The Myth of the Village Run

I promise to write about it soon.  To disprove that it’s a myth.

But I will need to run it first.

Darn that nice morning breeze.

Runner’s Tan

It’s summer and you want to look “in”.

So you want to get an instant tan complexion..    It’s easy.   Take up running and racing seriously, and before you know it, Whoa!,  you come out an instant brown beauty -  absolutely an eyecandy if you’re in the land of Caucasians.

A friendly warning though:   if get that thoroughly baked skin color (read: runner’s tan) and roam around Manila without doing the necessary realigning on your wardrobe color scheme, you may end up looking like that lost little barrio lass who went to the city completely unaware of this basic fashion code for morena girls:   screaming yellow and neon orange tops most likely won’t go well with your dark skin color.  Yes, it just won’t.

(The last sentence reminds me of a catchy title of a recent ‘The Economist’ magazine issue which read, ‘Yes, we have no bananas’.  Hehe.  Witty title.)

Last Sunday, in one of my girl bestfriends’ graduation, I wore a bright yellow top to pair up with jeans.  The pictures told it all:   My friends kept noticing my darker complexion, and I started feeling bit conscious about it.   The yellow top did it.  My running did it.  And they tried consoling me, teling me things like,  ‘It’s okay, you look healthier that way!’,  ‘That’s fine, at least you don’t look pale..’,   ‘..  they’d even think it’s because you’re an athlete!’

Uhuh.  YEAH, RIGHT.

But I am not complaining.  I love my runner’s tan.   Next week though I should probably start re-examining my wardrobe colors lineup.

Are you schizo?

Huh?

That’s what came out of my mouth -  and I am sure my face painted the same response  -  when a girl suddenly dropped me a question, “Are you schizo?” as she was gesturing to leave the Meco gym restroom.   I was then tying my shoelaces prepping myself up for an evening run.

Huwaaatt?!!! We were strangers to each other and then she asks me that ka-blam question!  Whattheheck Miss, I’m about to begin my run -  rather excitedly! -  and there you give me that insulting question as if I’ve tripped you up in the most important race of your life.

But when I checked her face, with my own questioning gaze, the girl looked innocent and kind.  So I shifted from feeling insulted to taking a quick internal inspection:  “Ohnoes!  Was I talking to myself and I wasn’t aware of it?..  Was I making weird gestures and I wasn’t aware of it?.. “ Ohnoes, I’m not ready to go to Manda for heaven’s sake!

I toughened up my spirits and I bravely mustered to ask her back,  “What do you mean?” But that’s after some 2-awkward-minutes of me trying to decipher what her question meant with semi-blank face and her, still standing by the door, ready to exit but was obviously waiting for my answer.

And the save-Cathy’s-sanity moment finally came as she answered, “Di ka ba kasama sa Schizo team?” Oh miss you should have had it stated clearer, sooner!

OK it’s like this -  that night there were volleyball and basketball games being held at the gym, obviously as part of a certain company’s sportsfest.  One of the teams there was named Schizo (what a name by the way!) and the girl was only asking if I was with that team — major WHEW!

What another ‘hilary’  (hilariously-funny) moment to start a training run!  It sure gave me a nice laughtrip to spice up my hill reps for the night.

# 37

Some people, without meaning to, can spoil the surprise for you.  I usually look up for my name and finish time in hot-off-the-grill race results with uber excitement.  But since my running friends have quadrupled, from the time I started racing, my results get to me even before I search for them.

At Greenfield run, I got a feed of my finish time through SMS as soon as the results came out.  So I thought ‘Oh okay, no need to check on the Runrio results myself..’   But the other day, I just stumbled on that race results page and on I began looking for my friends’ names even before mine.  Little did I know a mini-surprise awaits me.

No. 37!   I ranked 37th among the roughly 130 female 10Kers in the Gfield run.  And I was on the top page!  You know why that means a lot to me?  When I started racing, my name was always found on the 3rd or last page of the results list, and I used to count just how few people there were who I managed to outrun (competitive huh?  hehe..)

After about eight months of racing -  and training more regularly -  I find my name on the top page of the results.   Quite a treat.  And it does inspire me more..  to try take a quicker pace still, and some more endurance doses please.

Senator Pia who also ran 10K in the same race ranked 12th so she’s only 30+ runners ahead of me, I mean, female runners.  Just bit more speed and we’ll be rubbing elbows already during races, hahaha!  (Conscience yells back, ‘Dream on!’)

Come what May

If all things go as planned, my running takes a risky status starting next month, May -  oh but it’s already start of May next week(!), geesh.  I don’t know how I’ll be able to squeeze in my regular training runs within my expectedly tight work-school schedule.  And that’s not to count in other busi-nesses like my outreach projects and other hobbies.

But runner I am –  so come what May, I shall run.   It’s just gonna take up more effort from me these days, but what doesn’t take effort anyway?

Camayan, Calamay, Camaya

Friends and I were laughing over this newfound tongue-twister, that was born out of our getting confused over a race event’s name as we were dicussing about the registration details.

Let me get it right this time:  Camaya Coast Aquathlon.  There!

What got me interested in this race?  Well, you should know I am an outdoor baby, and I drool over fun nature trips every now and then, hahaha! This Camayan, er, Camaya challenge, comes in just perfect to fit my summer-coping race strategy (out-of-the-city-pls!) and my craving for the mountains-trees-beaches-anything-that’s-nature-trippin.

Give us good weather Dear God, and let my beloved NB running shoes endure the 10K trail run with a life-remainder of at least two more months of training and racing.

(Good luck to my friends, Bong and Rico, who are braving the aquathlon event and it’s their first try on open water swim!  You go guys!  I’d love to be your photogs but let’s see what comes out of my supposed first ever trail run..  Too many firsts for us eh!)

Dream BiG! (Who’s to stop me..)

One of my training buddies excitedly told me he’s doing the Penang International Marathon this coming November.    I only said, ‘Wow ah!  Good for you!’,  almost poker-faced because then I knew I needed to control the brewing feeling of envy in me.

I contented myself with the thought that while I’ll be more likely busy in school later this year  (thus can’t think far and stray away far)  there’s our own QC International Marathon and Subic International Marathon to choose from.

The next day after that chat, I found myself browsing over the Penang marathon website itself.. and then on U.S. and Canada marathon schedules.  (Now that’s the dream big part, LOL!)

Then I remembered it might just happen.   A month ago, I kidded my sister she should tag me along in her planned chill driving gimmick:  a cross-border drive with her kids to visit our cousins in Canada from her place in Seattle.  And this happens while her hubby sobs, haha!,  on having to miss it as he stays in Japan for a temporary work assignment.

T’was pure joke but she sent me back a serious email -  prolly thinking I’ve finally decided to take a sabbatical leave from my ‘makabayan’ stance and consider America as a possible home –   telling me I can come over anytime and she’ll take care of everything for me.

That was a nice thought but I kind of set that aside as I went back to my excel stuff after getting just bit excited over her email.

Now THIS makes me recall that email conversation.  With some REAL excitement.

This: [ A sneak peek if you're too lazy to follow to link]

Now that’s the real Wowowee! 

Greenfield City Run: Rockin’ Sta. Rosa

Greenfield City Run:  A Great Escape. 19 April 2009.  Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

 

All I knew was that I haven’t raced yet for the month, and that my standing rule is:   At least one yet no more than two races each month.  But what came out of this humid summer air and the scorching heat is yet another rule:   Preferably out-of-Manila race (coz it’s darn hot here!)

Given that equation, Greenfield race was the IT for me this April.  And it didn’t disappoint. 

 

Back to Normal

I ran 10K in this race = I’m back to my humble self again, thank God.   That’s because I realized for myself that 21K is no joke a race distance.  I know I didn’t suck in my first half-mary at Condura (in fact I think I ran it well, was injury-free and was even totally pain-free after that race)  but I have learned one important lesson:  Yes go run longer distances but DO your assignment if you want to run tall and go home safe.

My training these past weeks were mostly semi-serious speeds on weekdays and just a 10K on weekends.  Now I can’t possibly do an abrakadabra wishing to finish another 21K with a decent finish time.  See, I can be some crazy daredevil other times but I too can be sane.   (Whew! Thank heavens she can think straight!)

From MPG, there were only Francis, Carla and myself who invaded Sta. Rosa, Laguna just to run.    Note that the  night before this race, we were eating Peking duck at Frans’ house as it was his mom’s birthday, hahaha. How was it as a pre-race food?  Ahh, just perfect..  makes you forget you have some real hard work to do (to race hard!) the next day.

MPG was there!  Francis, myself, and Carla a.k.a. BandanaRunner, hahaha!

(Thanks to the MPG Southerners and running couple, Carla and Frans, for hosting me in this race.)

 

Not stably sane though

I wasn’t aiming for a PR in this race..  or at least I said I wasn’t.   But sanity is not a permanent thing for me.   By KM 2, seeing how many kiddos speed ahead of me and how they made it look like running is such an easy task, I decided to run it well and try get a PR anyway.  So it became more of an effort for me to look around and delight my eyes with the nice view.  I was pretty serious I think, conscious of my pace and my form.

But nah, I had a good finish time but not good enough to beat my 65 min PR for 10K at the Miracle Run.  I finished my 10K here in 67 mins, 2 mins off!

Never mind though, I got for myself a nice FREE! breakfast with my wacky Takbo.ph friends.  Thanks again, Mhel for opening your lovely home to us all. 

Some pics from this race:

The race venue at 5:10 AM.  We were waiting for the gunshot for 10K runners programmed at 5:45 AM.

The race venue at 8AM.  We were then lining up for a free!  Photovendo group pic.

Not just CAN RUN but CAN JUMP (high) too!

Our Photovendo group pic wishes to be a staple display on the study table.   With Mark, another one‘atat’ MPG applicant, hahaha!

OK, the staple Binibini shot.

And Carla was then shouting at me, “Sure ka yan na yung Binibini pose mo?…”

Ahh.. I think so, how else ba?  LOL

TOR #003

Greenfields, here I come!

After much nuninuni sessions, I think I’ll give it a GO for this Sunday’s race at Sta. Rosa.  Friends sealed in my decision.  They had me registered just awhile ago.  I am doing a 10K.  A most appropriate qualifier -  a chillax 10K.

That’s because I’m afraid I’ll be carried away with the nice scenery of greeneries.  And if this happens, I want to be carried away.

(Hah! Convenient excuse for a foreseeable worse 10K time on Sunday, hahaha! –   AND more important,  to counter the revenge plans of friends I outran in Miracle Run, and are now determined to slap back to my face their perceived better scores in this race.)

Went  ‘Deads’

My speeds tonight:  No good.  I was most sincere when I told my friends, “namatayan ako” as I called it quits after just four 500m speed runs.  I was planning to do eight of that.

Hmm, good runs and bad runs come.  In the end, it was still a run and it was good.

Reflectorized shoelaces

Coolness, Boss gave me a pair of dark blue reflectorized NB shoelaces for pasalubong!   The rest of the team got a ballpen.   Boss said she thought I’d appreciate better the shoelaces than the ballpen.  TRUE.

Takes a runner to know what another runner would rather want, instead of another thing.

Outrunning Lady Boss remains in my bucket list.  LOL! 

Out-Manila please

This summer, I wish to shy away from Manila races.  Just darn too hot to race in the metro this summer.

Solution:  Scout for out-of-town races.  And choose the ones with plenty of trees and cleaner fresh air.

ATTN:  Race organizers -  let’s go to the barrios. 

Hahaha.

The Bicol Agenda: Run, Swim, Bike

 

I always look forward to spending holidays in Bicol.  This past long weekend didn’t fall short of expectation.

It wasn’t as serious-sounding as the word ‘agenda’ in the title suggests.  All I was sure was that I had planned to treat it as real homework to stitch in some runs and bike rides in my already hectic sched for family reunions and our conservative observance of Holy Week, the latter I so appreciate by the way.

My running shoes taking the most secure space in my travel bag, I knew I was running and biking when I get home.   Accidentally pulled out my swimwear from my closet ravine (pardon the term, I just moved in to a new place), I knew I could be just as easily coaxed to take a dip by the pool.   Surprise, surprise!  — All of these, properly utilized.

(Ooops, time-check and it’s 2 minutes to 12 MN.  A pictoblog this will be then.  Well, pictures do always make better blah-blahs anyway.)

The Run Leg:   Sunny 10K run

The plan was to finish a 10K run as I missed my long run the past weekend due to the moving in hassles.  Mission accomplished! –  Slow 10K run done in 71 minutes.   Brother and I ended up all exhausted realizing for ourselves that the tough morning summer runs have come.

Before the run.  About 6:10 AM.

After the run.  Seems like there’s not much difference with the ‘Before’..

..to settle the discrepancy, here’s the real score –  sweaty and yes, dead-tired but still smiling.

The *Swim Leg

Ahem, swim (read: take a dip into the pool, get wet, and linger).

Alright, I’m a no-swimmer.  Not because I don’t like to but because I DON’T KNOW HOW.  And nobody dares tease me now as I’ve had enough already last Thursday from mi madre and mi hermano.

Younger bro is far from being an excellent swimmer too.  He could barely complete one lap of continuous swim, hahaha. So what happens when you can’t swim as in really-swim?   Go kenkoy around and enjoy the sun and water anyway.

The Bike Leg:  Reunited, at last!

I don’t need say more –  It made me really delighted to finally get the chance to ride the tall bikes again.

We biked a total distance of 30km.  I wanted to get the feel of the 30km bike leg in duathlons.  Quite a distance, yes, but I honestly felt like I could go on more.  My only problem with biking is that while I totally enjoy each ride, I usually get pissed with the ‘ngawit’ feeling on the shoulders and arms.

Brother ‘transacts’ with the kiddos at the vulcanizing shop to fix the inflation of his bike wheels.

Naks!  Happy Biker, yes.

The farthest point we reached:  Iriga City Hall, and we came all the way from West Nabua.

Nice eh!  Quick sightseeing stop at the Holy Cross Parish Church at Nabua Poblacion.

But the Most Challenging Ordeal

.. (of all these)  is playing chase runs with Ken-ken, a nephew from a cousin, and making sure I run slow enough so that he catches me and then calls me a ‘good playmate’.

Big Boss outran me at the Miracle Run

Whatev, Bosses

By a  matter of (a few) minutes.  With just two runners between us in the last two meters to the finish line.  Dang!  Lost chance to brag to our CEO that I beat him in this race.  Because the truth is, I’ve never had.

Among MPG buddies, it was just Josiah and I who registered to the race.  Good thing there were my friends from Takbo.ph to chitchat with before and after the race.   (But of course it’s always much better to have more friends to share with your excitement OR apprehensions prior to a race, and then later on, your feelings of achievement OR failure post-race.)

I knew my bosses were racing too, but I didn’t plan to be standing beside them at the starting line.  These older guys are fast -  always faster than me!  -  and I sort of hate it like that.  Hahaha!  I so hate it that I’m younger than they are but slower.  At the same time, I am glad to see that they can run strong and fast.   

Our CEO in black shirt and blue shorts;  Cathletic just right behind the two other runners in MR singlet.

I went to the starting line with the intention of joining the Takbo.ph  group.  Co-incidentally, my bosses were right beside the Takbo guys and I figured from their faces they all thought I was walking towards them.  Lady Boss even called me up to stay with them.

So I positioned myself smack in between the two groups.  Lady Boss asks, “So where are your friends?”  as she had seen me race with my MPG friends before.   I told her “Ahm.. some aren’t racing eh..”    Half a minute later, the Takbo guys started chatting with me and the fun-cool-gang that they are, I am sure my bosses got it -   so those are Cathy’s friends!  All looking like running-addicts!   LOL 

Lady Boss mentioned to other bosses that I just finished my first half-marathon at Condura.   CEO asked, “You ran the 21K?”    I , trying to play it down, replied,  “Well.. I tried.”    He said, “Ahh.. tried lang..”    Lady Boss, who’s more updated with my stories because she really asks for them, quipped -   ”No, she ran it and she finished it!”  

And then I saw it in their eyes.   These guys will make sure to finish ahead of me.  They did.  Grrr.

 

Who knew a PR was in the making, afterall

I had thought of rainchecking on this race if I had not remembered that I promised Eric (UP Run for Change was a co-sponsor) to be supporting this event.  Oh well, lots of my MPG friends could not make it and since I was just in UP, I thought to myself I should just run it. 

No regrets.  Perfect timing for me to better my 10K PR –  Happiness!

Post-race photo-op with wacky Takbo.ph  friends.

One funny MPG moment for me:   I knew I outran some male forumers of  Takbo.ph  and somehow I was able to keep a tally of who they are, hahaha!   One of them, Doc Roy, I had told - pure jokingly – “Doc, is it right, I finished ahead of you?”  with matching evil grin.   Half-surprised perhaps with that angas remark, he quipped,  “Ah, you’re rubbing it in pa ha!”   LOL 

Mygosh, blessme in future races with these peeps.  They told me to watch out.   I’m in trouble. 

Binibini shot is back!  (And Josiah, our photog-friend in MPG, finally learns how to take my staple Binibini shot by the Finish line.  Good job, my friend.  

*Thanks to Dree for the photo w/ CEO, and Josiah for the next two pics.