Mizuno's Sunset Run - Dec 13, 2008

Got info on this race via a text message from my sister last night...

SUNSET RUN

Run with us on December 13, 2008 as we celebrate The 10TH ANNIVERSARY SUNSET RUN organized by Club Punta Fuego Inc. in cooperation with Mizuno.

DATE & TIME 13 December 2008, Saturday Assembly: 4:30pm Start of Race: 5:30pm Awarding Dinner: est. 7pm

VENUE Start/ Finish Area Main Rotonda, Peninsula de Punta Fuego, Nasugbu, Batangas

CATEGORIES 3K/ 5K/ 10K

ENTRY FEE P500/ Pre-Registered Member P650/ On-Site Registered Member P650/ Invited Guest Non-refundable.

Includes: Race Kit, Giveaways, Awarding Dinner & Use of Facilities for Guests

ADD P2,500 FOR A PAIR OF MIZUNO RUNNING SHOES! (Precision 8, Precision 9, Rider 10, Nirvana 2, Elixir 3, Inspire 4, Aero 5)

REGISTRATION
1) For Club Punta Fuego members/guests, registration and payment must be made or before 08 December 08 (Mon). For more information call 751-4027.

2) For Mizuno invited guests, registration and payment can be made or before 08 December 08 (Mon) at Mizuno stores in: a) BMG Center, San Antonio St., Paseo de Magallanes, Makati City b) Bonifacio High Street
For more information call 757-3160 loc. 515

COLLECTION OF RACE KITS & GIVEAWAYS Participants may claim their Race Kits containing the Official Race Number, Safety Pins and Route Map upon registration.
Certificates and giveaways may be claimed upon completion of race course.

PARKING Free parking is available on a first come first serve basis.

BAGGAGE AREA Baggage deposit is available at the Customer Service Station at the Main Reception as indicated in map.

DRINK & FIRST AID STATIONS Drinks will be provided at the finish line and at every 2.5k in the race course.
Medical aid and ambulance will be on standby throughout the event.

PRIZES PER CATEGORY First placers will receive: Medals and Mizuno Shoes plus Shoe Bag for 10k Winner
Second Placers will receive: Medals and Mizuno Team Bag
Third Placers will receive: Medals and Mizuno T-Shirt

To all participants, present race number and avail of 20% discount on Mizuno running shoes (2008 Models) in all Mizuno shops (Club650-Libis, Festival Mall-Alabang, Bonifacio High Street, BMG Centre)

RULES & REGULATIONS
1) Participants below 18 years old must have their entry form signed by a guardian.
2) Race bib numbers must be worn at all times during the race.
3) The Organizer’s decision is final.


This is probably the last race for the year. Best of all is that you don't have to wake up early for this one! And includes dinner as well! A perfect ending to a year of running don't you think?

For more info (including resort and race map) , go to www.mizuno.ph

RFB's November Records (and other news)

November 2008 is a busy month for me and will go down in my books as The Month ...

1. I've ran the farthest in a single race via the NEW BALANCE 25KM POWER RACE. I can finally say I ran more than a Half- Marathon.... by 4KMs! Haha!

2. I've done my first Back-to-Back 10k race. Two 10k races in two consecutive days is a big accomplishment for this Running FATBOY ! And at a good time for me as well. :)

3. With the above three races for total of 45KM plus the VSO Bahaginan Race at start of month with distance of 15KM, this is also the month I've had the most/farthest races with Total Race distance at 60KM!!!

A pretty good start for my 2nd year of running but that's not all...

Upon testing my girlfriend if she wants to do a race after her New Balance 10k, she immediately said yes to it and so here I am for my final run for the month of November:

It's back to Ground Zero (KM Marker that is) for us as we head on to Luneta Park on Roxas Blvd. for the Milo Finals on Nov. 30th. Nope, we won't do the Full Marathon but just the 10km. Still, if I finish the race, that would extend my month's race distance to a total of 70 KM, a number I don't think I can beat..... EVER !!!

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Since this will be Per's final race for 2008, I have agreed to accompany her all throughout the 10k course. This will be only be our second time running together (PMI Proudly 60 Run was the first) so our Goal is to beat our Couple P.R. Time of 1 hour 18 minutes with an ultimate goal of 1 hour 10 minutes.

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For the Milo Race, there are 3k, 5k and 10k categories but think they may cap it to a maximum of 2,000 participants so better hurry if you want to join this race!

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Registration for the Milo Race is now on-going in Vasquez Madrigal Plaza Bldg., 51 Annapolis St. in Greenhills, San Juan. Incidentally, they also have registrations there for the Yakult 10-miler race on Dec 7 to which I have also joined for.

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Other NEWS:

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1. New Balance has extended its promo to all NB Power Race runners in Clark two weeks ago. If you bring your bib to New Balance stores and select Planet Sports branches, you will get 20% off all regular item (new and old). So you can buy singlets, shorts, bag, socks, shoes, arm bands, etc. The downside: they will take your souvenir bib! Awwwwww! This promo is only up to November 30th and we were informed by the staffs of NB Store in Glorietta when we went there last Saturday.

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2. Nike Sportsband: gave up on this product already but Nike was kind enough to have us exchange it for items in their store. So it's like free shopping for Per and me. WOO HOO!!!

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3. Nike Training with Coach Rio: Wow, this is sooooo hard for me but as the saying goes "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger". Haha! Harder than the race itself which is a good thing ...I think. Hehe. They were kind enough to even bring two boxes of bottled water for the runners who need it. Good turn out when we went there last night and session yesterday had lots of speed drills, stretches and core work. A very successful training program. Thanks Nike! Thanks Rio and to the other coaches! Hope there will be more like this come 2009!

RFB's New Running Challenge Conquered!

Can I run two 10km races in two days and still maintain a good finish time for both of them ?

That was my self imposed challenge last week as I joined for both Race for Life at Fort Bonifacio and Animo Run in Mall of Asia grounds. Here's my account on both races:

NOV 22, 2008 - RACE FOR LIFE, FORT BONIFACIO

The race starts at 6:00AM but figured I was quite early as got to Fort Bonifacio area around 5:35AM so there was enough time for a little warm-up and stretching. Unfortunately, I thought that this race will be held near NBC Tent as most Fort Bonifacio races were. Good thing I had the race map with me and by the time I found the starting point, it was just 5:40AM so there was still time..

BUT... there was no parking space in sight! Unlike races held at NBC Tent, Serendra or even McKinley Hill where there were ample parking spaces, here it was the complete opposite. Cars were parked on one side of the street and that was already filled up by the time I got there. I made a long drive to look for an empty spot and even ended up outside British International school. Still no space available! In the end, I ended up at the carpark of Market Market and had to jog a little bit to reach the starting point.

By the time I got to Starting Line, the race had already started so I had no choice but to just keep on running. So unready in that my Garmin was still tracking the satellite and my IPOD was playing a sloooow song. No stretching and no warm ups either. What a bad day! Really disappointed that organizers didn't foresee a need for car parks and with 1,000 runners, they should have at least thought about it. Street parking is never enough for this magnitude of runners.

The course itself was mostly flat to downhill so figured a lot of runners got their Personal Best time here. Due to my Garmin not starting on time I don't really know what my finish time is but based on my calculations (Garmin recorded 9.25km distance at 55 minutes), it should be around 58 minutes to 1 hour 1 minute. Arrgh! What a waste!

The road was closed on one lane only so it was very tight as there were a lot of runners. I had hoped they would close at least two lanes but that wasn't the case here. We even went to a construction zone where we had to weave around the workers standing outside it (there were about 6-9 of them)! Some (but thank goodness not all) marshals let cars go FIRST before the runners so some people had to stop running and wait for 3-4 cars to pass by them before they can cross the street. First time that happened to me which kinda ruined the momentum I already had.

On a good side, the water stations were all in the right places and in the end, I looked at the bigger picture: that this race is for charity and therefore, for a good cause. But there is some room for improvement here in terms of race organization and hope they do so in their future races. Maybe get Coach Rio to run it???

GOAL: To finish under one hour and get Personal Best. Maybe I went under an hour. Maybe I didn't. I don't really know! At least I finished strong in that except for the three water breaks and that one time I couldn't cross the street, I ran all the way and didn't feel tired after the race. I just did my stretching after the race. No pictures from my camera as my car was parked far from the finish line and too lazy to get it and go back here.

NOV 22, 2008 - ANIMO RUN, MALL OF ASIA

I didn't want to be disappointed again so I made sure to be really really early today! Easy to find parking spot and went to the starting line. This time, I made sure to do all the things I missed yesterday: warm-up jog (first time I did this as usually saving all my energy for the race) and stetchings afterwards.
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The 10K race started at 6:00AM via a gun shot into the air, but some marshals were waving their hands in the air trying to stop it. I think it had to do with a lot of runners not checking in yet for the race. But it was too late as the shot was fired and the runners were off! Determined to finish fast today and with yesterday's frustrations, I ran hard here. No pain in the legs so that was a good thing. And didn't feel any fatigue yet given I ran the day before. I pushed myself to run all the way in this race except for the few seconds at the water stations. I was quite happy in that the weather was nice and the course was flat most of the way.

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GOAL: To beat last year's Animo Run finish time of 1 hour 7 minutes. YES, I BEAT THAT!

YESTERDAY'S RUN GOAL: To finish under one hour: I didn't know if I was able to do so in that run but today it's a confirmation! I finished at 59 minutes 10 seconds!!!

YESTERDAY'S ULTIMATE GOAL: To try get Personal Best time of under 58 minutes. Based on my Garmin, the distance for this race was at 10.29 KM. Upon reaching the 10.00KM distance, I checked my time to be at 57:35 minutes. My average pace for entire race was at 5 minutes 45 seconds, which was my target pace for yesterday's run. So, in a way, I also fulfilled this goal in that my 10km was under 58 minutes and got my target pace as well.

L-A-S-A-L-L-E .... LA SALLE RAH!

Met blogger High Altitude

10km Finishers: Jeanne, Janine+, me, Gigay

Running Bloggers Unite: Jinoe and Que of Takbo.Ph, Tech Spec, RunUnlimited, Nora the Golden Girl, High Altitude, Meek Runner

Janine with her brother in his first 10k run. With most siblings running already, how soon before mom and dad will join the running band wagon ?

Gym buddies and good friends Gigay and Meynard

Onward to new runs and to new challenges !!!!

In Running, Have You Ever....

1. Ran Bandit? That is running in a race but without registering for it?

2. Ran using some one else's race number?

3. Quit a race?

4. Thought of quitting running altogether?

5. Missed a race due to alarm not going off?

6. Dreamt missing a race due to alarm not going off but in reality, you still woke up too early?

7. Crawled to the Finish Line? Or worse, fainted/ collapsed upon reaching finish line?

8. Felt good after a race, went home to take a shower and shouted at all the cuts you suddenly had all over your body? (Chafing)

9. Cheated on a race course by cutting short at turning point instead of running further ahead?

10. Panicked in a race looking for the nearest portalet? And possibly getting goosebumps all over your body

11. Hit a fellow runner in a race by stretching your arms?

12. Hit the "Wall"? Suffering during a race and thinking over and over as to why you joined it in the first place

13. Sang loudly as you listened to your IPOD or grunted loudly that runners in front of you turned to look where the sound was coming from?

14. Raced barefooted?

15. Worn wrong pair of shorts and it just keeps falling off when you run?

16. Registered for the 5km race but come race day, ran the 10km instead or vice-versa?

17. Cut in front of somebody else at the water station?

18. Threw out your paper cup/ water bottle and it hit another runner?

19. Went outside your house on race day to find out that it is raining really hard but still decided to go to the race no matter what? (Don't forget to bring your swim goggles)

20. Ran with your pet?

Some I've done, some my friends and family have done and some I have seen being done or heard about. Just some of the stories that come with running.

New Balance Power Race RESULTS!

Wow, in just a few days, results are up already. Its arranged by bib number instead of finish time and still unofficial but it's already there for your viewing pleasure/ displeasure!

Check out http://www.extribe.com.ph/

Congrats to everyone who joined this race.

Keep on Running!

RFB's New Challenge!

After surviving the 25km New Balance Power Race, Running FatBoy has a new challenge to himself:

Can he run two 10km races in two days and still maintain a good finish time for both of them????

This will be another running weekend for me as I will be joining two races in the Metro Manila area.

First is the RACE FOR LIFE 10km event happening on November 22, 2008 at Fort Bonifacio (6:00AM). This will be my first ever race on a Saturday (so even without the 2nd race, I will still be doing something new). I have registered for this online just last week and went to Nike Store in Podium today to claim my race kit. Online registrations have been closed but I think forms are still available in selected Nike Stores. Entry fee is at Php 250.

My goal in this race is to finish race at most at an hour with ultimate goal of trying to go under the very elusive 58 minutes. But with my body still recovering from NB Power Race, I doubt this will be achieved. Still, I like a challenge no matter how hard it may be.

The second race will be held the following day for the DLSU ANIMO RUN. Having done this race last year with fellow running friends Janine and Jeanne, I aim to beat my previous record of 1 hour 7 minutes. This race will be done in MOA at 6:00AM. Challenge here is whether I can still run fast given I just ran hard 24 hours ago.

Both 10km races will do two loops in their respective 5km courses.

Whether I attain my goals or not, I know I will still be having a good time in both these races.

Animo Run 2007:

I remember last year having a really hard time finishing this race after doing Menshealth Urbanathon just a week ago and telling Janine that we should never do a back-to- back weekend race as it's just too difficult. Look who's eating his words now! ME!

Race For Life race kit includes DVD, map, race number and baller ID. Unfortunately, the baller ID is a little too tight for this FAT BOY'S fat wrist but it's for a good cause so all is forgiven. :)

More details on each race on their websites. Just click links above.

New Balance Power Race - Day 2

The 25KM New Balance Power Race will be the farthest I have ever run. So there is a fear on whether I can finish this at a good time or suffer in the race like I did at my first half marathon experience in Borneo a month ago. Joining me in this journey will be Janine+ in her first 25KM run too. In the 10Km category will be Per and Jeanne.

We got here about 5:15AM and had enough time for the 25KM race which had a minor delay and started around 5:45AM. 10KM runners started their race about 10 minutes after the 25KM race.

It was raining a little bit when we got to the starting point so there were some questions on whether we should wear our IPODS and Nike+ Sportsband for this race given their non- water proof qualities. We decided to still wear them and good thing too as rain was light enough and didn't last that long. The weather was quite good and cool all the way so that helped a lot for the first timers (read: me) doing a run here.

Every 2KM or so, there is a water station and bottles are handed out to each runner. No fear of dehydration whatsoever. The KM markers are put in correctly with pretty cool slogans from New Balance such as: XOXO Running, Running is your Best Friend with Benefits, Love/Hate Running, Running Misses you, etc. so that was a welcome distraction from torture of running. Hehe.

The landscape at Clark was pretty awesome too as we went through a lot of green fields (with carabaos), outside Fontana Resort and our course was covered with trees for the shade we crave. There were some uphill climbs as well but manageable as not too inclined.

For my own run, I started really slow. I was at the end of the pack when the race began but didn't really care because of the chip timer and didn't want to tire myself out at the first half. As I headed to the 12.5km marker, I saw a lot of runners heading back already. Vener was there and gave me a thumbs up, Runner Jun who was saying not to run too fast as there will be uphill climbs going back, Rio who gave me a high five, Baldrunner and Bullrunner with their running groups and Jinoe of Takbo.ph who seems to be having a good time as he was smiling when I saw him.

It was a slow jog up to the halfway mark to which I started running faster a little bit. I was quite happy in that the only times I stopped to walk were at the water stations. This being my first 25km run, it automatically becomes a Personal Record so I didn't focus on the fast race mode and just concentrated on finishing this race.

My target time was at 3 hour 15 minutes so I was happy that I finished at 3:03:26 (according to my Garmin) with distance of 25.13 km. What really made my day was that I did not feel tired at all so I was smiling once I neared the finish line. It was also the first time I took a Powergel at mid-point (courtesy of my sister) so that must have helped as well.

No blisters and chafing for me post-race but my shoulders were in pain after surpassing the 12.5km. Problem could have been my running form and I hope to get more information on this in the Nike Training programs to which I registered for.

Janine, Per, Gigay and Jeanne all did well in their respective runs. Unfortunately, Kervin who registered for the 10km race couldn't join due to a small ankle sprain. But he was still game to wake up early and join us as our unofficial photographer and his pictures (see below) are FANTASTIC! Big Thanks Kerv! Our best running photos yet!!!

New Balance Power Race - Day 1

November 15-16, 2008 will go down in our memories as a very busy weekend due to the sport of running. There were three different races to be held on these two days. First was the 5km race on November 15 at 4:00PM and then the 10km and 25km events to be held the next day.

There were 14 of us in the group for this out of town trip. Out of the 14 people, 8 will do the 5km run (most of them their first time), 2 will do the 10km run, and 2 will do the 25km run. We used 3 cars to go here and there was hardly any traffic as we left Metro Manila around 10am. With me in the car are Janine, Per, Kervin and Jeanne and our I.T for that day were as follows:

9:50AM - leave for Manila to Clark
11:30AM - head for SM Clark for lunch (ended up at Gerry's Grill and did some carbo loading)
12:40PM - Watch Madagascar 2! Its theme song "I like to Move It" makes for a great running song, don't you think?
2:30PM - head for Pure Gold Duty Free for some food shopping
3:30PM - check in at Clarkton Hotel
4:20PM - meet the rest of the group at Clark Parade Ground for their 5km race.

Due to lack of time, we weren't able to go to Clarkton Hotel and went directly to Parade Grounds from Duty Free. At that time, we expected the race to end (as start time was scheduled at 4:00PM) but it hadn't even begun yet. Delay had something to do with the big red START balloon needing more air. At least we got to see our friends at starting point as race started around 4:30 - 4:40PM.

I also met Vener here who was supporting his wife Christy as she does her 5km race.

While waiting for the 5km runners to finish, Janine, Vener and I went to the registration office to get our timing chips for our own race the next day. No lines here and they were quite fast in giving us the chips which were attached to ankle wraps.

For the first time, I was part of the cheering group and had a great time watching my friends as they head over to the finish line. Too bad most of the pictures I took were blurred but it was nice to shout my friends' names and to cheer them on. All of them had a good time and they got a lot of freebies from the race which includes chocolate bars, bananas, magazines, and a New Balance yellow band.


The 5km cheering squad! We have our own races the next day too..

Running ahead of the 5km runners. Will go for the gold medal! Haha

The Running Banana in his running shoes.

Blanche was the first to finish in our group for her first 5km race.

Nikki followed by Minerva as they head to the finish line.

5km runners group picture

The complete 5km runners group picture! Good job guys! Hope to see you in future runs.

Go Slow (VSO Bahaginan Run - Nov 9, 2008)

"Go Slow", "Slower than slow", "Turtle slow" were my mantras all throughout this race.

Previous to this race, my only trainings were two runs that I did at the treadmill with a distance of 5km and 6km respectively. I had a hard time finishing these workouts. Took a long time too! So there was a genuine fear on whether I can finish this 15km race given my poor performance at the gym.

As the race started around 5:50AM, I did a leisurely jog as didn't want to "hit the wall" so early in the run. Not reaching the 2km mark yet, I was already looking for water and my calves were starting to ache. Definitely, not a good sign!!


So I ran slower using my mantras above. And it seemed to work. As I head into Heritage Park, I felt fine. The pain in my calves disappeared and I wasn't tired yet. In the previous two 15km races that I joined (that had the same route as this one), I was walking parts of Heritage Park so it was a nice rewarding feeling to know that I didn't do that here. The good weather was helpful too.

The next challenge was McKinley Hill and I know that I will do some walking here with its steep uphill course. As I headed down this road, I saw Wayne (SFRunner), Benny (my running partner in Kota Kinabalu), and Jaymie (Bullrunner) heading up already. I did walk but just for a very short period and near the exit point of this area. I am quite happy that I wasn't as exhausted as I expected myself to be and increased my pace in the last 3km of the race as I headed towards the finish line.

Near the finish line, I saw Vener (Run Unlimited) with his wife, cheering me on. Thanks for that guys!! I crossed the finish line at a time of 1:38:45 based on my Garmin watch with distance of 15.06 km. Official results show that my time was 1:39:28. Either way, I am quite ecstatic at my good time as expected to suffer in this race. No PR for this race but I wasn't looking for one anyway. Besides, I was just 2 minutes away from it and I even beat the last 15km race I did.

At finish line, met Blogger Nora the Golden Girl and had nice chat with her too.

All in all, it was a pretty good day for me.

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booth of Bahaginan

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I want to steal this Rush bottle!
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Runners Wawie and Gigay


Nearing the finish line. Photo courtesy of blogger Brother J. Thanks for this one.

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Yes! I did it!





15km Finishers!!! One long race down and one to go....

The Numbers Game

1 year of running and I kept some of my race bibs.

How many of these races have you joined?

I first saw a picture of this at SFRunner's Blog:

http://sfrunner.wordpress.com/2008/09/28/2146-5k-time-trial
Take a look there to see some of the races he joined in the USA.

As for me, this will just be my one year of running and had some personal achievements:



GO FAST!
Fastest time for 3 mile: 26 minutes, 25 seconds at Pringles Run (May)

Fastest time for 10km: 58 minutes, 27 seconds at Dasma-Forbes Annual Run (June)

Fastest and only time for 11KM: 1 hour, 9 minutes, 17 seconds at Champion Marikina Run (May) dddd

Fastest and only time for 12KM (trail run): 1 hour, 23 minutes, 27 seconds at Menshealth All Terrain Race (June)

GO FAR!

Fastest time for 15KM: 1 hour, 36 minutes, 46 seconds at Mizuno Run (Mar)

Fastest and only time for 16KM: 1 hour 38 minutes 10 seconds at La Salle Run (July)

Fastest and only time for 21KM: 2 hours 29 minutes 34 seconds at Borneo Run (October)



GO WILD! - my most unforgettable top 10 races

10. Run Along the River, Marikina: a definite change of scenery but doesn't make it easier as quite hot here when we ran. Still, it was nice to see some animal statues, the giant red shoe on the river, and a statue of Marikina here.

9. Takbo Breast Friend AND Exodus Run: mentioned this as always find ULTRA route the hardest of them all given the steep incline here. On a good side, it is just 10 minute drive from my place and given enough training here, you should be able to get a good finish time in the races at Fort Bonifacio or Luneta...

8. Milo Race: big crowd = bad finish time. Still, it was a fun run and great to be part of something you've always known but never imagined partaking.

7. Men's Health All- Terrain Race: running on rocky paths uphill and slippery grassy plains downhill was difficult but it was still a change of view that I liked. There should be more terrain running for a more outdoor-sy feeling.

6. Condura Race: First race I felt pampered as got a lot of goodies here. Love the freebies and shirt design was awesome! Lots and lots of water and sports drinks as well from what I remember. A very well organized race.

5. La Salle's Animo Run 10k: Animo La Salle! This was done in Mall of Asia grounds on a relatively flat course. I also did the La Salle 16km run in Fort Bonifacio with a good time (rain there helped remove the fatigue) and both races gave out very nice and comfortable singlets..

What set this 10km race apart from the 16km race were the Pep Squad Cheerleaders. The beating of the drums to the familiar tune of La Salle songs made me want to run faster and harder and gave me all the motivation I needed to finish the race. For the first time, they were cheering for us and it felt good to be on the receiving end of the cheer.


4. Men's Health Urbanathon 10k: The race that started the running addiction and pretty challenging too as had to do some obstacles before crossing the finish line. Never trained for anything as hard as I did for this race! I had to do some weight training as dreaded the 8 foot WALL! The souvenir photo c/o Timex was also awesome and to this day, it is put in my car's visor as a reminder of that day's run.


3. Borneo Half Marathon: My first half marathon (and farthest run) and only race outside the Philippines! Unfortunately, it was also the first time I "hit the wall" as suffered from heat in this country. Still, I was able to finish this race and get my first finisher medal. Singlet given out was one of my favorites. Buffet breakfast at hotel, relaxing at the pool and foot massages post-race don't hurt as well.


2. Nike+ Human Race: Fantastic as part of the biggest run in the world and liked it for all the goodies given out by Nike (Finisher Bracelet, magazine, Nike socks just to name a few). Best of all is that registration is free! So hyped up for this race that 4 of us even ordered the Official Race Shirt online!! Too bad, I can't join next year's race as my Nike+ sports band has gone to the graveyard..

1. PMI Proudly 60 Race: A race in U.P. with ample water, and singlet given out at the registration. What makes this run memorable was on a personal level: it was the first 10k race that Per and I finished together by running side by side all throughout the race.

What made it even more special is a change of status quo for both of us just 24 hours prior to said race.

TOTAL DISTANCE: 265 KM is the magic number for all the races I have joined in a span on one year. This does not include the training at the gym or the jogging outdoors. Looking to run faster, further, and wilder as I go on my second year of running...