Last Sunday, I joined this 42km event in Nueva Vizcaya, the highlight of which was to summit Mt. Ugo. It was a refreshing change of pace from the usual weekend spent in Metro Manila. If you would ask me, the 9 hour trip was worth it : everything is clean- the trails especially.  It’s as if the farther you are from the Metro, the nearer you are to paradise. Course Map This is the first time I have seen a tree like this in Luzon This is the view from the starting line. Can you imagine how cold it is in the summit ? Let’s get ready to rumble. View from the trail at sunrise What else can I say ? Henry having a hard time accepting we have to pass this route twice. This is where we got lost earlier The summit, finally! For a brief moment, the sun decided to show itself. Finished! … Excited for my next trail   This one is perfect. The route wasn’t so difficult, the trails are 90% runnable even when wet. For the aid stations, they contain exactly what a trail runner needs : softdrinks, natural spring water from the mountain itself, bread, chocolate, biscuits and electrolyte drinks.   Well, too bad .. bandits aren’t allowed in this race. Maybe next time, they should register early. As with any adrenaline related activity, equipment and apparel are important. I don’t think I would have enjoyed the run as much if i had used any other shoe. This is my first time to use lightweight shoes in an actual race – and the thing is ,  I haven’t actually ran in this pair before.  So imagine how happy I am when instead of giving me problems , it...

This morning, I ran 20k in the rain, by now I guess you know how refreshing that feels :). Anyway, it has been a two week rest after QCIM –it seems that I have almost recovered from my injuries  – this means that I could start increasing my mileage again, (finally).   QCIM Let’s get ready to rumble …. This is the third edition of the Quezon City International Marathon – I am happy to be a participant in all three events. I think this is the first time when it actually rained on this race.  I had doubts at first if I can complete this edition since my left foot is still swollen from the  trail run (CM50) which I joined the week before – imagine running the entire 42k with swollen feet. Finished this one in 5:27 – I had to since we were pacing for 5:30   Clark to Mayamit Falls 50 Miler Happy thoughts before the race … As I’ve said .. painful but fun   This is the first edition of this trail race ( I joined the shorter 60km edition) , and boy was I glad to have joined it! If you would ask me, there are two races here that you should include in your bucket list : Bataan Death March and this one (in no particular order).  I would describe this one as “masarap na masakit”. This is the first time that I injured my hamstring, finished with swollen feet and got lost many times. I reached the finish line way after cut-off.  This is also the first time that I have experienced eating gourmet pasta in the middle of the race – ha! Ang sarrrrap! In a nutshell, the best local trail race that I...

I remembered my first Condura experience when I ran my first half-Mary in the Skyway last year – it was awesome! So, when this year’s edition of the said race was announced, I definitely had to register. You see, the half-mary last year was just that : half of the skyway, so I thought that it was a good idea that the Concepcion brothers included the full marathon event. It has been a well documented observation in the  running community that organizing races has turned into a profitable business with some organizers more interested in making a quick buck rather than satisfying their participants. That is the reason why starting this year, I am choosing the races that I join (and being a bandit with the rest, hehehe). I know that quality has an expensive price tag that goes with it ; so even if I had hesitations in joining this race due to the expensive registration fee , I still joined the 42K event and I’m glad that I did. Fireworks lit up a seemingly cold and tense morning where the 42K runners were preparing for the end of the countdown that would start the event. This is a refreshing scene compared to the usual Sunday morning race start.  Everybody was happy and excited to run! The challenging but enjoyable part of the race started early on as we ran around the Fort area , claiming one ascent after another before we scaled the Kalayaan flyover towards Buendia – this part of the route was dark since the streets we traversed had no lamp posts on it. The vertical path which was the Kalayaan flyover as well as the rest of the Makati area was well lit and lively with the presence of...

I didn’t think that I would be able to complete my 2nd attempt at a full marathon. The night before the run, I wasn’t feeling well – I had to take paracetamol before I slept. I also took another dose when I woke up at 2 am on the race day itself. In fact, I still was a bit hesitant to join the race when we reached the starting area at the KM 0 mark at the Quirino Grandstand. The event, having one of the network giants as a major sponsor, started with a lot of fanfare (or should I say spot lights and cameras plus a noisy emcee). The mood in the starting line was fun, I especially enjoyed watching the performance of the Philippine Marines band. True to the Biscocho tradition, the race started at 4:28 am ( 2 minutes before the scheduled gun-off). The three of us started a bit slow with Isko slowly picking up the pace to which Ian and I followed. We were going so fast that at around 5kms, I slowed my pace down to around 6 mpk. There was after all still 37 kms left to run. The water stations didn’t run out of water – thank God I didn’t get dehydrated at my first attempt to run 42kms during the daytime. As for the route, I doubt that anyone would get lost this year as there were directional signs and marshals along the entire route. Besides, If I get lost, all I had to do was to follow the scent of the river – after all, this race has Pasig written all over it. I started walking around the Guadalupe area, I think my legs aren’t as strong as the other runners; it has been only...

Marathoners Before a Run 😀 2009-11-06 Subic International Marathon! 2009-11-06 Subic International Marathon! 2009-11-06 Subic International Marathon! 2009-11-06 Subic International Marathon!    Pictures in the van going to Subic before dropping by Nike Factory Outlet. Adobo for Lunch The new pairs from Nike! Woohooooo! I’m getting ready getting ready .. oh boy what a day … GU .. Check! Shoe Laces .. Check On The Road to Floridablanca – Starting Line for the Subic Marathon! Vehicles Keep Left, Runners Keep Right Getting Shutter Happy during the Subic...