Run for Hope Canceled

According to Takbo.ph the Run for Hope on Sunday at UP is canceled. Drat! I was preparing for the 6.6km the whole week. Well, life is just full of surprises. But that doesn't mean I'll leave my running shoes in the cabinet on Sunday. I have a back up plan!

So that my efforts -- including nightmares of tripping, sweaty shirts, boring hours on the treadmill -- don't go to waste, I'll just join the run at Ateneo instead. Since Ateneo is just beside UP, it wouldn't really disrupt any logistics I've planned (not that I have any). It's also for a good cause. And it's shorter! Just 5k :)


A note about the pictures: The UP photo came from this site: http://img355.imageshack.us/i/06upyr3.jpg/. And I got the Takbo Para Sa Pagbabago poster from takbo.ph.

33rd Milo Marathon 10k

Calories Burned: 755 cal
Running Time: 1:15:29

Most of the thoroughfares going to Roxas Blvd were blocked to the irritation of our taxi driver. He got surprised when we told him that there was a marathon happening at that time (5am). "Abot dito?" was his incredulous question when we were on Buendia Ave. Yup, that was how long it was: 42km total from km 0 and back.

But I wasn't gonna run 42km! 10km would already be hard enough for me. This was my longest race so far and I wasn't even prepared for it. I had wanted to prepare a lot and finish a 10km run on my own in PSC or at UP, but that didn't happen. My mom got hospitalized for a week prior to the run. The sleepless nights at the hospital was just too gruelling for me to try running. She got out on the Wednesday of the week of the run, so thankfully I was able to manage one 45-minute run in the PSC track. That run was the hardest: my legs felt like lead, and I couldn't find my rhythm.

When I woke up at 4am for the 33rd Milo Marathon, I knew that there was only one thing that I could do: try finishing my 10k.

There were hundeds of 10k runners. Wow! You know what, the energy streaming off them was probably one of the things that just kept me going after the starting shot was fired - 5 minutes earlier than scheduled.

RACE
Roxas Blvd was flat for the most part, except for one flyover. There were some parts of the road that were sloping towards the sidewalk so that I felt I was running at an angle. There were lots of marshalls and water stations serving not just water, but Milo and Gatorade too.

The real highlight for me though was seeing the long distance runners who were already on their way back. I wasn't even halfway through my 10k, when the first 42k runner passed! He was soon followed by a group of 21k runners. They looked so effortless when they run. Seeing them made me wanna run faster too, but all I could really do was shuffle along. Well, maybe in another lifetime.

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Mizuno Infinity Run

Calories Burned: 362 cal
Running Time: 34 mins

When my friend and I got off the taxi to join the other runners on Mizuno Infinity Run (June 7), the first thing she noticed was that I was one of the few who were wearing jogging pants. Haha! She wasn't even going to the run, but she was my one-woman support team-cheerer-photographer-guard-and fashion critique!

Route
Compared to UP's up and down roads, the 5k route at the Fort was flat. I was thankful for that; uphills are a real calf burner. However, I soon missed the trees at UP because as the sun climbed higher, the lack of shade at Makati (or is it Taguig?) became more apparent. The other difference was at UP the roads were made of asphalt; it was hard concrete all the way at the Fort. So as I was running/walking, I decided that as much as possible I'll be choosing runs scheduled at UP more than those scheduled at the Fort.

Race
It started a few minutes after 6am. A lady runner beside me was already complaining about the race being late and about the sun coming up soon. I wasn't at all surprised that when it finally started, she zoomed past me and several other runners. She was fast!

There were plenty of race marshals. They were always telling us not to run on the sidewalk, but every now and then, somebody would run where they're not supposed to. Sigh.

I havent been to enough races to have a good opinion about how a race should be organized, but I couldn't help but wish that the runners were allowed to use the roads (or at least the side we're running on) exclusively -- no cars allowed. We had to look over our shoulders for cars coming behind us. I don't think that's safe.

What I loved about the Mizuno Infinity race was the singlet - light fabric, sporty design, and seriously blue. I saw guys at the gym wearing their Mizuno singlets proudly; I'm still too embarassed of my flabby arms to wear mine outside of a race.

Result
I'm running to lose. No doubt about that. I didn't burn as much calories in this run as I did at the K.I.D.S. run but I think that's because of two factors: the route is flatter and I finished faster (well, just two minutes faster, lol!).

My weight a week after the Mizuno Infinity Run was 144.8lbs. That means I lost around 5lbs already since I started really trying to lose weight the healthy way. :)

Run with K.I.D.S.

Calories Burned: 400 kcal
Running Time: 35 minutes

That's me - the hunchback with a ponytail. This was minutes before the event started on May 31 at UP Diliman. The category I joined was the 5k run.

UP is a nice place to run, if you can still breathe well enough to enjoy the scenery. The trees along the academic oval form a shadowy canopies that provide a reprieve from the sun. When the race started though, I wasn't really able to enjoy the view because everybody was a running rabbit eager to finish the race; I was a turtle. Within seconds it seemed, I was looking at everybody's backs.

It was my first run. I just wanted to move at a steady pace. But UP's up and down and curving roads wouldn't allow that. I'd go turtle speed up and go human speed down. I really wasn't prepared for hills. When I run on treadmills, the grade is just 0. Too late for regrets.

I finished the 5km in 36 mins. While I was still panting, I got to chat with a lady who was walking around cooling down. She was 50 years old, and she finished her 5k in 28 mins. Wow! She said I could finish under 30 minutes too if I practice.

Hmmm, I have 20 more years to practice. Hehehe.

Running to lose

Here are the hard fat facts about me. I just sit on my butt the whole day, so it's not a surprise that I weigh 17kg heavier than my ideal weight.

AND I have two weddings to attend next year - I'll be the maid of honor to my sister's January wedding, and a bridesmaid to a friend's March wedding. For anybody who's taken somebody else's wedding seriously, you'll understand my panic in hoping to fit in the dresses and make our side of the family look good, sigh.

There seems to be a general consensus that the best way to lose fat is through cardio, weight training, and diet. For cardio, I'm going to do running. I've already enrolled in the gym for weight training. And diet, hmmm diet, is gonna be a pain, but i'll take note of what I eat.

This blog will be about my attempts at losing weight the healthy way. Wish me luck!