Rush to Infinity Run

The Rush to Infinity Run sponsored by Rush & Mizuno happened on June 29, 2008. This was going to be my first 15-kilometer run and my third race. After months of running, I've made it a point to drive myself hard at this one.

Waking up at 0330 of June 29 was not so difficult. I've been tossing and turning on the hotel bed where we slept for the night. Well.. it was partly coz it was cold.. While sir Jerry and Mac were still asleep, I started preparing myself. Took a quick shower, did some morning stretching changed into my running gear and taped possible blister-ready zones.

We took a taxi to Global City and got there at around 0500. There were already a lot of runners around - warming up and stretching. In a few minutes we were called to the starting line, watched the countdown timer set by the organizers. At zero we were off.

I started at my regular pace. Turning right, then left, down the side of the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. I don't really know the name of the streets. But if you click on the map at the left you'll be able to see our route. At first it was downhill and it was this way for some time. I picked up my pace on the downhills and ran a faster than normal pace on the flats. The first U-turn was near the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Graveyard of Heroes). After the U-turn, we turned right into the Heritage Park. This was an awesome park. I just loved it in there! Green grass and walls. I really wanted to climb those walls! The park was great that I really didn't feel tired. Before long the route started going uphill.. back downhill and out the gate of Heritage Park. This is were the problems started. The road was congested with runners. Mixed with runners from the 5km, 10km and 15km. It was really difficult. Runners going both ways, some walking.. IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!! I had a difficult time weaving my path through these runners.. or should I say walkers. Finally, I made it out of the traffic alive!! Beside me, a man on a bike slowed down. "How far is this?" He asked in Filipino.
"15-kilometers," I replied. We had a little chat with the man then he said farewell and speeded up. Then, he slowed down and asked, "Can you cheat? Wanna ride?" Haha.. He was offering me to cheat!! Anyways, I said 'No, thank you,' and he was off.

The path now was going back uphill. Tiring it may seem but training in Tagaytay pays off. Other runners have slowed down a lot and I was passing them. When I thought we were close, we turned right off the main road and started down McKinley Hill. It was a pretty steep downhill, this road. And there was a U-turn at the bottom then back the steep uphill. My legs weren't quite tired yet as I remembered Talisay which was steeper and much longer than this road. It was tiring, yes, but I was determined to finish strong. As soon as we got out McKinley hill, back to the traffic, It was quite flatter. Then the signs of nearing the finish line came. I picked up my pace for the last kilometer. Speeding my way to the finish line for the last sprint, I noticed a long line to my left. I ignored them since they all had red straw around their necks (meaning they were 5km runners) and passed the empty right side to the finish. This is were my disappointment really started.

There were no officials waiting there. No one to take my official time. There was no one giving out the goodies. After asking around I learned that we had to line up on the left. What?! Insanity!! What kind of race asks you to line up for the finish line!!! My timer registered 1:12:24 and I was happy but for the thought that it wouldn't be recorded as my official time. My official time according to Runrio.com was around 1hr 30minutes which was really was off. And some people I finished before, were before me in the results. The results were later on removed from the site.

I would really like to appreciate the efforts of Sir Rio though. Everything was doing well but for the finish line and the traffic which sir Rio DID apologize and took responsibility for the errors.

Overall, the run was great! Great weather - clouded sky, not so hot, a bit windy. Overflowing drinks - water, or Rush, they had it.

I'm still at the beginning of my running anyways and I still plan to train harder and join more runs. See you in the next run.

1st Half Marathon - 8th DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap Half Marathon

Edited: My official time according to Baldrunner.com (Gintong Pangarap official race results): 1 hour 54 minutes 29 seconds. Rank # 73.

Pictures by: Maclan Matthew.
The pictures where taken after the race.
(Top) Group shot. Jerry, Wilson, Mac, Ivy, me.
(Bottom) Group shot with trophy holders.

June 15, 2008

The 8th DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap Half Marathon - My first official road race (the vertical marathon was different). I've been training since April when I got converted into running. The thing was, I was training for a 15k run. I don't know if that makes much difference physically but mentally it does.

Talisay
In the week before the event, I constantly had this dreadful thought of not being able to finish the 21k. Since sir Jerry already paid for my registration, I didn't have the guts to back out now. The last training runs approaching the event consisted of a run from Talisay, Batangas up to Brgy. Sungay, Tagaytay City. This run is a really steep, uphill run for about an hour. It was a "killing" experience. One hour of pure, constant effort. Getting to the top was a relief!!

Side Track: We took a tricycle down to Talisay. The tricycle drivers were reluctant on taking four people in one tricycle down that road. It was just to dangerous. They were talking about weak breaks and just taking a maximum of three. But after some negotiations, one, who thought he had the strongest brakes, took the challenge.

The tricycle drivers were looking at us saying "Isa pang round!" 'One more round!' in english. They were kinda awed looking at four of us back up there sweating one hour later.

Splendido:Failed!
I felt I needed the mental assurance that I could finish a half marathon. I've run a couple of times to Tagaytay City from Silang (around 11-12k) and I've felt comfortable after. But the thought that 21k is twice that distance really bogged me!! I really needed to know if I'll make it or not! I was determined to find out.

Monday, June 9, 2008, 0530h, I set out on my quest for truth. I ran up, along the Aguinaldo Highway to the Tagaytay City rotonda with a pack and 1 leter of water. It started off as a great day. I had no problems what so ever. Finally, I reached the rotonda. I was half way. I turned right and started making for Splendido. At about 1hr and 15minutes into my run, fatigue started settling in. Parkour training has given me a strong mind to overcome. I kept on going til it seemed like I hit my limit. My mind was battling with my body to go on. But with a weaker body, the mind cannot do much. 1hour and 57minutes, I stopped. I couldn't go anymore. I have failed. Flagging a jeepney for home, I wouldn't know how much more to Spendido. I failed!!

Last Training Run
Wednesday, two days after my failed run to Splendido, sir Mac, sir Jerry and I went on another training run. From Malabag down through a back road to Brgy. Iba, Silang. This was going to be my last training run before the event. We were running under a little bit of rain. It was a pretty fast run but I was still mentally and physically shaken from Monday.

The Half-Eve
I've been praying to God for strength to be able to AT LEAST finish this race. I accepted that I could end up with an injury after this run. All I was asking was to be able to finish. The rest of the days to the event, I had a no-run policy. I rested from running. Cross-training instead. Biking instead and playing Badminton.

Saturday night, we left for Quezon City. We got to Cubao at around 10pm and were looking for a hotel room. The hotels were full! Filled with couples who, according to sir Mac, came there for the "wrong" reason. 'We come here for the right reason,' he says. 'We come here to sleep. They come for the wrong reason.' Haha.. you get what I mean. :P We had to wait for one to one and a half hour before we got a free room at Nice Hotel. We booked two rooms. Sir Mac & I took one, sir Jerry and Wilson took another. We were happy to be able to rest. After a bath, I was ready to sleep. The hotel provided us with only one blanket (you could imagine why. The wrong reason.) so I let sir Mac use it. We just turned the aircon on and off.

The Half
Race day came. For me, it started at 3AM. I got up ate a sandwich and gulped down around half a leter of water, took another shower and geared up. Wait a minute.. it was just 0330 and I was ready? Camp Aguinaldo was just 10minutes away!! I decided to go back to sleep. Waking up again at 0400 we were out of the hotel at 0430. We hailed a taxi. We were at the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand by 0500.

I'll be lazy. To have a mental picture of the route of the race read
Half-Marathon @ 2:00:18 Hrs by BaldRunner one of the well known running bloggers in the Philippines.

My Opinions Count
As to my own perspective of the run. I think it was good. Well ya.. It was my first one but my opinions still count right? As far as I remember, there were only 3 water stations (6 since we pass them twice) in the whole length of the run!! And none in the last 5k. I got really dehydrated. Plus, the 21k didn't start on schedule. The schedule was 0530.. Both 21 and 5k started 0600. The heat, together with the pollution of the vehicles passing made this one a challenge.. It's good the body has a way of filtering all that dirt!! Can't imagine how clogged up my lungs will be right now!! hehe. I didn't feel the difference personally. Guess it's lack of experience.

I'm just glad I finished the race strong. Yes, I sprinted the last 50meters. After a while, it became difficult to walk around. My calf muscles hurt!! Another this that hurt? My right inner thigh. I now know why they have those special, SUPER SHORT SHORTS for running. I made it a goal to "invest" in one.

I also got to finally meet sir Jerry's friend Ivy. Guess what? She's a really close friend of Leo Oracion (first pinoy on top of the world). It was great! She's such an outgoing person, fun with lots of stories, jolly, friendly.. such fun to be around. She treated us to breakfast! An honor! She told of her first running experience, and her other runs, her trip to Island peak, her plans for other events, etc. :) Nice to meet you ma'am Ivy.

So much things happened in the day. It's a milestone for me. Too bad my cam was out of batteries. Sheesh!! I lost lots of photo opportunities.. They'll stay in my mental archive though.

Next up? Mizuno Rush to Infinity 15k on June 29.

..AIIAS y0utH LeaDeRs & fRiEnDs Baguio TriP..

On May 30 - June 1 some of the AIIAS Youth Leaders, together with some friends, went for a retreat to Baguio City. We left at midnight May 29.. Maybe even considerably early morning of May 30 boarded on Victory Liner. Around 7 hours later, we reach the Victory Liner bus station in Baguio City.

Our main agenda? Go to SM Baguio! No kidding!! We spent a lot of time in SM. Haha. On friday, we spent some time in the arcade. That's right!! The ARCADE!! haha.. and then some videoke.. which was great fun!! Well, we did go around a little. Boating in Burnham, and walking around Session Road other than that? Not much.

Next agenda? Eat!! This was major!!! Mama Oyette kept our stomachs filled!! She cooked most of our meals including the overflowing bowl of curry!! Yah!! Lasted for 3 meals. haha. We had so much food that we had some left to give to the guards of the condo.

Speaking of Condo. We (thanks to Michael), got to stay in the Europa Condominium in Mines View Park. it was such a spacious place. We were supposed to stay down at the mission but after checking out the condo we decided to move in. Below are the shots taken during the "scouting". You see, there were four of us who went to scout while the others went to SM to buy the groceries. This was Friday.

Our Top Priority Agenda, though, happened on Sabbath. Waking up at around 8:30AM, eating, taking a bath, and everything else, we started our own worship service right in the condo at around 11AM. We started off with songs and was introduced to new type of worship.. forgot what it's called. We just had the Spirit come in and when one felt like singing a song, he sings, when one feels like praying, he prays, when one feels like sharing a testimony, he shares. This went on for some time. Sharing, singing, praying.

Then, we had a little activity that I felt fused our bond to each other. We shared with each person, what we remember about them, what we will miss about them. We also shared what our dreams were. It was such a blessed time we had. Our program ended at 3PM. So you could imagine.. we were hungry!!! So we had lunch.. at 3PM!! Hehe..

The rest of the weekend didn't quite happen as planned. We got out at sunset, so we weren't able to see the view of Mines View Park. We decided to go on to SM (again) and do some stuff. But since we weren't able to do much, we just decided to buy a movie and speakers and go back to the condo and watch. When we got back, though, everyone was pretty much sleepy and went to bed while Aimee and Oyette stayed up and watched.

Sunday morning, I started off with a run around Baguio. I went from Mines View, down to Burnham Park then back up. It was around 10km. We were cramming in the morning since we had to be on our way back to Manila right after lunch and everyone woke up late! So while others went around shopping for souvenirs, Obed, Mike, and I went to the bus station to book our tickets.

Well, after all the time we spent in Baguio, I think I can say that we have created a strong bond between all of us. Distance will not matter anymore.

May God always bless you -- Michael, Aimee, Hiro, Betty, and specially Oyette and Obed. And also those who weren't able to make it with us. We missed you guys -- Pastor Jonel, Ate Gay, Kuya Ken, Ate Janice, and Abishek.

"The Rock" - Corregidor Islannd

May 26, 2008

The AIIAS family went on retreat to the Island of Corregidor. Also known as "the Rock" because of it's rocky land formations, it withstood heavy bombing from Japanese forces in World War II and again by American forces in the retaking of Corregidor in the same war.

To read more about this historical icon click the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corregidor


The boat ride to the island took around 1 hour & thirty minutes. Having nothing much to do in the ferry, we played some games of Uno while eating some snacks. Others just slept during the trip. The ferry had a viewing deck where the picture at the left was taken from. While on the travel to Corregidor, Bataan could be seen on the right and Cavite on the left.

Getting off the ferry, there were buses (jeepneys? trolleys?) waiting for us. We got into bus number 2 with the driver - Ceasar and tourguide - Armando (cool! I still remember their names..haha). We went around the island on a tour visiting gun batteries, barracks, memorials, shorelines and other spots.

One of the really interesting places we visited was the Topside Barracks aka "Mile-Long Barracks." At its time, it was the longest barracks in the world. Although not really a mile long, it was still really long at 1,520 feet. It was really great that we stopped here because, according to our guide, tours usually stop at Middle Side barracks which wasn't as long and as magnificent but we skipped that one to get here. Plus, we were allowed to climb it. You have to be cautious climbing the steps since they were crumbling. Climbing to the third floor and looking across to the other side caused some weird feeling. You could really see to the other end. This barracks used to be a magnificent building. I'm sure alot better than the Molave Hall of AUP. This was actually luxurious in a way with recreational rooms and such. I perceive it used to be pretty too.

The guns were another interesting site. They were already painted green but you could still see the chips on the barrel caused by splash damage from the bombs dropped. These guns were the main strong point of Corregidor; what made it impregnable. That's why it was important for the Japanese to get a hold of it no matter the number of casualties. The guns could shoot to anywhere in Bataan and Cavite ranging up to 29,000 meters vertical range. And since it was right at the mouth of Manila Bay, it was the main defense of Manila Bay.





The end of our tour was the Malinta Experience. The sound and light show inside Malinta Tunnel. The tunnel served as a bombproof shelter and a path through the hill. During the bombing, the tunnel remained intact. The tunnel sheltered most everyone during the bombing of Corregidor. The reason why it is now ruined is because, during the retaking of Corregidor, the Japanese blew themselves inside the tunnel creating a massive explosion crumbling most of the tunnel and even destroying and American tank in the process.

Below are some pictures taken. Thanks to my sister, Aimeem for some of the pics.





Other places we visited were the Pacific War Memorial, the Eternal Flame of Freedom, a really nice piece of art and the Spanish lighthouse.