RACE REPORT: RU2 Exceeds Expectations

Each year, experienced runners and newbies alike are anticipating the Run United Trilogy. Last June 1, Unilab Active Health held the second leg and surprised everyone with lots of exciting changes to the race. As we runners exceeded ourselves, the organizers exceeded our expectations as well.

Listening to the clamor brought about by the registration issues from leg 1, the organizers simplified leg 2's registration, removing the race kit claiming event, and returning the option for online registration and race kit delivery, much to runners' delight. I was one of the early bird registrants, doing it online, and recommending that option to all my fellow runner friends as well. I got my race kit delivered to my doorstep, hassle-free.

Another surprise announcement (and a welcome one at that) was the release of the race maps for leg 2. First time the race start will be at Kilometer Zero at Luneta! Gone is the point A to point B race from the past years (starting at BGC and ending at SM Mall of Asia). Now, the race starts at KM0 and ends at KM0, with a route traversing Roxas Boulevard to Coastal Road all the way to Cavitex! Now that's one straight route with just one turn at the Cavitex entrance and one U-turn at Cavitex. It was such a fresh and exciting route!

The Run United 2 2014 32k Race Map

In order to relax and prevent the stress of looking for a parking space at Luneta on race day, I booked a hotel room at the nearby H2O Hotel at Ocean Park, walking distance away from KM0. I loved the view from my hotel room!

Great view from my H2O Hotel room

Race day came, and our meet-up area is near the Tamaraw statue at KM0. Gun start is at 3am so we were there an hour before.

From L-R: Cholo, Wyatt, me, JP, Ryan, Rolly

Some of my Team Banana teammates were late, so we failed to have a group photo donning our Nike tops. When the announcement was made that we could go to the assembly area, we went ahead as we didn't want to be placed too far back from the starting line.

The usual pre-race program commenced, which started with the national anthem, an opening prayer, a warm-up led by Chris Everingham, and the visuals for the race route and countdown. We had the entire four lanes of Roxas Boulevard the first few kilometers, which is a great strategy for runners to spread out and lessen runner congestion.

At the start of Coastal Road, I met Becky Runner, Ikasam and Kyle who were pacing each other. I mentioned my strategy of doing a constant 6 minute per kilometer pace, with a sub-3:20 target. They joined me for a few kilometers but then I lost them at one of the hydration stations as I was practicing doing quick stops only - pick a water cup, sip, walk a few seconds, then run again. As I ran and looked back, I couldn't see them following me, so I was back alone on my steady pace.

I was able to sustain my target pace, and on my way back, I had to walk it out on the two flyovers to reserve my energy. My strategy on being patient all throughout the course worked, as I had enough energy left to run even on the final kilometers (but I had a cramps attack at KM31 haha!). I finished with a chip time of 3 hours, 18 minutes and 49 seconds. Target achieved! (By the way, my time from 2013 RU2 32k is a miserable 4:16 so almost an hour improvement was a welcome one.)

Thanks to Lem of Pinoyfitness for this shot! Almost at the finish line!

Some race notes:
- Run United races never fail at hydration. As usual overflowing ice-cold water and Gatorade at evenly-spaced hydration stations.
- Lots of marshals and medics and visible ambulances along the route.
- I love the 32k race route and hope something similar will be in store for us this coming RUPM
- Medal quality consistency is way better than 2013's trilogy medals
- The finisher shirt rocks!
- I couldn't help but laugh when some runners blame the organizers for smoke belching vehicles or the foul stench at Coastal Road. I hope people understand that there are things beyond the organizer's control.

Of course, no RU2 race will be complete without the photo ops at the finish line area, as we waited for friends who are about to finish the race.

From L-R: Cholo, JP, Wyatt, me, JC

From L-R: Goldi, Becky, Bernie, Lurvin, me, Wyatt, Reyman, Archie, sleeping Sy and JP. Ikasam sitting down. 

From L-R: Paul, Jireh, Hazielle, me, Sy and Rolly

With officemate and triathlete Jhino and his girlfriend Giselle

From L-R: Syril, me, Ryan, Loyce, Rolly

Another plus? As soon as the race results were officially released two days after the race, it was in two batches - one according to gun time, and another according to chip time! Yay! It's one of the items I was looking for in RU1 and they have it now in RU2. Great job!

Top 7.7% - 217th out of 2794 32k finishers. Nice.

One more leg to cap-off this year's trilogy. I'm excited for RUPM! Thanks Unilab, Runrio and Unilab Active Health!

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.

For the Ceelin Kids of Run United 2!

Register your kids at Run United 2's 500m dash category! Kids get to enjoy at the Active Health Playground after the race.

For more details on RU2, please go to this link: http://deemenrunner.blogspot.com/2013/04/afroman-distance-at-run-united-2-2013.html

One Month to Go: Run United 2 Preparations

 

The highly-anticipated leg 2 of the Runrio Trilogy is fast approaching! One month to go until another 32km run (I was one of the early bird registrants!). I've been used to running half-marathons but the Afroman 32km distance is still sort of an unpredictable category for me, performance-wise. A great deal of training is needed to get a decent time, and I plan to beat my 2012 32k record (3:25:41) this year, and run with as little walk breaks as possible.

So what do I do to prepare for big races such as this? Three things:

1. Train regularly

2. Run and test gear I plan to wear on race day

3. Eat smart and take my daily supplements

ON TRAINING:

I keep it a point that I join races regularly, as much as possible joining 21k if the category is available. This way, I maintain a good weekly mileage. April was a great month for me, with two of my latest 21k races clocking in a sub-2. Of course I do my maintenance runs on weekdays, either doing short distances on the gym treadmill or doing hill training at McKinley after work.

From RU1 to RU2: Races Galore!

ON GEAR:

The advice that most experienced runners give to newbies: Never run long-distance on new, untested gear. This is very true. I make it a point that when I have something new, I give it a short-distance test run and see how it affects my performance.

Run United 2 has provided a singlet of high-quality. You have to touch and feel the fabric to believe it. I've also been lucky enough to be given a hydration belt, thanks to the generous people of Unilab Active Health. This matches the RU2 singlet well. The hydration belt is aligned with ULAH and Runrio's GREEN race advocacy. For my past few races, I've brought my hydration bottle with me to avoid wasting cups. I've also tried wearing a race belt when I ran the Tokyo Marathon so wearing a hydration belt would just need a minor adjustment for me.

RU2 Planned Gear and the Purple Bib

Dress Rehearsal? Haha! All-geared up for a test run.

By the way, for registered and soon-to-register runners of RU2, you can have your hands on the hydration belt at a very affordable price! Unilab, Unilab Active Health and Enervon Activ is currently holding a hydration belt promo from April 22 to May 26 (or until supplies last), so you just have to go to your nearest RU2 registration center (Riovana BGC, Riovana Katipunan, Toby's Mall of Asia or Toby's The Block SM North) and follow these two easy steps:

1. Present your RU2 2013 race bib (NOTE: one hydration belt per bib only)
2. Purchase 10 pieces of Enervon Activ for 120 pesos and get the hydration belt for a price of 200 pesos.

That's a great deal! Hydration belts are usually priced at 1000 pesos and above so this is quite a bargain. (I posted the promo poster and official promo mechanics at this link.)

ULAH Hydration Belt (Two 180mL bottles included)

ON NUTRITION:

I'm sure a lot of you have already read a number of articles on runners' diet. I'm not that strict on my diet but I try to incorporate as much healthy stuff as possible on my meals - red rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, fruits like banana, apple and pineapple, nuts like almonds and cashews, protein in fish and white chicken meat. There are some cheat days of course, but I don't feel that guilty because I'm going to burn the calories on training anyway.

Another part of my regimen is my intake of vitamins and supplements. During the morning, I take my fiber, take a 500mg of vitamin C and a multi-vitamin capsule. At night before I sleep, I take another 500mg of vitamin C and another capsule of vitamin E. I also take whey protein at days I lift heavy at the gym.

I've tried a number of multi-vitamins but during this month's training for RU2, I'll be taking Enervon Activ. I did some research on the MIMS website, got the data for two of the brands I've tried before (Rogin-E and Pharmaton) and compared them with what Enervon Activ has to offer. Information for Enervon Activ is not yet uploaded in the MIMS website, so I pulled the information for the brand from the official Enervon Activ website.

Comparison Table: Rogin-E, Pharmaton, Enervon Activ

I'm sold to using Enervon Activ because of the following points:
- Ginseng (for energy reserves and increased alertness) and royal jelly (to decrease fatigue) content are higher in Enervon Activ
- Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 content are significantly higher - vitamin B-complex is an essential vitamin for conversion of food to energy
- Antioxidants like vitamin A, C, E and zinc are in comparable amounts with the other two brands - these help repair the immune system's cells
- The PRICE. Rogin-E is priced at P21.50 per capsule, Pharmaton at P24 per capsule, Enervon Activ is priced at P12 per capsule. Half the price for comparable contents! More than enough reason for me to switch!

I purchased 30 capsules of Enervon Activ which I'll take up daily until race day. I'm sure this will help me in achieving my target time for RU2!

1 month to go before RU2. 1 month supply of Enervon Activ!

Day 1: About to take my Enervon Activ

To know more about Enervon Activ, you may visit their website at http://www.enervonactiv.ph/. They're also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EnervonActiv. Feel free to post on their wall and describe your Enervon Activ experience.


Oh I almost forgot! Today's my birthday! What a long birthday post this turned out to be.

See you guys on RU2!

Enervon Activ RU2 Hydration Belt Promo

MECHANICS:

1. This promo is exclusively for registered 2013 Run United 2 participants.
2. Purchase 10 pieces ENERVON ACTIV at any of the authorized registration centers of RU2 (worth 120php) and get the limited edition Active Health Hydration Belt for only 200php (includes 2 bottles X 180mL).
3.  Race bib number must be presented when availing the promo.
4. Promo can be availed once per bib number only.
5. Promo Duration: April 26 – May 26 or until supplies last.

Per DOH-FDA Permit No. 0831 s. 2013

Unilab Run United 3 Featuring the Afroman Distance on September 16, 2012

The most anticipated leg to the Run United Runrio Trilogy - Run United 3 featuring the Afroman 32k race distance category, is coming our way on September 16! Mark your calendars, everyone! This is gonna be big!

WHAT: Unilab Run United 3 2012
WHEN: September 16, 2012 (Sunday)
WHERE: Bonifacio Global City to Mall of Asia (21k and 32k), Mall of Asia (other distances)
RACE CATEGORIES: 500m dash for kids, 3k, 5k, 10k, 21k, 32k (Afroman distance)

REGISTRATION PERIOD: August 6 to September 2 (Online) / August 13 to September 8 (In-store)

ONLINE REGISTRATION LINK: https://register.bazumedia.com/reg/form?eventID=852

IN-STORE REGISTRATION CENTERS:
- Riovana BGC Branch
- Riovana Katipunan Branch
- Toby's SM Mall of Asia Branch
- Toby's Trinoma Branch

Registration Fees and Race Inclusions (Pre and Post-race)

Assembly and Gun Start Times

 PRE-RACE INCLUSIONS:

Run United 3 Singlet

Run United 3 Active Health Sun Visor

Wrist Tags for Parents and Runner Kids (for 500m Dash only)

Flyer for more information on the race

 POST-RACE GIVEAWAYS

32k Finisher Shirt

32k Finisher Medal

21k Finisher Shirt

21k Finisher Medal

Duffel Bag for all race finishers

RACE MAPS 

 

 

 

 

 

******************************

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

******************************

Another Running Spree at Run United 3
All set for the third leg of the Runrio Trilogy 2012 on September 16

Run United is back, after a nearly three-month break. And as the cliché goes, ‘the third time is a charm’. Last year, in fact, a record number of runners estimated at over 14,000 participated in Run United 3. 

Run United 3, the third leg of the Run Rio Trilogy, has always been much anticipated because it offers what is dubbed as the ‘Afroman distance’ or 32k category—not usually included in other run races. Of course, on top of the other race categories: the Ceelin 500m dash, 3k, 5k, 10k, and 21k.

“The 32k Afroman Distance in RU3 can be a preparatory race for the full 42.195km category in the upcoming 1st ever Run United Philippine Marathon slated on October 28. RUPM will still have the shorter categories: 500m dash, 3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K.” said Alex Panlilio, Head of Unilab Active Health (ULAH).

Meanwhile, according to premiere race organizer Coach Rio dela Cruz, the runners’ anticipation over Run United 3 will be all worth it as new features and surprises await them on September 16. For one, there will be new routes as well as different starting and finish lines again for Run United 3 in the 21K and 32K categories, like in the previous two races for 21K.

The 32K runners will have a gun start at Bonifacio Global City (BGC) starting at 3am, an hour ahead of the 21k runners. They will be led from BGC to take their first 10k in University Parkway area, then move up to Kalayaan Flyover. Then, they will go all the way down to Buendia, take left at Roxas Boulevard, turnaround taking the roads of Vicente Sotto, Diosdado Macapagal and on to EDSA before finally turning left at Seaside Boulevard for the finish at the Mall of Asia (MOA). 

The 21k will have an earlier gun start at 4am compared to Run United 2’s 430am. They will have the same route as the 32k runners, but instead of going to EDSA they will turn right after Macapagal Avenue, turning right at Seaside Boulevard and then all the way to the finish line in MOA. 

“Run United 3 runners will get to run across three cities— Taguig, Makati and Pasay. Based from the feedback we got from them, they really enjoyed the experience and the new routes. The earlier gun start of both race categories will give runners a safer route as well,” said Dela Cruz of RunRio Inc., the race organizer.

Online registration for Run United 3 started on August 6 and will continue until September 2, 2012. In-store registration will start on August 13 and will be up to September 9, 2012. Registration venues include Riovana in BGC and Katipunan, Quezon City; and Toby’s at SM Mall of Asia and Trinoma.

The runners will receive their complete race kits upon registration (Active Health Sun Visor, Singlet, Bib with B-Tag and wrist tag for 500m dash runners). The wrist tag for 500m dash kid’s runner which is usually given on race day will now be included in their race kits upon registration. 

Run United 3, which is for the benefit of Gawad Kalusugan and Children’s Hour, is part of the ULAH running series. Run United started with only 8,000 runners when it was launched in March 2010 and the numbers have steadily grown in succeeding events. An estimated 14,000 runners participated during its last offering— at 2012 Run United 2. 

Run United 1 on March 4 started off this year’s RunRio Trilogy, followed by Run United 2 last June 17. Runners who completed all the longest distances (21k-21k-32k) in all of the three Run United races will be recognized at the RunRio Trilogy Awards Night.  

Fun and exciting activities await runners and their family at the Active Health Village, new and bigger Active Kids Zone, Runners’ Lounge, I-Connect Zone, The Food Pavilion and Health, Sports, & Leisure Zones.

For further information or inquiries on race details, results, photos and discussions, please visit the following websites:  www.unilabactivehealth.com or www.runrio.com.

Unilab Run United 2: 2nd Piece of the Puzzle

Time to get back to blogging! I've been very busy these past few weeks, with my travel to Kuala Lumpur and then a week training at work with a certification exam afterwards. Crazy! I've got loads of backlog blog posts so I'll try to catch up bit by bit.

The 2nd leg of the Unilab Run United trilogy - Run United 2 2012 happened last 17th of June. This was my last long run before heading to KL for my 3rd full marathon. Quite disappointing since I caught a bad case of colds a few days before the run (which only worsened after the race because of the rain during this race).

I drove to Mall of Asia very early morning, if I remember correctly I was already there 2:15am. Haha! The race village was still being setup and I got a very nice parking slot. There were a few early bird runners already waiting for the shuttle buses to pick us up.

And then the rain poured hard, with strong accompanying winds. Runners had to find cover. It was getting cold as well. When we got inside the shuttle bus, we were already a bit wet. The airconditioning was torture! Haha!

With the reported 4000 21k runners, I knew how crowded the starting line will be. The emcee announced 3 waves will be implemented. I had no intention to race, so I didn't really care whatever wave I'll be in. I think I made it on the 2nd wave, which were released 15 minutes after the 1st. It took around 3 minutes for me to pass by the starting arc, and it became very difficult to squeeze my way in to overtake runners during the first few kilometers of the race. I was running solo (supposed runners who said they'd pace with me left me, bummer) but i bumped into a runner friend Arvin, I think around km10 so I had company for a few kilometers before he told me to go ahead.

At the last 5 kilometers, it was time for me to speed it up. I wanted to finish strong and I wanted at least a good negative split. When the runpix results were released, I was ecstatic reading "DURING THE LAST 6 KMS, YOU PASSED 576 RUNNERS, AND 0 PASSED YOU." Exactly my plan. I may not have done my sub-2 goal (I finished in 2:09), but I finished strong nonetheless.

RACE OBSERVATIONS:
- Shuttle buses were very efficient, but a bit late than the announced 2:30am pick-up start. I like that they're showing videos of previous Unilab Run United races. It was sort of building up the excitement more for that day's race.
- Waves were implemented. However, I hope next time, they'd check estimated/target finish times of runners so that waves could be more organized - with faster runners being released first, and bibs color-coded for waves. Not sure if this is too much to ask though on a logistics-perspective, but I've seen this being implemented on overseas race events.
- I love the race route. Point A to Point B races are really a breath of fresh air for runners.
- As usual, overflowing hydration.
- Medal and finisher shirt issue of RU1 no longer happened. The distribution of the finisher items are now more organized.

Thanks Active Moments for capturing this. Almost at the finish line!

Team Alpha1 group pic! Thanks to Rolly of Team Titans for lending us his camera.

Team Titan friends - Mark, Seph and Rolly

With Arvin - we paced for a few kilometers during the middle part of the race

Post-race breakfast at Gerry's Grill MoA

Runpix results

Next leg (Afroman Distance) on September 16! Mark your calendars! I can't wait to complete the medal puzzle!