My First Milo Marathon 10K Run

Yesterday I became part of running history as I joined and ran 10k in the 34th National Milo Marathon - Manila eliminations at Luneta Park / Quirino Grandstand. The Milo Marathon is the country's longest and premier running event and being part of it is simply amazing. Being registered to run and donning the Milo race singlet lets you feel the prestige of the event. It's also for a good cause since you also become part of a helping hand in giving running shoes to deserving elementary kids in manila.

We arrived early at the venue and while waiting for the 10k gun start, entertainment was shown at the stage area & we also got to see the first batch of kids benefiting from the shoes then, we're off. Being a newbie & able to jog continuously in the first 2kms was already an achievement for me. From then on lakad-jog na ang ginawa ko lalo na sa flyover wherein 2 times mo siya madadaanan. On the way back to the finish line , I thought of taking hydration sa last 4-3 kms of the race para hindi masyado bloated & mabigat pero to my dismay eh ubos na ang gatorade & water in their respective stations. Nakaka-asar lang since maraming naki-takbo & dumaraan na nakiki-inum lang wherein dapat yung mga runners ang nakikinabang. So instead of gunning for a PB eh naglakad na lang ako dahil sa sobrang uhaw, 'di bale na ung PB 'wag lang matumba sa kalsada. I started running lang ulit after seeing the start sign at luneta, akala ko finish na yun. Buti na lang yung announcer sinabi na nasa Quirino Grandstand area yung finish line.

All in all ok naman yung experience ko, overwhelmed pa nga eh lalo na nung nakita ko mga running idols ko - Coach Rio, Jaymie Pizarro, & NeverRunAlone. Nakaka-inspire sila.


Need to look for other 10k events na para-ma-realize ko ang running goal ko of finishing 100-120k this 2010.



*Many thanks to Photovendo for the running photos, this is a milestone for me

Not So Fun Ace HW & Davies Paints Eco-Friendly Run

I wasn' really able to enjoy last Sunday's run. It was supposed to be my ka-JERM's birthday and get together run.Practice na rin sana for next Sunday's Milo 10k run. Probably everything started wrong for us.I met up with some friends & hitched a ride to MOA 5am in the morning. We arrived at the venue's parking area ( a few steps away from the starting point) probably 15-20 minutes before the 10k race gun time but lo and behold - the 3k race was about to start and we're still queued up in line for parking! What a waste! You have to pay first before you can enter the parking area and that's what filled up the long long lines. Eh hindi naman namin maiwan mag-isa yung friend naming driver since siya yung may birthday.

To make the seemingly long story short, we started about 15-20 minutes late. We ran along with the 3k runners, no other runners in sight during lap 2. The good thing was the 4 of us were running together so we just chatted while walking , just for the sake of finishing our distance. We met 2 more or our buddies at the finish line who also started late because of the long parking queue. Dahil sira na ang mga araw namin, we just had a hearty breakfast at McDonald's.

Nagdadalawang isip na tuloy akong tumakbo pag sa MOA because of that. I'll check out the Rexona Run, baka okay ang organization kasi RUNRIO event.

Rock & Run...and RAIN!!!

Did another 10k charity run last night at The Fort - also my very first soaking wet night run. The running event was for the benefit of Republikha. Never kong naisip na tatakbo talaga ako ng 10k sa ulan. Well, it was fun! I really enjoyed it though,marami ka kasing kasabay na runners na basang-basa din, hindi pa ma-araw kaya di masyado nakakapagod. The annoying thing lang was the sloshing of water in my shoes and socks habang tumatakbo & the sudden gust of wind habang umuulan. Basang-basa ka na ,minsan masakit yung tama ng tubig sa mukha mo plus giniginaw ka pa. Any way, rain or shine naman yung run and enthusiastic talaga yung mga tao. It was already raining for almost an hour with people waiting under it kaya nakakatuwa talaga. Marami rin nagchee-cheer on different locations within the course kaya dagdag motivation. The only sad thing was walang rock music because of the heavy rains. Kainis. So after the run, I just treated myself with a big serving of spaghetti saka fish & chips. Pampalubag loob. Look forward na lang next weekend for Edward's birthday run - Ace & Davies Eco Run.

Walk The World: My First 5K Run

My kumpareng Sep invited me last week to join kumareng Rochelle & their friend Tin to run in Walk The World :Isang Hakbang Pilipinas 2010 since I recently added jogging/ running to my growing list of hobbies. I'm trying hard to have a healthier lifestyle so I obliged. Besides, it was for a very worthy cause. Proceeds go to the World Food Program that would help feed the hungry children affected in war-torn Mindanao.

Another kumpare (Archie) joined us for the 5k run on race day (June 06). A lot of people turned out at the event. Even a light drizzle didn't stop people from coming in. I still ran on my own pace and did the walk-jog combinations, hoping to finish it. I'm pretty much satisfied with my 40-minute performance since I don't really care much about the time, all I'm after is to finish every race I join.

This Started It All...

It really did! I wasn't into running nor was I a fan of running 'till I got this particular issue of TBR mag. I was happily waiting at the sidelines of the 2010 Globe Run for Home , hoping all of my friends would finish & take their photos (pati na rin mga celebs na mapapa-daan) ng makita ko yung particular issue na to. The owner probably wasn't interested or nabasa na nya kaya iniwan na lang kung saan. Eh ako mahilig mamulot ng mga nakikita kung saan-saan. I was thinking of just browsing through the pages but soon enough I was reading the articles. Meron sya articles about nutrition, running tips/guide, feature/inspirational articles & syempre product listings. Natuwa naman ako & I really found it very informative since hindi siya specific for certain types of runners.Para siya sa lahat - from a total dummy to expert runners makaka-relate. That's when it popped in my stubborn brain na I wanted to try running. I want to do running. It somehow became an inspiration, aside from having enough sa pagiging laughing stock ng friends & peers gawa ng pagtaba & pagbigat ko. Simpleng nakapulot ng libreng mag, binasa then created a spark. In my earlier Nature Valley Run posting , tumakbo na ako & I'm hoping to create my own history in running.Sana magtuluy-tuloy na to. =)

From Photographer To Finisher

For months I've just been a spectator from the sidelines , a support base and often times the photographer for my friends who are into running or just fond of joining fun runs here in the metro. I've also been the target of ridicule among my peers because of my figure & weight issues - that I can't do shit, I'm too heavy, stamina & endurance left me, and the list goes on. I wasn't motivated, dunno why. Probably just too lazy to do something, I guess. Something happened last April that somehow got me motivated to do something for myself. I decided to join the RUNRIO-organized Nature Valley Run and got myself registered for the 10-kilometer run. There's no turning back since I also bought myself unnecessary running gear & accessories para manghinayang ako sa perang ginastos ko if ever I had thoughts of backing out.

2nd Week of May - I started walking around the UP Oblation area (or whatever it is called) on the weekend before elections, needed to get my legs accustomed again to walking more than a few meters at least. Good thing my sister always tagged along to keep me company. Did 4 laps each day for 3 days. From then on I started walk-jog combinations for 8 days either at UP or Boni High Street leading into race day to get my heart & lungs to do their thing. Talk about super cramming for a totally unfit, overweight newbie.


Race day, May 30 - A few friends joined me for bonding & support. We were a little late going to the starting line so from the parking area we had to jog just to catch up, bad thing though was that we had no warm ups. It occured to me when my calf muscles began hurting just a few hundred meters into the run so I had to stop & just walk my way and hope the pain goes away. All I was thinking of was to at least finish the distance in every way I can. After 3kms , guess what - the pain's gone. I had a female friend running alongside me so I adjusted my pace to hers - don't wanna hurt my calves again & worse, have an asthma attack during the event. Pinagsalit-salitan ko parin ang lakad-jog, I thought it's fine since first time ko and after 1 hour & 36 minutes, I crossed the finish line. The sun was already up, I'm dripping with sweat & I'm feeling wobbly but I was happy. I just proved something to myself, I'm not a hopeless case -from sideline cheerleader / photographer to a proud 10k finisher - and I think I'm not done yet. I'm now looking forward to the next run me & my friends can join to help keep me motivated , to continue jogging/running for my health and hopefully improve my first Personal Record. I guess...WELCOME TO THE RUNNING WORLD!


*Maraming salamat sa PhotoVendo - meron 'nako remembrance for the event! =)

05.10.10

Now that election day is over, it is only now that I felt and realized how important this day really was. As all the TV ads put it - Ako ang simula. May magagawa tayo. Sa isang boto ko. Ang boto mo ay may dalang pagbabago. Ang mga ito ang mga katotohanang magpapalaya sa bayan. I'm not a registered voter, nor did I exert any effort to get registered in the first place. Watching all the people taking time and getting out of their way to go out, line up and wait under the scorching heat or acidic downpour for their turns to cast their vote ,hoping to make a difference. Voter turnout was good as reported in the news , the only drawbacks were machines bogging down and the slow voting procedure. Violence were as usual from the known hotspots.

Canvassing has already started and slowly yet surely, results are coming in. In this chaotic world of politics, people remain optimistic which gives up hope. May God bless us all.