My Way of Living:
marathon

G ingerbreadman closed his email with a weird feeling in his stomach. No, it wasn't that. It was an invite. To a presser. What an honor. Thus, in spite of his heavy workday which included a marathon 3-hour meeting, being suspected of being a student insurgent at the Malacanang gates and giving a 2 hour speech to 500 people (only one is made up, and it's not what you think), he went on to Megamall to roll the dice, eagerly anticipating the thrill of a fresh experience in his life away from the corporate bustle.

ADB Avenue, 6:10 pm
Oh boy. So the secret's out eh. They've been mumbling about this for like a month now. And now it could be said. What the big deal? Here's the big deal, and I've been getting snippets of this here and there. Apparently, it's called the Kenny's Open 2009 Urbanite Run. U rbanite? Urban? Hmmm. Nite? They need a copy-editor. Maybe they could hire me. But then again I hate copy editing. So this is THE event. In partnership with Takbo.ph of course. The one we've been hearing for like... forever. Oh boy Jinoe made me a moderator. What an honor. Ranks up there with the time that I took 3rd place in our quiz bee as a 4th grader. So what if only three showed up! There was a big storm that day and... Oh crap the MMDA dudes are flagging me down for coding. Goodbye 100 bucks.

Cool!

Not Cool!

GBM arrived at the designated venue 5 minutes early, still smarting from being divested ofP100 by the very people who were tasked to make our streets a better place. The anxiety of being alone amidst the more senior members of the runner/ blogger community dissipated as he saw a familiar face in Doc Lyndon aka Malmonmd. He remembered how Doc had warmly welcomed him at the Condura CLP as a newbie, made him feel like he belonged. I'll pay homage to the gesture one day to a nervous newbie when I'm in a position of seniority. But at this particular juncture, at this precise time and place - he was the newbie once more. Doc's amiable demeanor jostled him from his daydreams. Queenie is there. BR was there awhile ago, he just went out. Go inside and make yourself comfy. BR? Bald Runner? THE Bald Runner? If that was a portent of things to come, this was going to be a good night.

Doc Lyndon with his beautiful familyI am with Legends
Upon entering, a throng of familiar and not-so-familiar faces greeted his entrance. Looking around, he surveyed the scene in earnest anticipation as his underlying excitement was nearing its zenith. The venue isn't enclosed. I hope we could hear one another amidst this mad, rush hour dinner crowd. Friendly faces abound. Takbo.ph elite idol Vener,also known in blogging parlance as Run Unltd. was there. One day I hope to be as fast as him. Okay maybe not. But still, I appreciate that he was at that finish line when I finished that insane 50k Ultra. ( Editor's Note : Yes, I owe you an entry on that epic life experience and yes I'll get to it once I finish the things that I need to do. Things that, uh, actually pay me money. I need to feed my family, put food on the table. Or maybe I just need the money to buy running thingamajigies) Trail runner extraordinaire/overall nice guy/foodie connoisseur Sir Rene aka The JazzRunner was there, exchanging niceties and running stories as they eventually settled on being "seatmates" for the duration of the presser. A small group was formed at one of the tables., members of the running blogosphere no doubt. A quick glance showedthat one of them was Vimz aka Kulit on the Run . While he was always a fan of her site and layout, as much as he wanted to say "hi" his inherent Gingerbread nature dictated him to lean towards the "shy" end of the spectrum.At least for the first 5 minutes. There were also Roselle The Running Diva and Bards of BananaRunning sightings. From the Takbo.ph ranks, Coach/Mod Pojie was indisposed and couldnt make it. 5k pacer/motivational speaker Rico of Sheer Will fame was running late. Boss Jinoe was apparently stuck in traffic. But the real treat was yet to come. Two running luminaries , veritable legends in the field were in the house. And our protagonist was reduced to a blubbering piece of blubber.

Sir Rene and Vener

Queenie, Roselle, Vener, and Bards Unbelievable. I finally got to talk to the irrepressible Bald Runner . Sir Jovie himself. He's a really nice guy. You'd think he'd have a gruff military guy vibe. But he's really cool. Gave me a ton of tips on how to recover from an ultramarathon, and how to increase my speed. I'm glad he likes my work. That just inspires me to write more and spend less time on my day job! (alt tabs to "Communications Strategy 2009" as boss passes by) Whew. Anyway, another tremendous experience was to meet race walk legend /shipping magnate/big hearted nice guy Sir Amado Castro, who's also known for his popular Reinier6666 blog. Handshakes, warm exchanges ensued. I'm really touched by his kind words for our blog, as well as his unending support in helping our running community , the Takbo.ph Aid Station during the Botak ultra a prime example. Sigh, a good day indeed.

Photo-op to remember The Grub Before the Storm, 7:30 pm Without any trepidation, the Jazzrunner ordered a bountiful feast fit for a, er, hungry blogger. No further elaboration required.

Yum. Nuff Said. Presser Proper, 7:45 The briefing was led by agency rep/ DLSU alum Denise and fun guy/Finish Line head honcho Vince Mendoza. Coach Rio soon followed suit, presumably to help out with the question and answer portion. The concept was novel. The first ever night run with a disposable timing chip system is to be launched. Side events to follow. Coolpix capable. Glow in the dark bracelets. Refletorized bibs. Double the marshals.Free food when you register. Help out a wonderful cause. What more do you need to know?

No mic, no prob for Denise

There it is

Amazing how Vince does that hand gesture

Coach clarifying things during Q&A

This presentation is cool. Even without a mic! Oh there's a mic now! Just in time for the closing remarks! BR is asking about the security issues since it's a night run. It's been prevalent nowadays, you know. Oh god did I just do a Pacquiao. Anyway, it's admirable how Vince and Coach Rio handle his queries, and it's also admirable how Sir Jovie volunteered Team BR to help out with security. That right there is the spirit of volunteerism that we should espouse amongst oursleves, if only to give back to our community. Okay, so everything is working out great except that... oh lord I forgot to take notes! How am I supposed to write about this thing? Guesswork? Can I just make it up? Oh shoot. Hmm.. I know... why not we tap our ET running buddies from The Collective to get me back in time and get me that info. ... ... ... .. Okay that sure was fast. Run Strong and Prosper my preternatural friends. So here's what we got...

Now, Kenny Rogers is taking another leap forward in its dedication to health - one that is bound shake up a storm! It is with great pride that we present: The Kenny’s Open 2009 Urbanite Run ! On August 15 ^th at 8:00 p.m. , at Bonifacio Global City in the Fort, a truly one-of-a-kind run will take place. And as the name suggests, The Kenny’s Open Urbanite Run will happen at night!

With an advanced timing chip system to record runners’ progress and distances of 5/10/15 kilometers, the Urbanite Run is designed especially for the young and young at heart of the Metro. Participants 18 years old and above are eligible to sign up!

Joining is easy. Simply stop over at any Kenny Rogers Roasters branch or the new Kenny’s Roast and Grill restaurant at the Powerplant and purchase the Urbanite Run Ticket to Eat, Run and Donate your way to fitness! Registration can be done manually or via online & mobile through www.kennys.com.ph.

EVENT DETAILS:

1. The Kenny’s Open 2009 Urbanite Run will be held on August 15, 2009 (Saturday) at The Fort. Official call time will be at 8:00pm .

2. The run will a cco mmodate a total of 3,000 runners, 18 YO and above, with divisions of 5, 10, and 15 kilometer distances.

HOW TO JOIN:

1. Purchase the Urbanite Run Ticket

a. To join the Kenny’s Open 2009 Urbanite Run, interested participants must purchase an Urbanite Run Ticket for P600 at any Kenny Roger’s Roasters branch or the new Kenny’s Roast and Grill restaurant at the Powerplant.

b. Interested participants may also purchase the Urbanite Run ticket through the web or on their mobile phones by visiting www.kennys.com.ph . An electronic claim voucher will be issued to registrants to claim their Urbanite Run Ticket at any Kenny Roger’s Roasters branch or the new Kenny’s Roast and Grill restaurant at the Powerplant.

Urbanite Run Tickets will entitle participants to:

a. Eat: Bearers are entitled to an Urbanite meal from Kenny Rogers. Simply present the Urbanite Run Ticket at any Kenny Rogers branch to claim the Urbanite meal. Redemption period from July 15 to Aug. 15, 2009 .

b. Run: The Urbanite Run Ticket will serve as the runner’s registration voucher, to be attached to their registration form, if they register manually. See below for registration details.

c. Donate: Serve as runner’s donation to Hands On Manila Foundation. On the day of the run, bearers are to drop the “Donate” portion of their Urbanite Run Tickets at the designated box on-site.

2. Register for the Run

Registration will be from July 15 to August 11, 2009 .

Participants may register online or through designated registration sites. For other details, please contact Vince Mendoza at (632) 7031736.

a. Online Registration Process

a. Interested participants are to log on to www.kennys.com.ph , click on the “Events” tab, follow the Urbanite Race link, and register their details online.

b. Once registered, participants must submit their details and settle payment via credit card/ GCash or ATM.

c. An electronic claim voucher will be issued to registrants to claim their Urbanite Run Ticket at any Kenny Roger’s Roasters branch or the new Kenny’s Roast and Grill restaurant at the Powerplant.

d. Participants may also choose to have their race kits delivered at a minimal cost. Delivery address to be indicated in the online registration form.

e. Confirmation email will be sent to the participant’s email within 24 hours upon online payment.

b. Registration thru designated registration sites.

a. Interested participants must go to the available Finishline Registration booths at the four (4) pre-identified marathons:

i. 2 ^nd GIG Run, UP Diliman

ii. Milo Manila Elimination, Luneta Grandstand

iii. Robinson’s Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Ru, NBC Tent

iv. Globe Run For Home on July 19 at The Global City, Fort Bonifacio , Taguig City

b. Interested participants may also register their details at Nike Park and Runnr and claim race materials on-site.

c. Manual registration will also be available to last-minute participants on the night of the run – within 1hr before call time.

EVENT DAY:

1. Call time

On the night of the run, participants must arrive at 8:00 pm. Assembly and gun start times of each division are as follows:

Distance

Assembly

Gun Start

5K

TBD

8:30PM (TBC)

10k

TBD

8:45PM (TBC)

15k

TBD

9:00PM (TBC)

2. Prizes

a. The following cash prizes will be awarded to first, second, and third place finishers of each division, to be awarded after the run finishes.

Distance

5 Kilometers

10 Kilometers

15 Kilometers

Male

Female

Male

Female

Male

Female

1 ^st Place

Php 5,000

Php 5,000

Php 5,000

Php 5,000

Php 5,000

Php 5,000

2 ^nd Place

Php 3,000

Php 3,000

Php 3,000

Php 3,000

Php 3,000

Php 3,000

3 ^rd Place

Php 2,000

Php 2,000

Php 2,000

Php 2,000

Php 2,000

Php 2,000

b. Employees of Roasters Group Inc., Bates141 Philippines, Zenith Optimedia including their relatives up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity are disqualified from winning the cash prizes.

3. Event Activities

At the end of the run, participants will be invited to relax to a concert of Tribo Manila and purchase their Urbanite dinners at discount.

4. Security Measures

a. Stationary marshals at different points along the run route, approximately 100-150 meters apart or at strategic areas.

b. Roving marshals in motorcycles to tail and keep runners in line.

c. Police marshals and traffic enforcer group will direct traffic and to ensure runners will not be approached by onlookers.

d. Roving police escorts as added security measure.

e. Perimeter barricading at the start/finish line to keep runners assembled properly.

f. Roving security designated at the parking area.

5. Safety Measures

a. Runners to wear illuminated bib numbers and glow bracelets for easy tracking.

b. The marathon route will also contain “reflectorized” cones and signages to ensure the clarity of the track

c. Perimeter lighting will be placed around the run route every 50 meters or so.

d. In case of emergency, two (2) ambulances will be on standby with a dedicated first aid station at the event grounds.

e. All runners are entitled to insurance coverage worth Php 100,000.00 with Php 10,000.00 medical reimbursement.

The Takbo.ph boys full of ribs and chix So as the presscon drew to a close, new friends were made and old ones were reinforced. Close encounters of the running legend kind never hurt the Gingerbread folk as well. There was an air of great anticipation for this one-of-a-kind event. So as GBM started to head for the exits, he was stopped by a familair foil... .. Rico : Hey Gingerbread creature! GBM : Uh, hi boss. Rico: How are your knees? GBM : I can walk now boss... Rico: Great great. You owe me for that 5k. If not for me you would be frothing in the mouth in that unknown UP place! GBM: Mosr probably boss. No worries, if ever they do a bromance movie on my life, you will be the lead. Rico: How flattering. ANyway, business first. Where's my GC? GBM: What GC? Rico: Duh THE LEVI's GC for your fraudulent "contest" ! GBM: Oh yeah that... . Rico: I should report you to the blogging ADBOARD ! Shameless Blog Promotion! GBM: Uh, boss... Rico: Yes? What? I should... WOAH! YAY! It's True ! It wasn't a sham! My precious GC's! YEBAHHH!

It pays to be a Levi's wenner
Wonderful event. Great People. Good food. Come to think of it... It was a good night indeed.

Hi everyone! So fine, we went ahead and did it. We have a "podcast" now. It's really just to give an added dimension to your reading experience. We read about these people all the time. Most of the time we have never seen them or talked to them in person. Let's try to showcase the next best thing and pick the minds of these running heavyweights.

For the very first edition of "The Gingerbreadcast", (Yeah, creative. Name of the year candidate right there. I know. Email me your bright ideas) we have Second Wind proprietor/ultramarathoner/walking running encylopedia /nice guy Hector Yuzon join us for a quick chat. The very first time I had met him was when I had done my gait analysis. I was truly impressed with the wealth and breadth of his running insights, as well as the looming principles that served as the backbone of his commitment to give back to the sport that he loves. So check it out, hope you enjoy :)
Get this widget | Track details | eSnips Social DNA

It has been a little over two weeks since 10 enterprising souls along with their gritty, dedicated support team went out with two vans and covered 250 kilometers covering Subic, Bataan and Zambales during the Chris Sports Epic Relay. By now, you have probably read all about it. Listened to the incredible stories. Heard out the grievances and lamentations. Reveled in the triumphs and cringed at the lows. As of this writing, the discussion thread that we had put together at Takbo.ph has generated 3,317 views, one of the most I had ever seen given that not too many people from the boards were directly part of it. A blow-by-blow feed on Facebook that I was painstakingly updating through my Blackberry even during the wee hours of the morning had produced an incredible 366 comments. Truly, it was a race for the ages, one that people would be surely talking about for months to come.

TPB rocks.
So why such a late entry? Nope, I haven't been that lazy mind you. It's just that with the contentious nature of how the race unraveled, I didn't want to come up with an article that was reeking of input from my hopelessly skewed left portion of the brain. With so much charged energy emanating from the after-race vibe, I thought it best to let things simmer down a bit lest I come up with material with excessive amounts of vitriol.

We'll keep it cool. Er, will try at least.

Given the relative "epicness" of the race, and the fact that I wasn't there personally for all of the legs, I guess it really wouldn't do justice if I gave a blow-by-blow like my BDM feature. We're currently working on a compilation of everybody's experiences, and if no publisher picks it up, we'll most probably post it online mwahaha. Wait on it!

So instead, I'll try my best to give you a microcosm of the race proper(there were 30 legs in all, subdivided into 3 main sections) with my personal inputs on my specific leg.

Legs 1-10
Spirits were high for our 12nn gun start as we embarked on the great unknown. Little did we know that this was to be a race to remember. Given the pace we had declared pre-race, we were bundled in the final, "elite" start wave. Some teams had already started as early as 5am, supposedly to even things out. As nervous energy abound, the teams that we were looking out for were Team Ponstan (supposedly loaded with strong, veteran runners), and a Kenyan-powered Team Runnerspeak. Much to our surpise, there was another team inserted into our wave at the very last minute- Team Timex. Through casual conversation, it was not outwardly stated that this was a sponsored team loaded with triathletes and elite runners. Dropping a faux name (Team Roundsprint?) and giving off a weekend warrior vibe, I guess this was gamesmanship at its finest. Or rather, more like a portent of things to come.

In high spirits... .

And yet anxious for what lies ahead...

As we were awaiting the starting gun, the organizers/sponsors had even put together a "showbiz" style intro, with what seemed to be a hastily organized Ponstan "Pep Squad" comprised of made-up teens gyrating to pop tunes ala ASAP while were baking in 35 degree weather . At the starting line, leadoff guy Mark/Beep Beep got into the action and showed off his "Disco" moves in the background.

Beep could give these teens a run for their money
As the starting gun finally sounded off, there was a palpable sense of nervous energy amongst the team. Extremely anxious, yet confident that our collective abilities will allow us to make a good account of ourselves. It was agreed upon collective during our pre-race prayer that we're not gunning to win at all costs. It's not the be-all end-all of our stint here. We're just going out to have a good time, soak in the experience, and anything we pick up along the way is gravy.

A prayer for guidance towards the right path

And so it begins. As I said earlier, I don't have the capabilities of doing an accurate blow-by-blow for the entire thing (it would take me forever to write it and you might get bored reading it), so I'll just recreate the first leg in detail while trying my best to faithfully recapture the rest of the legs, just to give your the overall vibe of the race at that given moment.

And so it begins... .(cue Olympic music)Land of the Lost and a budding loveteam
Beep Beep was our leadoff guy, probably the strongest sprinter on the team. A former Palarong Pambansa standout, we were banking on a solid opening salvo from him to help set the tone for the rest of the race. From the time that the opening gun was fired, we could see that he was already neck and neck with Kenyan supergal Susan from Team Runnerspeak. So off they went, and we merrily went back to our vans.

As we were heading to the van exchange point at the Pawikan Center (serves as the halfway mark of all three main sections of the race) , we noticed one big problem. The guy from "Team Roundsprint" was actually ahead. And the rotund Ponstan team captain was in 2nd! How could that be? How could they outrun a Kenyan and a 39 minute 10k dude? It could only mean one thing... .

It simply meant that they were... .

Apparently, they were so fast that they missed the turn. Quite mind boggling that the lead pack didn't have any escort to guide them. That's just so crazy. Anyway, Beep ended up going all the way back to the start line, and i think he finished his 5k in 35 minutes. By the time the dust has settled we were in 2nd place, our psyche reeling from this unexpected setback.

The Furious Chase Once Mark/Indorock was up for his leg, it didn't take long for the speedy trackster to bridge the gap between us and the first placers. Cheers abound in our van. Now the hard part. Roy, Bryan and Brando had their work cut out for themselves as they not only had to keep pace to hold off the 3rd placers, in the race for 1st place they were matched up against Cyborg-like counterparts on some of the most difficult terrain in the race. Brando was near exhaustion, and asserted that his stretched out, ridiculously incline-filled course was the hardest 8k of his life.

Early hero Indorock attempts a furious comeback

The Brothers Rivera put up a gallant stand

Brando was so tired that he wanted to go home, selling "scramble" for bus fare
Mark Hernz was up next. Was a short 4.4 k route, but his inclines would have put St. Martin to shame. In spite of the searing heat and technical difficulty of his leg, he gutted it,clocking in a solid effort in the process.

Mark gutting out the punishing inclines
Leg 7. My turn. By the time the baton (er, slapstick) was handed over to me, a 2km deficit was staring me in the face. What fun. I was amped beyond belief. The long wait at the Leg 5 van exchange point had somehow sapped my energy, notwithstanding the fact that we were working from behind.

Nervous dude right here
The amiable guy from the leading team (who even wore pink, I reckon in a sign of allegiance?) even gave me a high-five as he trotted out 10 minutes ahead of me. Once the exchange process was done, I was a man on a mission. Leg description was Recreational to Intermediate. Niiice. With adrenalin pumping, I rushed through the initial, extremely downhill stretch at about a 3:30 pace throwing caution to the wind. This lasted for all of 300 meters. Then I was stopped dead in my tracks. Suddenly, the downhills were gone, and was replaced with a slow, excruciating 6k uphill climb with lush foliage that made it very hard to breathe. Nothing Recreational about this. Cars were spewing smoke at you, and crabby doggies wanted to get a piece of you.

To those who are part of my Adidas Adination Ortigas team, the St. Paul- St. Martin Combo is about 1k not counting the downhill. So think doing 6k worth of that while trying desperately to hold 5:00 pace. I could have sworn I was hyperventilating. Pace was dropping by the nanosecond. By the time I reached the 6k mark, total pace had dropped all the way to 5:57 already. Eek.

Thankfully, what goes up, goes down. I'd like to think that all the uphill training I do had some sort of residual effect. At the risk of blowing my quads, I ran the final steep downhill stretch with everything I had at that point, crushing the asphalt at 3:45 - 3:50 pace. I was red-lining it. I HAD to make up for lost time. We HAD to get back first place.

Have... to get... . first place... .

All of a sudden, with about 1k to go, I saw the leading team's dude laboring heavily. I was ecstatic!! 1st PLACE WAS IN SIGHT!

He got tired
In hindsight, I was thinking his heavyset core typical of gym habitues would give out with those extreme inclines at some point.And it did. Blazing at a pace that I could never ever sustain without the concept of team dynamic in play, I passed him! 1st place was ours!!! The rush was unbelievable and unforgettable. As I passed the support van, I was screaming "WE'RE BACK IN FIRST!!! WE'RE BACK IN FIRST!!!" I think I heard Abby screaming in the van as well . Lol.

Now, there was so much momentum gained that I even sprinted the incline near the 10k mark. 10k mark passes. Gulp. No exchange tent! I was burning out pretty fast. Then all of a sudden, my extremities were going numb. It was going upwards already. My hands then started to involuntarily shake. OMG. I was freaking out. What the heck was happening to me? Still nothing. I was panting like a rabid dog in heat. Where was the tent??? Finally, 750 meters later it was there. I rushed , signed in, handed the slaptstick over to a totally juiced Jai, and he was off! TPB in the lead!!!! The team met me with raucous cheers. I was completely exhausted, but super happy. Given that running is an individual sport, having to do team time trials was awesome. We left the leg in high spirits, knowing that I just handed over the lead to one of the strongest runners on our team.

Happy but wasted guyLegs 8 and 9 went by like a blur. Speedy Jai was still fresh from his 3rd place finish at the TBR Dream Marathon, so the guy was in awesome shape. He turned the slight lead I gave him into a significant advantage, and powerful Ronnel padded more to it as the race was starting to drag on into the night.

Dynamic Duo powers into the night.By the time Ka Totoy came up, it was pitch dark already. Being our undisputed anchor and the closest thing to an elite runner on the team, we gave "The Legend" our most difficult leg - the dreaded 6km climb up to Mount Samat. His performance was simply scintillating. He left our mouths wide agape while tackling Kennon Road-level inclines at an unthinkable 5:30 pace. If I had done the same route, I probably would have walked. Being the consummate pro that he is, there were times that he would even wave us off, telling us to wait ahead of him. Running a ridiculous incline in pitch black darkness takes some cajones, and he taught all of us right then and there a thing or two about guts.

From the eyes of a legend... .

The scene that unfolded after seemed like it was taken straight from a movie script. As fast as Ka Totoy was chipping away at the mountain, a rampaging juggernaut was hot on his heels. The strongest Kenyan runner of Team Runnerspeak was blasting away at our nearly 30 minute advantage on them, and before we knew it, they were in 2nd place. Just FYI, this was the Kenyan dude who won Rock and Run 10k, and he runs a 15 minute 5k just to put things into perspective.

In a moment of sheer drama, the Kenyan came within 100 meters of Ka Totoy as he hit the runner exchange point. One last dramatic grasp, and the lead was turned over to Beep Beep who started sprinting like a madman for the start of the next rotation, his lady love Susan in hot pursuit. Incredible effort on the Kenyan's part, and pretty much all of us had a greater appreciation for "The Legend's" incredible running moxie after that sublime effort.

Cooling down after a performance for the ages
Whew. What an Epic! And guess what? We're only a third of the way!

But I'll have to stop there.

Because it was at this point that from a genuinely enjoyable race, everything seemed to connive against our success. Among others, I'd rather not discuss how I was stopped right smack in the middle of my 2nd leg ostensibly for "fast forward purposes" along with a totally moronic penalty by a high strung race director who wouldn't give the time of day to any opinion apart from his own.

I don't want to come out with unhappy memories out of this remarkable experience. I'd rather remember Beep and Susan's epic battle racing at 3:00/km pace down the insanely steep downhill of Mt. Samat in total darkness. Or how Brando valiantly tried to fend off "Cyborg" when he just popped out of the darkness. Or how Bryan's tremendous managerial skills established a semblance of order in our team.

One last comeback left in us... .

In a team full of competitive runners who usually duke it out over the weekends, I am proud of how the team came together to overcome adversity in making a concerted effort to go down on our shields with honor. I'll never forget screaming my lungs out when the team pounded out a last-ditch comeback effort, gutting out minute by painstaking minute culminating in Ronnel reclaiming the lead for TPB at leg 29. Truly, you can't make this stuff up. In spite of everything, we still had a chance to win it all at the very last leg. I have misty memories of how Ka Totoy, his body wracked in intense pain and battling 37-degree heat, ran with his heart on the pavement in overtaking the game PNP runner for 2nd place on the very last kilometer.

All for glory...

Because you see, this race meant much more to us than the figurative silver (thanks Mark Mulder) that we weren't even acknowledged for. It was more than the P360 finishers shirt, the P20 Pocari Sweat and P50 picture that awaited you at the line.

It went beyond winning or losing. It was about sticking to our guns when the going got beyond tough. It dealt with working within the rules even if they were seemingly be made to be broken. It was about getting back up and giving it your all after you've been kicked down incessantly to the curb.

Respect. Sportsmanship. Camaraderie. Ain't that what it's all about?

It's been a completely seminal experience for me. It's changed me in a lot of ways too.

To Beep, Mulder, Roy, Brando, Bry, Mark, Jai, Ronnel and Ka Totoy, it was my distinct honor to have raced with you guys.

To our wonderful support team Abby, Maan, Bea, and Doc Eire - thank you so much for sticking by us and sticking for us.

I am very proud of each and every one of you. I'm proud of TPB and what we stand for.

Because no matter what had happened in those fateful 23 hours...

I wouldn't have had it any other way.

TPB 2010 Baby!

Warning : You will NOT agree with this entry. 95% probability. Which is good.

I went into the BOTAK Carbo Loading Party at UP's Bahay ng Alumni with no great expectations. I was tired, long day. All I wanted was to get my singlet and race kit. And to get home as soon possible. But little did I know that I would bear witness to something that could possibly impact my life in more ways than I could think of.

Bring it on... ... .

The Parable of the Hungry Ultraman

Hungry Ultraman : May I have some pesto pasta

Waiter : Ok Sir!

Hungry Ultraman : May I have some of that Bolognese

Waiter: Um, ok Sir!

Hungry Ultraman : May I have some of that Carbonara please

Waiter : Ugh, Ok Sir.

Hungry Ultraman : May I have more of that Carbonara

Waiter : Ugh ok.

Hungry Ultraman : May I have more please, I am quite hungry and I paid a lot for this .

Waiter: ... ... ... . Ok.

Hungry Ultraman : Just a bit more... .

Waiter : Sir, there are 50 more runners which need to be fed.

Hungry Ultraman : Oh, okay. If you put it that way.

Waiter : ... ...

Hungry Ultraman : Hey, could I come back for second servings?

Waiter : Why me Lord? Why me?
First, I am not the Hungry Ultraman. Second, you can't make this stuff up. You just can't.

The Dinner Table. GBM

Dang I'm late. Got lost. Thank God Pat's here, we have a table. I'm seated at a table where they seem all seem to know each other. Sharing ultraman stories and anecdotes. It's like an old boys club, and I'm on the outside looking in. The common denominator amongst these guys is that they're nice. Really nice. Like we've known each other for a long time. Familiar faces abound. I see Sir Ronnie aka Runnerforchrist a few feet from me. I finally get to meet him in person. The Team Bald Runner guys are right next to me . They're actually amiable! I always had this impression that they were stern and warrior-like in nature. So what gives? Let's give a quick recap.

Pat, Sir Ronnie and unnamed ultraman enjoying some grub

Chillin' out

The Emcee
Better known as the guy behind the Run For Change site, Eric Passion aka Passion Runner was the capable master of ceremonies. He had the chutzpah to withstand several withering feedback screeches from a whacked out mic, his crisp quips quickly diverting the attention of the 60 or so people at UP's Restaurant of Choice.

That's half of Eric and ... . uh, half a head.

I need to go back here yum

The Race Di rectors

Ian and Neville were sharp and on point in explaining routes, rules, regulations to the group. After the orientation, you would get the impression that ultra runners have their own brotherhood, their own ubuntu.
Main takeaway - leave ultra runners out there, and they would know what to do.

Ian with screeching mic hard at work

Neville getting his point across

Marathon Man

So he's the owner of Botak. The I remembered I had seen him before, during the Takbo.ph CLP for Condura. A true running luminary, he has paved the way for ultramarathons in our country, pulling off unfathomable Trans- Europe and Trans-USA runs at a time when I was merely learning how to walk. The audience was enthralled as a slideshow showcased the highlights of his life's magnum opus. This guy could do the impossible... He didn't let anything or anyone stop him from achieving that. Nothing could ... ...

Man of the Hour

3,000 miles is no laughing matter
This is the part where you cringe

Then it hit me. Back in the day, when he told people that he would run 3,000 miles , 65 km a day, people would have told him he was crazy. That he was risking long term injury. They may have laughed at him. Mocked him even. Said it couldn't be done. Admittedly, he's a man of few words. so he just went out and did it. Just keep running, keep moving forward. No quitting.

I have always believed in the power of the human spirit, that anyone can achieve anything if they put their minds to it. I teach inspirational leadership to college freshmen, and I expound on theories which hover around the lines of something we call " a place with no limits". That if you want to achieve something, it CAN be done if you just... believe.

I am intrigued, and I would want to put my theory to the test against this rare showcase of human endurance. It's a mindset. A mindset that not everyone will agree to, but if wielded properly could produce spectacular results. When push comes to shove, can the mental overcome the physical?

100 grueling kilometers. 2 cities. Once the urge kicks in to throw in the towel... .

I'll just keep running, keep moving forward.

No quitting.

So you're a newbie. You more or less run 3-4 times a week, have your fair share of weekend races.You suddenly have a delusion of grandeur attack and then all of a sudden you find yourself signed on to run an insane distance. 50k to be precise. That's like Manila to Tagaytay. Friends, family, and officemates think you're absolutely nuts. The requisite "but its only 50k, some of my friends are running 100k" line is met with sheer incredulousness. So you're a newbie. You're entering uncharted territory. How do you finish the Botak 50k with no prior experience? Here are some possibilities. 1. Bribe the Botak people with foodies and gingerbreads to give you a free pass, with your name suddenly appearing on the finisher's list, freebies and photo-ops delivered to your front door. Okay maybe not. Better option - bribe 100k ultramen Pat and Dennis with foodies or maybe girlies to pace you to victory.2. Ride a Segway at 3am when no one's looking and everyone's half asleep. Get more Segways so that Rod and Timmy the Kenkoy Runner could ride along with you, their jokes would take away the pain of running 7 hours.3. Have Sam the Running Ninja utilize his powers and teleport you 40k down the course. 4. Ask the help of The Collective for a one-time shot at their alien, time-bending powers so that they could transport you 7 hours to the future, the glory of winning without breaking a sweat. 5. Bribe Tito Caloy with Emperador so that he would drive your support car for 7 hours in the wee hours of the morning, taking away from his, um, inuman time. 6. Get some tips from Rico on how to complete the race By Sheer Will. 7. Wear a Phiten titatanium necklace so you can imagine that you have something that actually helps you run better. 8. Record the voice of Coach Pojie and SF Runner Wayne giving inspirational advice and motivational sound bites. Push! Push! Go you lazy Gingerbread! Only 49k to go! 9. Get Doc Iris to give you a thorough eye exam so you could see well in the wee hours of the morning and won't fall into a ditch. Or get run over in Commonwealth. 10. Follow two simple words of advice uttered by local running legend Bald Runner - DON'T QUIT. Good luck to everyone running the Botak Ultra! :) Break a leg! Okay that didn't sound good.

Philippine Blog Awards Verification Text - PBA096339qor
Chateau Gingerbread, 6:30 pm

Gingerbreadman rushes inside his house on pins and needles, a late-ending event at his office coupled with the maddening rush of the sundown traffic resulting in twenty minutes worth of tardiness. The helpers are stirred by his spastic entrance, the elder Ginger folk jostled by the abruptness of his appearance. A week-long bout with the chills had the elders admonishing him at the mere mention of a run, urging him to err on the side of caution lest he meet the same fate of the 7 other victims from his alma mater.

Gingerbread Grandpa : Are you crazy? You are sick! Sick I say! You need to rest! And besides, it's raining!

GBM: It's not raining. That's the blender.
Gingerbread Grandma: Just stay home hijo I will make you some Spam and Eggs
GBM : Yum. How healthy. What's your BP again?
Gingerbread Doggie : Woof! Wooooof! Bark! Yelp! (Translation : I could care less if you're sick, but could I have the Spam and Eggs instead?)
GBM: How thoughtful. Now knock it off or I'll have you neutered.
Gingerbread Gal (via SMS) : Please don't go... . you're sick... .. I'll be sooo worried :( Don't go ...
GBM: Aww how sweet. Okay, because you deserve nothing less. I'll... text you when I get home! Xoxo!

Unflinching in his resolve to run despite the chorus of incessant protests received from the immediate brood, GBM nonchalantly went through a whirlwind version of his pre-run ritual. I'll be late for my own freaking run. How embarassing. Oh great the newbie guy texted, he's there already. I don't feel good at all, but what the heck. I'll just run it off. Someone please get the doggie off my leg!

Mcdonald's Pearl Drive, 6:50 pm

20 minutes late and counting . As he rushed into the world's #1 purveyor of high cholesterol, an unfamiliar face was waiting amongst the early dinner throng. Niceties are exchanged. Pio was the name. HR Consultancy was his game. On and off runner since 2005 with a max of 5k in a race. Even as running pals Rico and Bong Yu emerged from the woodwork, GBM could not help but wonder how the newbie could survive the projected 22k route. If he collapses, would that be on me? He looks like he has insurance... Hmmm... . Or better yet I could just blame Rico and Bong... .

GBM was jolted from calculating the ramifications of death via newbie when running buddy/risk manager Rico tapped him on the shoulder, reminding him of unfulfilled promises... .

Rico : Hey, where's my prize? GBM : What prize?Rico : You know, that Levi's Unbuttoned Contest thing you had going... .
GBM : Oh yeah, that!

Rico : I won you know... ..

GBM : Oh... ... .. Yeahhhh... ... . Umm, I left it in the office... ..

Rico : Excuses excuses, is this even a real contest?

GBM: Of course it is!

Rico: Looks like a cheap advertising gimmick to me!

GBM : Nooo... it's true! I just left it in my desk! I prooomisee!

Rico : Is it true that you rigged it so I could win?

GBM: Next question please... .

With everything in order, the group set out on their mission - a 22k LSD that would be the first step in their mileage building process for some, a huge running milestone for another.

And so it begins

Km 1.5 - Gold Loop Ortigas

The group was just getting into the groove along the busy alleyways of the Gold Loop that circumvents Pearl Drive. Along the way, GBM had to endure the hopefully friendly jeers of students reveling in his demystified state, his short shorts the complete antithesis of his formal,barong-clad persona. As they were about to hit the route where a squatters settlement was rumored to be intentionally razed, the foursome met triathlete Javy, of Tri'n Hard fame . On the last legs of his route, the affable road warrior shared a quip or two while traversing a single loop, his preparations for the upcoming Animo Tri nearing its peak. With the next leg beckoning, goodbyes were exchanged as the group was steeling itself for the pounding ahead.

Chillin' with Tri'n Hard

Km 4, Julia Vargas Ave

My name is Bong and I work in One San Miguel. Why I come along to these runs, I have no idea. I'm none too shabby a runner myself, I'm a 57 10k dude. I'm just too modest to tell anyone about it. But I wanna take it to the next level. I want to bring that speed to the longer distances. Maybe that's why I'm here. Boy, Julia Vargas sure is dark at night. Is the newbie still alive? He's nice. If something goes wrong, I'll just blame GBM. He organized the whole thing anyway. Why is he pacing us like a madman? Is he mad at us? Why is he subjecting us to this sort of punishment. Oh yeah, we requested this pace. Me and my big mouth. Ow! He almost got run over. What a psycho. Not the car. GBM! Why does he like running in the middle of the street? And he's taking pictures! Is that part of the training? Psycho.

Julia Vargas is fun at night
Km 6, St. Martin Hills

Pio is the name and HR is my game. Running? Getting there. So why am I here? Hey I'm down for anything. These guys are so fast. What's this tempo thing they're doing. Runner terminology. Ptooey. One day I'll drop one of these on an unsuspecting newbie. But for now I'm the newbie. I'll take my lumps. And... . oh lord what's with these people??? Are we seriously going to climb this hill? I take this on 1st gear with my car!!! What Psychos! Whaa... . *pant* *gasp*

Daunting indeed.

Km 7.5, Motel/Baby Gravy Drive

I'm known in running circles as Sheer Will. You know, the famous (ahem) blogger/ quintessential nice guy/kuya figure ? My closer friends call me Rico. People who make me feel old call me Boss Rico. People who don't know me at all ask me if I'm the basketball player from Ateneo. Yes, my name is Enrico Villanueva. No I am not the basketball player from Ateneo. Yeah, if I was 6"5 I would be dating celebrities and sipping iced tea at Manila Polo instead of killing myself here with these shmucks. If I lose a little more weight, maybe I could go back into my old life as a commercial model and just ditch this running thing altogether. So here we are, Motel Drive. So many happy memories here. Sigh. What? P520 for a room??? Are they insane?? During my time it was just P180! With electric fan and free soap already! Geez! What a ripoff! And they have hand signals now? Whaaa? What debauchery!Hey, these uphills are getting easier by the day. Maybe it's the view. I should train here more often.

Them hand signals are the best thing since Google

Km 12, C5. GBM.

Wow, it's amazing that the guys are still going strong. They asked for a sub-7 pace to get used to the Milo cutoff . We're running a 6:45 right now. Bong and Rico should get used to this in no time. I'm starting to feel woozy. Maybe I should have listened to the old people. Oh lord I tripped. Thank God no one saw me. Wa-poise! Is Pio still alive? Oh he's right behind me. Check! How does he manage? I'm in awe. Is he pulling a Tito Caloy right here? (To you reading this right now - yeah I'm talking to you and breaking the 4th wall right here - FYI Tito Caloy went from a 5k race to a 27k LSD. Just to put things into context.) It should be over soon... . cough. Cough. COUGH.

We should have just stayed in Motel Drive!

Need... replenishment... Sprite ... . Sprite?

Km 14, C5. Pio.

Gasp. I'm tired. But I need to show these kids a thing or two! This is one newbie that doesn't have quit in him! Do you read my singlet? 2005 baby! 2005! Respect! Although I haven't ran another race since. Still! Gasp. We're still fast. I am starting to dislike this Gingerbread character by the minute. I can't breathe! Must.. push ... . on! These guys are nuts!

2009 rendition of Edvard Munch's "The Scream"

Km 15, C5. Just after Eastwood. Rico.

Where the crap are we going? Why aren't we stopping? Where's the @#$% u-turn? I am starting to dislike this Gingerbread character. I'm tiiiiiired!

By Sheer Will he pushes on

Km 16, Turnaround Point. Bong.

Hoy! Malayo pa ba????? ( translation : Are we there yet?? Where the crap are we going??)

Shaider has a new hobby

Km 17, start of C5 turnaround point

The group has persisted on, GBM maintaining a sub 7 pace as they neared the 20 km mark. Traversing the narrow streets of Libis, they could see that their pacer was noticeably slowing down. Maybe it's his positive split thing catching up with him. But upon reaching the Jollibee branch near Acropolis for a much needed rest, they could see his eyes were glassy. He didn't look alright. Something was up. We can cut short the route man. The warm gesture was waved off with no hesitation. We came here with a goal, and we need to meet it. Deciding that the wide open streets bordering Green Meadows were a better alternative to the life-or-death game they were playing in C5, the steely foursome soldiered on.

Km 19, Green Meadows. GBM.

Crap. Now I'm really not feeling well. They will positively roast me when I get home. I can't pace anymore. Heck I can barely run anymore. I'm really dizzy. But to pace and then to quit... . I wouldn't take that. I invited them here, with a goal in mind. We need to meet that. We need to develop that warrior mentality. A fever will not kill me. At least not today.

Km 21, St. Martin Hills, 2nd Loop.

The group was ecstatic. Pio had just successfully completed his first unofficial half-marathon. He had pulled off a Tito Caloy with what seemed to be an effortless run. It's the very thrill of going past one's limits, or helping others get there, that keep runners coming back for more. GBM looked to be in horrid shape. The guy needs to rest. Psycho. A last push up the St. Paul incline and the group called it day. 22 .2 kilometers total. Whew. Longest run for Pio. Longest LSD for Bong as well. Covering GBM's weekly long run route ain't so bad after all.

Who da man? Who da man?

And the Rookie of the Year goes to.. .

Epilogue, Pearl Drive.
The goal met, the group retreated to Chiggy's Pearl Drive for some scrumptious after-run grub. GBM and Bong had Jumbo Liempo. Rico had Bulgoggi. Although completely unnecessary , man of the hour Pio footed the bill, a seeming rite of passage for a guy who had just defied all expectations by doing a Tito Caloy.Friendly banter. Humorous Anecdotes. A life's worth of running memories being built right there.

Yummy Liempo Place

Enjoying some after-run foodies
As the final piece of jumbo (they weren't kidding) liempo was consumed, there was one prevailing sentiment amongst the group.

This was fun... ..

And... ...

We should do it again.

Powerpuff Boys. Smirk. What kind of fruity name is that? Sounds like a local counterpart to the Chippendales. Or a new incarnation of the Masculados. But don't be misled by the name though. From the ashes of controversy, the so-called "Pink Army" has arrived, and there's certainly nothing dainty about them.

Pretty in Pink?
Pardon the hyperbole, I'm really just amped. After months and months of incessant planning and lineup changes, TPB has finally come to fruition. Featuring 10 runners all hailing from different cities ( fun fact, it may win you a t-shirt one day), the final roster for our Chris Sports Epic Relay 250 team is finally complete.

Pink would have been horrible on these Masculados

To the uninitiated, the Chris Sports Epic Relay 250 is based off the hugely popular Ragnar Relay Series in the United States. Your team is divided into two vans for an overnight relay race that traverses picturesque terrain spanning Subic, Bataan and Zambales, with the 10 team members running three legs of anywhere from 5-12 kms each.

What fun!
Now, we never realized how hard it was to snag 10 dudes paying P1,200 each for less than a combined 30 kilometers. There was a time that the only definitive members on our lineup were team captain Bryan Rivera, myself, and highly respected veteran Graciano "Ka Totoy" Santos. Thankfully, everything just fell into place at the right time, and we are happy to put together a team that does justice to pink. Okay fine, its fuschia.

Here's the current lineup as well as some snippets about the members :

Graciano "Ka Totoy" Santos

He's like our Obi-Wan-Kinobi. The grizzled master never hesitates to give valuable training advice to us noobs. Ka Totoy also abhors any form of alcohol to keep in shape all year round, and his eyebrows could give Isko Moreno's a run for their money.

Bryan "Runner-S" Rivera

Our undisputed team captain. One of the most improved runners over the past year, he has shown incredible tenacity both on and off the road. His organizational and leadership skills are unparalleled as well, and when the time comes that I'm a millionaire already, he'll be the first one I'll call to run my businesses. Throws a mean frisbee too. Is way sexier than Right Said Fred, putting the "S" in "Runner-S".

Mark "Beep Beep" Rodica

The former volleyball star-turned-trackster has a penchant for short shorts, snappy one-liners and even snappier 10k times. Judging by his picture, you could see that he's a very serious guy.

Mark" Indorock" Mulder

This Holland native has been a ball of positive energy for the team. A relatively late addition, this cool, methodical dude now sports a new Glee-inspired do'. The brains behind Manila Road Runners, he is a master at deciphering Tagalog words through context clues and sign language. Shame on his inconsiderate teammates. Er, oops.

Ronnel "Kampuger" Go

Although most people will probably never know what a "Kampuger" is in their lifetime ( I don't know what it is either, and I don't wanna know), this amiable, wise-cracking fella can hang with the best of them. As you can see by his photo, he also has a bit of a Rudolf Nureyev in him.
Roy "Kuya" Rivera

Ultra-fit Roy is Bryan's older brother, although at first we thought that it was the other way around. This laid-back, music loving, ultra-fit vegan doesn't concern himself with km splits and pace, he prefers to be lost in the moment and stays away from the extra pressure. He is the founder of the "SBMA Traffic Enforcer" fanpage on Facebook.

Mark "MarkHernz" Hernandez

This model-turned- resilient-ultramarathoner is an all-around athlete who seems to excel at whatever sport he tries his hand on. Totally dedicated hubby (sorry gals) who once ran a 3:30 split for a 10k... . during the first 200 meters. He got very tired soon thereafter. Suffice to say, he never did that again.

Jairuz "Jai-Ho" Agang-ang

A man of few words, he lets his running do the talking. We somehow cajoled him into putting "Jai-Ho" on his uniform. (LSS mode) His unassuming manner belies his competitive nature on the road. He is very inspired right now, nuff said.

Brando "Ace" Losaria

This wisecracking ball of perpetual energy often has the team in stitches, and "Photobrando" takes somes of the most beautiful race shots I have seen. This hard-training raceday habitue has also been touted as a cuter, "funner" version of a certain former Streetboy. His long term goal is to run a 2:30/km pace someday.

And that's the team folks! Oh grr, do I really have to add myself?

I like taking long walks on the beach, Mcdo Fried and Nuggets, I have two dogs named Strowganoff and Piolow, and the grade of my contact lenses is -350. Oh, and I have a girlfriend who can run 102 kilometers faster than me. Sob.

Me and my well-pedigreed support crew

On the eve of our impending battle, I conclude this article amidst a cacophony of sighs and snores from our snug Subic hotel, hopeful and excited about the events that are about to unfold in the next couple of hours. Thanks for all the support and well-wishes that you have given us, we truly appreciate it.

Now let the dance begin... ..

Different Strokes for different folks. Horrible cliche, but when it comes to devising running strategies, training programs, shoe recos - you will get a plethora of answers that are oftentimes night and day in terms of theory and approach. The series would be dealing with the different strategies that runners utilize on race day, and the ramifications that arise from it. Hopefully, you will be able to deduce what is best from you.

The Runner's Taboo - Romancing the Positive Split The positive split. You hear it all the time around running circles in hushed tones, a seeming taboo approached with the same derision and mistrust as one would give the Illuminati. What's so wrong with it? Why do people view it with so much disdain? Let us take a closer look. Eat my dust, I'll see you later! - Newbie In plain and simple terms, a positive split entails that one would be running the first half of the race faster the second . C'mon, admit it. How may times have you see the relatively newbie-looking runner blast off from the starting gun, and you mutter "that won't last long" or something along those lines. Let's face it. There's an almost universal streak of vitriol against positive split runners. I always wondered why. If we are to continue using the boxing style analogy, the positive split would be the unorthodox, hard hitting puncher who is relying on that one big knockout blow to seal the match. It is most closely associated with being new and being amateur. Why is that the case? Under the Hood Most experts and experienced runners I know would recommend negative splits when running a marathon. Apparently, there are several things going on under your body's bonnet while running a positive split that you need to know : 1. You consume your glycogen deposits faster, meaning you'll be depending on fat far earlier in a race. As you may or may not know, this is far less efficient means of getting energy. 2. You hit your lactate threshold way too early, meaning you'll spend the majority of the race running anaerobically ( read: not good), meaning you'll hit the dreaded wall much earlier than usual (read: not good at all) 3. You'll have less margin of error to work around in case you overestimate your abilities on race day (happens a lot) What the Experts Say The experts aren't too crazy about it either. Running legend Sebastian Coe said in his book Better Training for Distance Runners that "deviating from your mean race pace by as little as +or - 2 % is metabolically more costly than remaining within this window" . In his book The Lore of Running, Tim Noakes categorically stated that "you should never listen to those who advocate running faster in the first half so you will have time to cushion your reduced pace in the second half. In fact, your fast pace in the first half is the very reason for your fade in the second half. It is always better to run the second half faster. It gives you the impression that your are faster than you really are. Bordering on the Controversial : My Take Okay, so the positive split was all but butchered by every Tom, Dick, Harry, and even Jane out there. However, as those who have raced with me know, I have a contrarian view on the matter. I have tried to neg split several times, and each and every time it hit me square on the jaw.Case in point - Botak Paa-Tibayan 21k. I had told myself at the time, okay why don't we try this negative split thing since it's a longer distance and everyone recos it anyway. So I ran the first 10k in 55:30, at a pace that is very tame in comparison to what I usually do. So no positive split there. So what happened? Did I break records? Nah. I totally discomombulated over the 2nd half. I had a finish time of 2:14, way off the sub-2 hour finish that I was targeting. At the time that I was supposed to pick up the pace, at the time where my bountiful glycogen deposits and lack of anaerobic effort should have reaped benefits, I had nothing more to give. I tried in vain to speed up, the best I could muster was a 6:30 effort, and even that I couldn't sustain. I felt like I would die at the finish line. So what went wrong? Why didn't the famed negative split work for me?

Nope, it didnt work. It's a mental thing So what happened? I'm guessing it's a mental thing. Perhaps I have a weird psychological makeup. Believe it or not, each and every race that I have run on a positive split led me to setting a new PR. I have honestly no idea why. As we know, the race is just as much mental as it is physical. Once you mind starts playing games with you, you're screwed. As for myself, I always felt more comfortable being ahead and hanging on to a lead rather than coming back from behind. I'd rather race the first half and make the second half a blood and guts game. I do a lot better from a position of control. Specially when there an inclines during the second half, coupled with the Manila heat I am unable to gain any sort of major ground. I would rather steel myself and hang on. Thus it boils down to : 1. You're tired, it's hot, your legs are killing you and you're protecting a lead OR 2. You're tired, it's hot, your legs are killing you and you're clawing your way from behind. Obviously, I choose the former. Mr. Coe said that even a 2% deviation from your intended race pace (if you start aggresively) will extract a "big cost" from your race. So why doesn't it work for me? Is it the debilitating Manila heat? Is that the "unintended variable" caveat that he put in when he wrote it? I just really want to know. Your thoughts and comments please? Let the debates begin.

So the rain finally went away. Sigh. Would it be a good day today? Those thoughts crossed my head as I woke up at 3 am, anxiously anticipating the upcoming events of the day. I haven't run a 10k in awhile, and I would be trying to beat my PR for the distance. What was on today's race menu? The highly-anticipated Mizuno Infinity Run, touted by some to be even bigger than the industry benchmark Condura Run. Did it live up to the hype? Let us see for ourselves as the events of the day unfold.

Emeperador - 1, Tito Caloy - 0

The day started with a text message from running buddy/part-time uncle/full-time tomador Tito Caloy. In essence, he had gone drinking and obviously couldn't join the race. Oh great. That's 300 bucks lost off the bat. If he ever pays me, I'll treat you guys for taho. Promise! (don't keep your hopes up). So I ventured off to BHS alone, the silence of the sleepy metropolis an unwilling replacement to Tito Caloy's incessant pre-dawn chatter. I got there relatively early for the 10k check-in, rambling thoughts passing through my head as my anxiety level was rising by the minute.Oh man I'm alone. No one's here yet. Hey is that... . okay maybe not. Hmm they said it would be bigger than Condura? Maybe? Tito Caloy exchanged me for alcohol. I'm sleepy. Why do people wake up this early anyway? He'll never pay me. Wow they moved classes to the 22nd. I don't like this swine flu thing at all. Are people in this world really evil? Can I break my PR? I'm hungry and... The requisite hi/ hello/good luck from Takbo.ph regulars Edu and Rodel jarred me back into consciousness. By this time, the rest of the Takbo.ph gang began to file in. Nearly all of them were running the 15k. Looks like I would be waging another solitary battle here. As the 15k gun went off, the 30 minute countdown towards the 10k start seemed like an eternity. By virtue of me being really early, I was somehow stationed right in the front of the corral, a circumstantial, undeserved spot to say the least. Ansty and nervous at the same time, I attempted to strike some sort of coherent conversation with the runner next to me. Here' s the honest-to-goodness accurate transript of our conversation : Me: "Sir, buti tumigil ung ulan no?"Runner X : "Nga eh." Me: "Um, ano sir ung target ninyo ngayon?" Runner X: " Mga 40, ok na." Me: "Um, aaaah good luck sir! "Running on Empty While that went well, the gun went off. I was in 70's mode for the entire week, so the leadoff song on my iPod was Sumayaw Sumunod. While disco was blaring in my ears, I assessed how I would be approaching this. If the prevailing goal was to break 50 minutes, I would have to work around the 4:30 zone. With a mere 20 km worth of mileage this week, that ain't happening. I started out at 4:29, hitting 5:03 at the 3k mark. I was feeling gassed. Lack of mileage right there. I should buy a treadmill. Or be a member at these fancy gyms so I could use one.Anyway, at the Kalayaan Flyover I ran into Boggs, one of our students from UA&P and a speedy T2 regular. I asked hm what his target was, the response was sub-50. Can I pace with you? The answer was in the affirmative. 2km later he was about 400m from me already. I was zapped. Not happening. Not today. Nice kid though. You'd like him too. The Alchemy of Blood, Guts, and Condura Memories Past the turnaround point and going back up the Kalayaan Flyover, the route quickly evoked memories of the Condura Run. My first major race ever. I remember walking up the steep gradient of the killer flyover. I remembered wanting to quit. I remembered just plain quitting, the heat overpowering my psyche. This is so stupid. Maybe I can just go back to playing poker. At least I'll earn some cash. It's sooooo hot. My feet are killing me. Ayoko na. But if I quit now, I'll never live it down. So I soldiered on. I remembered digging deep within myself just to finish.The pain in my legs was excruciating . I was running on empty. I could hardly breathe. As I was fast fading at that very same flyover last Sunday, those powerful memories were flashing through my head at warp speed. Was I biting off more than I could chew? Am I way over my head in doing this? Does competitiveness have its limits? Is it a sin to strive to be the best at each and every thing you do? Fight or Flight My legs were on fire, the lungs all but out of it. I wanted to give up. But as I descended the Kalayaan Flyover while struggling my way into a 5:50 split, I realized that I only had about 3-4 km to go. Only 3-4 km of pain and sacrifice to go. I thought, just survive a couple more minutes of total exhaustion and you'll feel terrific about exorcising your demons for the rest of the week. I think that right there is the microcosm of "push" - when your body has absolutely nothing more to give and you unabashedly ask it to give more than it ever had.I ran that last 2km stretch, that very same area where I had walked not too long ago, like my life depended on it. I take pride in putting a premium on passion in my everyday travails, in leaving your heart out there on the playing field. It's fight or flight, and I chose to fight. Before I knew it, I could see the chute. Powerful Takbo.ph big man Mond passed me over the final 400m, I could give no more. But even as my body gave out its last hurrah, the clock glanced 51:30. Oh my. I had did it. Getting to the end of the chute, my 305 stopped at 51:38. I pumped my fist and was overjoyed at a blood and guts victory over the most daunting opponent of all.The Aftermath Truly, the whole team was blessed that day. Nearly everyone I talked with set a new PR. Among others, head honcho Jinoe took a new 15k PR, and Bong Z. hit his sub 55 target. I'm so happy because everyone is rapidly improving across the board. As with most of the runners, we were pleasantly surprised to receive a finisher's singlet instead of the advertised shirt. And it fits! In addition, Mizuno saved the biggest surprise for last, announcing that the race was actually a time trial in preparation for next year's event dubbed 1.10.10. The winners would be contingent on how much one had improved from this year's time. Truly, another coup from Mizuno, one that we would all be eagerly awaiting. Afterwards, the group went straight to Mcdonald's Net One for some much needed refueling, the place slowly becoming our favorite post-race BHS breakfast jaunt.

A sea of White, Black, Yellow, Blue... . and Orange?

Ellen and Doc Roy with Migz lurking

Natz, Doc Lyndon and Rico

Matinee idol/speedster Bong with Pepsi and Ms. Morrison

The "Hard Core" Takbo.ph team

Me with Second Wind proprietor/ultramarathoner Hector

Running Couple Neil and Rach at Mcdo Net One

Chillin' out after a messy Mcdo Breakfast So there. When all things were said and done, numerous PR's fell, sunny skies and even sunnier smiles abound. Despite the anxiety and sacrifice, despite the blood and guts spilled on the road and the overpowering urge to quit when you were beaten down to the ground... ... It turned out to be a good day after all. Tito Caloy Quote of The Day :

" Di ako makakasama sayo, ako'y niyaya, napilitan, napainom, napasubo" - On choosing Emperador over Mizuno

Why do we run again? It's for times like these. Times when you try to fall asleep at 8 pm on a Saturday night so that you'll wake up at 1am for an out-of-town run. 1am? Most of the nocturnal denizens of the metropolis are still in Fiamma or Emba at this time, the booze overflowing at every corner. It sort of reminds me of my old lifestlye. If you had told me a couple of years ago that I would be adhering to this spartan way of living I would have given you one of those incredulous, you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me looks. Alas, I have been locked in to the wonderful world of running, and there's really no turning back. The parameters of last Sunday's run were relatively simple. We drive to Tagaytay, then run 34k to Mhel's house. Mhel was kind enough to once again open his home to the Takbo.ph team, the first time being after the Greenfield City race. So how did my weekend adventure begin? I woke up at 1:00 am and basically sleepwalked my way into preparing for the run. I wanted to be on the dot for this , so by 2:30 I was at the place of my uncle, fondly called Tito Caloy by the group. He was joining the long run after only having a 5k prep run at Botak the week before with no prior running experience. Apparently, getting hooked runs in the family hehe. He told me that he had no sleep at all because my cousin was badgering him to death about coming along. So he strived to get as much shut-eye as he could in my car.

Tito Caloy dreaming of PR's in the carThe highway laid out at a utopianesque standstill, we picked up Rod and Gab at the Sucat exit at 3:00 am as per our arrangement. With Tito Caloy half comatose while riding shotgun, we could hardly contain our frenzied excitement for the run despite the ungodly hour. We arrived at our meeting spot in Paseo de Sta Rosa before 3:30. Sam and a shnoozing Rodel who came directly from work were already there (excited) . In a few more moments Doc Topher and Mhel arrived as well. An unfamiliar face soon showed up, and we were happy to see that it was actually forum habitue Mond aka Pawgee that we were meeting for the very first time.

The first four Doc Eric, our kind host/organizer for the Tagaytay leg, came in at about 3:40 am. He said he woke up late hehe :) With the looming problem of how to transport everybody to the start point, it was decided that some cars would be left at Paseo, and some would help Doc Eric transport the gang to the start point. For some reason, we went with my car, inspite of the fact that it was lowered and could only accomodate so many people. We crammed five dudes in there! As a result, I could only drive at "punerarya" pace. We got to Doc Eric's Tagaytay house and was happy to find the whole gang there. Carbo-laden goodies were strewn across the dining table. After some niceties and last- minute preps, we ventured out at nearly 5am, an hour later than our estimate. The sun was rising , and we had to make up for lost time.

The Takbo.ph team at ground zero After navigating our way out of a dark, mongrel-infested route (read: crabby, hungry looking Askals), we made it to the main highway. For most of the initial route I was designated as the pacer. I was following Doc Eric's prescribed pace of 8:00/km if we intended to make it there on time. As I soon found out though, this pace was a bit too fast for the group to stick together ; 9 - 10/km was more appropriate. I relinquished the pacer role and engaged the gang in friendly banter, took time out to take some pictures. Mhel took on the pacer role at this juncture.

Smiling so that the doggies would go away

At least Sam's happy

And so we begin

Tito Caloy aka "Enduro" is tired already?

Why do we run again? It's for times like these . Running in the cool Tagaytay pre-morning breeze was so relaxing for me, such a transcendent , preternatural experience that it reminded me of why we sacrifice so much. No amount of money could replicate that exact, precise moment for me. At just before the 10k mark for us Takbo.ph head honcho Jinoe and BDM 102 finisher Jerry aka High Altitude joined us. By this time, the group had splintered into several groups, with Mhel and Jerry leading the first group. I had the privilege of pacing with Jinoe for several kilometers, only stopping at the Rotunda because the last group was way behind and we didnt want anyone lost. Picture taking galore ensued :)

The Takbo.ph boys!

Rodel and Boss Jinoe running... . in place

May view may view picture muna!

Hagibis reunited? Why do we run again? It's for times like these. Me and Jinoe wanted to get a good workout from the whole thing, so we upped the pace to 6:30. Before long, we caught up with the lead group on walk break. Jerry was still the pacemaker, so when he broke away he followed suit. An interesting sidelight about Jerry - I kept on talking to him in the vernacular, and he would only give what I made out to be a look bordering on confused and snobbish. Turns out, our BDM ultramarathoner was Indonesian! And he was anything but snobbish. Once we got the language barrier out of the way, he was extremely helpful and gave so many tips on our ultramarathon dream next year.

Ultraman Jerry aka High Altitude. Tito Caloy and Sam mugging inthe background As amiable as he was off road, he was just as intense on it. For what was hyped to be an LSD, we were pushing it at 6:00 - 6:30 from the 10k to 20k mark. There were several of us in the breakaway lead group - Jerry, Jinoe, Me, Mhel, Mond, and lo and behold Tito Caloy who was lagging behind. I had to keep on coming back for him just to check up, and I was repeatedly shooed away hehe. Old people :) Also, the heat was starting to catch on. With not so fond memories of my Botak meltdown, my confidence was shaken in extreme heat. My Garmin analysis later showed a 31 degree high with 70% humidity, even hotter than that ill-fated race day. Alas, with the right will and determination we reached the first stop, 20.2 km down. The rest of the group who were running the partial route were waiting for us as well. We entered to the warm cheers emanating from familiar faces More friends! Alright! :P

Fun times with the whole gang

Buying P12 Gatorade in bottles.Hmmm...

Mond taking a breather

Age doesn't matter... ... Aray... ... .
Having recharged our batteries (P12 bottled Gatorade was all the rage, and special thanks to Mhel who lent me some cash after I lost mine) the group braced itself for the next push - a 7k jaunt to "nearby" Paseo de Sta. Rosa. The heat was getting to be pretty bad at this point, the ill effects of starting an hour late. I think pacer Jerry felt this as well, so instead of slowing down, we took off maintaining a 6:00 - 6:15 pace for the distance, leading a pack that included myself, Docs Eric and Pinky, Mhel, Mond, and Quennie (who got sucked in by the pace). We were left wondering - what LSD? This feels more like a 27k tempo run! By this time, the heat was sweltering. The heat would have made the Gobi Desert proud. As the group started to trickle in one by one, we came to the realization that we could go no more in this heat. It was another good 7k to Mhel's place. I decided against running any further, and so did Tito Caloy. A few brave souls ventured to go the full distance - marathon man/coach Pojie on "taper" mode, comebacking Carly, Mhel, Jerry, and Mond. We salute your dedication! Ayos!

27.56k ... . is... ... enough... .

We'd rather take the car!

Why do we run again? It's for times like these. At Mhel's house, the group's camaraderie was in full swing. Like road weary Spartans coming home from their latest victory, you could feel the vibe of contentment and happiness in the air. It's an unexplainable, magical feeling that runners alone can empathize with. Forget the aches and pains. We just cleared a distance greater than a half marathon! The food was overflowing, the laughter pervading. Nevermind the hassle of going back the entire distance to get our cars in Tagaytay. Forget the 50k ride back to Manila. We accomplished something, something that no one can ever take away from us.

Manokan Express with Chicken Arrozcaldo

Poj and Quennie with our kind hosts

Power couple Rach and Neil

Busog!

Happy Camper

All in a day's work!

Takbo.ph rocks!

Why do we run again? If you love running with a fervent passion... ...

Then you'll know that it's for times like these.

So what's the beef with this VO2Max thingamajigie? You constantly hear or read about it in sporting journals, or mentioned during any endurance sport-related writeup. From a layman's standpoint, whatever it is, if you have high levels of it, you must be good! I first heard of it when reading anything on Lance Armstrong's training regimen. They kept on saying that he had unusually high levels of it. So after several years, that "thing" that sounds like a brand of a PC videocard suddenly took on a greater relevance for me since I have started running. I became curious. What's does it do? What is it exactly? Can I improve on it? I did some research on the subject matter, and this what I learned. It turns out, VO2 max is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use, and is measured in mililitres per kilogram of body weight. Quite simply, when you increase your effort when exercising, the amount of oxygen needed to produce energy also increases. Turns out however that there's a maximum level of oxygen consumption, which when breached would no longer lead to increases in oxygen usage. As it is, it's generally considered the best indicator of cardiorespiratory endurance and aerobic fitness. However, as we’ll discuss in a moment, it is more useful as an indicator of a person's aerobic potential or upper limit than as a predictor of success in endurance events. Apparently, there are differing schools of thought on Vo2 max. Some think it is a core element which should be improved upon if you wish to achieve your maximum physical ability. On the flipside, some researchers believe it is merely a measure of of one's oxygen usage at maximum energy output. They hazard that it is not the critical factor which determines performance; but more of a consequence of other limiting factors. Whatever the reasoning may be, at the very least we can be sure that it's a definitive measure of exercise intensity at one's oxygen plateau. Ok, so what more can we get with this Vo2 thing? How can you even know what yours is? There are several methods, one of which is to calculate from your races. A formula was given, but I got super confused - VO2 Max=(-4.60 + 0.182258 * velocity + 0.000104 * velocity^2)/(0.8 + 0.1894393 * e^(-0.012778 * time) + 0.2989558 * e^(-0.1932605 * time)) If you could make something out of that, congratulations! So can we actually improve on our VO2 max? It seems a fair share of it is determined by our genes, but training can improve it by 5-20%.

How do I compare with the general population?

Female (ml/kg/min)

Male (values in ml/kg/min)

What is the VO2 max of elite athletes?

Here is a sample of measured VO2 max for selected athletes.

So there, after reading all of that, I still am a little iffy on the topic, maybe because I'm not a numbers guy. And I still think that if you have more of it, that's a good thing! :) I hope you guys got something out of it though! Tell me what you think!

Being a slightly overweight guy at the time, people kept on talking about breaking the sub-60 barrier for the upcoming race. That race was the now-infamous Men's Health Miracle Run (with the results still unpublished to this day, save for a couple of paltry 5k snippets). Singlet was nice except for the obtrusive Frenzy logo on the back. Great for shock value! Casually, I was dared by Takbo.ph resident 'coach' Pojie to pace with him if I wanted to beat it. For a guy whose best previous finish was a 1:08 with maximum effort, a sub-60 finish really seemed like a stretch, a veritable impossibility if I may add. But coach Pojie was determined to push me to the limit. Check out my thoughts at the time :

Thanks everyone!

Thanks master Pojie for the terrific pace! I was really, really pushing myself

Mali lang calculation ko nung huli, kala ko lapit na may mga 1 km pa pala hehe. I need to train more! Feeling ko also not drinking anything for the entire race zapped me during the homestretch. Wala ako hydration belt, tapos di ako magaling mangkamay ng tubig.

Lol with no hydro belt, awful form and even more awful shoes I finished in 57:40. Eternal thanks to now-marathoner/coach Pojie for giving me the jumpstart in the sport that I needed. And that was more or less where my story began... .

Editor's Note (as if there were one, just wanted it to sound cool lol) : This is coming out a tad bit late, ran into a combination of an extended blogging slump and a Bora weekend combined. Pardon the overall crummyness.

Racing in the South is always fun. Not too many people, fat chance you could even nab a podium on a good day. My too- few- and-far-in-between South races have always been pleasant experiences, thus joining RuNew in Alabang was somewhat of a no-brainer.

Not-So-Chump Change

Was looking for a race to test my knee out in a competitive setting, and I didn't really know too much about it except that it was sponsored by Asian Hospital and that it was for some charity. I thought it was a small-time race until I left with a bib, a timing chip, and P600 less in my pocket. A Rio race as it turns out. The timing chip instantly conjured visions of cash flying out of my wallet. Much to my chagrin, there was no singlet given but was instead promised a finisher's shirt. Grumble.

Babay P600.

Of Seguristas and Bratinellas
I came from the Subic International Triathlon with Ultramarathoner Abby the day before, just cheered on some friends while grabbing some multisport inspiration. Was dead tired as we made the trip to the duuurty South. Coming off my unacceptable tardiness at Nat Geo, I wasn't going to take any chances this time.

Got there with an hour to burn more or less. While trolling the premises, saw elites Junrox/Tigerboy and a healthy Alfred/El Kyoshi walking in the shadows. More walking brought this random soundbite from this nosy-looking kid emerging from a Portalet :

Bratty Kid : Ewww yuck so kadiri inside Mommy it smells like a tae!Mom : Anak don't say that!Brattu Kid : But mooom! I need to make poopoo na!Mom : Hay nako just hold it till we get home. I still have a race.Bratty Kid : Waaaaah!Mom : Wag na maarte, ano you want sa portalet or in the grass?B ratty Kid : Mommy the grass smells like a tae also!Mom : !!!!

What a brat.

In The Presence of Family
After being a veritable tourist over at the multisport arena, it was nice hanging out in more familiar surroundings where I actually knew someone. I ran into Takbo.ph power couple Jinoe and Que, a retro-looking Marvin along with Z paired with a rare PatCon sighting. Not too many people though. Distance? Price? Still, it was nice to be back in familiar territory.

Fun before the gun

An Outside Chance
Just before the gun went off, I was looking around. No familiar faces. As always, my competitive juices were flowing. Give or take a couple of elites, and with the stronger runners at 16k, I hastened to strive for a top 10 finish. And as the lead pack went off, I found myself at the tail end. Hey, I have a shot at this. Law of averages. I have to get it one of these days right?

Toe to Toe with Elite Gal

ITB woes exacerbated at the Nat-Geo race have prevented me from executing my master plan of doing "maintenance" 10k training before plunging into an 8-week program for Milo. In short, here I was blatantly out of shape, preparing to race a 10k on sheer guts alone. And as most of us know, oftentimes that just isn't enough.

As I was trailing the lead pack, I did the requisite headhunting to maintain pace. I ran smack into a strong lady runner who had nyort nyorts and that batak 5% body fat look. Hmm. She was impossible to shake off at 4:20 pace. Was thinking, no way she could maintain this. But then again, who said I could maintain it myself? Kapal ko talaga. (I would later learn she would take 3rd for the ladies) Lol. I told myself, I have to want this more than she does. With that pervading thought in mind, I made my move at the 3k mark and made her eat dust. Wohooo!

She ate Gingerbread dust... well, sorta.

On Gassing Amidst Those Southern Rolling Hills

Of course, that short-lived success didn't last long. A continuous uphill stretch and I was a goner a kilometer later, my elite galpal kicking stardust in my face along the way. No wind, no legs. I was gasping like a chubby fugu fish out of water. Fail.

Swim away fugu fish, swim awaaaay. Okay that was weird.

The Duel With MaselMan

Before the race began, I noticed these two buffed-up dudes who looked like Fitness First spinning class instructors with matching singlets to boot. Figured they were, er, best friends. Until they hugged each other good luck. Tightly. Anyway, at one point early on I passed bromance dude #1. During my mid-race fade, bromance dude #2 zoomed by me at what I reckoned to be near-max HR judging by his breathing. He would do a long walk break then go all out again. I surmised that redlining your HR in bursts and spurts would cause you to gas out later on (running strategists please back me up here).

So for about a 2 kilometer stretch, we would go back and forth at it. At least I had some sort of live metronome to salvage whatever remained out of my pace strategy. Nearing Km 7 in posh AAV, I decided to go for it when I sensed he was fading. Score one for the Gingerbread dude.

Bromance City

The Pain and the Agony

The adrenalin was pumping as a persistent foe was vanquished. Slowly hiking the pace back up to a decent (given the course) 4:57 pace, everything was on cruise control primed for an even stronger finish. By my estimate, I was at about 11th to 14th places at this point. Elite gal (who whooped me earlier) was actually within my line of sight. Then a particularly disconcerting sharp pain shot up my left knee. Dang. ITB mode. Ignore. More pain. More ignoring. Finally a stinger had me hopping on one leg in excruciating pain.
Dammit. No way. I worked so hard only to throw it all away. Just 2k to go! I had stretched this all week, even Salonpas rollered it so much to the point that my room already smells like my Lolo's CR. This sucks. Really does. I'll try to run it off. Aaaaaaaaah. Aray. Arouch. Mommmyyy. Oh great bromance dude just passed me. With a smile on his face. Someone kill me now. Maybe I can just roll to the finish line.

ITB Fail. More frustrated than hurt, I gingerly(no pun intended) attempted to jog to the line . I even ran into old buddy Gary who was on the way to finish his 5k. (Ayan nabati na kita bro. Burger ko. Smirk.) Totally dejected, I surrendered the final two splits at 7:40 and 6:41 en route to limping home with a 53:14. I would later see that this effort somehow managed to snag 23rd place in a lean field. Sigh.

Post-Mortem
Overall, the race was a lot harder than I had expected or prepared for, and most of the people who raced it would pretty much agree. The relative humidity was off the charts, people were sweating like a presidential candidate on a live televised debate. Most weren't too thrilled about the finisher's shirt though, saying it was "pambahay " quality (don't shoot the messenger). For a premium priced, chip timed race, I guess they were expecting more, given the absence of a singlet.

On a personal note, it's back to the drawing board. Not only was I out of shape, it's apparent that the ol' ITB is nowhere near 100%. A break is impending. Maybe I'll go to the beach or something.

But I guess what's more important is that I actually made it to the end of this article. Been in a terrible writing slump lately. If you're a basketball fan, I'm pulling off the equivalent of a 4- for- 21 effort. Guess this is a step in the right direction. Law of averages. I have to get it one of these days right?

A Creative's Pace To A Creative Space Bald RunnerBugobugo85's WeblogDrum and RunRunning AtomForefoot Runner
Hotlegs Runner
I'm Jet Paisoi2runner
Just Another Head Fake
Life is a HighwayManokan Express
Marathon Foodie Mark's Vo2One Snap At A timePinoy Ultra RunnersPlanet Trumania
Rod.Runner
Run for Change Running Fatboy
Run Parkie Run
RunningPinoyRunning Shield
RunnerforChrist
Run Unlimited
Sandrunner's BlogSFrunner
Sheer WillSucculence UnleashedThe Argonaut
The Black Candy
The Bull Runner
The Changeling Child
The CollectiveThe Gleeman's Tale
The Kenkoy Runner
The New Adventures of Dimsum and Siomai
The Running Ninja
The Running Safety Pin Ultrarunning and Beyond

Condura Run 10k - 1:08.30
Men's Health Miracle Run 10k - 57:44
Airspeed MOA 10k - 57:20
Greenfield City Run 21k - 2:19.33
ATC Southern Race 10k - 53:40
Botak Paa-Tibayan 21k - 2:14.36
Botak Sa Baguio 21k - 2:01:43
Earth Run 10 mile - 1:26.03
Mizuno Infinity Run 10k - 51:38
Botak Ultramarathon 50k - 8:40Fit and Fun Buddy Run 10k - 1:08.50
Globe Run for Home 21k - 3:09:59
Kenny's Open Urbanite Run 10k - 1:00:20
Ayala EcoDash 10k - 50:14
Rotarun 10k - DNF (food poisoning)
Octoberun Festival 5k - 22:51
Quezon City International Marathon 21k - 1:57:19
Nike + Human Race 10k - 52:01
Subic International Marathon 21k - 2:25:05
Philippine International Marathon 10k - 49:12
7th Animo Run 10k - 49:11
New Balance Power Race 21k : 1:54:01
Conquer Corregidor 10-miler : 3:04:12
BF Pasko Run - 48:33
Philstar Celebrity Run 21k : 1:51:05
Baldie Rizal Day 32k - 3:35:14

Hi there! My name is Luis Arcangel and I am a seasonal ultramarathoner and middle-of-the pack age group triathlete .I'm not intrinsically athletic but I love to break stereotypes and defy expectations. Not fast, but I dream of being fast one day.

In real life, I work as a communications professor at some of the country's top universities and I currently head a strategic management firm that specializes in across-the-board marketing communications solutions. Been blessed to be the site moderator of the Takbo.ph running community, the biggest in the country and the entire Asian region. I am also a regular contributor to Frontrunner and Sense and Style magazines, try to catch those when you have the time.This site is a two-time finalist at the Philippine Blog Awards, and maybe one day I'll finally win the big one.Thanks for dropping by and I'd love to hear from you!

PCL Jala-Jala Classic National Road Race Championships 110k - 4:05:14 (174th)
2011 Condura Skyway Marathon 42k - 4:14:40 (146th)
Subic Bike King Classic 70k - 1:53:28 (120th)
1st Bataan Death March Ultramarathon 160k - 29:30:18 (33rd)
Powerade Sprint Duathlon Leg 1 - 1:46:20 (10th in age group, 61st overall)
Pico De Loro Invitational Triathlon - 2:40:51 (7th in age group)
Subic International Triathlon - 3:10: 37 (32nd in age group)
Tri-United Matabungkay Long Distance Triathlon - 4:44:26 ( 23rd in age group)
Cobra Ironman Philippines 70.3 - 6:37:44 (39th in age group)
PCL Tour of Clark Stage 1 Team Time Trial 48k - 18th placePCL Tour of Clark Stage 2 Circuit Race 60k - 2:21 56th placePCL Tour of Clark Stage 1 Team Time Trial 118k - 4:06 61st place

Cebu City Marathon 21k (30th) : 1:50:43
PSE Bull Run 10k - DNS
Condura Skyway Marathon 42k (280th) - 4:56:03
Bataan Death March 102k Ultramarathon (82nd) - 17:35:53
National Geographic Earth Day Run 10k (17th) - 49:24
Asian Hospital RunNew 10k (25th) - 53:14
San Mig Coffee Bay Run 10k (10th) - 47:01
HP Fun Run 6k (1st) - 28:03
Chris Sports Epic Relay 250k (2nd) - 23:13:00
New Balance Nuvali Adventure Trail Run 15k (307th) - 3:04:23
35th Milo Marathon Eliminations 21k (45th) - 1:50:51
Powerade Duathlon Leg 2 (86th, 16th in age group) - 1:56:29
Takbo.ph Anniversary Runfest (21st, 7th in age group) - 46:32
Dean's Cup Invitational Triathlon - (56th, 9th in age group) - 1:54:15
7-Eleven Tour 500 - 3:27:28
Sonshine Cycling Festival Criterium - DNF, outlapped after 35 mins.
Fort Running Festival 21k - 1:43:15 (57th individual, 1st team)
Tour of Matabungkay Stage 1 100k - 3:52(188th)
Tour of Matabungkay Stage 2 90k - 2:53 (163rd)
Tour of Matabungkay Stage 3 TTT - 59:24 (29th)
Adidas King of the Road 10k - 50:15 (75th)
Powerade Standard Distance Duathlon - 2:41:54 (4th in age group)
Malakoff Powerman Malaysia Long Distance Duathlon - 4:24:52 (60th)
Nike Run Manila 5k - 22:34 (81st)
Speedo NAGT UPLB Sprint Triathlon - 2:03:01 (38th overall, 8th in age group)

I have a confession to make. I suck at presscons. Absolutely suck at them. I am quite possibly the worst blagger to invite to these things. For some insipid reason or another, I keep on missing them. Either my car gets a flat, I'm assigned OT work or I have some family thing. There's always something going on. I have like a 10% attendance rate, and sooner or later I'll be declared persona non grata by race directors and PR people alike. I never get em goodies. Sob.

So you could just picture the smile on my face when they told me that the presser for the upcoming San Mig Coffee Bay Run Dash for Health ( okay that was long) was at Congo Grille at El Pueblo. That's like... .. two blocks from my house. Yessssss. Finally. No way I'm missing this.

I wonder who's that runner?

One more miss and goodbye presscons foreverrr.
Scheduled at 7pm, I cockily thought to myself, Nah its a 3 minute drive from my place. Why rush? Of course, in a move reeking of sheer time management genius I totally forgot that it was Friday uwian. Smart. So there I was , stuck in bumper to bumper traffic going to a resto that's roughly a kilometer and a half from my house. Great. I still have a Nat Geo hangover.

Oh the horror.
So after like nearly 20 minutes, I finally get to the place. And guess what? Much to my consternation evil manong guard curtly stonewalls me at the entrance with a "Ser, pono na poh and parkeeng dito. Weeting na poh dito, weeting." Weeting for parking would have entailed me adding to the already ginormous traffic jam. Apparently, Mr. Murphy has a secret crush on me and follows me around wherever I go.

Shunget ni koya.

So to make a long story short, I brought the car back home and tempo ran from my house back to the resto, a vain attempt to somehow temper my unexplainable tardiness. Of course, I had to run in jeans, leaving my poise on the pavement in the process. Good thing a lot of familiar faces greeted me when I came in, denizens of the running blogosphere in full force.

The faces behind your favorite blags

Que, Gail , and Vimz of Kulit on the Run with hubby Art
So let's cut to the chase. After having way more than my fair share of sisig and chicken, the presser proper unfolded. Takbo.ph first lady Que did the honor of introducing the GM of San Mig Coffee, and he gave the requisite welcome remarks. Kind man. I wish I had him as a Tito.

Que in the house!

Tito saying something about San Mig

Soon after, things were turned over to the comely Marketing Manager ( or so I think, the exact title eludes me) of the brand and she gave a quick primer on the product line. Three things I learned : 1. The San Mig Coffee "healthy" line is tops in its market segment 2. Good ol' Piolow is no longer their endorser, thus visions of a grand showdown dissipated into thin air quicker than it was conjured, and 3. Presenting to a rowdy, predominantly male blogger crowd is an exercise in restraint. Lol.

Deep breathly. I can do this.

Soon after, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Ian Alacar would be assuming Race Director duties for this race. Absent from the mainstream scene as of late, it was nice to see him around for a change. For long-time followers of this site, you may recall that Ian was the race director when I first conquered the ultramarathon distance at Botak awhile back. Fun guy.

Happy mems with Ian and Sideshow Bob

So what are the essentials you need to know about the race? It's going to be held on May 23rd, Mall of Asia grounds. But before you dismiss it as just another MOA race, hold your horses. It's being touted as the first race to have a route that actually cuts through the Manila baywalk. 3k and 5k distances cost P450 a pop, while the 10k and 15k races are at P550.

Race is actually bang for the buck, you get a fancy Unibersidad-made singlet that would probably cost as much as the registration if bought as a stand-alone. And the cool part about the whole thing is you could order your race kits over the phone, delivered COD by WWW.express. The number to call is 795-1777. Niiice.

For you freebie/perk hunters out there, I'd rather that you find out for yourselves what's in store for you during race day, but to give you a quick heads up there would be photobooths, bottomless coffee, loot bags, seminars, and dare I say, free massages?

So there you go. Registration starts April 17, 2010 to May 19, 2010, call the number I mentioned earlier for more details. If you've never run around the bay area, this is a good race to actually try out the local scenery. Hope this helped everyone, I'll see you on the road!

Requisite Gingerbread photo-op with Ian and Marketing gal.

"After 42.195 kilometers, everyone turns into furry animals with funny names"
- Anonymous

Kilometer 52, somewhere in Bataan. 7 :17 am.

Nearing the halfway mark, one would somehow grasp a palpable sense of accomplishment having completed the ultra distance already. At this point, 99% of the population would have called it a day , limping gingerly to their cars while prepping for breakfast at Mcdo 32nd Street or Paul Calvin's. But alas, this wasn't BHS. We're not pampered pansies anymore. I'm right smack in the middle of nowhere with the heat steadily climbing. At this point, you're doggone tired. And yet, the lurid element about the whole thing is you have nearly have a day to do it all over again.

Still alive and strong at the 52k mark.

Kilometer 56, still somewhere in Bataan, I can't keep track of time anymore.

An essential rule that I apply is that before every race, make sure you have ample restroom time to unload whatever needs to be unloaded. Anxiety and excitement make for a potent tummy-churning mix. Unfortunately, the "posh" accommodations at our "hotel" weren't too inviting. Suffice to say, I ran on a full stomach. Which became even fuller after ingesting practically everything that was on my "buffet on wheels", some which were completely mismatched. Thus, something had to give at one time or another. Great. So after nearly 8 hours of running, I had to go. And that's where the fun started.

I couldn't allow this to happen to meh! Ewww.
I knocked on the first house I saw. Here's a faithful transcript of the proceedings that followed :

GBM : Kuya, pwede ho bang makigamit ng CR? Kami ung tumatakbo mula Mariveles hanggang San Fernando.

Manong : Ay pagkalayo ah! O cge dito na lang pasok ka. Pero pagpasensiyahan mo na ang banyo namin.

(Opens door. Point to, er, a hole in the ground. Yeah. A hole in the ground)

GBM: Ah, ummm, ay kuya iihi lang sana ako eh!

Manong : Ah ganoon ba, akala ko dudumi ka?

GBM: Ay hindi ho, naiihi lang talaga!

Manong : Eh para saan yang tisyu?

GBM : Uuh, para sa pawis lang ho!

Manong : Whatever!! (okay maybe not, but something close to it)
Well, this wasn't a purely kaartehan decision. Squatting over the Neanderthal-like hole could have run the risk of cramping me up. After all, 56 kilometers is 56 kilometers. So as I made a beeline for the exits, I just realized I had lost 10 seconds of precious pace over that. Ugh.

It's a hole in the ground for crying out loud.

Kilometer 57, still somewhere in Bataan. Time is the last thing on my mind right now.

I had AJ and the gang look for anywhere clean. This was slowly turning into a national catastrophe. Option number one- Funeraria Hidalgo. Pass. Option number two - a clubhouse inside a subdivision. Problem was, the clubhouse was at least 500 meters away from the gate along the highway. Great. I didn't even dare consider riding the car because obviously it isn't allowed. With the temperature steadily rising , the extra 1k did not help any. I was losing hard-fought time and pace with these detours.

To further exacerbate things, the efficascent oil that we had been using for rubdowns apparently did not jive well with my fancy P650 sunblock (ulk) and well, the sun itself. My legs felt like they were literally burning. Like you poured an entire bottle of Omega on it or something.Bad decision! Dang. By the time I had finished going to the restroom and had the efficascent oil washed out, I had lost more than 35 minutes already. Great.

It burns, it burns.Km 65, somewhere hot in Bataan. Around 10 am.

After that fiasco, crew chief AJ told me that Abby had just passed me. I hadn't seen her since the start of the race so I decided to catch up with her and say hi. At least I could somehow make up for some lost time. I tempo ran about 3k at 6:20 pace just to get to her. She was in full focus mode, and even my fun Gingerbread jokes would not work on her. She would later tell me that if she had any energy left, she would have punched me in the face. Smirk.For a certain stretch, we were going back and forth. I would leave her, then she would catch up as Aj and RV would methodically hose me down and drape me in ice-cold towels because the heat was somewhat of a joke already. It was fun though, because it was like we were sharing two support cars. Carina, Joni and Z all helped immensely in hosing me down and giving me foodies.

Shared support rocks!

Good morning towels save the day!Abby had a crazy yet effective strategy that entailed NOT STOPPING at all. She even brushed her teeth while on the go. Amazing.

Amazing!

Eating the dust of intense Abby.

Taking up the cudgels for alpha males everywhere.

Km 70, somewhere very, very hot in Bataan. I could care less what time it is.

It's hot. Really hot. Exag hot. Scrambled eggs on the pavement hot. Somehow, I couldn't quite describe to you how ridiculously hot it was that day. Only later on were we informed that the heat actually hit 41 degrees on the thermostat. If you factor in the heat seeping out from the asphalt, it could have easily been hotter.

HOT. The only way I was able to survive was by being soaked in ice cold towels and being hosed down head to foot every 10 minutes. Everything was starting to look like a mirage. I was starting to be extremely crabby brat to my crew already. I refused to eat anything, even a Jollibee spaghetti that would have been yummy in ordinary conditions. AJ was force feeding me, and I would throw away food when he wasn't looking (heheh).

I hate GBM... .

Need a hosedown...

More hosedowns... .

It came to a point where my words had escaped me already... ..

Km 72, I don't know where the crap I am. It's time... to quit?
No. NO. NO!!!! Just as I was settling into some semblance of a comfortable second wind along with a good rhythm with the crew, I felt a familiar pain on the outer edge of my left knee. Visions of walking the last 12k of Globe Run For Home last year came flooding in. No. Not today. Please. As the dreaded pangs of ITBS started to kick in, I was panicking inside. I have 3/4 of a marathon to go, I can't put weight on my knee anymore. A combination of frustration, panic, exhaustion and sleep deprivation suddenly all kicked in, and before I knew it the tears were welling. Good thing RV's shades provided my macho image some decent cover. How the crap was I supposed to finish this thing?? Sob. Sniffle. Mommyy.

End of the road for GBM?I was at an all-time emotional low. Depression. Angst. Abby just ate away at the lead I had built. Now she was gone. Everyone was passing me. Doc Art and Argow were going strong as I struggled mightily to catch up. Alas, my body simply had nothing left to offer. And here I was, legs pretty much a useless pile of rubber. I was already thinking of a lame excuse for not finishing. Sigh.

Thank God for AJ. As my best bud/crew chief, his calm and rational words implored me to solider on when I couldn't get up for the count anymore. Check your competitive streak at the door. Forget your lead. Pace. Time. Whatever. Forget who passed you. That doesn't even matter now. The one thing you should be concentrating on is to finish this race in one piece. We didn't go all this way just to see you quit. Later on he would tell me that he should have watched all the inspirational movies he could, because he was running out of lines. Lol.

Good thing AJ watched a pirated DVD beforehand.
Ice. Massage. Tourniquet. Prayers.

And the madness continues.

Bromance of the year?

Kilometer 80. I saw the Lito Lapid Sign So This Must Be Pampanga.

Kilometer 72 to 80 was probably the roughest stretch of the entire race for me. The pain on my knee was immense, and I was continually on the verge of quitting. Everything seemed to grind to a standstill, inch by painstaking inch seemingly rendered in stop-motion animation. What felt like five kilometers was in reality only one. In my deranged, sleep-deprived state I was admonishing the crew for being too far in between stops (to aspiring BDM support crew out there, it's an occupational hazard). I told them, Every 500 meters!!! I would learn later on that they were actually waiting for me at 200 meter intervals. Oops.

Crunch Time in Pampanga.

Kilometer 82. People speaking in tongues. I think I just saw Grimace in front of me. 2pm?

Fading. Fading badly. At this juncture, I feel like there's nothing left in the tank. I must have fallen asleep while running, as i was jarred back to consciousness by the afterburn of a bus that was about 2 feet away from me. I felt like climbing an summit-less Everest. I was all alone, and weird thoughts were starting to get into my head. Like, !@@##$%%!!!! was I doing this to myself???!!!

Enter Mark. A regular pacemate during the road race season, this athletic wunderkind seems to never tire at all. At just the precise moment that I was completely spacing out, his presence helped me greatly. The casual conversation took me out of my zombie-like state, and just having someone around seemed to have a tremendous effect on my sanity. We felt like we were in some bizarre reality show, and we would somehow manage to alternate between incessant laughter and incessant whining. Heading into the homestretch, I was really liking our chances.

Move over Marc and Rovilson?

Cat walking BDM?
Kilometer 87. Guagua,Pampanga. Need air.
At this point,we were alternating between giving up and giving a motivational speech to one another. The heat wasn't cutting us any slack at all. We were trying to play the numbers game if we would still make cutoff. We sure were a sorry sight, me stopping every 5 minutes due to the ITB, Mark due to severe cramps. Our run-walk ratio was plummeting by the minute, two warriors extended to the very limit. At a certain juncture Mark just sat on the sidewalk and said he was giving up, he didn't care if he would be swept anymore.

Being able to empathize with what he was going through, I gave him my best Braveheart, pain-is-temporary-quitting-is-forever speech. And soon after he was shuffling along behind me again. Pure blood and guts. It was winning time, and suddenly all of the stopovers we were making had made it into a race against time.

William Wallace is da man
Kilometer 92. San Fernando, Pampanga. Two and a half hours to finish 10k.

From this point on, everything seems like a blur to me. From what I recall, I lost Mark, there were people fighting in the eskinita ( !@#$^!! wag mong bastusin gerlpren ko pare!!) and the pain in my left knee grew in intensity with each pause. My crew was pulling out all the stops to ensure that I made it. The pain was incredible. But to quit this near, after all that you've been through? No way in hell. If you told me that I had to roll down the road just to fini sh, I would have.

Don't even think about it GBM.

Kilometer 101. City Capitol. 4:50 pm.
36 straight hours of lucidness. Mariveles. San Fernando. Finally, the insanity was coming to an end. At that precise moment in time, nothing seemed to matter anymore. Just sheer unbridled joy at making it through this life-altering journey, along with tremendous gratitude towards those who had made it possible. Words escape me now. I had said too much anyway, and those of you who had made it this far must be deathly bored.

The high is like nothing you could ever experience. Nothing even comes close. BDM is a beast. I must have told myself I'll never ever do this again at least 20 times. It humbles you. It strips you down and swallows you whole. It changes you.

After all that I just went through, only then did I understand the intricacy of it all.Why these warriors go through all that pain. That suffering. Why would they willingly subject themselves to that type of punishment over and over again?

The long journey over... At that precise moment in time, as I was approaching the finish line, as I was hearing all the cheers, it all made perfect sense. It's not something that can be encapsulated by a mere scribe's hyperbolic lamentations. It's something you have to experience yourself. So with that said... .

See you at BDM 2011. :)