Women’s Health: Are You Game?
If you missed dancing on the beach at the Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach event this year like I did, my favorite women’s magazine still has one last party to throw this summer. The Women’s Health Are You Game? event will be held on May 19, Saturday, 2pm at the Bonifacio High Street Amphitheater. (That’s next Saturday, girls.)
Are You Game?
You’ll have six unique workouts to participate in: Cardio Mash-Up (hiphop and house fusion dance), TRX Body Blast & Rip Training (suspension training), FTX Urban Rebound (jumping up and down in Kangoo shoes), Techno Rave (dancing to techno music), Partner Yoga, and the Model’s Runway workout. You’ll also be able to experience 360 Fitness signature workouts such as circuit training and kettlebell training to boost your metabolism and strength.
If you don’t feel like working out on a Saturday you’ll still be in for some fun activities and sessions, such as a healthy food preparation demo, a surf machine, a bull ride, and a bungee trampoline. You’ll also have the opportunity to sit down and consult with Women’s Health pros. If you aren’t already living a healthy lifestyle, Are You Game? will make you want to make that change.
To register for the event, just bring the Women’s Health May 2012 issue on Saturday. If you want express registration, or want to bring a friend, you can also pre-register:
- Email your full name, email address, age, and name of friend to whareyougame2012@gmail.com
- In the email subject line, indicate where you saw the event announcement. Example: “WH Are You Game? – Kikay Runner”
- An email reply from Women’s Health will confirm receipt of your details. You will receive the official pre-registration form (an Excel file) that will enable you to get express registration on the day of the event.
I’m already excited to get my groove on. See you on May 19!
Vibram Five Fingers Summer 2012 Collection
I know it’s midway through May already, but for those of you who haven’t been to a Vibram Five Fingers store in a while, they launched their Summer 2012 collection last month with new models and new colorways. I was invited to their press launch just before I went to Boracay for Skyathon.
getting fitted for a new pair of VFFs
The Summer 2012 collection has updates on classic styles as well as new styles for different needs.
The Fresca updates the Classic model for women with a new colorway and sole. The Bikila has been rebuilt on a new sole that distributes forefoot impact better, and also offers a women-specific model (Bikila LS) that fits women’s feet better. VFF now also has a trail running-specific model, the Spyridon, with a tread design that gives a sure-footed grip no matter where you’re stepping and rugged protection for all the challenges a trail may bring.
Summer 2012 VFF models
We were treated to a capoeira demonstration which showed how mobile and agile you can be wearing VFFs. Then various Filipino celebrities and personalities spoke about how they used VFFs in their chosen sports (triathlon, running, surfing, dragonboat, mountaineering) or in gym fitness, or even as a castaway on a reality show.
Sinha Bahia de Capoeira
They also used the press launch to announce the winner of their “I REELy Love My VFF” video contest. I’m so proud that my friends and Endure teammates Sid Apolinario and Gerard Cinco won third place for their entry.
At the press launch I saw how VFFs have penetrated deep into the Philippine fitness and wellness industry. That’s how versatile VFFs are.
Plan Your June 2012 Races
I was talking with Jay Em of Proactive a few weeks ago, and he lamented that I wasn’t doing enough running. That’s true; I’ve been so laser-focused on surviving this Sunday’s standard distance triathlon in Subic that I haven’t popped up at a race in months except for Skyathon.
Well, I’m going to fix that. I’m plotting my races for June, and here are some that have caught my attention.
Brooks Run Happy on June 3
The race distances here are 6K, 12K, and 21K. Interesting! If you’re a regular at races but wonder what it feels like to go beyond your usual distance, the 6K and 12K may be appealing. The half-marathon distance is hard to come by these days so kudos to Brooks for including it in their categories.
Pricing for the distances is reasonable at P500 for 6K, P650 for 12K, and P750 for 21K. Proceeds from the Brooks Run Happy will benefit the Foundation for the Philippine Environment for their biodiversity conservation projects in the country.
Race: Brooks Run Happy
Date: June 3, 2012
Race Venue: Bonifacio Global City
Registration Ends: May 27
Reg Fee: P500 (6K), P650 (12K), P750 (21K)
Registration Sites: RUNNR (Bonifacio High Street, Trinoma, Alabang Town Center); Toby’s Sports (Shangri-La Plaza, SM MOA, SM North The Block, Glorietta 4)
For Inquiries: 0927-8756671 (during office hours)
One Run. One Family. One La Salle Run on June 10
La Salle’s alumni love putting on the sports events (I’ll be joining the Animo Triathlon on the same weekend as this race), and the OROFOLS Run will be held for the benefit of the Green For Life: One Million Trees and Beyond project.
Registration fees for the distances are: P400 for 3K, P500 for 5K, P600 for 10K, and P700 for 16K. This race will be a chip-timed one, so this is a pretty good deal! (P100 discount on the reg fee will be given to La Salle alumni, La Salle students, La Salle admins and faculty, and senior citizens.)
Check out the OROFOLS website for more details.
Race: One Run One Family One La Salle Run
Date: June 10, 2012
Race Venue: SM Mall of Asia
Reg Fee: P400 (3K), P500 (5K), P600 (10K), P700 (16K)
Registration Sites: De La Salle University Alumni Association office, Toby’s Sports (SM MOA), RUNNR (Trinoma), ROX (Bonifacio High Street), A Runner’s Circle (Roxas Blvd.), Olympic World (Alabang Town Center), online registration
For Inquiries: OROFOLS website
Isa, Dalawa, TAKBO: Run for Children’s Rights on June 24
As the school year starts again, I am reminded of how many children fail to complete even a basic primary education, don’t get adequate nutrition or shelter, and are basically left to fend for themselves on the streets. The Isa, Dalawa, Takbo: Run for Children’s Rights aims to raise funds for Lingap Pangkabataan‘s programs to organize and empower communities to provide a better social environment for poor and marginalized children to grow up in, where their rights will be respected and protected.
Visit the official Facebook page of Isa, Dalawa, Takbo!, where online registration is ongoing. Registration fees are P300 for 3K, P400 for 5K, and P500 for 10K.
Race: Isa, Dalawa, Takbo: Run for Children’s Rights
Date: June 24, 2012
Race Venue: UP Diliman Academic OVal
Reg Fee: P300 (3K), P400 (5K), P500 (10K)
Registration Sites: online registration
For Inquiries: Ma-Anne (09178130632); Lia (09173473044); Cathy (09273477926)
Runner’s World First Anniversary Issue
My favorite running magazine Runner’s World Philippines celebrates its first anniversary as a stand-alone publication by spotlighting the relationship between running and weight loss. On the cover is Coach Ani de Leon-Brown, who has managed to shed plenty of baby weight by running and training for triathlons.
Runners’ World April-June 2012
Runner’s World editor-in-chief Marie Calica says, “We hope to give you even more training information, nutrition, up-to-the-minute studies, and uplifting stories to keep you running stronger and longer.” I’m glad there’s a resource like Runner’s World to help fellow runners train smarter.
Skyathon Boracay 2012
I’ve been experiencing severe Boracay fatigue; after traveling to the island an average of three times a year for the last two years, it felt like I was doing just way too much partying and not enough relaxing and enjoying the beach.
So at the beginning of this year, I made a resolution not to go to Boracay at all…
…And then SkyCable got in touch offering a slot at Skyathon. I’m such a sucker for the beach, and races. Beach AND race? How could I say no? Ü
So after a year’s hiatus, I again found myself standing on the shoreline of the world’s second best beach at daybreak on one April morning (the 21st, to be exact) waiting to run another 5K on no sleep. Continue reading »
Running in the Summer
I’ve been following conversations by runners on Twitter lately. The trending topic for runners (okay, I just made that up :P) is how to train in this heat. Yesterday Metro Manila temperature hit a whopping 34 degrees Celsius, making it the hottest day this year.
Mmm, runners burnt to a crisp!
The cop-out is, of course, not to train at all. But I know runners, and we can’t go a few days of no running without going a little bonkers.
So here are a few tips from my personal experience and from browsing other running websites about how to continue running in the summer. Continue reading »
This Ridiculously Photogenic Guy is a Runner!
I appreciate when photographers (amateur or professional) take photos of runners during races. Still, I’m pretty picky and rarely find one that captures me going fast yet looking good while doing so. Chalk it up to me not training hard enough to make the run look effortless.
But have you heard of the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy? It’s a meme that went viral on the Internet this week.
Ridiculously Photogenic Guy (photo by Will King)
See that adorable guy on the left smiling at the camera and barely breaking a sweat? After the photographer Will King posted race day photos from the Cooper River Bridge Run, his friends dubbed the guy in the photo “Mr. Ridiculously Photogenic Guy”. King then posted the photo on Reddit, which spawned the meme where the photo is given humorous captions. Captions such as:
Goes out for a run. Puts Kodak back in business.
Gets made into a meme. So everyone can keep looking at him.
My personal favorite is this one:
Runs a marathon and wins… my heart.
So let’s talk a little about the subject of the photograph, the actual Ridiculously Photogenic Guy. Thanks to the Charleston City Paper (also reported on by the International Business Times) for doing the stalkery stuff, we now know his name is Zeddie Little. He ran 10K (not a marathon) in 47 minutes and 16 seconds. He’s 25 years old and moved to New York City last year. He works in PR, and he’s the 4th in his family line to carry the name.
I did my own little search on the New York City Marathon website and didn’t find his name in the results, so I’m going to assume he didn’t run it. I wonder if, given his Internet fame, he might be given a slot for this year’s marathon. Or hopefully the luck of the draw will favor him so he can grace the race day photos. Hahaha! (UPDATE: Ridiculously Photogenic Guy confirms he will run NYC Marathon.)
In any case this meme brought a smile to my face and a skip to my step. Just thought I would share it with my fellow runners in the Philippines. Do you have your own ridiculously photogenic running photo?
The Hills Are Alive
It’s always interesting taking your running shoes out of town and making your way about on foot. The best part? The different terrain. Running about within Metro Manila, the routes start getting familiar and unexciting, and you start looking for a way to challenge yourself.
I was in Baguio last month on a family trip. We had just enough time on our second day there for a morning run at Camp John Hay. I ran with my brother-in-law Michael of The Red Runners and my mom. It was cold (summer hadn’t fully kicked in yet) and the air was thin, so we found ourselves struggling on the rolling terrain. Still, hill training is great for improving speed, and in the end I found myself enjoying the additional challenge.
During my training at Pico de Loro for the Next Step Tri camps, I also found myself attempting to conquer steep hills one after another, some at a 14% gradient. There’s something about facing such intimidating terrain that makes past challenges seem trivial. I used to fear McKinley Hill and the flyovers along Roxas Boulevard. Now, I attack them with glee.
Hill training makes you a stronger, better runner. What hills have you run lately?
Ask Kikay Runner: Running Playlist
Posted in Ask Kikay Runner, Blog
This is a new section on my blog where I answer questions people ask me. If you have any questions for future Ask Kikay Runner entries, contact me!
I mentioned in my Yurbuds review that I haven’t run with music in two years. Now that I’m about to do that again for specific workouts (track/speed), I realize that my old playlist needs refreshing.
Benedict asks:
I just read your review of yurbuds and you mentioned something about filling an mp3 player with your favorite running songs, so I would just like to ask what songs would you say is a must have in any running playlist? I’m looking to expand my playlist since it’s only good for 10k runs and that’s already with some songs repeated. Thanks!
I’m Back!
If you’ve been trying to access KikayRunner.com for the past few days and have been getting nothing but a blank page or an error, I’m sorry. My hosting provider decided to do a little housekeeping, and my blog was affected. I moved my blog to a new hosting provider, which hopefully will be better.
I’m praying that no more service interruptions will occur because I’ve been itching to write! Check back here later this week for a new Ask Kikay Runner and my shoe review for the Mizuno Wave Mercury Aura. Ü
