I Can’t Wait to Run My Next Race!

This I wrote in my previous post on the Sun Festival Run moments ago.  It started to rain again in Alabang and whenever it rains nostalgia creeps in.

I cannot help but reminisce the Hope In Motion Fun Runs that I organized for SOS Children’s Villages for the past 2 years, which influenced this year’s Southern Race a fun run advocacy event organized by Alabang Town Center for the benefit of SOS.

Only a few of you know my involvement with SOS as Deputy National Director and what SOS does.  SOS is an NGO dedicated to provide family based care to orphaned, abandoned and neglected children.  The children entrusted to its care are provided with a Mother and a House where they grow up as “brothers and sisters”.  SOS provides for their basic needs and education until they are ready to face the world.  Currently we have a thousand children under our care in facilities in Alabang, Lipa, Cebu, Calbayog, Tacloban, Iloilo, Davao and Bataan.  SOS prides itself in having produced among others, a doctor of medicine, architect, airline pilot, nurses and a police officer.

The first Hope in Motion was a rag-tag event with only a few runners and mostly walkers.  I still did not have the know how of how a run is to be organized given that I was still an occasional weekend runner with no racing experience at that time.  But we made it.

The second Hope in Motion was held at a time when I had just recovered from laryngitis.  It had a semblance of a run as runners increased number.  I wanted to join the run but my condition prevented me.   I just had to content myself with the walk segment, which I enjoyed.  My deep longing to join the run propelled me to train and be a runner.  Hope in Motion had the trademark of the post race breakfast and fellowship.  Arroz Caldo, doughnuts, coffee, native dishes such as puto, kutsinta and kakanin were served for breakfast.

The third Hope in Motion was definitely an improvement.  By this time I had joined some races and have learned from these races.  I also tried to incorporate them in this run.  It was not a perfect run but the fun and fellowship plus the support of the running community was heartwarming – you know who you are.

I’m so glad Alabang Town Center organized the Southern Race for the benefit of SOS.

You may be wondering why I made this post.  Well it is simply to promote the cause of my SOS children who once had nothing but were given a second chance in life.

If you believe in the cause of these children and children in need, join us in the Southern Race!  Its one race you’ll never forget.  If you’re not into running; its about time!

Sun Festival – We ran and had fun

The Sun Festival Run was the first race in the Ayala Alabang for this year, the second South of Manila (first being the Greenfield Runs) and a race where everyone had fun.  The race course typifies a roller coaster ride – mostly uphill with a few flats and decline segments.

As I arrived at the race course at 5:40am I could immediately sense the fun and festive atmosphere that typifies a community event.  Everyone was there to race and have fun.  I immediately bumped into Patrick (runningshield), Manong Jovie (bald runner) Craig and Justin Logan, Bards (banana running), Mesh (my iron shoes), Totoy Santos, Mark (VO2) and Tiffin Parco and Annalene Bautista (meek runner).  After the usual pleasantries and brief pre-run fellowship we all lined up.  Unlike in the previous races, nobody was in a hurry to start.

The race was underway after a brief and inspiring prayer by Craig Logan.  I went on to run just for the fun of it – my only target was to cross the finish line.   My pace was what I perceived to be easy and relaxed all throughout.

The atmosphere remained pleasant during the race.  Runners would greet and encourage one another all throughout.

The inclines were punishing!  This started as we made a left turn from the starting line to Country Club Drive and continued for around 200 meters.  Then it was uphill-downhill until we made the left turn to Taysan where we had a short but “steep incline”.  It was moderate thereafter until we reached the Acacia Avenue flat lands where we made our U-Turn back.

While we are in the middle of summer, the rains during the past few days provided a cooler temperature that made the run ideal.  The tree lined streets also provided the participants an escape from the heat of the sun.

The post race freebies were modest but the eat all you can bananas (lacatan variety) was certainly a welcome treat.  Also it was great to finally meet the Meek Runner (Annalene Bautista) and her family.

The race may have had some shortcomings but who cares!  We were there simply to have fun.

I can’t wait to race again in Ayala Alabang.

Greenfield Race – The gods must be crazy!

For the record this race ushered in online registration in the Philippines.  This was the first time where a participant can register, pay and wait for his race kit in the comfort of his home.  I experienced this complements of Finishline.ph.  Thus  no more of the long queues and hassles of manual registration as Finishline.ph raised the bar in Philippine racing.

Prior to race day, I had several long runs of at least 18kms and modest tempo and easy runs in between, not to mention a great tune-up race the day before at the SlimmeRun.  I was close to being hubristic and was looking forward to improve on my Condura Run time as I felt that I was at this time better prepared.  So I thought.  But the running gods thought otherwise.

I arrived at the race site at around 4:30am when people started to trickle in and had no problem parking.  So by 4:35 I applied sunblock and donned all that was necessary for the race – the race belt and hydration kit.  I was at the starting area by 4:40 just in time for picture taking with the Takbo.ph folks.

The race started promptly at 5:00 am.  As I positioned myself at the tail end in the starting line so I could start at a slow pace of 7:30 per km.  But I was wrong.  I passed the Km 2 marker with a time of 12:15.  I thought that someone must have been playing a joke at me.  So I slowed down but before reaching the Pramana entrance, all hell broke loose in my stomach.  Everything went wrong.  I was thinking of making it to the tall foliage but the fear of snakes prevented me from doing such a thing.  As I reached the entrance of Pramana I immediately noticed a security officer at the guardhouse.  I asked if I could use the comfort room and he readily made me use it.

Pramana Guardhouse. Photo courtesy of Carlo

This episode took  away at least 10 minutes plus it sapped me of energy.  Nevertheless I continued to run at and then caught up with the slower runners.  As I approached the second turn around point at Km 13 I began to realize that I was slowly being drained notwithstanding the energy drinks and bars that I had.  To top it off, Number 2 attacked for the second time.  Good thing there were portalets at the turnaround point!  It felt like hell from that point up to the finish line.  But as Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said during the German blitz: “if you’re going through hell, keep going”.  I had to even if I had to run, jog and mostly walk or even crawl to the finish line.

Notwithstanding that personal misfortune, I was happy to finish the race at 2:52:44.  It was a beautiful race.  The scenery was lush greeneries and vegetation.  My only regret was that when I arrived at the finish line, they ran out of finisher’s medal.  My friend Amado Castro, Jr. also did not get a medal and he accordingly posted his comments in his blog.  The lady in the finish line told me that the medal will be delivered to our home address.  Well I just hope that the organizers will deliver the finisher’s medal which we all worked hard to earn.

Pre-race Picture

Photos courtesy of Carlo

Visita Iglesia ‘09 – On the Run

Visita Iglesia is a time honored Philippine tradition.  People visit Churches during Holy Thursday where they pray the Stations of the Cross or medidate on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.  People say that we need to visit 14 Churches.  Others say 7 and others say one is enough provided you enter the Church 7 times during the day.

I started doing the Visita Iglesia with my family in 1992 and it remained unbroken until last year when I had to miss it due to a Closed Lenten Retreat that I attended.  During those times, I brought my car.  But this year I thought that I should do something different – I would have my Visita Iglesia in the Vicariate of Our Lady of the Abandoned and do it on the run.  Nobody wanted to join me.

I started my Visita Iglesia at the St. Jerome Emiliani and Sta. Susana Church right across Alabang Town Center.  This Parish is administered by the Somascan Priests and is the Mother Parish of St. James the Great.  At 8:00 am, the Church was still closed presumably because the priests were attending the Chrism Mass at the Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Sucat.

St. Jerome Emiliani and Sta. Susana Church, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa

St. Jerome and Sta. Susana Parish side entrance

I then proceeded to run along Commerce Avenue on to the old National Highway proceeding to the junction of the National Penitentiary where the Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, the seat of our Vicariate,  was located.   I also found out that the sidewalks of Bayanan were narrow so I had to zigzag my way around pedestrians and motor vehicles.  This made me slow down considerably.

Shrine of Our Lady of the Abandoned, Bayanan, Muntinlupa

The next stop was Mary Mother of God Parish along the old National Highway.   I still had to weave my way around people and motor vehicles.  The sun was up and it was getting warmer and warmer by the minute.

Mary Mother of God Church, Bayanan, Muntinlupa

Interior of Mary Mother of God Church

Next was San Roque Church, the Mother Parish of St. Jerome Emiliani and St. James the Great Parish.  I had to walk from Metropolis up to the Church as there was no way I could run because of the number of people and the inhospitable Molina St..

San Roque Church, Alabang, Muntinlupa

Interior of San Roque Church

It was almost 10:00am and the heat was punishing.  I ran towards Commerce Avenue up and make a second visit to St. Jerome and Sta. Susana Church.

Interior of St. Jerome and Sta. Susana Church

I made my last run to my alma mater’s Alabang facility San Beda College.  It was nice to be in the familiar Benedictine environment at the height of the summer heat.  For one, the aircon in the chapel was refreshing.  I really needed to cool down at this point.  While  the simplicity of St. Benedict Chapel is something to behold, it is not a favorite destination of Visita Iglesia.

St. Benedict Chapel, Alabang Hills, Muntinlupa

Interior of St. Benedict Chapel

It was at this point that I called it quits and started walking on my way home.  I feared that I might suffer heat stroke if I continued running.  There are still many more times to run.

I capped the day serving at the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper in St. James the Great Parish, my last stop.

St. James the Great Parish, Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa

Interior of St. James the Great Parish

Altar of Repose, St. James the Great Parish

This Visita Iglesia was not just a Way of the Cross recitation but a time for meditation, prayer and thanksgiving.