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.

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!

Blogaversary Promo: Unilab Run United 2 21k Race Vouchers!

It's my blog site's 2nd anniversary on May 9, 2012! Whew time really does fly fast when you're having fun. Lots of new runner friends, cool bloggers and a supportive running team! With one of the biggest race events coming this June, I'd be giving away three 21k race vouchers* for Unilab Run United 2! It's sort of my birthday treat as well to the three lucky blog readers (I celebrated my birthday last week BTW.)
* Race voucher which you'll just present in Riovana for you to be registered in RU2

See the details of RU2 race event on this link: UNILAB RUN UNITED 2 DETAILS.

Three Unilab Run United 2 21k race vouchers up for grabs!

PROMO MECHANICS

1. Like the Unilab Active Health Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/UnilabActiveHealth)
2. Like the Team Alpha1 (my running team) Page (https://www.facebook.com/teamalpha1runners)
3. Place a comment indicating your NAME (your Facebook name if possible), EMAIL ADDRESS and CONTACT NUMBER. (Your comments will not be displayed so your email addresses and contact numbers remain confidential.)

You have until May 15, 2012 (Tuesday), 5pm to join this promo. One comment only per participant please. Winners will be drawn afterwards via RANDOMIZER.ORG and will be announced on the same day. Winners will be emailed/texted with details on how to claim their vouchers.

BLOGAVERSARY (Image Courtesy of http://vintageconnections.blogspot.com/2011/12/happy-3rd-blog-anniversary-to-laurie-at.html)

Thanks to Ma'am Vimz aka Kulitrunner and Dada Teves of Runrio for helping me secure the race vouchers.

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UPDATE: Contest is officially closed (May 15, 5pm).  Thanks to everyone who joined and for all the greetings.

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Unilab Run United 2 on June 17, 2012

This race event does not need any further introductions. Unilab has established itself as the premiere sponsor of the best and biggest running event in the country - Unilab Run United. RUNRIO again spearheads the much anticipated second leg of the trilogy.

WHAT: Unilab Run United 2
WHEN: June 17, 2012 (Sunday)
WHERE: SM Mall of Asia / BGC
CATEGORIES: 500m dash for kids, 3k, 5k, 10k, 21k

ONLINE REGISTRATION: April 16 to May 27, 2012
- visit www.runrio.com
- successful online registrants should receive a confirmation email, which they need to print. They will be presenting this in the Race Expo, to be able to claim their singlet, race bib and other freebies.

IN-STORE REGISTRATION: April 30 to June 3, 2012
- Please take note that race kits may run out earlier than the deadline so register early
- During in-store registration, registrants will only get their singlet along with a receipt which they shall present during the upcoming Race Expo to get their race bibs and other freebies.

REGISTRATION CENTERS:

- Riovana Store BGC (28th Street, corner 9th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig)
- Riovana Store Katipunan (3rd Floor, Regis Building, Katipunan, Quezon City)
- Toby's SM Mall of Asia branch
- Toby's SM North The Block branch

Registration Fees and Race Inclusions

Race Assembly and Gun Time

21k runners get to have a different singlet - side color is sky blue (other categories will have white sides). Check out the singlet images below. Kids get to have their singlets too, care of Ceelin. Do take note that singlet size availability is on a first-come, first-served basis.

21k Runners' Singlet Design

Singlet for 3k, 5k and 10k runners

Singlet for Kids' 500m Dash care of Ceelin

Another exclusive for 21k runners is their personalized Runrio timing card, reusable on future Runrio race events. This will be given during the Race Expo.

RUNRIO Personalized Timing Card for 21k Runners

Also during the race expo, all registered participants will receive belt bags care of Unilab Active Health. Now runners will have something to put their stuff on, may it be their race nutrition, money, car keys, mobile phones or even their cameras.

Unilab Active Health Belt Bags

21k runners will receive the 2nd piece of their puzzle medal, and is a step closer to the completion of the circle.

Run United 2 21k Finisher Medal

 21k finishers also get this cool finisher shirt:

Run United 2 21k Finisher Shirt

All race finishers will get their hands on this Unilab Active Health sling bag.

Unilab Active Health - Finisher Sling Bag

RACE MAPS 

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UNILAB RUN UNITED 2 RACE EXPO

What are the Race Expo objectives?
- Venue for runners to check out the latest and coolest sports apparel
- Fitness and athletic brands can present their latest products and services
- Hang out with fellow runners and sports enthusiasts, friends and family
- Race kit claiming made more interesting and interactive

WHAT: Unilab Run United Expo
WHEN: June 13 to 16, 2012 (Wednesday to Saturday)
WHERE: Bonifacio Global City Open Grounds (Near Riovana BGC)

Team Bike Boutique (TBB), the official merchandize partner of Ironman races worldwide, will organize the race expo.

* More details on the race expo will be posted here as soon as details are finalized.

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Race Beneficiaries:

Race beneficiaries: Gawad Kalinga and Children's Hour