The Dream Is On

The Road to My First Full Marathon Starts Now! Ive succesfully grabbed a spot in the much coveted TBR Dream Marathon this coming Feb16. 

Training will start next month. After a long lay-off from running, Im quite excited to commit myself to training and running for my first full mary. 

From here on, I will be documenting my progress, ill be giving you a blow-by-blow recap of what transpired. 

Sept. 18 Wednesday

Came off from work at 7pm. Had to wait for a while for that green frog bus in buendia to take me to the bgc entrance along kalayaan, walked to get to SLMC and arrivved at the confeence room for my 1st ever bull circle. I arrived with coach Lit onstage talking about the foundations of running, its importance, and how to do them right. Then he talked about the Galloway method which is the Run-Walk method. Each minute that I was there got me more interested. I gained vital infos to succeed on my training for the big day. 

Of course, The Bull Runner, Ms Jaymie pizarro was there. She was a welcome sight for my sore and tired eyes. She sounded the way I imagined her voice to be. I was starstruck. 

She was so near and yet so far. One day ill have our picture taken together. This weekend is the start of my training. Im planning to simply follow whatever Mr. Lafferty just said. Ease in to running, do the galloway method and lessen my ego. 

Oct. 5, 2013, Saturday

6:15 AM

Arrived with a few minutes to spare at BGC track 30th for our first Bull Session. I was as usual by my lonely self, people around me proudly sporting their tbr university shirts. I had time to look around, check out my batchmates, take pictures and observe. Then it was time. 

Coach Lit breakin' it down for y'all!

I just had to take a snap of her...

Coach Lit took the mic and broke it down! A little intro here, a short reminder, then he grouped us according to our preferred paces. I chose the 4:1 group with an average pace of 6:30 to 7:00. 

Our group started at a conservative pace of around 7:30 min/km. At first, I was feeling kinda bored with our pace but I just cant forget what Coach Jim talked about in Bull Circle 1; start with a conservative pace, lose your ego. True enough, as the group finished our 50min run, we averaged at 7min/km. Hanep! I never thought that can be done. Achieving a decent pace and still having enough fuel in the tank. As of this writing, I now incorporate a lot of galloway method in my training runs!

Heres our group shot that I got from our TBR 2014 batch's FB site. 

Oct. 26, 2013, Saturday

6:00 AM

Today is the 2nd Bull Session. Compared to the previous one the mood was more light with a hint of stress on my part due to being tardy and had to run all the way from the parking lot just to make it on time. People were a bit less of a stranger and now are looking more familiar. Stayed on the same group I had during the 1st one. We started our run with a 10 min warmup around hi-street. But after that, our pace went from 0-60! We were averaging below 6:30! Thats why some of us were panting like crazy by the 50th minute. So, the pacers finally decided to stick to our pace of 6:30 to 7 upto the finish. After the run, all were asked to stay for the photo shoot. People had fun posing for the camera, after that, it was time to go and off to training by our own. 

Heres a photo taken that day that I picked up from our fb site

The Adventures of TheBooRunner

Its the middle of the year and my first post for the year 2013. Life has been busy tango-ing with me. Too many to mention, too hard to explain ika nga sa isang entry sa slumbook ni ate. 

Let me fill you in with my 2013 life so far, I have been feeling miserable lately because I have been missing my morning runs a lot. Its an off again, on again thang. I havent joined any runs since the 711 run800 event. Yes, I wasted what was supposed to be my summer of runs and training. Instead i was focused more at work and family. Which I find nothing wrong with, its just that feeling of disappointment when you miss a scheduled run because of reasons brought about life's circumstances. Guilt, shoulda, coulda, woulda! Definitely, my passion for running took the backseat this first half of the year. 

With all that rubbish regarding running, I am mighty proud to say that I have been more focused on my family. Less time for running means more time and energy for my wife and kids. More time for house chores, groceries with the wifey, summer dip with the boys, more time to visit loved ones, more time to think, reflect, assess and decide. 

Also one of the most significant part of this year is my trip in Singapore with my friends. It was just like a high school field trip, the only difference is the location and our age. The usual stuff happening in a field trip happened-from waking up early, to having the never-ending kulitans and flashbacks. Oh yes and there were the sightseeings, picture taking, eating out and drinking in's. It sure was a guiltless, well-deserved, 3 day break from our usual routine, and boy did we enjoy every minute of it!

The other half thats keeping me all tied-up is work. Was recently promoted and am now a Lead Designer. Meaning more responsibilities, more load, to keep it simple, more work. But who's complaining? Not me. In fact, im happy about it. Its a feat for me! A confidence booster, a picker-upper(?), an extra motivation and a source of inspiration. 

With all these in my bag, Im still trying my darndest to juggle everything without dropping any. I am hoping to go back to my usual training schedule starting June just right for my July KOTR2013 16km race. But with the kids' school just around the corner, well, thats another hurdle to tackle. 

The Great Medal Haul

2012 was a great running year for me. A memorable one indeed. I ran my first half-marathon in the Condura Skyway Marathon, finishing your first 21k is both tiring and exciting. My first time to experience that kind of pain, my first time to have conquered such a challenge, hence, my first medal. And boy how they look and feel great hanging around your neck. But, I didnt stop there. I also joined the Etc Earth Run's 21km run where I achieved my PR of 2:12 in that category. It was a big lift for me and for my ego. It seems everytime I ran, I get faster and I get a nice piece of medal to go along with that. Another highlight for 2012 is me joining all three Run United's at 21k with satisfying results. Ive learned the value of commitment, the importance of hard work and the results that go along with that. Also, as a promise to myself and to give more meaning to my runs, almost all of the races I participate in should have social relevance and should benefit the needy. One race that Im glad I joined is the Tetra Pak RFR. The race donated a portion of our reg fees to their beneficiary, and also helped people to be aware of the benefits of recycling. This is also the time where I started having leg cramps that affected my finishing time. Maybe because of the lack of mileage I log in during trainings, sodium depletion, or lack of hydration. The last run I joined was Milo's 36th Marathon Finals. Same thing happened, leg cramped on me so I finished with a disappointing time of 2:20. At least I was able to give a child running shoe and joining at least 1 Milo race per year is an sop for me.

Thats about it. All the of my running highlights for the year 2012. This 2013, im contemplating in using salt sticks every long runs and see if its really sodium depeletion. And this year will be all about personal bests for me in all categories and maybe finally join TBR's Dream Marathon. Lets all keep our fingers crossed, and lets all have a happy, prosperous, and exciting 2013. Till then, run hard, run happy! BooRunner out!

Tetra Pak Run Feed Recycle Race Review

My 1 run per month policy made it difficult for me to decide in this run. It was a toss up between Power Run, RFR and the BGC run for the month of November. The 2 races were big races organized by RunRio and RFR by Hypersports. Ive never joined any Hypersports event so I was a little bit hesitant. But then, I also considered the cause of the runs which led me to give RFR the edge because part of the fees will help feed kids from a charitable organization. And also the fact that they are giving P50 discount by recycling 5 tetra paks, you helped save mother earth and you still get a discount!




The singlets were awesome, with the green and blue color scheme, and a reflectorized gray strip in the upper back side of the singlet. The finisher shirt was no letdown too. The medals threw me off a bit because of their teeneeweenie size. I was expecting it to be at least the size of a small tetra pak. And the promised loot bags werent in sight. Nevertheless, hydration stations were sufficient with water and cocoquench. Some bananas and sponges were present in strategic parts of the route. Although adding a few sports drink in the mix would have been better but Im not complaining, it was all good! Oh, except for that pitch black, darker than dark part of the Buendia Flyover. For a while there I thought I was gonna step into a hole and possibly injure and ruin my bid for world domination. Good thing, nothing happened so its still a go just you wait. I had cramps at the latter part of the route, no thanks to the punishing route the organizers have plotted! Linahat na nila, lahat ng uphill sa BGC isinama para mapamura kaming mga runners. But what is a race without any challenge right?










boy pulikat near the finish line

Me and Trix stayed to watch the program after I crossed the finish line at 2:19 which wasnt bad considering the small amount of training i had.


We were hoping to win the raffle kasi and it was entertaining to watch Bearwin make fun of the audience and the winners. I also witnessed Tetra Pak executives turning over the promised P250,000 donation to the Charitable Organization from the runs proceeds. Another good news weve heard is they are now planning to have a RFR 2 next year. Something big to anticipate eh?

So Ive completed a half marathon, fed children, recycled for mother earth in one sunday morning...and it feels great! Hooray for everyone who joined and congrats to the organizers!

And Then There Were Three

So yeah, the 2012 Run United Trilogy just ended. Im proud to say that I joined all 3. My fastest finish was the 2nd with a time of 2:13. People have spoken about these runs countless of times already. Im not gonna add into that. And besides, its been how many months already. Let me just share to you, my cherished readers and followers, the these important lessons Ive learned from all of these runs:




1. Its still no pain, no gain for me.
No matter how people, sports, performance and technology evolve, its still the old school adage that works for me. No matter how difficult training is, in the end, its all worth it.
2. Less is more.
The more you strap into yourself during raceday, the slower your finishing time is. All those hydration belts, music player straps, belt bags, arm sleeves (even saw one runner wearing a bball arm sleeve ala Dwight Howard, yes, WTF right?). All of these add on to your body weight, ergo, the heavier you get the slower you finish.
4 and 5. Start right, finish strong.
We all have plans before the gunstart...bang! Then everbody runs, I mean, sprints ahead. male ego sets in and its hard to resist the urge to keep up with them, if you do, then you just ruined your game plan. Keep to your pace, nobody knows your body better than you do. Just tell yourself that youll be seeing all these sprinters sooner or later, them panting, you with a steady pace.
I always save some energy for that last 2 km speed burst. First, its for that needed burst to pass other runners who might have been gassed out and are complacent already with their position. Suddenly somebody passes them by quickly. Before they realize, its already to late...theyve been BOOtified! Second, its also a psychological thing. Its like your own pat-in-the-back kind of thing. Imagine finishing 13.1 miles of running with that last kilometer sprint- that feels good! Its a confidence booster!




So There. 5 helpful first-hand tips and lessons from theBooRunner to help, inform and educate other runners. Here's hoping that you keep on running and run strong, run happy! Ciao!
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Staying Sane While Living

Nope. This is not a step-by-step instruction manual. It is what the title says. It is me feeling burnt out in life and work. Its me trying to weight things. Whether to stop, turn or go straight.



I am once again in a crossroad. If i stop, people behind me, the ones I hold dearly, will also have to stop and that is definitely not right. If I turn and go the other way, eventually, I would have to stop for awhile and ask for directions and then start from scratch again. Now if I go on and maintain status quo, life will remain the same for a long, long time.

See the problem is this...I want a better life for me and my family. I want my wife to live free from stress and responsibilities. I want my 2 boys to have good education and a good future ahead of them. The next question is, you guessed right, how? How the heck can I do that without robbing a bank or kidnapping a wealthy chekwa?! I thought of a lot of things and cut them down to 3 options.


1) Stop - quit my regular job, set up a new business from scratch. That means investing and borrowing money which i hate doing. If and when it clicks, I wont start earning at least after 5mos or so.


2) Turn - a career change. Which I dont know much of really. Heck, Ive been designing shit since birth and I just dont know what I'll be if im not what I am today, an artist.


3) Go - as the famous nike tagline goes..."Just do it." Apply for a Canadian Visa and fly your family there and live a new Canadian life. Alone. With no family and friends. Away from the Philippines. Live in isolation. Thats just sad.

So there. My choices, my calvary. Such are the things a family man must make. Life-changing decisions, with each one of them exists different opportunities and difficulties.

But you know what, in the end, I leave it all up to God. He will decide whichever is right for me and my family. He will take me to my dream. God knows. God cares. God loves. But until then, Imma' gon' keep runnin' and reach for the sky! Happy trails - run hard, run happy!


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My Thoughts Exactly

Am I ready for RU3?
In a scale of 1 to 10, Id say im 7.5.
My schedule for RU3 is a little crappy. Work is getting in the way, and also family affairs. But hopefully ill be a 10 come Oct 14 for my 711 run 800 at Cavitex. Im planning to shatter all my known records in that race. Ill be running a half mary as usual.



me with one of my tempo runs



10k at the FAME fun run

Missed the TBR Dream Marathon. I took it as a sign. Maybe 2012 is not the year for me to brave a full marathon. I badly want to make my 42k debut in TBR's Dream Marathon.

Definitely 2013.


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