Running through the Valley of Fire

Hills! Hills! Hills!

Valley of Fire State Park is a must-see destination if anyone wants to escape the superficial concrete jungles of Las Vegas. You will  be amazed with the abundance of red rock formations that you cannot find anywhere else. 

While browsing through the list of events in runningusa.com, one of the events was Valley of Fire Marathon 2012 organized by PlanetUltra. I only got to visit VOF last September and I really did like what I saw. So, the chance to come back was something I wouldn't let pass me by. It was a small race with only 300 participants give or take spread sparsely among four categories: full marathon, half marathon, 10k and 5k. One of the volunteers whom my dad was chatting with before the race (yes, my dad drove me to the event) said 35 people signed up for the FM. But only 26 runners finished. 

As it is fall, the morning weather was naturally chilly. I was freezing my behind off. I dilly-dallied at the start corral near the park's visitor center before the race officially began and we scrambled like mice in a mace. We already tackled a hill at the beginning of the race. And numerous hills came after it. If not for the amazing landscapes that awaited us, I would have thought of this race as torture. I tried running the uphills but had to resign to walking them after my legs started screaming. I reached 13th mile at 2:45. At this pace, the target of 5 hours was already out of the picture.

The second half, now that was torture. The sun was getting fiercer and scorching me like a demon entering a hallowed ground. And we bade goodbye to the more scenic portions of the park. I also thought I was lost when running on the dirt roads of the park that's why I decided to walk most of it. When I got back to the paved roads, I could barely see any other runner. My energy is close to being fully depleted. I walked more and ran slower. I ate in most stations that I passed by and at times I thought I was not in a race but in a picnic.

Knowing that I was behind the pack affected my morale. I almost kissed dirt when I saw the 26th mile mark. My dad who came back to the park to pick me up even passed by me and asked me to just ride with him in the car. And of course, I said no. It was actually more difficult than it looked and the finish line seemed farther than it was. 

There were only few people left by the finish line. I heard my name announced by the emcee as I was approaching. My dad was there waiting and recording my "strong" finish. I finished with a big smile.

I clocked in at 5:54 which is my worst PR to date. I finished 24/26 and won second in my age group (2/2). This has to be the toughest race ever but one of the races I enjoyed the most.

Kudos to the organizers and the very friendly volunteers. Looking forward to next year and I will be back for a vengeance. 

Event: Valley of Fire Marathon 2012

Location: Overton, Nevada

Date: November 17th 2012

And Sometimes You Get More Than What You Bargained For

Finally crossing the finish line

E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 1/2, 10K & 51K

Running under the luminous moonlight...

Watching four shooting stars...

Witnessing a glorious sunrise...

51 kms of toiling of Route 51's pavements and 7 hours of huffing and puffing, of running and walking--those basically sum up this experience together with the three best things I listed up there. Though not a really big event, almost a thousand active bodies from the states of Nevada and Utah and other states jumped in to join the fun. 

We were blessed with a good weather, a clear sky and some cool breeze. It felt like running under a 3d canvass with the horizon of a full moon and twirling stars--and glowees made in China brought in some of that psychedelic whatnot. 

My dad drove me here to get this pic

I joined this race two years ago when I was just starting out running. It is my first race outside the Philippines and I was excited running with longer limbed runners. I think it was my second pikermi. But as luck would have put it, I felt some intense pain that prevented me from doing a full throttle and had my worst half-marathon performance ever. 

This time around I did the longest distance-51 kms. I thought I still had it after almost a month of inactivity. I only had a couple of short runs and a 21km prior to this event. I was thinking of finishing in less than 6 hours but covered all 32 miles past 7 hours.

Breaking dawn

And sometimes you have to look at the bright side. I have not been a morning person for some time now ever since I left my job. But when the dawn broke, the velvet horizon shifted to a spectrum of amber and turquoise and after some time, it all felt good sans the sore legs. 

Kudos to the organizers and the volunteers for a great job.

Event: E.T. Full Moon Midnight Marathon, 1/2, 10K & 51K

Location: Rachel, Nevada

Date: August 4th 2012

Perth Marathon 2012: First in the Land Down Under

With my Aussie bling

Years ago, a trip to Australia seemed impossible. And yes, thanks to Jobstreet.com I got enough funds and the courage to travel...alone. Not that it was my first time to travel overseas alone but just to venture into an unknown territory is still a tall order.


Other people have this dream. To run a marathon in all continents. I have only run in two--Asia and North America. Australia is my third. 

Before the race

Endless googling--during office hours--led me to Perth. And to Perth Marathon. I was a bit hesitant but maybe my instincts were right. Perth Marathon was just 'perth-fect' for my first race in Australia. The scenic route along Swan River was more than enough to keep me going. The energy emanating from the cheering crowd gave the extra ump to rally on especially for someone like me who does not know anyone from Perth except for the few runners I met in other races. And yes, being close to my goal of 4:30 (I finished the race in 4:36) is more than enough to make it all worth it.

It was not a totally easy peasy ordeal as I struggled heavily against depleted energy level brought about by not eating enough breakfast and not enough sleep. But just crossing the proverbial finish line and my name announced by the host, just to reiterate, is more than enough to make it all worth it.


Thank you to the organizers and the ever-so-kind volunteers for a succesful event!

I am hoping to run this race again. Maybe in the future. Maybe.


And Sydney, which I loved a lot, is a whole different story.

SCKLM 2012: My Last Hurrah in MY's Running Scene

After the race

I am a fan of the fleeting, of the ephemeral. After four hours and a half of pounding the pavements of Kuala Lumpur, my last race in Malaysia, my home for 9 months has come into conclusion.

And months ago, a 4:30 target was just a dream. A dream conceived in Penang in November and failed. Tried again in Bali, SG, Phuket and Perth but still failed. Perth was close with a 4:36 finish. But then, KL gave me a big suprise. I finished 4:28:55. I was expecting to fail with not enough sleep and my legs still sore from last week's Perth race. But the weather was perfect, the crowd (except for the last stretch of fun runners--no, I'm not elitist) persevered till the end and I guess, there is always some truism in what they say about saving the best for last. And the dream target is in the bag!

With Bryan Kho, crazy ultrarunner from Malaysia

I did away with my usual 6:1 run/walk ratio which I have been using for the last two years now. This suited me well when I do my ultras and when I clinched my sub-2 in a 21K race a year ago. It was in Phuket three weeks ago when I tried just walking after every hydration station. Did it in Perth again but I guess bad breakfast got the better part of me. And energy was out of the window.


Standard Chartered KL Marathon of June 24th 2012 finally provided me the avenue to prove something new. That despite the ambivalence of hitting 4:30 looms in the horizon, my spirit strengthened by my faith in the Lord Almighty led me to the finish line within my target time.

Maybe!

Malaysia. 9 Months. SCKLM 2012. New PB. Good times. Good times. Terima Kasih!!!

Conquering Sloth - 30 kms on a Public Holiday

My DM post Apr. 11, 2012

Totals

 It was national holiday today in Malaysia as a new king was installed. My office friends went go-karting. I begged off. Last weekend's adventure took a toll on my training and hence, I had to move my long run training today.

I was all set. Except that I slept late last night, everything should be fine I should say. I was out by quarter to five in the afternoon. My mind was all set to hit 30 kms. The initial plan was to leave the condo at 4 in the afternoon and do 10kms on the gym treadmill and do the rest on the road. I was not able to leave at 4 and had to adjust my training plan. I reached the gym at 5 and decided to hit the road instead.

I did an initial 5kms around the park doing 3 loops. Well, the sun was almost setting but it was undeniably hot. A group of teeners were doing some activities and hence the park seemed more alive than it usually is. After 5 kms and with that kind of weather, I was already tired and wanted to go home. And LAZY. I just felt so lazy to go on. 

I bought a bottle of 100 plus at the nearby mall and tried to walk off the laziness I was feeling. Walked some more until I felt the urge to run again. Ran again and then walked. Then I reached the uphill part of my route. This part, I will have to walk, if I want to reach my mileage goal. It was a 500m uphill and I walked it all. Then I ran the downhill, which is around the same length. Then, I made a turnaround and walked the uphill and ran the longer downhill this time. I ran-walk until I got to the highway then turned left to get to the park. I did this route one more time. 

By the time I returned to the park, I only had 22 kms logged. I only had one hour to finish and return to the gym to claim my stuffs. I am the kind of guy who takes my time and gets inspired by last minute panic. I love to cram. I relish on the different kind of adrenaline rush cramming brings. This is the reason why at work I always get into trouble. 

Fortunately, I finished after 4 hrs and 8 minutes and reached the gym 15 minutes before it closed. 

After shower and changing, dinner was McDonald's Quarter Pounder Meal and a cup of chocolate sundae. I am just not sure if it's enough to recover the 1,899 calories I burned but I went home still hungry and ate a couple of oranges and drank my protein drink. 

Happy Running Guys!

World Kidney Day Run 2012

Sorry for the late post. 


I wish I do not get to the point where I am so broke and have to sell one of my kidneys. This kind of things happens and it's no kidding matter and it's a reality of life.


I egged my colleague to sign up with me for this race for 4 reasons. First, it is for charity. Second, it is cheap, 30 RM. Third, the cool kidney-shaped medal. And last, it comes with a Brooks shirt. What else could you ask for?

I consider the race well organized with very minimal hangups maybe started off a few minutes later than started but that's it. Simply put, it served it purpose and everybody had fun.


Kudos to the organizers!

Event: World Kidney Day Run 2012

Location: Detaran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur

Date: March 4th 2012

Of Things to Come

It has been a crazy time for me lately. Not that I am expecting things to be smooth-flowing. But without divulging too much personal stuffs, it hasn't been easy lately. Good thing is, there are things to look forward to. 

DM post

It was a very challenging and mind-wrecking week for me. Good thing is, there were things to look forward to this weekend. Yesterday, we went to Berkella Falls for some hiking, canyoning and rappelling. The first and the last were easy or moderately easy. But the middle guy. Think twice before messing up with him. Canyoning is like rappelling except that there is a resistance that you have to battle with while you rappel down. For us, it was the strong current of second cascade of Berkella Falls. Man, it was difficult to get up once the current dragged you down. I tried to fight and stand but the more I fought, the more I was dragged down. I did it twice but I failed twice. Well, charge it to experience.


This morning was for stair training with friends for our climb next month. I tried running up the stairs with my big backpack and tried to keep up with this friend who had the stamina of an antelope and hopped on the stairs like some small pebbles. Well, he didn't have a bag so he had the court advantage. I did 3 laps of the our condo bldg of our 18-story condo building. We took a short dip at the pool after and makan after that. Had a short nap, err, 3-hour nap, then woke up to do a short run. 


There are a lot of uncertainties in my immediate future. I am not too sure how to tackle them. Good thing is, in my more immediate future, I have this.

Bali Marathon

And a lot more....

Running and Walking SG's Twilight Ultra Challenge 2012

...and no, no fanboy or fangirl ran as Edward or Bella, respectively.

1st loop (Photo by Running Kaki)

Purple haze began to spread across the languid sky. In a while, the sun will come up and illuminate the vast wilderness cloaked in darkness. Err; we were not in the wild. But we were wild about one thing--running or walking as many loops that we can. Never mind that some of us didn't have enough sleep. Never mind if some of us--especially me--didn't have enough training. Never mind if after this race, we will all be embodiment of pain. 

Hooray to 2 years of Fun!

Video courtesy of Ben Swee

As mentioned in some previous posts, I started running in Feb of 2010. I started running along the hard pavements of Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, PH. My first race was a 3k fun run and from then on, after numerous 5ks and 10ks, a handful pikermis, 3 marathons and 4 ultramarathons, I am still chasing pavements. Well, there were months of being sidelined like when I was in Angola for two months and days when I just felt so lazy to get up and go for a run. But since this year started, there hasn't been any week when I haven't done any run. I bet my groove has come back now. For good. 

To keep up with the momentum, I have some races lined up in some of the best places on earth. Lol. 

As there was no event that interested me here in Malaysia, I joined a group of runners in Singapore called I.M.D. Running headed by Ben Swee for their training for Bali Marathon. We ran in MacRitchie Reservoir Park. I can say running by the dam is a wonderful experience. We did 22kms and I finished it in around 2:30. Can't really tell exactly since I forgot to charge my Garmin. I had a great time running with some of Singapore's best and looking forward to running SG"s roads again. 

Cheers to two years of running!

Starting the year right...12 km for 2012

Three weeks of running and weeks and weeks of not updating this little nook in this humongous cyberworld, I once again conquered the unknown but usual territory. 

I signed up for the Multi-Purpose Insurans Race last year before going home to the Philippines for Christmas. The numbers game were on it again. 12km for 2012 and happening on the 8th of January. How lucky can one get?

I wanna keep this brief as wordy is so 2002. Let me give you what I thought of the race.

freebies

Pluses

1. Route - as unusual as it sounds, the challenging route was enough to keep me at the edge of my toes and to look forward to the next turn. I didn't expect it to be hilly and boy, was I shaken when I realized how arduous this route was. Good thing, the latter part of the route was mostly downhill so it compensated the pains at the onset of the race.

2. Generous amount of hydration - Aptly spaced 3 kms apart, the organizers made sure runners were well hydrated.

3. Price - At $48RM, I can say I got more than my money's worth. New balance shirt. Timing chip. Finishers' medal. A box of cereals. Fruits. 

4. Accessibility - For non-car owners like me, the event area in Kuala Lumpur beside the bird park is not hard to find and any taxi driver would be able to find it without the hassle of being lost.

Minuses

1. Lack of race clocks - PRs are important even for newbies. Not everyone brings a watch while running. And those digits on the finish banner are enough gratification for toiling it in the race route.

2. The crowd - I admire how they had women go first. But I do not think it has something to do with gender. A lot of us, men, were chicked by agile women runners. How about classifying runners based on their pace? That would spread the crowd along the route evenly. 

short shorts

Overall, I did enjoy the race. I felt slower as my behind got bigger. Lol. But the important thing is I had fun and I guess, I am starting the year right. 

More running in 2012!

Thanks to Raymond Estrella for hosting and for being my buddy for the day.

Sunday morning musings...

ah those sunday mornings when you go for a run in the park wading through the sea of people who like me are celebrating life...you wonder about the members of the wiser generation who break a sweat moving along Michael and Madonna's ditties during this time while the younger ones would probably still be recovering from last night's drunken stupor...and you think about the year that is about the close and gingerly plotting your plans for the next...and you run to your heart's content, braving the uphills at first and happily walking them at the latter part...and at the 10th km mark, you sigh and give thanks to the Lord Almighty because for what it's worth, it is a good life after all...#sundaymorningmusings

I came, I saw and I conquered PENANG!

Out of laziness, I am able to finish this post only now. Forgive me if there were details that I have forgotten already. 2-24-12

At the finish wall

Penang is marvelous.

I know that is a bit of an understatement. But I am lost for words. The well preserved shophouses. The long stretches of cobble-stoned streets. The vibrantly designed rickshaws. The east-meets-west vibe. The very budget-friendly hostels. And the food! Go to Penang for the best food Malaysia has to offer.

My 3-day detour to this place is a bit short and I know I am coming back. I have to. I didn't do much sightseeing as I spent a couple of days preparing for the race or resting after it. 

And no, this is not a travel blog. 

I heard about this race last year through a blog of a friend. Apparently, Asia was the 6th continent where he ran a marathon. I didn't realize I'll be doing it too. 

I was hungry for a race. Any race just to prove I am still a runner. I googled, found some and I signed for three races at one time: PJ Half-marathon, CICM Run and the latest, Penang Bridge International Marathon. And finishing the last one proved to be the sweetest.

Taking on Malaysian suburbs...

...and the height of naivete.

Yey for the bling!

It was a sleepless night. No, I was not excited. I went to bed early to get enough sleep and I was off to dreamland the moment I lay down on the hotel bed and shut off the lights. Then in the middle of midnight, prank calling disturbed my peace and I was not able to sleep again.

Sweet Carbo-loading :)

Oh well, fast forward 9 hours later. I was able to finish my second pikermi in Malaysia, CICM Responsible Care Run 2011. Maybe I was ready for the race toting my water bottle as the hydration stations would be far from each other. The race went through smoothly. I didn't get a new PR and I realized I was getting slower as I put on some weight. But that's okay. I guess finishing strong is more than enough. But the events surrounding it almost drowned out the good things about the race.

the stage

Hang-overs

One of the best views of the route

I like the route. The scenic trees dotting the roads cooled the air and provided shade when the sun was up. The next-to-nothing traffic with only a few cars interrupted by our sporty gallivanting. And most of all, the mainly flat surface with few unsteep slopes that is PR friendly.

The singlet and the medal

There are medals for every 21km runner who crosses the finish line in 3 hrs. In PJ Marathon, only the first 200 finishers for each category gets one. So, this is officially my first bling in MY.

And the singlet. The New Balance singlet is comfy to wear and has better fabric than the one in PJ Marathon. These makes the 50 RM registration so worth it. 

Hang-ups

Second race with hydration stations spread at app 4 kms from each other. Is this a standard set-up here? It's a good thing it was not that hot today.

I like the route BUT I didn't realize it was just too far. I almost cried as the meter rolled on almost forever. Call me naive as I am new in town. And it's not the organizers' responsibility to get me there but I wish the organizers provided some shuttle service to lure more runners to join. And I was lost twice. Once during race packet pick-up and on raceday itself. Good thing, we reached Setia Alam Welcome Center just in the nick of time. And after the race, I couldn't find a taxi that was leaving. I called the cab company but they said there was none nearby. A taxi was parked by the events area and I had to wait for the program to wrap up (I didn't get to bring an iPad. sic.) for the driver to return and ask him to take me to the hotel. He didn't but instead dropped me off at KLang station where I took a train to KL Central then another train to Kelana Jaya where I was gonna take a bus or taxi to the hotel. I only took the train to KL Central and got off from that station and joined a new group of friends to watch Manny Pacquiao battle it out with Juan Manuel Marquez for the third time.

And that my friends is the biggest hangup of the day--though totally unrelated to this race. What the heck happened?! Tell me.

Next week: Penang Bridge International Marathon 2011. I'm stoked!

Taking on Malaysian highways...

...and PJ half-marathon, my first race in Malaysia.

Running Bitoy :)

Ready to Rock It

I was in a racing drought for almost three months now before this race. During those times, all I could do was be engulf with the untolerable amount of envy I was feeling whenever my running friends from home post their new conquests. The Manila running scene is surely one thing that I miss a lot.

It was one boring day in Luanda (and no, Luanda is far from boring), when I signed up for three races--Petaling Jaya Half-marathon which happened today, CICM Run and Penang Bridge International Marathon, both of which are happening next month. So what does this mean? This just means I'm really, really back! And there's no way I'm backing down.

Stadium Petaling Jaya

Enough of the rhetorics. I was both excited and anxious of this race as this is my first in Malaysia and the first in 3 months. I didn't have enough training and I gained weight a bit. I made sure that I don't miss this race by waking up early and getting to the race area an hour before gunstart. After a warmup session led by two trainers from Fitness First, 21k runners positioned ourselves by the starting line. I was there for only a few minutes and without further ado, the gun was fired and off we scrambled like mice in a maze. 

Highway signs

Runing inside a dark tunnel

We started before the sun was fully up and it didn't take long before we could fill its unforgiving might. And mighty it really was. I remember having to content myself with walking on the bridge when it was really hot and there were no trees around to provide us some shade. The route was mainly flat with just the right combination of uphills and downhills. The uphills weren't that steep and were doable. And there's the nagging fear of being run over as the highways were not really closed for the event. So, the route was just fine. It was just the heat.

Highway Runners

And the hydration stations. I thought there were not enough and are spread out too far, I think every 4 kms. So there are only 4 stations for refreshments. Good thing though, they also have sponge stations for us to feel a bit relieved from the heat.

Almost there...

And the lack of training. At 17kms, I was already tired and tempted to just walk to the finish line.  But I still tried to run and running I did. I was gunning for a sub2 finish but that didn't happen. I settled for a 2:15 finish and ironically, I'm happy about it. I didn't have to beat myself for missing my target. There's another race. There are two actually. And just to be back and finished the race in good form is more than enough.

***

Special thanks to Annitah for the nice chat and the lift after the race. It was a pleasure meeting you.

And yes, I can still hear Stevie Nicks singing in my head. So far, I'm sailing through the changing ocean tides just fine. 

3 Runs in Four Weeks

Jogging track in Ilha

I have been in Angola for a month now and in those four weeks, I have only run 3 times. I did not get to run in my first two weeks here. My first run as I mentioned in the previous post was a barefoot run in this place called Ilha. 

takbo.ph singlet

My second run was in the same place when a colleague asked me to run after work. I remember it was so cold (21 degrees is cold for me!) but I soon warmed up after a few loops. 
And the last one was last weekend when two of my colleagues walked with me from the guesthouse to Ilha so we could do some running. Err, it was only me who ran while they rested and chatted the morning away.

Thumbs up for a good run

I am running less and less and I can't wait to get back to KL to get some normalcy back into my running schedule. Don't get me wrong Luanda is a fine place. It's just that with my work and other circumstances prevent me to give more time for running.


In the meantime, doing Indian pushups help me to stay, uhm, trim despite having a hard time doing them. And I signed up for 3 races in Malaysia happening in the next two months. 


Happy Running, guys!

Running Barefoot in Africa

Happy feet running

I'm now on my third week in Luanda, Angola. With the limitations that are imposed on us, road running is out of the picture for now. Or so I thought.


Last weekend, my colleagues and I trooped to the nearest beach from Luanda downtown, Praia Ilha. I know there is a running track by the beach but I thought we were still going to this island beach everybody recommends to us, Mussulo Island, so I didn't bother bringing my running gears with me. 

Sunset in Ilha

The sand on the beach felt fine and the beach gives a wonderful and unobstructed view of the sunset. But it's not the cleanest. But going here was a welcome distraction.


In between bottles and cans of beer, we played football in the sand. I remember my cousin Jake who taught us how to play soccer when we first met him in the 90's. I never had so much fun since I came here. 


While my colleagues were catching their breaths and guzzling more beer, I decided to go for a run. Forget the running shoes. I was gonna run with my flipflops but I thought I'll move freely running barefoot. And so I did just that. I ran barefoot for the first time. I ran for the first time in Africa.

Long neck

I ignored the quizzical stares I was getting. Just running with a perfect view of the beach while the sun was setting among few other runners was more than enough to cure me of my homesickness. I did 5 loops totalling 5 kilometers of the running track pausing to take some pictures. I had a good workout and my feet hurt a bit, it was nothing compared to the euphoria of being back on track!

Hiatus in Africa and Missing Manila's Running Scene

partying in Angola!

I'm currently in Angola, Africa for work until next month. I've seen a few people running by the beach and my envy consumes me. Getting around is difficult since I don't have my own car and have to rely on the company shuttle vehicle. There's no gym in the guesthouse we are staying in and it makes me lazier to do any form of exercise. I sometimes have to content myself with a few pushups on those few days when I am not lazy. As the company is strict on safety, we are not allowed to wander alone, hence, road running is out of the picture. 


I miss the Philippines especially my family and friends. And the running scene.From its back-to-back weekend races to those challenging ultra races, forgive me for being biased but the Philippines has one of the most exciting running scenes in the world. Whenever I see my friends posting their recent running conquests, I am filled with ENVY. I miss the early morning calls for a race. The pre-race jitters. The crazy things that happen during the race. The commotion in every hydration stations. The camaraderie among runners. And that finish banner. The simple and quick gratification for some minutes or some hours of running. Simply put, I miss running in the Philippines!


I know five weeks is slow or fast depending on my attitude. But for now, hopefully, with some windfall, I get to run in Angola even just once. Else, running for now, will have to take a backseat. 

Sunday Morning Run

 

Today, I'm moving out of the hotel and into one of the company's staffhouses which are actually condo units. I haven't run again in KLCC since last Monday and the only running I can afford is on the treadmill which I have only done in a few minutes. Talk about having an attention span of a 3-year-old.


I ran in KLCC at night last Monday so I wasn't able to fully appreciate its beauty. But this time, I was able to admire its awesomeness in broad daylight. I like the abundance of trees along the running trail. The fresh air that envelopes the area. And of course, the Petronas towers hovering over us like giant doting gods. 

I finished a 10km run with a time of 1:03. This is the longest run I had since the Rexona Run in Manila. Afterwards, I pigged out on the hotel's buffet breakfast table and tried to do a few laps in the hotel's pool. I could have done more but I stretched my glute and had to just dip in the water.


Till the next run!