RockenRun: Hooked on Asphalt

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

21 km, The Fort 21 km, The Fort

The urbanite run was indeed unique – in a lot of aspects, champion chip included.

This is my first time to run a night race, and apparently the first time for more than 3000 other runners. It’s a good thing that I decided to arrive at the venue early – because at around 6pm (2 hours before the race), the parking slots were already full – I think this is due to the accumulated mass between the regular shoppers at BHS and those who would be running the evening race.

I thought that since this was a night race, it would be a refreshing and relaxing activity. I was wrong – it was very humid that night; and the proximity of the other runners as well as the spot lights weren’t helping either.

The 15k race started at around 8:15 pm. I was expecting all the streets to be well lit – well, it was, the street lights were doing their job.

You see, I thought that the organizers would be using “extra” lights to make the path “more” visible – but that’s ok; it was still fun.

While we were running the “darker” parts of the cemetery, the only thing that was left to see were the glowing “light sticks” (I don’t know what they are called) which were given to the runners. Most runners have used them either as bracelets or ornaments for their bibs.

Somehow one can’t help but wonder if that is all that one sees in the darkness and not actual spiritual orbs. Hehehe

This is fun – organizers should do it more often.

Jonel (bugobugo85), Iskozenegger, TheRoadMarker and Highaltitude

A light moment with NandN after the race

The Fort running, The Fort

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.

21 km, Taguig, The Fort, running 21 km, running, The Fort

My first run was with Joanne, Ava, and Irene in the PSE Bull Run back in January 2008. Never really trained for it…just woke up one day, went to the race and tried to finish it. Haha.

Gotta work on discipline tho, cos until now it seems that I’ve never really stopped doing that for a race. Ugh.

The trend in 2008 to present: running era with my ladies -> work-indulgence -> running-after-working-hours -> foot operation -> lsd-ing with my brother and his friends -> and yes, work indulgence again -> hospitalization a little more than a couple of weeks ago.

My training? Sleep whenever I can, and some positivity.

Tomorrow (or later…in a matter of minutes) would definitely be a reunion. The ladies will be there, some of my batchmates from college, my officemates, and my brother and his friends. Everyone will be joining in on the “chip” fun.

Quite a hectic schedule for me too. After the run, I’ll be meeting up with some of my friends back in college (whose wedding we’re currently coordinating), the son of my cousin’s birthday party in KFC (woot!), and head down south to watch Wanders (thanks to Miss AJZ and Mr. GV for the passes–yes, they gotta be in codes)!

I don’t mind if it rains tomorrow because I’ll be running again so tonight is with feel-good vibes, and I’ve been listening to Jamiroquai’s “Corner of the Earth”: “Little darlin’ don’t you see the sun is shining just for you, only today. If you hurry you can get a ray on you…”

Tomorrow is a long day, so I’ll start heading home now: to the direction of the bed for a little bit of sleep, and making sure all the alarms go off on time.

See yah

10 km, The Fort, running 10 km, globe, run for home, The Fort

350 for 15K Distance of Mizuno's Infinity Run 2009

“Gasping for Air” – That is the first thought that comes into mind whenever I would think of this year’s Mizuno Infinity race. I have unexpectedly went beyond my comfortable pace as I was 2 minutes late and was desperately trying to position myself in the middle pack.

It didn’t also help that I have been doing overtime work for the past 4 months (read: zero training). However, things got slightly better as we descended the Kalayaan flyover on our way to the NAPOLCOM building. I was feeling refreshed, being able to establish my position, I ran at a comfortable pace.

The run was generally safe and hassle free. Law enforcement and the easily identifiable marshals did their job well in holding off the ill-tempered drivers.

I thought that I was going to DNF when I suddenly felt light-headed after we crossed Dian Street. I had to stop running and as what I always read in Sir Jovie’s blog – I listened to my body. I drank some Gatorade from my hand held bottle and took in some Sports Beans. After a minute or so, I started feeling better and decided to jog.

The high point of the race for me was when I realized that we were already at the turn-around point in Bautista Street – ha! just a few more meters from the LRT station and I would be home. =) In fact, I was really tempted to DNF and take the train home were it not for the parked car in BHS.

The idea of having ran half of the race course probably boosted my morale to push myself once more and before I realized it, I was already at the turn-around point of the 10k runners . I particularly had difficulty running through this part of the course since my “momentum” was “blocked” by the slower 10k runners/walkers.

It was at that point that I felt weak again. The feeling persisted from Paseo de Roxas until the foot of the Kalayaan flyover. I have always detested this part of the route. My knees were so weak that I had to walk/jog until we descended towards the Fort.

I regained my will to run again when I thought we would be already making the left turn to the finish line. I was surprised to find out that we still had to go straight and make a U-turn before going to the finish line. I did my best not to walk so I jogged until I reached the last 80 meters or so and sprinted.

I was able to finish at 1:39 in my watch. I was 2 minutes late so the official time should be 1:41 or so I thought – when I checked the race results, it stated that I finished at around 1:44.

At the Finish Line

This wasn’t a strong finish for me as I have just recently finished a 10-mile run at 1:41. This has me worried since it has all been downhill since my Condura half. I have already accepted the fact that I won’t be running my first full marathon with Milo. I would instead settle for another 21k run. The only problem is the 2.5 hours cut-off : at the rate I am going, I’ll probably finish 21k in 3 hours (hehehe) – a far cry from my Condura half.

Falling In Line

And then there it was – the silver lining (I think). The Mizuno surprise was awesome – they would be giving awards for runners who would participate in next year’s Mizuno race and have a significant improvement on their PRs!

Free Starbucks Beverage

The mood at last Sunday’s race was generally festive: free starbucks coffee, a giant Mizuno shoe, lots of photo-ops for various running groups including the SM runners who won a group award, Takbo.ph and the I am Ninoy Runners.

Getting Their Award

I think races should be done this way: singlets should only be given to finishers-just like in the old days.

Wave Creation 9

The only thing that wasn’t good about this race (and I don’t think I would be the only one who would be complaining about this) is the good old fashioned “balde” system.

As I’ve said before – nobody’s perfect. I still consider this as one of the better organized races in the Metro.

More pictures found in RockEnRun’s Flickr Account for this run! Check it out here.

At the Free Starbucks Beverage Area

The Fort, running nbc tent, running, The Fort

IE8 | 8 Miles

I remember last year when a runner colleague of mine reported for work with colds. He told me that he got it from participating in  a road race the day before. He quipped : “You see the race pushed thru even if it was raining like hell”.

Back then, I couldn’t understand why would someone do such a thing.

Last Sunday, I got my answer.

I woke up at 5:00 am – “I’m gonna be late!” (I thought the race would start at 5:30)

I asked myself, now why would I want to run today ? I have a deadline and I still need to report to work later and it’s raining outside-I would just end up getting wet … then I realized that even if it wasn’t raining ,  i’d get wet anyway, and besides … I haven’t experienced how it feels to run in the rain yet.

The way I see it, if there will be only a few runners today, then I would have a better chance of winning that laptop. Before I knew it, I was already in the parking area near the starting line of the IE8 race.

This is a well-organized race : THis is the first time that I saw sponges in a short distance race. There were  lots of food and even cheer leaders in the aid-station .. talk about feeling like a pro! But wait … that’s not all: they even gave out coke in the last aid-station at the foot of the Kalayaan flyover!

I finished running 13.4Km (I was also suprised at the distance) at 1:23 on my watch. My shoes were wet but what the hell, nothing beats running in the rain!

In a nut-shell, I would give the organizer of this race very high grades!

Hmmm...where?

Too bad tho, I didn’t win the laptop. I wonder when Microsoft will launch IE9 ?

IE8 Banner

Photo-Ops after the race

10 km, 10 miles, Taguig, The Fort, running 10 km, 10 miles, running, The Fort

After what I have experienced with the previous race, I didn’t  have high expectations for this race. I woke up at around 4 and arrived at  Market! Market!  at around 5 am.

It was the usual race day . I wore my shoes in the parking area and did some stretching; got in the mall to use the rest room and there I was,  waiting for the 10 miler to start.

For the first time after a couple of races, this race started on time (thank God). The only other race which I could remember that started on time was the Condura 21k.

Most races should be organized like this one:

• It started on time
• Lots of road marshals (so that no one gets lost)
• Lots of cold water (and cups)
• Powerade at the finish line

I reached the finish line with a time of 1:41 (unofficial). It’s really difficult to set PRs if you don’t train-I’m just thankful that I still get the chance to run on weekends.

Congratulations to the organizer for making this such a happy running experience for me.

10 miles, 16 km, Market! Market!, Taguig, The Fort, running 10 miles, 16 km, running, Taguig, The Fort

Running is addictive … once you start, you just want to keep on increasing your dose. I remembered running my first race which was a 10k during last year’s VSO held at the fort.  After a few 10ks I ran my 1^st 15k during Asian Hospital’s Run New and then my 1^st half-marathon which was the Condura Race.

I was actually planning back then on making Botak my first full marathon. Lucky for me, I had so many deadlines at work that I had to forego of that plan and instead registered for the half-marathon.  Had I been stubborn and pushed through with it, last Sunday’s run would have been a very painful memory.

Me and my friend Ian weren’t expecting PRs for this race as I didn’t have enough time to train (my weekly mileage went  down from 38 to 0 after pacing for our friend Isko in BDM 102) and Ian is under the weather. So, we decided to aim for a finish somewhere between 2:15 and 2:30.

We were able to finish it with 2:29:29 on my watch.

Observations :

• There was a water truck in the Kalayaan flyover.  Sweet!
• Excellent singlets. I don’t  wear singlets anymore but I have to make an exception in this case.
• Lots of Gatorade at the finish line.
• There was also an awesome band at the finish line.
• The race started late.  It started at 6:00 am. Starting a 21k race during the summer months in the Philippines is not cool (literally).
• There were not enough water cups in the aid stations ; luckily I brought a disposable hand-held water bottle with me which I conveniently refilled whenever I reach an aid station.
• Since this race involves a lot of “turn-arounds”; they should have added road marshals as I was almost side-swiped by a passenger jeep along Kalayaan Avenue on our way to Rockwell.

I know that It is  difficult  to  organize a full marathon so I won’t make a big deal about the inconveniences  I experienced in the half-marathon race, instead I would like to encourage Botak to improve their  service  for their next long distance race.

I hope that next time, no one gets lost

21 km, Botak, Taguig, The Fort, running 21 km, Botak, nbc tent, Paatibayan, running, The Fort

After almost half a year and four months of no physical activity due to my foot injury, I’m back.

At some point, my foot did start to hurt but whenever I asked myself the question: do I stop? The answer has to be NO.

I’m gonna have to update this entry again later, but I thought it would be fun to post some of the other things I enjoyed after the race…

Find out how Kuya Eugene and Kuya Ian (being a bit “under the weather”
cos of flu) finished their half marathon. Har de har har

Music definitely played a large part in making me a bit more relaxed while I waited for them at the finish line! One of the hosts was right…it’s like Woodstock in a race event. I can’t remember who the musicians were but they definitely kicked ass playing their instruments! Definitely loved the one below. Kudos!

10 km, Botak, Taguig, The Fort 10 km, Botak, Paabilisan, running, Taguig, The Fort