A Date with Destiny

Take note of the date guys. The Cebu marathon 2010 is on. Its the first marathon in Cebu for so many years. Thanks to the Cebu Executive Runners Club for organizing it. To be held on January 10, 2010 as part of the Sinulog event, I was clearly expecting it to give time for avid runners like me to prepare for it. A four month preparation is more than enough to keep me at my peak by the first week of January. Its going to be a tough one and I hope the cool breeze of the month would help. Now I need a coach badly. It would help me correct my running form, improve my efficiency and hopefully my speed. I'm looking forward to get a time of 4:30 or lower in the run. A sub4 result would be a surprise and would bring much joy to me though but I'm not betting on it.



The route (photo above) will take up most of the major streets in Cebu. It shall pass all the major historical landmarks in Cebu up to the the boundaries of Cebu City and Talisay in the South Reclamation Project (SRP). It would pass the three sky bridges in the Archibishop Reyes Avenue which is probably in the 25K-35K just to make it more difficult and therefore a little more challenging as if running a 42K is not!haha

I'm ready for the enormous challenge. I've had several 10K and a 21K already and were running over 20K-32K in the within the next sixteen Sundays. Countless long slow distance (LSD) runs have taken its toll on my body, fought off several tendinitis and stave off shine splints for a month. Theres not looking back now. I'm in great shape. I would be running with at least 7 other persons on our team (YYKredit) which shall do the sponsoring of our running shirts and shoes. My brother might be the eight member if he can bring back his form after a stress fracture he suffered after the Milo Marathon. This is one of my dream, and that is coming to a reality. The countdown begins.Wish me luck.:)

Check it out at www.cebumarathon.com

Run for Sight (CDU 4th University Run)

The Run for Sight was a huge success. Organized by the running doctor Yong Larrazabal, the run dubbed as the premier running event in Cebu live up to its name in terms of how organized the whole event was. From the starting point up to the finish line, the details where practically met. I don't actually believe its the premier event in terms of the quality of runners as majority of the participants where students from the university, a monopoly of some sort who just came to run a little bit and walk the rest of the way.

This time I was joining with the intentions of improving my previous 10K PR which stood at 57.15 in the last ABSCBN Kapamilya Run. After the Milo 21K run, I did some rounds in doing speed intervals at the oval and hills training which is abundant in our place in the hope to improve my time. I'm not actually as gifted like others in terms of running fast to I was contented to improve my time to around 55mins. By 4AM I was already awake, took a quick shower, ate a light breakfast consisting of two bananas and drank over 20 ounces of water. I did some 15-20mins stretching afterwards. By 4:45AM off I drove to the race venue with so much spare time to warm up which I did with an easy jogging for 2 kilometers only after I got bored listening to Andrea Bocelli's Toscana. By 530AM, the participants started to arrived until the whole venue was already almost full fifteen minutes before the starting gun. While waiting I met my long time college fraternity brother and good friend Eugene Sanchez who happens to be a triathlete himself. We talked on how difficult it was for him to be able to run the marathon due the the preparation it requires preferring middle distance running of not more than 21K. He was actually complimenting me how I manage to really pursue it, which actually was already a motivation for me coming from a well known triathlete. I said I was a slow runner. I bet he was expecting a sub50 10K time and when I said the fastest I got was 57mins, it must be beyond his initial expectation which was perfectly alright for me as I've come to understand that unlike many others who can run really fast, my body cannot. When he said his fastest time was 39mins. and is expecting for a 47mins on this run got me a little embarrassed for like him my initial expectation was this guy could not have run that fast.

But again, he has over 10 years experience in competing in triathlons so just thinking over it got over my initial embarrassment. It was a fool of me to misjudge him. I said to him to go ahead and don't wait for me. So at 6AM off the race started. Inadvertently while we were talking we were in the front pack. By the time the gun went off I ran too fast just like most of those in the front pack. I started my Garmin and their registered a pacing of 4.04/km. Big Big mistake! I knew I started too fast and by the 3rd kilometer, I was slowing down, my breathing heavy as if my body was one locomotive train that lost all its fuel. I did manage to slow down to around 5.30/kms for about another 3 kilometers which was probably the most agonizing time physically as I taught my body to run to that pace. A high school classmate zoom ahead of me which surprises me as he usually runs slow when we met once in IT Park. He was running the 5K though and I still have another round to go so it was a good decision not to run his pace. By the 6th which was a another loop back to the finish line the condition improve as I my body adapted to the pace. By the 7th, I started to push my way back to a faster pace. I was gaining and actually ran past several runners. By the 9th km. I was pushing hard as I could, the determination to beat my time foremost in my mind. I was actually doing self talk already a mental challenge more than a physical one. By the last half kilometer my watch registered a pace lesser that 5mins/km. which i maintained with a couple of guys beside me. I look at the clock when the finish line was about 10 meters away. It reads 51.35 and clicking . By the time I check in it was 51.38. I did it! I broke my 10K PR time by almost 6 minutes! I was happy never mind that I was beaten again by actress Donna Cruz who happen to checked in at 48 min. something. Never mind if Eugene Sanchez zoom past to a comfortable 47min. as he predicted. Never mind if one of my staff ran his first 10K to a fast 46mis. I am fully aware of my limitations and accept with humility and pride the fact that I can't run as fast as others. I was most happy because I beat myself and in the end WON!

I know realize just like the recent book I have read, and which I discovered after successful completion of several running challenges as fast as I could, which gave me the confidence that, within my own limits, I could achieve whatever physical or academic target I set myself, as long as I was prepared to make the necessary effort. I learned that the rewards of running, as in life, come only in direct proportion to the amount of effort I am prepared to exert, and to the extent to which I can summon the required discipline and application.


Eating lechon after the race with all the YYKredit Runners.


Now its time for serious prepping up. This is it, the last 16 weeks before the marathon. Serious training like the easy slow long distance running of 20K-32K on Sundays is looming ahead. I know mentally I'm ready for it. I hope my body can respond as well. Lets get it on!

Why I Run

I'm currently reading the first few pages of the book Lore of Running by Tim Noakes. His introduction to the reading which detailed his own reflection on running is inspirational. Reading them makes me feel and remember why I chose to run. Point by point in struck me both as a reminder and inspiration to keep moving forward. He gave seven reasons why he is running, those which also hold true for me. Here I are the excerpts of what he wrote:

"for a start, it provides complete solitude. Even in the most crowded races, the point is reached when fatigue drives us back into ourselves, into those secluded parts of our souls that we discover only under times of such duress and from which we emerge with a clearer perspective of the people we truly are...."

" Second, running made me newly aware of my body and of my responsibility to look after it. Having a physically improved body showed that I cared- that I had self pride and, more importantly, self discipline....."

" Next I discovered that the successful completion of several running challenges, such as finishing the ultramarathon as fast as I could, gave me the confidence that, within my own limits, I could achieve whatever physical or academic target I set myself, as long as I was prepared to make the necessary effort. I learned that the rewards of running, as in life, come only in direct proportion to the amount of effort I am prepared to exert, and to the extent to which I can summon the required discipline and application....."

" Fourth, running competition taught me the humility to realize my limitations and to accept them with pride, without envy of those who might have physical or intellectual gifts that I lack....."

" Fifth, running taught me about honesty. There is, you see, no luck in running. Results cannot be faked, and there is no one but yourself to blame when things go wrong. So running has shown be that life must be lived as a competition with oneself. That separated running from many team and skill sports. the real competitions are those in which we test ourselves in company with others. Peter Pollock, who achieved immortality in cricket, has to run the Comrades Marathon before he could write: "You have not lived in the world of competitive sports until you have fought a battle that is not against your opponent, but against yourself......"

"Sixth, in recent years, I have learned to use running for relaxation and creativity..."

"Finally, running can teach us aboout our spiritual component-the aspect that makes us uniquely human. This, I suspect, is the need to discover and to perfect, the need to keep moving forward. Running epitomizes that struggle by teaching us that we must not stop. Paavo Nurmi wrote:" You must move, otherwise you are bound for the grave" SO we inherit this desire to push to the limits to find out what makes us what we are , and what is behind us all......"

Tim Noakes
Lore of Running

Pose,Ready, Shoot.

Assisted in a advertising shoot a couple of Saturdays ago. I could only say it turned out to be the way I expected it, although a little bit longer than it should. Putting up the whole set up is always the hardest part while the actual shoot can always be fun. We used three bodies with a three lenses, a couple of pocket wizards and several accessories. I'm not really a big fan for advertising or its closest sister, fashion preferring fields in travel, documentary and concepts but had no choice but to do it. The results would be used for our website(www.yykredit.com). Even how fun it is to be in this kind of field (just ask any photographer), it just doesn't give me the kick. Its a field too that is too saturated. Too many aspiring photographers for too little projects. Money is there but its not for everyone. There are only a couple of guys I know who is good at it. The rest are all crap. Obviously I belong to the latter (hehehe).Yeah I could shoot, i could also edit well enough to believe that my images would stand out but in the end it just doesn't satisfy me at all. I've have always pursued things as a passion and if it doesn't fulfill my need, its going to die down naturally. There are too many photographers nowadays, which has quadrupled in the couple of years. Its hard for you to distinguish now the good from the bad ones looking only at their great equipments. Ninety percent of them would eventually create images that only ten percent would like. Disturbing, yet we are free to dream. As soon as they own a camera, they start calling themselves photographers. Bad for the real ones as they would eventually charge their photos for free. Am I complaining? Yes, because it would kill the industry which is a source of living for the real ones. I pity them. Like the saying I heard from a good photographer friend Estan Cabigas (www.estancabigas.com) "Buying a camera does not make you a photographer, it makes you a camera owner".

Portfolio Website

I got some time today to make my own portfolio website using Wix which a friend from based in UK recommended.Check them out at www.wix.com. Whats good about it is that its really easy to do and the results looks professional not like the crappy and ugly multiply site. Like manna from heaven its for free! You could upgrade though but has to pay for some fees yearly.