The Best Things in Life Are Free!

I am certain all of you would agree that the best things in life are free. Here are my top 10 “free” picks:

1. Free Races

I love free races. So far, I’ve joined two. One was a group run turned race by Team CB. I wasn’t present in the actual race but I did a make up and they gave me my medal

My Team CB Medal

The other one was Mommy Milkshake. It was a great race, very organized, lots of giveaways and raffle items plus it was FREE! I ran 5k and took home loads of items from Nivea.

Mommy Milkshake, a great free race

2. Free Magazines

Top of my list would be The Bull Runner Magazine. Sure, I love reading TBR’s blog (which I do read regularly) but being able to take an actual mag with me while traveling is a major plus. In addition, I like the fact that they are able to provide adequate information in such a small footprint.

TBR in Print

3. Free running shoes

My sister gave me a pair of Red Nike Lunar Glide last Christmas. I LOVE it! Thanks sis!

4. Free Raffle Items

I got free phones last year during event raffles. I won a Road ID from Takbo.ph for my comment on their new site (the randomizer loves me ). I also won a Phiten bracelet from the recent iamninoy’s get together to celebrate Tita Cory’s birthday last January 25.

Happy

5. Free SIM Singlet

I love my free SIM singlet given to me by Ellen It’s one of the very few ones I regularly wear.

Yes, Tito Caloy (the celebrity) and I have the same singlet - Luis, thanks for the photo

Not worthy to be beside Tito Caloy...

6. Massage from hubby

Massages and back runs from hubby are great! He’s the best masseuse ever

7. Kisses from my kids

I have a 16 year old, 12 year old and a snubbish 4 year old. All BOYS! So kisses are kinda hard to come by.

Even the croc gets more kisses than I do...

8. Free DSLR

My brother gave me the coolest advanced birthday gift ever last year! A Nikon D60 DSLR. Thank you Kuya Edge

I LOVE my DSLR

9. Gifts, gifts, gifts! My favorite gifts:

Bible from my Papa. I’ve been reading this bible on a daily basis since 2007.

iPod Touch from hubby. A surprise present from hubby last Christmas 2008.

Bags, bags from my boss. Yearly gifts from my boss. I guess he knows that I love bags

Thank you Papa!

10. Free travel

Asian Cruise, Barcelona, Brazil, Bali are some of the places I’ve been to due to my work. There are perks and downsides as well. Due to the frequency of my trips, I missed Chito’s 1st day of school, his 1st independent steps, Ben’s PTA etc. Thankfully my schedule now permits more time for my kids. As my dearest boss would say…Family first  

Indeed free is great…free is good

Important Announcement from the ConduraRun Organizers

I picked this up from Happy Feet’s e-group. It’s a message from Pat Con. Please read on:

Dear Condura 21km and 42km runners,

Greetings. Unfortunately, there was an error committed in printing out the race bibs. Some race bibs have a bar code and some do not have one. Do not worry as you will still be able to run your event and you will still be timed accurately. We have corrected this situation already with race bibs that have not yet been issued out.

For the race bib that have been issued out such as yours, may we kindly request you to do the following:

1. Write down your bib number on the perforated stub located at the lower left side portion of your bib.The portion that says: “Give to finish official at the end of the race”. “Do not pin spindle hole”. For example. If your bib number is 123, please write the number 123 on the perforated stub. Please see attached sample.

2. Please write clearly, legibly and accurately.

3. Please use a PERMANENT MARKER. Color BLACK. Be sure that it does not smear when wet as this will be exposed to water and sweat. Do not use a pencil, ball pen, or white board marker. Only use a BLACK PERMANENT marker. (water proof if possible)

We are very sorry for this basic error. We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. We are hoping for your kind understanding. Upon receipt of this email and upon making the necessary changes kindly email us at secretariat@condura.com or text us at (0908) 880-8354. The Condura Run Organizing Committee.

I am certain the organizers didn’t want this to happen. Murphy’s Law struck again

Follow the instructions carefully

Birthday Run for Tita Cory

Mother of Democracy

To celebrate Tta Cory’s 77th birthday, the iamninoy runners did a quick run around Bonifacio High Street, wearing their iamninoy shirts and holding yellow balloons. It was a simple gesture of thanks for all the wonderful things Tita Cory, mother of Philippine democracy, did for her countrymen.

The assembly time was 530pm. Runners will run around BHS from 6-8pm. However, I missed the start of the run as I arrived late. Hubby was sick so I had to go alone. I was worried that I wouldn’t know anyone (except for Jamike Lopa who sent the invite). Most of my co-iamninoy runner friends were still at work. I was wrong. Pio Sugay, Ka Totoy were there. It dawned on me that I have more than 100 friends in my running circle that I would certainly see a familiar face.

Pio and I paired up. I guess he has been running a good 2km before I arrived. We decided to rest after 3.5km of race pace run. Oh how I thought it will be a relaxing run After running, I said a short prayer asking God to bless Tita Cory.

We all proceeded to 180 degrees bar and resto near S&R after our run. We had the entire place to ourselves. There was a huge disco ball by the entrance. I haven’t seen one of those in ages. It again dawned on me that I rarely or more of don’t go out clubbing anymore. It can mean two things, I am getting old (tanders, my hubby and I would call it) or I am your classic health freak (no drinking, no smoking, no late nights). I guess I am a bit of both.

Group Pic

Phiten had a huge sale that night. Everything was 50% off! Since we just walked to the resto, I only had P500 in my phone case, just enough for dinner. Darn! I was tempted to go to the car and get my wallet. Just when I was deciding on doing that, they started the raffle. They had 7 Phiten bracelet to give away. I think God was telling me to give shopping a rest as I was the winner of the 7th draw. Nice!

I won!

It was past 10pm when most said their goodbyes. I had fun meeting new runners, chatting with TBR and taking crazy photos with Pio and Jed.

Jed having fun (Pio took this shot)

To Tita Cory, you gave hope to all Filipinos. I am honored to be a part of this day where we commemorated your would be 77th Birthday. Rest in peace with our Creator and know that Ninoy did not die in vain and that your memory will always be in our hearts forever.

Supporting the Titans

The Titans (Greek: Τιτάν – Ti-tan; plural: Τιτᾶνες – Ti-tânes), were a race of powerful deities that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. They are a race of godlike giants who were considered to be the personifications of the forces of nature. For me, the Titans are those who participant in Ultramarathons. They have power, guts and faith in themselves to enable them to cross the finish line.

Everything started with a text from Marga (aka margalicious). She invited me to be part of the support crew for Takbo.ph runners who will participate in the upcoming Bataan Death March 102k challenge. There will be a 50k test run from Mariveles, Bataan to somewhere out there. I was intrigued and I wanted to experienced how it was like to be part of a “moving” support team so I told her to count me in J I had my son’s driver prepare the van for a long drive.

Details of the trip

Meeting time: 2am

Venue: Mcdo Munoz

Support crew:

2 vans

Marga, Tere, Angel, Carina and myself (+ my driver Eric)

Runners:

1. Mar

2. Rod

3. Doc T

4. Rene

5. Dhentz

6. Abby

7. Sam

8. Athan

9. Joen

10. Totoy

11. Wency

Friday night

I felt guilty being away for a full day from the kids. Saturdays were meant for chilling with them at home or in the mall and cooking their fave lunch and a special dinner. However, there’s no way I could miss this opportunity to support my running family plus I knew I needed to get build mileage for my upcoming HM debut in Condura and there’s no better way to train than to be with the Titans. I decided to take Yno and Ben, my 2 older sons to watch a movie with Noy. We decided to catch Sherlock Holmes at 1050pm in Eastwood as Yno was already there with his friends. I prepared my stuff for the trip and proceeded to Eastwood.

The film ended at 110am. I realized that if I wanted to be in the meeting place on time, I had to grab my bags and leave as soon as we got home. However, I felt that I needed to shower 1^st as it was going to be a LONG day. I took a shower, grabbed my gym and camera bags and rushed out of the compound. I realized that I had forgotten the pillow I was suppose to bring, a jacket which I can use as a blanket, water for the support crew and the food I prepared for the runners L I only had 2 bags of chips!

I arrived at the meeting place at 210am. Wow! Everyone was there. We organized the coolers and their bags and headed out of Manila. Must have taken us less than 8 minutes to prepare everything. Thought balloon: Wow! They are an excited bunch

The drive to Bataan was uneventful. We were in and out of sleep. I don’t think anyone had a decent slumber.

Mariveles, Bataan

I was surprised to find that the roads to Bataan were quite developed. I realized that the last time I was there was during our 2004 company summer outing.

We passed a spiral downhill road going to Bataan PEZA Zone in Mariveles. It reminded me of the road from Tagaytay Highlands to Midlands, steep and rolling. I was hoping the runners wouldn’t have to pass this road.

Finally, we arrived! We got there an hour ahead of the scheduled 6am assembly time. Nice! It was freezing that morning. I stayed inside the van as I didn’t have a jacket. Even if I doubled my shirt, it was still too cold. It was a good thing Abby had an extra jacket. Lesson of the day: even if you’re rushing, stop and asses whether you have everything you need before leaving the house.

Runners started pouring in to join the BDM 50k test run. Sir Jovie (Baldrunner) arrived and started to orient the group. The support vehicles were to station themselves at km 7 and every 5kms after that. Carina was due to run 20k, strictly following her training program. Tere and I decided to run the 1^st 7km taking this opportunity to gain mileage. The dreaded steep uphill climb will be part of the 1^st 7km, dubbed by Baldrunner as the toughest part of the whole 50k. I thought to myself…”Great Gail, what have you gotten yourself into”? After a few photo opps, the event begins.

Running with Ultra Abby

Carina and Tere decided to follow their race pace while I walked/run with Abby. She decided to conserve her energy for the long haul. We chatted and enjoyed the scenery. I took pictures although lousy ones as the phone I brought along didn’t have a great camera. We were comparing ultramarathon runs with shopping. Girls can spend HOURS walking around the mall so why can’t they do the same during ultras? To think girls normally carry heavy bags when they shop and yet manage to stay in the mall for hours! I remembered shopping with my sister during the Christmas rush last year. We were in the mall for over 9 hours! I developed a major migraine after that. Noy almost had a heart attack when my bills came this month. Hahaha!

Start of the grueling climb

Abby Ruling the Hills

Steep incline

Upon reaching km7, I told my driver to meet me in km10 instead. I wanted to make sure Abby had company before leaving her. It was a good thing we caught up with Carina and Tere and it was also a blessing that my driver drove to km12 instead of 10, a cool 2 extra kms Upon reaching km12, I got my pair of shades, lent it to Abby and bid her, Carina and Tere adieu.

Inaccurate Markers

I needed to switch places with Marga as the lead vehicle. I proceeded to km 17 to provide support to lead runners. I passed by Ka Totoy, Doc T, Rod, Wilnar but none of them seemed to need anything. We then proceeded to km 22. However, we didn’t notice the km22 marker so we accidentally stopped at km 23 instead. I hanged out with the BR and his wife while waiting for the other runners. That was when I got a call from Marga. She said that Dhenz needed our help. He was in km 22. We backtracked a bit until we got to Petron where the km 22 marker was. Puzzled that I couldn’t see Dhenz anywhere, I decided to call him. He said that his Garmin was saying he was at km 23, which was odd. And that was when I concluded that the km markers were actually wrong! We drove towards kms 21 and that was when we found him. The markers were off my 2kms. Yikes! Dhenz was pretty ok. He just needed his refill of water.

At this stage, Marga wanted to switch. We will now be the sweeper instead of the lead vehicle. After servicing Sam and company, we proceeded back to km 22 to wait for the others. Finally, Carina and Abby arrives. I told them about the inaccurate markers, which didn’t surprise Carina as her Garmin registered 24km+. Abby went on ahead as we had to pick up Mar in km 20 as he experienced major cramps. We offered Jonathan/Athan a ride back as he already had blisters on his feet and shifted to wearing slippers. He politely declined. I remembered saying to myself, wow…this guys has guts and is probably crazy

Km 27 to km 37

We parked somewhere near the km27 marker. The view and ambiance around us in km27 reminded me so much of provincial life. There was a farmer tending to his carabao, the sound of people enjoying Saturday midday by indulging in karaoke, the smell of fried fish, people taking a bath outside their homes in their “daster” and “pambahay” clothes (house clothes). We enjoyed the cool breeze and the fact that the sun fortunately decided to hide behind forming clouds. We turned off our engine and listened to some BEP’s I’ve Got a Feeling and Meet Me Halfway plus other hiphop and R&B tunes. By the time my iPod played Patron Tequila, we all fell asleep. About 30 mins or so, DocT arrives to get his supplies. We again took a good 20mins nap. I realized that we’ve been in this spot for more than an hour already. I was worried that I haven’t seen Abby yet. Ultra Abby was not this slow. I had a feeling that she passed us already. This was confirmed when I saw Coach Roel with one of his students. They were way behind Abby.

We had to proceed to the next stop km30. Upon reaching km30, we finally saw Abby, she told us she was fine and to proceed to km 34.

Km34…37…40

In km34 (obviously:))

Km40

Dead cat by the km40 marker

Carina and I wanted to run with Abby during her last 10k.  I wanted to take pictures by the finish line so I decided to run km40-km45 only.  We had to pass through town so it was pollution galore as expected from the passing tricycles and jeepneys. People were staring at us and saying things like “Nakaw, naunahan na kayo ng kalaban nyo”…”Bilisan nyo”…”Takbo!” If they only knew where these runners came from…

Finish line

I went ahead to the finish line with our support van to take pictures. I was so proud of the finishers who were already there and who were slowly arriving. Even a local ice cream vendor was there to cheer on the runners I made sure I used a telephoto lens so I can a photo of the finishers from afar.

Dhenz and Rod at km50

Here comes Abby! Abby was flanked by her posse Tere and Carina. Tere backtracked to meet Carina and Abby.

Go Abby and her entourage!

Ultra Abby at km50

Here comes Doc T! The Takbo runners and support crew who were present gave Doc T full support by gathering by the imaginary finish line forming 2 flanks so they can all cheer on DocT as he approaches to finish

Here comes Doc T

Dami fans

BR and Ultra DocT

Post Test Run

We ended at around 3pm. Everybody was famished! We had taken no breakfast and lunch. We had to survive with whatever chips I brought along. Thankfully, there was a Jollibee nearby. After a hearty mid-afternoon lunch, we headed back to Manila.

I realized that being part of the support crew in an event like this was not easy. But it was definitely worth it. Seeing the smiles, hearing sighs of relief whenever runners see us, made me realized that this is something that I would want to do again and not expecting anything in return (I don’t think I will be doing an Ultra anyway…hahaha!)

To all the ultra runners out there, you guys are CRAZY and AMAZING!…. I am in awe…You guys are truly the TITANS!

Cruising for Bruising

Cry

Come to me and cry

I know, I know, I know it’s not easy

Your heart is aching

But so is mine,

How can I tell you

Why

For so long, so long, so long,

I’ve been thinking

Now I know

I can’t live a lie

They say true love lasts forever

If we want it

There will be waiting

A second chance

Baby but now we need time

Time to learn

Time to understand

Where we went wrong

‘Cause I feel so strong

We are cruising for bruising

My Baby

Go

I must let you go

Don’t stop, don’t stop

’cause it’s better now

When I still love you

Don’t say goodbye

So bye for now, don’t let it die

’cause we can try some other time

No this isn’t about Basia’s song, but I do love to blog about it

I did it! I signed up for my 1st 21k half marathon! The event shall be Condura’s Run for Dolphins Feb 7 Race. I need to start my serious training stat! Problem: Business travels for me start early every year and normally lasts until mid year, tapers on the last weeks of Q3. And this year, it starts with a 6-day Asian Cruise, an incentive for our valued partners. Photographer, Babysitter Gail signing in. With only less than 6 weeks before race day, I wondered how I can squeeze my exercise regimen during this trip.

Yey! A jogging path!

Jan 9, we left Manila early to fly to Singapore. Was able to board Legend of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) past 1pm. I was famished and the lunch buffet was sumptuous. I gave in…ate as much as I can and promised that I will burn what I ate in the gym. I had hoped that the ship had a jogging path (most do) where I can run as to not interrupt my training. As soon as we finished lunch, we checked out our statesrooms, dropped off our stuff, freshened up and explored the ship. I headed directly to the upper decks where the pool was to see if where I can run. Thankfully, the ship had a jogging path on the upper deck! It measured about 400m per lap (4 laps was equivalent to 1 mile). I promised myself I will run 1st thing tomorrow morning.

Jan 10 (Sunday)

Running on board

Running on board

I woke up 630am and got ready for my morning run. I was so excited to run onboard a moving ship. Upon reaching the upper deck, I realized that it was still dark and the deck was wet. I was worried that I might slipped while running and injure myself then I noticed that I wasn’t alone. There were 2 early morning runners and they looked hard core

Surprisingly, even if the deck was wet, it wasn’t slippery at all. I enjoyed the relaxing pace. My Garmin’s GPS was screwed up of course. I was on a moving ship. It would’ve been a great thought if my pace was indeed 1.3m/km and I did 24k in about 30mins+. Haha!

After 5k or so, I had to stop as I needed to do my morning duties (eg plan for today’s schedule etc). The sun was already up and it was a beautiful day. I woke up my girls/kiddies (people who I babysat), set their schedules and decided to run a bit again before breakfast. Ivy took my picture during my 2nd run.

Jan 11 (Mon) No runs for me. We had to wake up early as we headed to Phuket.

Jan 12 (Tues) Managed to squeeze a 2k+ run. Was exhausted from the night before and had to leave the ship for Langkawi at 815am Wall-climbed.

If you can't run, wall climb!

Jan 13 (Wed) No runs. Disembarked for KL. Went to the sauna, swam and wall-climbed.

Takbo.ph on board

Jan 14 (Thurs) Departing at 8am for Singapore. Departed for Manila by 5:30pm.

Great…now I am totally screwed. Condura’s only 3 weeks away and this has been my lousiest training history since I started running. Well, tomorrow’s another day. Time to put training face, mind, body, soul and everything else to work. Wish me luck!

Celebrating Celebrity Run

Another late blog…

Due to my hectic November/December schedule (and the persistent kulit of Noy to rest from every Sunday races), Noy and I opted to take a hiatus from my target of bi-weekly races. In fact our last race was a short 3k relay during Race and Shine. I wanted to join the Runnex Exec 10k run as my year-ender race but they moved it to next year. Since I wasn’t training for any major race (my mind wasnt’ made up yet on joining Condura’s 21k that time), my 3x weekly training became once a week. I would slack off and opted to go Christmas shopping or have dinner with friends. I guess Noy felt he had to stop me from spending too much that he actually convinced me to sign us up for the Celebrity Run and chose 10k. I didn’t hesitate to sign us up as I wanted to take Max (my Red Nike LunarGlide) on his 1st road race.

Race day

As always (more than usual), hubby was extremely SLOW in preparing to leave for the race. Since we were running the 10k, I believed we had to be there by 530am. I believe we got there 545am. Much to my delight, the race has not started After a short warm up, I weaved through the crowd of 5k runners waiting for their turn behind the 10k group. Hubby wanted to take it slow so unlike most of the races where I opted to wait for him during the 1st half, I told him that I will run ahead and just see him in the finish line. I wanted to see how fast I can run with Max. I secretly wanted to target a sub-60 (yeah right!). And I secretly wanted to be in Argo’s deathlist (wahahaha…this I am certain I won’t achieve).

Race Proper

Since we were late, I had to start at the back on the 10k runners. As soon as I cross the starting line, I began to increase my pace. If I wanted to hit sub-60, I need to keep my pace at 5:30m/k during the 1st 5k. I was aiming for a positive split. I seem to be more exhausted during negative splits.  The run from BHS to Mckinley Hill was a familiar one. BHS and McKinley Hills are my regular training/playground together with Takbo.ph peeps. I was comfortable with my speed until the U-Turn in Lawton and down to McKinley Hills…and that’s when i felt it. My left knee was in pain. I had been suffering from Patellofemoral syndrome (Runner’s Knee) since I was 16. I hadn’t experienced this problem since I started to run but then again, I never ran full speed on downhill courses as I knew that I would regret it. Listening to my body, I decided to slow down. I will not let a past condition go from bad to worse. Sub-60 can wait when the terrain is flat Hehe!

Running uphill back to BHS from the Mckinley Hills-C5 U-turn, I noticed that most of the runners have a colored blue string bracelet. I looked at mine and I realized that I only had brown and green (if I remembered correctly). Drat! Did I just miss the marshall giving away the bracelets? Is that for 10k or possibly for the 21k runners? I slowed down to walk and looked around for friendly faces to ask where they got their blue tags from. Finally a friendly face! Rico (aka Sheerwill) passed by and after asking him where he got his blue tag, he told me from the Mckinley Hills-C5 U-turn.  Ack! I had a dilemma…Should I turn around and go back? Or do I just run ahead? I was walking now worried…thinking…I know deep down that I followed the route, I didn’t cheat but I was concerned about what would other people say, they might think I cut corners…what do I do? Thankfully I overheard some people saying that there was just 1 marshall handing the blue tags, she ran out and left to get more. I decided to not go back. I though to myself hey, it wasn’t your fault they ran out of tags. I was behind schedule. I told myself that I would be lucky if I beat my previous 10k PR of 1:10.

Nelly and Kelly Rowland's Dilemma

I was already near NBC tent when it started to rain. I kept on thinking about Max. I didn’t want him to get wet. Max was an early Christmas present from my younger sister. She just started working as a GP in some hospital as she just graduated from med school and just passed the boards as well. With her hard-earned money, she bought Max for me as she knew I had been wanting to buy a pair of Lunar Glides since forever. I needed to finish the race so I can get to a shelter for Max. I pushed hard and finally reached the finish line. I looked at my Garmin and was pleasantly surprised to see a 1:03 time for my Celebrity Run 10k (official time was 1:04). Yahoo! I didn’t get my secret sub-60 goal but I did break my PR.

Post Race

After saying hi to my Takbo.ph friends and taking photos with Ronnie Rickets, I decided to look for a tarp I can use to shield Max from the rain (Yes, Max was still top of mind). I was contemplating on going to the car but I had to see Noy finish the race. Finally, hubby arrived and was happy to have broken his PR too. So proud of him! I am sure he would even do better had the terrain been flat.

We bid our farewells to our friends and headed home. We wanted to have breakfast with the kids. It was a happy day

Noy and I Post Race Pic

Noy and Ronnie Rickets

Tracy and I

Thank you Doc Marvs for the pics.

Highlights of 2009

At the start of each year I look back and reflect on all the blessings God has bestowed on me during the previous year.

Here are my Top 9 highlights for 2009

1. Losing 20+ pounds.

I have tried possibly all the simple diets are there but nothing stuck. There is simply no shortcuts to losing (and maintaining loss) weight. I started by counting calories (a technique which I learned from Wowie). I coupled it with Yoga and HipHop Abs. I then started to walk everyday. I wanted to be more active so I started to run which brings me to highlight number 2.

this is me...NOT...i'm not this thin yet

2. I discovered a sport which I have learned to love, RUNNING.

Not that I did not like any of my previous sport but I am passionately addicted to running. It gives me the serenity of golf, the thrill of firing and the excitement of badminton. A perfect match to running would be Yoga, another activity which I enjoy immensely. Having running hard cores Tiffin (Tita) and Mark (Tito) Parco as my inspiration really encouraged me to push harder. In addition, I discovered a Takbo.ph, a community of runners which promotes active running in the Philippines. The members of this community helped me enjoy the sport more. I can truly say that they are my running family

my Takbo.ph family

3. New job challenges.

I know…it sounds cliche but I really LOVE what I do. I love being challenged, creating new projects, working with people on a project from conceptualization to implementation.

me likey...

4. Chito’s improvement

My youngest son, Chito, was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Delay, part of the Autism spectrum. I enrolled him in Shine Intervention Center hoping that early intervention would eventually improve his condition. With God’s blessings, he drastically improved. Currently, he can (sort of) communicate with us. He socializes more often now and he follows instructions. His cognitive skills are continuously improving. I am amazed that he can read books for 8 year olds, he even scans and reads bits and pieces of my Women’s Health mags. Adorable!

Chito reading daddy's book...History of the Armed Forces of the Filipino People

5. Discovering photography

I have always wanted to take beautiful pictures of my surroundings but I never found the time nor the patience. My brother gave me a Nikon D60 as an advanced birthday present and I immediately enrolled in Jo Avila’s Basic Photography course. The experience was amazing. Taking beautiful pictures of my environment and my family are priceless

blue reflections

6. Lola Lydia

My husband’s maternal grandmother, Lola Lydia passed away mid-2009. However, I got to spend quality time with her during her last few months alive. She was the one who encouraged me to walk every evening in the compound. I would look forward to chatting with her after my exercise. She tells great stories of her family’s history. We chat about anything under the sun. I was glad I got to spend time with her when she was still with us.

we miss you Lola!

7. Trip to Brazil

Although not one of the most pleasant (30+ hours travel just to get there), it was truly one of the most memorable trips I have had. Partly because I will probably not be going back there anytime soon. The travel was just too long and too tiring. The sites and the company were great though. Traveled to Sao Paolo, Rio de Janeiro and Iguassu where I saw (and experienced) the Iguassu Falls, it was beautiful. It was a rainy trip so we didn’t have a chance to fully experience the beach life in Ipanema and Copacobana. And of course, Havaianas shopping! I must’ve bought almost 30 pairs! Kept only 4 pairs though and gave away the rest.

really bloated me by the Christ the Redeemer

8. 2009 New Year with my extended family (maternal)

End of 2008 was one of the busiest months (if not the busiest) of my life. I organized 2 weddings (December), my sister’s wedding and my Grandparents’ 50th Golden Wedding Anniversary. My relatives from Canada and the US all came home. I had almost 3 weeks off from work but it felt like a extended work week with daily overtime. Haha! For New Year’s 2009, we all stayed in Astoria Suite booking six 3-bedroom suites. What a riot! It was so much fun though. Tiring but fun.

(ooops, can’t find any photos of this event but I do have wedding pics but this happened Dec 2008…oh well)

matron of honor for Claire's wedding

9. Ben’s Graduation

My 12-year old son graduated from primary school (grade school). He’s now in his 1st year high school. Wow! I really feel old na Before I know it, he’ll be introducing me to some girl who he’s dating…OH NO!!! (happy thoughts…shields up for negative thoughts)

Ben's Graduation

I look forward to a great 2010. Thank you Lord for a wonderful 2009!

My 4 year old’s 1st Road Race (Race & Shine)

After months of promoting the race, I was excited to partake in this event. My youngest son Chito studies in Shine Intervention, a school in Kapitolyo specializing in educating children with special needs.

Since Shine was one of the prime supporters of the Let it Shine Foundation, Chito’s school was naturally turned into a channel to market Race & Shine, a fundraising event to raise funds for the foundation.

Let it Shine Foundation is one of the few groups setting up research for the creation and sustainability of VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS for individuals with autism to provide them the equal opportunity to work and earn. The foundation created a research team to evaluate which jobs are best suitable for individuals with autism. This research will hopefully lead to the creation of a variety of therapy programs that will develop the skills necessary for them to work independently.  Information from this research will be shared to all schools and centers that cater to individuals with Autism. For more information, please contact the foundation at 218-2362/ 0920-9244282 or email shine.foundation@gmail.com. More Information on our foundation may be found on:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/LET-IT-SHINE-FOUNDATION/128336142230.

As soon as I found out about the race, I immediately spread the news to family and friends. I wanted to make sure the event would be a successful one as I believe in the cause that the event was supporting.

Registration

After helping friends to register, I realized that I haven’t registered myself and my family! With the race just 6 days away, on the morning of the Pacquiao-Cotto fight, I immediately took the kids to Libis to register in All Terra, Club 650. I chose to the 3k relay so Chito and Ben can run as well. I was pleasantly surprised to have received great quality singlets for this race. Too bad they didn’t have extra, extra small for Chito. That would have been really cute J

Race Day

Chito had a bout of cough and Noy felt that we shouldn’t push through with the run L After convincing him that our baby will be fine, we started to get ready. Our 3k relay would start at 7am. We were just leaving the house at 645am. Crap! We’re late again! I really hate being late during races. I lose all motivation to finish strong. Then again, this was about the boys running their first race not about me beating my PR. I had planned to let Ben run the 1^st km, Chito with daddy the next and I would finish the remaining 1k. When we got to the venue, the race hasn’t started yet (Relief!)

waiting for the race to start

3k relay here we come!

Chito was starting to become anxy, he actually wanted to cross the starting line, away from the crowd, as soon as we got to the venue.  Thankfully the host started to prepare the 3k runner after about 15mins or so of waiting.

8,9,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 and off we go!

run chito run!

I decided to let Chito and daddy start the relay run, since my little one has very little patience. It was a good call as we found ourselves running with his favorite teachers. Chito sprinted the 1^st 50m but decided to walk when he found himself amidst a sea of runners (more of a pond of runners J). He then was cajoled into continuing his run but after 200m, he decided he had enough and sat in the middle of the road. Good thing Teacher Jaybee was there and he helped motivate Chito to continue his run/walk pace until the finish line. I took tons of pictures of Chito and Daddy while walking under the warm sun. After about 900m (was wearing my trusty Garmin J), we finally saw the finish line but Chito was growing tired, he wanted daddy to carry him. Noy instead ran ahead and pushed Chito to run towards the finish. I must say, he’s a natural. Hand in hand, my beloved Chito and Daddy Noy crossed the finish line marking my baby’s 1^st road race.

i will be a future hardcore runner (mommy wishes)

i'm tired!

finally! the finish line!

i finished my part

Now it was my 12 year old’s turn. I decided to join him for his part of the relay. I still remember the 1^st time Ben ran with me and Noy. We convinced him to join us for a short run to Greenhills from home. If he can run/walk 5k, 1k shouldn’t be hard for him. I was right. He just breezed through it with sprinting pace.

My share of the relay race was uneventful. I was photographed close up by FPS and I looked bloated. Not my best picture. Noy tried to take a picture of me as I crossed the finish line but he was about to just take a millisec video. Oh well, again…it wasn’t about me.

I saw a few running peers supporting the race, Sam (the running Ninja), Sir Mon of Happy Feet, Roselle (the Running Diva). Thank you so much for being there! J

We capped off the morning by driving thru Mcdonald’s and grabbing breakfast. The free breakfast was not enough for my 2 growing boys (Daddy and Ben).

happiness!

I look forward to another race with my family.

Keep running! No barriers…

POSTPONED: 26th RUNNEX Annual 10k Executive Classic

I was looking forward to running the annual RUNNEX 10k Executive Classic due to the persistent build up of Mark P (http://marksvo2.wordpress.com/). Before registering, I was informed by a RUNNEX member that the race was postponed to next year. Here’s their announcement:

“In order to provide the running community with better quality races, the Executive Runners Club of the Philippines (RUNNEX) will focus, starting next year, on just two major annual running events. These are: the Quezon City International Marathon to be held every second Sunday of December and the 10K Executive Classic to be held every last Sunday of February. Accordingly, the December 20, 2009 10K Executive Classic will now be reset to February 28, 2010 to adjust to the new schedule of races.
 
With the new race schedules we will have more time and opportunity to enhance the quality of our running events. See you next year for a better 10K Executive Classic and a bigger and more exciting Quezon City International Marathon.”

The QCIM was one of the most organized race I have ever joined. Plus it was my 1st 10k. Truly unforgettable indeed. I can’t wait for the next one!

As for the RUNNEX 10k exec class, postponement is good for me. More time to train Yahoo!

No barriers…

Running for Justin and the Diva

Pre-race

November 8, Sunday, marked the day of the Philippine International Marathon, the largest organized race in the Philippines. I was due to run a full marathon. Yes, a full marathon…relay (gotcha! ). As part of Team Logan, we were to take turns pushing Justin Logan from the starting line to the finish line. It will be Justin’s 1^st full marathon and we are all excited for him.

I teamed up with Timmy (the makulit….hahaha!!!), to take relay point 12 (km24) which happened to be in the corner of EDSA and Pioneer (Robinson’s Pioneer). We were scheduled to be there by 715am, the approximate time Justine will be arriving with his mom Michelle and the Takbo support team. Since the singlets were still not with us, we were supposed to don our Takbo.ph singlets. I am a meticulous runner. I make sure that I prepare everything the night before to ensure that everything (except the race) is not on rush pace. While dressing up, I noticed that the Takbo singlet I prepared was my hubby’s. I desperately looked all over the room for my singlet but couldn’t find it. Timmy then texted me saying that Craig (Justin’s dad) was running faster than usual and he is expected earlier than scheduled. Panicked, I rummage for my next favorite running shirt, my iamninoy jersey. Noy and I hurried to leave.

We made it to the meeting place at 645am. Timmy arrived 8mins later. As we were waiting for the Team Logan to arrive, we saw friends who joined the full marathon, Running Diva Roselle with pacer Coach John, Sam the Running Ninja, Prince, Bald Runner etc. I was getting really excited to start our share of the relay.

Finally we saw the sizeable Team Logan approaching us. Our race begins.

Race proper

Pioneer street was a mostly uphills although the start was a steep incline downwards from EDSA to Legend Hotel. Timmy took hold of pushing Justin’s ride while I kept an eye on Justin to see if he was comfortable, if he needed anything or if we needed to slow down. Dhenz ran with us to ensure that Justin is safe from any vehicular traffic. It was a short, fast run for us before we handed Justin over to Pepsi and Marky. By this time I really needed to go to the little girl’s room. Since no establishments in the area seemed to be open, I pushed to run with the team down to Canley road and right to C5. Along C5, a nice guard let me use their building’s toilet. Finally, I am able to concentrate on enjoying my run.

Rushing to catch up with my team, I saw fellow runner, Mikko running for Team Lopa, along the C5 bridge. It was probably 830-9am by the time we reached Fort Bonifacio. The sun was emitting scorching heat. I was thinking if I should just let hubby pick me up in Fort as running in this intense heat was not my cup of tea. Then I remembered Carina telling me to meet them at the Buendia Takbo.ph aid station. With the help of Pepsi and Marky, I decided to push on.

Running through Fort and up the Kalayaan flyover was uneventful. I remembered that I used to be intimidated by this 2k uphill-downhill stretch but I guess I was thinking more of the heat than the course. When we got to Buendia, I decided to run on the sidewalk as it provided a bit of shade. Finally making it to the Takbo.ph aid station, we were greeted by loud cheers from the support team. I couldn’t recall everyone who was there. I could remember Luis holding pompoms (was that him), Carina, Gerard, someone handing me a banana. My memory fails me when I am this close to having a heatstroke. Pepsi poured water on my head and back to relieve me of the searing temperature. This was it…I made it to the aid station so what’s next? Do I push ahead or do I wait for hubby to pick me up? My thought balloon: Roxas was only a few kilometers away. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to run a few more kms. Okidoki then, I sent an SMS to hubby to tell him to pick me up at the Quirino Grandstand. This was it…bring it on…

Enjoying Makati

I never appreciated the stretched of Buendia as much as I did that morning. It was one of the most pleasant road runs I have experienced. Buendia was lined with trees. The road was well-maintained. My lower ex appreciated the run on the asphalt ground. There were very few vehicles crossing. It was a very pleasant experience. Almost surreal to seeing one of Makati’s busiest streets almost empty.

About halfway through the Buendia side of Makati, I saw Roselle and Coach John. Roselle’s lower extremities were cramping big time. I offered to stretch her legs to relieve the pain. I haven’t practiced my course since doing volunteer work back in 1997. As soon as I passed the Physical Therapy licensure exam, I concentrated on building a family and a life for my, back then-only child, Ben. But I guess when it’s needed, what they taught me during my 5 years stint in Rehab Sciences all came back to me. I used the contract-relax method of stretching to Roselle and it worked wonders. She was up and about in no time. As I promised the Diva, while pushing her to run her 1^st FM, if ever she runs her 1^st FM I will do 2 things for her…1. Lend her my Garmin 2. Be one of her support personnel. I now have the opportunity to do both

A Dilemma

Running along side Roselle, Coach John, Pepsi and Mark, we were now able to cross South Superhighway. A different scene welcomed us. There were no km markers, no direction signage, no aid station, no marshals and there were tons of vehicles on the road.  Sensing pollution on the air, I felt that my waterloo was nearing. I was tired, parched, sunburnt…the heat emanating  from the cemented road and the sun above plus vehicles buzzing their way through heavy traffic made me think if I should just quit. Besides, I did my part of the race, I said to myself. However, not the type to break promises, I trudged on as I was determined to see Roselle through her 1^st FM.

A Run along Roxas Blvd

Finally! After running through traffic, getting almost hit by a CRV, not knowing where to go…we made it to Roxas Blvd. It should be a better run from hence onwards. The sun was high and the heat intensified. I always thought that running along Roxas would be pleasant. With the bay beside you, trees along the blvd, you would think that it would be an easy run. Not with this heat. Oh well…a few more kms to go.

The Finish

After passing Museo Pambata, Philippine Navy HQ, US Embassy…we were finally nearing our destination! We were all tired but we told Roselle that it’s important for her to finish strong. So even with blisters between my toes and tired legs, I pushed myself to run as to encourage our dearest Diva to finish strong.

Roselle finished her 1^st Full Marathon in 5:27 if I am not mistaken. This marked the longest run I have ever done in my lifetime…19km. Not bad. Enough to know that I can go for my 1^st half mary soon.

Congratulations to Justin and Roselle for their 1st Full Marathon!

 

No barriers…