Runner with a bruised ego

 

OctobeRun results are out.  And seeing it made me NOT enjoy my lunch and gave me this DISTURBED feeling that makes me want to jump off my 29th floor office to run on the street and train.  And train.  And train.  Until I could beat Fernando ZdA and Lance G.  in 10K races.

I was literally at the back of the pack, with only 54 runners behind me.  Between Ryan and I, there were seven runners (huh, pwede!) but between Jihan and I…  about 134 runners (!) I really ate up her dust, darn!

Honestly, I have just exaggerated on the “frustrated” reaction.   The “challenged” feeling is more dominating in me now that all I think about is how to train harder so that I’ll do better in my next race.   Though I may not be a born runner;  a born FIGHTER, I am.

Experimentations

I went out for a quick run this morning.  I arose from bed 5:20 and got out of the house by 5:40 AM.  I walked-jogged my way to UP Acad Oval for roughly 5 minutes, did basic stretching, and began my run.

I had initially planned to do a 5K.  My bigggest limitation in doing morning runs is time  as I would need to be back in the house before 6:30 so that I keep my day job and keep my boss smiling. 

In actuality, I just finished 3K – okay, it’s what you call the very, very short run.  There’s one thing I did today that I don’t usually do.  I EXPERIMENTED WITH EVERYTHING -  the length of my stride, my pacing, my form, breathing…  And now I realize this is what happens when there is hardly any science in your training –  that is, you go for the only approach you know how to do, which is TRIAL and ERROR. 

The Bara-bara runner does it her way again.  And after running 3K, with plenty of these experimentations in between, I got side-stitches which suddenly got me lazy to go on running and so I started walking back home at around 6:20 AM.

The target “fix” I had been wanting to make is how to lengthen my stride –  just to take advantage of my longer limbs -  and make it my comfortable pace in training runs and in actual races.  I have gotten used to this other “comfy pace”  (which keeps my breathing stable)  that takes short strides but greater emphasis on higher running cadence.   In the past, my goal was to get a quicker feet despite the shorter step. 

But a friend of mine tells me I still could lengthen my stride as my legs are longer anyway.  And seeing her run faster with longer strides (and she would run past me in races!) made me grow envious, and I thought I should take her advice.  But then, from this morning’s experimentation, I realized my comfy pace still works better for me as I’d grow so easily tired with trying to run with longer strides.  I feel I’m not cut out for that as I had ended up short of breath and whining of side-stitches -  instead of getting improved running performance. 

I feel I have to revert to my old comfy form and pace.  At least for now that what’s I know I should do…

On running forms

“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”   I get a selective amnesia in recalling things learned from workshops and seminars so what usually stick in my head are a few catchy remarks I find relevant to my personal situation.  Call me egotistic, and just who isn’t anyway.  Hahaha.   From the Running Aid 3 clinic at ROX about three weeks ago, it’s one of those lines a doctor-speaker repeatedly uttered that stuck to my head:  “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”    And he’d often say it while critiquing, rather politely, on people’s running forms.

 

My running form is far from perfect;  in fact, it probably is so bad that my friends comment on it even without my asking. 

>  The ‘Hippy Form’:   Defined as ‘running with catchy but unintended hip sways that can be potently distracting, enough to slow down possible opponents’   (at least that’s how my friends put it)

   Look, I am not at all happy about it :  highlight on UNINTENDED.   Am not even aware that’s how I run!  Bwisit!  Ayoko kaya ng ganyan!   So, yep, I’ve been trying so hard to be consciously controlling the hip sways.  But during races, I couldn’t care less about my form as I have enough worries to attend to -  and on top of it is how to stay running and keep myself from walking.

 >  The ‘Weird Right Foot Stride’ :  And again, they all agree my right leg moves weirdly.  First, Maricel (my althlete friend who’s a staple winner in races)  commented on this when she saw me running in ULTRA.  She said, “alam mo, okey yung kaliwa mo diretso ang landing nya sa ground, pero yung KANAN, parang lumiliko, basta hindi diretso ang bagsak… dapat diretso lang…”    Surprised at the comment, I just said, “Ahhh… Talaga?…”  That’s when I first became aware of it.  

Then in Clark, when my officemates saw me run, they said there’s some “arte” effect in my running and that my right leg does the “arte” thing -  that it’s too “pa-girl”.    I, being aware of it already, told them it’s a defect I need to solve.  And one of them replies, ” Ah talaga?!  Akala ko ganun talaga dapat, ‘kala ko technique yun!”   NGEKS!  It’s not a technique okay – it’s a DEFECT.  Ahahaha!   During my birthday run-and-eat celeb, the MPG runners verified it.  My right foot is weird.  FINE THEN, it is.  Now you guys tell me how to fix it.  Hmp.

Then again, I wonder if I’m broken – if my running form is – and if I needed the ‘fixing’.  The thing is, I’ve been running regularly and I feel strong, I’ve trained for and successfully finished my first two 10K races injury-free (now I’m not really sure if people should be injured in running just 10K distances, hehehehe!), and I don’t feel weird pains after doing long runs (or are my runs isn’t really ‘long’ in the first place?… owww).

Anyway, I think I need ‘fixing’ because I’m darn SLOW (!) I couldn’t even do a sub-75 minutes for 10K runs.  Gee, I have such bad time record in races I shouldn’t even be writing about it.  Sheesh.

OctobeRun @ The Fort. 10.26.2008

Same gang, same venue.  Racing in OctobeRun yesterday was sorta reminiscent of my first ever race in 5K Davies Paint Fun Run last August.  I was with the same company –  Jihan & Ryan -  and same race venue (but different race route this time!).   This couple are gracious, gracious persons.  My ride arrangement for the race was made easy as Ryan had me picked up in Philcoa at around 4:30 AM.  It’s usually that super-early morning transpo to the race venue that’s complicated to a car-less person like me, but some people go all the way to facilitating things for others -  and it’s more touching when they do it without your asking them to.

 

Gee, isn’t this more like a Binibini pose than a runner pose!  (I need coaching in runners photo-ops!)

Early Birds:  Cathletic with Jihan & Ryan.

Plus Points!   This race though was twice bigger than Davies Paint and a fourth of Adidas KOTR’s crowd – about a thousand runners, more or less, yesterday.  Personally, there were many positive points in this race and I say this despite my getting a really BAD time record yesterday.

*  Yep, systematic, they were.   Things at the race venue were pretty much organized and there’s the ever ‘kuleeeet’ emcee re-playing the announcement of instructions OVER AND OVER AGAIN (he had me almost irritated..) so all of your questions get answered even before you can utter them.

*  Byebye Pee Pressure.  There were CLEAN portalets (highlight on CLEAN). So, no pee pressures for me during the race!

*  Lotsa Water.  There were about 5 water stations for 10K – so that’s one water station every 2K (which is the advisable thing to do for race organizers). And, unlike in KOTR where water came from ’balde-and-tabo‘ (!), the water supply yesterday were taken from distilled bottled water poured into plastic cups. On our way back after the U-turn, the water stations would even give out the entire huge bottled water (about half a Liter size, I think) to the runners who wanted them – I DIDN’T get as I could barely run then and wasn’t in need of extra baggage.

*  New Route.  The race route was NEW to me! And its long uphill course was pretty challenging – almost equal in difficulty to that in KOTR’s ‘flyover uphill’ but was milder as in this route there were at least some trees bordering the roadsides you can get yourself some shade from the sun.

*  Freebies!   There were plenty of freebies at the Finish Line!!!  And there were ladies, take note: smiling ladies, delivering this nice [memorized] script: “Hi Ma’am, congrats, please get your drinks, and you have a free DVD on running and a certificate! “   I got a bottled water, Fit n Right, and Rush – all of these I find good-tasting… so, pretty much a treat for a thirsty runner!  And the DVD…. Hahaha!  Promise, NAKAKATUWA S’YA! It’s locally made and I could still emember having seen in the barricades one of the actors/ hosts in the video- hahaha!

As for performance - and in MPG, we only talk about this in the last portion of the race recap as we talk of BETTER things first, hahaha! -Jihan did best finishing her 10K in 66 mins, Ryan in 76 mins, and yours truly, finishing last with 78 mins (unofficial record).  Okay, I know I did worse here as my KOTR is 77 and now I’m even a minute late pa (bwisit! hahaha!).  But the running video might just help me beat Jihan in Clark.  A-S-A! Ryan, tuloy ang laban!  hahaha!

Post race photo-op.  ;D

True-blooded MPGs.  A manifestion of our being MPG: The emcee yesterday kept on reminding the runners, already in formation for the start of the race, that the fast ones should stay in front while the recreational runners (of course we’re NOT that!) should stay at the back.  WELL, as you have guessed right, WE WERE IN FRONT, almost in the same pack as Maricel (the athlete-winner in MAK7)  that I even waved ‘Hi!’ to her.  And this is doing it ‘the MPG way’. Awryt! ;D

 

Currently a city runner.  But I’d wanna try the trails.  When I get stronger, I think.

Starting the Run-&-Eat Tradition

I had a blast with MPG runners – who are also my super friends from way back UP days - last night in my run&eat birthday celebration. As expected, the first timers in ULTRA were amazed at discovering such a gorgeous running place in Pasig. I, too, was kinda surprised at how beaming an atmo ULTRA had last night – considering it was a Friday night. I had thought for most runner-yuppies who usually train there to be somewhere else hanging out (read: NOT running) – and getting themselves a life! (Hahaha! But of course there’s an active social life among the runners community!) Part of the reason why ULTRA was so lively last night was the fact that there was an ongoing soccer games by high school girls at the center of the track oval – and the bleachers were half-filled with their families and friends watching their game.

Except for a few people’s misadventures last night (sshh… ‘bandana runner’ got lost in Ortigas! Ayan, southerner ka kasi e!), everything pretty well went on as planned. We spent around an hour and a half running in ULTRA, a few kulitans on the side, and some group pictures. I think I finished around 12 or 13 rounds on the track oval (roughly 5K), Jihan had 10, Carla had 4 or 5 (?), and for Cha and Pao… I am clueless. The ChaPao tandem, like me, also began running early (since we were the ‘early birds’) but I could not keep track of how they’d ran as I would see them stop and stay on the sides for some minutes, then resume to running every now and then, so… there… (exactly, how much/long did you run guys? …)

At around 9:30 PM, we left ULTRA with mouths hungry for water (at least I could speak for myself: I WAS BADLY THIRSTY that I had to semi-grab Pao’s Minute Maid drink which was the only liquid stuff left to us) and solid food. It was time for carbo-reloading, as well as do the birthday celeb the traditional way – EAT! We headed to SM Megamall and had our fill of food and chitchat. And chitchats to the max(!), some topics were even bordering on chismis (not evilish though, we’re not that). ‘So who among our batch are married now? … Whaaaat???!!! He’s married? How come?!!!… So are they still together?… Oh no, they broke up na?!… Somebody thinks you’re not ETC and you’re ******?!… Gee, what’s that – they think you’re too socy to be in ETC?… or they think you’re NOT relevant? or you’re NOT conscious?!…. Wahahahaha!!!!’ And the banter went on and on until we realized Megamall’s gates had began closing and we had had to find our way to the building’s main entrance just to get out. By then it was already nearly 12MN and we thought it should be bye-bye time already.

Dree also just finished her get-together dinner with her former MBA classmates and met up with us outside the mall to introduce her friends to us, the MPG runners. Her friends were bit amazed at the ‘run&eat’ gimmick as one of them remarked (I suppose directed to me): “Talagang tumakbo ka pa for your birthday ha!…” I got pretty ashamed as I thought he surveyed my outfit (!) – take note, I was the only one who still wore my running shorts during my post-run birthday dinner as the others have changed back to their office attire and were more decent-looking. Yikes, but it’s my party anyway – no one’s gonna shoo me away!

Anyway, to that comment, I replied: “Oo, it’s tradition…” Blessie snapped: “Anong tradition, e first time nga to eh!” I almost pulled her hair, and then I corrected my self: “I mean, we’re trying to start a tradition in the group…”

Then again, I’m really clueless as to whether the other people in MPG will find it okay to get sweaty from running on their birthday…

ULTRA option won. Heypi Bertdey to me!

We shall run at ULTRA later.  It’s final.  Am excited to see how my friends will marvel at how beautiful the place is –  a haven for runners!  –  given that the government runs it.  Again, please don’t punish me for being this candid.

Birthday thoughts, birthday thoughts, birthday thoughts…  Nothing much actually, except that I have this feeling of immense gratitude to the One up there for the many blessings – all of the which are clearly undeserved.  And I wish to remain this grateful, if not more, all my life.   

Running-shoe-shaped birthday cake, anyone?

Jokingly, I have made it a personal sports goal to promote myself to the 10K category in official racing events before I reach 25 (I was supposed to put asterisks there, until I got hold of myself and realized that 25 is young!  At least, I feel young about it.) .  Seriously, I made it happen in the Adidas KOTR last October 11.  A feat, I must say.  And that gladdens me.

When I did KOTR, friends kept on congratulating me for finishing my first 10K, but one of them – a sports buff siren – didn’t finish her congratulatory greetings without ending with this huge challenge:  “From now on, you can’t run a race that’s less than 10K, Nevarr! … insulto na lang yan sa sarili…”

That was really my plan anyway – to run 10K in all my other succeeding races after I finish my first.  Then again, it feels different when the challenge comes from somebody else.  Unlike Janina San Miguel, I could easily muster the words, “Owww… I feel greyt preyshur rayt naw!” 

My OctobeRun race this Sunday is like a birthday race to me so with God’s goodness, I’d like to get for myself a PR.  Wew!  Dream big Cathy!  If I still don’t make it this time, the NB Power Race in Clark will have to give me just that.  A-S-A.

Torn between two goods

Tomorrow I shall turn 18.  Nah!  Am too old to be a liar.  Anyway, it’s really my birthday tomorrow and I shall celebrate it with my best/ closest friends all way back since college – and now they got the value-adding property of being my constant running buddies too! 

In MPG, I suggested that we begin a birthday celeb tradition, and we could choose if we want the eat-&-run version, or the opposite, run-&-eat.  Of course, the second sounded more logical lest we want to risk it fainting on the track oval having pushed ourselves to run with our bellies all stuffed with sisig and bulging with iced tea.

For tomorrow night, we choose between an Ultra run & dinner in some pasta-rich resto - OR – (the equally tempting!) run in UP Dil then dinner at Mang Jimmy’s (oh! how we missed you Mang Jimmy!).

This has so far remained undecided.  We shall know by tomorrow.

For Option 1, the ‘ULTRA’ run is the main ‘pro’ to me (since some of the MPG runners haven’t been there yet) while for option 2, the ‘Mang Jimmy’ factor is soooo delectable to the senses (their tapa is simply amazing!).

Hmm… torn, torn, torn.  Gee, aren’t we happy we usually have plenty of equally good choices in this life!  ;D   So many things to thank God for! -  and one of them is His giving me these strong pair of legs to discover and pursue this sport I have come to love, which has also helped me nurture these many good friendships and even build new ones.

OH! And I must shut up now before I totally turn you off with my cheesiness.

Not a streaker. NEVER.

I was back in Manila Tuesday night, after the two-day team planning in Mimosa.  I had planned to call it “rest days” until Friday -  when I plan to have a ‘run & eat’ birthday celebration with my runner-friends -  but a friend in need (of a run practice) disrupted my supposed rest days plan.  Last Tuesday night, Dree sent me an SMS asking if I would join her run the next morning or later at night the next day.  Hmm.  I paused and reflected.  She must need this  run.  So despite my previous plans of getting to bed earlier than usual and resting my legs until Friday, I replied: “Ok, let’s run tomorrow night.”

Usually, it is I who ask Dree to accompany me do late evening runs in UP.  And she happily complies because she also wants to.  But the initiative almost always comes from me.

So the other day’s run invite from her was sort of an SOS alarm to me.  She needed to run, I thought.  So despite all the groginess personified in me, after that consecutive Bicol & Clark activities, I gave in to help a friend in need.  Again, – of a run.  Funny how it becomes a need!  Hahaha!

So last night we ran together and I noticed there were plenty of other joggers in the area.  I did a 3K continuous run (I had planned it to be an easy run after the Clark exhaustion) and about 2K of short run bursts, for speed training (?).  Hehe.  Dree did a continuous 5K run on a race-pace. 

While we walked to cool down, I told her about my apprehension of running that night – since I just ran the other day  (I ran Tue morning in Clark and then ran again last night).  But I told her that since we did it in the evening it looked like I had a good rest time in between anyway.  I said I have no plans of being a streaker.

And she asked, “What is a streaker?”

I replied, “It’s someone who runs everyday and never misses.  You know rest days are just as important as training days because the body badly needs to rest too.”

But I guess she got more amazed with the term ’streaker’ as she reacted, “Oh… streaker pala tawag dun…”  (in a thoughtful mood).

This morning I researched over the net the meanings of the word ’streaker’, and here’s what I got.  AMAZING!  They are two different things, and in both meanings I DO NOT INTEND TO BE A STREAKER-  NEVAH!

 

definition 1: 

  Streaker 

A runner who runs seven days a week and never misses, not just usually, but ever.  There are runners who have gone on for many years without a day off.  The longest known streak is held by Bob Ray, of Maryland, who has run every day since April 4, 1967. A local runner, Craig Davison, has run every day since November 11, 1978.  To date he has finished 123 marathons, 76 of them sub-3:00, often winning or at least getting age group hardware.  One of his goals is to run 100 sub-3:00 marathons.  (http://www.lynndavidnewton.com/run/rttm/ha1.html#streaker)

 

definition 2: 

  Streaker 

Someone who takes off all their clothes and runs naked through a public place.  (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/streaker)

 

 

Runner-turned-sirkera @ Mimosa

After Bicol comes Mimosa in Clark.  Nope, it’s not like these two areas are adjacent; they’re not even near to each one.  But the past weekend until yesterday, I shuttled between Manila and Bicol, and then coming back from Bicol, doing a quick one-hour stop in Manila, and then shuttling forth to Clark.  Okay, I know I’m the adventurous type but this isn’t a ‘trip-trip’ thing.  The Bicol weekend was for family affair and last Monday I had to catch my group for our team planning in Mimosa.  I had previously planned of just following them and commuting alone to Clark as I wouldn’t be sure what time on Monday I’d arrive in Manila from Bicol.  So I was prepped too for that adventure. 

Saved by coffee.  But since we arrived in Cubao at around 4:30 AM – much earlier than I expected -  I figured I could get to UP in a few minutes, repack my backpack and freshen up a bit in 30 minutes, and be picked up by my team at SM North at around 6:15 AM.  Sounded just right.  So these things I did and things went on pretty well, except that when afternoon came I felt too drowsy already that I finished two cups of coffee to perk me up so that I can still be useful in the discussions. 

Mimosa run!  One of the things I was looking forward to in this Mimosa planning is to get try a different route for a morning run.  This too, I/we did.  I had already commissioned my officemates to join me do this morning run while in Mimosa, and they happily complied.  So the youngsters in the group (us), just sang a few songs during the videoke get-together on Monday – and munched plenty of chips and nuts! – and by 10 PM, we bid goodbye to our boss as we told her we were getting up early the next day to jog/run. 

More rituals.  By 4:30 AM, all the five of us in the house - Ian, Jec, Joanne, Joyce, and myself – were already up.  They, too, were excited to get to roam around Mimosa that early time of the day.  I realized I had more pre-run rituals as I was the one who took the longest time to prepare.  I was still fixing the stuffs inside my beltbag and carefully applying sunblock while all the four of them were already downstairs, clad in running clothes but idly watching television and bearing that sort of face that says, ‘you know I’d really prefer staying on this couch while channel-switching than running…’  True enough, they told me exactly this when I finally finished my rituals and I went downstairs to join them: ‘Cathy, nood na lang tayo ng TV, kakatamad…”   I went GRRR! jokingly and then I prodded them that we step out of the house and begin our run.  That was 5 AM.  It was still dark outside.  And I realized we were such ‘bibo kids’.   Wahaha!

Discoveries.  Running became kinda difficult as these people weren’t into jogging – and weren’t even sporty.  Then again, I like the idea of influencing people to try sports and learn to love it.  At first, I tried to pace Joanne and Joyce since Ian and Jec stood firm about doing just leisurely walk.  Anyway, as anticipated I had to run ahead most of the time and then I’d run back to where they are, just to end up running ahead again.  We covered the long straight roads in Mimosa and then after about 30 minutes we discovered a track oval right outside one of Mimosa’s side gates.  I think it was a track oval inside the Air Force City in Clark.  I was sooo happy that we saw it since there were plenty of other runners, joggers (ok, I just know by now how to distinguish one from the other.  don’t ask how, i just know) and American and Filipino military men doing their training in the area. 

Anyway, here are some of the pics:

 

 At Acacia St. in Mimosa right infront of our house.

 At the Air Force City track oval.  There’s Joan & Joyce (the nearest two human figures facing back).

PAGOD, all caps.  Taken after I challenged Joanne race with me for a short-distance sprint.  This girl has quicker feet than I have, and she almost beat me here.  I had to counter her quick feet with my longer strides.  Hehehe!  Wais!

Post-run photo op.  With Joanne here, infront our house in Mimosa.

Who’d think we’ll do Amazing Race as team-building activity that same morning!  Because of the morning run, I was all prepped and my team won it!  Yebah!  This pic was taken before the physical challenges.

Turned SIRKERA.  Traversing a rope while elevated from the ground 3-storeys high.  Wew!  My knees were all trembling here.  Promise I’d rather do a 10K in MAK8 than do this again.  Hahahaha!  Scary!

‘Kala ko magaling ka?

I’ve had an extraordinarily busy weekend and start of the week.  But I wasn’t RUN-less.

Friday night, I left GCC in Ortigas quarter to seven o’clock, then hired a cab to speed off to Cubao bus terminal right in front of Ali Mall.  I was going to have that night bus trip to Bicol with my older brother and his girlfriend, who went with him so that my parents could finally meet her.  As I got my seat number and ticket, I spent 30 minutes or so roaming around Ali Mall while waiting for my travel companions to arrive.  In Ali Mall, I almost got so tempted in taking home a black Converse hooded jacket that was on sale at 50% discount.  The rational self prevailed - ‘Cathy!  You have too many hooded jackets in your closet that you barely use!’ – and I left the Converse store almost half-convinced that it was the right choice to make.   

Anyway, I was in Bicol early morning of Saturday and as I had previously planned to do my long run there, I was cooking up in mind how, when, and where I shall have it.  After attending a family affair in Naga (which was the main reason why we were in Bicol, by the way), and chitchatting with my parents and siblings, I jumped to bed around 4 PM to get a quick nap with the intention of going for a late afternoon/ early evening run around 5:30 PM.  Things went amiss as my younger bro, who was supposed to be my running buddy, was still getting his haircut when I woke up and when he finally returned, it was nearing 7 PM and my parents wouldn’t permit us to go.  And mama says, ‘this is not like in UP where it’s OK to run even on late evenings…’  (in Bicolano, of course).  Late evening?!  It was just 7PM!!!  And I usually start my runs in UP at 8:20 PM the earliest?!  OH,..  Then again, I’m not in UP.  Not even in Manila.   Where people appear to have greater tolerance for weird behaviors.  Hahaha!

So my long run was moved to Sunday morning.  My brother and I drove to an elementary school at the town proper where there’s a track oval.  I was glad to see other joggers in the area, young and old alike, sweating it out round the track oval at varying paces -  a fourth of them just doing leisurely walk.  We did basic stretching and as I recall it, I kept on giving running tips to my brother while we were warming up.  Later on, I’d be so ashamed to see him do far better in that run practice than I did. 

The track oval was probably 500M long and so I told my brother we had to complete 20 rounds of continuous running.  Shame on me!  By my eighth round, I got terrible leg cramps so I suddenly slowed down, then walked, moved to the side, and sat by the grass with my legs all stretched horizontally, hoping the pain would subside.  It did, but only after 3 minutes or so – which I found to be long as I thought the aching sensation should leave me the very moment I sit down and rest my legs.  Na-ah.  Not that easy afterall.  Then I began wondering what I did wrong.  I think I hydrated my self well and I even did some stretching before running (in past, I wouldn’t even do any!)…

I rested some more and did some stretching while I watched my brother – I was all green in envy! – go round the track oval several times, all merrily enjoying his run, and I thought to myself that he glided rather smoothly all throughout!  What a lucky boy! 

I tried to do two more rounds and then called it quits.  It wasn’t a very good day to run for me as I felt another cramp attack was on the way while I pushed for a second attempt to do continuous running. 

And I was selfish as I went on calling Daryl to stop from running already and begin cooling down as I thought it’s time to go home already.  Hehe!  Perhaps, deep inside I was kinda ‘bad trip’.  My brother enjoyed his run so much that he haggled twice that we was gonna do one more round.  In short, from the moment I prodded him to stop, I actually waited for him to finish three more rounds.  Didn’t he enjoy so so much!  ;D

And when he finally stopped running, he came to me bearing this nice comment:  “O, akala ko magaling ka?… Hihihi!…”  So I snapped back at him, “nagka-cramps ako noh!  yabang mo, hmp!”   Inside my head, I said, “Buwisit ‘tong batang to ah!”