Condura Skyway Marathon 2011: Year 4

Ahhh, the Skyway!

Whereas our Milo Marathons can be equated to the famous Boston Marathons, in that both races are the oldest and hardest-to-qualify races (due to the short cutoff times) in their own respective countries, I would think that Condura's Skyway Marathon can be equated to the famous New York Marathons.

There are bridges to cross, cheering people, festive after race parties, lots of giveaways and so so many runners. As Condura prepares for its Year 4, the question comes up: What would be new this year?

I have been lucky enough to join all 3 Condura races as I started at 10km (2008), ventured to 21km (2009) and did the 42km (2010). In all these events, I ran the farthest distance. Will there be a 50km new distance this year??

Sadly, it's a no (not that I could do it!) but the organizers put in a new distance, which my friend and co-blogger Janine would do - 16km!

Another plus is that the 10km, 16km, 21km and of course, the 41km, will all go on the Skyway! Now more people can get the SKYWAY EXPERIENCE!

Registrations are now ongoing at Greenbelt3 via a very quick registration procedure.

See you guys there!

I am registered for the 21km! Per will do the 3km race!

It's just runners and the SKYWAY. No Pollution + Wide Open Roads + No cars = Faster Time!

Registration Area inside Greenbelt3. Shirts are very nice and range from XS to XXL size.

Nike's 5km Run Manila

"Don't you think it's fun to do a 5km race once in a while? " - The Bullrunner (after seeing her and her husband at Fort Bonifacio's weekend market after doing the Nike Run).

I couldn't agree more!

With only one race category in this year's Nike Run, runners can do one of three things:

1) still join the race and just enjoy it

2) join the QCIM, which had 10km, 21km and 42km race categories

3) sleep it off or just run on your own.

Having done the QC Half Marathon last year, I decided to skip it this year and just do a race closer to home. Enter: Nike's 5km race.

For a fee of Php 300, there were no singlets, no finisher shirts (although what the marshals were wearing were really nice! I hope they at least sell those shirts. Pretty pretty Please!) and of course, no finisher medals!

But there were ample drinks in the route, lots of food and drinks at the finish line (got two bananas, tuna pandesal, water bottle and a sports drink) and the Nike + toy (which comes in three versions).

Perfect run also to try my new shoes from the suggestion of Benny (thanks buddy!). It was really a fun run as there were a lot of students, a lot of people walking, talking and even taking pictures along the race route. But I didn't care. I still had fun.

Race started late (at 7:00am) but good thing weather cooperated nicely as no sign of the blazing sun during the run. Plus the chance of waking up quite late for a road race (especially since we came home late the previous night.... mmmmmmmm.... Pen Pals...... mmmmmmmm.... Ice cream.... Drool!)

I followed this group of runners for the first 3km (doing a lot of weaving among the crowd of runners) but got winded out from their fast pace and had to stop at one of the water stations, and see them slowly disappear from my sight.

But they still took me more than halfway in the race and I just had 2km to go. My goal was sub-30minutes but doubtful I could do it as haven't really been running fast for the past few months! But by following them, I was able to accomplish my goal with 7 seconds to spare! Haha!

I am still slow compared to my pace a year ago, but at least I knew what it felt like again to have my lungs trying to bust out of my chest, to breathe deeply, to wheeze, to pant, to sprint the last 150 meters, all the while looking at my watch and wishing for the seconds to slow down. Definitely not as fit as I was before!

But it was still a good fun run and I enjoyed every minute of it.


The Nike toy stands proudly in our room.

McDonald's 2nd Happy Run - Race Review

As a runner, doing two races in one weekend is a feat that is quite rare for me. I just figured it's too tiring and not at all fun to wake up early on both Saturday AND Sunday when I should have at least one day to sleep late.

Still, there have been instances in the past when I have done this. The most current one was last May 1-3 long weekend, with me doing the Labor Day 5km Run on May 1st, followed by a 16km RUNew race in Alabang. Both races were quite good and I had a great time in each of them.

In 2009, I also did a back to back race by doing Robinson's Fit and Buddy Run 10km with Per, followed by REACH's 5km race, which had runners finishing Krispy Kreme donuts before they could finish their race. Again, both these races were awesome on their own.

With only two back to back races and a Running history of 4 years, it really wasn't common for me. So why do it again?

1. It's hard to resist free kits! Yes, I got a free kit to do Vertical Marathon via Skechers Facebook page and I received a second free race kit to do McDonald's Run via Pinoy Fitness' contest. Thanks guys!

2. Both races seemed to be too fun to pass up. Who wouldn't want to challenge themselves via conquering a 25 floor building? Who wouldn't want to join McDonald's Fun Run and just enjoy their time there?

3. It was a long weekend!

Just like the May 1-3 long weekend wherein I did two races, here was another long weekend with Monday being declared as a non-working day. So I still had a chance to sleep long and wake up late. Perfect also to rest my tired body by spending the 3rd day at home.

4. Again, the Free kits! And anything that comes with it! That meant free loot bag, free breakfast (McDonalds), free singlets, etc. For these two races, it was a savings of Php 900 for the registration fees!

5. More calories to burn. Not really a good reason to do two races but a reason nevertheless.

Anyway going back to the real topic for this entry, which was McDonald's 2nd Happy Run- Race Review:

The venue was at Mckinley Hills, with a very early starting time for a 10km race. But I didn't care. I even appreciated it as didn't want to be burned by the sun rays. This, being at McKinley Hills meant that we had free parking (as it is free parking here every Sunday).

For Php 350, there were no singlets but there was a free breakfast via (DUH!) McDonald's breakfast muffins. Proceeds of race would go to Ronald McDonald's Charity House. Race was even started by popular actress Donita Rose!

The race route would take us out of McKinley Hills and lead us bumping with runners from another race happening in Fort Bonifacio (BGC's 21km run). Saw a lot of familiar faces from that race but I was just happy with my 10km. No pressure on me! Lots and lots of water stations (but some of them could be BGC's).

I was moving at a better than expected, but still slow speed as I conquered each kilometer. My legs took a beating from the building run the previous day so had some difficulty at the hilly route. But I was glad there were no pains for my left foot! Yay! No i pod this time around as I wanted to focus on my running form.

The route took us all the way to Lawton Avenue for the U Turn back to McKinley Hills where I was able to catch up with some 5km runners, who seemed to be having a great time with their kids. Once inside McKinley Hills, we had to do one final big loop around the parking lot before we could cross the finish line.

Race conquered! I immediately got my Sausage McMuffin and woofed it down with the juice they gave me. Then, back to the car to get camera in the hopes of finding THE CLOWN! For me, that was my ultimate prize! The ultimate McDonald's Celebrity Icon!

This was a family run, being McDonald's after all. Parents brought along their kids. Some families even bought the nice red/yellow shirt being sold for just P250 (for adults) or P200 (for kids) as a souvenir of this race. Quite festive at the finish line as everyone enjoyed eating their breakfasts and hanging around after a hard work out!


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!


Happy at McHappy Run


As for the CLOWN...




HE is now my Facebook Profile Picture! Gotta Luv It! Hehe!

Exciting Stuffs from FINISHLINE Inc. !

Finishline Inc. seems to be making a lot of plans for 2011 and giving us a preview of it.

First of all they will be having an end of the year race at Nuvali, Sta. Rosa.

Simply called ROAD X TRAIL, you have your choice of either running on December 18th, biking on December 11th or doing a Duathlon on December 19th (or for you hard core people, doing all three events!).

For the running event, it ranges from 3km to that of 16km with your choice of either running it on the road or doing the trail running. I am not yet sure how this will be done but I am thinking two different starting/ finishing areas for these races? Or just different waves from same starting line with different routes?

Personally, I have never ran in Nuvali yet and this will be an exciting experience for me. It will most likely be my year ender race for 2010. More good news was that registration forms mention FINISHER MEDAL!

Those people who do have a bike, I would recommend doing the biking or the duathlon event.

It seems the good people of Finishline Inc. aren't just focusing on running but on multi-sport events. As mentioned above, they already have running and biking in their line up. Come 2011, there are also a lot of swimming events and triathlon events.

At the registration forms, they have even plotted out all the events for 2011 so you can choose which date you want to race and prepare your training timetable to meet it. They will also include training programs for these kind of events.

Another new feature for the company is introducing the MYCHIP. Quite similar to the chip timers or D-tags that we used in various road races with one or two differences:

1. These things aren't disposable. You can use, re-use, and just keep re-using it all over again. This is also the chip timer technology used in various international road races. After your race, you can plug it in or input your serial number or password in the website and can see your time results almost immediately.

2. It is a Multi-sport Chip Timer. It is waterproof so it can be used for running (most obvious way), biking (by either strapping it on your shoes or on your bike) or even for swimming.

But just to clarify, MyChip isn't part of your race kit. It is sold separately but I am assuming at the same places where the race registrations are. Those who opt not to buy it can still join the Finishline races by getting the disposable chip timers, which are included in your race kit. The advantage of owning MyChip is the discount you would get from joining the different multi-sport races as there is no more need for you to buy the disposable chip timers.

For more information, please visit www.finishline.ph

How I DISCOVERY Climbing A Building

Discovery Channels: Vertical Marathon

With a road race here and there, it is nice to try something different. When I first saw this, I got excited with it. The challenge is this: from the Starting Line, you would run into the E-Service building, go around and up 8 floors of parking levels, hit the stairs and keep climbing to the 25th floor, cross to the other side and go down and out of the building, where you have to run 500 meters to the finish line.

Sounds fun right?

The problem is that they didn't have any registration areas. I first thought it's the same place as where the BGC Run registration areas are, this being the first leg of the BGC run. Unfortunately, that isn't the case as the organizer for this race is different from BGC's. The only thing linking these races together was the grand raffle prize of a Chevy!

Eventually, I found out that registration for this race can be done via the internet (www.verticalmarathon.runningmate.ph). For a fee of Php 650, it wasn't that bad given this one-of-a-kind experience, the nice blue singlet and loot bag at finish line.

But best deal of all for me was joining the Skechers contest on their Facebook page. I, along with 49 other runners, got our race kits for free!!! Yipee!!!! No cash out! AWESOME!

To train for this event, instead of hitting the treadmill at the local gym, I went instead to the elliptical machine and put the resistance at a high level (no stairmasters in this gym). Working on it for an hour was enough for me. (Yes I know, I'm lazy but why train so hard when I don't have a chance at the cash prize anyway?)

RACE DAY

Being unfamiliar with the building, it took awhile for me to finally find it. Once I did, the next problem was the parking as both parking areas were packed already! I had to go a couple more times before I finally found an empty spot and rushed to the starting line. Time for my race would start at 6:30am and I wanted to be there in time.

As I got there, I saw that our race categories were further broken down into 20 smaller waves made up of 10-15 runners each. That was a good idea to ensure that it won't be too crowded in the stairways especially if there were 1,000 runners joining the race.

It was a good idea until I found out that I am part of Wave 14, which will start at 7:10am! GRRR!! (Maybe in the future, the organizer could post the different waves a day earlier via their websites so no time is wasted on your part?)

Rather than waiting out the 3ominutes and doing nothing, I decided to take an easy 10-15 minute easy jog around Fort Bonifacio area, where I stopped by the latest Starbucks Branch near St. Luke's Hospital which had a drive-through service. Now, I know where to get my coffee fix after a weekend run!

I got back in time and once it was our turn, the gun was fired and we were off. Ran to the building immediately and went inside the parking area and ran it and climbed the various ramps as I headed to the next parking level. Quite tiring for this and I just wanted to get to the stairwell quickly.

A nice thing here was that there was a marshal in each floor to make sure each person is okay and that he or she will not get lost. Same thing with the fire exit as a marshal was positioned on each floor. It was tiring but a fun thing to do. Knees got wobbly as I kept climbing the stairs. I slowly counted off the floors as I slowly but surely headed to floor 25. 22...23....24....25! Yes! I did it! I got out of the stairs and went to the water stationplaced in the middle of that floor. Then I hit the stairs again on the opposite side of the building. This time it was a lot easier as no pressure on the knees going down.

In a few minutes I was out of the building and sprinted the last 500 meters to the finish line!

Vertical Marathon conquered!



E-Service Building Conquered!!


At the finish line, there was a band playing (with band's name having something to do with Cockroaches), and a lot of interesting booths (One had bamboo bikes! Another had electric bikes). This race was by Discovery Channel after all.

I pretty much like the loot bag. No finisher medals but being a geek myself, I gotta love the Discovery branded water bottles and face towel not to mention the environment bag.




As of today the race results are out already! Woohoo!

NAME:	DENNIS QUE PE
EVENT:	KM
BIB:	402
TIME	00:14:37

Hoping for more vertical races in 2011 ! Thanks again to Skechers for the race kit!

RunRio Trilogy 2010 - Mission Accomplished!

Trust RunRio Inc. to make one of the best road races in the Philippines and the 3rd leg of RunRio Trilogy did not disappoint. In fact, it even exceeded our expectations!

Some of the things we've already expected from RunRio races:

1) Sufficient hydrations! Sports drinks and water aplenty. Long tables of these cold drinks make it easy for anyone to satisfy their thirsts. Sadly, some races still fail to meet this criteria (Adidas KOTR come to mind for the 21km runners!)

2) Races start on time

3) Enough Marshals to guide us and protect us from angry car drivers!

4) Photographers scattered all over the route

5) Accurate race distance! There are still some races that also fail in this criteria. Recently concluded Pink Run last October was one of them.

6) Finisher medals for the 21km and up categories! Yehey!

But here are some new things added in the last leg of the race:

1) Awesome screen countdown that they had at the beginning of the race. It made all of us excited when we saw the final 10 seconds flash and "explode" on the big TV screen!

2) Rio's running avatar as it goes over the route that we have to tackle. That way, we become familiar with the route and do not get lost running it.

3) Big activity center at the finish line! There's a massage area, body analysis, lots of photo booths, finisher loot bag areas (divided by race categories), food booths, sponsor booths and even this bungee ride in one of the areas.

4) The gigantic loot bag! Now, instead of a draw string bag, it is now a backpack filled with goodies including finisher shirt, box of chocolate powder, drinks, etc.

It felt like running an International Race in the 3rd leg. Too bad I wasn't able to do the 32km Afroman distance as still injured up to now. But running a race on a Saturday is really much better for this RUNNING FATBOY!

Keep up the good work guys! Looking forward to the Awards Night for the Trilogy (but no details yet on this) and RunRio Trilogy Year 2 in 2011!

RunRio Trilogy Year 01: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

BGC's Vertical Marathon

So excited for this race!

After doing RunRio Trilogy last Saturday (more on this later), I am looking forward to another exciting race.

This time it is for Leg 01 of the BGC Race. Leg 02 will be on November 28th at Fort Bonifacio with another 21km race (and another finisher medal). Both races will raffle off a Chevy on November 28.

Leg 01 of the BGC Race, to be held on November 27th, is more exciting as it involves climbing up a building with 25 floors! And that's the easy category (Half -Century Run)!

For the harder and more hard core one (Century Run), the race involves going up and down the same building... TWICE! Unfortunately, in order for you to qualify for that race, you have to have a personal best of sub- 40:00 for the 10km which is very far from my Personal Best time!

Race kit includes race bib, race mechanics and guidelines form, and an Accel blue singlet (design is the picture above).

Looks like this will be an exciting race. Only thing I am worried about is that there are no water stations inside the building and no liquid allowed inside the stairwell too (so can't bring own hydration gears). Hopefully, they could amend this by putting at least one water station on the top floor.

Time to train at the stairmaster!

All about the (Finisher) Medals!

Finisher medals - you gotta love them. They are easy to store, easy to display and serves as a remembrance of the races you've conquered. They have all the details in that small circular thing - the date of the race, the name of the race, the race category, the venue (and sometimes the time), and the most important thing - the word "Finisher".

For me, this is more important than the race singlet. To note, a race singlet is something given out before the race begins to encourage the runners to wear that attire on race day and be the "uniform" of the day. Of course, it isn't required so you can always ditch it for one of your other running shirts. There were some races before that require you to wear the singlet or you will be disqualified! Good thing that was changed and they now only require the bib number to be worn at all times (to differentiate a "paid" runner to that of a "bandit" runner).

Much as I like the singlet, the sizes aren't usually right for me. It is usually too small, too tight or maybe the size is just right but the arm holes are too small. Also, some uneven sewing could lead to chafing too. So I usually stick to my old running attires rather than the ones given out on the registration areas. Wearing another shirt also makes it easier to spot yourself in the numerous photo albums uploaded in facebook, running websites, etc.

But a singlet is given to everyone who registered and paid for the race - whether they finished it, whether they ran the race or not, whether they cheated on the race, they have the singlet as it is easy to attain - just bring out your wallet and pay for it.

But a medal is only given out once you finish the race! It is harder to attain. If you quit midway, you will not get it. If you cheat, you will not get it (if this is strictly enforced). And of course, if you were not there to begin with, you will not get it! This is something you have to work hard for, especially if it is a long race like a half-marathon, a full-marathon or an ultra marathon. You have to train for it. In international road races, there is even a time limit so that if you did not reach the allotted time limit (even though you still finished the race), you will not get a finisher medal.

To combine both the finisher medal and the singlet, some races give out finisher shirts. This, for me, is just as important as the medal and I wear it too. This has the same requirements as the finisher medals and it is something you have to work hard for.

But personally, I still love the medals and is usually the main reason I join a road race. One thing I use these things for is to decorate our Christmas tree and since Per has her own collection of finisher medals, let's just say our Christmas decors keep growing each year! Now, that is what I call a runner's Christmas Tree!!!

I'm happy to say that I got 3 finisher medals to add to the Christmas tree in just one month's time (and looking to add a 4th finisher medal this Saturday at the RunRio Final Leg Trilogy). To note:

1) I conquered the Adidas King of the Road 21km and got a finisher medal!

2) I conquered the Men's Health 10km Urbanathon (doing all the obstacles!) and got the finisher medal.

3) I conquered the Anson's Rhythm and Run 10km Race last weekend and got a finisher medal.

Woo Hoo!!!

Hopefully, a lot more races will have this at the finish line :)

What we've collected so far... :) Onwards to the Christmas Tree!

McHappy Day Fun Run Race

A run that is indeed a FUN RUN! Looks exciting! Can't wait to see Ronald at the finish line.




McDonald’s McHappy Day Fun Run
November 28, 2010
Venice Piazza at McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
500m / 3K / 5K / 10K
3k Family Category
The group or family should be composed of 2 Adults (regardless of gender) and 2 Kids (12 years and younger)

Registration Fee (non-refundable): Individual – P350; Group of 4 – P1,250. Any individual excess of 4 will pay P350 each.

Proceeds of the Run will go to RMHC.

Registration Fee Includes: - McHappy Day Fun Run Race Kit: 1 Race Bib (4 Bibs per race Kit for Family Category), McHappy Day Reminders with Route Map- Meal Stub

Race Schedule:
- Assembly Time: 5:00 AM-
Gun Start: 10K – 5:30 AM;
5K – 5:50 AM;
3K – 6:00 AM (Individual and Family);
500m 6:30 AM


For more details including which Mcdo Branch to register, click the link below:
http://www.pinoyfitness.com/2010/10/mcdonalds-mchappy-day-fun-run-november-28-2010/

Adidas KOTR 21KM 2010 Edition

This Race was one of the most anticipated (and one of the priciest) road race in the Philippines. The big come on here were the Adidas singlets given out upon registering for this event. In just three short days after the opening of the registration areas, the 21km category was quickly sold out. Adidas responded by releasing an additional 1,200 pieces of 21km race packets in their various stores, which were quickly gobbled up by the running community. Wow!

Unlike last year’s fiasco over claiming of race kits, now it was much easier as it was done at the store you registered in. Unfortunately, the sizes of the singlets quickly ran out and it became a chase for the runner to register for the right singlet size AND preferred race category. After making a few calls, Per and I were able to get what we wanted at the Adidas Gateway Branch. Mission Accomplished!

Now comes the hard part: running the actual race!

Oh how easy it would have been to join the 10km event vs. the 21km event. It was literally a check away but I was drawn by the simple announcement made by Adidas: All 21km finishers shall receive a finisher medal (and none for the 10km, 5km or 3km distance runners). Prices were the same for all categories (at Php 850) so wouldn’t it be more value for money to run the longer distance (as there were more water stations, more fun on the road, and of course, the bonus medal)?

Come race day, little did I know that the water stations were about the same for the 21km runners as that of the 10km runners because from Buendia all the way to Fort Bonifacio, and all the way to the U turn at Lawton Avenue, there were no more water to be found. Zip, Zilch, Zero!

Correction: there weren’t any clean water to be found!

Sure, there were still the filthy water from the big blue containers (peering inside I saw dirt, grass and whatnots), half drank water bottles thrown away by other runners and the water puddles that came from thrown away plastic cups and melted ice. That’s about it! For 7kms! It was a survival for each runner in this race category.

Luckily for some of them, they brought along their own hydration packs. I didn’t as I figured that as big a sponsor as Adidas is, and with the expensive registration fees, there shouldn’t be a problem with regards to this. Boy, was I wrong!


So I would run, walk, and run again. I was looking out for water stations but all I saw were empty areas. I would run, walk, and run again towards the next water station but to no avail. Damn! This happened about 4-5 times.


But I survived it (thank God for that), got my hard earned finisher medal, and the water bottle, two bread buns and hotdog at the finish line. It was one of my hardest half marathons.


My final time was at 2:39, not bad considering I did a lot of walking. It helped that Alvin was there to push me in my last 1.5kms (although I was really really tired by then). The singlet was also good as I didn’t get chaffed by it. Race results came out quickly (on the day itself). But for me, the most important thing was really the hydration and for that, Adidas failed big time in this race!

Hopefully, they improve this aspect for next year’s event and do better quality races (as good as the products they are selling)!

There is a silver lining here: with what I faced in this race, it boosted my confidence level in terms of running another half marathon, so the day after this race, I found myself registering for another half marathon: UNILAB’s 21km! The finisher medal drew me in again! (Shiny shiny object… ooohhh!)

See you there!


Note: Per was in the picture above but in case you didn't see her, here she is again in top running form! Congrats!

PINK RUN!

There were three different races last weekend, each with different distances: Blue Water Spa’s 10km run, Pink Run’s 15km race, Fort Striders 21km race.

The 10km is too short for me. Actually, on a regular weekend, it was just the right distance but given that I will do Adidas’ King of the Road 21km next week, I need something that will add mileage for it. So I passed up on this race.

The 21km race is just too long although I was really drawn to the fact that there was a finisher medal involved! Per helped me make up my mind by repeating the words “injured”, “recovering”, and “unprepared” over and over again. Her technique kinda worked as found myself going to ROX some days ago to sign up for the Pink Run.

It was for a good cause – fight for breast cancer. And wouldn’t we want to run for something that advocates this cause? The singlet matches the cause – pink and white colored one care of Accel, a good sports shirt brand in the Philippines. Upon inspecting the singlets for sale at SM Department store, I found out that they sell their singlets for the same price as this registration fee (P500) so in effect, it was like a buying a (Limited edition) singlet from them and getting a race out of it. Quite a good deal!

Only drawback here is that it was held in the deadly McKinley Hills! Ouch! But this would be good training for next week’s race.

I wasn’t worried about this race. I didn’t care for PR. I didn’t care if I was last. I just needed to run the distance, to run it correctly, and to watch my breathing, strides, etc. And for that I succeeded. I had a good strong finish. I did very little walking (even up the hills which I rarely do) and there were sufficient hydration stations here (cold water and cold Pocari Sweat). We even crossed paths with the Fort Strider runners and for that one moment, it seemed we occupied the entire (Lawton) road! The 21km runners in that race had to go inside Heritage Park while we merely made a U Turn at the entrance and headed back to Mckinley Hills.

It was a good race for me but upon checking my Garmin, it just showed 12.56km distance! Where did the 2.5km go to? Were we supposed to go inside Heritage Park too??? Grrrr!! I thought of stopping there and then but remembered the Adidas run and so I ran again, completing the 2.5km that the race organizers failed to put in. I met up with Per, who looked fresh from her 5km race, and who was holding a loot bag. I didn’t get any as I guess the supply was limited. Said loot bags had some magazines in there including the June 2010 issue of Men’s Health Philippines, which I didn’t have yet! That was one of the advantages of joining a short distanced race – you get the nice stuffs first!

Per’s distance was more accurate at 4.98km. Aside from the shortcomings (pun not intended) in my race, this was a good run for the two of us and gave me some confidence for my next challenge: Adidas 21km KOTR. See you there!

Klima Run 10km - October 9, 2010

It was either this race on a Saturday or the Run for Pasig River on Sunday. This one had about 400 -500 people vs Run for Pasig River which had an estimate 120k people! Woah!

But we just love our Saturday mornings, hence it was an easy choice for us. We were also afraid on the possibility of insufficient water for Run for Pasig River given the scope of runners for that day. Klima run was just right for our October 9-10 weekend.

Klima was a no frills race but singlet was very wearable (one of few official ones I wore in a race... including Mens Health series, Singapore, Dasma Run, the very famous Adidas King of the Road series, Takbo.ph Runfest with personalized name, Kenny Rogers). It's nice that this singlet is now included as part of my official running gear. Plus there were some photos taken from this event (always a plus for me), a very nice route along Fort Bonifacio and lots of water stations made this a fun race.

Less guilt also (but not by much) for me and Per as we spent most of the day and all of the night eating, drinking, eating again and drinking again care of Wine Depot's Annual Food and Drink Expo held at NBC Tent.. a mere 200 meter walk from the finish line of this race!

As this race is a joint venture by Philippines and German offices, it is also a perfect kick-off for this year's Oktoberfest! CHEERS!



This time it's my time with regards to the pictures as a lot were taken at the race... but what's with the crooked cap???!!!






Finisher!



Nice to see Janine back running races again..


And Per has just one photo ... Hehe

Goodbye Old Friend

Andy: Now Woody, he's been my pal for as long as I can remember. He's brave, like a cowboy should be. And kind, and smart. But the thing that makes Woody special, is he'll never give up on you... ever. He'll be there for you, no matter what.




You were my first rubber shoes that was devoted to the love of running. You stuck around when I ran in blistering heat, in strong rains, in early morning, at late nights. You were there when I wore you to the gym. You were in my travels as I use you for comfortable walks. You were in the 10km and 21km races that I joined. You stuck around and didn't complain.

But now, it's time to pass you to another person. It's time for that person to enjoy you as much as I did. It's time for you to bring happiness to another runner. It's better that way than for you to be left behind in the closet.

Thanks for all your help!




My N846 being put in clear plastic bag by Adidas Staffs.


This is in conjuction with Adidas' Refresh Your Gear Promo:





TERMS AND CONDITIONS:


1. Bring in your old athletic shoes to over 146 participating adidas stores nationwide.

2. In exchange of your old athletic shoes, get:

a: Php500 OFF your new purchase worth Php1,500 - P3,499

b. Php1000 OFF your new purchase worth Php3,500 and up

3. 1 pair of old athletic shoes = 1x discount value. Each discount value is applicable for only one item purchased. Bring in as many old athletic pairs to get discounts on as many new shoes.

4. We only accept athletic shoes of any brand (no sandals, high heels, flats, leather

or infant shoe.) Old athletic shoes have to be in decent condition and is still functional.

5. All old athletic shoes will be donated to Hope Worldwide Philippines Incorporated.

6. This promo is not in conjunction with any other promos.

7. Promo Period runs from October 1 - 31, 2010.



And what did I replace with this? Although that Adizero Boston called out to me, I got something entirely different and NOT AT ALL RELATED TO RUNNING.

To Be honest, it's more related to SOCCER and to THE DARK SIDE!

Cue in Imperial March Music!






The force is strong in that one!



D. VADER: THE DEADLY (RACE??? hehe) FINISHER !

Auto Review Run 2010 (Sept 25, 2010)

It was a no frills race but that's fine for Per and me as we (or is it just me???) missed running in a race (even if it is at an easy pace). Hello again Fort Bonifacio!

We both joined the 10km race with the intention of burning some calories. It was on a Saturday, which was an automatic plus for us! More power to Saturday races! Yay! (we joined one more Saturday race for month of October... more on this later).

There were ample water stations along the route but some traffic mismanagement from the marshals. Lots of booths at the finish line but no free stuffs except for a bottle or two of mineral water and some finisher certificates. BOO!

Still....

My goals were achieved, which were
1) as mentioned already, to burn calories
2) to go back to basics in terms of proper running form and that kinda worked. No heel cups and not as painful as I expected. Most of all, I had a runner's high! Now, you got to agree that nothing can beat that!


Also, I had a feeling that there weren't any photographers during this race (as it wasn't mentioned in the presscon or in the registrations) so what to do in a situation like this? Bring your own camera of course (though most of the shots were for my wife's benefits. Hehe)!

Below are some of the pictures I took while running with my wife:










Runner leading the 10km racers heading back already



One of the many water stations here





Final Stretch!



Got one picture after race! Yay!