Cathletic’s first official podium finish

Camaya rocks!

And what a joke.  I won third place in the women’s category of a side-event:  10k trail run at the Camaya Coast Aquathlon Challenge yesterday.

With fellow medalists (ehehe!) from Takbo.ph Ziggy (1st place in his age group, Aquathlon) and my dear friend (slash rival in races), Jihan (2nd place, 1oK Trail run – Women’s).

Destined for a lovely run

 

Such a sweet title, deceiving. 

What I really wanted to say is  ‘Rock ‘n roll!  I got a new 10k PR!’

I shaved off 5 whole minutes from my previous 10K PR of 1:11 at the PSE Bull Run.  Yesterday at the Miracle Run in UP, I clocked in 1:06, well, 1:05 according to my trusty-little-Timex watch.

I figure it’s all about timing.  After the previous weekend’s Condura high (over surviving my first half-marathon race),  you couldn’t possibly go wrong at surmising to get a remarkable finish in racing just half the distance of your last run.

T’was all about timing, I suspect.  Adequately oiled for, at least, a stronger finish on a shorter race.  Trickle down effects from the half-mary training.

It’s pretty much like that guy who throws in the punchline of a joke with the most perfect timing.  

Take AXN!

 

I’m reposting what I’ve just seen in Dhenz‘ blog today.  It sounds uber interesting/exciting (!) to me.  For one, this is going a ‘first’ for me if I get to join.

When:  February 7, 2009

Where:  MOA Compound

*End of Reg. on Jan. 25

More details on their website:  http://146.215.65.76/axn-asia/big-challenge/

So stop sitting pretty there, pull out two of your friends, and hurry “Be Part of the Big Adventure this February”. 

Now let me just assure you this is no paid advertisement.  I wish.

Update: Diliman Marathon 2008

 

As some people have come up bugging me about the details of the Diliman Marathon, I inquired from a friend (who e-mailed me the singlet design)  if this event is pushing through on the 15th.  Apparently, this race hasn’t been openly promoted yet and what I initially got, and shared in this blog, was just insider feed.

The Diliman Marathon 2008 is pushing through on December 15, obviously at UP Diliman.  Organizers said they will set up registration booths at the UP ICTUS Century Run this coming Sunday.  There will also be onsite registration on the day itself, on December 15. 

And, guess what, something unusual (at least to me) -  race start is at 3PM.  Hehe.  Anyway, just be there at 2PM, or earlier to be sure, for the onsite reg and the claiming of your race packets.  Oh yes, the race packet!, because afterall I know I made you drool just as much as I did when I posted here the singlet design.

Good luck to those who will run this!

Up for ICTUS!

 

This coming Sunday shall be a race day for me.  For this UP ICTUS Century Run, I give myself zero chance to (again!) present excuses as to why I should run poorly and not enjoy this event. 

I will enjoy this race and I will run it well  (fingers crossed).  No unnecessary pressures, but some amount of it -   just enough -  would definitely help to get me motivated to ‘levelup!’,  as an MPG friend of ours would put it. 

The UP ICTUS Century Run will be my last race for this year, and it shall be a special one for so many reasons I need not elaborate on.  Let’s just say that this year, 2008, is when I started getting hooked to running and began joining local races.  So it just seems perfectly justified to aim at closing this wonderful ‘running’ year for me with a race well-enjoyed and well-ran.  Wohoo!  Go Cathletic!   Talk about cheering for oneself, har har! 

Then again, no unnecessary pressures.  A PR is something always nice to take home after a race, but if and when that doesn’t happen, no biggie!, the whole 2009 is well ahead of me. 

Last night, I squeezed in a 5K run in UP with aching calves, which forced me to do a painful run as the mere act of lifting each foot from the ground hurt.  Then, on my way for a cool down stretch, I suddenly felt my vision blurrying as if I was near fainting. 

I know that that was scary, especially for someone like me who’s never had any fainting drama ever in my whole life!  I mean, I’ve seen plenty of friends and acquaintances who would faint while facing stressful situations.  I’m no that.  But last night was freaky!  I felt like I wasn’t in control. 

So I walked to our Econ tambayan to meet some friends and to tell them what I just experienced.  I think the blurry-vision-near-dizzy act lasted for a couple of minutes.  It must be my lack of ample sleep these past days.  Check, I’ll work on it.

Back to topic now -  I’m all excited to meeting many good friends for this Sunday’s race.  As I’ll be home for Christmas, this shall be a get-together of sorts as well with my Manila friends whom I’ll miss for the holidays as I take my provincial leave. 

So, see you guys this Sunday.  And let’s run merrily. 

New Power found @ NB Power Race ‘08

Little did I know this Clark race would be so much fun!

While I think runners’ blogs shouldn’t sound this cheesy, then again I cannot help but state the events as they unfolded.  With my MPG runner-friends and the local running community invading Clark, this weekend’s New Balance Power Race ‘08 had been so whackily fun!   This is definitely one of my best races, if not ‘the best’, this year. 

Kudos to the organizers for the systematic setup and procedures, for giving plenty of freebies, and for choosing a very nice venue!  They were twice lucky too for affording to offer racers a nice cloudy weather that made the running experience a little more pleasant, and bearable to some.

MPG @ NB Race:  Jihan, Carla, Myself, Dree, Romel, Mox, and Ryan  (Not in pic:  Bless, Francis, & Ami)

I was thinking the weather condition should have been a big help especially to those who ran 25K -  and also to those who took up 10K for the first time.  As for me, it was my third 10K race and I am happy to get myself a new PR!  Don’t be fooled to think it’s something worth the notice.  Truth is, I am really sloooow as a runner but I am inspired to see I that am improving anyhow. 

New PR for me!  (But I seriously want to get rid of the number 7,  tsk!) 

This time, I finished 10K at the NB Power Race in 71 minutes (unofficial record) -  which means I shaved off 6 minutes from my record in OctobeRun.  I should be saying ‘Yahoo!’ now for at least getting myself a better time, only that I had honestly aimed for at least a sub-70 minutes record.  At the turnaround for 10K, I clocked in 35 minutes and I cringed at the thought of having to muster a negative split in order to get a sub-70.  But I had tried, you know. 

You’d be laughing if I tell you I was really working hard at it that I was doing alternates of sprint and walk in my last two kilometers.  In fact, when I was sprinting and was able to ran past a coach and his trainee who were running together, the coach perhaps was taken aback with my unusual speed that he shouted, “Oh, that was fast!”.  That’s one of the many comic turns for me in that race -  major Hahaha!  because in no less than two minutes, the same coach would see me walking and gasping for breath with a loser’s face.  Ha ha ha!

Another comic story took place on my last half-kilometer when I was back at the Parade Grounds.  All my friends who ran 10K were faster than I am and they had all been out of my sight after the turnaround.  So in the last half KM stretch I got surprised to spot Ryan just close ahead of me, and that’s when an evil intention formed in my mind as I cooked up this plan of sprinting really fast and overtaking him at the finish line.  Hahaha, naughty me!  But the good heavens forbid evil intentions to materialize.  Apparently Ryan was also doing the same -  sprinting the last few distance!  And my friends were all laughing when I was telling them this story during the post-race breakfast.  Ryan, on the other hand, joked that I’d always finish a minute later than he does in all the group’s races -  which had been the case, by the way, in three races we both joined including this one.  Now what a challenge is that!

I was also gladdened to have met in this race two runners from Takbo.ph, Queenie and Rene.  Apparently there were more Takbo.ph people who also ran this race, and were able to spot me! as they said the forums (ang daya!), but I was not able to meet them.  For one, some of them ran the 25K and I left the race venue before most of the 25Kers finished as my friends and I went rushing to find a place where we can grab a bite. 

I have to mention that Rene was gracious to give me a Runnex singlet (he’s a member of the Runnex club) and I am most inspired by the move.  I felt it was a formal welcoming for me into the local running community and it makes me want to run more and inspire others to do the same.  Rene, thank you thank you – and you’ll see me running soon in that Runnex singlet!

Let some of these pics tell you more story about our funfunfun NB race:

 

This is how the Saturday race, for 1.2K (kids) and 5K looked like.  Three MPG runners – Carla, Ami, and Bless -  did the 5K so most of my gang (including myself) were already in Clark last Saturday afternoon to support our 5Kers.  Dree and Ryan’s families and relatives also ran the 5K race, all of them first timers in a race.

Posing with some of our 5Kers:  Dree’s mommita beside here, Carla in her bandana look, and Dree’s aunt – Darang Edis.

New @ MPG:  The Saturday 5K race was a baptism race into the MPG gang for Ami (leftmost in powder blue shorts) and Blessie (in pink bandana).  They so loved their first race experience I am almost sure now they’ll be running more races with us soon.

The 10Kers turn:  Bless took this pic while we were in real stretching mode prior to 25K and 10K races Sunday early morning.  Seen in this pic are Francis, Ryan, Jihan, Myself, and Dree.  Mox and Romel were missing in action, perhaps already easing their way to enter the assembly area.  This time there were seven of us already in the 10K category -  the relatively new ones are myself, Frans, and Dree.  Among the seven 10Kers, I finished last and that should explain why they call me the MPG president.  I want to get faster soon just to get rid of that title, hahaha!

True to its name:  So MPG naman!   While somebody kept on announcing over the megaphone that competitive runners should stay infront and the ‘not so’ at the back, my friends insisted that we stay right at the very front of the starting line.  Serious runners would squirm at this, but there we were occupying the first row as can be seen in this picture.  Set your gaze at the light from the lamp post and right below it you will see myself in white headband.  Right next to me on my right is Ryan and on my left are Jihan (with black collar) and Dree (in blue bandana).  Mox, Romel and Frans were in the third row, still mastering how it is to be MPG.

‘Winner feeling’ with the finisher medals on!  Among my friends, Mox finished the fastest runner in the group that he, in fact, got a loot bag that’s given out only to the top 20 or 30 finishers for 10K.  You are no MPG man, you are real!  That’s why you don’t get emals from our egroup, fake MPG!  Hahaha!

Post-race stretching:  Funny how we seemed to be doing different things here when the fitness instructors on the stage were demonstrating only one type of stretch at a given time.  And somebody looks absolutely funny here, but I won’t tell, hehehe.

‘Chill’ mode:  We were unstoppable in photo-ops!  This shot was taken while we were waiting for Ryan to get the car to bring us to the nearest resto where we can grab a bite, or two.  Needless to mention, we were all tired and HUNGRY.

Yumyum!  This is what you call carbo-REloading the MPG way.  Hearty breakfast and lotsa laugh trips at Rumpa resto in Clark.

Acknowledgments:  Thankyouthakyouthankyou to our hosts Ryan and Dree (who are both Pampangeños) for serving as our gracious hosts in this NB race.  Now we found our North Luz headquarters for the MPG runners.  I should take care of our South Luz HQ, hehehe!

Upcoming Races! OctobeRun @ The Fort & NB Power Race in Clark

Six days after KOTR, I already had two running sessions  – one in ULTRA last Wed morning and another one last night in UP.  Thou shalt not skip thy running training days, that seems to be latest working mantra for me. 

And needless to say, the practice runs become more fun – and way more FOCUSED - when you know you’re looking forward to a road race soon.

These are what excite my run trainings now:

* OCT 26  – OctobeRun Festival, The Fort.  I’m running 10K and first-time in McKinley Hills race route.  I AM EXCITED.   I wonder how steep the hilly course shall be.

* NOV 16  -  New Balance Power Race, Clark.  Already registered for 10K.  Big-time reunion race for most MPG pips!  Wohooo!  Masaya to!

This weekend, I shall get myself a nice provincial long run practice as I’m homebound for Bicol to meet face-to-face, for the first time, my cute baby nephew – John Raphael.  I decided that when he grows up, I’ll train him to race with me, hehehe!

MAK7 Race Record (Unofficial)

This is my team’s unofficial race record/ time of finish per category.  Mox’s record is my best guess but I am sure he’s the first one to finish among our 10Kers.

5K
Paolo           39:20:37
Dree             39:28:32
Cha              40:59:61
Cathy           41:59:64
Francis         46:43:20
Carla            51:36:66
Ivy                56:15:13

10K
Mox           1:05:46:82

Eric           1:21:46:82
Rommel     1:26:24:58
Jihan         1:38:42:10
Ryan         1:50:51:25

The legend of my running vice.

Wearing a Running Bib for the FIRST TIME

I have been a regular jogger – at the Acad oval in UP Diliman – for about eight years now.  The habit started as a coping mechanism to be healthy since I had to study faraway from my home-sweet-home in Bicol and I COULD NOT BE SICK NOT HAVING MY MAMA NEARBY.   The scenario was just unimaginable for me.  So the sickly Cathy back in high school suddenly got hooked to sports.  And this I consider to be one of my best forms of self-evolutions.

I have been a jogger alright.  But jogging is way milder than running – and really way milder than the pressures in running as prep for joining races.

So just when did my running bisyo start? 

Sometime in August, I decided I wanted to try the marathon scene and thought the annual Milo race, heavily advertised on TV and print ads, would be a cool start. 

BUT Nope.  I was NOT able to join that one despite making many inquiries about the race and preparing myself for the run.  Sometimes some things just go amiss.

Hey, but look!  This was taken on the same day the Milo Manila elims was held.  ERGO, I WAS MEANT TO BE A RUNNER.  Ha ha ha!