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.

with other runners from Manila

This was not the turnout from the 2010 edition. The organizers told me that Skyathon attendance had steadily increased every year. During the inaugural run, I had said I wouldn’t have registered for the race if I hadn’t already planned to be on the island anyway. Last year and this year, people traveled to Boracay specifically for the race. :)

After nearly falling asleep waiting for the gunstart in front of Epic, I was finally off with several hundred runners pounding the sand, and on occasion churning the surf.

barely holding myself together

I didn’t feel as stellar as I had two years ago, and another girl who was better rested and better trained sped her way to first. I managed to hang onto second, then fell asleep in my hotel room while the awarding ceremonies went on without me. It was okay; I had done my run and still had the rest of the day to lay about on the beach and swim in the clear cool water (such a relief not having to worry about jellyfish!). And, of course, I got to watch a beautiful sunset, which is my favorite part of being in Boracay.

the end of the day and beginning of the par-tay

The sunset wasn’t the end of Skyathon activities, though. The victory party at Juice Bar was a way for fellow runners to kick back and let their ponytails down. Early attendees were given golden party favors to wear, and I chose to go totally blonde.

with my roommate Ceres from Takbo.ph

fellow runners and bloggers

Race in Review

• Route: This was a loop course — 5K runners would do one loop, 10K runners two. From Epic, the route took us to a U-turn at Station 1, another U-turn at Station 3, then back to Epic at Station 2. Being a beach and surf run, this meant slipping and sliding on the white powdery sand, sometimes getting our shoes drenched in an incoming wave, and running on a canted surface. After the race, my legs were aching from the extra exertion.
• Traffic Management: The race was directed by Finishline. There were ample marshals, cones and signs to let runners know which way to go. Loop courses can be confusing, but as long as you kept your ears and eyes open you couldn’t get lost. Number of participants was also manageable, so there were no logjams at the u-turns. I’m glad that the profile of running and this event has risen so much that people on the shoreline courteously moved out of the way for oncoming runners.
• Hydration: Maybe I was half-asleep through the whole run but I only noticed one water table. I didn’t need much for my 5K run, though. 100 Plus was served only after the race.
• Package: Obviously, this race at P600 for a 5K cost twice as much as its 2010 edition. Change in logistics provider from TRAP to Finishline, use of a reusable chip for automated timing, guaranteed finisher’s medal, and more marketing fanfare for the race may have contributed to the fee increase. P600 is par for the course for most races these days but I think access to the fun Skyathon parties — the kit claiming party and the victory party — was good value for money if you like partying in Boracay. Onsite registration was at a whopping P1,000, which I think was counterproductive if they really wanted to attract more participants already on the island who wanted to run because some celebrities would be gracing the event.

This was a well-organized destination race and I’m happy to see participation in it growing. Hopefully next year, I’ll have better sleep pre-race and they can work out some of the kit claiming difficulties (chip rental at P250 vs. refundable deposit at P1000). And then we can really set the island on fire. I give this race FOUR KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.

See you next year!

Most runners entering the world of multisport try a two-discipline event first, such as a duathlon (bike and run) or aquathlon (swim and run). My experience was otherwise because I went into the full three-discipline event, the Speedo NAGT Ayala Alabang in 2010. I rely heavily on fast bike and run splits, so I was curious how I would match up to the rest of the field if one of my strengths were taken from me.

So on 4 March 2012, I found out.

Why do I look like I’m scheming here?

My Endure teammate Hanna in the photo above was in a younger age group; a former member of the De La Salle swim team, her swim split is formidable. Me? I think I’m better at a ballet split. ;) The Classic category I was competing in consisted of a 600-meter swim followed by a 5-kilometer run. It seems I enjoyed my offseason a little too much because I had only returned to the water the week before during a tri camp (more on that in my next post). Thankfully, the Ateneo college pool is 25 meters, the same length as the pool at my condo where I did some last-ditch cramming three days before the race.

I had about a 30-minute wait until my age group wave was called. Within the age group, we also had two heats (X and Y), which meant some women (heat X) would have a 30-second head start on us (heat Y). The difference would supposedly be reckoned out when tallying the final results.

With no swim warm-up, we hopped into the pool, then five seconds later were given the go signal. Three times through the pool this would be (200 meters each time), then a quick transition into running shoes.

not the most efficient swimmer

I’d forgotten to bring a watch with me to record my split times, so I decided just to give best effort and keep pushing. Bahala na kung mawasak. To my surprise, I caught up with the tail end of Heat X. Another surprise was when I had the courage to dive headfirst into the pool for my second and third rounds. I exited the pool in sixth place overall (I think).

The most difficult part of the Ateneo Aquathlon is the run route. From the pool area, you need to run up a steep hill to get to the main road, and all throughout it’s a rolling course. With no bike leg where I could play catch-up, I needed to pour out all my energy on the run.

Sooo thirsty!

I overtook a number of women runners, so by the last few kilometers, Mara Guevara from Timex-TMM told me that I had a chance at second place if I could catch the woman ahead of me.

Well, I didn’t, but thought I might have managed a third-place finish. In any case, I also needed to stick around because Hanna had finished her race and it looked like she’d come in first place. It took an hour or more for the awarding to commence. To our surprise, Hanna was given second place in her age group, and I was given first place.

We left rather quickly after the awarding despite the fun mechanical bull-riding game going on post-race because we were starving! It was only in the afternoon, when I was browsing Ateneo Aquathlon photos, that I realized something had gone horribly wrong during the reckoning of the results, and I’d mistakenly been awarded the wrong prize. I emailed the aquathlon organizers quickly and volunteered to return my prize, and they emailed back to say they had a mix-up and would be releasing the list of winners. On the new list, I was in third place. In fairness to them, they wanted me to keep the prize I had been awarded, just so I wouldn’t be inconvenienced with returning it. (Of course, I and many others did anyway.)

The aquathlon was a different experience to triathlon, but still plenty of fun. If you’re thinking of getting into multisport but don’t yet have a bike, learn to swim and then join events like the Ateneo Aquathlon so you get a feel for the community. :)

Since this was supposed to be a fat-burning run, I left my Gu energy gels at home and decided to drink only water for hydration even though Pocari was available. I also decided not to track my pace too strictly on my Garmin. The goal was to finish the 10K and enjoy myself.

Just like I expected, the run was tough on my legs and lungs. It felt like I was back to square one. Or is there a square zero? We only had to go up one flyover (Buendia) but I totally felt Roxas Boulevard’s false flats taking their toll on my quads. If you saw me smiling on the route, that was not a smile. That was a grimace. :P

photo from Team USB

Coming back from the 10K turnaround, I was able to see the whole mass of runners and walkers taking up that side of Roxas Boulevard. It was still pretty easy to weave through them, though, and for the most part people stayed on their proper side of the road.

There were professionals (dentists, doctors, and the like), college students, and some running clubs and teams (Team Reebok, Team Diadora, Team USB, Kain Tulog Takbo, Team Boring, Lucena Striders, and the list goes on). It was nice seeing a healthy mix of experienced runners and newbie walkers, especially at an event that one would have thought would pull in only the people from the Philippine Dental Association.

Two hundred meters away from the finish line, an old man and a younger woman who I had been leapfrogging for the entire race suddenly sped past me into a sprint. The old man kept looking behind him to see if I would rise up to their challenge. Talk about being competitive! I’d understand if it was a fight for a podium finish, but at that point it was a race for fourth place.

I jogged past the finish arc at 52 minutes, 17 seconds. I had burned about 500 calories over those 10 kilometers. A pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, which means I need to run six more 10-kilometer runs to get rid of one pound. Waaaaah!

Race in Review

Route: There-and-back on Roxas Boulevard is a killer mix of one flyover (which you climb twice) and flats which fatigue the same leg muscles over and over. Super simple to follow, though; you only had to look out for the U-turn and kilometer signs to keep you on the right track. And if you tend to pick up speed when running in a straight line, this route would have helped you achieve top speed.

The entire northbound side of Roxas Boulevard from EDSA to Luneta was closed off for the race. The last time I’d run a race that was able to close off that length of Roxas was in 2009 at the Philippine International Marathon. It was great not having to think about dodging cars.

Traffic Management: Road closure of that side of Roxas was in effect early on (even before 4am the area had already been cordoned off), so there was no problem with cars or motorcycles suddenly entering the route and traveling alongside runners. Intersections were also properly managed, with the help of City of Manila and MMDA enforcers. There were some bottlenecks from runners stopping at U-turns and kilometer markers to take photos, but since the road’s wide you could slip past them.

Hydration: There were water stations every two kilometers, situated just whenever I started to feel thirsty. (Read this Runner’s World update on hydrating only when you’re thirsty). There was one Pocari Sweat station early on the route, which was sufficient because it’s better to take a sports drink in earlier in a race rather than later. The other Pocari station was just after the finish line to help runners rehydrate after the race.

Package: At P400 for 3K, 5K, or 10K, participants each got a cute singlet with a tooth graphic and a bib. The race gunstart was prompt and hydration sufficient. Plus, a portion of the reg fee went to the PDA’s projects: BINHI (Bawat Isa Nangangako Habangbuhay Iingatan), a reforestation program, and the VIP (Very Important Patient) program that sends dentists on dental missions. Sulit, ‘di ba?

Freebies: What would proper oral hygiene be without toothpaste? Finishers were able to redeem packs of Unique toothpaste among other things. (I chose not to redeem mine because my kit had been complimentary.)

This wasn’t a major commercial race, but it provided what I’m always looking for in a race: a safe route and available hydration. And you can’t beat that price. Now to wait for race results. :D FOUR-AND-A-HALF KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.

Last weekend, 74 (crazy) runners showed up at the Kilometer Zero marker in Mariveles, Bataan to start a journey that would take them through Bataan, Pampanga, and finally Tarlac to retrace the route that Filipino and American soldiers took during Bataan Death March in World War II. This was the BDM 160.

It all starts here.

This being the second such race of its kind held by Maj. Gen. Jovie Narcise (ret.) (more popularly known as Bald Runner), plenty of stories had been swapped since last year of the trials and tribulations that participants went through. For the 2012 edition, I joined a crew to support my Endure teammate Melvin Pangan, who was undertaking the distance for the first time.

super early!

After driving from Manila at 12 midnight, Marga, Tracy, Carina and I arrived in Mariveles at 3:30am. Already many support vehicles were parked on the side of the road, and many of the ultrarunners were already there, waiting for the 5am gunstart.

I went over to say hello to Jonel, who was attempting the BDM 160 again after a seriously scary DNF last year due to overdosing on salt capsules. While we chatted about his new race strategy (natural foods only, no more supplements), other noted ultrarunners came by to say hi to him. I met Victor Ting, who at 66 years old was the oldest BDM 160 participant!

My pastor from Victory was also there as a participant. Pastor Ferdie had completed the BDM 102 (the original distance of the race, and the prerequisite for the BDM 160) last year to benefit Real Life Foundation scholars. This year he was attempting the 100-miler, running it for his son John Philip.

Ferdie Cabiling, excited for the race. What.

Finally, we rendezvous-ed with Mel and discussed our support plans. Marga, Carina, and I (crew #1) would support him from my car beginning from 0 until the 50th kilometer, at which point crew #2 composed of Mel’s wife Rose, his brother-in-law, and Tracy would take over in their support vehicle. We would again meet at KM 102 (the old train station in Pampanga, where the POW’s had been loaded onto trains bound for Capas, Tarlac) where I would begin to pace Mel for 20 kilometers. Carina would take over pacer duties for another 10km, then crew #2 would take over and Tracy would pace for 20km. The last 10km, we’d planned for Rose to run with Mel.

Melvin with BR

Crew #1 left before the gunstart and made our way to KM 7, past the steep, narrow, and sharply-curving “bitukang-manok” mountain pass. Those 7km the participants had to run single-file without support crews leapfrogging them because there were no road shoulders to park on.

I was the driver for those first 50 kilometers while Marga and Carina jumped out of the car as we leapfrogged Mel every five kilometers. He was running strong, and would chat with us lightheartedly for a bit at every stop.

Kilometer 25

BDM 160 participants had some great weather during that first 50: it was overcast, and would drizzle intermittently, allowing them to pick up their pace comfortably.

one of the few times I got out to stretch my legs

I had been under the impression that the BDM 160 or any ultramarathon for that matter which required a support crew was mostly a solitary matter. Was I wrong! This isn’t called “the longest street party” for nothing; support crews cheered on every runner that came their way, and crews cheered on crews. While driving the highways it always lifted my spirits every time I came across a vehicle with a BDM 160 “Race Ongoing” banner.

eventual women’s champ Keshia Fule w/ fellow runner Alfred

Just a few kilometers before the 50-kilometer mark, Mel asked us to start leapfrogging him every three kilometers. The sun was starting to come out (it was about 11am, after all) and he was starting to feel it. He’d also been drinking only water, but his urine had started to darken. We started managing his hydration and food needs more strictly; he needed to take a sports drink more often at this point; the isotonic drink would be better absorbed by his body.

Kilometer 50

The 50-kilometer mark is a major pitstop for most BDM participants (both for the 102 and the 160 distances). Here there’s space to park plenty of support vehicles. Most participants take the opportunity to sit down, have a full meal (Mel had pork adobo and rice), and maybe get some liniment rubbed on. It was here crew #2 took over. Crew #1 headed to the King’s Royale Hotel in San Fernando, Pampanga to get some shuteye; at that point, I had been awake 28 hours and had survived on catnaps at the first few leapfrog stops.

At 8pm, we had again met up with crew #2 and had taken over support duties. This time, I was dressed in my running gear, ready to run or walk with Mel.

Good friends are like a good bra — supportive!

As it turned out, I walked with Mel most of the way. His feet had started to bother him after a change of shoes, and he confided to me that he wished he’d saved the first pair of shoes he’d worn during the race for use during this latter part. (Not naming brands, of course, but… ;D) He was also peeing a lot, which worried us because it meant his body wasn’t holding on to the water anymore — it had been depleted of salts and electrolytes. I had to feed him corn chips, nuts, etc.

And then he got his second wind. Or was it his third, or fourth, or… at KM 118 it’s hard to tell. We started to run again. It was midnight.

I swapped pacer duties with Carina after KM 120. By this time we were leapfrogging at every kilometer. I really thought that Mel would keep running. But at KM 130, Marga and I waited for what seemed like ages before we saw Carina running toward us, without Mel. His will had flagged. We had to go back for him.

We came upon him 500 meters back, seated and shivering at a deserted tricycle stand. Marga covered him with a large towel, then handed him a fresh shirt to change into. He complained about his feet, and when we’d removed his shoes and socks we found huge blisters covering the balls of his feet, his arch, and a giant cherry-red one on his left little toe.

(Just a note: it was 2:30am and there were reckless drivers on the roads. A motorcycle and car crash happened not 10 meters from where our car was parked, and we’d heard earlier that two pacers had been run over by a drunk motorcycle driver at KM 104.)

Mel’s feet were in a sorry state, but his leg muscles showed no signs of fatigue at all. We were all convinced he could still do it if we treated his feet. But that wouldn’t matter if he wasn’t up to it.

“Nurse” Noelle lancing the cherry blister

Crew #2 arrived some minutes later, and Mel spoke with Rose. He told her, “I’m at peace. Alam kong hindi ko kaya. Promise, Ma, hindi ko na uulitin next year.” And that was that.

(I think he might be back next year, though. Or the year after that. Basta eventually he’ll make a go at it again. Ultrarunners never rest until they’ve conquered the distance, right?)

By the cut-off time of 30 hours, 54 runners had made it to the finish line, Sir Victor Ting included. Pastor Ferdie had a respectable time of 28+ hours. Jonel took his sweet time, but was able to finish on this second attempt. Congratulations to everyone who participated, finisher or not!

After being on an ultrarunner’s support crew, I have much more respect for the ultramarathon’s niche in our sport of running. To endure even when there is no strength left or any hope to make it to the finish line on time, just to finish the race is their prize. What a metaphor for life!

If you ask me to support again, I’d do it.

This post is dedicated to my sister and brother-in-law and their newborn baby, Brooke Gabrielle D. Manahan. We are all called to run the race of life. What matters is that we finish strong. (2 Timothy 4:7) I’ll be right here with you, supporting you to the finish.

frazzled and tired (photo by May Quezon)

1. Prepare everything beforehand. I usually get all my running gear ready the night before, and that’s exactly what I tried to do. I even hopped over to RUNNR BGC to restock on Gu gels, which I ran out of over the holidays. I thought I was all set, but I misplaced my favorite pair of Mizuno running shorts. I spent three hours chasing it down within my closets, to no avail. I eventually settled for a different pair of shorts, but even as I lay in bed my brain kept obsessing over those shorts. In short (pun intended), I fell asleep at around 11:30pm.
2. Get a good night’s sleep. Aside from falling asleep late, I hadn’t been sleeping well for the past few weeks, so I’d accumulated a huge sleep debt. Do you know that feeling of being tired, but excessive thinking keeps your eyes open? I was having that kind of sleep problem.
3. Wake up early, have breakfast, get ready. I set my alarm for 3:30 so I could reasonably be up and about by 4am. This is where everything went to pieces. I did wake up, but I started fiddling with my BlackBerry and lay back down to allow a Facebook comment to load. The next thing I knew, it was 5:10am and I had to be at BGC for the 10K’s 5:30am gunstart.
4. Be on time for the gunstart. That was the fastest I’d ever gotten to BGC. Considering my house is often 30 minutes away due to traffic, blessings like stoplights going green in sequence and very few cars on the road shaved my travel time down to 15 minutes. Still not enough to beat the gunstart. After finding parking in an unlikely place, I climbed over a few fences just to get to the starting line right before the 5K gunstart.
5. Reset the Garmin. I knew I couldn’t trust the finish clock to give me an accurate record of my run so I hit my Garmin’s start button when I left the start chute. But when I checked my Garmin I realized I hadn’t reset it to zero. It was counting my mileage upwards from the last race I’d done. Eek!

So there I was on the route, running on a Gu gel and 200ml of Lightwater. I had to hope Timex Run logistics were up to par with their previous record in 2009. That was the main reason I’d registered for this race: I hadn’t done the Timex Run back in 2009 because it was more expensive than other races I had been to thus far (among runners who have been around for a while, Timex Run 2009 ushered in a new era of higher registration fees in the P600 range). However, all the reviews and word-of-mouth had been overwhelmingly positive, so it was believed back then that a price increase was justified for all the cushy benefits it gave registered participants.

This year, the Timex 10K was priced at P700, about P100 more expensive than past RunRio 10K’s. I truly wanted to experience what the fuss had been about. What is the difference between a P600 10K, and a P700 10K? I wondered. There’s not much else you can throw at runners to impress them if they’ve already gotten fireworks for a gunstart or a free concert post-race.

Sorry, no sub-Piolo for You

Newspapers announced that the face of the race, Mr. Piolo Pascual, was set to beat his previous 10K best of 47 minutes and 54 seconds. Runners in 2009 had dubbed a finish time shorter than that as a sub-Piolo. I managed to accomplish my own sub-Piolo the next year. But, eh, I was a different runner back then, better-trained and better-rested.

Surprisingly, I didn’t have to weave through too many runners in the tail end of the 10K. (Timex pegs participation at a modest “close to 6,000 runners”. That’s significantly less than the monster numbers I’ve been used to in other RunRio races.) The route was also downhill for the first few kilometers, allowing me to warm up. I felt okay but knew that with all I had done wrong, an energy drop was just over the horizon.

The route took us from the front of the Riovana store around the block with left turns until we hit Fifth Avenue. This then led to Triangle Drive, around kilometers 3-4. I saw a cluster of tall men with a springy afro amid them coming back just as I entered that road. It was Coach Rio pacing Piolo with a group of strong runners (I later found out they were from the military). With no chance of catching up to them (the distance difference was about 1.5 kilometers), I settled into my own pace.

I started tiring around kilometer 5 (equivalent to the distances I’ve been running lately) and realized that I need to put more mileage on these legs. I saw the Piolo retinue again coming back up 32nd Street on their way to the finish line just as I exited the Home Depot area. I gutted out the last few kilometers, getting a speed boost on kilometer 9 from following a guy wearing Vibram Five Fingers. He left me in the dust, and I crossed the finish line 51 minutes after I had started. On the clock, it was 58 minutes.

The RunRio timing marshals, who have probably gotten used to seeing me finish earlier, asked, “Bakit ang layo mo ngayon?” I had to say I’d gotten there late. Nicole “Coy” Wuthrich, Coach Rio’s fiancee, was also at the finish line and backed me up, saying she’d seen my late start.

I collected my Unilab ActiveHealth loot bag but didn’t bother to line up at the other freebie booths. I just wanted to get out of my wet clothes, and check Twitter to see if Piolo had beaten his PR. Not surprisingly, he did. (Just playing with semantics here, but Piolo can never do a “sub-Piolo”. He can only set a new Piolo, which he did. Congrats Papa P!)

feeling fresh again (photo by Samuel Aquino)

For me, this race was a reminder of how disciplined I really need to get again.

UPDATE: Timex Run 2012 results are out. I came in at 59:24 for gun time, but my chip time was 51:12. Not bad for my first 10K of the year.

Race in Review

Route: Like I told Coy with a knowing wink at the finish line when they asked me how the race was, the course was designed by a sadist. (Hi, Rio!) Or a masochist, since he ran it, too. Past routes had made these inclines downhills, but this time directions were reversed and they became uphills! Ow, ow, ow. But in a good way. I also liked how the routes allowed for less convergence between the race categories.

Traffic Management: One of my Twitter followers, @jbellevillegas, told me that before the 10K gunstart, Piolo and VIPs were escorted to the front of the pack with a human barricade between them and the rest of the runners (even the elite/professional runners). I’ve seen this done in a few other races and I think the only valid reason is security concerns. Then again, Piolo didn’t have a human barricade during the Sunpiology Run, so it happens on a case-to-case basis according to organizer discretion.

Hydration: It felt like forever to get to the first water station, but I think that’s the effect of being dehydrated. The stations were spaced about two kilometers apart, and the tables were loooooooooong so I was able to snag a drink and still avoid crashing into the other runners converging at them. (I think it’s great we had Powerade and Viva for this one; the 2009 race had 100-Plus.)

Package: P650 for 5K, P700 for 10K, or P750 for 16K gets you a bib+timing, singlet, and a Timex discount. Well, there was the post-race event where Piolo showed up and fans could take photos of the stage where Piolo was, and if lucky they could approach Piolo and get a photo op with him. And there was a raffle of 35 Timex watches…

Off the top of my head, last year at various races we got post-race expos, freshening-up booths, fun games, photo booths, fireworks for gunstarts, dancers, firebreathers, free concerts, and the like. 10K’s were priced around P600 but even shorter distance categories (at a lower price) were able to partake in these things. So at around P600, runners were already super-pampered. At P700 with none of those things offered, the Timex Run 2012 felt rather anticlimactic.

I also have to wonder why late registration (past January 15, the original date registration would end) was rewarded with this promo, which wasn’t available to those who had registered earlier. The first 15 group registrations from January 18-20 with purchases amounting to P1,500 per group from Riovana BGC or Katipunan would get a guaranteed meet-and-greet with Piolo and Rio and free use of Riovana showers on race day, plus a free Timex watch per group.

original source: SwimBikeRun.ph

In triathlon, registrations get progressively more expensive the closer you register to race day. In running, organizers keep encouraging people to register early for races so they don’t run out of slots or singlet sizes. So what kind of message to the running community does this promo send? What if next time, people register at the last minute because they come to expect promos like this?

Don’t get me wrong; it was a race that was well-organized and carried out. But given the other races that had come before it, I didn’t think this one was very special, much less raised the bar. I guess I expected more. THREE-AND-A-HALF KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.

Todo Responde Run

According to the organizers, this event took only a little more than two weeks to put together. With technical organization by ProActive, additional logistics by Runrio, sponsored venue by BGC, and volunteer work by a bunch of running clubs and groups, this event felt very “big-time”. I only wish they’d given themselves more time to attract more participants. For the same amount of effort they could have gotten more registrations, which would have meant a bigger amount to apportion to the beneficiaries.

I registered for the 5K run because I was planning to ease myself back into running with short distances first. I didn’t even bring my Garmin (it’s still alive after two years! yay!) because I didn’t want to see how fast I would slow down after the first kilometer. So I was pleasantly surprised at how hungry my legs seemed to be for speed. I didn’t even have my usual Gu gel and yet there I was at the starting line revving and raring to go.

Running has always been incredibly therapeutic for me and after weeks of not running (and a really bad week prior to the race), I really let loose. The great logistics of this race helped me forget about everything else and just pour my whole being into running. The endorphin rush was exactly what I needed.

post-race with running friends (photo by Pam Mangampo)

Race in Review

• Route: I loved that there were long stretches of straight road so I could really pick up speed. I managed to catch up with the tail end of the 10K but the race routes again diverged, separating the categories and decongesting the finish line.
• Traffic Management: volunteer marshals and BGC traffic personnel were on point here, ensuring runners’ safety through intersections, making sure we took the correct routes to complete our respective distances. Of course there were some hard-headed runners who shortcutted to the finish line; I hope they learn someday that they’re only cheating themselves.
• Hydration: ProActive had its genesis when the larger races needed to outsource their hydration management, and as expected this was one of the great things about the race. I didn’t have to go too long without water or Pocari Sweat, and towards the end of the race I actually skipped a few tables (I had drunk some Lightwater before the race).
• Package: For P300 I got a bib and a smooth race experience. San ka pa?
• Freebies: I didn’t expect any freebies since all money collected from the registration fee would go to the beneficiaries, but I was glad to see MultiSport and Run BGC magazines being given out at the finish area.

This was a great race with a big heart, and I hope that assistance for Sendong victims and for Baby Raphael won’t end with the conclusion of the race. FOUR KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE!

And thanks to TODO RESPONDE RUN, I’ve got a shiny new bauble to start my 2012 off right. <3

photo by Nikko Peralta

Piolo at the Sun Life Center with Hebreo Foundation scholars

Right after the exhibit opened, I had to get back home to retrieve my bib; after trying to pack my car that morning with everything I needed for the day, I had forgotten the one important thing! So, after slogging through holiday traffic, I finally got to the race venue at 4pm, 30 minutes before the race start.

Much as we “veteran runners” don’t want to admit it, a celebrity backing a race attracts plenty of newcomers to the sport. That this race was a sunset run also pulled in its fair share of people who want to try running but hate getting up early in the morning. So I overheard plenty of first-timer questions such as “Where can I leave my bag?” and “That’s the toilet?!” (referring to the portalets :P)

I hung out with Pojie while waiting for other 10K runners to assemble at the race arch. I overheard that Piolo had done the vertical run, so I carelessly blurted out to Pojie that I doubted he would run the 10K. A few weeks ago, one of the race organizers from Beyond Limits had asked me what my 10K PR was, and said he was looking for a pacer for Piolo. I hadn’t heard from the organizer since then.

So when Piolo stepped up to the timing mat holding the gun, I just had to laugh at myself. Feeling the competitive urge set in, I resolved just to try my best.

This is our only photo together. LOL

The funny thing about that gun start is that when I heard the gun go off, I stepped out immediately. Then I realized everyone else was standing still, apparently waiting for Piolo to start. (Starstruck?) It took a split second for everyone else to get ahold of themselves and run.

There was one thing on my mind the whole time: “Lord, please help me run this 10K in 50 minutes or less.” It helped that the first kilometer of the race was downhill, so I could comfortably stay at a sub-5 minute pace without taxing my legs.

Pink in a Sea of Yellow

For some reason, even though I’d been nursing a nagging cough for the past two weeks (I’m on antibiotics now), I felt much stronger and faster on my feet. Part of it was my warm-up walk from the Fort Strip, where I had left my car. Another thing that spurred me on was the knowledge that I had to be back at Fort Strip by 6pm for my dance practice.

At the fourth or fifth kilometer, a group of familiar elite runners including Coach Jojo Macalintal waved at me. I was already on my way back to the British School area while they were still on their way to the Bonifacio Triangle. At kilometer seven, I overheard someone say that Piolo was behind me — paced by that same group of elite runners. At the next U-turn, I spotted them closing in.

Piolo and the Pack

As kilometers and minutes ran out, I willed myself to finish before him. I had already accomplished a sub-Piolo 10K last year, and although this was far slower than that, Piolo was still behind me.

I crossed the finish line in 50 minutes, 27 seconds. I received my commemorative Sunpiology pin, and the marshals took my name; I was the fourth woman to cross the finish line. I hung around, but not too close since a retinue of security guards had already formed a perimeter waiting to receive Piolo as he finished. As he arrived, I left the finish area to claim my loot bag, Powerade and Viva drinks, and to verify that I had not placed, since I needed to leave immediately.

Finally, the timing personnel told me I was in fourth place, so I left the race grounds just as night fell and post-race festivities commenced. I attended my dance practice which lasted until 8pm. Then when I checked my phone, there was a text from a photographer friend telling me I’d won third place. WHAT? What’s worse, it was Piolo who was emceeing the awarding, so he was calling out my full name and “Kikay” repeatedly. *facepalm*

Race in Review

• Route: This was a there-and-back route with four U-turns, so it was quite a compact route that avoided busy intersections. Clever!
• Traffic Management: Kilometer signs and turn markers were where they should be, and very visible. There was some cross-traffic between the 3K and 10K routes towards the finish line, but since 10K runners had already spread out, it was easier to weave past the wall of 3K runners. At the beginning of the race I almost got run over by a car that was exiting the event area, but this was more the fault of the careless driver who wasn’t watching where he was going.
• Hydration: Since I had hydrated with Lightwater prior to the race, I didn’t feel thirsty throughout my run. I was still thankful for the boost of energy from the Powerade, and I needed to take water with my Gu gel. There was one table during the first few kilometers which hadn’t yet completed filling its cups with water, and I happened to pick an empty one up. Hopefully next race the hydration marshals time their refills better.
• Package: Although I didn’t wear the singlet during the race, I did notice the material is soft and breathable. It’s probably why most of the runners chose to wear it. I’m still waiting for complete race results to be generated from the B-tag data recorded, though. I like the idea of giving a commemorative pin instead of a finisher’s medal (not as heavy to carry!).
• Freebies: I didn’t stick around for the post-race events, but I like the accident insurance that was included in the loot bag. When I send it back to Sun Life, I’ll have a year’s coverage worth around P25,000. It’s insurance I don’t want to use, but I like the thought behind it.

This was a very well-organized race; Without Limits has redeemed itself in my eyes after the 500-Smile Run debacle. So, FOUR-AND-A-HALF KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE!

Though my kit was complimentary, I think I would have actually paid to run this race — just for the chance to run with Piolo. (Or should I say, run in front of Piolo?)

photo from Maolen Precillas

At Run BGC, I made another attempt to approach my former personal best. Or, at least, I was supposed to. The day before race day, I had a case of the sniffles caused by a depressed immune system since I had done a long run within the week and hadn’t properly recovered from it. I was wavering about participating in the race at all, since I didn’t know if physical exertion would depress my immune system even further.

Thank God when I woke up that Sunday, I felt well enough to go (with a little help from my friend called “Decolgen”). I made it to the starting line early enough, despite driving to Bonifacio High Street by mistake. When I didn’t see any race arches set up there, I realized the starting line was near Mercato Centrale.

Run BGC felt like a subdued affair after my experience at Run United 3, but I appreciated the intimate feel with fewer runners and a smaller event area. I was able to secure a spot at the front of the 10K starting queue, so when the gun fired, I could quite clearly see the lead pack and pace myself accordingly.

There were numerous turns in this race since it didn’t utilize the Kalayaan flyover into Makati, so I always had to be on my toes about where the next sign would send us. My confidence was greatly boosted when Luisa Raterta, one of the lead females, told me I was in 3rd place as we crossed paths at a U-turn. So when I saw that the next female was significantly behind me, I took my foot off the figurative gas pedal and just cruised to a finish.

That’s when I was told I’d come in fourth. The first-place woman was an Ethiopian who had come in third overall after the two lead men. Crazy fast! Oh well, I can’t win them all. It was great shaving my 10K time back down to around 52 minutes. Next time though, no relaxing until the race is over!

Race in Review

• Route: BGC is familiar territory but that doesn’t make its rolling terrain any less formidable. Low but steady uphills and winding roads could definitely take the wind out of anyone’s sails. However, it was nice seeing how the new addition to Bonifacio High Street is taking shape, and the way in which the route was put together entertained me enough to keep me interested until the end of the race.
• Traffic Management: Very clear turn signs and marshalling had all runners going where they needed to go. Perhaps what is needed is to remind walkers to keep to one side and walk two abreast at the most so they don’t block the way of runners.
• Hydration: Powerade and Viva were available at the hydration stations. I’m so impressed that whenever I felt I needed a sip of water, there was a station on the horizon.
• Package: The D-tag enabled fast publishing of the Run BGC race results, and the singlet material was light and sweat-wicking. I’m sure plenty of people were hoping their raffle entry would be picked to win an expense-paid trip to Australia and free entry to a race there, but of course there can only be one winner. (It wasn’t me.)
• Freebies: I remember that the post-race kit had medicines and vitamins from Unilab and a copy of Soul BGC (the free events magazine for BGC). There were also booths at the event area for photos and food, which you could use to while away the time while waiting for the raffle winner to be chosen.

I’m glad I got up to run this race; I was able to push myself and hopefully this will help level up my speed back to the way I used to be. I give this race FOUR KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.

But I guess what makes this special for me is that this was my legitimate 21K comeback, after a modicum of proper training. And also, this happened:

Dreams can come true, they can happen to you…

Remember, I was torn: defend my 10K crown at the Men’s Health Urbanathlon, or simply run a 21K at Run United 3? I decided on the 21K since it fits better into my marathon training plan. I didn’t know that most of the really fast runners and podium mainstays would opt for the 32K Afroman distance, the 15K, and the 10K. How weird is that? And so the stage was set for one of my most surreal races of 2011 (in a good way).

I got to the Mall of Asia complex at 3:40am, quite early for my gunstart of 4:50am. So I took the opportunity to nap in my car and woke up at 4am, just in time to bump into Gail heading to the starting line for her 32K. With a big smile and hug from her, it was a great start to my race morning.

By the time I got to the starting line, there was already a huge mass of 32K runners in their chute. When their gun fired, it took about three minutes for the majority of them to empty out onto the road! The 21K runners were ushered to the other side of the road’s center divider, where our chute was. I’d forgotten how different a 21K starting line feels from that of a 10K. The runners I was among were relaxed, not frenzied, possibly because they knew it was a long run ahead of them and they were conserving energy. So when the gun fired, most set off at a comfortable pace, knowing that any who surged ahead would wind up drained before the race’s end.

Not even into my first kilometer, I fell into step with Wil, a friend from the XTRM triathlon team. He said he needed to control his pace at the outset so he could have enough left in the tank at the finish, and I said I just wanted to finish in under an hour. We decided to keep pace with one another. So down along Roxas Boulevard we went until the first U-turn, near Coastal Mall. Luisa Raterta, the women’s first-placer, saw us as she ran back and told me I was in second. What?!

So our goal changed; we would watch out for the women behind me and would work towards maintaining my place in the finish order. (No, I can’t even dream of overtaking Luisa; she runs like a horse!) As Wil and I approached the second U-turn at Luneta Park, we spotted another 21K woman in a black trisuit running back towards us. It was impossible for someone to have overtaken us, so we knew this woman must have taken a shortcut, not running the southbound Roxas Boulevard stretch. No way were we going let her take a podium spot, so Wil and I picked up our pace; thankfully she faded behind us — just as we ran into a solid wall of 10K and 15K runners.

To avoid cramps, we took walk breaks at every hydration station, which turned out to be an excellent strategy because at the 20K mark, I was able to break into a sub-5 minute pace dash to the finish. I’d finished my 21K in 1 hour, 56 minutes, seconds.

This is it! (photo by Maie Hernandez-Alvarez)

At the finish line, Vima welcomed me with the news I had finished in third place as I received my finisher’s medal, Alaxan FR shirt, and another Run United 3 singlet. The woman who had snatched second place from my jaws was Mary Grace de los Santos. Just to clarify, she was not the woman in the black trisuit whom we overtook. Grace had gone under Buendia flyover when we all entered Roxas Boulevard from CCP, but was so fast that even when she got lost (the reason I hadn’t seen her at the first U-turn), she was able to make up the lost time and distance and overtook me after the second U-turn (when there were so many runners from other distances that I couldn’t have known someone had overtaken me). I didn’t really care about being bumped down to third place; in fact, I was ecstatic about placing at all, despite this not being a PR race for me. (Echoes of Oscar speeches? “It’s an honor just to be nominated.”)

Can I make a speech? (photo by Wilfredo Villon Veluz)

Post-race was a lot of fun as well, since I got to watch the Enervon cheerdance competition and check out some booths at the ginormous (not a real English word) event area.

It all felt like the happiest running dream I’d ever had: the morale-boosting hug from Gail, pacer Wil, the depth of competition (or lack thereof)… For everything to come together like that, I really can’t take any credit. Thank you Lord for making one of my secret running dreams come true!

Race in Review

• Route: Bringing back echoes of the 500-Smile Run the week before and my first Milo marathon last year, RU3′s route took us end-to-end on Roxas Boulevard, passing by the CCP Complex and Macapagal Boulevard on the way to and from MOA. Simple so I could hold a constant pace without thinking about where the next turn would be. My biggest challenge was to hold that pace over the long stretches of flat road, my bete noir in running. I do question the lack of timing mat at the U-turn on Coastal, since shortcutters (should I call them cheaters?) have an incentive to take an early U-turn.
• Traffic Management: Though lane closure was limited on Roxas Boulevard southbound to Coastal, it didn’t feel cramped at all and I felt safe since vehicles were very clearly diverted away from the course. There were big clear signs to point the way — except for where runners came out from CCP to Roxas. Marshals were yelling at 21K runners to turn right onto the Buendia flyover but there were some who took a left turn toward Luneta, and others who turned right but went under the flyover to join the 32K runners heading down Buendia (yikes!).
• Hydration: I loved that whenever I wanted to take a walk break, there was a hydration station on the horizon. This was one of the strongest points of the race’s organization.
• Package: I was able to use my reusable Runrio timing card at this race, and Run United 3 results were out in a reasonable three days, presumably already double-checked and verified. The finisher medal is well-crafted (ribbon is sewn so that it doesn’t separate from the metal medal), and I absolutely adore the finisher shirt. For the tag price of P750 for the 21K (my kit was complimentary, by the way), this was the best-organized of the trilogy this year.
• Freebies: Yet again Unilab’s guaranteed loot bags were full of useful medicines and food supplements. There was even a knee strap from 3M for the 21K finishers!

I re-read my review of RU2, and I’m so glad that RunRio and Unilab were able to address the issues I brought up there. For that I give this race FIVE KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.

Next year’s Run United RunRio Trilogy is already a done deal, with an initial schedule for March, July, and September. But watch out for October 2012, when the Run United Philippine Marathon will be held. Yes, that’s right, it features a full marathon! With the quality of races from these two entities, I’m excited to see how many will be enticed to make it their first marathon.

photo by Jema Dee

The morning started out wet and miserable with a strong drizzle that had lasted through the previous night. There were still plenty of runners who made their way to Quirino Grandstand for the race, though. For some reason that wasn’t explained to us, the first gun (for 16K participants) fired late, shortly before 6am, with my 10K following shortly after.

Given that it was a cold start (I didn’t warm up because I didn’t want to be out in the rain!), I started cramping on the first kilometer and had to run-walk until my body warmed up enough to loosen my side stitch. It was a good thing I wasn’t targeting a 10K PR; in fact, I was due for at least a 15-kilometer long run that weekend so I was supposed to tack on an additional 5 kilometers after the race.

I felt good enough to speed up to my usual 10K pace at kilometers 4 to 6 when I realized something had gone awry. The race route was supposed to be a simple there-and-back on Roxas Boulevard, and according to my Garmin I had already logged 5 kilometers just past Buendia flyover. However, the U-turn was still nowhere in sight!

As I ran over EDSA flyover, I saw a U-turn marker in the far distance. As I reached it though, it read “16K U-turn”. Where was the 10K U-turn? I kept going until I finally reached the marker near Coastal Mall, which was 2 kilometers past the EDSA flyover. Then all I had to do was run back to the finish line.

All the while, my emotions were playing games with me. I was by turns furious, pensive, demoralized, and laughing at myself for feeling that way. My right knee started to give out on me by kilometer 12, so I walked until some people I had passed earlier overtook me. By then pride kicked in and I hauled my lazy ass over the finish line in 1 hour and 32 minutes, logging a total of 15.2 kilometers. I was confused how to feel. Annoyed at the surprise surplus FIVE KILOMETERS, or accomplished because I had done a much-needed long run in preparation for a 21K at Run United 3?

Race in Review

• Route: What would have been a simple there-and-back flat route (begging for a PR) turned into something out of my running nightmares. The excess five kilometers could be explained by the U-turn marker inexplicably ill-placed at the end of Roxas Boulevard instead of just before the EDSA flyover. Thank God I’d started out slow, or else I wouldn’t have made it back to the finish line.
• Traffic Management: I appreciated that the seaside lane of Roxas was closed to vehicular traffic (in some sections at least two lanes were dedicated to runners). The logistics for this should be commended since it involves coordinating with the cities Pasay and Manila, causing more congestion in peripheral roads. I’m impressed the road closure remained unchanged even with the decreased number of runners.
• Hydration: No sports drinks were served at the hydration tables, but at least there were long tables filled with cups of water every 2.5 kilometers. Since the drizzle continued throughout the race, some rainwater unavoidably got into the drinking water. My stomach was rumbling by the time I neared the finish line.
• Package: Most runners wore the distinctive singlet bearing the Operation Smile logo, and the D-tag allowed chip time to be recorded per runner. (The provisional results for the 500-Smile Run can be found at Takbo.ph.)
• Freebies: Freebies were given out to early bird finishers (obviously, not me), but ran out. Oh well, they’re freebies anyway!

In the end, this race turned out well for me, a blessing in disguise (or as we like to say, a blessing “in the skies” hehe). And in a strange twist of fate, according to the race results I came in third place. I give this race THREE KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE.