Hotel Transylvania

Get a peek on how monsters live! Check in at Hotel Transylvania.

In celebration of the UP Child Development Center’s 55th Anniversary, the UP Family Life and Child Development Circle will be reserving a room for you at Hotel Transylvania on September 28, 2012, 7pm at SM City North Edsa, The Block Cinema 3. Tickets sold at Php 270 only, inclusive of snacks and drinks.

This is for the benefit of the UP Child Development Center, Monday Child Care Program, Elderly Drive in East Avenue Medical Center, and other beneficiaries of the organization.

Also brought to you by Purefoods Fun Nuggets and Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog.

See you there! 🙂

Why date a runner?

Runners run for various reasons. From health reasons to wanting to lose weight to coping with loss and heartbreaks to simply wanting to prove themselves. Whatever the reason is, they run because they are motivated. At one point in their lives, they have experienced pain and turned it into something worth remembering. So why date a runner? Why run after someone whom you have to keep running after?

1) First of all, no, you don’t have to run after them. They’re not asking you to. But they would appreciate it if you’re there to send them off at the starting line or if you’re there waiting at the finish line. They would find it really sweet. What more if you’re there running beside them. But they would never demand because they have been doing it even before you came. They can look after themselves. 

2) You don’t have to worry about them being “clingy”. Runners enjoy your company but they also enjoy running even if it means running alone. They enjoy silence, they enjoy hearing their own breathing. They also enjoy the view no matter how many times they have been there.

3) You don’t need to impress them with luxurious cars on your dates. They would rather walk and burn off those extra calories after dinner. Or you can take them on bike rides instead, some of them would really love that.

4) If you’re a smoker, you would eventually have to quit smoking or you would be forced to tone it down because they won’t appreciate you smoking around them. 

5) You don’t need to worry about them getting wasted with their friends on a Friday/Saturday night. They probably have a run early morning the next day. But it doesn’t mean they don’t know how to party. Once they do, they make the most out of it.

6) They are fun to eat out with, especially a week before their race and after. Prepare yourself for some carboloading party! 

7) They always tend to be in a good mood, especially after running. So take advantage of those runner’s high moments. Once they get mad, it must mean you’ve done something pretty bad to piss them off.

8) You would never hear them complaining about the weather or that it’s too hot outside. They have probably ran on the hottest summer day or under the pouring rain. 

9) Runners don’t compete with other runners, they compete with themselves. They won’t waste their time proving to you that they are better than the others, that you should choose them. At the end of the day, whether you find them better or not, they know that they are at that moment the best versions of themselves.

10) Runners may come in different forms and sizes, but one thing’s for sure – they do have a big heart. A heart that’s always willing to endure the pain and challenges ahead. A heart that know no limits but knows when it is time to stop. A heart that can love something despite the circumstances, and a heart that’s always willing to go that extra mile no matter what.

Just don’t break them, because once they start running away from you, they’re never slowing down. 

Ultra Idols!

Every girl has her fangirl moments. Here are just some of mine.

With Erwin Ordonez, the youngest runner to finish the 102km BDM at exactly 18hours. 

(taken at TBR Dream Marathon 2012)

With Sir Jon Lacanlale, one of the greatest ultrarunners, I believe! He was also the organizer of Fat-Ass.

(taken at the Bataan Death March Awards Night)

With Kuya KB, ultra hardcore runner! Ultra chickboy? HAHAHA joke lang kuya. And ultrasupporter pa! Idol ko ‘to!

(Taken at the 3rd T2N 50km)

And last but not the least, Sir Jovie Narcise. Also known as baldrunner. One of my biggest inspirations in running. Looking forward to the day that I will get that hug from BR at the finish line of his Bataan Death March.

(Taken at the finish line of the 3rd T2N 50KM)

Sunday Morning run

I’ve been to a number of places such as Subic, Corregidor, Pampanga, and Bataan to join fun runs. Today, I decided to just go out the door, run the streets of Katipunan, go around the acad oval, and run back home. Could have gone farther if not for the heat. My supposedly 6am start turned 8am. Had a good run, nonetheless! Happy Sunday, everyone! 🙂

(With Zorro at UP Diliman)

Fat Ass is not …

Fat Ass is not your typical race where you register to run a certain distance. It is time based rather than distance based where you can opt to run for 6, 12, 24, or 36 hours around a 2.2k loop and rest whenever you want to do so. The goal of the run is not to compete with other runners nor see who runs fastest or farthest. It’s for you to see how far you can and you are willing to go. It also promotes camaraderie among fellow runners. Fat Ass 2012 was held last January 7-8 at the Clark Parade Ground. Runners were asked to log in their names on a score board every after completing a loop to keep track of the total distance covered by the end of the event.

IF YOU WANT TO GO FAST, RUN ALONE. IF YOU WANT TO GO FAR, RUN TOGETHER.

I found out about the run because of my friend. It was normal for us to join fun runs (spontaneously) every weekend since he was then training for his 160km Bataan Death March. I was caught by surprise when he told me he registered me for the 24 hour run. I told him that I was willing to go with him but I’ll join the 6 hour run instead and wait for him to finish. He convinced me by saying that I don’t have to run the entire time, I can rest whenever I want, I can walk, I can sleep, yadayadayada. So eventually, I agreed.

The week before race day: Carbo loading week (yay!) Ate at Sambokojin with one of my best friends. Good food, good company, and the best part, it’s guilt-free knowing that I have 24 hours to burn all the calories (haha!) BUT I made sure I don’t eat anything that would make my stomach upset. I stick with the food that I’m familiar with. Like what they always say, never try something new the week before the big day.

Race day: We left for Pampanga at around 2 in the morning. I only had about 3 hours of sleep the previous night, so I ended up sleeping on the way there. Upon arrival, we bought food for the entire day and set up our own tent along with the other runners. Originally, my friend was planning to complete an 80k run for the entire duration so that his milage is at least half of what he is preparing for. When we got to talk to one of the organizers, sir Don, he advised my friend to raise it up to 120k if he’s training for his 160 BDM. He asked me what my goal was, and since I have never done a full marathon before that, I wanted to at least complete 42km by the end of the day.

6:00am start of the run (24 more hours to go, oh yeah)

And so, the 24-hour run begins. I ran the first 10 loops (22km) straight at a steady pace, slower than my usual 21k pace (knowing that I have to reserve my energy for the rest of the day) with hydration stops in between. After the first 22k, I rested for about 45mins, leaving my friend running. I told him I’ll join him again after about 3-5 loops. When I felt like I have rested enough and when I saw that the sun is not yet that high, I started running again. This time, 5 loops (11k), break, 5 loops, break. It was already 2 in the afternoon when I reached 44km. I took a longer break to eat lunch and let my legs recover. It felt soooooo good to just lie down in the tent. From time to time, when I would log in my name, sir Don would ask how far I have gone. He said that I can still run further… that I should still run further and make the most out of it. So I decided to go for 50, or maybe 60…

GOING THAT EXTRA MILE FOR SOMEONE… LITERALLY.

The hardest part was during night time where almost all runners were eating dinner, camping out, getting their rest, and the like. “Why am I still running when I could be sleeping… in my bed… with my pillow…” (Oh, and it was the 2nd day of my time of the month. WHY OH WHYYYY. Of all the days) After 50 plus k of running (for me) and a ninety something kilometer (for my friend), I think I have gotten to know him more. From all his rants, to random topics, to moments of impact, and anything and everything under the sun (and the moon. HAHA) The more I did not want to leave him running alone. I could have stopped after reaching my own goal. But in that moment, I had to push myself beyond my limits and go those extra miles for this person.

The last 10 loops was the most difficult. With only 3-4 hours remaining, we still had to cover 20kilometers. Sounds easy for a normal half marathon, but completely a different story after 20hours of running. With only 5 loops remaining, it started to get more dragging. It took us about 30mins to complete one loop. The closer we get to finishing, the more dragging it seems. I was sleepy, tired, and lutang, and my legs were hurting but “I can’t stop now”. For one, I am not a quitter. More importantly, I had to be there for him. If I stop, I might discourage him. So I run.

6:00 am THE NEXT DAY

Double checked the log board… LSD COMPLETED! My friend was able to finish his 120km run while I, surprisingly, completed an 80km, which was initially his goal. Spent an entire day on the road. GOOD BYE HOLIDAY FATS! Hahaha!

 With Carlito and Sir Jon after completing a 24-hour run

Running Shoes

Invested my first salary from my summer job last year on these running shoes!

Nike Free Run+ 2 Women

This is not a runner’s story, this is a story about running

So, what made me decide to finally make a running blog of my own? Let’s rewind to some five years ago. Here is a picture of me every year on my birthday. For some (or should I say a lot of) reason, this is how I end up looking like on the day that I should be celebrating my coming to life. My friends look forward to that day where I steal the spotlight and become their form of entertainment. They even created a fan page in Facebook entitled “Si Chato, kapag LASING, UMIIYAK. Si Chato, kapag UMIIYAK, LASING.” No, I am not proud, but yes, it is true.

Fast forward to last year (2011)… Everyone was asking what I was planning to do on my 20th. A lot were expecting that the tradition will continue. After a lot of planning and due to my busy schedule, I decided that I will not throw a big party. Rather, I would spend it with my family. No alcoholic drinks, no drama, no tears. Two months and two days after, I joined my first 5k race. Eight more months after that, I have conquered 23 more races consisting of a 10k, 15k, half marathons, 32k, night runs, and a 24-hour run. Running has changed my life.  From mascara-covered sad sack pasted to the bathroom floor to a sober human being running every chance she gets. Every run has its own story – stories that may change your life forever.