Good Friday, Good Run

Holy week, long vacation, Bantayan Island beckoned.

More than a month before the religious festival, I knew semana santa would be the perfect time to conquer the Sta. Fe-Bantayan route--I will have me some company (planned to drag along running buddies) and I got more than a couple of days (the family would not be happy if I just visit for a day or two and yet still sneak in time for running).

Lex and Pol were as excited as I am. I decided to have it on Good Friday so the brother and sister in law can join (they will arrive a day before). When we picked them up from the pier on Maundy Thursday, the bro hinted his preference for trail running(he brought trail-specific shoes). No, thank you, my shoes are dirty enough. His wife, Anne, didn't bring her pair so maybe she could just drive behind us and provide the needed hydration, I jokingly suggested.

Early morning Friday, I got the sleepy "diliiiiii" reply from Kuya when I told him it's time to don those running shoes. Tsk3x, enough for the planning.

I and Lex met Pol as we were walking from the town plaza towards Brgy. Ticad. We were officially off and running as soon as we stepped on that bridge fronting the old movie house.

Except for the flattened-out frogs, snakes, and other roadkill, I am loving the change in scenery; no other joggers/runners, just a few trisikads and tricycles.

We were halfway past the cemetery when we saw a man bolting out of Village. He donned the same running singlet I had on--that of the recent Citigym fun run. Pol sprinted and overtook the guy who did not hesitate to join us to Sta. Fe.

To make the long story short, I made it the around10 kilometer (just the boys' estimate considering the time) of cemented road in one piece. Enough with estimates, I have to have a Garmin! One hour and seven minutes without walk and water breaks. Not bad, eh? It was our new friend's (Ronald or Roland?) first time to run for about an hour, too.

Next time, we should try the more scenic Okoy route--Kuya's suggestion but of course we took it to mean that he won't be joining us. He seems to enjoy more the planning and suggesting. But I'm not giving up on him. =)

see you at the races...

no blog posts for how many days now? hmmn, i'm not even bothering to count...

life's been a bit overwhelming lately so i'm not beating my brains out for little things like calculating the number of days i haven't updated this blog, or list upcoming races to update the race calendar (right).

so just excuse my absence here.

i still run though. i need to. it helps me keep my mind and body from nearing shut down mode.

now, i couldn't even take the trouble to include a photo showing i still pound the pavement.

oh well.

still...see you at the races! i will show up at this sunday's citirun.

p.s. i won a pair of socks @ that running clinic sponsored by runnr. i thought i was lucky until i heard they called out jun's name. he won the polar watch.

Kasadya Race

I signed up for the Kasadya Fun Run because almost everyone at the office (well, at least in that little circle of Teradyne runners) said they will register. And also, I’ve been feeling sluggish after the Cebu City marathon; I needed another reason to sweat it out.

Tera tira?

The week before the race, I was only able to do one MEPZ2 afternoon run, which upped my worry that I’ll be racing on Sunday with walk breaks. I was already sauntering after the third kilometer! A man in a bicycle even greeted me with, “Ug nganong galakaw naman ka?”

Oh well, good luck to me at the Kasadya Race! Jun, Lex and Pol signed up for the 10k while I joined the rest of the Teradyne guys in the 5k, which category was exclusive for MEPZ employees.

At race day, our group was closely huddled near the front of the pack while waiting for the starting gun. So first 100 meters, we still caught sight of each other--except for Pol who zoomed away, and Vin and Kyaw who seemed to fly over the 5k route.

After the 1st km, I noticed Lex was not in his best shape (read: I have to slow down so he could keep up). When I noticed him reducing speed for the first water station, I sped up. But you know how guys are, they don’t want to be outrun by a girl. So he hurried up and later kept my pace. We parted at corner Banawa and V. Rama roads where the 5k and 10k routes separated.

It was at that corner (2.5k) that I grabbed a plastic cup from the water station. I gulped half of the water and poured the remaining half on my head, while I slowed down to a walk. I noticed the road getting lonelier, with the long gap between me and the runners before me. Still, I continued to take walk breaks, albeit brief, when I felt too breathless to enjoy the run. In the 3rd km, I managed to overtake a couple of guys but surrendered on trying to lessen the gap between me and the last female participant ahead of me. Upon approaching the 4th km, a familiar face (I later remembered her as one of those older women who always placed in races when the younger ones aren’t in town) shouted to me a jumble of words, with “third” as the only word I could make out. I’d like to think what she said was, “Third ka kung apsan to nimong baye sa unahan!”

I told my out-of-breath self I’ll be fine with fourth and just continue with my pace. After overtaking a male runner or two, I noticed that I’m approaching yellow flags signaling the turn before the finish line. And I thought I have to run at least 300 meters more! I decided to step up my pace until I noticed a girl ahead of me, walking as she made her turn. Whooaaa, it couldn’t be! Very much energized (and excited), Tapots whooshed to the finish line, smiling, big teeth and all.

It still remains a mystery to me why the girl continued with her stroll, not seeming to care that I am overtaking her. She gave me the podium finish that I never expected. Gee, thanks!

kadako'g ngisi sa uban... =D

And I got me new 5k PR, at 28.47. A kasadya race indeed!

running = endorphins = happiness

mcdo treat ;-)

CCM Photos

Bloghopping led me to more photos. Lookie!

• Estan Cabigas' photo gallery (mostly shots of 42k participants)

• Reel Runner's CCM Memoirs

• Cebu Sports Blog' CCM Photo Albums: 1, 2,3

• Giovanni Salahog's FB Album

The Race That Made Us Proud

The Jan. 10, 2010 Cebu City Marathon has left me proud as a peacock, what with all the glowing reviews it gained. I may not be part of the organizing group that worked very hard (Kudos to Cebu Executive Runners Club for a job well done) to make the event a huge success, but I am a Cebuano and we Cebuanos are a proud lot. We take pride in our own, from the various achievements of fellow Sugbuanons to our very own dialect. Cebuanos are proud being Cebuanos.

And so imagine my delight when Jaymie Pizzaro a.k.a. The Bull Runner gave the Cebu Marathon five TBR medals (excellent!).

“[T]he best local race I have ever joined. The organizers of Cebu Marathon got everything right from the carbo loading party to the awarding program,” she said. But my favorite was what she mentioned about us Cebuanos:

The one thing that stood out in this race, which contributed most to its success but didn’t cost a cent, were the people. The warmth and hospitality of the organizers and Cebuano runners were felt all throughout. Spectators lined the roads and cheered enthusiastically. It didn’t feel like another big corporate-sponsored racing event, but a run to celebrate Cebu, its people, and its culture.

Ahhhh, ain’t she sweet?

Aside from TBR, a number of running personalities and runner-bloggers agreed the race wasn’t that bad, to put it mildly.

Bald Runner

[T]he Cebu City Marathon was an outstanding road race that surpassed my expectations. From registration, distribution of race packets, carboloading party, race proper, up to the awarding ceremonies and the immediate posting of the official results, everything was “perfect”.

Amado L. Castro, Jr

[T]he manner the race was held has earned itself the rank right on top of the best if not the very best of any race events in the Philippines.

Drum and Run

It is by far the best road race I have participated in and is now my benchmark for future races to come.

Forefoot

For many points, the Cebu Marathon topped the charts.

Sheer Will

[I]t was a great race. A shoe-in for the Best Philippine Race of 2010 unless others up their ante.

Running Fatboy

Thanks to the organizers for making this a very good event. There were ample marshals, signs, and lots and lots of water. For your first year at doing this race, I can safely say that this was a SUCCESS!!!

Gingerbread Man

[I]t's one of my finest racing experiences ever, and you have got to try it next year.

Ani de Leon

This should totally be an annual event!!!!

Janine

The Cebu Marathon experience was simply awesome!

U-huh, I scoured the web for those plus a little help from Google Alerts.

Speaking of pride, I can't help but boast about my 29.03 in the 5k. A PR after a long running break! Yeba! Now I shouldn't feel a wee bit of a wimp for not taking a stab at the half marathon. There's always the next CCM. ;-)

Next post will be photos from the race.

December in Photos

I hope this post will make up for at least a couple of entries I should have made in December. The month of eating and parties leaves one slothful but to run addicts like me, there's no excuse not to don those running shoes and pound the road. I begged off from long runs though and wasn't faithful to my regular run schedule what with my aching right foot (see prior post). OK, I'm lazy too. So instead of a lengthy entry, the December post will mostly be photos with those little captions. =)

After the office Christmas party, I went to

Cebu Sports Club for the Midnight Run.

I loved the cool, sunless race! Until next year.

Since the boys decided to push through with their
21k plan, they continued with the training, which
included a 14k road run. I joined them, not in the run,
but in the breakfast @ IT Park. Pol later decided
to register for the full marathon.

Feeling guilty with all the Christmas feasting,
I managed to do a quick morning run in my island hometown.

I felt the familiar pain in my right foot after the
Combado run, warning me to give my feet more rest or else...
The feet didn't just get the relaxation they needed,
the nails also got painted to the color of the season.

With the break, I felt fat and slow. So, I talked my parents to
bring me somewhere I can spend time with my other love--swimming.
They drove me to Sugar Beach. Ahhh, I miss Bantayan already.

aaargh #*$%##s#!

I hate to say it but it maybe buh-bye to the half marathon this January for me. I have already skipped a huge chunk of my 21k training program and even ended a chow-filled week without running. It's doctor's advice--not the eating but the not pounding the pavement.

Before the visit to an Orthopedic Surgeon, I was already walking with a noticeable limp caused by a pain I felt on my right foot (yep, that part highlighted in the image below). image swiped from runnersworld.com

I dismissed the discomfort thinking the pain, like I had in my knee, will just go away (the knee started to hurt when I experimented with my running form but got alright after I went back to how I was doing it before I read materials and viewed videos about running). The injured foot, however, did not feel its normal self after a few days; it got even worse that friends and officemates readily noticed my uneven walking.

I can run or jog or walk real fast without that nagging pain but once I rest, especially with knees bent for some time (e.g., commuting in a cramped van), the first few steps would be difficult. A visit to the office clinic brought about the trip to an Ortho, which doctor I just chose from a list accredited by our healthcare insurance provider. As mentioned above, the appointment with the doctor brought me the refrain-from-running advice. I also had my right foot X-rayed, which X-ray showed nothing really wrong with my right foot. Now I'm taking expensive medicines and feeling heavy for not running in a week filled with parties.

I'm going to run tomorrow. Sssh, don't tell my doctor. I'll just be taking it easy anyway. And oh, my right foot doesn't hurt now. Really...