The North Face Trail Challenge in Sacobia, Pampanga – Day 2

May 24, 2009
Sacobia, Pampanga

Crashed at 2000H when we got back to the tent in Clearwater after buying “dinner” in Parkson Duty Free (having had zero sleep from the birthday party I attended the night before) and woke up at around 0100H on Sunday. Tried to sleep for awhile, but hit the shower when I realized it was already 0330H. There was more than one person running on the trail that day, and there was only one bathroom to be used.

Tights, shorts, singlet, Redrock purse, my beloved Adidas road shoes, which almost made me laugh when I remembered the post I’ve written around the same time last year. I swore that after the first trail running experience last year, I will never go trail running without the proper gear anymore. That morning, I only had one thought–one I learned the hard way: when all else fails: be one with the mud!

The organizers wasted no time in starting the race promptly but there was a bit of a trouble when runners got “clogged” on the way down to the start of the trail. Someone even commented: “hanggang dito ba naman traffic?” and some laughed. Just about the right amount of good humor to start the race right :)

 

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Runners Ready To Get On The Trail

I was already holding a Powerade bottle but decided to get water just in case I’d need it. Running on lahar and river crossing was of course, part of the entire challenge so the first thing I did when we got down to the trail was take pictures! Hehe! It’s not everyday that I get to experience it, anyway.

 

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                             Gettin’ Muddy Wit It!                                                                       Enjoying The View While Running

Funny thing was, I kept asking myself where the “muddy-er” parts would be. I think it’s because last year’s trail run has somehow left me really paranoid when I hear the words “trail running” … haha. I almost lost my breath when I got what I was looking for.

 

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More Mud! Haha!

 

To top it all off, the mad cow’s “space” that I almost entered (because I was looking at the mud, being careful of every step) was not something I “trespassed” … good thing I decided not to listen to any music and I heard other runners beside me react to the cow being in the middle of “our way”. Somebody ought to tell that cow to recognize and better get his own turf cos it was on our trail! Haha just kidding. I tried taking a shot, but for some reason it started to move. I tried going up on the side (where we were supposed to run) and only got this:

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A Day With The Mad Cow

Nope…no amount of “photoshop-ing” can make the image any clearer. Sorry…but for what it’s worth, that white thing on the left IS the cow 😀 The scene from Inquirer’s Sports Video Report on TNF100 in Sacobia, Pampanga that can be found below is just right after where the cow was. Hehe!

Reposted from takbo.ph:

By the time we’ve hit the pavement, I’ve already opened my Powerade Bottle. I can feel the heat starting to affect me and pain on my left foot (from a four-month injury: December to April). I was stubborn to start running again and so this is what I got.

 

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Running on Pavement

 

I thought we were fast because we were right behind The Bull Runner…I think! Haha! By the time I was nearing the last water aid station, the sunblock I have put on my face started to sting my eye so I had to run (I was already walking because my left foot started to hurt) to get water to put on my left eye. What was left of it, I poured into the half-filled Powerade Bottle and threw the water bottle away.

 

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Left Side! My Not-So-Strong Side!

I finished at 1:36. Argh. If only I’d train and sleep properly, then I can actually work on finishing it in less than an hour. Not to mention the times I had to stop because of the pain on my left foot. I’ll work on my discipline and then on training right 😀

Took more pictures of other runners, which can be viewed in our Flickr Account! Check it out here.