Mizuno's Rush to Infinity Run - June 29,2008 (part 2)

Weather was good (no sun and no rain), ample water stations with lots and lots of Water and Rush Fitness drinks so with these factors, it would naturally mean that I would perform better than the Mizuno 15k done last March 2008. As the black 8 ball would say, "Outlook not good".


Burned out at around 10KM and had hard time running all the way till the finish line. It just seemed so long. I really need to build my endurance further especially since I have a half marathon to do in October (found out from other people that race course may not be 15km long as organizers have extended the route inside Heritage Park to go around entire loop instead of making a left turn to head to Park exit but this will need to be verified later on).



I also used my Nike+ Sportsband for the first time in a race and it worked out fine. Since I prefer my New Balance shoes, I just used the Nike shoe wallet Peter gave me for the sensor and final results show that distance ran was at 15.31KM (though some Garmin users said theirs show distance of 15.7k so don't know which, if any, is accurate), calories burned at 1,431 minutes, pace of 6'34" per km and duration of 1hour 40 minutes and 40 seconds.


I didn't even notice I was wearing the shoe wallet. It was that light. Sportsband is also lighter than the sport watches I am used to and showed pace, time and distance. I am quite happy with this product though Per frustrated with hers as her distance was reflected at 7km only eventhough she did the 10km route (her first ever).


Race generally good except for some minor problems:

1) They forgot to separate the 5,10 and 15k finishers into three separate lines so line was quite long as racers all merged together there. Unfortunate also for those looking at setting new Personal Record because of long wait at line which brings us to...


2) Race results are very wrong. Mine showed it to be 2 hours and 11 minutes along with 200+ other racers. Good thing I have Nike+ to do my own recording. Out of 8 of us in the group who joined this race, only 2 got their results correct.



Group Shot with Sen. Cayetano



So glad to have finished this race. My hardest one so far...

Per was ecstastic after finishing her first 10k ever. Congrats Girl!

And as for Kervin...

Sad face but he was okay after eating breakfast....hehe :P Congrats on your first 10k too Kerv!

The Nike+ Human Race - Aug 31, 2008

1 day, 1 million runners, 25 cities, 1 big race! That is Nike's goal in organizing the World's Largest Race Event on August 31, 2008.

Asian cities included here are: Tokyo, Singapore, Shanghai and Taipei. No Manila city but no need to worry. For those people wanting to take part in this event but do not want to pay for added cost of plane ticket can just do their own run here. Anywhere. All you need is your Nike+ Sportsband or IPOD. Then run a 10k distance on August 31, 2008 (treadmill or on the streets) and just record results through the internet. And that's it! Simple as that.

Hopefully there is a 10k race during that day so can use that as basis for this run as well.

Too bad they don't have it here as the Nike shirt is pretty cool. Each one has its own unique number (up to 1,000,000)! Click on website below to view shirt design:

http://www.nike.com/index.jhtml?l=nikestore,pdp,_pdp,cid-1/gid-194850/pid-194850&re=US&co=US&la=EN#l=nikestore,pdp,_pdp,cid-1/pid-195300&re=US&co=US&la=EN

To register for this, just go to this webpage

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/humanrace/index.jsp



Advantages of joining
1. It's Free
2. It goes to charity. even online registration. I registered for the Livestrong Campaign
3. Can run anytime, anywhere, by yourself or with friends so don't have any limitations to this.
4. Be part of this Global Event!

Borneo International Marathon - October 2008 (Part 2)

Talk about expenses! After getting all those gears related to running such as rubber shoes, clothes and now a Nike Sports Band, the latest expense is the round trip plane ticket to Kota Kinabalu to run the half marathon there!

Booked at http://www.cebupacificair.com/ dates as follows:

Oct 10, 2008 depart Manila, 4:40PM arrive KK 6:30PM

Oct 13, 2008 depart KK, 7:00PM arrive KK 8:50PM

Total Plane costs Php 7,347.00!!!

Venetian Hotel - Macau

Venetian Hotel in Macau is where we stayed from June 17-21, 2008. Though the hotel rates are quite pricey (especially on weekends wherein they jack up the prices), rooms are spacious enough and can fit about 5 persons. Room has two king size beds and one sofa bed. There are also two television sets, bathtub, fridge, and safe. What I didn't like was that the bathrooms had no lock so there is always a fear somebody might enter it while you are taking a shower or a dump (made effective use of "DO NOT DISTURB" sign for that problem).

Cirque de Soleil will also set up a permanent performance area here next Month so if you plan to visit, wait until they get here so you can enjoy the show.

Free Shuttle bus offered by hotel for plane passengers or ferry passengers (in-bound Macau from Hong Kong). Most Macau hotels offer free shuttle services but think Venetian got the biggest bus of them all.

Lobby ceiling

Hotel lobby

Still part of the hotel lobby. It's really that big!! Not only did they have a Main Lobby but they also have a West Lobby and an East Lobby. And there are two separate areas to go up to your hotel rooms: South and North entrances.

Venetian night view. Blurred shot as got it inside a moving bus..

On June 18,2008, instead of joining with my clan for some downtown area shopping, I spent the day at Venetian Hotel's shopping arcade. Weather was terrible that day and just didn't feel like going out and getting wet. Here are some things I found...

Gondoliers scattered all over the shopping area. They also sing. A lot.

Fast food court. They have very good Singaporean food here. Had Bakuteh while mom had Laksa the next day. Very authentic.

Masks in glass cases scattered all over the place. There is even a mask store somewhere but really pricey!

Scary bridges...

Night entertainers.

Day entertainers. There is also a photo opportunity with group after they do their singing. But it comes at a price as they will use their own cameras and won't allow you to use yours.

Pinoy entertainer on stilts...

And a creepy human statue

Me: "Uy pare, haven't seen you for a long time! Didn't recognize you!

I-Statue ba talaga?"
Statue: ......

Me: "Sumagot ka naman"

Statue: .....

Starbucks Bearista Destination Series 2008 - Macau

While in Macau, I found two Starbucks stores, with one located at Venetian Hotel's casino area and a second branch at Senado Square. But it was at Venetian Hotel where I found what I was looking for: The Starbucks Bearista Destination Series.

Price similar to Hong Kong at MOP 168.00 (Php 924.00), making both most expensive Bearistas. Philippines still comes up cheapest at Php 625.00




Bought the bear with curry beef pie. Yummy and first time saw this food in a Starbucks store so probably just being sold here...

The not too obvious Starbucks store at Senado Square. Shot taken from McDonalds second floor window while I was eating the weird green sundae...

Nike+ Sports Band

Running Fatboy has a new toy! And it's the Nike+ Sports Band

This super cool super sleek device looks like one of those plastic rubberbands that Lance Armstrong made famous with his yellow Livestrong campaign against Cancer.

I just bought a few days ago at Nike Store in High Street (at that time, they only have 6 pieces left and had already finished more than two boxes in a span of two months). You don't even need a Nike+ shoe to make the sensor work. All you need is a shoe wallet to put the sensor in attach the shoe wallet to your shoe and just run run run!!!

This device measures your pace, how many km you've run, the time you ran, calories burned and also the time. Best of all, once you plug it in your PC, it automatically shows you your run record and plots it on a graph. It shows you your record times in terms of longest runs, fastest time (1 mile, 10KM, etc) and last 5 runs so you can use this always as basis in setting your own goals and targets.

Very tech ware (wear?) but perfect for anybody as very easy to understand (Nike even made instructions very basic by only using pictures and no words...it's that simple!).

At first, I thought that battery lasts quite shortly as read somewhere that it is only good for 14 hours before you need to have it recharged via your computer. Not very practical especially if you have an early morning run. Good thing that wasn't true as battery life is based on 14 hours of running! If you do not use it for running, then it just shows the time and battery consumption here is quite low (after 24 hours and 30 minutes usage at the gym, battery is still full). So it is also good for travelling and no need for a watch anymore.

Things I don't like:

1. Once you use it for running, you can't see the current time so if you have no watch with you and doing a full marathon, you need to compute what time it is based on your running time or just wear a watch on your other arm.

2. No light feature for night running but think reason for this is to make it as light as possible so won't be burden to running so don't really mind...

Final verdict: Used at gym today for only 30 minutes (4.2km) but based on this, it looks okay. Weird though that its KM was short by 0.05km from treadmill so maybe have to start it few seconds before the actual run just to prepare its mechanism. Will try it again this Sunday when I do the Mizuno 15km challenge to give it a more accurate test. In the meantime, will just it wear everytime I go to the gym this week (which will be one more time...hehe)

RFB give it: TWO FAT THUMBS UP!

Tips for buying: If you want to buy one (think fast as may run out soon), use Citibank card for 10% discount (that's a whopping P300+ already). If you don't have one, look for a friend who does and plead with him/her to help you get this nifty product.

La Salle Run - July 13, 2008

LA SALLE SPELLING READY! L-A-S-A-L-L-E LA SALLE RAH!

Here it is, another La Salle Run. Event will be held in Fort Bonifacio on July 13, 2008. Race course will be 3k, 5k and 16k! No 10K event for those people used to doing this race so you have three choices...a) Go for longer 16K and build your endurance level, b) Go for shorter 5K and improve on your sprinting, c) Go for 3K with your family members and/or pets (yes that includes your Atenean friends...haha. sorry, cheap shot) and just accompany them in their first run.

Nice that they include pets in a fun run but limited to dogs only I think... Too bad, I was willing to put a small roach in a small container, put it in my shorts and run the 3K very very fast, before the roach gets out of box and climbs onto me! How's that for motivation huh?

In the end, I will do the 16K challenge instead and try to improve on my endurance. This will be the farthest I would have ran on a race and two weeks right after doing my second longest run, which will be the Mizuno's 15KM Run. Hopefully energy level high on both these events.

Registration is open at all Olympic Village outlets nationwide. Registration fee of Php 200.00.

What the running singlet looks like...

Team Fatboy

This Fatboy found another Fatboy who excel in another sport....

Guys....Drumroll please...

Introducing, the Swimming FATBOY!!! Hip Hip HOORAY!!!

Spotted at a building in MACAU near the tourist spot Senado Square....

Fatboy's Food Equivalent????

While in Macau, I chanced upon this burger joint at the fast food dining area of the Venetian Shopping Centre. Being a Running FatBoy, I want to find out whether this Fatburger is enough to quench this Fatboy's hunger...

Potential seems good as this is a fast food chain that has branches all over the world. I got the regular FatBurger (MOP 40.00 or PHP 240.00) while my mom got the Veggie Burger (MOP 50 or PHP 300.00).

Final Verdict: At Php 240.00 and with a small burger patty, it was quite expensive. Would rather go for Brothers Burger or even HotShots Burger compared to this one as didn't feel as full as I would have expected from a restaurant with this name.

Or if you are in Macau and crave for some fastfood serviced burgers, just go to McDonalds for some comfort food.

Aside from the regular menu, they also have some local specialized stuffs there, which aren't available in other McDonalds (like the McSpaghetti and Fried Chicken with rice that the Philippines only seem to have).

As such, I got the Shogun Burger with Egg Value Meal. Value Meal meaning a combination meal that comes with French Fries and Drink at cheaper prices but we all know that... what we don't know is what a Shogun Burger with Egg is all about?

Well, based on McDonalds' description, the eggs come from grade A quality eggs from the USA, which were inspected, washed and coated with USDA mineral oil for protection. The burger itself comes with fresh lettuce, teriyaki pork patty and uses a new kind of lemon mayo sauce from Japan.

To top it off, I got a Green Bean Sundae for dessert. Entire thing still comes up lesser than the Php 240 price for a (not so) FatBurger...

Yummy local Macau McDonalds meal which made this Running Fatboy a happy and full Running Fatboy...

Men's Health All Terrain Race - June 15, 2008 (part 2)

Race started at 7:00AM for the 12k Trail Running. Not much runners compared to the fun runs held in Fort Bonifacio as it's quite far from Makati area and since it just offers a 12k route, it eliminates a lot of people just looking to do shorter runs (hint, hint).

At the beginning of the race, there were already a lot of uphill climbs, which prompted a lot of people (myself included) to walk instead of run in an effort to save on energy. But organizers made up for the hard start by having a lot of downhill running at last leg of the race. Course was a mix of concrete ground and pebbled (and some muddy) trails.

When I had a hard time getting a skin tan at the beaches of Boracay, here it was very easy as my skin got dark just from running for more than an hour. It was that hot! Automatic darker skin for all of us! Good thing there were enough water stations here to sate our thirsts.

It took me a very long time of 1 hour and 23 minutes to finish this 12km course but had already come up with a list of excuses to make up for it:

1. It was my first 12k Trail running race so regardless of how slow I am compared to my regular 10km races, it is still a personal record for my one and only 12k Trail running record. Clearly, this excuse is a one-time thing only.


2. I wore heavier but safer trail running shoes so not used to its weight and feel. But glad to have worn this old pair as it got dirty from the mud and saved me from a lot of potential ankle sprains had I worn my regular running shoes.


3. There were some open but inclined areas where I was thinking of running instead of walking but with the very hot weather, I didn’t want to run and risk a heat stroke. Yes, it really was that hot! Besides, none of the runners around me were running so figured they must all know what they were doing.


4. My performance here is still better than the Mens’ Health 8KM All-Terrain Race I joined exactly two years ago when I finished it at about 1 hour and 10 minutes. And this race is 50% longer than that one.

The bike race followed at about 9:00AM. We didn’t stay anymore for the awarding of prizes or Father’s Day Festival, as both would happen after the bike race, which would take another hour of waiting under the scorching sun.

Definitely a nice place to run given the change of familiarization in area, course and grounds but it is still something I have to think twice of doing a third time because of the long distance travel from my house.

Me and Gigay with Awarding/Announcing Stage at Background

All happy that we finished it regardless of our time. The word is SURVIVAL!

Group shot with Annlee, Wawie, me and Gigay

Start of 20KM Bike Race

Pagsalabuk Festival (Dipolog Festival)

Main reason we scheduled trip to Dipolog in May is because of its Annual Pagsalabuk Festival. This is the biggest festival in the city joined in by all the "barangays" of the area and there is also a Miss Pagsalabuk 2008 competition as well. From what I understand, Pagsalabuk means togetherness and unity for the different districts and sections of the city.

This is a week-long event which will be end by a very long street parade during the day and to be followed by a Miss Pagsalabuk judging contest right after.

Since we were given special IDs, we can mingle with the participants and take their pictures up close and personal....