Another Back to Back Weekend Run

Run # 1 (Saturday) :

A 3.2km Run at Philippine Army Grandstand. Sounds simple enough?

Here's the catch: It has to be done barefoot ! No shoes, no socks and no slippers. Just you and the road.

If the road was done at Ultra Oval or on flat grass or even on (wishful thinking) a carpeted floor, then that's fine. But this is hard and uneven asphalt roads. There were a lot of screaming, a lot of shouting, a lot of walking, a lot of pain, and a lot of blisters! I don't think anyone got out of this with the skin of their feet intact.

Mine alone had blisters on the the forefoot and on the fourth toe. Dabbing both feet in petroleum jelly helped alleviate the pain but will that be enough for Run #2?

This run was also Bald Runner's 1st barefoot clinic and just costs Php 50.0. It's quite an affordable run and personally, I am looking forward to Bald Runner's 2nd barefoot clinic happening in September and features a 5km barefoot and/or "barefoot shoes" run. Price has gone up to Php 350, but this would also include a souvenir shirt.



Cheapest run as you don't even need to have a pair of rubber shoes! Haha!




Areas of improvement (on me and not on race):

1. Need to lift legs more without pushing off so would lessen friction (which causes blisters). Raise feet at ankle level and plant it softly to the ground. Feet should look like they are pedaling a bike.



Run # 2 (Sunday): NBA Fit Run 21k

Another good race from RunRio Inc. Cost for 21km is cheap (considering the organizer) at just Php 600. Unfortunately, with the cheaper fee comes some deductions. There are no finisher medals nor finisher shirts for 21km finishers. You will get an Air 21 Environment Bag at the finish line with some other freebies. Race comes with D Tag, Bib no., and NBA Fit Run Singlet.

Due to a lack of medal (which I just love regardless of size, shape or color), it took me a long while to decide whether to run this race or not. But I invited Alvin to go with me and with his yes, there's no backing out for me.

The route is around BGC area and up Kalayaan Bridge all the way to Buendia for the U Turn right before South Super Highway and back to BGC for some more loops inside the area. I thought I was getting stronger but by 14- 15km, I was burning out. I did a mix of run-walk to get to the finish line.

I'm sure I would have finished longer if I ran by myself only so I was glad to have someone (with his disappointed look!) push me forward. My finish time was at 2:48:29, quite mediocre vs my other 21km races but quite happy with it because of the following difference (vs that of other 21km races):

1. I ran on Kalayaan Bridge. Yes, it was just one way as going back, I was run-walking the bridge. But this was the first time I ran the entire thing from bottom to top, crossed it, and ran to the bottom at one time. This has never happened for this year so that's something I can be a little proud of.

2. I did not use GU. Ordinarily for a race at BGC, I would end up eating 2 GUs, a banana (if any) and lots of Gatorade/ Powerade. That's a lot of sugar but I always feel like GU has a ton more (but it does work for me). Still that's one GU saved! Kailangan din mag-tipid!

3. It was the 2nd leg of my self imposed back to back run. So legs are tired, calves are working overtime and blisters aren't even healed yet. Even with this condition, I was able to beat the previous three 21km races that used the same BGC route. So hooray for my small victory!

Some areas of improvement (on me again):

1. Need to start slower! So I can go faster at latter part of the race or at the very least, be consistent. Walking at latter part meant I went out too fast.

2. Need to work on core muscles. Shoulders always painful at 2nd part of 21km race so a weak core could be the culprit here..

Free Barefoot Shoes! - VivoBarefoot Neo

Note: this was revised last Friday but due to some technical problems with Blogspot, it reverted to its original post. Putting up again revised post on this...

Thanks to Terra Plana Philippines for these shoes and for Barefoot Running Philippines for the Barefoot running sessions at Ultra. Looking forward for more of these sessions and (hopefully) more raffle prizes!

Guess the luck of a preggy woman extends to her husband... :)

In claiming my prize, Per and I visited their store located on the 3rd floor of Trinoma Mall (right next to Marks & Spencer). For this model (VIVOBAREFOOT Neo), there were four color combinations to choose from: white/red, white/ green, white/black, and yellow/black. I got to say these shoes really looked stylish and after trying most color combinations, I settled for the white/red ones. Retail price for these shoes are at Php 5,500.

These shoes don't look like your ordinary bulky running shoes but rather chic, fashionable walking shoes. But don't let its appearance deceive you as they are quite comfortable and I've been wearing them for days now. The thin insoles could also be removed for a more "barefoot" feel and these shoes could be worn with or without socks. The shoes are perfect for me given that they have a wider toe box compared to other running shoes out there (Adidas, Nike) and perfect for those thinking of running barefoot but didn’t want to get feet dirtied or blistered.

In terms of the weight of the shoes, my 11.0 to 11.5 size would be approximate 9.0 oz, which is similar to the NB 903/ 904 series I used to have (and to which I used for running full marathons once upon a time). It’s heavier than other minimalist shoes (Vibram Fivefingers) but still lighter than most running shoes.

The real test for these shoes was when I used it for running, which I reluctantly (as didn’t want to have them dirtied) did last Thursday night at Ultra Track Oval.
From a target of 2.5 -3km short jog, it extended to 6km with water breaks every 2.5kms.

I got to say I did not feel any heel pains when I ran in these shoes. My calves were tight so had to walk it off at 2.5km to loosen the muscles again. But I’m thinking that this could be the “barefoot” way of running as the exact same thing happened to me in my previous barefoot run sessions. I was able to run my fastest 400 meters repeatedly as well, which I wasn’t able to do for some time now. It being lighter than my average running shoes could have helped with that as well.

On a negative side, the tongues of the shoes were mildly damped after running 6km so I am not sure if it was the hot weather that night, or my faster than average pace, or the material used in the shoes that lead it to absorbing the sweat more than my regular New Balance shoes, but this needs to be explored further.

As mentioned, these shoes and other models are available in Trinoma Mall but they also have stores in Mall of Asia and in Cebu, among other places in the Philippines.

Barefoot Running Session 2

After a successful event in MOA a few months back (click to read: Barefoot Running) a new challenge was presented to me: run 5.2km on Ultra's Oval Track. This would mean running the 400-meter Oval Track 13 times with no shoes or socks involved.

But before I took the challenge and got my feet dirtied, there was a short talk on Chi Running given by Lit Onrubia. In his talk, he discussed the importance of using balance in running, the proper running forms needed to protect one's body from injury, proper landing and take off, counting cadence, etc. This was followed by another short talk by Mike Logico, a regular barefoot runner, who explained some more things with regards to this new (or is it "new" old) form of running generating interest in the country. Mike gave up on his running shoes after getting injured with it for so many times (sounds familiar?). He then continued running barefoot and hasn't turned his back on it since then. It was, in his own words "his last hurrah" to running.

Both talks were quite interesting and I really took this to heart. Being injured myself for the longest time, it was something that definitely caught my attention and made me wonder, "what if running barefoot was the cure for all those runner's injuries due to wrong running forms?"

Once the talks were finished, we applied what we've learned on the Oval Track. Just to put it in perspective, I haven't been running consistently for some time. Usually it is just on a Sunday for a 10k race and that's about it. I ran last two nights ago at Ultra and did 2.4 km (6 loops) before I stopped to drink water and basically sat down for a couple of minutes. I did a few more loops but was exhausted by the end of it. It was tiring, difficult and I can't wait to reach my target distance of 8kms (after lowering it from 10kms). I kept drinking water, walked a lot and just didn't like the feeling I got. My last 2kms were at a super slow pace of 9 minutes per km!

So I had low expectations for this run too. I figured it would be harder without the support and cushioning of rubber shoes. That it would be stressful for my legs and take a lot more hard work to accomplish it. I even set a lower standard of just completing 3kms here rather than the 5.2kms I originally aimed to do.

Well, there's some good news and bad news: on the bad news - my feet were really really dirty after the run! That was expected of course but the wet, muddy ground didn't help at all. I also developed some small blisters on my left foot.

On the good news, I wasn't tired...at all! I completed the 5.2kms distance and felt I could do a whole lot more. There were no pains in my heel or knees nor that of my shoulders. It was as if I did not run at all! Wow, what a wonderful feeling! So twice I've ran barefoot and twice I was happy by the results.


Group shot!


Mike teaching us proper stretching and how to strengthen our legs further

As a bonus to today's run, there was a raffle prize for one lucky person care of Terra Plana Philippines as they plan to give one pair of VIVOBAREFOOT NEO! Drool !!!!!!

Guess who got it?



Lucky no. 6 !

Can't wait for the next session! Makes me wonder too: what would be my first barefoot race?

Thanks again to Barefoot Running Philippines for a great event! Find and add them on Facebook for future running sessions, caveman style!

And of course, a big thanks to Terra Plana Philippines for the shoes. Can't wait to try it!!

Those who are interested in minimalist running shoes can also visit their stores:

The Barefoot Store
Level 2 Entertainment Mall SM MOA
Level 3 Trinoma

Level 1 Alabang Town Center

Terra Plana/VIVOBAREFOOT Cebu

Level 1 Ayala Center Cebu

Barefoot Running!

Last week, I registered myself to join the 5th VFF Barefoot Clinic at Mall of Asia Complex. As this was my first time to try running barefoot on the streets, I took the shortest distance available, which was 3km. The other distance available in this clinic was 5km distance.

There were a total of 80 people who joined the clinic that day, with some wearing Vibrams Five Fingers or other minimalist running shoes while others opted to run bare.

You may think that 80 was a small number but it was a significant increase from just 3 people who joined the very first VFF Barefoot Clinic some months ago. This was also the first time they had a barefoot running clinic as previous running clinics focused on wearing VFFs.


At about 6:30AM, we started our 3km run around MOA complex. It was quite fun to run "naked" and feel the hard ground on your feet. But it was also painful as I ran on pebbles and on the sharp concrete roads. I grimaced in pain for some time until I found out a small secret: running on the smooth sidewalks gave a relief to my sensitive feet!

Similar to trail running, I had to focus on where I was stepping on to make sure there weren't any broken glass, used bubble gums, dead insects, etc. that may lie along the path. Stepping on any one of these things would definitely make me regret taking off my rubber shoes in the first place!


Shot from behind done by Per


Nice shot made! Feet taking off!


About 18 - 19 minutes, we were back from where we started from. I was tired and exhausted and felt some minor muscle pains in my thighs. Surprisingly, there were no pains in my heel. Could the solution to plantar fasciitis be barefoot running? Hmmmm.....

Overall, this was a fantastic experience for me and I was glad to be a part of it. Running barefoot may also be a good leg strengthening exercise as you work the other muscles in your body that you don't usually focus on when you wear running shoes.

Looking forward to doing more barefoot running in the future!


Before and After the Barefoot Run


Group Shot




For those people who are interested in this experience, add "Barefoot Running Philippines" on Facebook so you can be notified of future events around the city.

Boracay 2km Barefoot Running

It was Per and my first trip to Boracay as a married couple and it was fantastic. It was also a lucky coincidence that our arrival here fell on the same weekend as that of "Women's Health Beauty and the Beach" Annual Event.

The official press release from Takbo.ph website was as follows:



Women’s Health returns to Boracay with the 2nd Beauty and the Beach event!

After a highly successful launch in Boracay last year, Women’s Health Philippines brings back its flagship event to one of the best beaches in the world. “Beauty and the Beach” returns to Boracay this April, right in time for Women’s Health’s first anniversary!

“Beauty and the Beach” is a two-day event happening on April 10 and 11, 2010, in Station 2, Boracay, where ladies can enjoy morning yoga sessions, all-new dance workouts, and other fun activities by the beach. There will also be a morning run organized by Takbo.ph, ATV rides around Boracay, and more!

To pre-register, visit us at the All-Flip Flops store in Boracay on April 9, Friday. Limited slots are available and lots of freebies await pre-registered participants, so be sure to register early! You also get FREE admission by bringing your copy of the April issue of Women’s Health, out in newsstands soon!

Women’s Health Beauty and the Beach was brought to you by Havaianas, Schick, Playtex, Banana Boat, Alo Youth, Pond’s, Rexona, Cream Silk, Sunsilk, Vaseline, and The Bar. Special thanks to Nestle and Sangobion, and to the official media partners Magic 89.9 and Jam 88.3.


We missed out on Day 01 due to arriving on the beach on the same day (goodbye free ATV rides) but was able to go there in the afternoon and registered ourselves for the morning run to be held the next day by Queenie and runner/ blogger Kikay Runner. This being a Women's Health event, only women are allowed to join the run but I didn't care as this was one run I didn't mind tagging along (30 hot women + 1 running fatboy = a scornful hot mrs running fatboy!)

Only problem for us was waking up very early but we managed to do so for the experience of barefoot running in Boracay. Run started from Station 2 and most of the way, runners would run in a single file towards Station 1 for the turnaround point (which was Kikay Runner, who had to run very very fast to beat all the other women just so nobody would go beyond the turnaround point!) and back to the starting line.

Once completed, the ladies would get a loot bag filled with .... ahem.... feminine products and a pretty cool bonus of a new pair of Haviannas!

Only catch for joining this event (aside from the fact that you have to be a woman... sour grape I know!) was that you had to shell out Php 150 for payment of latest WH's Magazine to get your entry fee here. But I didn't mind as it featured the sexy Anne Curtis on its cover.

A pretty good deal for the nice loot bag, the pair of Haviannas and to run on the shores of Boracay with no shoes on! Truly a great experience!



Picture by Queenie




The loot bag



Per got herself a new red pair! Woo hoo!



Enjoying the WH's magazine at the beach!

Thanks to takbo.ph and Women's Health for a great fun run at the beach...




Bora 2010 rocks!!!