At the starting line of last week’s  “A  G.O.O.D.  Run”, I was asked by one of the big bosses where I work from if the emecees get paid . I said I think so . He then said that may we should organize our own race  so that we can reap the benfits of the current running boom in our country ; I said we should think of a great name for our race …. I think it has almost been two years since I last joined a 10k race; the reason for which is practicality: I needed to do long back to back weekend runs – and of course the cost.  I joined this one because we have been sponsored by one of our office’s Principals – they would pay 500 bucks : this means that I only had to pay 100 bucks to join the race. Another reason is that  I haven’t ran in almost 1 month due to my injury (my therapist advised against joining this race) – running this race would be a welcome against the monotony of staying indoors during the weekends. What they say about being “de-trained” is true – I had a hard time finsihing this race – the panting was so heavy that I had to to take walk breaks all through out the course – not that I am complaining, after all I can’t run as fast as I want to due to my injury. I finished this race with a chip time of 63 minutes.     Race Result On another note, I have just recently acquired a pair of lock laces which I used on my Asics GT 2140.   My ever-dependable Asics. Let’s see how this one goes...

I used to remember when I complained a lot about not having enough water stations, but after the 2010 edition of Globe’s run for home, I think I should complain about having too many water stations ….. not! Well,  it almost was your typical 21Km run along the Makati – Global City area, except that this race started in Makati and ended in a different street in Makati. It was fun being able to run under the greenbelt tunnel for the first time – a nice new route which you can’t run on a regular day. No PR for this 21km run (some say it was 22+km, who cares ? as long as the distance is not less than what we paid for) . I finished it in 2:30 – I am still under the weather but I thought that since I paid for it, I might as well run it, hehehe....

Before I even started running , I have already summited several of our country’s mountains. So whenever there is a trail run on the race calendar, I really try my best to participate in it. The North Face trail run in Nuvali is one of the best trail runs I have ever joined due to the following : Cheap registration fee. Near Metro Manila (no need to bring a tent or get a hotel room) Shuttle Service was provided (although I didn’t avail of this service) Nice race distance – although it would’ve been better if they had a 50k category  (something to look forward to in TNF Baguio) Ample water stations Lots of marshalls TNF and PUR really did a great job with this one; the trail wasn’t that difficult but it gave people like me who haven’t hit the trail in quite a long time just the right dose of endorphins Congratulations to TNF and PUR for a job well done.   The 22k starting line. The race started at 5:45 am instead of 5:15. The Dawn Blue Skies (Road) signs of the times George of Team Hardcore – he covered more than 22KM as he was running back and forth the trail. IDOL!!! Nice view! Never mind the runner, hehehe This pair used to be color gray …. The second river crossing – view from the top Nice stairs There were a few of these rock formations along the trail … I miss...

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...

Thanks to Roadmarker for inviting me to join her during the presscon last Thursday, January 28, 2010, in National Sports Grill, Greenbelt 3. I really miss this sport, and being in a crowd of runners just made the trip worth the break from working for upcoming events and web projects. A short presentation for the 21K route was shown, and I’d like to say…I think there’s a formula to everything, especially running (even if I’m just a recreational runner / enthusiast). You don’t just run, because you’ll only end up injuring yourself…just an observation = ) The Century Tuna goodie bag was the second one I’ve received (the first coming from RunnerSpeak for the video below…)     Century Tuna Century Tuna Check out details from my first Century Tuna Superbods Run 2010 entry     Derek Ramsay, Grace Tariaga, and the Ladies from World Wide Fund  for Nature (Chrisse Olayres, Mayj Tolentino, and Joanne...