Quezon City International 42k Marathon 2011 Edition

“To run is to worship.” -Ronnie de Lara

This coming Sunday, December 4, 2011, I’ll be joining the QCIM 42K marathon courtesy of Mr. David de Leon who sponsored me and my running mate, Romy Irevera.  This nice fella was also our sponsor  last year. Thank you so much Sir David. : )

After the Nuvali 60K last June 2011, I joined  Milo 42K and Adidas 21K. Sad to say, I was not able to post the race result  here. I’ll try  my best to update my races the soonest time possible.

Special thanks also to Miss Issa of Adidas marketing for the sponsorship during the Adidas KOTR last October 2011. I owe you one Ma’am.

Although I’m not visible in majority of the races nowadays, I see to it that I do train regularly. I run on the road, off the road or in the treadmill rain or shine anytime of the day. For me, running is a form of worship. During this activity, I can sing spiritual songs, pray, intercede and talk to God. Nothing beats the feeling knowing that  you’re strong physically and  spiritually. Glory to God.

See you this coming Sunday at the starting line. I’ll update you with the race result ASAP.

Let me end with this quotation coming  from David Goggins, “I don’t stop when I’m tired, I stop when I’m done.”

God bless us all!

25K/50K front RUNNER (The Valley Trail Challenge)

 

My 3rd Race for this year will happen this coming Saturday, June 18, 2011. Let me post this:

frontRUNNER ‘The Valley Trail Challenge’ June 18, 2011 Nuvali, Sta Rosa, Laguna 25K / 50K …

For those who have done the marathon here’s a great time to try Ultra-Marathon and for those who simply love the outdoors, a 25-kilometer category awaits you. The route is generally runner-friendly, having a rolling but mostly flat terrain (single and double track dirt roads), and only around 5% will consist of concrete roads. This route offers reprieve from constant pounding on hard surfaces. One loop will consist of 25 kilometers with the start and finish lines situated at the vicinity of the Evoliving Center. The course will bring runners to the peripheries of the NUVALI complex which will offer participants majestic views that only nature and NUVALI can offer. And in the true tradition of trail and ultra running, this race will be a no frills, all thrills race where runners, despite the presence of three aid stations( at Kilometers 9, 20 and 25 – first aid, water and electrolyte drinks), are strongly advised to be self-contained and sufficient, meaning , runners are required to carry their own hydration kits and nutrition supplies. Additionally, it is also recommended that they bring their own first aid kit (cotton balls, antiseptic solution, band aid strips and anti-biotic ointment). Registration Fee: (Limited Slots) 25K – PHP 750.00 50K – PHP 950.00 (includes finisher’s shirt and token) Registration Venue: A Runner’s Circle – Aloha Hotel, RoxasBlvd.– 567-4786

Read more: http://www.pinoyfitness.com/2011/04/frontrunner-the-valley-trail-challenge-june-18-2011/#ixzz1LuG9IhUz

See you there at the 50K category.

God bless.

Patakbo-Takbo Lang…

“Running is a thing worth doing not because of future rewards it bestows, but because of how it feeds our bodies and minds and souls in the present.” -Kevin Nelson

Kahit na anong gawin kong pag-iwas sa pagtakbo, sadyang lagi pa rin akong dinadala ng aking mga paa papunta dito. Ito’y nasubukan ko ng di ako tumakbo ng limang araw dahil na din sa pagod at puyat (due to work of course) na sinamahan pa ng ulan dahil sa napakaagang pagdating ng bagyo. Nakakatamad kasing tumakbo pag basa na ang kalsada at medyo umaambon pa di ka pa man nakakapagumpisa…

Buti na lang at may ‘treadmill’ sa work station ko kaya yun na lang muna ang aking pinagtyagaan. Noong una, di ko sya pinapansin dahil hindi ako talaga sanay na tumakbo sa treadmill. Sa panahong wala kang ibang pagpipilian, tatakbo ka kahit saan at anong paraan. Sabi nga, once a runner, always a runner.

Sa darating nga palang May 22, 2011, kung kalooban po ng Dios, baka makasali ako sa 15K Brooks Run Happy na gagawin sa The Fort. Medyo mura ang Registration Fee P600 at kaya ng budget. Mamimigay daw sila ng authentic Brooks singlet at may timing chip pa. Tamang tama dahil maganda naman ang quality ng Brooks, may running short  nga ako nito na matagal ko ng sinusuot sa mga running practices at hanggang ngayo’y nagagamit ko pa. Magkita kita po tayo doon, kaibigan.

Hectic man po ang schedule natin, dapat di natin kalimutang alagaan ang ating katawan, at isang mabisang paraan ay ang pagtakbo. Kapag nag gym ako ngayon, kinabukasan naman ay tatakbo ako. At isang beses sa isang Linggo naman ang aking mahabang pagbibisikleta…

May mga nagtatanong nga pala kung di daw ba ako napapagod? Ang lagi kong sagot ay simple lamang…”Mas nakakapagod ang walang ginagawa.”

See you at the road and remember…God loves you always.

God be Praised!

Burn: U Rock U Run

 

Liz Mendoza sent me this email…

We are inviting you to join BURN: U Rock U Run.

The UP Chemical Society, in its 81st year, presents its first ad hoc event, BURN: U Rock, U Run, a fun run for the rehabilitation and construction of the buildings of UP Diliman Institute of Chemistry.

10 April 2011, 5:30 AM, Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill, Taguig

Events: 3K, 5K and 10K
Registration Fee: P450
Race kits include singlet and race bib.
Promo: Register as a group of 10 and get P50 off for each person.

Contact Ralph (09062488759), Joseph (09336541191), Mara (09164302502) or Jason (09178742050) for inquiries.

You may register here: http://upchemicalsociety.org/
You may also register at http://www.runnersrunner.com/store/events/burn-urock-urun-2011.html
and at selected Chris Sports branches (SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa Annex, Glorietta, and Market! Market!)

You may pay your registration fees at any Banco De Oro branch.
Account Name: Ralph Rolly A. Gonzales
Account Number: 0251056325

 

Also, on the same date, there’s also a Mt. Mayon 360 Run courtesy of  a  dear friend and an icon in running, Sir Jovie Narcise aka Baldrunner. You may visit his website at http://www.baldrunner.com for more details.

That’s it for now.

 

See you at the road my friend.

 

God be Praised!

Not My Time…

“Don’t be afraid of missing opportunities. Behind every failure is an opportunity somebody wishes they had missed.” -Lily Tomlin

 

I’m so frustrated and disappointed.

After training for almost 6 months, my dream of competing a 160k  ultramarathon will not happen. I knew in my heart that I’m so prepared for it but circumstances do not favor me this time.

I will surely miss the Bdm 160k which will happen this coming Saturday, Feb. 26, 2011.

To the people who already gave their pledges, I’m going to return your donation. I’m sorry friends  and I thank you for the trust you gave me. You know who you are.

To  Race Director, Sir Jovie Narcise who invited me to join this race, thank you very much too. I’m so sorry for not informing you ahead of time. At the last minute, I did what I have to do in order for me to join this race but to no avail and so, two days before this Ultramarathon begins, I am announcing it here in my blog.

Last night, my last chance to decide whether to join this race or not was finally realized when I was not able to attend the Carbo-loading Party.

It is so painful for me but I have to accept the reality that although we dream something big and plan to achieve that dream, sometimes, that dream will not happen this year. I don’t know why my prayer was not answered this time but I always believe that everything works together for good.

To all brave warriors who will be joining the Bdm 102 and 160, I wish you all the best. May the good Lord gives you all the strength and power to finish that race, safe and injury-free. I salute you all in the name of running.

See you at the road.

Always, to God be the glory!

RUNNING IN MY MIND:

“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan

 

 

 

Happy Hearts Day!

“When I first started doing races, I didn’t understand why people did them. I thought it was boring. But give it a try. If you’re new to the sport, or maybe even an infrequent runner, try it. Once you do it and finish a race, there’s such a feeling of self-accomplishment—that’s really been one thing I’ve taken away from doing running events. Because it’s just you, and you have just yourself to credit for doing what you did. It’s always a great feeling afterward, because you know you did it all yourself.” -Mike Bettes, Meteorologist, The Weather Channel

 

Feb 6, 2011 Condura Skyway 42K

At the finishline…

See you at the road.

God be Praised!

RUNNING YOUR MIND:

GOD’S LOVE

God hath not promised

skies always blue,

Flower strewn pathways

All our lives through;

God hath not promised

Sun without rain,

Joy without sorrow,

Peace without pain.

 

But God hath promised

Strength for the day,

Rest for the labor,

Light for the way,

Grace for the trials,

Help from above,

Unfailing sympathy,

Undying LOVE!

-Annie Johnson Flint

This coming Valentines day, always remember God loves you…ALWAYS!

 

Skyway 42K:Recap!

“Running is a passion for me. I like to set new challenges for myself. The cool thing is, it’s something you do yourself. I don’t have 10 other guys blocking for me. I would love to have 10 other guys out there blocking for me, but it doesn’t work that way. It’s all about you.” – Roger Craig, Former NFL running back

Feb 6, 2011, Sunday 330am until 9am, Skyway

Condura Skyway Marathon was a huge a success. Thanks to Concepcion brothers,  Mr. Organizer and the people behind this gargantuan event for providing us the best Marathon so far for this year. From water supplies, marshals, route, time schedule, freebies/novelties, medal, everything is almost perfect.

I enjoyed my pace from km 0 until km 42. No hurry as I reached the finish line, my 14th full marathons so far and my 2nd for this year. This was my last long run prior to BDM 160K on Feb. 26, 2011. I just did a consistent 0:8:30/km which is safe in finishing a 160K for a cut-off time of 30 hrs.

As expected, I reached the finish line in less than 6 hrs…to be exact it’s 5:36:03 Official Time, ranked 769th out of 1123 finishers. Not bad since I joined this race with a little rest coming from a graveyard shift.

Let me acknowledge these people; They are my angels for this event.

-Bienvenido Soberano for allowing me to use his Bib Number, thank you Sir.

-Moji de luna. This woman brought me the bib number.

-Ultra-runner George Dolores, for providing me power bar when I’m craving for food at km 25.

-Vener Roldan, Jinoe Gavan, Rene Villarta for taking a picture of me along the route.

-San Pedro runners.

It was nice to see familiar faces in the running community, Ultra-runners, marathoners, newbies, triathletes, mountaineers, paddlers…people with great passion for running. Indeed, that day was special for once again, we conquered Skyway without any other means -only with our feet. At one point, I saw some of my Ultra-running friends running ‘barefoot’ in the Skyway. It was so unique I envied them for not doing the same thing, even for a while.

This is why running is so good for there’s no particular set of rules to follow. As long as you don’t cheat, you can do everything to make it fun, enjoyable and interesting.

After that Marathon, I rested for 2 days and I resumed running again Wednesday afternoon for a good 7K, tempo run. No pain whatsoever.

Thank You Lord for giving me the strength and the will to survive once again.

All the Glory I bring back to You.

See you at the road.

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  The most consistently endearing human trait is warmth. Everybody responds  to the person who radiates  friendliness from a serene core. Such people are lovely  to be around because they don’t reject  or belittle and, best of all, they bring out the best, the most generous qualities  in the people they encounter.” -Barbara Walters

 

 

 

 

Condura Skyway 42K Marathon -The Unexpected!

“I’m looking for the unexpected. I’m looking for things I’ve never seen before. ” –Robert Mapplethorpe

 

Barely 2 weeks ago, a dear friend Moji de Luna and I met in Makati City and she handed  me a race bib for the Condura Skyway 42k marathon. It so happened that the owner of that race bib can’t make it due to an injury.

And so, tomorrow February 6, 2011…I’ll be at the starting line once again for my 14th 42K race.

Unknown to Moji, I’m praying that I could run in this marathon once again since I’m always a participant  yearly in this race but this year I have no plan of joining because I am saving every cents so that I could join the BDM 160.

I’m glad that my prayer was answered.

See you tomorrow at the Skyway!

God be Praised.

Food For Thought: A professor in college Ethics class presented his students  with a problem. He said,” A man has syphilis and his wife has tuberculosis. They have had 4 children: one has died, the other 3 have what is considered to be a terminal illnesses. The mother is pregnant. What do you recommend?” After a spirited discussion, the majority of class voted  that she abort the child. “Fine,” said the professor. “You’ve just killed Beethoven.” -HIS magazine, february 1984

 

 

 

 

Wrong Direction?

“If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction. ” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Don’t be surprised if I tell you that many professional athletes spend their leisure time listening to music. So do a lot of us.

William Congreve, an 18th century English dramatist, use these familiar  words, “Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast, to soften rocks, to bend a knotted  oak.”

That’s why sometimes, during my LSD, I listened to music to strengthen and motivate me further.

A phrase I still hear occasionally is  ‘All Shook Up’, a phrase made popular by the late Elvis Presley. In  Aug 29, 1977 issue of Newsweek Magazine, there was an interesting article about this man. It was titled, ‘All Shook Up.’ Elvis was born dirt-poor in a little town in Mississippi, the only child. At the young age of 18, while making $14 a week as a truck driver, he, just on a lark, decided to make a recording. And he became the best paid male entertainer in history of America. At age 23 he lost his mother.

Just before his death at age 42, he wished he could find one week when he could just live a normal life, going up and down the streets of his city without being harassed. He would pay million dollars, for one week of peace.

Pat Boone said of Elvis, “I cared a lot for him.” He said, “He went in the wrong direction. Ironically, we met for the last time when I was going toward  the east and he was on his way  to Las Vegas. He said to me, “Pat, where are you going? And I told him I was going to be involved in some kind of ministry. And he says, “Hey I’m going to Vegas Pat, as long as I’ve known you, you’ve been going in the wrong direction.”  Pat Boone answered, ‘Elvis, that just depends on where you’re coming from and where are you going.’ ”

There comes a time in my life that I’m headed to a wrong direction too. That  path for me  seems right but unknown to me, the end of it is the way of death. I’m glad that the ONE up there rescued me and showed me the right way to go.

I just open my heart to Him and made Him my Lord and Savior.

If you’re in the wrong direction, call Him now. He is more than willing to help you.

God be Praised!

See you in the Condura 42k race on Feb. 6, 2011.

The 2nd QCIM 42K Recap (Last Part)

“The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race: it’s to test the limits of the human heart.” -Bill Bowerman, American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike

It took me several days before I was able to post this topic today. Main reasons? I’m so busy with my work, training and I’m having an internet connection problem lately.

Well, my target of writing a blog entry everyday was not materialized but I’ll cope up sooner or later. It seems  (and as always)  the month of December is a very busy month and I found myself under that spell too.

The preparation, manpower, route, supplies, management -they are all perfect. I have no bad comments regarding this marathon for they were ALL greatly executed. They improved a lot, learning from last year’s mistakes.

Congratulations  RUNNEX for a job well done and hoping to run with you again next year.

To my friend Romy whom I had never seen in the starting line (due to galore of runners) and up to the finish line (He’s too fast for me : )) I’m still waiting for your sms message. Congrats for your 4:29 time.

To Dave de Leon…thank you again for giving us the opportunity to run in this marathon for the 2nd time. I owe you one.

To all my Ultra-running friends (Jonel, Abet, Chito, Mylene, George, Caloy, Arman, Doc T, Mar, Erick, Vener, Atty. Jon and Sir Jovie)

To all my running pals (Jack, Vic, Moji, Joy, Rene, Let)

And to countless of my friends whom I forgot to mention… It’s nice to see you again. You’ve made my RACE complete. : )

My official time 5:45 was not impressive and way beyond my PR but as I’ve said, I enjoyed this race with plenty of photo-ops. And when I reached the finish line, there’s still plenty of reserved strength and stamina, I can still run another 42K. : )

That’s it for today.

See you at the road.

God be Praised!

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.” -1 john 5:13