I’ve come (back) home

 

Last Wednesday night, I fell in love again..  with running. Eww, cheesy.

Not that I have fallen out of love from it, let’s just say it was sort of a forced cool-off, as my schedule grew bigger than me  I could hardly squeeze in quick runs in between work and school, and yet other personal stuffs.

So last Wednesday was special.  I surely had to admit I terribly missed running in the evening, at UP.  I felt really happy I could even get  teary-eyed about it.  (Believe me, I felt that much mushy and spotting Lino Cayetano a few meters away from me has got  nothing to do with it, promise.)

 

No more cool-offs, dear running.

I am officially registered to run the 10K side-event at PIM, and all I can say is,

RAK EN ROL REPAPIPS.

(And I know that just totally ruined the ‘emo’ mood of this post. He he he.)

Next Stop/GO! PIM: A run for the river

Walang kokontra.  I am doing this  –>

Philippine International Marathon:   A Run for the River

Nov. 8, 2009  |   Quirino Grandstand, Luneta Park

Full Marathon & Relay,  Side-events: 3K/5K/10K

*More details found here –>  KapitBisigIlogPasig

I am doubly excited.  My brother Daryl is spending the weekend here in Manila just to join this.  Oh thank heavens this time I’m his yaya-photog no more (unlike in AutoReview Run).

How nice.., our first official race together –  and this early I need to accept the fact that I’ll see him only at the starting area and finish line.  This young man will surely make me eat his dust as soon as the gunshot for the race start is fired.  Poor slow me.

I’m excited nonetheless.  First time to run from Km 0 at Roxas Blvd!  

Action star on the court

 

All the same, without volleyball this weekend, I got just as much body aches.  Thanks to that badminton overdose last Saturday night.  More important, thanks to my a-la-action-star stance when on the court.

Yes, I dive for it.  I risk my dear life for the shuttlecock.

I think the tigress in me comes out during playtime, and I totally forget about acting demurely.

Something like this.  I fell down the floor on my knees more than thrice while saving a shot, good thing I didn’t hit hard.

All for fun, at one point I found my lone self up against two guys on the opposite side of the court as my opponents.  Of course you know what happens next –> I went gasping for breath I thought I’d get a premature death, hahaha.

I thought the badminton craze had died already.  Apparently there is a quite a good number of loyalists on the sport, and possibly (I’m guessing).. a budding resurgence..

I was with some crazy bunch of badminton addicts last Saturday.  Well, what do you call people who keeps the court warm with nonstop games from 5PM to 11PM?    C R A Z Y.

10.24.2009

.. is also the day I. Get. Older.

Dear world, thanks for celebrating with me, with great races right and left.

Whether in SIM, Adidas KOTR, or Nike Human  Race –  I wish everyone a grand time on the road!   And don’t forget to say a little prayer for me.  I’d really appreciate it.  :)

All our big bosses are running their first 21K at the KOTR this Sunday.  Funnily, the CEO casually asked for some tips from me when I bumped into him on the elevator.  It’s another case of ‘barking at the wrong tree’.  The man can be funny.

Cross-training weekend

 

Look what this MPG-to-the-core gal has gotten herself into again  –>  some crazy semblance of ‘cross-training’ despite a sorely zero base training (in running) to speak of,  hahaha.

For some funny coincidence of forced game invite (company sportsfest) and a free one (with friends), I managed to squeeze in two sports all in one afternoon.  Last Saturday I dipped my hands in both badminton and volleyball.  The result:  Aching muscles (!).

And yes, up to now they’re aching that I told myself I’ll never play volleyball again (at least for now I wanna tell myself that; may change in a span of two hours).  Why do I so blame volleyball for my post-game aches?

For one, you do a lot of bending in volleyball -  your default position (at least that’s how I know this) is to bend your body low, in anticipation of the ball possibly landing in front of you.  I think this is where I got most of my post-play pains. 

For the more important reason:  I am so NOT good in that sport (even if I’ve been badly wanting to learn it).  I don’t need to elaborate but I’m just so not good at it.  I told my teammates I was the critical point and that they should stay close and cover for me;  and that, they did (those people were just so nice and cool!).   But it only served to highlight the point:  I was becoming a burden, hmp!  And the ache was more psychological –  clearly worse than physical pain, go try it.. wehehe.

The volleyball folks did not run short of encouraging words; even the coach would egg me to join every match (I honestly don’t know how he bears it to watch me play as I was so ‘olats’, hahaha). 

Now if I get crazy again and with some peer pressure, I might give it another try (on volleyball), but I doubt if that’s anytime soon.  For now let me get some healing, and go back to doing a sport I’m most confident at.  Don’t guess, it’s a given. 

Don’t tell me you don’t care.

This is what you call ‘pahabol’.  PSsst!  READ THIS. (You may skip on my boring race accounts and rants on obstacles to training, but this one try spend a minute or two.)

Today, October 15, is Blog Action Day ‘09, on Climate Change.  Go on click on the link, that saves from more blah-blahs.

So I should talk about climate change.  Nice thing, only problem is I really haven’t been doing my homework on it –  and I honestly don’t know much about it.

So this must the eye-opener for me and for you, my few dear gorgeous readers –> that  like me, some of you might have shamelessly little knowledge on the topic of Climate Change.  And even with our so-limited understanding of it, I can guess we do care –  and we will learn to CARE MORE if we have a deeper understanding of it.

Read up.  While we listen to news of hearings on who-to-blame for that Pangasinan flooding (was it an act of God or of the San Roque dam operators), let’s try see the bigger picture of things and read up on Climate Change.

But of course you care.  We do.  :)

TRR @ MOA

 

T’was my second shot at MOA, for a race.  The first was special because it was my first take on running a 15K distance (for Power run);  the second was made even more special, running a race grounded on a most time-relevant charity cause  (TRR being  a benefit run for ‘Ondoy‘ typhoon victims).

Yup, it’s quite easy to guess the sort of ideas that buys me out, hehe..

One of the more memorable race bibs, I’d say.

I was registered to run 10K for this race.  Loony attack, simply.  This morning I had decided to be humble, so I ran 5K instead.  The race started bit late at about quarter to 7AM, but just in time to accommodate us, supposedly latecomers.

I had a pretty good run -  just like TRR, nothing fancy but tasteful enough.   It was most inspiring to see some elite runners acting as race marshalls and manning the booth.  Talk about the local running community trying to take social relevance to greater heights  (Ohnoes, now I talk like your usual loco politico, wehehe).

And I call this ‘the city runner’ shot  (love the backdrop!)

It also fills me with glee that TRR had become a reunion race for me and two of my best girl pals, Dree and Bless.  One gladly took the role of being my personal driver;  the other my ‘sosyalerang yaya’. *Peace Dree and Bless!

And yes, for the mandatory Finish line shot..

Who needs rescue

 

Cold symptoms have gone serious.. I am resting this, lest I be the one needing a ‘rescue’ on The Rescue Run 

On second thought, I’m really in a bad shape for a race, for any race.  Good thing that for TRR all you really need to think about are: 

1)  a guilt-free P200 donation instead of a pressure-laden race reg fee

2)  it being a run for a cause come-on-everbody (!) type instead of an intimidating competitive race

3)  there are no singlets (only race bibs) to put stark contrast between TRR participants and regular MOA grounds joggers  (A-ha, I need the camouflage)

4)  Ondoy victims

 

My last run, a quick one ’round the village, was sooo freakin’ eight days ago and I figure that by tomorrow I’ll be completely down already with this darn colds.  WOW, good luck to me on Saturday.

MUST run (to rescue)

Ondoy didn’t hit my village.  Thanks be to God.

(Do’n't hate me for saying this but that rainy Saturday afternoon, my mind was consumed solely by this:  champorado+rainy day = pair-fect!  I was clueless then that things were already getting pretty bad somewhere else in Manila.)

My family (in Bicol) and I are good and well, but several other families have lost their homes, cars and other possessions;  worse still, for some, their loved ones.

Look what our running enthusiasts have got –>  a pretty cool way to RUN to their (Ondoy victims’) RESCUE, literally.  Yes, we may take a day-off (or hours-off) from the repacking and clean-up relief operation drive..  (I got it covered, Boss said okay to it.)

The Rescue Run

Oct. 10, 2009 (Saturday)  |  Mall of Asia

*Donation of P200 for all distances

Other important details found in these links:

Takbo.ph -  Rescue Run on October 10

TBR – The Rescue Run Oct. 10 Saturday

Relief operations need be fast; so don’t walk, run to their rescue. 

P.S.

Got this from Chico Garcia’s blog:  A quote from a certain Kidlat Isidro –

“When the world brings you to your knees, you might as well pray.”

And it can’t be more apt.