Holiday cheers to everyone! So how was your Christmas? Got the gift you wanted? Gained 10 lbs worth of holiday blubber just in time for the next race? Let's take a look at some random stuff you guys have been sending in over the Yuletide season.



Mr. GBM, Merry Christmas! I was just curious, what's your Christmas wish for Piolo? - Maya S.


Hi Maya! Happy Holidays to you! Hmm, what do I wish for my favorite celebrity foil? I wish him the best of health in 2010, a couple of blockbuster movies here and there, and since he has accomplished all there is to this running thing, move on to the next level - Ironman 70.3. No really, this running is going to be super boring for him. He should leave it behind, lest he pull a muscle or heck even develop ITBS. Multi-sport, oh yeah that's the way to go.


(Santa, I've been a good boy this year.....)




Hi GBM! Came across your blog last week and I'm liking your posts. My friends and I aren't in any way acquainted with the basics of running. I hope you can blog about what runner-wannabees like me should know including the basics like what to wear, what to bring when running, warm up and cool down exercises, shoes, places to run, gadgets and such. Am I asking for too much? Hope not Ü - Lilly C.


Hey Lilly thanks for the kind words, it inspires me to come up with more fun stuff for you guys :) Anyway, as for your request, there is a volominous amount of information on the net that could help you out. If you want to make your way through the clutter, log on to Takbo.ph and check out the numerous threads that would cater to your running needs :)

As for your other queries, in a nutshell here's what I could give you. :

For Warm-up and Cool Down Exercises, you could check out this link. I Googled it and in 2 seconds this is what came up.

For the right shoes, that sort of depends where you live. If you live down south, you could check out Runnr at Bonifacio High Street, and their knowledgeable staff there will do a gait analysis to find out what's the right shoe for you.

If you stay at the QC or Pasig/Mandaluyong/Marikina area, there are Second Wind branches at Teacher's Village and Ortigas Home Depot which offer a similar service, and you could chat up shoe gurus/ultrarunners (meaning they have ran distances longer than a marathon, which means they're beyond cool) Hector Yuzon and Neville Manaois for a personalized consultation.

As for the others, either I come up with an article about it or I'll email you, because I'm... holiday lazy :P



Ginger, I just want to know if you running the Condura Marathon? And if you did, how long do you training for it? I am planning to join the skyway run. Tnx. - Aris N.

Thanks for dropping by Aris. Yes I am doing the full 42k this time around. It's THE running event of the year and it's a cant-miss. I am actually in the middle of a 12-week program for it, and am set to taper about second week of January. If you are planning to run across the Skyway, you should be joining at least the 21k. Am wishing you all the best and hope to see you there!




Kamusta Kuya GB. Tatanong lang po, sana mas magupdate po kayo, tenbits kami ng utol ko. Ang huliing takbo po namin ay yung Celebrity na 5k. Pabati nga pala po kay Kuya Hernan dito sa Tandang Sora. TY po. - Ramil M.


Ramil, salamat sa pagbisita. Minsan kasi sobrang busy ko I only have time to make one article. Depende din yang kung madaming races or presscon. Pero promise, try natin iupdate more. Bagal ko kasi magsulat (x_x) Kamusta Kuya Hernan, salamat sa suporta! (para tayong radyo ah hehe)


Hi there Luis. I'm trying this out just to see if you will actually publish it online. Long-time lurker of your site, even when you had that logo with the man stretching and magulo pa siya. Laki na ng pnagbago niya, saludo ako.Was just curious, sa mga dati mong stories lagi mong binabanggit si Gingerbread Gal. Ngayon wala na. May.... nangyari ba? Haha sorry ha napansin ko lang kasi, you don't have to answer kung personal - Patricia G.


Hi Patricia, um, next question please? Haha kidding lang, thanks for the visit. Wow you were lurking even back then? You mean people actually read that crap I used to post? Woaah. I don't even have a backup copy of that template, but for those who never reached it, there are some thumbnails of that bygone era here.

As for your question, oh gaks how showbiz :P (preps for showbiz answer) Ehem. Well, since you pointed out her non-inclusion in our body of work, I guess you have your answer right there :)






That's it for the holiday mailbag folks! Keep on running and watch those waistlines everyone :)

One of those "Ondoyed" races a couple of months ago, the race promised a party atmosphere wherein runners would be dressing up as their favorite celebrities. So after doing a Saturday run, I had this impression that everyone would be wearing something.





I was seriously considering going as Coach Rio, if only under the notion that getting on his good side would afford me a glimpse into the sub-Piolo training program. The outfit was all set......

47:53 . Those were the numbers flashing in my head as we were awaiting the starting gun. What's so significant about this figure? To those who have been hanging out in caves lately, matinee idol Piolo Pascual turned the general running populace upside down with an earth-shattering 47:54 performance at Timex, a staggering time for someone whom purists term a "non-runner".

Meaning, he doesn't exactly eat, sleeps and think running as, er, the rest of us do. Thus it has been a sort of rallying cry to beat his time at all costs, if only for my "eating-Piolo's-dust-then-waking-up-in-cold-sweat-at-3am" episodes to cease.


The Venue

Aptly dubbed the BF Pasko Run, The Village Sports Club played host to this race, which turned out to be a welcome respite from your usual diet of BHS and UP runs. By my estimate, the race had about 400-500 runners, and gave off the warm, communal vibe that "south" races typically offer. Pretty good deal too - for P350 you get a dri-fit singlet (very wearable) and an RFID tag. Not bad at all.






The Reinforcement


The so-called "Kanto Boyz" pace group (someone please think of a better name) had its debut at New Balance with mostly positive results for everyone. So it didn't hurt that we had an elite reinforcement to help bolster our cause. One of the nicest guys at Takbo.ph, Wilnar had always told me that he never enjoyed too much success playing basketball, and that it was one of his biggest frustrations.


Evil Basketball Teammate : Wala kang shooting! Wala kang depensa! Lay-up lang, airball pa! Pangtakbuhan ka lang eh! Wag ka na lang kaya maglaro! (throws ball forcibly to Wilnar)

(pan camera to Wilnar with lips quivering, and with mist building in corner of eye)

Wilnar : Makikita nyo.... sisikat din ako..... may araw din kayo.....


Then he had a Eureka moment - why not he move into a sport that involves running.... and pretty much nothing else? That he did, and the rest is history. A 40 minute 10k and 3:38 marathon later (not to mention a TNF trail runner-up finish) and he is well-entrenched as one of the strongest runners in our group. He tagged along out of sheer boredom, and I successfully pitched him the idea of anchoring the pace group along with Pat. Surely, having the presence of such strong runners could only help the rest of us improve our times.


The Mass

With not too may people around, it wasn't exactly a logistical nightmare for the organizers in terms of their pre-race onsite registration and singlet claiming. In short, things were running smoothly and it seemed that we were going to start on time. Come 6:00 am, we were all revved up and ready to go as the host was reading out sponsor names. Then, she called on one last guest - the neigborhood parish priest to give the opening prayer.

Opening prayers are well, opening prayers right? They typically last for about a minute. But Father was obviously on a roll, and could care less about heat or starting times. Not that I blame him though ; his line of expertise culls influence from a higher power. Thus, he could make us wait all day if he wanted. In common parlance, this would be a walang palag moment. And it made for a heck of a lot of unintentional comedy.

As the "opening prayer" (with matching responsorial psalm) hit the 10-minute-and counting mark, the runners around me were going absolutely crazy as they could NOT get mad even if they wanted to. For your enjoyment, here are some sound bites from within hearing range :

"Father, patawarin ninyo ako pero magkakasala ako kung tagagal pa to"

"Counted na ba to para sa Misa mamaya?"

"Uy san ung misalette?"

"Sana naglabas muna sila ng Monoblock"

"Oist bastos patayin mo nga iPod mo may Misa!"


As the final "Amen" reverberated across the starting corral to racuous cheers worthy of World Youth Day, the host (who looked as uncomfortable as any of us) immediately started the countdown. And so it begins.....



The Peloton Falls Apart... Very Quickly


Apparently, the anxiety of waiting too long got to my pace buddies, and they shot off the starting block like a bunch of maniacs. I simply could not keep up. Given four good training days the week prior, it was expected that I'd be operating at a higher level of fitness. I was fading very badly, about a hundred meters from the rest of the gang. The I took a look at my 305. 600m.... at 3:45 km/min.

Wha?? 3:45?????? What the fudge??? What happened to our even split strategy? No wonder I felt like dying. I assumed the rest of the gang was running at a 3:30. And to add more to our quandary, Mark suddenly shot out like Usain Bolt and overtook everybody, even Wilnar and Pat. We assumed he did a Max HR 3:00 split, but what the heck was my good buddy thinking as well? Amidst all this confusion, I tried hard to normalize my breathing and get my wits about me. We still had a LONG way to go.


Getting it together


I gradually settled down, and eventually passed Mark (who must have been completely gassed by his fartlek move) and Jix ( winded by the horrible start as well) I once read an article on Ryan Hall, and his coach was saying that even if you go just ten seconds faster than your intended pace, your fallout could be as much as 60% over the course of the entire race.

Suffice to say, I was extremely gassed. And mind you, the course was not easy. It was a sustained rolling course, with the incline at the Tirona area mimicking Mckinley quite accurately. There wasn't as much "completely flat" ground as I had expected. My anaerobic reserves have been depleted very early, and I felt i was running on sheer guts. The fade was starting to kick in....


The Man In KOTR Red


It was not the first time we had met. At PIM, we were going at it the last 2k. Obviously an experienced runner, he was really, really strong and I was trying my best to use him as a target. Here, we met again, and it was a seesaw battle. Fading badly and with smirking Piolo hallucinations in front of me, I decided that every second counts. And this guy was my key. I would try overtaking him, then he'll catch up. We''ll go neck and neck, and he'll pass me. Was like a boxing prizefight. However, in my diminished positive split state, I felt he was definitely stronger, and he eventually put in a quick burst that left me gasping. Nonetheless, that precocious pseudo-rivalry no doubt slashed precious seconds off my time. I eventually passed him, but not after he had slowed that to pace with what I assume was his wife.

So to the Man In KOTR Red, whoever you are, thank you for the push. And I look forward to running with you in future races again.




Bittersweet Endings


Suffice to say, I didn't beat Piolo.A fat 5:17 split at km 9 all but sealed it. Missed the bus by 39 seconds. But still a happy run because I took in a 48:33, good enough for 22nd place in the race. Wilnar took 14th, Pat 19th, Jix 27th and Mark 32nd. Not bad for a crazy start. I still believe that if we had maintained an even split we had a shot at it.


One last thing. I would like to acknowledge the honesty of our new Takbo.ph members Mike and Eden, hubby and wife team. Eden was mistakenly awarded 3rd place for the ladies 5k, when in fact she had only run 3k. Some sort of mixup. They could have taken the loot and ran. But they told me about it, and I relayed the info to the organizers so that the rightful winner could be called. Now that's what I call a class act!

Overall, nicely organized community run with matching raffle at the end. Of course given my luck at raffles, I didn't win anything. At the Takbo.ph Christmas party I won..... English proficiency lessons. I guess that says it all. (x_x)

Congratulations to Tiffin and Zinnia for taking podium finishes in their respective categories. RFID worked pretty good this time, a variance of only 8 seconds from what my 305 registered. I genuinely enjoyed this, and I'd give it a go again next time around. Congratulations everyone on your respective finishes! Keep on running to burn away those Christmas Party fats haha :)

As usual, I am late again with my entry. And by this time, you would have already read multiple accounts of what transpired during last weekend's 10-miler at Corregidor. So obviously, we won't do that.Instead, I'll share with you five things that stood out during the trip and made the entire experience worth remembering.


1. The Views.


I mean, need I say more? The island features some of the finest and most historical sights the country has to offer. The incredible visuals.... speak for themselves.









*Shamelessly stolen from Argo's visually enthralling blog... just because I can :D


2. The Fun Tour Guides


What's a visit to the island without a tour? And more often than not, the enjoyability level of your overall experience is predicated on how engaging your guide is. Luckily for us, we had top-notch ones who really seemed to be enjoying their job.



Priceless Sound Bites from our Fun Guide :


1. "Right there in the Hospital is where the Jabidah Massacre happened. Not the Ampatuan Massacre of Maguindanao, but the Jabidah Massacre. J-A-B-I-D-A-H. . look it up at www.jabidah.com to know the story"

*further persual showed URL to be non-existent. Smirk.


2."The Hospital Wing is where the lady doctors and nurses stay, and the door was always locked after 9 pm. But legend has it that at 12 midnight, the door suddenly swings open....... And that is the real reason that Macarthur said "I shall return...."



3."When coming inside the tunnel laterals in single file, I only have one rule - no one is allowed to fart.

Last Sunday, all roads led to The Fort as the heavily anticipated New Balance Power Race was finally coming to fruition. Ondoy's onslaught had postponed the race from it's original Sept.27 playdate, and this gave me an opportunity to get myself a slot. As some of you may know, much to my chagrin I had missed the original registration cut, which then compelled me to make the infamous "Hitler finds out he didn't make it to New Balance" video.



I approached the race with a lot of enthusiasm as I would be joining a pace group for the first time ever. This emanated from a conversation on the Takbo.ph shoutbox, which sort of went like this :


GBM : Target ko mga 1:55 ayos nako dun. 1:57 ung PR ko, medjo sagad na.
VVinceth: Kaya yan sub 1:50. 1:45 pa nga. Even splits lang tayo, 5:10 pace lang yan!
jix_jixee : Uy ayos yan sama ako!
markhernz: Ganun ba? Kaya yan! Game!
TheRunningNinja: Game ako kahit saan, walang inuurungan!
GBM: !!!!!!


Meet the Gang

And thus, this ragtag pace group was born. I was hoping that running within a field of excellence, I would be prevailed upon to deliver a performance far beyond the realm of my capabilities. Hence, without further ado, let me introduce you to the members of my NB PAce Group :


Pat aka VVinceth/ The Running Safety Pin



Our de facto anchor, Pat is easily the fastest and best-credentialed runner within the group. 45 minute 10k's and sub 1:45 minute 21k's are a relative walk in the park for him. It was with his relative optimism that we were actually enjoined to gun for a time that seemed to be way beyond my capabilities. Likes long walks on the beach and bunnies.



Jix aka Jix_Jixee

Another known Takbo.ph speedster whose relative pace is always about 5 minutes faster than my own, it is intended that his speedy ways would tow us to victory specially in the latter stages. His favorite movie is "The Notebook", and has an inherent dislike for Piolo that science alone could not explain.




Mark aka Markhernz/Running my Mouth

In just a few short months, this naturally athletic dude has not only jumped from a 5k to a full marathon, but has posted times most people only dream of in their lifetime. He has a penchant for not finding baggage counters, and is a full-blooded Lasallian (useless trivia)



Sam aka TheRunningNinja

If other pace groups have celebrities like Jaime Zobel deAyala or Tessa Prieto, we have our own celebrity! And he is none other than... Sam the Running Ninja! One of the most recognizable faces in the blogosphere, it never hurts to have him around :P He likes fast cars, and doesn't like motorcycles, hospitals, and Gas station restrooms.