This morning, I was able to run almost 30 KM.  I feel a sense of accomplishment- it has been almost 4 months since I have stopped running due to an ankle injury and work related training during Sundays.  The only other long run that  I completed before this  was running 25km during the Milo half-marathon ( yup, i added loops before heading for the finish line). It’s also my first time to run that distance alone ; you see running  that long by yourself is very difficult. It’s a good thing that I brought my iPod with me to keep me entertained. I  had to take a different route for this run since MOA was filled by the participants of the Rexona Run.   Cones lined along Macapagal Avenue … This is the first time I ran this route alone … When I reached the Quirino Grandstand, I was looking for the mosaic containing President Cory’s pictures but didn’t find any … This is the distance I have covered upon reaching the Quirino Grandstand according to my GPS watch. It seems that I wasn’t the only one doing a long run this morning – I met Pat of Takbo.ph twice. Upon reaching the 28th KM I suddenly felt weak,l then I remembered :  I didn’t eat breakfast! Almost 30 KM – I had to stop due to the heat; next week I’ll try to start...

I was able to squeeze in a few runs after the Rizal Day run; but that was just they are  – a few. So I decided to run around 10k today and 20k tomorrow. I was supposed to do a single loop around MOA and then to CCP, knowing that the Black Nazarene was in Quirino grandstand and that there will be a lot of devotees there. But then again, when I met Ian who was about to start his bike training, I changed my mind and eventually ended up going to the Quirino  grandstand anyway. I have been to the Quirino grandstand a lot of times before, but this is the only time that the atmosphere was so solemn.   Devotees on their way to the Quirino Grandstand – Most of them are barefoot Mass After running, I returned to MOA but ended up limping again, this was due to the blister on my left big toe. Since I didn’t anticipate a long distance run, I just used ordinary cotton sports socks when I should have used running socks instead. ( I only use them during races since they are a bit expensive). The thing about running socks is that it provides proper cushioning (that is why they are left / right foot specific), it wicks away moisture and most importantly, they don’t have extra threads protruding near the toe area. – I think that was what caused the blister on my foot.   Nike Running Socks Nike Elite Running Socks – No Show Don’t get me wrong, ordinary cotton sports socks work for me for distances  up to 10 miles. I was about to call it quits after 20km but I ran (pun intended) into Ian (he is running this time, after...

      When I first thought of registering for this year’s Milo finals, I had the simple intention of improving my 21k PR However, since I haven’t been able to train lately due to the bad weather brought about by the deluge as well as my very hectic work schedule, I still registered for the half marathon event but decided to run the last 32k of the marathon as a bandit. I haven’t joined a race before as a bandit. Registering for the run made me feel less guilty (a half-bandit if you must, hehehe). Isko told me that I must peak at around 30k to 35k before running  the entire 42km, with that, I agreed to meet him at the corner of Buendia and Roxas Boulevard along with his running group, the CAMANAVA runners (Jeff and Albert). They were able to reach the said location at around 5:45 am. I ran with them at a pace of around 6:30 to 7.  At the corner of Pasong Tamo, the people from the takbo.ph booth were very generous – they gave us bananas, oranges and some even offered petroleum jelly; nothing really beats a booth manned by runners themselves. I was also introduced to the Runner for Christ as we cruised along Buendia.  We were running as a group until we reached the Fort area – it was really easy to spot us, we were among the many groups running the 42k while wearing different category race bibs. We went our separate ways when we reached Bayani road on our return trip to the Quirino grandstand, I personally, couldn’t keep up with the stronger CAMANAVA runners who decided to run a bit faster than their current pace (or is it because I slowed down...

…or so I thought. Wrong again, said Bolt. It’s long slow distance. Say what? Since we won’t be able to trail run this weekend (Bolt’s been swamped with his systems analyst job tasks and I, with freelance web design projects), we’ll be running our own route just for kicks. Haha…yes, this is our definition of fun. Har de har har. Been checking on schedule and postings on Takbo.ph and I think I really need to do some more training if I want to keep up with what’s there. That’s IF my left foot will cooperate and not start to hurt again tomorrow…err, I mean later during the run…which reminds me, I need to rest! I’d literally be seeing diamonds in the sky going around my head if I run tomorrow (okay, I mean later!!!!!!!!) without enough rest and food. Tata! Something chillaxin to listen to before I go to sleep and what I’d prolly be listening to during the run tomorrow:  ...