I run not because I want to feel good...
I run not because I want to relieve stess...
Nope... I run because I want to look good NAKED! Hahaha! ;)
Happy runnings!
running through the rough and rugged road of life...
Monday, 5 December 2011
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Running... Cheaper than Therapy!
In one year... at the very least...
COST OF NOT RUNNING:
Hypertension Control Medicines:
25.00 x 365 = 9,125.00
Diabetes Medicines:
10.50 x 365 = 3,832.50
Cholesterol Medicines:
30.00 x 365 = 10,950.00
Monthly Doctor Consultation:
500.00 x 12 = 6,000.00
Blood Sugar Monitoring:
100.00 x 24 = 2,400.00
ECG:
250.00 x 2 = 500.00
Lost Productivity:
PRICELESS
---------------
32,800.50/year
COST OF RUNNING:
Good pair of running shoes:
4,500.00
Good pair of socks :
300.00
Running Singlet/Shorts:
600.00
Looking good naked:
PRICELESS ;)
----------------
5,400.00/year
Red Cross Million Volunteer Run
To reawaken the spirit of volunteerism, the Philippine National Red Cross will be holding the "Million Volunteer Run" on December 4, 2011.
The run will be conducted simultaneously in keys cities through out the country, with the main event to be held at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
My wife, kids and I will be supporting the Red Cross Pangasinan Chapter with the run to be held in CSI City Mall in Dagupan City.
Registration fee for volunteers is 500 PHP with the cost of registration covering a donation to the Philippine Red Cross, race bib, volunteer shirt, PRC I.D., 1-year accidental insurance and an emergency whistle.
I have heard that a special registration category for students and kids are available at only 100 PHP. But the kit only includes the race bib.
You can register with the Philippine Red Cross - Pangasinan Chapter at the PRC Building, old market site of Dagupan City, beside the old chinese cemetery. There will also be on-site registration before the run.
There will only be one distance category for this event, which is 5k. Water station will be available along the route according to the organizers. Gun start is at 5:30 in the morning.
Everyone is encouraged to support this noble cause! Let us all support the Philippine National Red Cross! Bring the whole family as this promises to be a wonderful opportunity to bond with the family and support the Red Cross at the same time!
The run will be conducted simultaneously in keys cities through out the country, with the main event to be held at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
My wife, kids and I will be supporting the Red Cross Pangasinan Chapter with the run to be held in CSI City Mall in Dagupan City.
Registration fee for volunteers is 500 PHP with the cost of registration covering a donation to the Philippine Red Cross, race bib, volunteer shirt, PRC I.D., 1-year accidental insurance and an emergency whistle.
You can register with the Philippine Red Cross - Pangasinan Chapter at the PRC Building, old market site of Dagupan City, beside the old chinese cemetery. There will also be on-site registration before the run.
There will only be one distance category for this event, which is 5k. Water station will be available along the route according to the organizers. Gun start is at 5:30 in the morning.
Everyone is encouraged to support this noble cause! Let us all support the Philippine National Red Cross! Bring the whole family as this promises to be a wonderful opportunity to bond with the family and support the Red Cross at the same time!
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Saturday Long Run - Running with Mang Caloy
Saturdays are usually reserved for long runs with my running group. The group usually takes-off at around 4:30 AM, but this morning, I arrived late and the group took-off 20 minutes ahead of me. As I was trying to catch up with the group, I enjoyed the cool crisp air and immediately went to a state of bliss. The first 2 kilometers were great! I was running in good time and was sure to catch the group not far from the turning point of our usual running route.
At kilometer 3, near the boundary of Amagbagan and Malasin, I met up with Mang Caloy, one of the regular runners we see on the road. Mang Caloy runs EVERYDAY from his house to the Catholic church in the town center which is about 2.5 kilometers away from his house. According to him, he does this to "report for duty" to the Lord and as he always tell me, "to feed his soul of it's daily sustenance." Oh, and did I mention that Mang Caloy is 70 years old?
Mang Caloy runs with a distinctive gait. His right arms stretched downwards in a position like he's holding a small ball, his left arm swinging forward and back.If one didn't know him, one would think that he suffered a stroke with his running gait. But his running gait could be deceiving. His running style, although unusual, is effective for him. I've seen him outlast runners young enough to be his grandkids!
It's is always a joy to run with Mang Caloy! With his friendly demeanor and cheerfulness, he never fails to light up the faces of people he greets good morning to along the road. As distinct as his gait is the color of his hair. A Beatles-style cut with white locks which he sometimes dyes with a soft mahogany shade. No wonder people along the road always refer to him as "Mr. White Hair".
As I greeted him as I caught up with him, he gave me his usual friendly greetings. He always seem to be very happy everytime he sees me on the road. Although I was trying to catch up with the group, I decided to take things slow and run with Mang Caloy in his own pace. From 6:00 m/km. I slowed down to 7:30 m/km. I just can bring my self to run off and leave him, although I know he wouldn't mind.
Running with Mang Caloy is a spiritual and enlightening experience. With his slow but steady pace, conversations are possible... and quite enjoyable. He talks about everything under the sun, but most specially about life lessons and faith in God.
You see, Mang Caloy is a self-made man. His father is a simple barber and his mother a housewife. He tells me stories about how he grew up poor and experiencing hunger on a regular basis. His parents could not even afford to send him to school that is why he only finished Grade 3. At a very early age, he was forced by circumstances to work and earn any which way he can so as to help his family put food on the table.
When he was a teenager, he tried his luck in Manila. He did odd jobs just to earn a living, earning on 3 pesos a day in the 1960s, barely enough to cover his living expenses. But still he persevered, working hard to earn more.
His big break, as he calls it, came in 1971, when he met a "kababayan" (town mate) in Manila who he became friends with. His friend told him that the company he was working for was looking for a janitor. Mang Caloy was hesitant at first because he did not finish school so the company may not hire him. But still he tried his luck and applied for the job. The man who interviewed him was impressed by his honesty in filling out his application form and with the candid answers he gave that he was hired on the spot!
Mang Caloy treated this with great gratitude! He told himself that he will work his best and show his boss that he deserves the job... so much so that he served the company, Unimart in Greenhills, as janitor, bagger, merchandizer and odd jobs here in there for 30 long years, proudly saying that he has 3 plaques of recognition hanging on the walls of his house for being the chosen the most outstanding employee 3 times!
Greenhills is where Mang Caloy learned how to run and where he fell in love with it. Greenhills was the place to be back in the 70s. The upper class, expats, the who's who all converge in Greenhills to shop, dine and have a great time. This was also the place were runners from the nearby villages and subdivisions run.
Mang Caloy usually starts his day very early in the morning back then. He would always see the joggers and runs go around Greenhills. Being friendly as he is, we would always greet the runners who pass by him and offer them a friendly smile. This endeared him to the regular runners and soon enough, he became friends with them.
About that time, Mang Caloy started to experience high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. Having too little money to buy medicines, he confided this problem with his runner friends and one suggested he take up running to deal with this problem. Heeding their advice, Mang Caloy decided to give running a try... and never stopped doing it until now!
Mang Caloy proudly told me that a couple of months after he started to run regularly, his high blood pressure and high blood sugar went away instantly. Running made him healthy and strong. He started to feel better about himself and him immunity level became high!
Mang Caloy keeps telling me that he planned to run regularly as long as his body can... which I think he could do until he lives to be a hundred!
As we neared the town plaza, we parted ways as I was parked across the park. He went on his way to attend the early morning mass at the Catholic church... to "report for duty and feed his soul".
I look forward to my next run with Mang Caloy! I hope I can still run like him even if I'm 70!
At kilometer 3, near the boundary of Amagbagan and Malasin, I met up with Mang Caloy, one of the regular runners we see on the road. Mang Caloy runs EVERYDAY from his house to the Catholic church in the town center which is about 2.5 kilometers away from his house. According to him, he does this to "report for duty" to the Lord and as he always tell me, "to feed his soul of it's daily sustenance." Oh, and did I mention that Mang Caloy is 70 years old?
Mang Caloy runs with a distinctive gait. His right arms stretched downwards in a position like he's holding a small ball, his left arm swinging forward and back.If one didn't know him, one would think that he suffered a stroke with his running gait. But his running gait could be deceiving. His running style, although unusual, is effective for him. I've seen him outlast runners young enough to be his grandkids!
It's is always a joy to run with Mang Caloy! With his friendly demeanor and cheerfulness, he never fails to light up the faces of people he greets good morning to along the road. As distinct as his gait is the color of his hair. A Beatles-style cut with white locks which he sometimes dyes with a soft mahogany shade. No wonder people along the road always refer to him as "Mr. White Hair".
As I greeted him as I caught up with him, he gave me his usual friendly greetings. He always seem to be very happy everytime he sees me on the road. Although I was trying to catch up with the group, I decided to take things slow and run with Mang Caloy in his own pace. From 6:00 m/km. I slowed down to 7:30 m/km. I just can bring my self to run off and leave him, although I know he wouldn't mind.
Running with Mang Caloy is a spiritual and enlightening experience. With his slow but steady pace, conversations are possible... and quite enjoyable. He talks about everything under the sun, but most specially about life lessons and faith in God.
You see, Mang Caloy is a self-made man. His father is a simple barber and his mother a housewife. He tells me stories about how he grew up poor and experiencing hunger on a regular basis. His parents could not even afford to send him to school that is why he only finished Grade 3. At a very early age, he was forced by circumstances to work and earn any which way he can so as to help his family put food on the table.
When he was a teenager, he tried his luck in Manila. He did odd jobs just to earn a living, earning on 3 pesos a day in the 1960s, barely enough to cover his living expenses. But still he persevered, working hard to earn more.
His big break, as he calls it, came in 1971, when he met a "kababayan" (town mate) in Manila who he became friends with. His friend told him that the company he was working for was looking for a janitor. Mang Caloy was hesitant at first because he did not finish school so the company may not hire him. But still he tried his luck and applied for the job. The man who interviewed him was impressed by his honesty in filling out his application form and with the candid answers he gave that he was hired on the spot!
Mang Caloy treated this with great gratitude! He told himself that he will work his best and show his boss that he deserves the job... so much so that he served the company, Unimart in Greenhills, as janitor, bagger, merchandizer and odd jobs here in there for 30 long years, proudly saying that he has 3 plaques of recognition hanging on the walls of his house for being the chosen the most outstanding employee 3 times!
Greenhills is where Mang Caloy learned how to run and where he fell in love with it. Greenhills was the place to be back in the 70s. The upper class, expats, the who's who all converge in Greenhills to shop, dine and have a great time. This was also the place were runners from the nearby villages and subdivisions run.
Mang Caloy usually starts his day very early in the morning back then. He would always see the joggers and runs go around Greenhills. Being friendly as he is, we would always greet the runners who pass by him and offer them a friendly smile. This endeared him to the regular runners and soon enough, he became friends with them.
About that time, Mang Caloy started to experience high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. Having too little money to buy medicines, he confided this problem with his runner friends and one suggested he take up running to deal with this problem. Heeding their advice, Mang Caloy decided to give running a try... and never stopped doing it until now!
Mang Caloy proudly told me that a couple of months after he started to run regularly, his high blood pressure and high blood sugar went away instantly. Running made him healthy and strong. He started to feel better about himself and him immunity level became high!
Mang Caloy keeps telling me that he planned to run regularly as long as his body can... which I think he could do until he lives to be a hundred!
As we neared the town plaza, we parted ways as I was parked across the park. He went on his way to attend the early morning mass at the Catholic church... to "report for duty and feed his soul".
I look forward to my next run with Mang Caloy! I hope I can still run like him even if I'm 70!
Monday, 4 April 2011
Monday Morning Run - Running with the Wifey, Motivation by Condura Skyway video and discovering Kellogg's Nutri Grain Cereal Bar
Note: This is my first foray into blogging.... so here it goes! I would appreciate any suggestions and constructive criticisms. Wish me luck!
It's the start of the week and I've been very tired from all the weekend activities. I was supposed to skip my Monday run, but last night, while I was going through my Facebook Home page, I stumbled upon the video of the National Geographic feature on the Condura Skyway Marathon 2011. While I was eagerly waiting for the videos to load (no thanks to my super slow at times, Globe WiMax connection), I reminisced the fun and great time I had running my first half-mary at the Condura Run last February.
The video had a different "feel" compared to the usual features you find in Nat Geo, but all in all, it was a fairly good feature on one of the biggest foot race in the country. I particularly liked Pat Concepcion every time he speaks about running. You could feel how passionate he is about it every time he talks. This, coupled with learning that the Condura Skyway Marathon 2012 has already set a date, inspired me to reset my alarm clock and go to bed early to hit the road Monday morning (funny how motivation could be found everywhere and in the smallest of things)!
My alarm clock is usually set to go off at 3:30 in the morning, but due to the tiring weekend I had, I gave myself a 30 minute reprieve to catch up on some sleep. My pre-run ritual usually consists of drinking a full glass of water immediately after I wake up and go for my usual breakfast of a piece of toasted bread, a granola bar and a cup of breakfast cereal drink.. But while I was rummaging through our weekend grocery, I remembered grabbing a box of Kellogg's Nulti Grain Cereal Bar during our grocery run. It looked interesting (I got the Blueberry flavored variety) and thought I'd give it a try.
The Kellogg's Cereal Bar was great and I liked it very much! It felt and tasted like a cross between fig newtons and pop tarts, two goodies I love to have and enjoy once in a while. The consistency was just right for my taste, chewy and it had the right sweetness (although I do have a sweet tooth). This thing quickly made it to my list of favorite pre-run breakfast!
After finishing my pre-run breakfast, I checked my e-mails and FB account to pass the time and give my gut the chance to digest my breakfast before going for my run. The YouTube video of the Condura Run was still on my computer screen so I decided to watch the final part. The epilogue of the feature caught my attention. Pat Concepcion's wife, Mabu, was talking about how she despised Pat's running because Pat was spending more time running than with her and the family. To deal with the frustration, Mabu decided to join Pat in his runs and see for herself what it was all about. It's a "if you can't beat them, join them" kind of situation for Mabu, and after going on her first 3k race, she was instantly hooked! It was kinda nice to see Mabu in the video proudly displaying her 16K finisher's medal, which according to her, "is the first and only medal she won in a road race"!
I have been trying to convince my wife, Jen, to take up running, not only for the health benefits, but also as a way to spend more time with her... not to mention wanting to get her hooked on running so I could justify getting more running gear! LOL! I have some success in varying degrees, but my wife keeps insisting that she is not exactly a morning person and she would rather sleep than run in the early hours of the morning. But this didn't stop me from waking her up every time I go for a run and ask her if she wants to join me. But somehow, this morning was different. The night before, I told her that I will push through with my Monday morning run and she said that she was thinking of joining me, because it's been a while since her last run. So I said, alright, we'll see in the morning how your mood is!
After gearing up and getting ready for my morning run, I woke up my wife and asked her if she wants to join me. I could tell she was struggling to convince herself to wake up, but after a while, she got up and said yes, she will be joining me for a run this morning!
So off we went, to my usual run route, the road from Pozorrubio to Manaoag. Since I was running with my wife, I had to cut short my usual 10k run to just 5k, which was fine with me as I was still recovering from my 16k long run 2 days before.
The weather was crisp and cool as I parked our ride in front of the Pozorrubio - Iligan Friendship park near the town plaza. We warmed up with a 5 minute walk before going on a 8:00 min/km pace run. I was surprised that Jen was starting to run longer and stronger. She turned around at the 2.5k mark while I continued on until km 3.25 before turning around to catch up with her. We finished the run (5k for her and 6.5k for me) in about 43:48. With Jen's progress in running, it won't be long now before she runs here first 5K!
Not a bad way to start the week, aye?
So off we went, to my usual run route, the road from Pozorrubio to Manaoag. Since I was running with my wife, I had to cut short my usual 10k run to just 5k, which was fine with me as I was still recovering from my 16k long run 2 days before.
The weather was crisp and cool as I parked our ride in front of the Pozorrubio - Iligan Friendship park near the town plaza. We warmed up with a 5 minute walk before going on a 8:00 min/km pace run. I was surprised that Jen was starting to run longer and stronger. She turned around at the 2.5k mark while I continued on until km 3.25 before turning around to catch up with her. We finished the run (5k for her and 6.5k for me) in about 43:48. With Jen's progress in running, it won't be long now before she runs here first 5K!
Not a bad way to start the week, aye?
Sunday, 3 April 2011
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