One Small Step for Man : Organizing the HP Fun Run 2012

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

- Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012

August 26, 2012, McKinley Hill. There's always a first time. Human history is marked by many such firsts like the first steam engine, HP's first oscillator, or man's first step on the moon.

This morning marked a new milestone for me because it was my first time to have a major role in organizing a race. While the preparations have been going on for months, today was our D-Day - the moment we finally saw the realization of our vision. And if it had crossed my mind even for a second that "seeing it happen" meant watching on the sidelines, I still would've had been infinitely wrong.

We were already at The Venice Piazza at 2AM to get ready for our big day, but I had been awake since 7 PM of Saturday because of a mixture of emotions that range from serene hopefulness to anxiety to turmoil. Our Race Director Eugene Yasay had asked me to co-head Programs and Safety and I made sure I was at the site very early to secure the items that we had planned for, particularly for Safety.

Fila Schools Run 2012 - Early Runs 10K

Last Saturday, July 7, my wife and I ran 10K in the Fila Schools Run. Being a teacher, I liked that the proceeds of the run would be used for the rebuilding of school rooms in Iligan that was largely devastated by a recent typhoon.

It was nice of Tey's company to support this cause by giving its employees an incentive of 50% registration discount! The core team of their company org "Sykes Runners" did a good job in promoting this event within their organization. It not only helped build rooms but also advocated wellness among its employees.

Sykes Runners Core Team

Sleeves for Runners

Fila Run Review


I'm not very particular with goodie bags or the program at the run village of any race. After all, it is a run, not a concert. However, if I were to rate the safety precautions of the run, I'd probably give it a pasang-awa grade.

Unilab Run United 2 2012 : Back on the Road!

Cramps with less than a kilometer to go.

It's the first time for me to experience severe cramping during a race. I looked at my watch to see 2:48. It still was not twitterably fast but nonetheless it's a new PR for me in the making. If I could only get myself to run.

I've had never felt like not being able to physically continue before but the pain was unbearable. It probably showed on my face, if not my limp, because a couple of friendly runners/strangers even stopped for me and advised me to stretch for a while. "Lapit na yan, pre." and "You can do it." were some of the encouraging words tossed at me. One even joked, "5 kilometers na lang" and let out a friendly chuckle.

I gave in and stretched my aching left quadriceps, trying to summon all the energy I had left. As I was squeezing and talking to my tight muscles, the previous 5 hours of my Sunday morning flashed before my eyes.