Rock & Run Race Recap (June 19 2010)

What a Race! I haven't been running for three weeks and looking at doing a slow easy run for this one. I even contemplated running the first 5km and walking the second 5km if heel pain was too much for me.

But God threw an unexpected plan as there was a very strong downpour of rain by the time we got to Fort Bonifacio. It was like we were stuck in the middle of a typhoon! Who would be crazy enough to still push with this race?


Well, apparently a lot of people (me and Per included)!



As the race started we ran out in the rain, eyes squinting, clothes drenched, shoes squeaking but with enough determination to see this race through, wherever it may take us. An ordinary road race became a race against nature!


Unfortunately due to the strong rain, the "Rock" part of this race had to be stopped. But I didn't notice this as I was paying too much attention on how I ran, the deep puddles on the floor and this great feeling of running again. Yes, I definitely missed running!


Without any training, I expected this race to be hard for my body. And that became true as early as the 2km mark! By the time I reached that distance, I was breathing hard, had stiff shoulders and mild side stitch. I then used the various water stations as recovery areas. Then I would run off again. By the 3-4km, I was covering my Garmin with my other hand for fear it will break down from the rain. That didn't help my running form and lead to more pain for my shoulders. The heel was starting to hurt by 5km mark but I didn't care anymore. I just wanted to finish this race so I can find shelter!

And finish it I did. After a week of waiting, the race results came out and can be found at www.takbo.ph.

Boy, was I surprised at my time! Sub one hour! And not just a few seconds but more than 2.5 minutes from one hour.

That made joining a race all worth it again. Now, it's back to resting and watching FIFA.

Ipads + Runners = Rexona Run

Per and I were lucky enough to be invited by Runrio.com to the presscon of the Rexona Run at Taste Asia, MOA. Initially, we had no plans to join any new road race as I am still trying to get my heel pain fixed but this is just too exciting for us!

There are a LOT OF NEW STUFFS Race Organizer Rio dela Cruz will introduce for this race that would set a new standard for road races in the Philippines:

Firstly, the introduction of new chip timer: the D-Tag. As Mentioned by Coach Rio, this chip timer was used in Boston Marathon and is 99% accurate for all runners. I also used this in Fresno Marathon when I did it in November 2009 and it was quite easy to use. Just slide it underneath your shoelaces, remove the sticker tape and just tape it end to end in a circular shape (do not fold or press down!). Since this is a new chip timer, I would expect people to make some mistakes in using it so please read the instructions carefully (twice if you have to). Failure to do so may lead to no official results for you and that would be regretful.

The D-Tag will also be used for Camsur Marathon in September 2010 but Rexona Run will be the first race to use it in the Philippines. I would think this would replace the chip timers that Rio used for previous Runrio races.




Secondly, there is the launching of Runrio membership cards in this race. With this card, you can get discounts to some establishments and earn points too for each race you've joined. This has your profile details in it so in registering for future races, you just type in your membership card number and race category and the computer will pick up the rest of your information from this card. I just hope that for longer race categories you would earn more points that that of the shorter distance to add more motivation to go for the longer race distance!

With this card, Rio hopes to build a runner database and that can be used to determine your ranking overall (Group A for top 200 runners, Group B for top 201 - 400 runners, etc.) or even that of your age group. Hopefully, we can get access to our own data so this can be used for our own recording purposes (like trying to see our current PR or pace per kilometer). But this is a great innovation.




SM will also introduce a new kind of bottle catered for runners which can be opened by pressing your finger on the top and making a hole in it. The new bottles will be served in this race but pre-opened already by the marshals. Bottle is squeezable and contains 300ml. Would this replace the plastic cups at the race? Hmmmm......

There will be loot bags for all FINISHERS in this race and finisher medals for the 21km categories. Race will be at MOA Area (starting line near Fitness First) and Rio promised it to be a flat and new race route for all of us! Race kits will include singlet, bib, D-tag and a 150ml Rexona Men Sports Defence aerosol.




But the highlight for this race would be in the registration process. It would be a paperless registration (Go Green!) and done via Ipads! Yes, Ipads!!! The product isn't even here yet (you can verify this at Apple stores) but Rio managed to bring a lot of units to the Philippines just for this race. We had fun putting our names in it and quite easy to use as touch screen.


Best of all, you can try your hand at this product once the registration begins.

Awesome!











Registration has never been this fun before!

As a final note, proceeds of this race will be used to improve sports development in various schools. There are a total of 14 pre-selected schools benefiting from this race. So joining is for a good cause too!

More details below:

What to do: Run, Walk or Run-Walk

I haven't been running. In fact the last time I ran was last May at the Nature Valley Race and even then, I walked at the 15km marker and walked nearly the entire way till the finish line. And I hated it!

And since then, I haven't worn the running shoes to run on the pavement... nor on the treadmill. Just wore it for some 30 minute biking and that was two weeks ago. It seems so long ago. My body has forgotten running. My mind has forgotten running. Damn that plantar fasciitis!

So come tomorrow night, I have no idea what to expect. Most likely burning out at 3km. Should that happen, I will just walk to the finish line. Doubt my endurance can handle 10km distance all the way to the finish line. We will just have to wait and see...






And what do I do in my free time if I don't run, bike or go to the gym? Well, I have become a certified couch potato as I watch fit players try to kick the white ball in the net within a 90-minute time frame... and I love watching every #$%!@$% minute of it!

Best of all, they can be seen on TV now... all the way to the finals!

Bling Blings!

After joining the recently concluded Nature Valley 21km race and getting a huge medal from finishing this hard (at least for me) race, I decided to look for all of our past medals and see how many we've gathered.

No podium finish but for a certain runner, that isn't the important thing:


"For all of us, the miracle isn't that we finish, the miracle is that we have the courage to start." -- John "The Penguin" Bingham



The various New Balance races including the first very long race I did at Clark with the 25km distance...





10k Book Run at Fort Bonifacio



My first 21km road race at Kota Kinabalu. Ran it with Benny while everyone else from our group slept!



Our fave medals so far because of the memorable experience and the very colorful and eye-catching medals. We will never look at Golden Gate Bridge the same way again...




Run the Wall and get The Wall Medal! What a World Wonder: Great Wall 10k and 21k race



The very popular Condura races!





Various 21km Road Races





RunRio 21km Races, including the recently concluded RunRio Leg 2 : Nature Valley 21km





The hardest medals I had to earn: Four 42.2km medals! Who would have thought?! Not this Fatboy!


Now for some non-running medals:



Star Cruise Medal that I won over a game they had there. Took this relaxing ride January 2010!




And a souvenir I bought (cheaply!) at Tianamen Square from recent China trip!



What we have so far! 25 finisher medals and 2 non-running medals!

What about you? What's your race collections?