I'm A Quitter

QUITTER - Always been a negative word for me but had a different meaning when one said that I am.

Yesterday as I was having an afternoon break with a my co-worker, somebody approached me and asked for a stick and a lighter. All of a sudden my co-worker said, "Sir, quitter na yan" (He already quit smoking). There you go! "Quitter" which for me meant LOSER became 'me' on a positive way. Look at the picture, isn't it so positive?

It has been a month since I started the war against smoking. I can say that I am doing great. No craving. No withdrawal symptoms. I really thank running for becoming my inspiration to quit. Of course, it also took a great deal of determination to finally get over with the addiction. I also like to appreciate friends around me who have always been supportive to my endeavors of quitting. You know who you are! Clap guys!

There's really an end to your addiction. You just have to make that DECISION to QUIT and stick to that promise. Let's all say: "I'M A QUITTER!"

See you at the races!

From Late Afternoon/Night to Early Morning Run

Since typhoon Basyang, I really had a hard time sneaking in running at night or late afternoon because it's always raining. The only option I have right now is to shift my run schedule in the morning. This is going to be a difficult adjustment for me for certain reasons:

• I sleep late, thus I have a hard time waking early (6am?)
• My muscles are generally stiff, err...tight in the morning. It takes more time to warm up and stretch just to get every inch to be working well
• Of course I need to be at work at 9am; I can't do long runs.

Well, I chose to love this sport and has been my passion since day 1, so a little sacrifice wouldn't hurt.

Here's to running in the morning and more races to come!

See you at the races.

Your 21-K Program

My dream of doing a 21K before the year ends is haunting me. :D Here's a program that I'll be following:


Hope to follow the program religiously. Thanks to Hal Higdon for the program.

Finally!

After the long wait, I finally received my Takbo.ph singlet! I like the fit and material used. Can't wait to test it.


See you there!

Run4Life - My first 10K

Was excited and at the same time nervous for my first 10K run. A month ago, I decided to join my first 10K with Run4Life. But after running in Filinvest twice with aNR, it gave me second thoughts. But I have no choice. I already registered for the event.

Race day came and I arrived in Alabang around 4:30 AM. This is the first time that I'll be running without my running buddies. So I contacted some aNR peeps who might also be running on the same race. Met them there and Dave, Precious' co-worker.
It was cold. I can feel the cool breeze while I was warming up and during the first 10 mins of the run. It wasn't my thing running in cold weather. So I was praying to let the sun shine. When I already felt the sun's heat, I got more excited and ran. My legs felt well. Full 3 days leg rest and having enough sleep did it.

Since it was my first 10K race, I'm thinking of what to expect during the race. I did a couple of 5's and all felt the same. Now I'm doing 10, how is it different? The uphill route really made my legs and quads real heavy but I had to overcome it. I followed 6-7 mins run and 1 min walk. That way I still have time to rest or walk that is. I even had to wet my nape and my arms because I feel heat being released by my body (like steam). My second wind came as I approached the last 2Kms. Felt my legs aren't tired anymore and they're light. So I kept on my pace reserving my energy for the sprint towards the finish line. On my last kilometer, I sprinted and really felt great seeing myself crossing the finish line still strong and can still run farther and further.

I really enjoyed the run and can't wait to run my next 10's and moving to 15s or 21s.
I also had my first and official picture with the Takbo.ph banner. Been waiting for this moment. Crazy!
I think this is a well-organized run. The target number of runners were enough. It did not made booths too crowded, except of course for the photo booth. Too bad I didn't win the Blackberry phone that was raffled. Baggage counter was well organized. So many free drinks around. Hydration was great on the route. You have a choice of Pocari and/or water. Loot bag, fair. What the heck, the run was for a cause and that's why I run, to help.

Finished a decent 1 hour and 5 mins! Of course a PR cause it's my first. Hehehe!

Booth picture:More pics here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/album.php?aid=185346&id=535779572

aNR - Alabang July 6, 2010

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The Palms... yaiks. Dreaded route - uphill. Yet fortunate to take this route before I head on to Sunday's Run4Life event. We have new recruits here, Eman (in yellow), Penchie (in gray), and Jim (in black). Yes we have a lot of pictures and show how fun it is to be with the aNR Alabang family.

The 34th Milo Marathon

I'm so thankful to be part of the most prestigious Milo Marathon 2010! Initially I only wanted to become a member of the support crew for aNR - Alabang and just wanted to get a singlet so I decided to register for 5K. But after being convinced, I finally decided to run and later go to the support station.

Slept 1AM the night before the race (was it because of excitement? Perhaps!). Woke up at 3:15 AM. Met Deng and Adel around 4:30 AM. Went to Manila Yacht Club, aNR - Alabang's Station 1 super support crew. Left our stuff for support supplies and off we went to the starting line.

It was so crowded. The host mentioned that there were 21,000 participants for the 5K category. WOW! That's a lot.On gun start, we were stuck in the starting line for about 6 mins (or more). When we finally got enough space to run, we were surrounded with teenagers/kids who were just walking in big groups. They were chatting and taking pictures. I had to shout "excuse me" or "give way" just to break them. It's not their fault though. Perhaps they were not briefed on rules when you're on the route.Water station: I had a hard time getting one since these kids were crowding the table. Thank god after the U turn, a bottled water was being distributed so I grabbed one and brought it with me throughout the rest of the route. Heard somebody cheering for me. Wasn't really sure who cheered. Hehe. Thank you very much if ever you're reading my blog, I didn't pay much attention of who was cheering for me, my goal then was just to finish the race and I was catching up on my pace. My apologies. But I'm sure I was able to give my thumbs up, a nod, or said "uy" as a gesture of thanks.

Finished the race at 34:47 mins. Wasn't able to PR, but heard the route was a kilometer longer. If that's the case, then I made another PR. And for that, it meant was able to do a sub 30 for my 5K?! Hehehe. Not final though.After the run, we had to go back at the 2.5-km mark to support marathoners. That's a different story. I also had fun and the fulfillment of encouraging marathoners run and finish the race is PRICELESS. The smile on their faces whenever we give them water cups, sponge, water guns, eggs, jelly ace, liniments etc., those were enough to make us feel fulfilled in what we do.We ate lunch and celebrated for all the accomplishments and achievements for the day. KUDOS to aNR Alabang and to all runners! We did well!Will post pictures once they're available. :D For now. these are what I have:

This is how the starting line looks like

While waiting for Deng a few meters from the Finish Line, I saw my friend way back High School, Harold. His sister is a 10-K participant.

Team Logan : I just finished my 5K race and decided to go to our support station when I saw Team Logan passing! Go Team Logan!

The Super Support Crew in action!

The aNR - Alabang Super Support Crew

See you on the next race!