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.
Confession time. I have never completed a full marathon before. Not even close. As a newbie, my ambition has led me to so many different avenues that I would never, ever, would have considered seven months ago. At the time, a 5k would have been a major coup. Heck, I was 30 lbs. overweight. I needed to DO something. Some months and minor successes later, here I am on the cusp of a potential life experience. I signed on for the Botak 50k ultramarathon. Yeah, crazy guy. Jumping to an ultra without doing a full mary. Not too many people knew this.So the secret's out. But hey, we only live once right? I wanted to do Milo but I'm out on official business on the 5th. So this would have been my last shot at testing my limits for the next couple of months. So why would a guy who has done 35k max try to pull this off? Why would you thrown caution to the wind when people say it cannot be done? Let us see how the story unravels.
What chain of events led to this?
A place of no limits
I teach a module to students called "The Drive To Succeed", a class that handles how to go past any obstacles from a marketing and sales management perspective. It tackles how the human mind can overrule any obstacle, be it physical or mental. It's a good ploy to get students past paralyzing stage fright when presenting. It teaches them to be hotwired to succeed.To be stubborn, resilient, and driven when common sense would dictate that it cannot be done. Now, I'm thinking, can these theories be harnessed to pull of the impossible? Can I use these powers of the mind and make the big jump?
The 100k flirtation
As crazy as running a 50k was, my crazy side was ignited after attending the Botak CLP . Watching slides of Botak founder Cesar Guarin traverse insane distances led me to openly declare my intention to try and pull it off. Wrong idea. Adjectives to describe the reactions from friends and family -disdain, disgust, wariness, exasperation, anger. But hey, that's why they're called friends and family. They care for you and your well-being. They argue with you to death and roast you. But in the end, even if they don't agree with you, you could still be assured of their unwavering support. That's the beauty of it. So okay, it's a stretch. A big one. But I told myself that if I were still alive at the 50k mark, if I could so much as walk, I'll go for it. As it turns out, running distances that you usually take a car for was much harder than I could conceivably imagine.
What is it about Baguio and pine trees? The summer capital of the Philippines usually evokes memories of the unmistakeable aroma of pine, an aroma that in turn triggers memories of fun summers, inebriated nights, and forlorn romances. Indeed, this northern getaway could symbolize a whole lot of different things for a whole lot of different people. During my latest jaunt there, the time came to nurture a Baguio experience of a different kind - my first road race in the City of Pines!
An Unlikely Gig The whole trip started innocuously enough - majority of the gang was disenfranshised by the lack of slots to TNF and we were lacking a weekend gig. Out of what seemed like divine providence, coach Pojie suddenly mentioned that Botak was organizing a Baguio race, the idea floated to him by Craig of Team Logan. With the recent beating the Botak brand has taken amongst running denizens, the announcement was met with a certain degree of apprehension. These fears were quickly allayed when it was mentioned that the race was being handled by a different organizer. From that point on, everything seemed like a blur. Before we knew it, ageless resto magnate/speedster/overall good guy Bong was already taking care of the logistical preps for the group. And thus the adventure begins... .. Carbo- Loading in the Cold Craig offered to organize a Carbo Loading Party or CLP at his Baguio abode the Friday before the race, much like the Takbo.ph CLP shortly before the Condura Run. Due to work constraints, I was prevailed upon to drive over on a Saturday, and it looks likeI missed a wonderful celebration. I promise I'll be there next time guys!
The Takbo.ph gang at the Logan home The Night Before The 5 hour drive going to Baguio was pleasant enough, the SCTEX doing wonders for what used to be an extremely cumbersome ride. After retreating to Baguio Burnham Suites, (shame less plug for my friend's hotel haha ) I went on to visit the Takbo.ph gang at Chelly's place where practically everyone was staying. I am in no way, shape or form an expert on Baguio roads, so suffice to say I got lost multiple times while looking for the place. After much tribulation and comprehensive directions from the police station (fine I gave up so sue me) I finally found the place!I was so happy to see the gang, the hard-core running addicts of my running team celebrating our sweeping point of commonality in such a remote and unlikely locale. We had quite the delegation! I was even offered some Bacardi! To put in my hydro belt! (They were kidding. I think.) After chilling with the gang, I left for my hotel with bright anticipation for the race that was to commence in a few hours.
Fun Takbo.ph times at Chelly's winter palace
Gal pals Julie and Carina hyped up for the race
21k virgin Edu chillin out
The Cranium set which provided the entertainment for the nightBaguio D-Day With roughly four hours of sleep, I trotted over to the starting line at Burnham Park near the pond. I was lucky that the hotel was pretty near, so I got a half-decent warmup run in chilly 16 degree weather. The gang was already there, excited yet anxious at the same time.
Ready to go to war in the chilly Baguio dawn
Let's get it on!!!!!The organizer was announcing all the running teams and clubs that came- a smattering from Manila and a handful of varsities from the prevailing locale. It seemed that the Takbo.ph delegation was the biggest from Manila. However, the biggest delegation was hands down from the PNP training corps , both their men's and women's squads were there. There also was some unintentional comedy involved as the organizers instructed the Takbo.ph team to come up the front of the line! Feeling elite! Haha :) At about 5:45 (15 minutes from the announced start time as we had "waited"for the police escorts) the starting gun went off. So here we go... .. On a Higher Plane Given the aniticipated difficulty of the course based from the group's feedback after their ocular the day before, we all adjusted our projected pace accordingly. I was pacing with Takbo.ph founder Jinoe, and we decided we should maintain a 6:30 pace for the first 10k.Once again, just the mere fact that I was racing in Baguio was so surreal for me. The chilly thin air, that unmistakeable aroma of pine, great company... . sunrise at 1500 feet... . Wow... ... It was AWESOME. Makes the 268 km ride from Manila (okay fine I measured it with my Garmin. Junkie.) all worth it. And just as I was starting to get a wee bit too comfy in my utopian dream scenario, a rapid 3 km downhill descent that we were running at 5:20 pace gave us an ominous portent of things to come. As all runners reaching turnaround points know... . what goes down... must eventually go up. Gulp. It's The Hardest Thing At the 10k turnaround point and requisite 1 minute walk/water break, me and Jinoe were trying to mentally prepare oursleves for the drudgery that were going up against. We tried for 1 km to run it, but the hills were just too much. We ended upusing a run/walk strategy, even surrendering a 10:00 minute split. Looking around, even the police cadets were walking. Damn, it must have been THAT hard. Check out the elevation courtesy of Jinoe's 405!
Homeward Bound Having survived that, we struggled to get our wits about us. We had surrendered nearly a full minute from our pace and we needed to make up for lost ground in a hurry. So what we did, we used a group of gruff cadets as a pace group, and they hurtled through the return route at a 5:20 pace. We struggled to keep up and thankfully our second wind kicked in at this point. As we starting to catch some sort of coherent rhythm at this point, we realized that we were on the way back to Burnham already! The course was going to be short! As I sprinted towards the finish line at 2:01:43, the 10k runners of the Takbo.ph gang greeted me with a rapturous round of applause, sweet music to my ears after wining yet another battle of wills. Boss Jinoe soon followed suit, about 15 seconds behind by my estimate. The moment we had crossed the line, the kind lady organizer immediately asked how long did the race register on our Garmins. I told her, 18.16 on mine. She then went on to explain that the local government had them do emergency reroute because of some digging that was being done. While some may have thought that this was the latest Botak disaster, I felt that from a PR perspective her prompt, on-the-spot public announcement and apology was the best possible thing that could have been done. Shirking from the issue would have been disastrous. As a result, the discrepancy was more or less downplayed by the participants.
Sprinting with a smile towards the finish line
I conquered them hills!
18k? Easy!
Jinoe, Me, Mhel, Poj, and Doc Roy
Queenie getting her top-15 finish medal Final Thoughts Overall, it was probably one of the toughest races I have been part of. The 3k killer uphill stretch truly left little to the imagination ; if you think I exaggerate you should try it out for yourself. The cool weather, the tremendous locale and wonderful scenery made it all the more special. And hey, it's not like you could race the infamous uphills of the City of Pines every week right? As always, even if I wasn't there for their entire stay, the Takbo.ph team made the experience infinitely more special. I grabbed photos, sue me later :) If you want interactive map info of the race, check it out here - http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/player/8310795 What is it about Baguio and pine trees? What strong memories do these bastions of generations past evoke? Forlorn romances? Inebriated nights? I don't know about you, but I 'll never look at Baguio in the same way again.
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... .
You all know the story. We have heard the rants. Internalized the numerous streams of venom put forth by the angry masses. Admittedly, I am one of them. The lack of foresight caused 57 runners in my category to DNF, the scorching heat too much for them. We could only guess what medical malady befell them. The same lack of foresight had my friend overcome by heat stroke and hyperventilation 500 meters from the finish line, resulting in a 2 hour stint at Makati Med. Ironically, if only the course had been accurate he should have finished it straight up. If there's one saving grace, they released results which took into account the excess 500 - 600 m on the route. The resulting distance adjustment gave me a PR of 2:14:36, which I hazard compensates for the initial time lost. Anyway, here was my after-race take on the whole thing as posted on the Takbo.ph forums : As has been customary for me already (and the lack of a blog notwithstanding), here's a comprehensive post on my Botak 21k race. A fair amount of vitriol has already been spewed by Deo and supahatdog in the earlier posts, so I'll give you my take on it. The first warning sign for me was when I heard from the gang that the 21k start time was 6 am bigla. Only 2 days before I had called the Botak office and was informed of a 5 am start. So I was sort of weirded out by that. Everyone was getting conflicting information. So I decided I'll arrive at 5am just to be sure. I was alarmed because at 6am, people would be running well into the 8 am - 9 am range already. Would this be a portent of things to come? So we started at 6 am. 5:58 on my 305. Attempted to pace Sam for 5k, he fell back at 1 1/2 k mark. First k was 4:35, 2nd k was 5:02. He was the only guy I remotely ran with. 97% of the race I was alone
At 10k mark I was at 55:34 and liking my chances. Running in Rockwell was neat as well, kahit uphill siya. Coming off a pretty nice run the previous week at ATC, my goal was to significantly improve my Greenfield PR of 2:19 something. Then it happened. What happened? The heat happened. Yes, the heat. Good ol' 32 degrees with 66% humidity. I never knew what the desert felt like until awhile ago. It was crippling, debilitating, paralyzing (I'm running out of adjectives) to the point of hilarity. At the 10k mark I was maintaining a healthy 5:30 or so pace. By the time the race was over I had surrendered a full minute off that
So what happened to me from 10k to 16k? - Hookers in Burgos waved at me. I waved back. - Jeepneys in Burgos nearly sideswiped me. I couldn't sideswipe back. - The area near South avenue I got several seemingly innocuous comments of "Japorms" from fun bystanders. - I had at least 2 guys (21k dudes also) ask me "Bakit ang dami mong tali?" (Does this mean they either got lost or took a shortcut? Guess the race marshals took off for colder fronts) - I had agonizing km splits reaching up to 8:24
So sue me, I couldn't breathe anymore, it was like the oxygen was sucked out of the surroundings already. My original plan was to pick up the pace from the 17k mark onwards and "earn back" the pace I had lost. I was marginally, nominally successful at best. The heat and humidity were too much. The best I could muster with all my might was a 6:25, followed by mid 7's till the end. From the 16- 21 k mark these were the sights : - Runners fighting the people at the water stations because there's no water - Runners walking Kalayaan Flyover - Runners walking everywhere - Runners quitting and sitting on the curb to take a break. - "Ang init no?" entrenching itself as the unintentional comedy quote of the day. - An "elite" looking guy (crew cut, short shorts) paced by me at the 18k mark and asked, "May tubig ka ba?" in a seemingly imposing and authoritative way. So I um, gave him the Gatorade I was saving for my final push. He muttered what seemed like a rudimentary form of "thank you" and promptly sped off. Nice guy. With the sun in all its bedazzling glory, for the first time in my life I have felt how it was to run in a desert with no breathable air. My goals suddenly shifted from setting a PR to merely getting out of there in one piece. It was debilitating to say the least. A test of sheer will if you may. In the cornucopia of things that make up the runner's psyche, one has to think "Should I go for broke and risk collapsing, or should I just focus on survival?" I was feeling horrible, I thought I would pass out several times. Mentally, I was pushed to the very limit. The death zone from 19k - 21k had "QUIT" written all over it. In the end, prudence won out over glory. In spite of the crushing circumstances, I was somehow blessed to finish the race at 2:17:28 chopping off 2 mins and 20 seconds off my current 21k PR. I felt horrible. And to make matters worse, when I crossed the finish line a kid was running recklessly towards me, causing me to jump to avoid him. This in turn triggered a strain in my hammy I still feel as I am typing this. Final Thoughts? - I will never ever run a 21k race that starts at 6am during the summer. - Running with jeeps beside you is not fun at all - The course was 21.47 on my 305. That's nearly half a kilometer. A half kilometer that translates into 3-4 minutes lost on your time. Sayang naman. - I was super worried about Doc Roy, Doc Sherwin, and Coach Pojie for their 42k run, given the punishing conditions and no water support. I am so happy and proud that they finished it in one piece and got their medals Way to go guys! - Congratulations to Edu for setting a new 10 K PR taking it in 56 something and finally breaching the 57 mark! Good job! - I am proud that other 21k runners like Deo,Boss Rico, Tim, Bong and Sam among others fought through the punishing elements to finish. Lesser men would have quit.Your determination and will is something that makes us all proud.
The news was relayed to me and the rest of the Takbo.ph boys by Doc Lyndon, just as we finished being his pacers/bodyguards at the distance-challenged but nicely executed 10k JOG run at AAV. There was a ... change of plans in organizing the upcoming RotaRun.09 , and guess who's going to be taking over the organizing duties ?
That RotaRun Logo guy is ripped ... and most probably naked
Why nonetheless than Takbo.ph, without a doubt the top running site in the country today. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a moderator there , or because 98. 42% of my running friends come from there... or because if Takbo.ph didn't exist I'd be sitting in some corner staring at the wall for fun... .I mean it... . straight from the heart.
NOT... A... word.
Anyway, don't ask me for the juicy details why that happened, I know nothing . But in the remote event that I did know, kindly send P100 plus postage to:
The Gingerbread Foundation 701 Gingerbread Chateau Gingerbread Road , Gingerbread City
Seriously though, I am pretty sure Takbo.ph head honcho Jinoe and Doc Lyndon will do a yeoman' s job in putting up a successful race. They even enlisted race director par excellance/ 2009 Nicest Guy With a Tan winner Ian Alacar to ensure that the race will run as smooth as possible. First met Ian after my Botak Ultramarathon, and his motivational spiels to me before and after the race made it seem that my bout with temporary insanity was all worth it.
Happy Botak Ultra memories with Ian, as Sideshow Bob (who was also really nice) looks on
As for the salient points of the run, you can register until September 18 at Rox or Second Wind. If you don't know where those places are, or never heard of them, well then congratulations on your first race! There are distances for 3k, 5k, 10k, 15k, and 21k. Only half-mary runners are getting medals mind you! What else? Some routes were changed , check the Takbo.ph site here for race maps because I'm too much of a lazy oaf to post them here.
So good luck everyone, and hope to see you there! It should be awesome! Run not because your friends are going, but because you really want to. It should come... .
As my previous post stated, I was harassed to death last week. Zero mileage. Didn't run at all. Still in iffy recovery from Botak Ultra. But me being me, I just had to take a swipe at it. A shot at a 21k PR on a chip-timed raced cutting through Ayala was way too juicy for me to resist. Just had to. Recipe for Disaster? Let's see how this morning's proceedings unfolded.
Not today GBM.
Pre- Race, 4:30 am
GBM : Tito, wake up! Tito Caloy : Gising na ako! GBM: Seriously? Tito Caloy : Eh di pa ako natutulog! GBM: Why would you do that? We have a race! Tito Caloy : Ang ganda nung palabas sa Cinema One alangya yung kay Richard, Eskapo! Di ako natulog eh! GBM:!!! Ugh, see you in ten. Tito Caloy : Ayos cge ipapakita ko sayo ung bagong sapatos ko Adidas running na running ang dating! 6 tawsan bili ko! GBM : !!!
He'd rather sleep in the car
Km 1 - 10 . Great things start from small beginnings?
When we got to the starting line, the race was just minutes away from starting. The rowdy gang helped fuel the electric atmosphere, the looming excitement of an actual chip-timed race bursting through the seams. It was funny really, because you saw people sprinting, then stopping, at the mat.
I though I had the strategy down pat. But I was wrong. Obviously, barely running in the two weeks prior took its toll. Also, something I read in BR's blog was nagging at me as I was racing through the first 10 kilometers. After an ultra, you will definitely lose some speed. You need to get back to tempo training. Well, not only have I NOT done any tempo training. In fact I haven't run at all. So logically, it's going to turn out pretty badly. My wind wasn't there. But it still wasn't half bad though.
At the 5k mark, I registered 25:32. At the 10k mark, slight fade at 55:30 but pace was still in contention for my goals. I'm at least 4 minutes off my usual 10k pace but I was thinking (or at least trying to convince myself) that I was merely "pacing". Since when did a positive splitter "pace" the first half of the race though? Still, I felt I could hang on. Seeing the rest of the team on the initial loop had me thinking I'm doing decently. I thought I was on the way to a good day... .
10k - 14k. Disaster strikes.
At the 10k mark I'm starting to slow down. Oh no. But not a major dropoff. Noticeable. Come Kalayaan flyover , my "vaunted" incline skills had deserted me. Then I realized it has been nearly a month since I have hit the St. Martin slopes. So much for that. Still, I felt I could ride the fade. Second wind would push me through. Just get me past the Kalayaan flyover and I'll take care of it in the flats. Then IT happened. At the 14k mark, I stopped for some 100 Plus on the water station, then sprinted away. The abrupt start/stop brought about a searing pain on the side of my knee that was too great too ignore. I tried to run it off, but I couldn't put any weight on it. I tried walking it off, the pain was just exacerbated. I tried stopping and stretching. It went from bad to worse. My pace had dropped down to 7/km now. Oh no. This ain't happening. We are doing so well. Just 7 k more to a new PR! My pace was down to a 5:45 now. Still salveagable. But the pain. Oh the pain. Add to this the mental strain of people passing you. So many people. I had to stop. Walk. Ouch. More ouch. When Takbo.ph rookie and Jumbo Liempo friend Pio overtook me, I was both happy for him and panicking inside. My hard earned lead was slipping away. Big Time. I saw main man Bong Z, slimmed-down Timmy and monster Ed pass me. When rookie/nice guy James paced with me for a while, and when I couldn't even sustain what felt was an 8/km pace and he had to leave me behind, I knew that was a veritable death knell. As I entered the inclines of Bayani Road, a site of successes past, a former sanctuary turned Death Valley.
I can't run anymore. Dammit. I want to cry. But then that would affect my macho image. Arrgh. I want to run! I can't! Everyone's asking what the crap happened to me. Rod and Carlo just passed me. Ain't it great when you have friends who show genuine concern for you? But argh. I'll try to run again... ARGH ouch ouch. I can't. Sob. This sucks. I want ... to... quit? =,(
The spectre of my first ever DNF was very much real. The pain was pretty significant at this point. Each attempt to try and gut it out ended up bringing more pain. At least the last 5k of Botak ultra I was still able to run. This... . I simply couldn't. Add to this the strain of everyone passing my sorry carcass. Let me let you in on a little secret. I hate being passed. It gets to me. I'm a competitive guy, not just in running. But here, I was crumbling amidst the throes of my own mortality. It's hard to express in words the combined feeling of frustration, disappointment, exhaustion and pain that I was going through. It's barely 14k and change. How the heck can I get to the finish line when I can barely even walk anymore?
14k-21k. A friend in need... . is a friend indeed.
As I was losing hope exponentially by the minute, I was suddenly witness to the fact that life's little blessings come when you least expect it. As I had completely given up hope, along came training/pace buddy/carpool mate Bong Yu. He saw me struggling. Told him I wanted to quit. He could have left me, he has his own race to run. But in the spirit of friendship and supreme sacrifice, he told me he would keep me company! Unthinkable! You would sacrifice your race for me? Yeah why not, I'm still in recovery from Milo 42k anyway. Oh man. I was overwhelmed. Bong encouraged me to just keep my head high. There are other races. Stop trying to run, what will you achieve? It ain't even worth it. You don't have to keep on proving yourself over and over again. You need a break anyway. Stand straight when there are girls passing by so that you keep your poise and still look macho. Maybe they'll think we're 8 minute pacers or something. Ran into a real pacer, Second Wind proprietor/running sage Hector who stopped and gave me some advice on the injury along with some words of encouragement.
The 7k trek to the line was painful. The encouragement and light conversation made me feel so much better. Everyone was passing us at this point. Even Mary Genie passed us. We found it amusing that she was ahead of Tito Caloy, Coach and Neil . Good ol' Tito Caloy was gloating over the first ever time he would get ahead of me in a race. Okay maybe not. But he was genuinely concerned. Didn't matter anymore. I was good. Happy that a friend was actually there for me. As the sun was beating down, a 15/km walk pace told me that we would cover a mere 3k in 45 mins. Eek. As we neared the finish line, the rest of the Takbo.ph boys helped us pace the final km for added support. It looked like a scene from the Beat It video as we were approaching the finish line.
Now that's what you call team support!
Couldn't have done it without this guy.
As racuous cheers from the Takbo.ph gallery met two fallen gladiators, I couldn't help but wonder that in spite of my worst-ever finish, in spite of having to suffer the ignominy of walking the last 7k and limping through the finish line, I was actually happy. Happy that I didn't DNF when it was the easiest choice I could have ever made.Happy to see that in actuality, the spirit of friendship trumps the spirit of competitiveness when circumstances call for it. Lessons will be learnt from this race, and while my injury is showing blatant signs of ITBS I am hopeful for a strong comeback. I am truly thankful for being blessed with good friends who keep on popping up at an opportune time and help me get through. One day I'll make it up to you guys. Some days you just don't have it.
But on some days... .
It doesn't really matter at all.
Tito Caloy Quote of the Day:
"Habang tumatakbo ako meron kaming dalawang chiks na nakasalubong sabay sabi 'Hi Tito Caloy'! Ayos diba? Kahit di ko kakilala nag hi na din ako eh!"- On enjoying the trappings of newfound internet fame Philippine Blog Awards Verification Code : PBA09r4qqo72
Last Sunday, all roads led to The Fort as the heavily anticipated New Balance Power Race was finally coming to fruition. Ondoy's onslaught had postponed the race from it's original Sept.27 playdate, and this gave me an opportunity to get myself a slot. As some of you may know, much to my chagrin I had missed the original registration cut, which then compelled me to make the infamous "Hitler finds out he didn't make it to New Balance" video.
I approached the race with a lot of enthusiasm as I would be joining a pace group for the first time ever. This emanated from a conversation on the Takbo.ph shoutbox, which sort of went like this :
GBM : Target ko mga 1:55 ayos nako dun. 1:57 ung PR ko, medjo sagad na. VVinceth: Kaya yan sub 1:50. 1:45 pa nga. Even splits lang tayo, 5:10 pace lang yan!jix_jixee : Uy ayos yan sama ako!markhernz: Ganun ba? Kaya yan! Game! TheRunningNinja: Game ako kahit saan, walang inuurungan!GBM: !!!!!!
Meet the Gang And thus, this ragtag pace group was born. I was hoping that running within a field of excellence, I would be prevailed upon to deliver a performance far beyond the realm of my capabilities. Hence, without further ado, let me introduce you to the members of my NB PAce Group :
Pat aka VVinceth/ The Running Safety Pin
With Bunnyyy Our de facto anchor, Pat is easily the fastest and best-credentialed runner within the group. 45 minute 10k's and sub 1:45 minute 21k's are a relative walk in the park for him. It was with his relative optimism that we were actually enjoined to gun for a time that seemed to be way beyond my capabilities. Likes long walks on the beach and bunnies.
Jix aka Jix_Jixee Another known Takbo.ph speedster whose relative pace is always about 5 minutes faster than my own, it is intended that his speedy ways would tow us to victory specially in the latter stages. His favorite movie is "The Notebook", and has an inherent dislike for Piolo that science alone could not explain.
He not likey Piolo either... Mark aka Markhernz/Running my Mouth In just a few short months, this naturally athletic dude has not only jumped from a 5k to a full marathon, but has posted times most people only dream of in their lifetime. He has a penchant for not finding baggage counters, and is a full-blooded Lasallian (useless trivia)
Masel Man Mark Sam aka TheRunningNinja If other pace groups have celebrities like Jaime Zobel deAyala or Tessa Prieto, we have our own celebrity! And he is none other than... Sam the Running Ninja! One of the most recognizable faces in the blogosphere, it never hurts to have him around :P He likes fast cars, and doesn't like motorcycles, hospitals, and Gas station restrooms.
Celebrity Ninja
Starting Corral Excitement was milling at the starting corral as the 21k runners were herded en masse. I was quite happy that Extribe was enforcing the "no check-in, no-entry rule", much in the same way that Condura does it. This makes for a much more orderly assembly. +1 brownie point to them. As Mark, Sam, and myself squeezed ourselves towards the front of the pack, we realized that Pat and Jix would be banditing the race. Sweet.
Brownie point! Fun Starting Um, Horn? As people were revving up for the starting gun, the runners spontaneously burst into laughter as the start of the race was ushered in by... a foghorn. Ooooh. Good vibes.
Foghorns = Quick Laughs
A Blistering Start The first 10k was highlighted by Pat's even split strategy reaping dividends for our group, as we covered the first 10k below 50 minutes. This had me questioning my positive splitting ways, as I essentially achieved the same result - without feeling like dying after. We gradually lost track of Mark after the 6k point, and Sam was startling the crap out of us with his "fartlek-the-hills-then-grunt-like-the-Olympic-hammer-throw-champion strategy". Apparently, this primal act (like any other) zaps the energy out of even the best of them, and by the 10th kilometer turnaround our celebrity buddy had dropped behind, leaving Pat, Jix, and myself to carry the cudgels for our group.
Primal screams... are fun.
Surpise Surprise!
In a minor shocker, speedy Jix was fading badly at the onset of the Bayani Road inclines. When one of your best runners starts to labor with the route, oftentimes your thought process would get inundiated with self-doubt. Hey, if he's fading, I've got to be next. Which brings us to the next portion of this paragraph, the "Why Did Jixee Fade At NB" contest.
Could it be :
1. He had a hot date the night before who made him mutter "Running Sux" 100 times 2. His date promised him "favors" if he accomplished #1 while finishing an entire bottle of Patron in less than 30 minutes 3. In offering the proverbial olive branch, Piolo offered to hook him up with his Kapamilya friends if he stopped pacing this GBM character, if only to make his future 21k target a lot easier.
Send in your entries, correct answer gets a prize. I'll ask Jixee the answer... ... .tomorrow.
Piolo has done it again!
And Then There Were TwoWith Jix gone, it was up to me and Pat to navigate the course. Having ran with Pat numerous times in the past, including the Botak Ultramarathon, this was not unfamiliar territory. As pacers go, it's terrific to have someone like the Energizer Bunny to drag you along when you're starting to slack off. The heat was starting to set in, and I needed all of the help that I could get.
Keeps going... . and going... and going... .All By Myself... . Heading up to somewhere around the 13th or 14th km, cruise control mode was suddenly jarred when Ultraman Pat said "Una ka na". I thought, this was bordering on absurdity. No way Pat could fade, I mean, this is a guy that eats 100k for breakfast. I comforted myself in thinking this was a ploy with deeper profound meaning. In retrospect, I should have kept in mind that Pat was tapering for his Singapore marathon the following week. But at that point, with the heat of the sun beating down on me, this took me off my game plan. I had my work cut out for me then.
What's up Master Pat's sleeve?The Exag Hills From that point on, I would only see Pat one more time. He would fartlek to me, then fade back. Still no idea why he was doing that at the time. But i was steeling myself for the long haul. We had built enough of a cushion that I was on pace for a 1:49 or 1:50 finish if I kept my act together. But then... . the hills happened. Wow. These people know their stuff. What were they thinking?
Cut scene to Extribe Route Formulation Meeting over drinks
Extribe Person #1 : Why not at the end, let's add one loop around Mckinley? Drunk Extribe Person #2 : Weeeeeh. That's sooooo generic. Make it two! Bwahahahaah. Sadistic and Drunk Extribe Person # 3 : Whatever! I ain't running anyway! I hate athletic people! Make it three! Bwahahahahaahah! Chorus: Bwahahaahahahahahahaha!!!!
Scene at Extribe before finalizing race routeSo to make a long story short, they saved the hardest part of the race for last. We did practically three loops around that hilly area in Mckinley stretching to the British embassy and Enderun. Ugh. Under the beating heat of the sun,I surrendered three fat mid-6ish splits towards the end, and our hard-built lead was gone. Thankfully, it was still still substantial enough to snag me a 1:54:01 finish, good enough for a new 21k PR and 111th place amongst a very tough field of more than a 1,000 half-marathon runners. If we had hit out target 1:50 or below, that would have been good enough for somewhere around 70th place. As I said, tough crowd... because at QCIM my 1:57 was good for 47th place. More training! :)
Exhausted Gingerbread folk near the finish courtesy of the irrepresible BR blog Overall, kudos to Extribe for a good, albeit sadistic job on this race.Seriously though, I had no complaints whatsoever, this was as good as it gets in terms of race organization. Better known for their multisport events, Extribe is slowly building strong brand equity in the running scene. All of their races that I have ran so far have been very good. I know there was a slight snafu with the 10k route, a mystery that has since been solved. With all things said and done, I'm pretty sure good ol' Hitler is churning in his grave now for missing one heck of a race. :P
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.
Epilogue
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.
I distinctly remember running the first ever edition of this a few years back. I had just finished my very first ultramarathon ( the Botak 50k) and had gotten wind that the first ever disposable timing chip race would be upon us. Not only that, you could also get to run through the previously off-limits Makati CBD district. In spite of the fact that I would only be getting a couple of weeks worth of rest, the foolhardy (and much chunkier) GBM of yesteryear went through with it anyway. I was promptly rewarded with blowing out my knee at about km 12 amidst a lame attempt to do a sub-2 hour 21k ( yes, it was the holy grail back then).I limped home to the line with my tail between my legs but with head unbowed as my Takbo.ph buddies back then (who are now) all either veteran ultramarathoners or pseudo celebrity bloggers) helped me get through the line. For last year's edition me and Ultramarathoner Abby were still dating, funny thing was she asked me to pick her up but she left her phone somewhere, leading to hours of flustered waiting. I eventually found her amidst 8,000 runners lol. Was one heck of a big event though. I remember that the big thing they had was the auto-Facebook update once you cross the line and the singlet made of recycled PET bottles. Thus, the race seems to always strike a chord with me, regardless if I run it or not.
This year's edition promises more of the same innovations, and since I couldn't shamelessly copy paste off the press kit they gave me because nothing was coming out on the file, I'll just wing this.
In a nutshell, the race offers 3k at P650, P750 for 5k, P850 for 10k, P950 for 15k, and P1,050 for 21k. While there was a bit of haranguing at the presser over the costs given it was nearly at the same price scale as a Skyway-infused Condura, my take on it is this -everyone drove up the market with the relative acceptance of thewhole premium-priced paradigm. Runners got more perks, expectations on both the corporate side and consumer side were raised, and this obviously costs money. Conversely, Rio ( now better known as ang lalaking walang pahinga after we were just with him the night before at his awards night) pointed out that he just came from a Running USA clinic and his counterparts were surprised at how technical he could be with his races and yet the prices were still lower than any comparable races in the world. If we wanted a breakdown of sorts , or at least some insight, he was open to a roundtable (let's wait on this for future reference)
Bobblehead Night at the Globe VIP row P50 from the reg fee would go to a charity of the runner's choice - either GK, Haribon Foundation, Virlanie Foundation or Habitat for Humanity. These are all very good causes and we hope the event makes a dent into their coffers. Anyway, runners could even donate more using Globe's G-cash. Please do not let me explain what G-Cash is anymore, last I checked it's 2011 already. In addition the same get 4, 1 free principle that was so popular in years past is still in effect. Of course, what people do is no one really get the free kit, the five people just share in the resulting discount. Funny how we can go to great lengths to save 150 bucks, and yet we can spend the same amount on a latte at Starbucks. Or maybe that's just me.
Rio explains the 21k route in fun detail . Old ladies at the next table gasp "Ang Layo!" :P
How do you register? Go to globe.com.ph/run (official GBM nominee for most creative website link for 2011) and they will tell you everything that you need to do to register. Beats me explaining lol. Also, you can go to their live site at the Greenbelt 3 Cinema Lobby from February 28 to March 20 to register. Obviously, this a big race, so don't go waltzing in there on the 20th and go whining after they tell you the kits have run out. You all know the drill. Get smart and go early, avoid the stress.
Ola friends and readers! Once again, I'd like to thank you for all the support you have been giving this site. I still get amazed at how far we have gone, and that the site is still actually up and running. Obviously, I couldn't have done that without your support. Anyway, we all know it ain't easy to maintain a blog, more or so that a lot of my articles are feature length. Combine that with a hectic dayjob, some semblance of a training program and that more or less equates into article backlog. Admittedly, I'm behind by several articles now, and I hate stale news as much as you guys.
So with that in mind, today we're launching the very first edition of Gingerbreadtalk! I know it sounds kitschy but you can only append so many words to "Gingerbread" (note to self, think of a better name before the next public enterprise). It's going to be a simple, blunt and straightforward weekly update on all things running and multisport. I highly encourage you to comment and put in your two cents on whatever topic is pertinent for the week. Also planning to revive that Gingerbreadcast thing we used to do, wait up for more fun interviews.
Most creative title of the year nominee right here. Ulk.
So without further ado, here's the week that was :
If you're keeping tabs on the community and are on some form of social media, you've probably come across my recent campaign at Powerman Malaysia. The race is a long distance duathlon comprised of an 11k run, a 64k bike and a 10k run after, and stands as the only qualifier for the World Duathlon Championships in Switzerland. I was there along with several members of our national team. With only ultramarathoner Abby as my support , we had to withstand a plethora of mechanical, logistical and physical challenges to even make it to the start line. I seriously underestimated the difficulty of putting the whole thing together, but hey, isn't that what makes the experience all the more meaningful? Stricken with severe cramps and with sleep deprivation kicking in, I finished the race in an off-form 4:24:52. Given all the crap we had to go through though, I was just thankful to have made it to the start line, much less finish with some semblance of decency.Thanks for all your greetings of support! Wait up for my full article on it, should make for a very interesting story. Also, thanks to Jinoe and Que for finally putting me on the Takbo.ph front page! Finally made it after all these years haha :P
With national team mainstays Evelio Javier and Carlo Pedregosa
Congratulations to all those who successfully completed the NY Marathon this, including Rio, Jaymie/TBR, Jay, and Endure Multisport pal Joy. I'l probably never do Boston unless I maintain my current fitness level until I'm 80 years old, so NYC is probably the most realistic on my bucket list of marathons. Now, all I have to do is figure out that proof of financial capability thing, get out those land titles and wish that I get lucky with the lottery :)
One day... ..
Congratulations to the new rockstars (clever huh) who conquered the Tri United Half-Ironman distance triathlon at White Rock, Subic. Back when Ironman 70.3 didn't have a franchise yet in the country, this was probably the most anticipated triathlon event every season. Now that all the hype goes to Camsur, the vets and purists still regard WRT as more enjoyable, and even tougher in terms of level of difficulty. Hopefully I'll get my shot next year. Swim swim swim.
Looks like fun...
After a presscon last week, was touching base with some old friends when I was suddenly reminded of something that I had long tried to forget already - what the crap ever happened to Run Radio? For those who have been around long enough, after Jaymie and Jay hosted Season 1 on NU 107, myself and the irrepressible Bards Bathan of Banana Running fame were supposed to take over for Season 2. Series of meetings, series of delays, a "primer" of some sort, a magazine presser, series of more meetings and more delays. An after- election launch was the last I heard of it. Natalo na si Gibo, nagsara na NU, wala pa din. And I guess that was that. So much for my one real shot at fame. Boo hoo. Think of all the what if's. Sigh. Haunts me to this day. Smirk.
Epic fail.
Congratulations to all new minted ultramarathoners who successfully completed Sir Jovie aka the Bald Runner aka BR's T2N or Tagaytay to Nasugbu 50k jaunt. I took a peek at the results and was floored that there were 159 finishers of the race, a good number of which I had known since they were newbie runners angling for a 21k. Level up! When I did my first 50k, Ian Alacar's Botak gig, I think there were less than 50 people there and it was a big deal to hit 50k. Props to BR for promulgating ultra running in the country, and it seems the market is responding with rapid traction.
I haven't taken out my bike from the box. I wonder if it's still in one piece? Shudder. Props to the guys and gals at Bikezilla in Ortigas for helping me out and giving me a crash course in assembling/disassembling it. Even if I sucked out, at least I had enough knowledge to actually put it together.
Missed a Pacquiao fight for the first time in years, fell on the same timeframe as my duathlon. Got to watch the entire thing on those illicit YouTube uploads that are taken down after an hour for copyright infringement. Catching them is much akin catching lightning in a bottle. KJ naman kasi pfft.
Those KOTR race cards were hilarious, a glitch somewhere in the timing thing and everything was off the charts!
TPB bro Mark just officially set a new world record
Speaking of ultramarathons... ... I finally got my BDM 151 ticket! And so did Abby! Thank you BR for the vote of confidence, it's an honor. Now the question is, can I somehow garner the time and commitment to train for it, given the multitude of things on my plate now. Decisions decisions. Hmmmm... ...
Can we do this all over again?
Good luck to all those running Run United (which has a shockingly fancy 32k, good job) and the Milo provincial qualifiers this weekend. There's also the Animo Run and a run in Ateneo. Which side are you on? Till next week folks!
Hi. Kamusta mga repapips? Ako nga pala si Tito Caloy. Sa mga hindi nakakakilala sa akin, ako ang binansagang "internet legend" ng pamangking kong si Mike. Tawag niyo sa kanya Luis, o kaya naman Gingerbread, o kaya GBM. Minsan JBM. Ewan. San ba pinagkukuha yang mga pangalan na yan. Balita ko kung ano ano ang pinagsususulat ng bata na yan tungkol sa akin. Kung may naisulat man ho yan, malamang totoo yun hehe!
Inggit ka parekoy? Ayos!Ako'y nadawit sa pagtakbo nung sinama ako doon sa Botak na pagkainit init. Naalala ko un, hinimatay ung isang tropa dun eh, ung doktor ba un. 5k ang tinakbo ko nun. Aba'y di man lang ako pinagpawisan. No tsallenge men! Kaya noong nagkaroon ang mga tropa ni Mike ng takbuhan sa Tagaytay, tignan mo nga naman naka 27k agad ako! Elibs ka ba? Sumunod na takbo ko sa Globe, ung dumaan ng Ayala at kung san napilay si Mike, banat kasi ng banat tigas ng ulo. 21k nakang naka eh! Ang ganda ng pacing ni Coach, di man lang ako napagod! Parang wala lang!
Di yan pagod, pumosing lang!
Nageenjoy talaga kong kasama etong mga tropang taga Takbo.ph. Kaya nung sinabi saking na pupunta daw ng Subic para tumakbo, aba nilabas ko ung mga panalo ko sa tongits at nagpalista na ako sa 21k. Okey na yan! Baka mabatak kung 42 tayo agad. Kaya eto, kwento ko sa inyo ano nangyari.
Sa Unang Pagkikita
Nagkita kami dun sa Jollibee sa may Shaw mga bandang ala sais. May amats pako, tumira tayo ng pampagana nung kinagabihan. Nauna ako kaya't wala akong nakilala. Aba, ako'y nagulat at kilala pala ako ng mga tropa. Tito Caloy! Okey sa olrayt to ah!
Da Gwapings! Lakad Na! Dun kami sa oto ni Eo. Disenteng disente. Pero may tinatagong kamandag din pala! Pati si pareng Bong andun din, ung instik na gwapings. Ang dami palang babae nun pasimple lang! Alangyang mga kaibigan ni Mike mga loko din! Di tayo makasabay, clean living tayo eh. Pero kung sakaling mapalaban, makakatikim yang mga yan ng taktak maragondon, halukay ube ni Tito Caloy!!!
(Editor's Note : Kindly forgive my uncle, in his inebriated state I guess you will have to make do with this cacophony of unabashed ramblings dashed with a sprinkling of shameless innuendo - GBM)
Kainan Muna Tigil muna kami doon sa may Kenny sa highway. Ayos libre nanaman ako!Hihihi. May mga GC kasi si Mike, may syota ata tong taga Kenny dati kaya meron. May nasagap pa kaming mga chix, sarap talagang tumakbo ganda ng sights.
Ang ganda nila noh? Tambay Taym Ang ganda ng tirahan namin, Forest View ba yun. Siyam na kalalakihan. Sarap ng buhay. May oto, may puesto, mahangin ... .sarap manginom dito. Ay di pala pwede, sasalang na tong mga to! Halos lahat babanat ng 42k. Si Mike iba sasalihan, 10k lang ata. Excited na ko! Excited nako na masolo tong lugar namin wahehehe.
Sarap ng buhay no?
Simula ng Kalbaryo Onting tsibog , onting dasal, at hinatid na namin ang mga tropa kung saan sila susunduin ng bus. Aba ordinary ang bus na susundo sa kanila papuntang Floridablanca! World-class nga! Daming mga mag 42k, ung isang nakita ko parang namumutla, kabado siguro. Kulang sa balut. Nakasakay na ang mga tropa, sana okey kalabasan. Si Mike muntik pang makasama sa bus kodakan blues pa kasi. Natawa tuloy ung isang Egoy. Sana okey naman sila, mukhang malalakas naman ang mga pwersa nila eh.
Mga macho papa, yakang yaka 42k!
Nako si pareng Bong ang daming babae nito...
Naknang isa pa to si Eo, madaming napaiyak nong araw to...
Ang bilis siguro nitong BulaKenyan na to
Nasa Bus na , pahabol pa!
Teka, na nosebleed nako sa pagsulat ko dito, di naman bayad to! Makaisang round muna kami ni pareng Vino Kulafu. Abangan niyo na lang ang susunod na kabanata! Out na muna ako! GTG Pips!
Yes. I did it! I finally did it! Happy, relieved thoughts pervaded my mind as I finally hit the mat with a 1:57:18 performance. My first ever sub-2 hour half marathon. Whew. Would you look at that.
YES!!
But one would fail to grasp the pure significance of the moment if we fail to look back to where it all started... .. If they say success is measured by how many times you bounce back from failure, then my case would be the optimus exempoator of this adage.
Greenfield Run, Kilometer 17
I am dead tired. I want to die. I am never, EVER doing this again . This is SO STUPID. My feet are on fire. I drove here to Laguna at like 3 in the morning. Normal people are still asleep!! Gak .I can barely breathe. This Takbo.ph girl, what's her name, Ellen? Oh lord I just ate her dust. My pathetic pace is too slow for her and I'm left gasping for air. My student Isha is at least ten minutes ahead of me. I am soooo way over my head here. Idon't want to run anymore. FIRST AND LAST. Oh the pain. Finish Time : 2:19
Help my feet are burning Botak Paatibayan, Kilometer 20 I'm going to faint. Here it is. Goodbye Poise. Promise. Just a bit more. Sun... . heat... . need... . water . Seriously, who in the right mind would start a 21k at like 7:00 am??? I'm getting roasted here. Didn't put any sunblock, because it would affect my macho image. I should rename myself Fudgeman instead of Gingerbreadman. Oh the agony... . Kilometer 20, but the finish line seems an eternity away... ... . Finish Time : 2:14
Would you still read The Fudgeman Report?
GBM loses by TKO Globe Run For Home, Kilo meter 19
Oh the horror . I never should have even tried. I should have known that two weeks of no training combined with ultramarathon recovery would equate into the nightmare that is ITBS. Having to suffer the ignominy of walking to the finish line is embarassing to say the least. Hey, I guess this ain't so bad. At least my buddy Bong Yu essentially gave up his race to hang with me. What a class act. Oh, and here's the rest of the Takbo.ph gang! Sigh. Thanks guys you're the best. Ouch. Finish Time : 3: and nevermind.
Rod Runner's header shows that every ounce of support was needed to get across the line
Quezon City International Marathon, 19k
I think I have ran as strategically sound a race as I have ever had . With a target of anything below 2 hours, I believe I have set up the positive split - coast strategy as well as I have ever had. Integrated walk breaks for the first time in my relatively nascent running career, and guess what? They don't suck! They work! Such a festive atmosphere.
The venerable people at Runnex, specially the Jazzrunner Sir Rene Villarta did a yeoman's job on this. Balloon-wielding pacers, majorettes, numerous water stations. Awesome. Now all I have to do is coast and ... OMG im cramping! Nooooooo. Not now! Breathe, breathe. And my tummy hurts! That 100plus screwed me! It's carbonated! Waah. Can i hold on... just a bit more... . I refuse to be denied again. Not today. Finish Time :1:57:18
Pacute before the race
With Takbo.ph bossing/Manokan icon Jinoe
With intense buddy Bong Yu
The pain and the glory
With Ryshel's little sisters
Being interviewed by students from Quirino National High As I look back at the many times I have bombed, sucked, and been humbled at the distance, finally beating one of my major goals is but sweet solace . The personal best is but gravy... . getting through to the line with a smile on my face, with no injuries or otherwise untoward incident, is more than enough.
Oftentimes, getting to the destination is the be-all-end-all of the matter.
But through recounting the travails that got you there... Oftentimes that's what makes it all the more sweeter.
As I glanced anxiously at my 305, the grim reality was sinking in. Unless I pull of an Usain Bolt, there was absolutely no way I would be hitting my goal. I need to leave everything out there. Right here. No tomorrows. A final push, one last heave for glory netted a 4:53 final lap... .
And I missed it by 15 seconds. Damn.
Thank God for Google Images
But wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves. It all started on a stormy Saturday night at Glorietta 4 ... .
GBM: Miss, may I register for the 10k? Thank you. ECO-Dash Counter Girl : Eto po. 300 lang. GBM: Hmmm. Where's the singlet? EDCG: Ay, naubos na po, nung Sunday pa. GBM: Aaah, ok.
(walks away, opens race packet, goes back)
GBM: Miss, why do you have two bibs? That is quite... unconventional . EDCG: Ay Sir, ung isa para sa harap, ung isa sa likod. First time niyo ho ba? GBM: Uh... . It's actua.. EDCG: Okay lang ho, kaya ninyo yan, basta hinga malalim lang.Nauso na nga yang ranning na yan eh. Nga pala sir, rain or shine yan tuloy!
So for 300 bucks I ended up with 2 race bibs, a bit of a weird conversation... . and that was pretty much it. Not that it actually matters - I heard a lot of gripes about its "minimalist" design - but I was hoping to get more bang out of my 300 bucks. Internet legend Tito Caloy was supposed to grace us with his presence, but was apparently caught up deep in training for the San Mig National Drinking Finals. So I went out on a dreary Sunday morning, in hopeful anticipation of the great unknown, what with so many intangibles put into play.
"Secret" Training If you have been following this blog from time to time, then you're probably aware of my well-chronicled struggles against the menace that is ITBS.
Gone for good? Forced to drastically cut down mileage , I put in a couple of duds at some of our recent races. I was already thinking, Am i done ? Is that it for me? Visions of a surgically repaired Samboy Lim and Shaun Livingston looking like ghosts of their old selves haunted me. What if I'll never regain my old form? Through the thankful intervention of a higher power, I have been running relatively pain free for the past several weeks. That's when I decided to flat out just go for out it. Serious training for two weeks, harder than I ever trained before. I was going to secretly target a sub-50 time for this race, if I fail I could just say I was "pacing" someone. So what did I do exactly?
If I told you, then it wouldn't be a secret anymore, right? :) :p
The Case of the Missing Ipod
In an extremely weird twist of fate, I lost my beloved iPod the day I learned that my quest for that elusive Master's degree was finally over. Ahh. My life seems to be in bittersweet symphony right now. But what should I do? I find it extremely hard to run without music, I seem to be grossed out by my own snarly breathing.
Will give dog for ipod Thankfully, I found a weird-looking Mp3 player lying around the house, the type you could get for 500 bucks at the mall. 256 mb, no song randomizer, weird shape. Sold! At this point, I would have brought a Walkman to the race if need be.
If you ever ran with one of these, thanks for visiting my blog Master!
The Race Itself
Okay, let's be practical. Due to the nature of this belated post, by now you should have already read a plethora of blog entries outlining how drenched we were, how there was a lack of marshals along Bayani, et.al. Obviously, I won't go there - your time is more precious than mine. Instead, let's go straight to the crux of the matter, punctuated by the precise songs blaring from my cheapo Mp3 player in homage to my newly departed and dearly beloved Ipod.
Kilometer 1 - Dreamgirls Theme (not a word)
Jesus Christ and Mary it sure is cold! I don't think I have ever started a race at this temp, it's even colder than when we did Botak Baguio. Oh shoot , crappy Mp3 player auto adjusts its volume everytime you turn it off. It's .. it's not loud enough! I still hear my own breathing! Crap. Where do they make this thing anyway? Rain is pouring down pretty bad, I don't have time to get it out of my hydrobelt. Yes it's that pathetic I need to squeeze it into my hydrobelt. Opening pace is at 4:29, think I could have gone faster but the rain is slowing me down. Just passed a runner who is complaining about the rain audibly. Hmmm, chess isn't so bad once you get used to it.
All you got to do is dream...
Kilometer 2-3 - Do You Believe In Magic - Loving Spoonful
So I got out of the bane of all runners this side of town in one piece. The Kalayaan Flyover was my first major hurdle, and I did a 4:44/5:03 on it, first time I ever hit a sub-5 split on it. People walking all around me. Yes, it does get the best of you. Given that 82.67% of all Sunday race routes pass through this point, I'm guessing it doesnt have too many fans.Much like an untamed beast in the wilderness, oftentimes you can but just hope and pray you live to tell the tale. Relatively unscathed, I come flying downslope. Current total pace is at 4:45. So far so good.
Yup, never heard of em' either
Kilometer 5 - VST & Co. - Sumayaw Sumunod
Wow, these drivers are crabby! You woulwd think that they'd be more relaxed on a Sunday morning. The honking was reminiscent of Edsa Dos. Unfortunately, seems that we're the subjects of their profanity-laced tirades. They should go to the Kanye West School of Charm.
It's just like rush hour traffic, only on a Sunday. Why so angry?
Completed the halfway point at 23:48, that may just possibly be my best 5k split ever. Route reminds me of my Globe Run for Home debacle. Is this my day of vindication?
Sumabay sa mga bagong tugtugin ngayon... .
Kilometer 7-8 - Eraserheads - Huwag Kang Matakot
As much as I would like to imbibe the E-heads spirit on this, the pressure was so intense it was hard not to be. The homeward bound Kalayaan Flyover won this round, dropping me to a 5:22/5:34 split, breaking both my body and spirit. The pressure was getting to me , and I was starting to panic inside. Total pace had dropped to an even 5:00, which meant that I would be missing my target. More panic. I need to make up time. But I'm zapped out. Must... soldier... on. Just 2k more... ...
One of their last albums before calling it quits
Kilometer 9-10. Amy Winehouse - Rehab. They say that running is just as much mental as physical, sometimes even more. I completely agree, 100%. Here I was , on the cusp of beating one of my biggest running goals, and I was doing a completely chokejob. Mentally, I was messed up. I was freaking out and panicking. Prematurely celebrating, I was even thinking of a title for the blog post already. Physically, I was spent. Blatant lack of training. A quick, anxious glance at the 305 showed 45:00 with a little over a kilometer to go. Running on fumes, a blatant attempt to let it all hang out was hatched.
However, the grim reality was sinking in. Unless I pull of an Usain Bolt, there was absolutely no way I would be hitting my goal. More panic. I need to leave everything out there. Right here. No tomorrows. A final push, one last heave for glory... .
And I missed it by 15 seconds. Damn.
Gut-wrenching. I broke down mentally that last two kilometers. Got caught up in the moment so to speak. Wasn't able to deliver. On the precipice of success, I blinked. And in that nanosecond, I missed the bus. At the highest echelons of all sports, this is what separates the men from the boys. The winners from the pretenders. It's that requisite mental toughness designed to take you to the next level.
I think I need to go to rehab after this
Overall, it was a bittersweet moment. I still set a new 10k PR at 50:14, lopping of a minute and a half from my pre-injury best. Was a tremendous day for Takbo.ph denizens Sam, Vicky, and Argo as they all set new records on their 21k times. Tremendous improvement. Keep up the good work guys!
PR people with podium gal Carins
John Lloyd an d... Luis? In retrospect, this race taught me a lot about myself. Getting so near, only to falter in the end inspires me to do even better next time around. To quote William Ernest Henley, "my head is bl oody, but unb owed". Indeed, we all live to run another day.
And sometimes, in the greater scheme of things
That's all that really matters.
Editor's Note : Results just came in, wanted to add that this performance was good enough for 26th place amongst 532 runners in the category, my best finish ever :P
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... ...
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.
Main Entry: sin·glet Pronunciation: \ˈsiŋ-glət\ Function: noun Date: circa 1746
1 chiefly British : an athletic jersey; also : a collarless men's undergarment for the upper part of the body
Mr. Webster looks good in his old-school singlet
Chiefly British. Hmmm. Why was I not surprised? Only those dudes could take the sando and make it sound so sosy.So you're a singlet Ho. Yeah, admittedly. As I was writing my previous piece on newbie gaffes, I had mentioned there that the Adidas KOTR's singlet had taken my fancy. It's much akin to what you could buy at a store for like 700 or 800 bucks, and under that prevailing logic not only can you get the fancy singlet for a much cheaper price, you get a free fancy race as well.
As far as I know, you can get the singlets at their Running Expo this Saturday and Sunday at Megamall's Megatrade Hall, some ginormous event with fashion shows, running clinics and seminars. Not bad for 500 bucks eh? But dang, I can't wait that long! UGH. Must ... . get... hands... . on ... . KOTR singlet... ..
I still likey. NOW. Anyway, my thought process was jarred from its otherwise halcyon state as the ghosts of singlets past suddenly came back to haunt me. Singlets come in all shapes and sizes. Some are training-run worthy, some go straight to the bottom shelf cabinet for posterity. Others are spectacular, while most just plain suck. I've even come across some that are "large" but couldn't fit my younger sister if I had one.
With that in mind, I'll try to run you through some of the singlets that I have come across in the past, and how they measure up.
Takbo.ph Well, for me its still the coolest singlet ever, and I'm not just saying that because Boss Jinoe will fire me if I dont :P Our unofficial uniform during Sunday races, it's the "legacy" limited edition singlet that was given during the Condura Run Carbo-Loading Party several months back. I bet the singlet would do very well on the black market :P
The Airspeed Run Anyone remember this? This came from the era where Coach Rio was dabbling in the utilitarian, "tipid meals shut up and dont whine you only paid 250 bucks for this" style of singlet. I mean seriously, ask anyone. These were virtually unwearable in real life. Fabric was substandard, and even after losing like 30 pounds I still could not squeeze myself into one. Sigh, the good ol' days.
Men's Health Miracle Run Still remains to be one of my personal favorites. Was well made, had a cool design, and was an upgrade over the shirt that came with the first incarnation. Everyone was raving about it.. until they turned the singlet and saw a big "Frenzy" logo there. So much for wholesome family running fun. Oh, and yeah I'm still waiting for the official results.
Auto Review Run
Did you run this? Thought so too. But this is where my singlet hoeness came to the forefront. Saw the jpegs, thought it was awesome, left the office to register even if I had absolutely no intention of running it. Was somewhat disappointed with its substandard material and weird fit. Tito Caloy had fun running the race though.
Botak Ultramarathon 50k Milestone run for me, and wonderful, personalized singlet that elicited quite a stir at the time. I still sleep with it under my pillow at night.
Globe Run For Home I remember. Everyone was so excited about this race.Including me. First mainstream disposable chip-timed race. I was so excited that I risked running this on no training and still in recovery. Blew out my ITB as a result . Anyway, just as excitement was reaching fever pitch, the Coach Rio version 2.0 singlet was released. And tadah! Amidst tremendously high expectations, collective jaws dropped. Nuff said.
So with all these in mind, this finally brings us to...
Adidas King of the Road Yahoo! Yay! Prayers answered! It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Fit is wonderful too! It rocks so much that I may very well ghost register someone just to get a spare, in case something happens to it. Haha just kidding of course. Yeah. Haha.
But if you do see me on Saturday or Sunday at Megatrade Hall, let's just make it our dirty little Gingerbread secret okay? :P
If you have any "vintage"singlets you may want to see the light of day, send me images through the Gingerbread Mailbox on the home page and lets do something fun with it :)
The Fit and Fun Wellness Buddy Run was supposed to be an opportunity for friends and family to come together, take a brief respite from the trappings of everyday running and just go out there and have a blast by running as a pair. While this doesn't beat the novelty of having to eat six donuts over the course of a race (yum) it was supposed to give a fresh take on your usual weekend race. I had my sights set on Tito Caloy as my buddy (think of all the fun comedy anecdotes I could have used as material) but alas...
Lady at Robinson's Pioneer Customer Service : Ay Sir wala na pong slot
GBM : Pero... . last day ngayon diba? *sob*
LRPCS : Oo, pero ubos na ang slots eh.
GBM : *sob*
Thus, I had to grimly relay the info to Tito Caloy... . He must be crestfallen.
Tito Caloy : O, naicancel ko na lahat ng gimik ko! Kundisyon na ako! Game !
GBM: Tito, naubusan tayo ng slots . Sigh.
TC : Ay sakto kakatext lang ni pareng Ambo diyan sa may Griarte bertday daw eh! Cge txt2 na lang!
GBM: (well that didn't take long)
So great. I'll be stuck without a race for the weekend. As much as I wanted to pace Tito Caloy, my ulterior motive was to somehow whip myself back to shape coming from the layoff necessitated by the Botak Ultra. So imagine how happy I was when Takbo.ph denizen Lucille/ Ohm Runner had advised me that her hubby's partner had backed out. I felt fortunate that amongst those who had offered their "services" as a late sub she picked me :) We met the day before at Go Nuts Donuts for the bib and singlet , a veritable EB of sorts as I have never met her before.
Lucille : It's up to you to take care of my hubby
GBM : Of course! Any targets?
Lucille : His best time was a 1:10... .
GBM : So it's a sub 70 then! Game !
Lucille : Thank you. Any PR wold be a tremendous bonus.
GBM: I will try my best... ..
To make a long story short, I would be running the buddy run not with a buddy... but with a total stranger...
Pre-Race
I'm running late. I cannot be late for this. I have a buddy. I don't know him. But it should be fun. I just drove from Ortigas to Fort in 5 mins. I could have sworn the cops would have given me a ticket. Whew. Made it. It's starting late apparently. The usual suspects here. And... hey! It's Doc Iris! Finally meet her! She's... tall in person! Someone's calling... wait... . It's Argow...
GBM : Yes Argow?
Argow : Shet man!
GBM : Wha?
Argow: I just woke up!
GBM: Yeah, sad. Why you calling me?
Argow: I hooked up on the board! Last minute sub! And I'm here! He's there! Waaaaah! WWaaaaah! WAAAH! Um, is there anyone who could sub for me? WAAAAH!
GBM: Geez, I don't know man. We're starting in like 5 mins... .
Argow : Waaaah!
I finally met my buddy minutes before we were to start. Until that point he was only known as "Lucille's Husband" . I must have repeated this a gazillion times to the Takbo.ph gang...
Takbo.ph friend : Hey who's your buddy?
GBM: Lucille's Husband! I'm a late sub!
TF : Who's Lucille?
Carlo was his name. Much better than "Lucille's Husband" right? . I asked him his targets, he said he just wanted to treat it as his long run. He didn't want to push because he wanted to run the Globe 21k next week. But Lucille said sub 70... And how can he finish 21k if he doesn't push on a mere 10k? My competitive juices started flowing, a diabolical plan was hatched to tow my new buddy into new running heights.
"Lucille's Husband" now had a face behind the name
We're Going Too Fast! Km 1 - 5
So it's my first time to ever pace someone at an actual race and it's my first time to run at a significantly slower pace. My adrenalin was killing me. As you may or may not know, I'm a notorious positive splitter for short to medium distance races. This rubbed off on our pace, and as much as I was trying to take it slow, it still resulted in a 6:24 pace that was too fast for my new friend. He was doing quite well first 3 - 4k, then was starting to gas already. We had passed Takbo.ph first couple Jinoe and Que, injured diva Vicky and matinee idol Bong Z as well as Timmy and Joyce so I figured heck , we must be going a bit fast.
Bong and Vix on their "leisurely" pace
Wait, did they just stop in the middle of the road for photo-op? Buddy Carlo was starting to grumble already, much to my consternation and embarassment.
"This is hard!"
"This is too fast this ain't my pace!"
"You're a maniac!"
Little did he know, it was all part of the plan... ..
A Final Push. Km 6- 10
In order to diffuse any unneccessary weirdness, I resorted to humoring buddy Carlo with mundane, useless questions to take his mind off the pain and exhaustion. Things like...
What's your wedding date with Lucille?
Where was your first date?
What's the zodiac sign of your kid?
When was your first kiss?
If someone were to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?
Who you like better, Rustom or BB?
Think Doc Hayden would come up with new material soon?
Despite my best efforts, best buddy Carlo said he was gassing. He was not enjoying this at all! He had to take a walk break. Which was great because... . that was part of the plan. Aha! Pacing with positive split people has its advantages... like slacking off during the 2nd half. The walk breaks , the rest pace splits - all were taken into consideration *evil grin*. We actually had a 31 minute 5k. More than enough to time to recover. *moral victory* After a kilometer or so of walking, we were back on track. A run/walk strategy lowered our pace to about 6:47, but were right on track. He was feeling much better, which was a good thing...
I am not liking this Gingerbread charcter ...
Evil Gingerbread pacer dude
With the finish line in sight, buddy Carlo was seriously gassing. He wanted to walk last hundred meters. I told him just 300 meters to go! 200! It's just one more minute of misery in exchange for a week of glory! I shared the mantra that pushes me through the last 500 meter fade. Must have struck a chord, as me and best buddy Carlo finished strong to a 1:08:50 finish on our Garmins, a new PR for him! Mission accomplished! Congratulations to main man Carlo! Wohoo!
I survived the GBM Pace Experience!
Overall, the race was an organized success. Extribe did a wonderful job with it, we should see them more often. Generous goodie bags at the end were pretty impressive as well.
Niceties were given, congratulations exchanged. Old records fell by the wayside. The essence of the Buddy Run is reflected in a synergy of enthusiasm... .
Love... .
Smiles... ..
Fun... ..
and the pursuit of excellence... .
We may have not breached any of those in an hour, but rest assured the fundamental element was built that day... ..
I started the race with a complete stranger. I ended it with a complete stranger. I just so happen to know some weird things about him now. Goodbye Carlo. We ran the good race. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. See you around...
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.
