I took a picture of the medals I have accumulated since I started training again here in Sydney. It’s not a lot but it inspired me nonetheless as I am reminded of the hard work I’ve put in and my accomplishments in running in the form of these medals. I hope that this will inspire runners out there to keep on hitting the tarmac despite the difficulties of moving out of your comfort zones and traveling to new lands to brave a greener pasture.  ...

  I have not posted anything on this blog in a long time BUT I will try to update you with my latest run, The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival last Sunday.     This is the first time for me to run without proper training, not to mention getting a bit tipsy a couple of nights before this event from a dinner-party I attended. I followed the 4:45 pacer for awhile but finished at 5:19:18 instead.       I personally think that I could have done better had there been less elevation during the race. Just when you think you were done with running up and down the several bridges you passed, there’s still this one LAST bridge you have to traverse before arriving at the finish line.   The 37km mark screenshot from Blackmores Sydney Running Festival App by ASICS for iPhone. Click here to download from iTunes.   Well, I am not sure if I would attempt this again [without proper training] but I definitely loved the challenge of a good run on an early Sunday morning.     There never seems to be enough time for anything, but there will always be that perfect day of the year to run a marathon at The Blackmores Sydney Running Festival...

Last Sunday, I joined this 42km event in Nueva Vizcaya, the highlight of which was to summit Mt. Ugo. It was a refreshing change of pace from the usual weekend spent in Metro Manila. If you would ask me, the 9 hour trip was worth it : everything is clean- the trails especially.  It’s as if the farther you are from the Metro, the nearer you are to paradise. Course Map This is the first time I have seen a tree like this in Luzon This is the view from the starting line. Can you imagine how cold it is in the summit ? Let’s get ready to rumble. View from the trail at sunrise What else can I say ? Henry having a hard time accepting we have to pass this route twice. This is where we got lost earlier The summit, finally! For a brief moment, the sun decided to show itself. Finished! … Excited for my next trail   This one is perfect. The route wasn’t so difficult, the trails are 90% runnable even when wet. For the aid stations, they contain exactly what a trail runner needs : softdrinks, natural spring water from the mountain itself, bread, chocolate, biscuits and electrolyte drinks.   Well, too bad .. bandits aren’t allowed in this race. Maybe next time, they should register early. As with any adrenaline related activity, equipment and apparel are important. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the run as much if i had used any other shoe. This is my first time to use lightweight shoes in an actual race – and the thing is ,  I haven’t actually ran in this pair before.  So imagine how happy I am when instead of giving me problems , it...

Milo Marathon Last week, I joined the Milo Marathon and finished it in 5 hours 14 minutes. Milo Marathon is one of “the” running events in the country.  Being able to join it this year is a first for me, since this is my 1st official Milo Marathon. For the past 2 years, i only joined the half-mary event due to injuries.   Although the route is the same as the previous years, this year was a bit different since  the starting / finish line was moved from the Quirino Grandstand to the Mall of Asia and the routes for the shorter distances (3/5/10k) were changed –  i think this was to prevent the fun runners from consuming all the hydration fluids near the finish line. This proved to be effective since this is the first time I experienced still being able to hydrate  near the finish line. Kudos to Milo and Runrio!   Running in the rain It is the rainy season again and almost all my running shoes are wet. Drying them is a pain. So here is a little tip to make it a bit easier: Remove the insole of your shoes Wash your shoes Let it drip for a while Put paper in your shoes (an entire page of your broadsheet would do) Replace the paper whenever necessary The logic behind it is to let the paper absorb the water from your shoes. When I do it, it usually takes a day before my shoes dry up. Oh by the way, i heard that body glide isn’t as effective in the rain. Is this true ? It’s a good thing that i have always used petroleum jelly.   Asics Gel Kayano 15   The thing about new running shoes is that...