- Sorry to disappoint guys and gals, we weren't able to bring home the bacon this year at the Philippine Blog Awards Night. Thanks for all the support you gave during the process, you all rock. The award ended up going to that fine boxing blog Filipino Boxing Journal, well-deserved. Me and Ultramarathoner Abby attended the ceremonies last Sunday at the RCBC Plaza , first time to attend such an event. We got there a little earlier than expected, and that equated into having the benefit of having the cocktail tables all to ourselves before the mad rush of bloggers came in. Food was supplied by Angel's Pizza and Pasta, and in spite of their crummy logo (which may be the reason we have subliminally never went there), the grub was quite good. New fan right here, and I just learned to never judge a restaurant by it's logo. Yum. Got to chat with tech and video bloggers on two separate occasions, and they both went on to win.Either I'm a lucky charm or malas lang sila sa akin. Host Gabe Mercado was benta with his dry wit and candor. The fact that he strode unto the stage in pajamas and bunny slippers didn't hurt either. It was a bit of a downer that they announced the sports category first (which sorta made the whole thing anticlimactic), and the cool AVP they used to introduce it had Jaymieon it ( she was the last running blogger to win it in 08'. Speedy Natz' now-defunct site made it last year.) I have now officially mastered my "losing Oscar nominee smile". Smirk. We'll get em next year... if ever they decide to nominate me again :P I am I bitter? No. Did I cry after I lost? Yes. Inside.
Better luck... . next decade?
- Totally off-topic, I'm not digging that the new Seiko wallet radio spot pronounces "genuine" the correct way rather than the iconic "G-New-Wine" that made the whole thing famous. It just lost half its luster.Ulk.
- I still get nightmares about those Adidas Techfit shorts that were shamelessly stolen from me during ANR registration. Think of all the happy times we could have had together.
Sob.
- Good luck to all those doing the Corregidor International Half Marathon this weekend. Race Director Edward Kho is a good friend who made it worth everyone's while last year with a killer course. Those participating this year would no doubt get to partake of an even tougher experience. Tell us all about it.
- To the bike people out there, Ultegra 6700 + Christmas = Broke.
- Based off this perpetual question at the Takbo.ph boards, just wanted to know - are you a positive splitter or a negative splitter?
- Big props to my student and co-captain of my marketing team at UA&P Nicole Miller for giving a wonderful presentation at the PBA's. I'm pretty sure she gained more than a fan or two there.
Abby and Nikki prepped up at the PBA's.
- GBM BDM 160 Watch : 100% running. Just sent the confirmation of to Sir Jovie the other day. Here we go. No turning back now.
- Had a great time at the season ending NAGT Sprint Triathlon at UP Los Banos, hosted by their free-spirited hometown team the Trantados. While I'll reserve the rest of the details for the future story, here's what you got to know - the swim on the 25m pool was hella rough (more like Wrestlemania), with me having a bruise on my wrist and some guy who was panicking on the 12ft deep end grabbing on to my legs for dear life. Was 74th of 85 people out of the water, ended up snagging 38th place overall, 8th in my age group. Considering I did 39 minutes for 750m during my first sprint, I'd take my 30:11 official 800m split as an improvement. That month and a half with Coach Jose Arcega's TI techniques seems to be slowly taking fruit. From terribly horrible, I'm now just terribly below average haha.
Habol ng Habol... .
- Kudos to my teammates Noelle/Kikayrunner and Wilnar (yes, they actually made him a Facebook fan page) for their smashing performances during last Sunday's Milo National Finals. Noelle put in a spectacular 3:58, which would have qualified her last year even under the men's standards. Should we be calling it a Sub-Noelle now? Lol. Wilnar on the other hand dropped a somewhat routine (for him) 3:30 while no one was looking. I don't think it even excited him one bit lol. I'd also like to give props to TPB/Takbo.ph buddy Mccoy for pulling off a wonderful 1:41 21k as well. That's especially gratifying if only you guys knew that he has been battling debilitating injuries over the past two seasons. Some thought he'd never regain his speed again. But he's been tearing it up like a madman. He's the comeback runner of the year hands down IMHO. Someday, when I start running more than 20 kilometers a week again, I hope to one day do the same as these friends of mine :P
- The Cobra 2011 Ironman 70.3 actually opened early bird registration already. Cheap thrills, $200 only. Come February it's already $250 a pop. Factor in airfare and lodging, you're actually paying a considerable sum to inflict a considerable amount of pain on yourself. All of a sudden those P950 races we constantly whine about looks like chump change.
Worth it?
- Word through the grapevine is that there are concerns that the $200 early bird registration, exorbitant lodging fees (apparently, all CWC rooms have been booked already. Eight months ahead?? Wow.) and the specter of Extribe's world class organization ( this is their thing. I'm pretty sure KOTR dissenters would beg to disagree) being lost this year make for good reason to skip it altogether. Let's see how this holds true come August. Am I doing it? Hmmmmm... ..
That's it for this week's Gingerbreadtalk folks, enjoy the parties. Remember, lechon = slower you. Cheers!