I am now a 10k-er

Yep I finished it! Yipee for me! It was my longest race ever and I finished it at 01:32:27.94 not so bad haha! Btw, you can view the race results here.

I ran with 3 of my running girlfriends.

And with the husband who is also a first time 10k-er.

It was a great race but it was not easy at all. There were so many participants. We passed by the starting line 4 minutes after the gun start because of TOO many runners. Good thing we have race tags or the timing chips so our time is still pretty accurate.

The race started at 5pm. It was TOO crowded at the start. I wasn't able to run at my pace because I might bump into another runner. Though on the 6th kilometer there was less number of people running maybe because of exhaustion but thanks to the ample water stations that served both water and sports drinks which helped me get my momentum back.

I realized then that I should bring a camera on my next run so I can take photos. And because I want to have a picture with coach Rio! haha!

Overall, it was one hot fun run! I hope this becomes an annual event. But first I need to train more!

I will run 10k on Sat!

Yes! finally! I joined a 10k race again after 2 years when I joined for the very first time.. which did not push through because of an unfortunate event that happened on the race date. We also stopped joining races around the middle of last year due to the sudden increase in registration fees and just run on our own every weekend. And when I read about the Nike race I was thrilled! It was indeed an exciting race event. You can read about it here and here.

And my favorite part of the race is the free thumb drive for the finishers. It's too cute! Enough reason to finish the race. haha!

See you there! :)

Tiktakbo 3

Finally after 7 months, I was able to join a race again. It was the Tiktakbo at UP Diliman Campus with hubby, 2 sisters and SIL. It was very refreshing to run at UP after a long time. There were adequate hydrating stations at every 2km I think, lots of water and Pocari sweat. We all ran the 6k category and surprise surprise! I clocked in at 47 mins! Now I'm not so sure if it was exactly a 6k or less just because I finished at that time. Well I guess it was my body's form of encouragement for me to go back to running again :)

Earth Run

At last! We got registered on a race for next month. It's been two months since our last race and we really had no practice run in between so we are still running for 5k haha! It's been almost a year since we started running and we're still on 5k, no improvements :(

Anyway, our first race was also earth run with the same organizer and I like them because they have the lowest reg fees without sacrificing the race quality. Here are the details..

Earth Run 2010

April 18, 2010, Sunday

Fort Global City, Taguig

Run for the Earth on April 18, Sunday with 3k, 5k, 16k and 21k-run categories at the Fort Global City, Taguig. All proceeds from the event will go to Greenpeace.

No onsite registration allowed. Registration fees for the race are as follows:

3k – P250

5k – P250

16k – P350

21k – P350

Registration is until April 11, Sunday at the following outlets:

Res Toe Run

1st Level Glorietta 4, Makati City

2nd Level, TriNoma Mall, Quezon City

Adevents Manila

73 William Shaw Street, Caloocan City

Mobile (0918) 467-4206 / (0917) 392-8343

On getting fit

The main reason we got into running was to get in better shape or just be fit and healthy. But for this year, I noticed that most of the race organizers have increased the registration fee into almost twice the previous fees. So now, we will only choose the worthy races to join and maybe join as bandit runners (haha!) But good thing, we went back on playing our previous sport, the Badminton.

Badminton became the most popular sport in the Philippines for some time. Badminton courts have sprouted all over the metro and everyone got hold of their own rackets. But today, I think, running has overthrown the said sport. So many people got into running and joining marathons. And I think, because of that, those race organizers decided to increase their fees, talk about law of supply and demand..

Good thing, my friends Flory and Cel invited us to play badminton again. It was really fun and exhausting too. I hope we'll be doing this on a weekly basis :)

First run for 2010

We were supposed to join the PSE Bull Run for this weekend but when I saw the registration fee of this "Go for green" run, I immediately convinced my running friends to just switch into this race. Good thing, they all agreed. Well for a hundred peso fee, they really must! haha!

We left home a bit late since Jared suddenly woke up when we're about to go and we had to make him go back to sleep before heading off. Luckily, we arrived at the venue when it was still dark and the race hasn't started. In fact, it started about 15 minutes later than scheduled. Their reason was they were waiting for the sun to shine (yeah right).

Anyway, Gibo arrived a few minutes after us and people went all over him like he was a celebrity. He was so cheerful to everyone and also to my hubby whom he greeted with a handshake hehe!

Back to the race, it started differently with a countdown and not a gunstart (maybe because of the gun ban haha!) My sister Tin was with us and it will be her first time. After 7 or 8 minutes in the race I saw her behind me and she suddenly tripped. She couldn't walk after but there was a good man (a runner too) who lifted her up and took her to the sidewalk area. He also asked for assistance to help us get to the start/finish line. Few minutes after, an ambulance arrived and picked us up. It's just odd that they did not clean Tin's wound or they thought it was too small for a treatment.. And when we were dropped off at the finish line, a free goto was waiting for us. We ate it while waiting for Cel and hubby.

It's sad that I was not able to finish my first run but good thing my sister wasn't that hurt and she's now okay.

the two finishers but weren't able to eat the free goto haha!

Thanks to my friend Cel for the photos :)

Mighty Run

My comeback run after almost 2 months! We arrived at UP a bit early because we still waited for a while before the race started. H wasn't able to come but good thing my sister Arlene was able to join us for the first time. She was fully geared up and ready to race (with me!). It started a little later than scheduled. 5k and 10k runners started at the same time. We all ran 5k except for Cel who did the 10k.

I was still slow and did not beat my PR (as usual!). Got to really practice.. but the best part of this race is the free super yummy lugaw! Mine has lots of meat (beef and chicken) and egg. There are also free drinks like sanmig coffee and Bacchus energy drink. Cel, who ran the 10k and finished the last among us (of course!) did not get any freebie. So after the race, we headed to the ever reliable Mcdo for another breakfast. And while at Mcdo, my mom texted us that we should drop by her house because she prepared sopas. And we did, so I ate a total of 3 breakfast meals in 3 hours! now I need to run 15k for that :)

10k here I come!

Yeah! Crazy me will be running 10k on November 8 at the Philippine International Marathon. Didn't know what made me decide for it but hubby told me he'll run with me if I go for 10k so here I am! I would just be needing tons and tons of luck!

Got this from the Lopez site:

RUN for a worthy cause on Nov. 8 and get a glimpse of the state of the Pasig River in the Philippine International Marathon 2009: A Run for the Pasig River at the Quirino Grandstand.

The activity, organized by Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBPIP), will allow runners to get close to the river via a nontraditional route that will cross nine of the 13 bridges of the waterway; portions of the race will be run alongside the river itself.

A unique feature of this race is the 42K full marathon which can also be run by a relay team of 20 and 40 people per team. The relay will run the full length of the marathon route divided by 20 points. Each point will be assigned a prominent landmark or bridge along the route.

There are short distance categories of 3k-5k-10k. The age limit is 6 years old and above. The full marathon and its sub categories will be under the technical supervision of Race Director Rudy Biscocho and his team. Water stations will be situated every 2km from starting line to finish line.

Participation fee is P250. Pinoy Ultra Runners will conduct free running clinics for first-time runners.Registration forms are available online for marathon and relay or register at the following outlets: KBPIP office at 3/F ELJ Building, Mother Ignacia QC, ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Head office, IZOD boutiques, Vanheusen Boutiques, Gold’s Gym, ROX Running Store, Second Wind, Race Inc. For more info, call
415-2272 loc. 3797 or email ilogpasig@abs-cbn.com .

Go back to start

Joined the 1st Quezon City International Marathon yesterday. Hubby, SIL, and I ran the 5k category while my friend Cel ran her first 10k (way to go girl!). We left home at 4:15am but there was already slow traffic because of the rerouting. Good thing we found a good parking slot immediately.

The 5k route was so refreshing.. with the wide roads dedicated only for the runners, no hills and and almost straight path except for the one around the Quezon Memorial Circle. There were enough water and 100plus stations to keep runners hydrated. On the first water station, I decided to take a bottle of the 100plus drink so that I won't have to stop to another station again when I get thirsty but it turned out to be a wrong decision. Even if I have the drink with me, it added burden as I got an additional load to carry. I should have just dropped it somewhere but for some reason I didn't! my bad!

Everything was nice on this race except for my performance. I clocked in at 47 mins (unofficial) which was the same as my very first 5k! arghhh! Now I don’t know if I will run 10k on the next race or just stick to 5k till next year. Sigh..

Rotarun

After almost 3 weeks of not joining races, we finally got to run again last Sunday. It was the Rotarun held at Mckinley Hill which was organized by the takbo.ph.

Arrived a little earlier but we were already greeted by a long line of cars entering the parking lot. Went there with hubby, Cel and Ivan (who all ran for 5k) and just met up with Sandra and the gang (who all ran for 10k) at the site. We thought it was still early so we just walked slowly on our way to the assembly area. Little did we know that 10k runners will already start and 5k runners will be off after a few minutes. So we were not yet at the assembly area when the gun fired off for the 5k runners and so we had to run to go to the area. Anyway, we were not the last of the pack so it was ok.

Since I've been running really slow compared to my other races before, I decided to bring a watch with me so I can check my time while running. I don't have a sports watch so I just borrowed my sons watch :) Just so there will be something to remind me with the time. I've been really wanting to have that Nike Sportsband but sorry to myself, "no budget talaga.." :(

During the race, I was fairly fast running the 1st 3k but when I reached the uphill part I got so tired I really had to walk. From that moment, I've been alternating walking and jogging. I couldn't even run straight for a minute! So there I reached the finishline at about 41 mins (unofficial).

GMA run

We joined the race organized by GMA last Sunday. They allowed the online registration and payment can be done on the actual race day. And since we are still going to pay for the registration fee we decided to come earlier that day. We arrived few minutes before the assembly time but took us a long time finding a parking slot. When we got at the venue, the program has already started and runners were already at the starting point.

We headed straight to the registration area to check for our names and luckily I got my kit right away but my friends' kits were not there. They said they cannot find it. We suspected that someone had already claimed it because of the so disorganized distribution of those kits. But because of my persistent friend Cel, she has convinced the nice girl from the registration to just give us the blank or no-name kits so we can all join and she did!

Paolo Bediones and Suzi Entrata-Abrera were there to host the program. 5k and 10 runners were off at the same time which resulted to a very crowded route that you couldn't even run. Thanks to that, hubby decided to just run with me all throughout the course :)

I wasn't able to check our time when we finished. I knew we were really slow because all our friends were already there when we reached the finish line. But it's ok and I really enjoyed it. There were lots of free food like nuggets, lugaw king, zagu and a finisher shirt too. And of course, we had a post-run breakfast at Mcdo :)

Next run will be on Saturday at the same venue, the mommy milkshake run. We're planning to bring Jared with us and this will be his first race. I really hope we could come. See you there! :)

Hataw Pilipinas

This is a long overdue post. Been too lazy to blog these past few days so...

We weren't really planning to run that Sunday (Aug. 9) since we were not registered on any race. Good thing, Cel tried to contact the organizer of the Hataw Pilipinas run and asked if they accept onsite registration. The contact person replied immediately so we went off the following morning.

There were not too many participants and I noticed that most of them registered onsite since they have a disorganized registration then. There were 3k, 5k and 10k categories. The 10k runners were the first off but due to the poor megaphone that the speaker used, not all 10k runners started at the same time.

The race route was very redundant. It was all about running around the UP oval until you reached your target distance. And when I reached the finish line, there was no one keeping track of the official timing of the finishers. And I don't think they even care to check if you have finished the route or not. Good thing, there were a lot of freebies after the race but still the distribution of the singlets and other stuff were so disorganized.

Anyway, the best part of it was our post-run breakfast courtesy of Cel (super thanks!). It was a post-celebration of her birthday. Happy happy birthday Cel!

FYI: We are just doing the Villar sign and does not mean that we are Villar's fans ;)

Takbo sa Ateneo

We joined the "Kaya natin! Takbo para sa pagbabago" held at Ateneo last Sunday. We chose this race over the one in Roxas blvd because it was more accessible from our place, rate is super affordable (80 pesos only), and I also want to experience running inside the Ateneo campus.


We have not registered yet so we decided to just register on site. Being so unprepared, we didn't even know where the assembly area is so we spent a longer time roaming around the campus. I think we spent 30 minutes looking for the venue.. sigh.. Later did we know that it was at the gym, thanks to the last guard we've asked.

There was already a long queue when we reached the gym. Instead of the usual race bibs, we got a yellow ribbon with the race number written on it as a tribute to President Cory Aquino. There were a lot of speakers before the race was started, mostly politicians. Gov. Ed Panlilio of Pampanga was also there to lead the prayer. After it, all the 3k and 5k runners were off.

The route was very scenic because of all the trees around. There were also some hilly parts just like in UP. There were a lot of water stations and I was tempted to drink from all of it which made me feel really heavy and made it hard for me to run. I really didn't like my pace on this run. I think I walked half of the time. Hubby and Cel were complaining that they waited so long for me haha! When I reached the finish line, nobody got my number. And so there were really no results and the race numbers were just for show. It was a nice experience though I was a bit disappointed with the results thing.

Anyway, we went to UP for our post-run breakfast. This time it was not Mcdo but we all wished that we had eaten at Mcdo. Went to the Museum Cafe at Roxas Avenue in UP. We found out about that place because we got their flyer during our last run in UP.

Run for home

Even if we slept late the night before the race, we woke up at 3:30 am for that big race. As usual, we had pandesal from a nearby bakeshop but didn't like their pandesal at that time so I decided to just grab some breakfast at the site.


Good thing, we arrived early at around 5am and there were a lot of food stalls so I was able to have taho and siomai. Bad thing is I ate just a few minutes before gun start so I felt like I'm about to throw up at the last km.. never would I do that again!


Anyway, this race was the most organized among all the races that I have joined. It started on time and made use of the chip technology. I really liked the timing chip, our race bibs don't need to be checked by marshals and we don't have to use the km markers (the one which is usually made of straw). It would just be better if they had posted the results on that same day.

Tik-Takbo

We arrived so early at the race venue at around 4:30. This was our earliest arrival in all the races we've joined. Blame it on our misunderstanding about the exact start time. The good thing is that Cel & I had more time for chitchats and H found his college classmate to chat with.

There were only three of us (Cel, H & me) who joined this race because Sandra and her cousins joined a different race on that same day, the Fit & Fun run at The Fort. I noticed that there were few participants in this race compared to the previous races we've joined. So I assumed that a lot of runners joined that other race.

There were three categories - 18K, 6K and 2K for kids. The 18K runners were the first off. We 6k runners got off a few minutes later. Yes, we joined the 6k category, no choice as there is no 5k category. Anyway, it was a challenge for me. The race started a few minutes late than scheduled maybe because of the weather but good thing the skies were clear when it officially started.

This race was very challenging because of the category being my first 6k and the course having a lot of transitions from hills to flats. So when I started to feel tired, I decided to just walk on the uphill part and run on downhills which was easier for me. I also tried to lessen my rest time or walk time as I really want to improve my PR. Luckily I clocked in at 46:33 (unofficial) which I was so proud of :) That was almost the same time I finished the 5k category at the PTAA run. Improving diba!

After the race, we went to a nearby sari-sari store/lugawan for our breakfast. So happy that we didn't have to go to mcdo again hehe!

Milo Marathon

We joined the 5k fun run of the 33rd National Milo Marathon. Since the run will be held at the Quirino Grandstand which is so far from our place, we decided to leave 2 hours before the run time. Luckily, we arrived a bit early at around 5am and then parked along Kalaw ave. After a little while, Nec & Mike, our Milo running mates arrived.

the love birds

It was my first time to join such a big race, or the biggest race in the country I should say. There were a lot of runners including students from various schools and universities. And being the biggest race, most of the participants walked on the first few minutes after the gun start because of the too large crowd.

hubby and me, donning the XL milo shirt (nice! haha!)

At first, hubby & I planned that we will be running together, meaning he has to slow down and run with my pace. But after reaching 1.5k, I started to feel tired and was already catching my breath so I have to pause and walk for a while. From that time, I had to alternate running and walking so I told H to just go ahead as he seemed bored with my pace. He agreed and he told me that he'll just wait for me at the finish line. After almost an hour, (or so I thought) I reached the finish line and got a certificate. I didn't find H there so I decided to just avail some of the freebies like the Nestle water and the cold milo first. 30 minutes have gone, and I still couldn't find H, Nec and Mike. I've already tried different strategies to be able to find them but still no luck so I decided to go to the parking area and just wait there. Luckily after a few minutes, H arrived, what a relief!

Anyhoo it was still fun albeit the super crowded race, the scorching heat of the sun, and the endless time I spent alone looking for my H and friends.

We had our post-run breakfast again at Mcdo, but this time it was with our married friends. Will I join again next year? I think so.. but probably it would be the 10k category na (yabang noh!)

GIG Run

It's 5k again at UP and this time we were not late. We still had time for stretching (though we did not) and sightseeing (of celebrities). We decided to stay at the front side this time with all the fast runners. About a minute in the race, I was starting to feel tired. It's really frustrating that after about two minutes, I started walking. My friends advised me not to walk while in the race and that it's better to run slow than just walk, but I could not do it. So I alternated walking and running but it's more of the walking. I was not able to check my time at the finishline but I think it's about an hour argggh!

But after the run, we were greeted by lots of freebies. We got chips from E-aji, sparkling water, and breakfast meal from monterey. Nice and generous sponsors. I was already full even before we had the real breakfast at.... tadah! Mcdo again hehe!

And another thing, we were able to take a picture with one celebrity, JC of Unang Hirit, not sure of his surname though..

PTAA Charity Run

The husband and I left the house at 5am, went to fetch Cel and then headed straight to UP. Since I ate a lot the night before because of all the parties we attended, I just had pandesal to fuel myself for my first 5k run.

We arrived a bit late as we spent quite some time looking for our parking slot. Good thing, the race did not start exactly on time. The 10k runners were still there when we arrived but after a few minutes we were then off.

Most parts of the roads are hilly so I had a harder time. I decided to run an easy pace to conserve my strength and then sprint on the last part. But after a little while, I was already exhausted. So what I did was run for a while and then walk a lot because of exhaustion. I didn't know that I had to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth. I was breathing all the way through my mouth only. I really didn't like my performance in this race. My clock in was 47 minutes and 27 seconds. I finished last among my friends and I really need to practice.

After the race, we went to get our finisher shirts which I did not liked much. Anyway, the raffle draw prizes were great. In fact, Cel won a hotel accommodation in bora for 3D/2N. Lucky girl!

We had our post-race meal at McDonalds again. I hope on our next race that we will eat somewhere that's not Mcdo (haha!)

Until the next run!

Upcoming races

I was able to register on 3 running events, two for this month and another one for July. On Sunday, I will join the 1st PTAA Charity Run at UP Diliman. They did not provide singlets but all finishers will get shirts from them.

On June 28, my friends and I will be joining the GREEN IS GOOD (GIG) RUN at UP also. Registration Fee is P250, inclusive of the GIG Run Singlet. Joined the 5k category too.

And the last one, which my friend Nec had us registered, the Milo Marathon (super thanks Nec!) This is the cheapest so far, only P100 for the 5k category.

These will be my first 5k races. Wish me luck! I sure will be needing tons of it :)

My first 3K

Yes, I joined a marathon and had my first 3km race and now, I am officially a running mommy :)
We went to Mckinley hill this morning to join the Earth Run with H, Cel & Ivan. We just met up with Sandra and her folks at the site. It was our first race and we are all so unprepared. The race should start at 5:30AM and we arrive at that same time (assembly time is 5AM) but good thing the start time was delayed for some reasons or maybe because of the rain. It was then rescheduled at 6AM, lucky us! So we still had time to register, get our singlet and take our one and only picture in the field.

Originally, we registered for 5k but at the time we registered, the 5k category was already filled up so we had to choose between 3k and 16k. And since we're not yet out of our minds, we chose the 3k :) It was a good thing that we got the 3k category as it was our first time to run. We didn't even have some training before joining the race. My plan was to really finish the run even if I would be the last in line. I was exhausting when I reached the first half but when we got to the water station I was instantly energized. We all finished the run and all 3k finishers got some giveaways: a bottled water, healthy tea, sachet of lotion, pouch and a certificate.

It was so nice to finish a race. H really enjoyed it (the running while it's raining) and wanted to do it again next Sunday but we can't since we have a baptism to attend on. We will definitely join next time, maybe on June 14.

And of course, we had a post-run breakfast at Mcdo with the gang.