Din: Runnex 10K Executive Classic Run 2010

I was scrolling aimlessly through the Takbo.ph list of races for 2010 when I chanced upon the Runnex 10K Executive Classic Run. I immediately thought, this would be a great opportunity for me to run again a 10K race after almost 20 years. I thought I was ready, emphasis on thought.

When race day came (this was May 23 in UP Diliman), I immediately included this event to my growing list of must-run-race-events-every-year. Even if the participants were few (well compared to the bigger commercial races) and the props for the events were simple yet effective, you could feel the energy among the crowd because you were surrounded by people who love the sport and run for the sake of running. You could feel this passion permeating the atmosphere.

And truth be told, this was my biggest mistake. I thought I could already run with the big boys. Well I did, for the first 30 seconds. It was quite a rude and humbling awakening. On the 6km mark, I was already struggling and running out of juice. Imagine that! Well, to show you how passionate these guys were, the top 30 finishers timed below 1 hour. To top it all, some of them were at least 20 years older than me! Talk about passion!

This race was a big lessons learned about pacing, foundation-building and most especially passion. Most of the participants did not have the latest running gears but what I saw was something more important. I saw passion, commitment, focus and determination. All the pains I experienced in this race made me a better person and I hope a better runner. To quote Dean Karnazes, in his book, Ultramarathon Man, "Pain is the body's way of ridding itself of weakness."

I almost crawled to the finish line. =D

Look at that time! Strong runners would have already done a 15K (or even a 21K) in this time! hehehe =p

Proud moment! Goodies all worth it! =)

Carrie: Two Thumbs Up for the Meek Runner

Din and I would like to congratulate our first runner friend Anna Bautista of The Meek Runner and her family for finishing The Bull Runner Dream Marathon last May 22. Congratulations Anna! You and your family are truly an inspiration!

Anna and I became friends through her blog, the meek runner. I was so inspired from her running experiences that I wanted to meet her the soonest. Luckily there was a coming run later in the weeks that we were corresponding through her blog and it paved the way for our meeting. I was so happy to meet Anna and her husband. Though the meeting was brief, I immediately sensed that Anna will be a great inspiration to my running adventures. Anna's first advice was to take it slowly and to make sure not to have injuries.

Din and I hope to run with Anna and her family soon. I bet we will have a blast exchanging running stories!

Din: RUNew 2010

The race results for the RUNew 2010 by the Asian Hospital and Medical Center are now out. You can download the results from the links below.

3K Results
5K Results
10K Results
16K Results

We joined the 5K race and frankly, this was the most difficult route that we ran so far. We were already anticipating this when we saw the race map since parts of it were our regular route to the Festival Mall and Alabang Town Center. There were several uphill parts in the route that were a lot steeper and longer than previous race routes that we joined. It was a tough route but heck, for runners like us looking for the next challenge, it was helluva fun!

Carrie: Takbo para sa PGH

Another charity event we joined was the Takbo para sa PGH. This was for the benefit of charity patients medical fund. As a member of the health care system I was very happy to be part of this event.It was PGH's first charity run and I hope they will continue this yearly.

I joined the 5km run for the nth time but that time the feeling was very different. I felt stronger, I felt good, I felt something changing...I felt that for every stride I made equals one life saved. As I get near the finish line my strides became more determined, something I never felt before. That was a first for me and maybe it happened to Din too. Being able to help others through running was a lot different that giving out money. Through running we are not only in battle with ourselves but we are also in battle to make it for other people's benefit. The feeling was different....it was awesome.

Carrie: NatGeo Earth Day Run 2010

We were glad to be part of an event which inspires people to care about our dear Mother Earth. This was National Geographic Channel's first earth day run in celebration of the 40th earth day anniversary. All proceeds will be for the benefit of DATE (Design Against The Elements).

The event went well despite of the humid atmosphre. Everyone was proudly wearing their NatGeo technical shirt. To add more spice to our shirt the organizers gave each runner a complimentary green bandana. Every stride dedicated to our Mother earth. Every stride determined to make a difference.