Sub-2 Pacer Duty (A Success!) at Run United Leg 1

Aaargh! Another late blog post. Thank God for a non-working holiday, I finally was able to open my blog site again and burn some backlogs. I've been looking forward to sharing my RU1 race experience for quite some time now.

March 13 - Race Kit Claiming:
Much controversy surrounded this year's leg 1 of Run United, with the introduction of prepaid cards as part of the registration process. Well as for me, I did an online registration the very first day registration opened, so I didn't have to go through queuing for the prepaid card purchase. Prepaid cards, especially of the 21km category, was sold out in record time, with a lot of speculations that scalpers hoarded them and selling them at much higher prices. There were some runners who took it against Coach Rio and the organizers of RU1 unfortunately. I think it's quite unfair though, to blame organizers when the intent was good for the prepaid card system - for runners to input their complete registration details at the comfort of their own homes, and for proper tracking of the singlet and finisher shirt demand and supply. Again, runners only have themselves to blame - if no one would support these scalpers, they wouldn't thrive anyway.

Race kit claiming was slated from March 13 to 15 at Mall of Asia. After attending a shoe launch at Glorietta, I was accompanied to MoA by Run Adobo King CJ and Speedy Titan Rolly. What greeted us was a very, very long line. With thousands of registrants, I kinda expected this. Fortunate for us though, fellow runner Syril was already in queue and he offered getting our confirmation slips so he could claim our kits together with his. Such luck!

Selfie with the snake-like lines at the background

Runner Newbie Wannabe Photo - presenting the 21k race map! Lol!

Finally getting our kits after the long wait

Race kit! I'm runner #8667!

March 16 - Race Day:
With my crazy Team Banana teammates' idea to wear a uniform on race day, I borrowed a Team Ninoy cycling shirt from Boss Raphie a couple of days before the race. I was not sure if the top will be a comfortable fit, but I borrowed it anyway. RU1 will be sort of a newbie-type race - me wearing a lot of new running gear - my new Garmin FR220, new Asics Kayano 20 shoes, new 2XU 3/4 compressions tights, and a newly-borrowed top! Haha!

I was at the venue early, so as not to get stressed with parking, and one by one, my teammates arrived. Such fun seeing us donning the yellow shirt (as yellow as a banana could be), and of course we wouldn't miss to grab some photos before heading to the race assembly area.

From L-R: Mark Runner, Beck Runner, Ikasam, Chef Lloyd, Mervin, Prof Syril, me

We were way at the back of the pack in the 21k assembly area, and found out runners will be released in two waves (obviously we were in Wave 2).

Photo courtesy of Tong Pascua. Team Yellow!

Initial discussion that we had, we will run together with a target sub-2, but will be grouped in pairs - Wyatt and Ikasam, Syril and Lloyd, me and Becky. Imagine 6 runners running as a group until finish line.

However all that changed as the race started. With the sheer number of runners, we were zigzagging our way to overtake runners left and right. It was energy-consuming and you could easily lose the person you are running with. I stuck with the plan of pacing Becky though, even when Syril and Wyatt sped off to do their normal race pace. I can sense Becky is on peak condition and will grab the sub-2 target.

Run United 1 2014 21k race route

I tried my best to be a strict pacer, watching Becky's running form, reminding him not to shout back to runners greeting him along the way, pushing him to lessen his walk breaks at hydration stations and asking him just to take sips instead of consuming entire cups of water and Gatorade. He also keeps on looking at his own GPS watch, something I don't approve, as I want to remove the pressure from him by being the one to monitor our run time. At the race mid-point, we were very much on track with our target, with some buffer to relax.

Thanks Sir Art Mendoza for this shot at one of the Gatorade hydration stations

As the final 3 kilometers approached, it became tougher as we were running with runners from all categories. There were a lot of walkers and selfie runners who just can't follow basic running etiquette. It was like the start of the race all over again as we zigzagged our way to the final stretch. At the last hydration station, I asked Becky if he wants to stop and he answered no. We sped off and reached the final U-turn point on the way to the finish line.

It was a photo finish - we clocked in with a chip time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 52 seconds. My sub-2 pacer duty is a success! Great job to Becky for keeping up with the pace!

Almost at the finish! Photo courtesy of I Love to do this

After the race, of course it's time to hang out and meet fellow runners and finishers at the race village.

With the Runner Mamaws - Ralph, Mervin, Ikasam, Wyatt, Syril, JP, Cholo, Pat, Archie (Photo courtesy of JP)

With Syril, Rolly, Vincent, Ryan and JP (Photo courtesy of JP)

So sad we didn't have a complete group shot. Team Banana in all our yellow glory - Becky, Ikasam, Wyatt, Syril, Lloyd, Mervin. Missing Team Banana Members in RU1: Raphie, Goldi, Mark Mark

Breakfast time with Ryan, Hazielle, Rolly, Joey, Jake and Flip at Mang Inasal

A couple of days after, race results were released. I'm a bit disappointed though that they only released ranking based on gun time. I'm not really sure how difficult it is to generate another set of results based on chip time, which is only fair for a race with waves.

Well, I just generated one on my own using my MS Excel skills. Haha! So it turned out my 506th ranking in gun time is way lower than my chip time ranking which is 379th! Out of 4717 21k finishers, that's really something.

I can't wait for leg 2 this coming June 1! It's another Afroman distance to conquer! Congratulations and thanks to Unilab Active Health and Runrio for helping us runners again to exceed ourselves!

Milo Marathon 2013: Pacer Duties on Marathon #7

Never have I thought that I'd be able to pace someone on a marathon race event. Yes, I have been able to become a pacer a number of times on 21km races, but doing pacer duties on a marathon is a totally different story.

Joining the Milo Marathon was a last minute decision. Actually, the 42.195km category was already announced closed when I finally convinced my crazy self to join. I had a tip though that there would be a few marathon kits to be sent back to Riovana BGC (probably from sponsors or schools). I told myself if I get my hands on one of those few remaining kits, then it was really meant for me to run my 7th marathon. And so I did get a slot.

I knew I was undertrained, only inserting a few 3-kilometer treadmill runs on weekdays and occasional half marathon races on weekends, but these are never enough for a marathon prep, that is, if I'd like to get a strong, decent time (sub-4:30 perhaps). Since I'm sure I'll be running RUPM on October, Milo Marathon would at least prepare me for it, and hopefully my legs would retain the memory of the marathon pain. Haha!

If I was going to take it easy, I wanted to have some good running company. And so I dropped a tweet during the first week of July to Mish, asking her if she's game to pace with me. She readily agreed, and I was excited to learn she was thinking the same thing - of asking me to run with her. Yay to a marathon running buddy!

Fast forward to July 28, race day. With the early 3am gunstart, I was already up and doing my pre-race rituals 11pm of Saturday. Left home at about 1:20am, arrived at Mall of Asia just before 2am, and got my usual nice parking slot. I called up Mish but she was not responding. Uh-oh! Seems like my running buddy's still asleep! I sent Mish an SMS instead, telling her I was already leaving my phone inside the car, and told her I was wearing a red singlet and a green buff on my head, so she could easily spot me at the assembly area.

When I reached the race village, I spotted familiar faces - JP, Jaycee, Cholo, Bee, Tong and Sheryll. We had our usual Photo-Ops (no pun intended). Though it was announced the day before that Photo-Ops will not be covering the Milo Marathon, much to expecting runners' disappointment, we were still fortunate Tong was there to grab some shots in support of Sheryll and friends.

With Jaycee, JP and Cholo - Pink, Red, Pink, Red! Haha!

JP beside me and Sheryll and Bee on the rightmost (Sorry wasn't introduced to the others)

Lucky Jackie passed by while doing her warm-up and still had time to get a quick snap with me.

We proceeded to the assembly area, and a number of 42k runners were already there. The usual program commenced - an invocation, the playing of the national anthem, and a warm-up led by Coach Jim Saret. With the volume of runners increasing, I already gave up looking for Mish at the sea of runners wearing green. I began psyching myself I will be running alone. The race route video began to play and then the countdown to gun start. We were sent off, in a blast of confetti and noise.

I started with a light jog, while excited runners overtook me left and right. I had to control my pace. One important thing six previous marathons taught me is to reserve energy and pace myself properly, else suffer the consequences at the latter part of the race.

Then along Macapagal Avenue, I heard someone shout my name behind my back. It was Mish! She spotted me! I then had to switch from "loner mode" to "running buddy mode". I then became conscious of our pace, and planned of trying to maintain a 6:30 min/km pace, as long as we can. There were times that Mish would speed up (I felt she's getting bored of our pace haha!) but I still managed to make her follow our target pace. Sub-5, but no expectations - that was our mantra.

At the Roxas Boulevard flyover, taken by Wesley

We were doing quite well, at least until halfway point. At the second half of the race, we did frequent walk breaks, longer stops on hydration stations, and more chit-chats. Haha! We joked a few days before of doing "chika pace" anyway, and so we did.

The crucial part of the race was the last 10 kilometers. The "rainy Milo Marathon" forecast was a hoax, as the heat of the sun was already felt starting 7am. I was getting drained and I felt Mish was too. I kept a positive attitude and kept reminding Mish we're almost there (even though we're not, haha!). Mish' favorite line at the final 5 kilometers was "Wala na ako sa wisyo!" I was afraid of what would be the consequences of that statement. Peace, Mish! :p

Still in good running form!

On route back to Mall of Asia, at the final 2 kilometers of the race, we spotted a famous barefoot runner, running at the side of the street. Barefoot Loyce. And so two became three, pushing each other on the final stretch of the race.

Red 1, Green 2, Blue 3

Go, go Power Rangers! Haha!

We crossed the finish line together, ecstatic to have finished strong and injury-free. We congratulated each other as we wore our finisher medals proudly. We conquered the Milo Marathon!

Sweet, sweet victory

All smiles! The joy only a marathon finish can bring.

After saying our goodbyes, met runner friends from Team Titans at Fitness First. I felt sore all over, and I had to do some stretching. I was feeling a slight pain on my left foot, but I knew it was not a bad injury, just something I needed to rest.

With Team Titans Ryan and Rolly

The race was definitely the biggest race I've participated in this year - with a reported 42,000+ runners! Can you just imagine that? But since it was handled by Runrio, it was as perfect as it could be.
- Hydration was overflowing, ice-cold water and ice-cold Gatorade.
- Bananas and sponges for marathon runners were abundant
- So love the Milo jingle playing at certain parts of the race route. Not sure with the others but that jingle definitely gave me the boost!
- Mentioned this at the start but I wish Photo-Ops could have covered the event. The quality of their photos is just top-notch, and would have complemented one of the best and biggest marathon events of the country.

Plotted our race performance and what I got is on the below photo. Don't remember what happened in KM22 which slowed us down that significantly, an extended chat while walking perhaps. Obviously, a positive split but way better than my previous positive-split marathons as far as the deviation of speed is concerned.

What happened, KM22?!?

Marathon #7: Milo Marathon Manila Leg - 5 hours, 15 minutes, 15 seconds. 1158th out of 2268 marathon runners.

First ever marathon pacer duty's a success! RUPM you're next!

*** Photos courtesy of Ryan Santos, Cholo Reynes, Jackie Gutierrez, Wesley Orana (WAFUphotography), Running Photographers and Tong Pascua ***

Rexona Run 2012: I Got Keychain!

Just a week after my Afroman distance run at RU3, it's now time for another 21k run at Rexona Run 2012. This year's edition challenges runners to DEFY, SURPASS and OUTRUN themselves, by giving runners a special token if they do a sub-2 21k or a sub-30 5k.

Another promising addition to this year's race is having pacers for varying finish time targets, to push runners to their limits. The day before the race, I was seriously contemplating if I'm going to target a new 21k PR (meaning I have to join the sub 1:50 pacer, Mark Terrado) or just join my running teammate from Team Alpha 1 FFS, who's doing a sub-1:55 pace. I chose the latter, which I eventually regretted, as it required a 5:14 min/km pace. I only managed to follow this fast pace until KM6; I was too burnt-out.

The Rexona 21k race map

I slowed down and did my normal pace, but I was having irritating thoughts of doing a DNF. I shrugged them off. Calculating my new pace, I knew FFS will catch up with me within the final 7 kilometers of the race (I'd at least manage to finish sub-1:55 if I could just sustain his pace). I tried to follow his lead when he passed by in the long stretch of Macapagal, at least for a kilometer or two. I needed to walk on hydration stations as I was splashing myself with water to cool me down. And with that, I was again left by another pacer.

Thanks Running Photographers for this pic!

At the final 2 kilometers, I saw a familiar runner - my friend from Team Titans Rolly. I handed him ice cubes I got from the last hydration station (holding on to ice cubes while running has a mental effect on my running performance, btw) and we paced until the finish line.

Speedy Titan and me

We clocked in at 1 hour, 57 minutes and 24 seconds - a 21k PR for Rolly and my fastest 21k this 2012! I joined the Team Titans group stretching at the Mall of Asia grounds.

21k finishers

Some race observations:
+ I liked the race route - it's perfect to do a sub-2 on it.
+ Overflowing hydration - water, Powerade. There were hydration stations with mini-water bottles. They were easy to carry while running.
+ Lots of sponges.
+ Lots of bananas.
+ Large trash bins for hydration cups
+ Minimal runner congestion and merging of different categories. I felt like most of the time I was running just with 21k runners.
+ Great-looking finisher medal!
+ Everyone's happy with the (grocery) loot bag!
- The only improvement area in my opinion is on the pacers. They were literally invisible with the shirts that were provided for them. It would have been better if they have different colored shirts which stood out from the sea of blue runners. Or at least a balloon (which is used even for international races).

Photo with my runner idol - Sir Patrick "Runningshield" Concepcion

OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS: Chip time at 1:57:20. I ranked 217th out of 2810 21k Runners (Top 7.7%). WOOT!

Fastest KM: KM4 at 5:06 / Slowest KM: KM11 at 5:56

Finishing sub-2, I got the special token! I got keychain! 

21k medal and my special token

Another well-organized race from Rexona and Runrio! I wonder what the next challenge will be on Rexona Run 2013.

Of Cats and Dogs and an Afroman Distance

Not even the heavy outpour could stop the Run United 3 participants from running in the third leg of the Runrio trilogy. Amid the crazy weather, the event was still a big success, and I could now say I'm a convert of running in the rain.

Gun start of 32k runners was early at 3am. Unlike what I did last RU2 wherein I parked my car at Mall of Asia then took the shuttle to the BGC starting line, this time I did the opposite - I parked at BGC and made use of the baggage bus to bring my stuff to Mall of Asia. There were about 2800 registered runners in the Afroman distance, and everyone's excitement to complete the medal pie is just contagious.

I will be pacing my friend Ryan again, with a steady pace target of 6 mins per kilometer, or about 3 hours and 12 minutes of continuous running (my PR is 3:06 for 32k by the way). The race will maximize the roads of BGC before finally crossing Buendia flyover and head to Roxas Boulevard.

It was the wettest of all races I've ever participated in, and there were even times the strong winds were pushing us and slowing us down. We were basically on target until KM24, but the dreaded wall hit us KM25, and so we dropped to an average 7-pace on succeeding kilometers.

The Afroman Map

We clocked in at 3 hours and 25 minutes, shaving off around 40 minutes from Ryan's previous 32k PR. We were far from our original target, but that's still quite a feat!

Different categories merging at the final stretch

Almost at the finish!

Some race observations:

+ The addition of large labelled trash bins was a very welcome change to the race. It was now easier for runners to dispose of their cups after passing through hydration stations

+ Of course, hydration is overflowing (and with the help of the rain, some cups are being filled to the brim, hehe!) 

+ Claiming of finisher kits was organized (however, there were some runners who weren't able to get the finisher shirts of their choice, but will be provided to them at a later date)

+ Baggage counters were organized as well. I got my bag without the hassle of a long queue.

- One area of improvement is the placement of timing mats along the race route - it seems that there are a lot of areas where runners could cheat and do a shortcut. This could have been planned better.

After changing to dry clothes, I stayed for a while to hang out with some Team Titan friends, and of course some photo ops.

With Seph, Rolly and Ryan

With Seph and Arvin

And no race review will be complete without me plotting my race performance. Well, the red region says it all. LOL!

RU3 Performance Graph

To my friends' surprise, after the 32k race, I headed back to Manila Peninsula for the wedding preparations of my sister. Haha! Here's a happy family picture:

Congratulations, ate! You are now Mrs. Eileen Camarillo-Go!

My First Milo Provincial Leg Experience at San Pablo

I've always wanted to try running in one of the provincial legs of the Milo Marathon. (Just to be clear: not to qualify, only for the experience.) When a runner friend mentioned he was planning to run the San Pablo leg, I immediately wanted to tag along. I needed the mileage (for RU3) and it was one of the nearer provincial leg locations from Metro Manila.

We traveled to San Pablo September 1 (Saturday) afternoon, with an approximate 2-hour travel (traffic was bad due to the rain and road works). We stayed at Tahanan ni Aling Meding, and we were surprised race organizers and marshals were staying there too (Runrio vehicles parked everywhere when we arrived). I had a feeling I've been to the place before, and it took some time before I realized I stayed there when I attended a friend's wedding years back.

Tahanan ni Aling Meding entrance

Great view from the hotel veranda - Sampaloc lake

The gun start is at its usual time for the half marathon - 4:30am. There were only a few 21k runners in attendance (found out in the results there were only 225 finishers). The starting line is just a few meters away from where we were staying. 

It's been a while since I paced someone in a running event. Ryan was targeting a new PR (his PR prior the San Pablo leg is 2:11), with a goal of 2:05. My tighter goal is a sub-2, so that I could have some buffer for failure. Hehe!

Milo Marathon San Pablo race map

Unfortunately, within the first 5 kilometers of the race, I knew it would be difficult achieving sub-2, as the race route is one of the toughest rolling terrain I've ever seen. A memorable part of the race is when a grandpa runner overtook us on an uphill path, and shouted "Para kang 60 years old tumakbo!" I was embarrassed by his trash talk but also realized how strong older and more experienced runners are.

On the final 5 kilometers, we were still on track for a sub-2. However, I was already feeling Ryan struggling to keep up with the pace I'm setting, with his heavy breathing. I can already hear how heavy each step he's making as he was already dragging his feet. It came to a point when I was behind him and literally pushing him up on an incline. As we reached the final stretch on the Central Elementary Oval though, he had the sudden burst of energy to sprint the last few meters, finishing with a time of 2:01:45 - not the sub-2 I have hoped for, but slashing off 9 minutes from his previous PR is no joke, especially with the killer route.

My 3rd Milo Marathon medal!

Gathering the data from my Soleus GPS watch later, I found out we were fastest at KM20, recording a speed of 5:21!

It was another great Milo Marathon experience, and I'm sure I'll be running more provincial legs in the future. Kudos to Milo and Runrio!