RockenRun: Hooked on Asphalt

A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air which is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.

Hmmm … “rotating column of air” -> that would best describe the DJs  on the radio show that I am forced to listen to when I commute to work. I think those DJs are very popular with our jeepney/FX drivers so no matter which form of public transport you choose, you’ll end up listening to them everyday. It’s a good thing though that all I will ever experience is the figurative definition of what a twister is. (or so I thought)

We left for Clark last Saturday so that we can meet my friend, Isko at the jump-off area of The North Face 100 to give him some of the supplies he needs for the 2nd 50k loop. The weather was very warm and humid that day that everybody was wearing summer clothes; I didn’t even entertain the thought that I might need to bring my North Face Gore-Tex jacket for the next day’s 20k trail run.

And so it happened: it started with a drizzle and then when it got stronger we decided to take shelter in one of the tents adjacent to the starting line. We were all surprised to see that the starting line fell on the technical committee’s command center, ruining it and almost hitting the people underneath. It was like the entire structure was trampled by an invisible raging Mammoth!

I think I see dead people ... No...mammoth tracks...!!!!

The next few minutes happened so fast, I remembered that the entire place suddenly turned dark and I had to run away from the tent I was in since it was also crushed by the beast!
We all took shelter near a cement wall (it was the only thing left standing), wary of the debris that might hit us.
At this point, we were all drenched, my trail running shoes included. Luckily, the rusty mountaineer in me instructed my sister to put our cell phones in a plastic bag before kingdom come or else that would have been a costly encounter.

We finally met Isko and company at the jump-off site; they were also delayed because of the storm.  It’s good to find out that no one was injured because of what happened. We stayed around a little bit longer before we headed back to Clearwater to prepare ourselves for the next day’s 20k race.

Before I slept, I stared at my wet shoes and wondered … “How many blisters tomorrow?”

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I just got home from a birthday celebration way up north and by the time I continued packing and decided to write this entry, I’m pretty sure the race for 100K solo has already started. So, let me go straight to the point because I have several other people to check on and a tight schedule to follow for the trip to Sacobia, Pampanga.

I’m the youngest in the group and I find it ironic and at the same time, traditional, to play the role of reminding everyone in the group of what to bring for a trip. So, like an adviser during homeroom when a class of semi-buggers decide to go on a field trip, my things-to-do include double-checking stuff my friends have to bring!

Nope, no image. Sorry, and I took the liberty of not making you go through the agony of looking at the actual list itself

We should arrive in Pampanga later, 10am at the most. We have prepared food for Kuya Isko to eat: chicken adobo and rice! Yeyy! We will also be giving him a bag of Chocolate-Flavored Gardenia Bread when he leaves for the second half of his 100K solo.

Last year, when I attended the first event in the Philippines of North Face Trail Running, my officemates and I arrived just after Kadangyan finished their last set, if I remember it right. Hopefully, there would be another group of musicians performing tonight, which I think would really be something worth looking forward to.

North Face 10KM Trail Run - Bib Number

I’ll be bringing along my gray Redrock Equipment bag/purse I’ve had since college (I don’t really know what it’s exactly called).

with our trail running dog

Well then, gotta move!

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This Sunday, I will join the TNF100 in Sacobia Clark, as a participant in the 20k trail-run. The last time I remembered being on the trail was when we climbed (or should I say “crawled”) Mt. Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin 2 years ago. That was my 2^nd major climb with my friend Isko (he will be running the 100k solo race) who is a member of MESAU. I would like to think of this run as another day hike but without the daypack and trekking pole and executed at running pace, hehehe

This will be the first time I will be trail running and frankly it gives me a sense of joy and apprehension at the same time: I am excited to be one with nature once more but pressured to finish the entire “tour” within the given cut-off time. I hope I can take a lot of pictures of the trail as I intend to bring a camera phone with me.

I have already made a list of things to put in my belt bag for this event, among them are 2 bottles of sports drinks, energy gels(Hammer and GU), a chocolate bar, a pair of sandals and a donkey (in case I get tired). I hope I didn’t over pack J

As with my previous runs, I just intend to finish this race and not set a PR since I haven’t been training properly because of my work schedule.

In as much as I want to run this race using my old TNF trail running shoes, (which finally surrendered to the trail as we descended Hibok-Hibok) I will be using my Salomon Adventure Running shoes which I have owned for a while but have never used on the trail before. I hope that this shoe won’t give in as what happened to another blogger’s (bugobugo85) trail shoes since Salomon is also owned by Adidas.

My Trail Running Shoes (before it gets muddy)

Well I guess all that I can say at this point is Good Luck to all the runners, be it the 10k, 20k or 100K categories and see you all this Sunday at Sacobia!

North Face Trail Run in Sacobia, Pampanga - Bib Number

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When all else fails: be one with the mud and it will save your life!

Saturday Night : ma officemates picked me up and went to Chateau Royale to check the place out before claiming of race kits at 4am the next day (Sunday), and ended up in the hotel’s golf course — Evercrest. Tents were on the grass and people were camped by midnight (too bad we weren’t able to see the music gig for the event). Slept in the car and woke up at 330 to change and fall in line for the claiming of shirts and bib numbers.

The race for the 10km run started at 0640H (if I remember it right), 10 minutes after the 20km runners. PACING! That’s what Irene and Jo kept telling me during the 16km run for One La Salle and that’s what I tried to do this morning, since I’m asthmatic and I’ve got to keep ma breathing and speed at bay. The first few minutes were awesome! Cool breeze, the-not-so-rough-yet terrain (haha!) and only around three hundred other people just enjoying that moment until the ground started to get really muddy and people started slipping.

Rule # 1: NEVER run with JUST running shoes, wear TRAIL RUNNING shoes. Gawd (yes, learned it the hard way). I had to dig BOTH my feet into the mud just to keep myself from slipping and getting hurt (but still managed to always fall on ma ass hahaha!). My officemate and I were on the dangerous side of the trail (the side where I could fall off the cliff anytime) and he slipped and almost pushed me (back onto the trail but I could have gotten hurt anyway), so I thought if I had trail running shoes, I did not actually need to be on that side in the first place.

Rule # 2: Always run on the grass (if in the trail that you do run on still has grass) because you will REALLY find it comforting!

Rule # 3: Run as fast as you can (on second thought…NOT!) My other officemate who is also a mountaineer told me that running lessens the risk of injury because you don’t put all your weight on what you step on (which I find logical if I actually had the right shoes that won’t make me slip no matter what kind of step I make — which goes back to rule number 1!) I’ll try that next time, tho. Thanks!

Actually, the trail would have been a lot easier (but still pretty challenging) if it did not rain…BUT it DID rain. I guess it wasn’t a North Face endurance event for nothing!

There was a wooden bridge to be crossed and an alternate route which we took (the one below on the rocks on the water) that leads uphill. I had to hold onto leaves and use my hands to sort of claw into the mud to keep my gravity (because I was so sure my darn shoes alone won’t keep me alive for the rest of the trail!). Downhill (which I found just as hard) ended up making my shorts and legs covered with more dirt (me at ma clumsiest hehehe!) AND my shoes were about 6 inches wider and about 4 inches longer (and about half an inch taller) with mud! Hahaha!

After 8km of trail running, there was an uphill route for pavement running as part of the final leg of the race. My officemate / mountaineer sprained his right ankle at the middle of the race and could not run anymore so I decided to walk this one out with him to the finish line (he waited for me earlier when I could not run anymore because I kept slipping so I decided to play the Good Samaritan this time).

A lot of things have happened for the past few days that almost made me decide to not push through with this, but I’m thankful that I was able to work around such complications because from the minute I heard about this event, I knew I just had to experience this. It was definitely worth all the risk

Before our race started, one of the 100km runners just got back from his trek. Theirs started at 4am the day before (Saturday), and seeing him finish made me insecure that I was running only 10km! These people are amazing, and being around them just makes me feel more comforted that I DID make the right choice. Haha, yes I am still overwhelmed by this event

Pictures posted here

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Endurance comes in all distances.
FIND YOURS.

Endurance Comes in All Distances. Find Yours.

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