasn't enough for you, check out these cool pics!

Of course we have a pic with the takbo.ph couple. Good job guys and thanks! A very nice run! :))


Earl and Tey


Men's Health


Women's Health


...with Noelle the Kikay Runner


...with some GP's Runners - Earl, Renz, Raisa, Yam.


HP Running Mates - Mils, Chrissie, Noel, Tey, Earl, Chaniel.


At ano pa nga ba, like what else? The superposition!



...with our special guest - Patrick Running Shield Concepcion!


...and Coach Rio!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Just in Time : Tey's Takbo.ph singlet!

July 24. It's finally here! After weeks of waiting, my girlfriend's singlet for the takbo.ph Runfest has finally been delivered! Yey!



New 5k PR tomorrow? :))

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Eng'gfinity : The Engineering Centennial Run

July 18, 2010 UP Diliman. Letting go of PR targets for this run, I decided to run next to my girlfriend Tey and act as her pacer for her first ever 10k! Good job to my darling for finishing with an unofficial time of 1:27:17! :)))) Do you think you'll be ready for your first half-mary by November? :))



I also got the chance to join the UP Gears and Pinions Runners and we all finished together! Thanks for letting me and Tey carry the flag to the finish line! The closer the better! ;)







Of course, my HP running mates were also there during the run. Here are some pics.

Boys - Earl, Eugene, Noel


Girls - Mils, Tey, Dada


I honestly had fun today. It wasn't a very big event but it really felt like home - and I saw a lot of familiar faces too!

However, I think some guys got lost. Eugene and Noel themselves ran a different route from mine. But they still got all four straw markers. The distance registered in Eugene's Garmin was 9.6k.

"Dalawang ikot ako dun sa labas tapos dalawa dito sa oval." - Eugene


Other than this, I believe the run was generally ok. Just the right number of water stations and a nice route [although 10k was just 2x 5k].

I'll see you guys in the next centennial run! Yeah right. :P

Here are some more pics [from Kristine Millano, Ji Reyes, and Tristan Ramirez].

Cone Heads


:))


Oblation Jump


...and the Superposition. :))





Saturday, July 10, 2010

Run to Read: Run to Build Libraries for School Children!

Being a teacher, I know how important reading is for the formal education of kids and adults alike. So this run is definitely a big WIN in terms of its mission of building libraries for school children.

Let's all support this run! I'll see you guys on August 15! For more details, check out the blog of Deemen Runner or the facebook fan page of Run to Read.

Friday, July 9, 2010

On Running Safely

Last Sunday during the 34th Milo Marathon, a fellow runner collapsed at the 20k mark of his 21k run. Unfortunately, he was not able to recover and he passed away this week. [I did not know him but he happened to be from HP where I worked until before this school year.]

This incident reminds me that every runner should take the marathon waiver seriously. The waiver usually says that running is a "potentially hazardous activity that could cause injury or death." How I wish it was proven wrong this week.

I hope this does not dishearten other runners in the country. Running is still fun and ideally free. But as with any other physical activity, runners should always come prepared especially (but not exclusively) when running long distances. They should train, rest, eat, and drink properly.

When I was in college, I only ran because we were required in our PE class to have a journal of our cardio-respiratory activities for the week. Well, I could have cheated but I'm not like some guys from the Milo Marathon (read about the cheaters from takbo.ph).

And so I did run but I was very much not yet ready (I couldn't do 5 minutes straight). I remembered I fainted twice. Once while I was having my haircut (right after a run) and another when I decided to sit down for a while and everything went white. This happened again when I was already working in HP. I ran after my shift (8pm to 5am) and I guess my body clock wasn't set for night shift yet.

Looking at those times kinda scare me now because that Milo Marathon guy could have been me then. Definitely it could have been any of us. So we must always come prepared.

The Bull Runner has a nice article on running safely here. Jaymie interviewed the top running authorities and compiled their answers in her blog.

I also googled some and found a nice article here. You will even find an article on what to do when you run into a black bear at Run The Planet.

My point is there are a lot of sources now on running safely that you can check out. So be informed and always be prepared.

Run safe, guys! :))

Sunday, July 4, 2010

The 34th Milo Marathon

Fourth of July, Luneta. Although I've been hearing about the Milo Marathon since I was a kid, this was my first time to actually be part of the biggest running event in the country. With a reported 200,000 runners, this is indeed the biggest run I have ever seen. And I thought biggest was just a nice superlative to go with longest and grandest.

I did the 5k which I think now is not a fun Milo Marathon distance. I was at the venue early and I saw the 42k and the 21k start. They were ok. Not that much people yet, runners can still run. But the majority of the participants are at the 3k, 5k, and 10k events - all scheduled at 6am!

As you can imagine, it wasn't very fun when we were about to start. A lot of pushing and cursing and other -ing's going on. The send-off band was also late - they too were caught in the middle of the sea of people, nay, the ocean of green shirts.

Anyway, we were able to start and off we went. I wanted to do a sub-00:30 or at least better than my best 5k so far (Condura). But 2 minutes after gun start the bulk of the 5k runners were still jampacked and there was no way to overtake all the walkers. Well, I accepted early on that this is no PR for me so I just went on and enjoyed what I can in the run and made the most out of my 100 pesos... :P

I felt more tired here than in Condura but my Milo time was actually 2 minutes slower... Heck, I even felt better when I finished my first 21k. I was even a bit nauseous at the start (at around 2k).

But if this is not my day, I guess it's my girlfriend's. This is Tey's 2nd 5k and she was able to bring her time from 39 to 36! Really cool... I was pleasantly surprised - that was just over 2 minutes behind me! So much improvement in a short time! And if that is not enough, she once again saw her new "friend" - Jeffrey Hidalgo. Here's Jeffrey waving at Tey.



Overall, with a population of 200,000, I think it is only right to commend the organizers for a good enough job of keeping this run fun and safe for most people. Come on, 200,000, man! That's a lot of people to care for so I give them credit for that. Editor's notes: It appears there were only 27,000 runners during the Manila leg. Perhaps 200,000 (as heard from the emcees) was the total nationwide.

While I don't quite agree that they allowed 200,000 runners in that route, I think we should be happy for the kids who will benefit from this event - 1 million pesos worth of shoes!

There's no PR for me and I honestly felt sick but knowing that part of registration may inspire new runners in the next generation, well I guess that's pretty much worth it.

But for next year, if I do join the 35th Milo Marathon, it will be 21k or 42k for me. :P

Here are some nice pics from the event.

Me and Tey


Tey and the tall dudes


Tey with Zorro


...with last year's champion - Cresenciano Sabal


...with Tey


...with Coach Noel (Deemen Runner) - almost back in his form again... :))


Tey and her office friend Millicent


My postcard moment... :P


And - what else? - The Superposition... :P










My LSS for the night : Growing up with olympic energy, Growing up with Milo! Milo everyday! :P