We Walk, Weave, Run, Rock Manila (Nike We Run Manila 10K 2011)



Rock Manila

It's no secret that a race by Nike is bound to be one heck of an event filled with out of the box surprises and limited edition collectibles. That's probably why this year, 8,000 runners were jam-packed and tucked away at the far end of Fort Bonifacio Global City on a Saturday afternoon, that lasted til the wee hours of the evening to rock 'n roll with three of the country's biggest bands.


I, for one, was excited for this for a number of reasons:
1) Haven't joined a race for a while- I missed running...
2) Big sis duties. Supporting my brother's (technically) last event in Manila before he flies off to a new life adventure. (Sniff.)
3) Awesome, awesome running shirt (Yes, that actually came 3rd).
4) Running groupie. (Congrats to my 10K newbie troops!)
5) Rockin' groupie. (hahaha. Just kidding.)
6) Nike groupie. ;)

Red Means Go!
It's expected that we'd be walking past the starting line, but what I didn't expect was that I'd still be walking until around the 4th kilometer. Yikes! Anyone who had been there can attest to the sheer number of people packed into narrow streets. In retrospect, I should've weaved through the dense crowd at the onset of the race, maybe then I could've shaved off a bigger chunk from my time...

I can't say it was a good fast run for me. I've been in hiatus for quite a while, and my body was really reminding me of that. Nevertheless, the feel of hitting the pavement in my running shoes still felt great! I'm slowly getting back into the groove. I can't wait to break those PRs once again. Soon.




Good job, Team Nike!



That Reddish Glow



Backstage with 10K Newbies, Toots and Lisa- Loving our neon kicks!

 

Chicosci






Sandwich

  

Parokya ni Edgar








Bachelor Run (The Night Before He Said "I Do!")

Can he do it? Can he run his greatest race and finish strong? Nope, it's no Ironman or Ultra Marathon. It's Running Fatboy's last leg as a bachelor, and his race to the road of official coupledom (is there such a word?). Running Fatboy is getting married. And what better way to celebrate this joyous occasion with but, what else? A run!

{Thanks for being the official photographer, Kerv.}

{Running Fatboy fueling up with caffeine and chicks (haha) before his 15K run.}

{J-Ngo Siblings @ 10K}

{Running Fatboy with soon to be cousin-in law, Kerv; with sister, Nat;
friends, Jeanne and Johnny Walker (Thanks for the booze, Jay!)}

So much for my theory on skipping out on the 15K to have "5K less chances of falling DURING the race". Ironically, this happened AFTER the run.

{Bridesmaid/Runner with a boo-boo.}

{I'm not sure who's more stupid. Me or the sprinkler? Wait, don't answer that!}

{Party Place = Benny's Trunk}

{Alcohol}

{A toast to the happy couple...}

{Cheers!}

{Last night out with the boys.}
{Congratulations, Dennis & Per!}

Related Posts:
Ooh, It Glows!
A Roasting Run (Kenny's Urbanite Run 2009)

A Roasting Run (Kenny's Urbanite Run 2009)

Sure, the night was a hot one. You can barely feel the breeze. But despite the heat or the crowd, the Kenny Urbanite Run was a roasting success!

I did the 10K race, and after feeling a stitch on my side at the 2.5K mark, I was mighty glad I didn't do the 15K route. Funny thing though, after the race, most of the people I asked said they felt a side stitch at around that time as well. Was it the heat? The after dinner race time? Or the Pan Chicken dinner from Pancake House?

I gave myself a few minutes of walk time to recover, then promised to quicken my pace all throughout the rest of the run. We passed Lawton, made the U-turn, and headed to hilly McKinley. The heat, coupled with a pitch black road only intensified what felt like the longest McKinley Hill route ever. Too bad the glo-sticks we had were wearing off. It would've been nice to see glow-in-the-dark shapes dancing in the dark streets. And since my sister borrowed my trusty iPod, I just had to amuse myself with my mantra for the night: Do not trip. Do not trip. Do not trip.

After an hour of running, the grounds of Bonifacio Global City was finally within reach. And in true sneaky runner fashion, I speeded up at the sight of the finish line (and sound of cheers from the k2 posse) to salvage those precious seconds on those ubiquitous giant timers.

{Thanks for the pics, Chach.}

{Blame the endorphins.}

{Like a gazelle...}

{Leo doin' the running cha-cha.}

{Gabby's going too fast, she's all a blur.}

{BFF Chachi is a cheerleading pro!}

{Chachi, with my crazy marathon idols, Macky and Iah.}

{K2 Represent.}

Related Posts:
Ooh, It Glows!
Bachelor Run (The Night Before He Said "I Do")

Ooh, It Glows!

My friends got their race kits for the Kenny's Urbanite Run today (I'm getting mine tonight c/o Running Fatboy's Last Night As Bachelor Run). Of course, we couldn't wait to see if it really glows in the dark. It does!

{Ooh...}
{The Urbanite Run race bib glows-in-the-dark. How fun!}

{The ChampionChip technology is fast becoming a running staple.}

I'm running the 10K race, so we wouldn't be going through Heritage Park cemetery like the 15K runners would. But I'm curious how that experience would feel like though. Definitely creepy!

It's not my first time to run at night, but this race should be interesting. Glow-in-the-Dark runners passing through Fort Bonifacio will be quite a sight for sure! Add iPod toting runners, a techno playlist, and glo-sticks (that came with the kit), and you've got an instant rave party on the streets. Very reminiscent of the early Fort rave/street party days, don't you think? Ahh... memories. ;)

Related Posts:
A Roasting Run (Kenny's Urbanite Run 2009)
Bachelor Run (The Night Before He Said "I Do")

Shake, Rattle and Run!

On Hallow's Eve, what came afoot?

A Shake. A Rattle. A Run to boot.

They came in droves, they came enrobed

They came like maniacs exposed.

A fight to be the first, you see

Is why they all succumb to be

Amidst all creatures big and small

A yearning to be one, that's all.

So to the dark they snarl and snivel

A thirst so deep, yet will not grovel;

To pass the sacred line and see

What time has come, did I break thee?

++++++++

I love halloween. I love running. So when I first heard about Isuzu's Shake, Rattle and Run (The first night fun run in Manila), I could hardly wait for October 31st to arrive.

First things first, what's my costume going to be??!! (Okay, so my priorities for this race wasn't exactly a record breaking PR. Hey, I did say I loved halloween first! See opening sentence.) Obviously, it had to be fun, yet practical enough to run in on. So, short and not hot (There goes the Paris Hilton idea ;). And cheap! I meant the monetary kind, of course. So, found objects in the house it is! I decided to go as "Clean & Green". Clean because I just finished taking a bath, and green because I'm using a tabo, thus saving water. Also because, I'm literally garbed in the color green. Less complicated version. (Note: I was dubbed "Shower Girl" during the race, which was the exact opposite of my cause. I didn't even bother to explain, even when I had the chance to. Darn it.)

When we got to the R.O.X at the Fort, it was eye candy galore! A lot of runners were in full, kinareer, kick-ass costumes. How they managed to run in enormous wings and props were just amazing. There was even one runner dressed as a fairy who zipped in and out of the crowd, waving his magic wand chanting 'Get out of my way'. Funny guy. It was just too cool. Too freaky-cool. I love it. I'm saying it again. I love halloween!

The race was 5K-worth of runs around Bonifacio High Street. Probably the only downside to this event, as it was a little confusing (or maybe I just wasn't paying attention) and a little boring after a while. It even came to a point wherein I'd slow down and speed up at the exact same spot I did the lap before to pace myself. Bad, because I'd do that whether or not I felt like resting. Boo- and I don't mean the Halloween kind. Although, I was pretty pleased with myself when on the third round of the water station, I got to use my trusty tabo when the plastic cups ran out. haha. See, practical.

But the best TREAT of the night: Winning 3rd place!

Okay, fine... in the Best in Costume category. Pardon the misleading intro, I wanted to bask in there for a moment. It's probably the only time I'd get to step up the magic 3 podium in a legit running event. haha. But then again, who knows, maybe next time the trick's on me!

Happy Halloween!

{Super Sunburned Beach Bum}

{Cupid Rio and Pocahontas}

{Black Devil Woman, Running Fairy, Crimebuster Chick, 300 (A-woo!), Shower Girl, Mukhang Cheerleader, Doctor Hector}

{Paulie and Juno}

{With triathletes, Ting as the Flower Girl and Carolyn as a bandit runner. hehe}

{Super Sunburned Beach Bum turned Zombie after the run.}

{Shower Girl looking fresh and bagong ligo ang pakiramdam.}

{Shower Girl meets Shower Boy}

{Flower Girl, Black Devil Woman, Shower Girl, Cupid Rio, Auto Review's Ron- who reflected the camera's light away??}

{Host Dracula with Cow & Chicken- who ran and finished together. Aww.}

{Runaway Corpse Brides}

{Best in Costume- Or in their case, lack thereof.}

{Chicken & Cow, Varga! and Shower Girl}

{Yay!}

{No tricks in the swag bag}

.

Kudos to Isuzu for a sure-fire running Halloween tradition! I can't wait for next year!