Adidas King of the Road 2013: Step Up Your Game and Pick Up the Pace!

*** Official Press Release ***
Step up your game and pick up the pace
Run 10k and 16.8k distances with adidas King of the Road 2013

Running is one of the oldest forms of exercise. You don’t need any fancy equipment or to apply for membership. You can take any comfortable pair of running shoes and just hit the road. Still, some preparations must be made if you’re joining a race with distances of 10K and 16.8K, which are featured in this year’s adidas King of the Road 2013.

“To provide a more complete race experience, adidas will be focusing on the 10K and 16.8K distances. This change is a response to the running community in the Philippines, which has grown in both number and performance through the years,” states Jason Gervasio, Brand Communications and Sports Marketing Manager of adidas Philippines.

The decision to run a longer distance than what you’re normally used to could be something that happens over night, but the drive and the passion to succeed is one that happens over a long period of attempts and possibly even failures. It’s true, one of the biggest challenges some runners face is increasing their distance. So how does one step up their game from running 5K to 10K or even 10K to 16.8K? Here are some simple ways to ease into running longer distances:

Pre-Run Regimen
Conditioning your body is vital when preparing for a race. A good warm up can be what separates you from having a good run or a great run. Stretching before and after running helps loosen up muscles to prevent strain and injury.

Train your mind
Running may be mostly physical, but it is also somewhat a mental challenge. Half the battle is understanding your obstacles, not just to help you cross the finish line, but to complete the race with a smile on your face. Discipline your mind, and your body is sure to follow.

Take a break
When you’re training, whether it’s for a marathon, 10K, 5K, or even your first 3K, taking breaks is crucial. Your muscles need time to build and repair themselves. Rest is critical for your body to recover to its full potential.

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!
It’s no secret that you’ll be sweating all throughout your run. Although some runners opt for sports drinks and gels, water is enough to keep you from dehydrating for shorter distances.

Strong and Steady
It’s not enough to be consistent. You have to be efficient as well. Start running at a comfortable pace, or as some like to call it, a conversational pace. Run constant short distances 3 or 4 times a week, and the actual distance you’re preparing for at least once. Don’t push yourself too hard, but instead slowly increase your speed or distance.

“There is not one exact surefire way to train for a race, whether it’s your first, your fifth or even your hundredth. It’s a different experience for every person, and we at adidas, just try to provide opportunities for people to come together and run”, says Adrien Semblat, Brand Activation Manager of adidas Philippines.

Step up your game and pick up the pace with adidas King of the Road 2013 happening on July 7, 2013. For more news and updates on adidas King of the Road 2013, visit adidaskingoftheroad.com/ph and www.facebook.com/adidas, or follow the conversation with #KOTRPH2013

Supporting this year’s race are sponsors Summit Water, 100 Plus, Sennheiser, EO Optical, adidas Bodycare, L Timestudio, and Century Tuna.

RACE MAPS:

 

 

World Vision Run 2013: Another Great Runrio Race

Summer season is officially over! The rainy season is here, and with it, the dreaded bed weather. I became a victim of this bed weather on yesterday's race. My sleep was so deep I did not even hear my mobile phone alarm (or I might have turned it off while sleeping). Good thing my running buddy Ryan gave me a call at 2:30am (and I was supposed to wake up 1am due to my pre-race rituals).

I had a very light breakfast, a quick shower and then prepared my running gear (and after race clothes). I left the house at around 3:30am and arrived 30 minutes later at BGC. Surprisingly, no long queue yet on the parking lot and I secured a nice spot which was very near the starting line. Fortunate as well that the race gun start is 4:30am and not the usual 4:00am so I still had time to apply Bodivance on my legs, take my Roctane, and do a quick pee break.

21k runners were greeted with a rather weird pre-race warm-up (it was more of a dance than the normal stretching). And then we were sent off. Usual running buddies Rom and Ryan were with me for another sub-2 attempt. Mindset today is I'll continue running if they can't follow my pace anymore.

The weather was cool - perfect for an early Sunday morning long run. I knew I was in condition to perform a sub-2, and I promised not to look at my GPS watch until the race is over (just to surprise myself).

Ryan told us to go on at KM2, when he experienced a bad case of side stitch. I left Rom at around KM8; he was out of breath and was not able to keep up with the pace. And so I was left alone.

Don't you just love Buendia flyover?

I then spotted Ceej of Team Titans while running in Buendia flyover. Instead of being a pacer, I now told myself Ceej is now my "unofficial" pacer. I kept a distance from him but followed his lead. This strategy worked well for me, as Ceej pushed me without him knowing it. When Ceej increased his pace at the final 3 kilometers of the race and I couldn't catch up with him already, I turned to JP (again of Team Titans) and assigned him the task of my new, unofficial pacer.

Almost at the finish!

I finished with a time of 1 hour, 57 minutes and 48 seconds. My Soleus GPS watch registered 21.8km. I read from other 21k runners that they registered longer distances as well, even stretching to 22.5km! Well, I don't mind the longer distance anyway.

I could not find any fault again on this race (even the weather cooperated). It was what every runner usually expects from a Runrio-organized event:
- Cold and overflowing hydration
- Secured race village and well-manned race route
- Organized baggage counters
- A nice 21k finisher medal

If there's one thing I would just like to suggest though, is getting rid of separate race kit claiming. I'd prefer receiving my race kit as soon as I register. Last June 21 (Friday), I left Paranaque just to go to BGC and claim my race kit and then back to work from home. I had to fight through Friday heavy traffic and the hassles of a rainy day. But since this race was opened for registration rather late, I understand some resulting logistics issues.

Enough of the chit-chat! On to my fave part - the event photos!

with idol ultramarathoner JP

with fellow bloggers CJ (Run Adobo King), Thirdy (Thirdy Lopez) and Dennis (Running Fatboy)

with fellow HP runners Rom and Jhino

with my running buddy Ryan

Plotted my pace - I'm very happy with my performance! Fastest kilometer at KM2 (4:56) and slowest at KM4 (6:00). My pace was almost steady throughout the race!

Mandatory performance graph. Haha!

Runner 0164 conquered another 21k at the World Vision Run! Congratulations to Runrio, World Vision and Tupperware Philippines for staging another successful race event!

*** Photos courtesy of JP Navarrete, Thirdy Lopez and Manghusi Photoshop ***

Alaska Celebrates First Ever World Milk Day in the Philippines

(From Official Press Release) June 1 is World Milk Day!  As the leading milk company in the Philippines that provides Filipino families superior and affordable nutrition, Alaska Milk Corporation spearheads the first ever celebration of World Milk Day in the country.

The Alaska World Milk Day provides a great opportunity to reinforce importance of drinking milk and healthy lifestyle and bring it at the forefront of consumer awareness. And with the series of exciting activities lined up for the World Milk Day, Alaska Milk encourages children and adults alike to get into the habit of drinking milk and engage into sports activities to achieve optimum health.

Allow us to share with you some alarming health problems.  Nutrition disorders such as malnutrition and obesity are particularly rampant with children. They interfere with the child’s growth and development which could lead to serious health problems. Based on a 2008 survey of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one in ten adults are obese. Obesity and being overweight are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. And what is alarming is that even children are experiencing overweight issues as nearly 43 million children are overweight based 2010 WHO data.

In another study conducted by the  Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), a survey was initially conducted among Pre-school children, adolescents, adults, pregnant and lactating mothers. The objectives were to assess the nutritional status of 0-10 years old children, 11-19 years olds, pregnant and lactating women, and other adults 20 years and over using anthropometric indicators of growth and to compare results from previous surveys.  Again, results show that there is a problem on malnutrition which is a condition resulting from lack of or excess of one or more essential nutrients.

Common nutritional problems of Filipino children include protein-energy malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia, vitamin A deficiency disorders and iodine deficiency disorders. Side by side with these forms of undernutrition is overnutrition.

So how can we assure that our children are well-nourished?  One must never skip breakfast and a good breakfast is one that provides about 1/3 of the total energy and nutrient requirements of the child. Children should be encouraged to drink milk with a well-balanced breakfast combined with physical activities like walking, running, dancing, swimming, housework and sports in and out of school.

June 2013 marks the milestone of the first-ever Alaska World Milk Day.  Various exciting activities were lined-up to celebrate and promote good health!  The celebration kicked off last  June 1 with the Alaska IronKids Run Race in SM Mall Of Asia (IMAX Parking Area) and the Alaska World Milk Day Sampling in Glorietta Malls.  June 9 witnessed Alaska World Milk Day Family Run where more than 3,000 participants raced at 3k, 5k, 10k.  As early as 4am, families gathered at the Bonifacio Global City in preparation for the run.  Families ran and crossed the finish line together making the event a great family bonding opportunity! 

Aside from the race, children also had fun in the booths and activity area such as the inflatable, trampoline and joust. The 10k category proved to be more challenging as the race course included the Buendia flyover.More than 3,000 participated in the fun run which translated to a donation of more than 3,000 packs of Alaska Powdered Milk Drink to the Children’s Hour which was represented by Ms. Mikki Montenegro, Marketing and Communications Associate of Children’s Hour.  As in previous events, there was also the Alaska milk moustache photo shoot where everyone eagerly participated in.  

The success of the Alaska World Milk Day celebrations were made possible  with the support of Ayala Malls, Solar Sports, Basketball TV, Solar News, Akari nxled, Glorietta, Gatorade, Downy, BGC, Walter Bread, and Maynilad and Children’s Hour as the beneficiary.

For more information about Alaska World Milk Day, visit www.alaskamilk.com, www.alaskaworldmilkday.com. For live tweets and updates follow us at @ALASKAsportshub

Breakfast with Enervon Activ

You'll often see (blog) contests nowadays with the basic criterion of most number of likes in order to grab the prize. I'm not a fan of such. I feel that the essence of writing is overshadowed by just plain networking. That's why when Unilab Active Health and Enervon Activ held a blog contest, announcing that winners will be determined by a select panel of judges, I gave it a try (with the support of my best blogger buddies Run Adobo King and Thirdy Lopez).

I was fortunate to be awarded 1st place, much to my surprise, as I read fellow bloggers' entries and found their write-ups entertaining and appealing as well. (2nd placer was Bee "Kamote Runner" Soberano and 3rd place went to Bobby "CruiseC0ntr0l" Cruise, by the way).

Last June 8, we were scheduled to receive our prizes from none other than the Enervon Activ Team at Bistro Mateo, Tiendesitas. There we met the very kind Ma'am Bianca. Mommy Vimz (Kulitrunner) also joined us. Unfortunately, other Enervon Activ and Unilab Active Health team members had to attend to personal matters so they were not able to come.

We had a mini-awarding and pictorial, had our sumptuous breakfast, then had some sharing on runner nutrition and supplements.

With Bee, Ma'am Bianca and Mommy Vimz

Receiving my Enervon Activ 1st prize from Ma'am Bianca

Bee and I displaying our ULAH Training Shirt - super nice fabric!

WOW!

Rudy Project Accelerator Watch

Thank you very much, Enervon Activ and Unilab Activ Health! (And sorry for the late blog post.)

Rainy Season Promo: Riovana Umbrella

The rainy days are here! Get your free umbrella with a purchase at Riovana branches.

Mechanics:
1. Get a free Riovana limited edition umbrella for every purchase of regular priced item footwear worth Php5,000 single receipt.
2. Umbrella can only be claimed upon date of purchase.
3. Promo period is from June 14, 2013 to July 20, 2013.
4. Promo is not in conjunction with any other promo.

Visit the Riovana Branches:
1. Bonifacio Global City (BGC) - 28th Street corner 9th Avenue, BGC
2. Katipunan - 3rd Floor Regis Center, Katipunan, Quezon City

Alaska World Milk Day Run: Back to 10k

A few days before June 9, I was still seriously contemplating on what race to join. I had two choices: Philippine Air Force Run, which had my favorite 21k distance OR Alaska World Milk Day Run, with 10k as its longest category. I chose the latter. Majority of my blogger friends decided to be in Alaska anyway, so that helped me make my choice. I just finished a 32k run last Sunday at Unilab Run United Leg 2. Choosing to run 10k will help make me prove if my long mileage from last week will give me the strength to propel a fast finish time. Side note: Can you believe my last 10k race was February of 2012? Haha! Yes, that long ago.

I and fellow blogger friends Rolly (Speedy Titan) and CJ (Run Adobo King) met at around 4:30am. I had no particular game plan and race target. I just wanted to run as fast as I can, as long as I can. At the back of my mind though, I'm saying "I must at least do a sub-1!"

Pre-race photo with CJ and Rolly

Being used to running half-marathons, I realized running 10k is just a breeze. And so while running, I was already taking down mental notes on my observations on the race:
- The race village area is well-barricaded. There were only a few entry/exit points and security was tight as usual. There were a lot of marshals and bouncers walking around, ensuring event safety and security.
- I was surprised when the countdown to gun start commenced; the gun start was one minute advanced - runners were sent-off 4:59 instead of 5:00am. I had no problem with this since I and my companions were early at the assembly area.
- Hydration stations were placed at around 2km-intervals. There were no energy drinks along the route, which is just ok as this is just a short-distance event. Water being served is cold and hydration stations were well-manned. Large waste disposal containers were also well-placed after stations.
- Kilometer markers were visible along the race route.
- The best part for me is the 10k route itself - it was challenging as there were a lot of areas with uphills. Usual 10k routes of other race events just go around BGC area. Alaska World Milk Day Run is different as it made use of Buendia flyover. Moreover, it even utilized the road going to McKinley which led to a killer uphill going back to BGC area. I love the tough course!

ACTION SHOT! Donning my Unilab Active Health singlet

As I approached the finish line, I was ecstatic to see my time which clocked in at 52 minutes and 5 seconds. Surprisingly it's as close as I have gotten to my PR of 50:05. When I looked back, I saw Rolly and then Patrick Concepcion (Runningshield) just finishing a few seconds after me. We had quick photo taken at the finish line arc before other race finishers arrived.

Finish line photo with Runningshield and Speedy Titan (photo courtesy of Tong Pascua)

My race performance: Fastest at KM8 (4:38 min/km) and slowest at KM 9 (5:47 min/km)

Arriving at the race village, there was a bit of confusion on the flow of what finishers need to do. I and Rolly went straight to the loot bag claiming booth but we were told by the security guy there that we need to have our photo taken first at the milk moustache booth. At that time it was still ok since the people at the race village were still in manageable volumes. However, I was thinking sooner or later, long queues will be the result of the influx of finishers.

Milk Moustache Booth Photos - Didn't drink the milk as I'm not used to drinking milk post-race. Afraid to upset my tummy.

Eventually bloggers converged at the media tent area. It was fun taking group photos and chatting with fellow bloggers who ran in the event. Bloggers were given another set of loot bag (yay!) and we were treated to a post-race Tapa King breakfast.  

Allan (Running Free Manila), CJ, Rolly, Me, Rikki (Cheapanggang Diva)

Tapa King breakfast with bloggers (Chika-chika din pag may time)

There may have been no finisher medals but the loot bag containing various Alaska products was just the best! Who wouldn't be excited with these Alaska goodies?

Alaska Loot

Great, great race event, which I'd probably rate a 9 out of 10! Kudos to Alaska and Sunrise Events (headed by Ma'am Princess Galura) for staging this fun, family-oriented event.

P.S. Race results were released the same day as race day at http://www.strider.ph/races/67. Unfortunately, my name is not on the list. Disappointed but I've already sent an email to the Strider Team. Hope this gets fixed soon. I'll update this post as soon as I receive feedback from them.

P.P.S. Thanks to the Strider Team, I'm now on the official race results as of June 11! Top 32 yeah!

52 minutes and 5 seconds!

Afroman Distance Pacer Duties at RU2

Pacing one runner is a difficult task. Imagine pacing four. This is my Run United 2 race experience - tiring yet fulfilling and fun.

Initially, I had wild plans of beating my 32k PR at RU2. Those plans went down the drain with a number of factors:
- Crazy work schedule making me miss my maintenance runs
- Zero mileage for two weeks before the race (previous run was at Slimmerun)
- Hot, hot weather during race day

I could add more but they are just lame excuses (haha!). So when I and my running buddies (Ryan, Rom, Marte, Joshua) met at the assembly area, I decided to take it slow and be an instant pacer. All but Ryan are 32k first-timers so whatever happens, it will be a PR for them. So no pressure whatsoever - no target time, just a decent finish.

The Afroman Distance race route

We started at a 6:30 per kilometer average pace. Everyone was happy with the "easy" pace I was setting but I knew at the back of my head that sooner or later someone from our pace group will not be able to sustain the pace with the difficult weather conditions (and road conditions too!). We were having fun chats and there was even a time when were jokingly running side by side, forming a line and almost occupying one lane of Macapagal road.

By KM14 along Roxas Boulevard on route to Luneta, we merged with the 21k runners. The road became more crowded as the volume of average-paced runners ran together. As KM17 passed, Marte and Joshua slowed down and so there were just Ryan and Rom left to pace.

Our performance from KM20 onwards was just abysmal. As time progressed and as it became hotter and hotter, we had longer walk breaks and longer stops at hydration stations to cool down. We were gulping water and Gatorade beyond our normal race consumption, making us feel heavier (and lazier). We even stopped at KM20 to eat taho when we passed by a taho vendor at the CCP area.

During the last five kilometers of the race, Rom kept telling me and Ryan to go ahead and leave him on his own. I insisted we finish together as a group. When he needed to walk, I would stop and walk. When he's ready to run, I would run. We ran and walked UNITED. Haha!

We crossed the finish line together after 4 hours and 16 minutes. It may have been my slowest 32k time (even slower than my first Afroman run), but I had a blast nonetheless.

Happily crossing the finish line!

Group shot at the finish line c/o Lem of Pinoyfitness

Some race notes:
- I still prefer the BGC to Mall of Asia race route of 2012's Run United. This year's race route is more mentally challenging than physically challenging as it just goes along the roads of Macapagal and Roxas Boulevard. Macapagal seriously needs some road works. I pity barefoot runners running along those dilapidated pavements.
- Great hydration. Runrio has really mastered the hydration of a big race. Cold water and Gatorade never ran out amidst the volume of runners. I just saw a few runners taking a sip and returning their used cups on the tables instead of throwing them at the trash bins. Yuck, right?
- The medal is definitely better this leg than the previous leg. Very obvious they had different suppliers. I would have preferred to see consistency on the medal quality across the three legs.
- The finisher shirt rocks! And I love the loot! I'm such a fan of Enervon HP (and Enervon Activ!).

With runners from Team Titans (from L-R: Fritz, Flip, Jake, Rom, me, Ryan, Noel H., Wins)

My pace group - Congratulations to all of you!

Officemates - afroman distance virgins no more!

Congratulations again to Runrio and Unilab Active Health for staging another successful Run United race event! You've brought more people again to living a healthy lifestyle through running and expanded the community.

One more piece to go!

Rank 1163, 1164 and 1165

Super Positive Split! Haha!

RUPM is on October 6! No more excuses! Training commences.

First Ever World Milk Day in the Philippines!

ALASKA CELEBRATES FIRST EVER WORLD MILK DAY IN THE PHILIPPINES

June 1 is World Milk Day!  As the leading milk company in the Philippines that provides Filipino families superior and affordable nutrition, Alaska Milk Corporation spearheads the celebration of World Milk Day in the country. 

The Alaska World Milk Day provides a great opportunity to reinforce importance of drinking milk and healthy lifestyle and bring it at the forefront of consumer awareness. And with the series of exciting activities lined up for the World Milk Day, Alaska Milk encourages children and adults alike to get into the habit of drinking milk and engage into sports activities to achieve optimum health.

Allow us to share with you some alarming health problems.  Nutrition disorders such as malnutrition and obesity are particularly rampant with children. They interfere with the child’s growth and development which could lead to serious health problems. Based on a 2008 survey of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one in ten adults are obese. Obesity and being overweight are the fifth leading risk for global deaths. And what is alarming is that even children are experiencing overweight issues as nearly 43 million children are overweight based 2010 WHO data.

June 2013 marks the milestone of the first-ever Alaska World Milk Day.  Various exciting activities are lined-up to celebrate and promote good health!  The celebration kicks off on June 1 at 6:30am with the Alaska IronKids Run Race in SM Mall Of Asia (IMAX Parking Area).  There will also be an Alaska World Milk Day Sampling in Glorietta Malls from 10am to 10pm.   June 9 is the Alaska World Milk Day Family Run where participants can race at 3k, 5k, 10k.  In all events, there will be the Alaska milk moustache photo shoot where everyone is invited to participate in.  

The Alaska World Milk Day celebrations were made possible by Ayala Malls, Solar Sports, Basketball TV, Solar News, Akari nxled, Glorietta, Gatorade and Downy.   

Got milk? A collage of photos of bloggers c/o Kamote Runner