June 29, 2009

Sea of Green: The 33rd Milo Marathon

The milo metro manila eliminations is just a few days away. The 33rd edition of this longest running footrace in the philippines will again start at the famous kilometer zero in the city of manila showcasing the nationwide search for the country's top long distance runners with a simultaneous leg in cebu city.

Once again thousand of stories will be created and shared and history will be revealed. Together with other individuals, my story was shared during the 32nd edition. Come July 5th, different stories will be happily created and shared once again while old ones will be vividly cherished. Not even the incessant rains will dampen the strong marathon spirit shared by everyone as newbies, fitness buffs and hardcore runners as they run and finish their races.

I came here again to participate in this race with full of enthusiasm and excitement after 1,140km of quality training runs since the start of the year. I gained a lot of confidence from my continuous research, reading and mental preparation. Although my biorhythm shows an imbalance from its chart, I'm still up-beat and expecting to do my best. This is a qualifying race after all, and I am running against time, one good performance here and I'll be running with the elite again.

To all those newbies who will be running this year's elimination, here are some points of view from the 32nd edition just to give you a glimpse of what to expect from the race.

1. The start gun will fire minutes before the stipulated time, make sure to be at the venue at least an hour before the race to give yourself enough room to park your vehicle, stretch and get warmed-up and meet-up with your friends.
2. Prepare your speedo, rain in drizzle or downpour, is an occurrence here at the milo marathon race, be it at the starting line or on the race proper, get ready to get wet.
3. Position yourself at the starting line comfortably based on your preferred race pace. In the 10km and 5km event, thousand of students will be participating, it's better to enter the corral earlier, if you happen to be at the tail end, you're dead.
5. It's still dark at the onset of the full marathon, it is advisable to run easy on the first kilometers until after the two fly-overs. Last year's elimination race took the right side lane of buendia avenue while the finals was at the left side of buendia avenue. Make the necessary adjustment if you're planning to have a support vehicle.
6. Run comfortably and enjoy the course and do not forget your goal. I usually go with three goals in mind. If the first is not achieved, I have two left.

6. Celebrate at the finish line. Be proud, take your medal and certificate after crossing the tape and get yourself a photo to document the hardship you went thru. Believe me, at least 10 years will be added up to your age. But don't forget to smile, because you won the race.
7. Congratulate every participant who finished the race, this will help you relax from the grueling run. Walk for about 30mins as you recall your run and continuously rehydrate yourself.
8. Don't forget to queue at the free milo drink at the finish line. This is how to celebrate the milo way, and here floods the best milo drink ever. Your run would be incomplete if you haven't got one.
9. Eat and replenish at least 30mins after finishing.
10. Stretch afterwards.

11. Stay for a while and enjoy the celebration at the finish line. There are still friends along the way expecting you to be at the finish line. Your mere presence will add cheers on their faces as soon as you welcome them in the chute. Leaving the place early will be an opportunity of missing good memories.
12. Go to the recovery area and avail of their services. Your body deserves a good pampering from excessive pounding it took along the way.
13. Check your finish time at the officials booth. If you finished at the 03h59m to 04h00m, you must verify it immediately with the race officials. Every second counts here.
14. Contemplate whether you will be back again in the finals edition. A yes, means you'll be training again after a couple of weeks. But you should be, you're a qualifier.

15. Run the milo marathon finals sometime in october and get your well deserved second medal.

Related stories here:

Milo marathon trivia:

A total 767 runners answered the staring gun of the very first milo marathon on may 26, 1974. Only 200 crossed the finish line.

Numeriano Titong, a golf caddy became the first milo marathon champion. He clocked a slow 03h04m10s, not bad for a first championship. 31 years later he ran again in the 29th milo marathon in 2005.

Victor Idava was the first milo marathon king to join the famous boston marathon. In the 1976 boston marathon, he checked in 304th out of 2,183 entries. That same year, he established another mark in local running by setting the philippine marathon record of 02h38m23s and placed 76th in the 1976 olympics in montreal, canada.

In 1981, Jimmy Dela Torre, became the youngest milo marathon champion at 18 years old.

Wilfredo Ballester grabbed the spotlight from Jimmy Dela Torre in the 12th milo marathon in 1985. He won again in 1990 and 1991, making him the first runner to win the milo marathon three times in arow.

In the years 1987 to 1989 the milo marathon was not staged as nestle saw a need to reorganize and was back in 1990. The new and improved milo marathon was officially dubbed the 14th edition.

Roy Vence, an athlete from cebu became a sensation when he scored back-to-back championships during the 17th and 18th milo marathons. In the 19th leg, he had to give way to the national interest as he went into full preparation for the 1995 sea games in chiang mai, thailand. He made a comeback and won in the 20th milo marathon. He proved to be unbeatable in the 22nd and the 23rd editions. He brought home the most milo marathon trophies in the men's division with a total of six championships.

The women's division of the milo marathon started in 1992, with Arsenia Sagaray becoming the first female milo marathon champion. She went on to win the most milo marathon trophies among women runners with five championships.

Cristabel Martes, a 21-year old athlete from Baguio, became the youngest women's champion in 1999 during the 23rd milo marathon. She also won 3 milo trophies from 1999 to 2001.

Jho-an Banayag Holds the women's fastest running time when she clocked in 02h48m16s during the 30th national milo marathon.

In 2007, Eduardo Buenavista clocked in 02h18m53s during the metro manila eliminations breaking the fastest running record of 02h21m33s set by Cresenciano Sabal in 2005.

source: manila bulletin

June 26, 2009

Goodbye Michael

Michael Joseph Jackson
August 1958 - June 2009

Your music will always be in my runs.

photo from: www.jacksonmichael.net
music by: michael jackson

June 25, 2009

Run for Home

Globe launches its first ever running event that is seen to attract runners and health enthusiasts alike, the Run for Home: Globe-Ayala Land City Run. This run will support Habitat for Humanity to benefit the KapitBisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig Project and will be handled by the Finishline and Runrio events.

This run is slated on July 19, 2009 at the Bonifacio Global City, offering 3km, 5km, 10km and 21km runs that will make use of the new Bonifacio Global City to Makati Central Business District Route.


Registration Particulars:
Registration is on-going until July 3, 2009 only through the Globe website or at participating Globe Business Centers, Fitness First branches in Metro Manila and Runnr Specialty Store.

How to Register:
1. New Globe Prepaid subscribers can purchase a Globe Prepaid Sim for P45, load P300 worth of credits and register to Unlitxt All Day for P80.
2. Existing Globe Prepaid subscribers can load P300 worth of credits and register to Unlitxt All Day for P80.
3. Globe postpaid subscribers and Globe Platinum members need to pay P300 as registration fee and register to Unlitxt All Day for P80.
4. Otherwise, anyone can opt to register for the 3km, 5km and 10km run by paying P500 and P700 for the 21km run.

Race kits can be picked-up from July 16 to July 18, 2009 at the Bonifacio High Street (infront of ROX). This includes the official race number, route maps, singlet, and the disposable electronic timing chip.

Globe brings the disposable electronic timing chips to the Philippines, the Champion Chip, to track the running time of participants to the Run for Home. This miniature transponder contains a chip in combination with an energizing coil encased in a waterproof glass capsule. For running races it can be attached to the runner's shoelaces or to an ankle bracelet.

Its about time:
1. fast and accurate results
2. net times; start times and splits for every individual participant
3. split time services for press, tv and internet
4. check points along the course
5.
free flowing finish, no more restricted space at the finish line

Log on to www.globe.com.ph/runforhome & www.finishline.ph for more details.

June 22, 2009

Moonlanding: The LunarGlide+

After the lunartrainer, nike will come up with another lightweight shoe in the LunarGlide+. This unique trainer got their name from a super light foam nike borrowed from the space industry.

I was among those invited to test run nike's new line of running shoe. Last saturday's run was a testament of the lunarglide's innovative features. As soon as I got into the shoe, I immediately felt the cushioning that most running shoes doesn't provide. Unlike the lunartrainer which is way too soft (as in stepping on a marshmallow), the lunarglide's cushioning is adequate enough to give your feet a relaxed stance. This was one of the many features nike developed for this shoe since many runners experienced difficulty with the lunartrainers. As I go along with the run I can feel that my feet are being molded into the shoe providing a snug fit and allowed the heel pad to more effectively engage on contact. The lacing is well balanced and the achilles abrasion that occurred from other nike shoes were eliminated.

The new feature that this shoe provides is the dynamic support system. The lunarglide+ features the lunarlite cushioning system which is basically a soft, yet resilient core foam encased within a firmer foam carrier. The properties of those foams and the geometries in which they're molded were controlled so that the cushioning support, response and weight were modulated. This was devised to distribute foot strike pressure more evenly across the foot to alleviate the pain and reduce injury.

The lunarglide+ is composed of two insoles that come in different structures and functions. The soft uppermost foam absorbs and equalize the force from the impact as the runner goes while the other one is wedged towards the inside of the shoe to help the runner stabilize his stride as he goes further in his run. It was studied that even a neutral runner tends to overpronate in the long run.

An added feature is the ultra light flywire synthetic saddle (derived from the lunaracer+) provides improved support without adding tightness across the midfoot. The left shoe is still equipped with a slot for the patented nike+ sensor running device. The outsole is made of BRS 1000 carbon rubber for resistance against excessive abrasion.

In just a few days you'll experience a buoyancy that makes you feel like an astronaut walking on the moon. It's rocket science indeed.

Houston, the eagle has landed.

June 15, 2009

MH All Terrain Race

After the successful rendition of The North Face 100, Finishline presents another spectacular trail run, the Men'sHealth All Terrain Race 09.

The Venue
Sta. Elena Properties, Inc. in Sta. Rosa, Laguna will be providing a unique, enjoyable and memorable experience for both participants and spectators. These trails have never been open to the public before- nothing compares to running and riding on fresh dirt.

The Trail
The course consists of approximately 15 kilometers of undulating forest trails, with switchbacks and off-camber turns thrown into the mix to keep racers on their toes. Best of all, spectators will be able to catch some of the action from designated areas.


For more info log on to www.finishline.ph

June 4, 2009

Summer Runnin'

June is here, the summer season is gone. Just a few weeks back, I made my way back to the province for a vacation with my family for some rnr (run and recreation). Yes, running was on the itinerary. While the kids enjoyed the beaches, I sneaked in some running especially in the mornings and continued to explore places I haven't reached for a long time. There's no racing, no competition, just easy runnings on a relaxed pace enjoying the beauty of nature that you can only experience in the province. Green ricefields beneath the blue skies, beautiful trees lined in every corner of the road, the freshest air and the smell of grass and hay will make your day. That was a great experience.

cross trainings

After those fruitful days, I'm back to work and beginning to be a roadrat again. I'm back to what I love doing most, running. Last april I logged in 188km, 50km came from the vacation run and last may I logged in 200km, one of the busiest month for me. I joined almost every sunday races scheduled in this month, skipping just the market market 10miler while in structured recovery mode after the botak 42.

This june, as the kids are back again to school, the rains are back too. As early as today, heavy rainfalls are regular occurrence. A week long of rain had visited the metro and it's quite difficult to run outside, thus affecting the trainings and regular runs. Since I don't have any access to treadmills nowadays, I will settle on stair running instead (or watch the lakers beat the magic) if there's rain.

the covered bleachers of the amoranto is a good alternative if there's rain

for other summer activities click here.