Talk about motivation

Thankfully I was already my sane self  (read: done with gulping my morning dose of coffee) when I read this email,

- OR –  I would have immediately mistook this for an email spam, and dunked it right through the trash folder.  

Obviously my blockmates are at it.  I accompanied two newbies from the class for a short evening run in UP two nights ago, and the next day it became the class’ hot topic  –  suddenly, they all want to run!

Notorious latecomer that I am (hence the joke above), I only learned about it after the class dismissal.  And I went, ‘WHAT?!?!?!  You guys serious you wanna run?! – and that frequent?!’  

At the back of my mind, I even went, ‘What in the world is happening?..  Aren’t these guys stressed enough with juggling school-work hassles’

‘Turuan mo din sila nung drills ha!’, the class ‘recruiter’ told me.

‘What?!.. Sige, bayaran n’yo ko, hahaha’,  I quipped, jokingly.

Now I should stop making ’school’ an excuse for not running.  Shoot, my classmates are at it (or will be at it), and the last time I checked they had good exam scores last trimester, yup (significantly) higher than mine. 

But if I were to philosophize further, all the more I can excuse myself from running:  ‘You guys go run as you have good grades anyway; you may leave me alone, I need do pretty much ’comprehending’ here.’

But yes, my classmates’ enthusiasm to try out running will surely motivate me to get back on track (literally):  resume to training mode. 

Enough of that ‘PRACTICE RUN = RACE’ equation, or my legs will soon give up on me. 

Hurray to Block X!  I hope we won’t soon be eX-MBA grad wannabes

MAK8: The race that rocked, literally (1 of 2)

Makiling Challenge 8

13 September 2009.  UP Los Banos.

Minutes after my 12K rockin’ race (I mean rocky, literally rocky),  I was moving about like a hyper kid, my legs still in pink health -  so much so that post-race became pingpong (table tennis) time, and we even tried some shooting too at SEARCA’s basketball area.

But this morning  it’s reality check:  My thighs feel sore and I remembered to thank God today for the life of the man (or men?) who invented the ultra useful elevators.

This is where the adventure was to be –>

Elbi never disappoints,  if adventure is what you have in mind.

The gloomy weather did it.  T’was supposed to be our reunion race but MPG was trimmed down to just four (well, it wasn’t just the weather actually, other valid reasons too).  Anyhow, what can discourage this one MPG to miss it when she rarely gets the chance to join a race these days, needless to mention no time to train as well.  (Second trimester has already kicked in last week, waah!)

I’d be lying if I say that I love this race only for its ‘adventure run/s’ offerings.  Truth to tell, I like it because it’s in Elbi.

I lovelove trees = I lovelove UPLB.  Save for this one  –>

Yes, save for this one (scary tales in Elbi), I would have gladly considered to work/ reside here. (Pic taken night before the race.  Rommel with the ‘mumu’ effect, with Baker Hall as backdrop – perfect!)

You wouldn’t believe it, I became a pain in the neck for my friends in deciding where to stay in Elbi.  They knew I was near sleepless in MAK7 last year, due to mumu (ghost) scares.  Let me clarify, I didn’t see nor feel anything  – it’s plainly the scaredycat in me.  And it’s not like they’re thoughtful; I was insisting we find a place where ‘I’ can sleep in peace.  It became almost a major issue that someone in the group told me, ‘Cathy, just leave the mumu’s to the cows!’   What again?  Man that’s a fairly new joke.  Ah.. where do you get those?  HAHAHA.

Now for the RUNNING stories.

I was runner # 711:  armed with sheer guts, practically on zero ground in training.  Sometimes, I cannot help but to be me – a daredevil in adventure races.

My last run was in Hataw Pilipinas race in UP, a lame 5K race backed by zero training as well.  That wasn’t so bad a run except that a sidestitch disturbed me, which was a telling sign that I really am a newbie once again.

So you get the picture, NO. RUN. AT. ALL and I was to race at Makiling Challenge 8, famous for its steep uphill race course even Mr. Botak told me he didn’t want to run it again.  It wasn’t a help too that Macrunners came up with the theme:  ‘Farther. Higher. Rougher’ (and they kept their word).

I had to at least try on the MAK8 singlet, as I was psyched to race – for the first time – with my MPG team singlet. (Yes, tryin’ to be a runner for the main part; also a model, part-time, haha.)

Night before the race was also pingpong time with pingpong master Rommel, while we wait for Cha and Pao to arrive at the SEARCA hotel.  Surprisingly, I had a grand time trying out this new sport; he had a grand time picking up the pingpong ball,  SEVERAL times.

Race morning and I felt I had the best pre-race sleep, not to mention we’re worry-free on race tardy-ness –> Baker Hall was right across our place, some forty or fifty steps away.  The only worry I had in mind:  it was raining that morning and I might quit from the race if I get all soaked up and feel freezin’ cold.

(Oops, if anything happens, my family in Bicol doesn’t even know I was supposed to be out in Laguna this past weekend, to play.)

Five minutes before gunstart, at 6AM, and the four of us ran-walked to Baker Hall to join the crowd of runner-’challengers’.  It took about 20 minutes before we were actually sent off; yup, it was the rain.  I even heard one runner, who voiced out my personal sentiment, shout (as if to assure the organizers we were big boys and girls already), ‘Start na!  Mababasa din lang naman kami eh!’

(To be continued..)

And it can only get more interesting

(Nursing a lazy leg – chronic stage already -  I had second thoughts over the past weekend if I can hack it to race at Mak8 this coming Sunday.  And I really had to ask Macrunners to elaborate on the race route condition  http://www.macrunners.org/mac8race-route.html/comment-page-1#comment-37)

 

MAC8:Race Route

by et.ajes on Aug.15, 2009, under Events

Race Route:

Makiling Challenge 8 Race Route 

 :mac8, Makiling Challenge 8, race route

• 
  cathy
  September 7th, 2009 on 14:43 hi, my friends and I are interested in joining the race. can you give us more details about the race route? is it all paved road naman or are we going to wrestle w/ thick mud going to peak 2 turnaround point?
  Reply

• 
  jmmtengco
  September 7th, 2009 on 21:39 good day! regarding your inquiry.
  the road from Baker Hall to the 5km turning point (T.R.E.E.S) is all paved road. Starting from the 5km turning point, all the way to the 12km turning point, it will be rough road with some rocky and some muddy portions, though the mud won’t be ‘that’ thick (not like the NorthFace Trail Run mud).
  Reply
• 
  jmmtengco
  September 7th, 2009 on 21:46 here’s a shot of the route, within a kilometer from the 5km turning point. however, please take note that this was taken during summer…

  

  Reply

 

cathy
September 8th, 2009 on 16:36 Thanks for quick response, appreciated that. Looks like a crazy race there huh! Anyway one more question- we’ve got feedback lang about linta on the road to Peak 2 during rainy season.. will there be linta during the race? Just checking.. the minor muddy condition is bearable but the linta threat is something else..

Pls advise, thanks!

Farther. Higher. Rougher. (Kidding me!)

 

Thank God for my one-and-a-half week trimester break.   Grades aren’t in yet, but let me just put my mind now on more interesting things.

Wow. Green.  Runners guaranteed to blend well with the LB backdrop 

The Makiling Challenge 8  is taking it even ‘Farther. Higher. [and] Rougher.’   And I thought to myself that was meant to be just another catchy tagline for a race, er, not-a-race but an adventure challenge.  Apparently, there’s valid reason Macrunners don’t call it Makiling Race, but instead, Makiling Challenge. 

Last year’s 10K route to Makiling School of Arts Theater was already darn crazy I’m thinking myself almost insane to even plan on doing it with zero training these past months.  And now what (!)..  they’re making us climb (aha, not run) up to Peak 2.  And now what (!) .. the distance isn’t a 10K but a longer 12K.

That’s why it’s called  C.H.A.L.L.E.N.G.E.

From someone totally training-less like me –>  ’Peak 2?  C’mon, tell me you’re kidding..’

Then again, this is way more interesting than my Quanti exam.