TNF100 20K - First Trail Run

Photo: Our Shoes After
This was what are shoes were like after the run.
(Left to Right): RJ, Ed, Shin, Me.

Yesterday, July 27, 2008, I had my first taste of a trail run. The main event was the ultramarathon - 100km organized by The North Face. Thus the name The North Face 100. I, ofcourse, didn't join this 100km race but the 20km I did.

Waking up at around 2 in the morning, by a repeated phone rings from a friend and my alarm, I got up and prepared myself. We got to Evercrest at 4am where the organizers where still setting up the starting line. There where lights and music playing totally waking me from my sleepiness. at around 0430, we lined up to claim our race kits. At 0500, there was no sign of starting. The day was already moving on. Good thing the sky was clouded and since we were in quite an altitude it was quite cool and windy -- a great condition for running.

Photos: Before the race

(Top Left): The starting line.
(Top Right): Shin's shoes and my Arnuva 100 TR GTX before the run
(Bottom): With the Sixth Man, Sir Danny. Finishing the 100km in 16 hours.


At 0630, the 20km runners got ready at the starting line. Sychronizing my time with the organizers, the gun was shot at 0636 after a 100km runner made it to the finish.

The race started on road running for about half a kilometer towards the Mt. Batulao jump off. This road was familiar to me since I've been here a couple of times before. The course then went offroad still pretty wide with pot holes here and there. Still no mud here. The real deal started when we went further into the course (around 1 kilometer from start). At the first loop, the trail was quite manageable and I was choosing my path, weaving my way to more suitable places. The course then cut down towards corn fields, going down quite steeply after down to a river. Luckily there was a bridge for us to cross. Then the trail went up and started heading north with a cliff on the right hand side where the river was. The trail then run quite straight and out, back to the road by the Caleruega Church. The road then goes around 2 km back to the junction of Marshall Station near the starting point which ends the first 10km-loop. The 20km runners have to go at it again for the second time.

The second time around was quite more challenging. The mud was thicker. I didn't care anymore about choosing my path since it was all mud and my shoes where covered in it anyways. So I just tanked my way through the course. That's right. "Tanked." My shoes felt like lead with the caking mud underneath.

Also contributing to the difficulty were the many "10km hikers" who were trekking along, clogging the already narrow trail, making it difficult for runners wanting to pass to pass. It was constant "Excuse me po" for me. There were spots where it couldn't be avoided though. The trail was narrow and there was no where else to go. I had to wait for a wider part in the trail.

I finally made it to the finish line after running for around 2 hours and 4minutes (according to my time). Met some other runners, exchanged stories, training plans, techniques, etc. We waited for the Awarding ceremony -- which happened at around 1100, before heading home.

Without breakfast and lunch, I was really hungry! Getting home to a plate of Spaghetti, I ate all to my hunger's content before taking a bath and went straight to bed 13hours later, since I woke up in the morning. I expected to wake up an hour later but that didn't happen.

Photos: After the race
(Left): Left to Right - RJ Almocera, Edmund Solaiman, Shin Siapco, me
(Right): Photo with the "TNF Runner" Mr. HighAltitude: Jerry

Photo: Photo with Ms. Ivy and "The Super Sherpa" Sir Leo.
My role models. Sir Leo Oracion has inspired me in his many feats in Adventure racing and Ma'am Ivy Macainan as an inspiration for me, as a new runner, with her stories.

Photo: with Sir Leo and Sir Jerry

Photo: Team Baldrunner
Team Baldrunner's Reynaldo De Los Reyes and Cresenciano Sabal won overall 2nd place for the Team Relay 100K. Congratulations!

-= More pictures will follow =-

Koko's Quest: Help Batman Save Gotham City!

Photos with the Dark Knight:
Both Photos taken by Alvin Teng
(Top: left to right) Shin, Ed, Jimmy, me.
(Bottom: left to right) Ed, Jimmy, me, Shin.

Last Sunday, the Cab Crew, as our group is more commonly known, took part in the Koko's Quest: Help Batman Save Gotham City! event. It was an event sponsored by Koko Crunch to promote the new Batman Movie -- The Dark Knight in the Mall of Asia.

Originally, four of us where going to perform. Edmund Solaiman, Shin Siapco, Francis dela Cruz and RJ Almocera. But since Francis and RJ had an exam Sunday, 2pm (2 hours before the performance) in AUP, we switched plans. Carlo Enriquez from Parkour Philippines (PKPH) and I joined in.

We were in Mall of Asia from 0830, met boss Alvin Teng of PKPH who was coordinating our part of the event, had a little briefing and dry runs, and played some Nintendo Wii. "Fly Time" was 4pm. Counting down the hours before then, we went around the mall, visited the Arcade, registered for the TNF100, and went around some more. At lunch, we ate lunch, and went around some more. At 3pm, we went back to the stage area and got ourselves ready for the jump.

Video: Below is a vid of the event. It shows me at the first part (right), followed by Ed on the track (left).

Well, it didn't turn out the way it should have. In short we messed up. The day before, PKPH did the same run successfully. Actually the video above was a false start. We entered when we shouldn't have. We had to exit again since the host, Iya Villania, was up on stage! you could see me exit in the vid. hehe. Was I embarrassed? Well, not as much as I should have been thanks to the organizers who let us wear balaclavas so my face was hidden!! Hey! I had to do the drop twice!!

It was quite an experience. A lot better than the event we did for IMAX for Spiderman 3 although it just took a few minutes. I would like to take this chance to thank Boss Alvin Teng for giving us a shot on this at the same time I would like to express my apologies to PKPH and to Alvin. I know we could have caused some damage to your name and the community in a way, but we would be willing to redeem for it someday.

Photos: Fun in the Mall of Asia

(left) Shin, boxing on the Wii
(right) Ed, watching Shin on a bike in the arcade

Alot of friends were actually in the vicinity at that time. RJ and Franz finished their exams in 15 minutes and tried to catch up but arrived minutes after the event. Red also came with his cam. Grace and John Ragui were also there. And Ayn was somewhere. They were all in the vicinity but weren't able to watch the event but still we were able to meet them after the event.

Oh.. Boss, thanks also for the shoes. I've written in a previous post that my shoes where getting wrecked. Boss Alvin donated me shoes. Thanks alot! :)

"August Rush"

On the right side of this blog is a quote from the movie "The Ultimate Gift", a movie that has really inspired and in a way changed me. Last night, a bunch of friends and I, watched "August Rush" as movie of how the power of music works to call and bring together a family who have been apart for years. I'm not going to spoil it for you. Kaycee left for awhile and regretted it so don't do the same. Haha..

Well, I believe that there is harmony in the Universe. The Universe moves to a single pulse. Ecosystems, the Circle of Life, the Food Chain - everything works in perfect harmony with each other.

This is movie that I would recommend watching. It has moved me to pick up my violin. It even made Ed cry!! haha.. I already download the soundtrack.. But yah.. this is a must-see movie. Try also watching "The Perfect Gift" if you got a chance.

"Warning: Women Out of Order"

DISCLAIMER: Ok. Please, there is no harm intended in this blog (specially to women).

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


If this is true, I advise everyone to stay away! This is no joke! On the other hand, it could mean the end for all of us (I'm talking bout men). In what situations can this sign be applied? Can it be fixed? What came to your mind when you saw the pic? I would like to get some feedback. :)

To me, truthfully speaking, I was totally amused when I saw this INTERESTING sign. I'm not going to say where I saw this but it's a sign on the door of a bathroom, washroom, toilet, C.R., throne room, however you fancy calling it..

Being of the opposite sex, and knowing and hearing quotes about women - "Women = Evil" - as an example, I was excited and ran for my camera. It was worth taking a shot of. Hey, I'm just a guy who is naturally entertained by these things.

Feedback
Whoever put the "Out of Order" sign probably didn't know how it would look.. or maybe did. I'm also excited to get feedback as to what you think, specially if you're female.

Mt Batulao Trail Run

I used to think that mountains were for climbing with Mountaineering gear - tent, pack, stove. Not today. Sir Jerry (HighAltitude) took me to Mt. Batulao for a taste of "Mountain running". On the narrow mountain trails, we ran. Going up and down, over rocks and under trees. I was constantly getting slashed on by the lots of talahib on both sides of the trail. Of course I wasn't wearing my usual mountaineering gear since this was a run.

Waking up a 4am, I took a bath and made myself ready for this first taste. We got to the front of Evercrest at around 0600 (which isn't accurate since I wasn't keeping time). On a usual hiking trip, getting to the top of Batulao from the front of Evercrest would take about 2 hours. At least that's how long it took us to get up there the last time I went. But running the trail, it took us exactly 50minutes to get to the top (according to Sir Jerry's Vector).

This is probably the hardest run I've had so far. I couldn't keep up with Jerry and needed to walk alot of times. On the way back to the highway from the peak, my feet felt like lead. My quads were starting to cramp due to dehydration which is solely my fault since I wasn't drinking as much. I feel fortunate that I'm still able to walk properly after that run..

Some time, I will need to buy myself a nice pair of trail shoes. I'll be going back there again next week and hope I do better. My poor reeboks are breaking and they're my only pair of shoes for everything (I have leather shoes, though). This is going to be my training for the TNF event on the 27th. Train hard!!

Below are photos Sir Jerry & I took on this trip. Enjoy.

Note: Photos of me were taken by Jerry.

Note: Photos of Sir Jerry were taken by me.

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.