The Nature Valley 21K Run

The run was awesome. Kudos to coach Rio for another successful race. The great parts of the run were:

• Started on time
• Abundant marshalls
• Water everywhere
• 100 everywhere
• Sponge
• Nice route
• Great finishline
• No need to line up for medal for 21K
• Cheerers from David Salon awarding the 21K finisher's medal
• Loot bag readily available for very tired 21K runners
• Bananas!!!
• AND THE BEST PART WAS THE ONE PINT HAAGEN DAZS

I am not sure why there was ice cream because I did'nt saw it coming but boy it did make my day. Halfway through the run, I was uneasy. I feel defeat. I would 1K run 1K walk. It was so bad. In the end, I registered my worst 21K. I was really out of shape. And to add to that, I became darker. When I removed my ankle sleeves, it has a definitive mark- one side dark one light.

I am going to run 5Ks first and hope to become better at Milo which I decided I would only run 10K. I can do it. I know it.

San Miguel Coffee Nightmare!!!

And then there was the result. I did increased my finish time to +/- 5minutes. I am totally out of shape before I left for China and I have gotten my stride back. I am planning to work on it and make better in the Freedom Run. My biggest debacle right now is how to surpass Nature Valley 21K. Let's just wait and see...

Freedom Run

I had the chance of running the Smash and Run at Greenhills last year and I had a great experience so when I heard another race sponsored by them, I did not hesitate to register for this one. I am joining probably the 10K. Thanks to Donna, who is yet to register us.

See you in Greenhills!

Garmin! Finally...

When I arrived in Manila last Friday, May 14, one of the first few things I did was to call my friend (Victor Domingo) and ask him when can I get the Garmin I had him buy for me in the US. He replied and told me he is coming to a place near my house and we should meet up so he can give me the goods. So we did and I was excited.

Then there was it, my own Garmin. I went home, checked it out and decided that I will charge, install and use the following Sunday. This will give me more time to read the manual and what this new toy can offer.

Then came Sunday and I did everything on schedule. Was really anxious to go back to running with my new Garmin. I ran and tried the gadget and was completely happy with it. Here are some of the functionality I liked about my Garmin:

• Pace Information
• Pace Alert - alerts you when you run too fast or slower
• KM readings
• Time reading
• Real Time - as a normal watch
• All these information in just one page of the watch

I am so excited to show off my new toy to my other running friends. One thing though is I fell like a Bioman when I wear it. It's bulky but it does definitely fit my style.

The Box

The Watch

The Gadgets in the Box

Upcoming Races!!!

With the help of my very good friend Joel, I am now registered for the San Miguel Coffee Run on May 23 (10K) and Nature Valley Run on May 30 (21K). I do not know how the heck I will be able to finish this strongly without any training under my belt but I just need to work it out. See you there!!!

Upcoming plans: Freedom Run and Milo Marathon Manila Eliminations

Excited is synonymous to anxious which is synonymous to how I am feeling these past few days…

Finally! It is my last week here in Beijing and I cannot wait to come back home. I have not been running a lot lately due to the weather, lack of time and so much more reasons which I know are not valid. The weather though is getting better here and I might be able to run some during the evenings and regain my stride and lose the fats I gained from eating those kinder bars and snickers. And juices. And pizzas. And rice. OK, I did ate a lot.

While preparing for my return to my beloved (and hot) Philippines, I have asked a friend who went to the US to buy me a Garmin. It was my present to myself since I did well in work last year. The advantage in buying a Garmin straight from Amazon to a resident in the US is the free delivery. I have heard that if you buy the Garmin from the distributor in Manila, it will cost me around Php16,000.00 versus to the 150$ I would be paying for.

Aside from the Garmin, I am also buying myself a new pair of running shoes when I come back home. Not because I want it but because I need it. My shoe has been running with me since July 2009 and its due for change. I am waiting though for the new colors and design of Lunar Glides or some other brand and model which has the same functionality of my current lunars. I am contemplating though to either 1) purchase from China Nike ID, which will customize my shoes or 2) purchase from Nike Harajuku from Japan which has UBER cool colors. If else fails, I am purchasing a regular one. J

I am pretty anxious to come back and get a hold of my Garmin and buy a new pair of shoes. I would train and train just in case I finally decide to run the NY Marathon, I would be ready and be able to have a sub-5 finish time.

Garmin Forerunner 305