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...

It  was a ten hour drive from here to Ilocos Norte;  a nice easy drive with most of the tunes coming from the 70s – which felt right for the rainy weather. We arrived there just a few minutes short of midnight. We woke up early the next day, ate crispy dinuguan, empanada, poque-poque and blue-berry cheese cake. Nah, the cake tasted the same up there – it just felt “good” at the moment.         Yummy! There were also a lot of light moments before the actual event; after-all what would life be without it ?     Then came “D-day” …. I sure as hell wasn’t prepared for it – but since I’ve already registered ….     This is the first time I have covered 70K – yup, I got more than what I’ve paid for : a bonus if you must. PAU races are I guess just  that – scenic and filled with surprises Running that distance without training is stupid – I was thinking that if I had difficulty finishing  70k ( I was 4th to the last) , then how the hell am I supposed to finish Bataan 102? I really need better time management between my training and being a corporate IT slave. Thanks again to my support crew and team Bald Runner  who consistently encouraged me to finish the race even when I was already dead set on giving up.   Bangui Windmills – a class of its own .. Since “70” is the word for the day, here is a song from that decade which we kept playing on the car radio while driving up North.      ...

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...

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   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.                                     ...