Well,  it almost was your typical 21Km run along the Makati – Global City area, except that this race started in Makati and ended in a different street in Makati.

It was fun being able to run under the greenbelt tunnel for the first time – a nice new route which you can’t run on a regular day.

No PR for this 21km run (some say it was 22+km, who cares ? as long as the distance is not less than what we paid for) . I finished it in 2:30 – I am still under the weather but I thought that since I paid for it, I might as well run it, hehehe.

The North Face trail run in Nuvali is one of the best trail runs I have ever joined due to the following :

• Cheap registration fee.
• Near Metro Manila (no need to bring a tent or get a hotel room)
• Shuttle Service was provided (although I didn’t avail of this service)
• Nice race distance – although it would’ve been better if they had a 50k category  (something to look forward to in TNF Baguio)
• Ample water stations
• Lots of marshalls

TNF and PUR really did a great job with this one; the trail wasn’t that difficult but it gave people like me who haven’t hit the trail in quite a long time just the right dose of endorphins

Congratulations to TNF and PUR for a job well done.

The 22k starting line. The race started at 5:45 am instead of 5:15.

The Dawn

Blue Skies

(Road) signs of the times

George of Team Hardcore - he covered more than 22KM as he was running back and forth the trail. IDOL!!!

Nice view! Never mind the runner, hehehe

This pair used to be color gray ....

The second river crossing - view from the top

Nice stairs

There were a few of these rock formations along the trail ... I miss trekking

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 60km of bike training)  who convinced me to do another 2km. He then treated me to some snacks before we ran our final kilometer together.

It would have been great if I could still accompany him for a few more kilometers but the blister won’t let up

All systems go for tonight's concert at the Mall of Asia

Ne-Yo's Poster at the entrance

Good luck to all the participants of the Cebu Marathon!

.. and what better way to end it than to run two half marathons (NB and Philstar), an unplanned trail run and the Rizal day 32km run.

Happy new year!

Hmm – I am at a loss for words. Last Sunday’s Timex half-marathon is perfect.

As I was driving around the Fort Global City area on my way to the parking lot, I have noticed the long tables filled with cups of water / sports drinks. I said to myself that finally, the organizers are listening to the runners – this must be a good sign!

I was aiming for a PR for this run, but as the race started, I was surprised that the race has
actually started, hehehe – you should be there, everybody just started running.

It was your typical 21km race route around the Fort and Buendia . The roads were closed and irate motorists giving us the finger – tssss! Do we have anger management classes in the Philippines ?

 I was so excited in achieving a PR that I forgot to warm up – big mistake. After 4 kms, my 5:30 pace dropped to 6:00 and then 6:30. I got so tired that I realized after reading the official results that my pace for the last 2kms was around 8 to 9 mpk! I finished the race at 2:18 (chip time)  – so much for a PR.

I was happy that at the finish line, we were treated like VIPs- we were given towels and awarded a medal ; but wait, that’s not all : there was free breakfast, lots of 100 plus / free coffee sachets and a loot bag that contains .. wait , let me see – an energy  bar and wait, another bottle of 100 plus!

Hats off to Coach Rio and Finshline!

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 ?)

At around 8:30 AM, the Kalayaan flyover was opened to vehicular traffic, I think 8:30 was the cut-off time. I was still in the middle of the flyover at this time. It was ok as I was already about 1 km from descending the flyover, a MAPSA patrol car escorted me at first but left at around the last 500 meters.

When I reached Paseo De Roxas, I decided to run/walk on the sidewalk as it was difficult running along the asphalted road as I might be sideswiped by vehicular traffic.

As I approached the Washington area, I decided to walk again until I reached Taft Avenue since the elevated side walks along this area made it very difficult for me to run.

Seeing the LRT along Taft Avenue made the entire run more difficult since I was only two train stations away from home; but I told myself that no matter how tired I get or no matter how hot it gets, I will definitely end this race at the finish line at the Quirino grandstand.

As I passed  by Taft Avenue, I have noticed that the lane dividers were still there, so I decided to run with my already “hardened” leg muscles in the temporary “runner’s lane”. I was surprised though as I was about to cross Leveriza St., there were about two jeepneys behind me ( in the runner’s lane) honking their horns! – oh well!

From this point, it was run/jog until  Ceaser overtook me along the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy.

When I crossed the finish line, everybody was there to congratulate me on my first 32km – so that’s how it feels. Sweet!

12 minutes late (and gasping for air .. again!)  – that was my reaction when I saw the 21k timer at the starting line. I was hoping that I arrived just in time but the queue in  the parking area was so long.  At that point I was already contemplating on running the 15k race instead.

Fortunately, Ian Alacar (the race director) was very supportive in giving me directions for the 21k race route and off I went to run the 21k race alone.

This was the first time that I ran alone in order to catch up with runners who started way ahead of me. The thing is, I have already sprinted (without any warm up) to the starting line from the parking area ; and here I am again literally sprinting to catch up with the runners.

I was already walking before I reached the first KM. Who was I fooling ? I couldn’t reach them no matter what – or so I thought, after about an hour and after the fast 15k runners went past me, I was able to catch up with the last 20 percent of the 21k runners. It was only at this point that I felt good about myself

This was a well-organized race, I mean if it weren’t for the road signs and the helpful men in uniform, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up with the runners from my race.

The only thing is, I thought that we were still going to run another loop as we returned to the McKinley area – so you could imagine my surprise when we were told that there were only 400 meters left before the finish line.

This would have been a close to perfect race, were it not for the short distance

Knowing how bad the weather would be , I decided to arrive early for this road race. I arrived at  around 4:45 am.  When I got there,  it was announced that the race was moved to 5:30 am due to the rain.

There was a warm-up exercise before the start of the 21k event,  I entered the coral  as the said exercise was about to end. I saw some runner friends and had a chat with them – and then it happened, the gun was fired and off we went.

For me, this was a well-organized race.  There were adequate water and gatorade stations along the route, plus …  I was able to run in the Glorietta area even though it was raining very hard

I finsihed the race at 2:24 (unofficial), just a few more minutes and i’ll be able to beat my personal best at 2:18.

It’s timely though, that it was raining during a run dedicated to saving Mother Earth

4:17 AM – This can’t be right,  the last thing I remember was hitting the snooze button of my mobile phone’s alarm clock about an hour ago!

So off I hurriedly went to the starting line of Globe’s Run for Home  at the NBC tent. I thought that I wouldn’t make it on time because of the long queue towards the parking area behind ROX which was reserved for VIPs. It’s a good thing though that I have already installed the champion chip on my shoe the night before.

The Preparation
This part I like the most, like an obedient running student, I did my best  to consume a lot of carbs after getting my race packet from BHS last Friday.

I also ate more the night before :

 
You know, I think that I did this part so well that I have loaded enough carbs for an Ultramarathon. Ha!
Hmm … does it say in the manual that I really have to run in order to prepare for a half-marathon ?

Barely Making It

I can still remember running towards the starting line when the voice over the PA system is  telling the 21k runners  that the race is about to start in 45 seconds.
I was able to make it about 5 seconds before I heard the gun. It was about this time when I started my stretching routine. There were a lot of participants in this race that it really took time to dash from the starting line up to the entrance of the corral. For a minute there, I thought that this was the 5k race

Paligsahan ng Palakasan ng Busina

 What can I say ? It’s a race that started on time and the chirps produced by the timing chips were like  music to my ears. The route along Ayala Avenue .. fabulous ! I have worked in Makati for such a long time already but I don’t remember being able to run along the said road.

Hydration? There were enough 100 plus drinks to flood the entire city!  

As we were running through Paseo De Roxas, I have noticed a lot of drivers  who were blowing their horns as if there was a prize for the one with the biggest horn (pun intended). I have noticed that this behavior is so unlike those foreigners which I have encountered in previous races who instead of getting grumpy, would actually get out of their vehicles and cheer on the runners.
 

Hammer Time!

Nope that was not MC Hammer, that was me reaching for my 2nd  Hammer Gel sachet, but alas! I didn’t have it.  I have only brought 1 sachet with me for this race. It’s a good thing that I have brought a few bite size Cloud 9 bars with me. Even if it was not as effective as the gel, it helped me get through the race. There were times when I could’ve pushed harder but whenever I felt the onset of cramps, I would slow down … the nail could’ve used a hammer this time.

The Result

“Wow Hi-tech!” – That was my first reaction when I heard that timing chips will be used for this race but up to now, I am still waiting for the results to be published. Since timing chips are new in our country, maybe we should give the organizers time to adapt to this technology. I’m sure we will all be happy once the results come out. I finished my run at around 2:31 in my watch – no improvement compared to my Milo performance.

For me, that phrase equates to what others may deem an ode.  Although I missed the cut-off by one minute, it was still one hell of an experience. 

For this race, I left my car at home and instead took a cab from my house to Km 0 due to the anticipated traffic and lack of parking space. I was  early enough to  see the  lead pack of the 42k runners along Roxas Boulevard on my way to  KM 0.  I arrived at  the starting area at around 4:45  am.

The atmosphere in the starting area was festive, the kids who I think are joining the 3km race are all over the place, excited as if they are going to be handed out goodies just by joining the event.

The way I see it, the Milo marathon touches every participant’s life, be it the grade school children or the oldest runner. I myself, have always looked forward to joining this event ever since I was a kid. Thanks to the internet and informative sites such as Takbo.ph, I can now easily get information on road races in the Metro with just a click of the mouse.

When I entered the corral, I saw Ian, my officemates and other familiar faces.

After the warm-up the 21k race started on time (what else do you expect from a Rudy Biscocho race ?).  There were a lot of water stations , no .. not just water stations but cold Gatorade aid stations! So my excuse of not finishing this race due to dehydration is just simply .. gone

The race went well, the organizers were able to cordon a part of Roxas Boulevard for the safety of the runners.

There were water trucks (I think there were 2) which served as “water spray stations” along the route and I tried my best avoiding them since I don’t want to get blisters. It was really a difficult choice at that point between choosing the blisters or the heat of the sun

When I reached the PSBank turn-around  along Buendia, I felt  a familiar “sting” in my right calf and before I knew it, I was  already suffering from cramps.  This had me  worried since it is not yet time to consume the second  of the  3 sachets of  hammer gel  that I have. I know that it should be taken 15 minutes before and every 45 minutes thereafter but since I am on a budget, I usually take my first one 1 hour after and every hour after that.  That formula has worked for me before but I guess, sometimes , things don’t work out the way you want them to. 

I  ended up consuming all 3 sachets (I normally consume only 2 when running 21k) but that didn’t help because instead of walk/run, it was limp/run  from this point. I knew I should’ve taken the bananas they were handing out near the Pasong Tamo intersection!

When I reached the last aid station, I asked one of the guys manning the station to pour  cold water on me, to which he obliged. (thank you very much!) That made me feel really good, I wasn’t worried about blisters anymore since there were only 2 kilometers to go until the KM 0 marker.

As I was about to reach Kalaw, I ran as fast as I could  but to my dismay, the finish line was at the Quirino Grandstand, some 500m away from the marker; it was at this point that I decided to walk/jog until I reached the finish line.

Although  my 21k results are getting slower with each race, I still feel fulfilled to be able to complete a 21k race even if I don’t have regular training save for the occasional slow runs every Sunday.

When I woke up the next day at 2:00 am (I have a 4:45 flight bound for Cebu), I was barely able to walk, this is the first time I felt excruciating pain on my right knee the day after a race, but in spite of the pain, this is definitely an event I will never forget because this is my first Milo race!

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate my friend Isko Lapira who has completed his first marathon despite being a veteran of BDM 102 and has finshed 9th during the previous week’s botak 100km PAA-Tibayan : “Tol, you’re really bad to the bone!” Nyahaha!