I vividly remember one of my first races at the McKinley Hill one February morning in 2009 where the starting line was located at an obscure area within McKinley that we had to ask for directions from security guards manning the buildings around. The start turns out to be at the back of the Chinese International School (who would have known as there were no markings on the school building).

That race, the RUNEW Race was one of the few 15k races i joined that year and remembering what fun it was running that distance.

From the RUNEW 2009 race with the Takbo.ph group

This year, the RUNEW Race will be back on February 26 and will be held at the Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City. This race is being organized by the Asian Hospital and Medical Center with Runrio as race director.

This race will help raise funds for the Asian Hospital Charities, Inc.’s charitable endeavors in sharing the Asian Hospital and Medical Center’s facilities and their doctor and staff’s expertise, time and energy to less fortunate patients and coordinate the provision of healthcare to beneficiaries by competent specialists.

Here below are the race details:

What: RUNEW 2012
When: February 26, 2012
Where: Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Distances: 3km/5km/10km/21km

Online Registration: www.runrio.com, January 16, 2012 to Feb. 19, 2012.

In-Store/On-Site Registration: January 16, 2012 to Feb. 19, 2012.

Riovana Store, Bonifacio High Street, 28th Street corner 9th Ave.
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
11am to 9pm

Riovana Store, Katipunan Avenue Branch
3rd floor Regis Bldg. Katipunan, Quezon City. Across Ateneo and Beside KFC.
10am to 8pm

Tobys
SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City
12nn to 8pm

The Athletes Foot
Robinsons Galleria, Edsa corner Ortigas Avenue, Mandaluyong City
12nn to 8pm

Asian Hospital & Medical Center, MOB Lobby
Alabang 2205 Civic Drive, Muntinlupa City

Here are some pictures taken during the launching of RUNEW Race 2012 at Conti’s, Greenbelt 3 last week:

With the bloggers at the launch

Dra. Laura Tansengco of Asian Hospital Charities Inc explaining their advocacy

Nice singlet for this year's race

Lightweight Minimalist Running Shoe:

• For efficient runners, mid-foot and forefoot strikers, minimalist runners seeking a light, responsive ride
• Specifically designed to promote a mid-foot strike
• Geared for fast-paced training or all-out racing
• Height differential of 4mm between heel and forefoot to closely replicate barefoot running
• Weight: 7.4 Oz (size 10)

Okay, forgive me for adding the name “Keflezighi” on Skechers’ new innovative running shoe, Go Run but this shoe could just as easily have been named after Meb Keflezighi, the American runner who finished 1st place in the recent 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in Texas wearing this particular shoe.

Skechers has struggled to develop a successful running shoe for the serious, hard-core runner as many of its prior efforts have been weighted down with gizmos. The Skechers Pro-Speed isn’t a bad shoe but wasn’t that much sold-out to runners because of its weak aesthetics and plain look.

Making a good running shoe is a matter of putting components together a certain way and the Go Run was put together with one thing in mind. A mid-foot strike. Although the Go Run isn’t as visually interesting as other traditional running shoes, it takes minimalist running and racing one step further.

My initial reactions to this shoe were positive. See part 1 review (here). Since then i have logged more mileage on it on various terrains.

CONSTRUCTION:

The uppers are soft, light and made of weightless synthetic/mesh fabric although there is very little ventilation inside, a bane for hot weather running. The sock liner is built-in, stitched on its sides and the toe-box is roomy and comfortable enough for the toes to set in.

The midsole is made of Rasalyte, an injection-molded compound which gives it a resilient feel and just enough ground absorption. Like its direct ascendants, the LIV, Pro-speed and SRR models, the GO RUN has still that curved bottom although it is less-pronounced than those of the latter ones. The outsole is made of soft rounded lugs with high abrasion rubber at strike points for extra traction control and stability.

Another nice feature of the shoe is its flexibility: because of its lightness, you can twist and flex it upwards or down wards although you will have to be very careful when running on technical trails as it does not have much support and stability.

FIT and FEEL:

My shoe size is a size 10 and this particular shoe came in standard width. The toe-box however is roomy enough that you’d think that this came in a 2E width, wider than the standard which is great! I was able to put an extra sock-liner on top of the built-in one to protect my plantar fascia and add more cushioning to it. Its just a personal thing i do to avoid recurrence of previous Plantar Fasciitis ailment.

As i reported earlier, you feel an elevated lump in the mid-foot which kind of stretches the arch a little bit when you run. I’m still feeling the lump every time i put on the shoe but disappears as soon as you have warmed up for about 15 to 20 minutes into the run.

As the outsole is designed in a semi-rocker form, you will be consciously landing on your mid-foot for most of the time which takes a little getting used to specially if you are a heel striker. But once you get to the motions of the shoe, the feel is one of quickness and responsiveness.

PERFORMANCE:

You’ll probably get the feeling why Meb Keflezighi has liked this shoe very much after winning the 2012 US Olympic Trials for his stint with the USA Team to the London Olympics this year and setting various PRs in the recent New York City Marathon wearing this shoe. It definitely bodes well with his fast and efficient style of running. The feel is snug, there was no sliding towards the forefoot and you can feel the receptiveness as you hit the ground upon toe-off.

The one and still complaint as was last time is that it overheats under the ball of the foot and if you forgot to apply some form of petroleum jelly before your run, it tends to create minor blisters on this area. The ventilation needs to be improved.

BEST RECOMMENDED FOR:

For fast-paced training or racing, for developing mid-foot running and a good transition shoe for minimalist running.

CONCLUSION:

Skechers should be given credit for trying to break out of its mold of making heavy, toning shoes because that’s what it does best. However, it really comes as a surprise that Skechers is expanding its market by making a lightweight shoe this wild and this good!

Looking forward to more converts of the Go Run!

There were a few odd things about yesterday’s run. For starters, there were already a sizable crowd of runners milling around the race area when i arrived at 4:00am. You don’t see that much crowd gathered as early as 4 when the first race, the 16k event starts at 5:10am. Maybe, the presence of heartthrob Piolo Pascual piqued many to come this early?

Secondly, Riovana was already buzzing with customers even before i arrived and you’d think that there was a post-Christmas sale going on inside as the store was nearly jam-packed! Thirdly, the run started going towards 5th Avenue instead of towards Serendra, a nice change of direction.

Early visitor at Riovana (Photo by Timex Sports)

Lastly, it was nice seeing the friendly Chinggay Andrada, professional fitness trainer of Pinoy Biggest Loser fame doing the warm-up exercises. I met her during one of Skechers’ shoe launching a few months back and she was just so warm, friendly and chummy that she immediately recognized me at the press tent during the awards ceremony yesterday.

Yesterday morning’s weather was pleasant, not so cool but not humid either. Piolo was up stage to fire the starting gun and as he went up the podium, shrieks and screams were heard, which was expected from the crowd. The starting line was abuzz with runners trying to shake off all stiffness in them. When the gun was fired, we were off and i settled of nicely and was with a bunch of runners who were trying to overtake the slower ones.  This was just a 16k race so i thought of revving it up a little bit too and go on with the flow.

Piolo firing off the 16k runners (Photo by Timex Sports)

I finally settled into a more relaxed rhythm and as the route was a familiar one, it was just my mind and body getting into sync while enjoying the festive aura surrounding me. I didn’t see Piolo along the route although i knew that he was running the shorter 10k distance with Coach Rio, i was still hoping that we would cross paths and get a glimpse of his running…form, cadence and all. He was trying to go below his standard 10k time of 47:53 something which i found out later that he was able too accomplish.

Before i knew it, we reached the turn-around mark along Buendia, just before reaching the corner of Ayala Avenue and at that instance i really felt awful already, struggling to keep pace with the runners i was pacing with. Before that, i even saw running buddy Betty who was in good form and ahead of me by a few hundred meters. Reaching the base of the Kalayaan bridge going back BGC, i was able to coast along the whole uphill span without stopping and those hill training at Meralco might have done a lot of good.

Cruising along Rizal Drive, i saw i sign that read last 2 kms and was skeptic at first because i knew that we were going to turn right when reaching 5th Avenue and that would be a few hundred meters more. Turns out that we would skip that part and turn left instead on the way to the finish.

I crossed the finish line, looked on top for the time and read 1:48. Not exactly a good time but one that i can live with.:-)

Note: Seems that i did a 1:50 according to the official race results which you can find here: http://runrio.com/2012/01/2012-timex-run-race-results/

Near the finish (Thanks to ARC and to Noel C for tagging)

It has been a great 2 weekends of running for me and the start of the year seems to be steps in the right direction. Big kudos to Gemma Pagsibigin of Timex for a great race and to Coach Rio for a job well done!

A quick glimpse on the press tent in pictures:

Lucky for you who won a Timex watch!:-)

Chinggay Andrada (2nd from left) with Gigi, Lara Parpan and Jaimie

Coach Rio and friends at the tent

You still have a chance to register. Please check out the following registration sites:

• Riovana BGC – until January 22, 2012 (Sunday, Race Day)
• Riovana Katipunan – until January 21, 2012 (Saturday)
• Timex Trinoma – until January 18, 2012 (Wednesday)
• Watch Republic Shop Robinsons Galleria – until January 18, 2012 (Wednesday)

Here’s the press release of the run:

Piolo & Rio Reunite for Timex Run 2012

This January 22, 2012, TIMEX, world renowned makers of high quality time gears, will once again unite casual runners and hardcore sportsmen alike on one blazing race track as it gives rise to the much-awaited TIMEX Run 2012.

Set to unfold at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, the historic race shall witness the reunion of the unbeatable running tandem of sought after actor and runner Piolo Pascual and multiple champion runner, coach and marathon organizer Rio Dela Cruz. Last January 13, 2012, the two led a special press gathering to officially present before media partners how this running event levels up from before and all the other races in town, and just why everyone should be part of it.

Coming from a string of back-to-back sporting events where it joined forces with the country’s premiere athletes, such as the Camsur Ironman Triathlon and TIMEX 226 in Bohol over the last years, TIMEX is all set to make this year’s race all the more memorable, fun and extremely power-packed!

So, what’s to be excited about the TIMEX Run 2012?

First and the most exciting of all, participants shall get a very special chance to get fit, have fun and best of all run side-by-side with two of the country’s most beloved idols in entertainment and running; TIMEX brand ambassadors Piolo and Rio. For the last few months, the two have dedicated time amidst their busy schedules to train hard to ensure they’re in the best shape come race day. Together with the two, a handful of other celebrities and personalities shall also be sprinting along with TIMEX, just like during its first edition back in 2009. On top of the list are its youth ambassadors Jessy Mendiola and Joseph Marco as well as Boys Night Out DJs Slick Rick and Sam YG and actor Victor Basa to name a few.

Divided into three race categories, athletes, race fanatics, and casual runners can choose from the 5, 10 or 16 kilometer event. The race is organized by no less than the in-demand team of Runrio who assures participants of accuracy in timing and a host of other innovative features and acitivities. One of which is the disposable “champion” chips, timing devices attached to shoe laces specially designed to let runners monitor their starting in finishing times with stern accuracy. Functioning only soon as the runner steps on the designated ground matting, the recorded time is sure to be precise.  Another is the Runpix analysis which is a record of interesting running statistics unique to each individual who ran. This will be available after the race at www.runrio.com and www.timexrunning.com.

If you’re up for the action and ready for truckloads of fun, well you still have a chance to join as regular registration has been extended until January 18, 2012. All you have to do is go to any Riovana stores at Bonifacio Global City or Katipunan or visit the TIMEX outlet at TriNoma or the Watch Republic shop in Robinsons Galleria. Registration fees are at Php650 (5KM), Php700 (10KM) and Php750 (16KM). 15 TIMEX watches are up for grabs when you register as a group at Riovana outlets.

Aside from the breathtaking action set to unfold in the race track, those joining can also expect a finish line filled with great prizes. While all finishers will take home loot bags from various sponsors, those who will emerge on top of the pack in every category will get TIMEX watches, A-class activity and time-tracking gears that gives wearers nothing less than the optimum when it comes to style and functionality. First placers shall also take home a pair of Skechers shoes. Canon shall also raffle of digital cameras and provide photobooths for participants to be able take home souvenir shots.

The whole race is also powered up completely with hydration partners Powerade and VIVA! Mineralized Water. A total of 35 watches shall also be raffled off all throughout the day in celebration of the Piolo Pascual’s 35^th birthday. Timex partnered with companies such Riovana, Century Tuna, Magnolia Lite, Nutri Bar, Kaspersky, Multisport Magazine and Unilab to make this anticipated race possible.

To keep the day much more exciting, participants are also challenged to guess Piolo’s bib number and finish time. Lucky guessers will win their very own TIMEX watches. For more details visit www.timexwatches.com.ph.

At the launch of the TIMEX run last Thursday, January 12, 2012

Hurry and register now, time is running! Assembly time for all categories is at 4:00AM. Gun start times are at 5:10AM (16KM), 5:30AM (10KM) and 5:50AM (5KM). Run with Piolo and Rio at the TIMEX Run 2012 and make history once more! For more information, please visit http://runrio.com/2011/11/2012-timex-run/.

Race For The Orphans
February 12, 2012
5K/10k
Camp Aguinaldo Grounds, EDSA corner Santolan Avenue, Quezon City

Registration Fees:
Regular registration fees (from January 7 until February 9, 2012):
10K – PHP 600
5K – PHP 400

- Includes Bib with Timing Tag and Singlet (For both 5k and 10k runners)
All registered runners have a chance to win a trip for 2 to Boracay.

REGISTRATION VENUES

JANUARY 7 to February 11, 2012 (12:00 nn – 8:00 pm)
- Secondwind Running Store: Quezon City and Ortigas Branches
- A Runners Circle (ARC): Roxas Blvd. corner Quirino Avenue
- ROX: Bonifacio High Street, BGC, Taguig and

-AFBEBSO c/o I-Hope (Ms. Bern Palo) Camp Aguinaldo, QC

Avail of the early registration promo of 6 Race Kits plus 1 FREE (same category only) good until January 22, 2012.

A RACE FOR THE ORPHANS

A race for the orphans, a race for your hearts! A very special race for the month of the heart—The Race For The Orphans will stir the Camp Aguinaldo Grounds in the still misty morning of February 12, 2011 each not only to experience running the peaceful grounds of the military camp but to take part in answering the orphans cry for love and compassion.

It is with this aim that Rundezvous Events Inc., will stage this event that will provide scholarship grants through “I-Hope”, a trust fund that will support the educational needs of these orphans of soldiers killed in action in Mindanao and for future grantees of the AFP Educational Benefit System (AFPEBS).

Each runner pays a modest registration fee of P600.00 for the 10k run and P400.00 for the 5k run. Inclusive with this fee is a nice running singlet available in various sizes, a Timing tag, race bib number and a goodie bag from our sponsors.

Our registration Centers will be at the Secondwind Running Stores in Ortigas and Quezon City; ROX at Bonifacio High Street and at A Running Circle (ARC) along Quirino Avenue corner Roxas Blvd., Manila.

“We shall leave no soldiers’ orphan behind”. This is the AFP Educational Benefit System Office’s (AFPEBSO) tagline, an organization which deeply recognizes the heroism in each Filipino soldier. It is one of the morale and welfare outfits of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that grant educational benefits both to the military personnel and their dependents with the aim of helping them secure a brighter future. As it recognizes our soldiers’ heroism, especially of those who lay down their lives in protecting peace, AFPEBSO gives priority to the orphans of Filipino soldiers who were killed in action.

We’ll see you at Camp Aguinaldo on February 12, 2012!

For inquiries, please call or text:

Abet: 09158030224 or Zarina: 09165217400

Or call Phone: 6(32) 3829659 c/o of Salie Guarin.

I’m still forcing myself to rise up when the usual 4am wake-up call alarms  on my cell phone  so that i could be at the Meralco Compound by 5:15 to be with my usual training buddies. But then sometimes, i doze off a little more just to compromise with my still sleepy body and when you finally get up the second time after the snooze, you realize an hour had past and decide to forgo the run completely. You then feel sorry for the rest of the day!

At the BGC with Chito and Mel

Yesterday, i finally was able to overcome this malaise and ventured out on a long run with Chito, Mel, Betty, Leo and Sylvia that took us into the peaceful confines of Dasmarinas Village in Makati. The wide roads are a nice playground for running. With the laid back elegance of  plush residential homes, colorful gardens, trees lined-up on both sides of the road with nary a dog that would bark at you when you run along, it is one running haven!

We completed a total of 25k in about 3:15 and it was good to be back running long and easy again.

One of the streets inside Dasmarinas Village

I was able to try out my new NB bottle waist pack and a hydration belt is one essential i can’t run without having lived with my old hydration pouch for most of my entire running life. It’s a lace-up holster with a 20 oz. water bottle and zip pockets. Does’t bounce and is firmly secured in your waist. Thanks to the Media Relations Team of Summit Media for this wonderful Christmas gift!

NB Bottle Waist Pack

Thinking still of what races to join this coming few weeks although i’m certainly going to run this Sunday’s Go Natural Run Half-Marathon which incidentally is extending their registration until January 13 at the Riovana Running stores and January 11 at other in-store registration sites.

I wasn’t able to join a lot of races during the first half of last year due to plantar fasciitis and hopefully will be able to compensate a little for 2012. Happy running!

For those who have not experienced running inside Ayala Alabang, here’s your chance to run inside this sprawling, tree-line village where the air is clean,  roads are wide, the ideal place to race.

There will be a free shuttle service from Jollibee Madrigal Avenue from 4 am to 10 am. For those bringing cars, there will be allocated parking areas near the starting area.

This race is organized by the St. James Renewal Movement Singles Apostolate and endorsed/supported by Runrio.

Grace to the Finish
January 29, 2012 @ 5:15AM
Cuenca Park, Ayala Alabang Village
3K/5K/10K

Registration Fees:
Early Bird Rate: P400 (until Dec 18, 2011 only)
Regular Rate: P500 (from Dec 19, 2011 onwards)

* Register during the early bird rate period to be assured of the Grace to the Finish singlet
* Fees are non-refundable.
* Fee does not include the additional PHP 100 for optional shipment of race kit

Gun Start:
10K Run 5:45 AM
5K Run 6:00 AM
3K Run 6:15 AM

Registration Venues:
Online Registration: http://www.facebook.com/gracetothefinish

Singlets of Grace To The Finish Run

On-site Registration:
Accomplished Official Entry Form & BPI Deposit Slip can be submitted to the following sites: (Staple deposit slip to the entry form)
• The Athlete’s Foot, Alabang Town Center
• Kopi Roti, Pergola Mall, Aguirre Ave. B.F. Homes, Parañaque City
• Second Wind, Ortigas Home Depot, Julia Vargas Ave., Pasig | 45 Malingap Street, Teachers Village, Quezon City
• R.O.X., Bonifacio Highstreet, Taguig City
• St. James Renewal Office, St. James Parish, Ayala Alabang Village

DISTRIBUTION Race Kit shall include singlet (for early registrants), race bib, and race map. Distribution Date: Jan 16 to Jan 28, 2012 Venue: To be announced ** for further details please contact the following:

CONTACT DETAILS:  gracetothefinish@gmail.com Par Bautista (0917) 8336006 Min Viniegra (0917) 8876462 Kay Acuña (0917) 8332738. Comment on their FB fan page (facebook.com/gracetothefinish/. Follow and tweet them @grace2finish on Twitter!

to this…

This sums up of what transpired at the bloggers Christmas party held last December 29, 2011 at Gail and Noy Consolacion’s residence in Mandaluyong City. It was a whirlwind series of no less than 20 race launchings that saw us together supporting and publicizing the various races of Run Rio and other race organizers for the year 2011.

Headed by the group’s de-facto leader, the sweet, funny and sometimes outrageous Mommy Vimz Mendoza (kulitrunner), the “Chummy” blogs (as they call themselves) are some of the most followed by running enthusiasts when it comes to schedules of race events and actual race results and they share the same passion of writing about their experiences in races, good or bad and is a wealth of information for both budding and experienced runners.

The group will be looking forward to this new year and hope to bring more information on upcoming Philippine races. Here’s a toast to every body, my co-bloggers and followers of the jazzrunner blog.

Happy New Year to all!

Carbo-loading

Banjo (Ulikblogger) right, dishing out a song with gusto. Gail, our host is at left.

L-R: Gail, Rod, Marge and Carina

With Dennis (running pinoy) and Jinoe of takbo.ph

With Bobby (standing), Vimz, Wilbert and Gigi

With Mommy Vimz, handing me my Skechers give away! Thanks!

Ehem..this is supposed to be a party and not to update your FB status..

One group pic

Some photos courtesy of Dennis Ravanzo. Thanks Dennis!

I’m not going to give a comprehensive review on these shoes just yet as i’ve just wore-tested them at home and outside just to get the feel of it. I couldn’t resist to try the GO RUN shoes though, as i was curious about the review given by top American marathoner Meb Keflezhigi who wore the Go Run in setting his personal record of 2:09:13 and placing 6th at last month’s New York City Marathon.

The shoe just weigh a 7 oz. on my size 10 feet and felt feather-like as i warmed up for an 18 km run. There’s a bit of a “lump” on the middle of my arch or under the midfoot which sort of softened the impact. The rocker stance is less pronounced here than their SRR or Liv models and the usual cut-off under the heels is still present to encourage a mid-foot strike which it did, exactly like the LIV model and that’s coming from a heel striker like me.

The 18km run was a bit of a mixed feeling.. soft, light  and very comfortable although i was consciously landing on my mid-foot all the time which takes a while to get used to. I like the wide toe box and the fit was excellently snug. There was enough cushioning on the shoe although i wish they would have put more of it in the forefoot. The downside of it though was after the run, i felt some heat below the big toe and had i ran 2 kms more, i would have developed a blister at the big toe mound. I should have applied a lubricant or a petroleum jelly as i usually do when trying out new shoes.

Aside from this minor discomfort, i found the shoe very responsive, a definite shoe for racing or fast paced training. Light and fast-paced runners will definitely like its soft underfoot and spring-like response upon toe lift.

I’ll be making a comprehensive review once i try this out on different surfaces and get more mileage on it. But judging from this initial test run, Skechers might have already delivered a winner. The shoe brand is getting serious with their running!:-)

]]> http://jazzrunner.wordpress.com/2011/12/28/a-quick-peek-of-the-skechers-go-run-running-shoe-part-1/feed/ 3 jazzrunner 406299_10150479870819242_815349241_8541038_1892144279_n 388483_10150479794284242_815349241_8540547_1765611106_n http://jazzrunner.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/running-united-in-cebu-the-lechon-experience/ http://jazzrunner.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/running-united-in-cebu-the-lechon-experience/#comments Sat, 24 Dec 2011 11:20:35 +0000 jazzrunner http://jazzrunner.wordpress.com/?p=11712 Continue reading →]]> Some of my favorite indulges, the Cebu Lechon, the tastiest lechon (roasted suckling pig) ever, Cebu’s Danggit and Carcar’s Chicharon (pork rind) are some of the reasons why Cebu City is high on my Must Visit Cities list. If your runners’ diet too often includes a plate of pasta, green salad and a fruit, forget it! You’re on an out of town trip and so is your diet! Besides, this is Cebu–a food lover’s paradise! This place is one of the few cities i’ve visited down south more than a decade ago where you get to taste some of its delicacies and once thought, “I can live in this place and eat all the food available.”

Cebu City’s urban development renaissance began in the late 90s and the result is a radiant metropolis. The dazzling Asian Park (I.T. Park) showcases an array of gleaming buildings, hotels, shops and restaurants. It’s like a little Ayala Alabang with clean and well-paved roads most suitable for, what else…running!

While Cebu boasts most of the visitors perks associated with a major city, there is little of the “snobbishness, mind your own business” feel you get in other cities of Metro Manila. Instead, the Cebu ethos is one of relaxed amiability. Also, there is a great running tradition here as well, the Pearl of the South is home to many competitive runners and other elite athletes.

Last week, i was one of the few bloggers fortunate enough to get invited by Unilab, Inc. to witness and run the last leg of the Run United Regional Series Half-Marathon in Cebu City which was held last Sunday, December 18 and it was great! It was nice seeing the large turn-out of runners specially in the 21k event which boasted a total of 1,300 runners, one of the largest 21k event to be participated in Cebu.

Here are some quick impressions of the 21k Run United Event:

• Great course which was relatively flat with just a few gentle hills
• Runrio’s usual high-tech pre-race program which included the video of the route and Emcee Boy Ramos’ exciting hosting of the event
• During the early stages of the run, we saw church-goers arriving in their places of worship, some bringing their own stools to attend midnight mass. I can only surmise what they had in mind while looking at us. They must have been thinking that we runners are supposed to celebrate midnight mass instead of running while i was wishing that they should run instead and hear mass later!:-)
• Though most roads were closed to accommodate runners, street intersections were partially allowed to open thus at times, we were running side-by-side, playing “patintero” with vehicles.
• Cebu runners are raging fast from the very start and you feel them whiz past you during the early stages. You seldom see walkers during the first half.  However, you get to catch up with some of them during the latter stages of the race.
• I NEVER saw any lovers (runners) walking and holding hands!
• There are many good teen-age runners who topped the short distance races. They will be the country’s top runners in the future.
• Saw numerous running clubs (based on their uniforms), many more than you would see in several Manila races combined.
• Coach Rio standing alone below the finish line arc, ready to greet the finishers, which he rarely does in Manila
• No complaints for the delayed medals and finisher’s shirt!
• Loaded on lechon for lunch the day before the race, another serving for dinner, and still another serving after the race. I ate way too much and paid for it when i really felt heavy during the race. Lessons learned.
• Even after running the half-marathon, i gained 3 lbs when i returned to Manila.

Over-stuffed!

I was completely toast when i crossed the finished line in 2:31:24 (2:30:58 chip time ). Over-all, the race was an amazing experience and one that i’d do again if given the chance. I big thumbs-up to the Unilab Team led by Ms. Claire Papa, Janice Ianne Miguel and their team for their great hospitality and support who took care of all our needs while in Cebu! Mabuhay kayo!

I’m not been doing any “real” running as of late, this Christmas season has been just an endless series of late night-outs, parties and over-stuffing with food!

Tonight is Christmas eve and guess what’s on the table for our noche buena?

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!:-)

Here are some pictures taken during our Cebu trip:

Getting ready to board at NAIA's Centennial Airport

Cebu's famous Marcelo Fernan bridge

Checking-in at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel

Inside the hotel lobby with its imposing Christmas Tree

View from our hotel room

At the Cross of Magellan Shrine

At the Sto. Nino Church patio with Glaiza and CJ

Coach Rio and Host Boy Ramos prepping up the runners before the race

The 21k crowd numbering about 1,300 runners

With Jinoe, Bee Yen, Amanda, CJ, and Pedz

We're almost ready

About to get the high-five from Coach Rio at the finish line (Photo by Jinoe Gavan.)

With Unilab's big boss, Claire Papa (3rd from right) after the race

3rd place finisher at the 21k run, Loushen Abella.