I personally named this place as the “Brown Mountain” (BM) for purposes of describing my running workouts. This is my “new” playground for my hill workouts and mountain trail runs.

From this point, my GF 305 registered a distance of 6.5K from the place where I started with the rest of my elite runners. I was already gasping for air to breath and about to surrender when I reached this point on my first time to run this trail. But the elite runners kept on pushing me as they paced me throughout the run. This particular place has an elevation of 700+ meters!

After turning at 8.5K mark, I had another almost 6.5K downhill trail towards the Starting area. You might have observed that I am using a racing flat shoes (Adidas Adizero Mana) on this trail run. Well, I am trying to experiment if my old legs’ feet cartilages, muscles, and knees could withstand the impact on the soft & hard trails of this mountain! So far, for two running workouts up to BM, my legs and knees are fine.

These elite runners had been doing their workouts here for the past weeks and months in preparation for the 34th MILO Marathon Manila Elimination and this coming September’s CAMSUR Marathon.

This is where we usually turn-around and the farthest our feet could reach (so far!) along an endless trail from the “Brown Mountain” to the other adjacent mountains. There are signs that this spring is being visited by wild pig/boar and deer. I’ve observed that the trail at the side of the BM (Brown Mountain) is covered with dried leaves that give additional cushion to the impact of my feet to the ground. Some parts of the trail are one-track carved on the side of the forested areas by water rushing from the top of the mountain due to rains.

We found some time to drink the water on this spring, wash and pour the cold water on our faces, nape, head, legs and arms. The water was so refreshing! The Aeta family that lives nearby the place said that there are more of these kind of springs along the endless trail and their water are potable. What can I say, this could be a nice playground for mountain trail runners and “serious” runners!