Farther, Higher & Faster

On June 16, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Running, Trail RunningLeave a comment

2:30 PM June 9, 2010 4 Hours 22K (Adidas Adizero Mana)

This was our 4th time to explore the trail of “Brown Mountain” and I wanted to extend our exploration farther than the last turn-around point in our last trail run. We started early at 2:30 PM as we took advantage of the cloudy environment with the hope that it will not rain heavily while we were in the mountain. We went up slowly on those inclines as we tried to preserve our strength for the farther distance we wanted to reach. In my mind, I was thinking that we could reach a distance of 15 kilometers (one way) for this exploration workout.

Trail Finally Dried Up After A Few Days of No Rains

At Km 6.2, Django was sleeping in his nipa hut while his wife was on the side of the trail smoking her tobacco. We greeted the lady as we passed by their hut. No sardines this time! Elmer went ahead of us as we reached the Km. 3 but he was too fast that we did not see him anymore. As we were about to reach Km 7, we were only three and there are times that I led the group (three runners). However, most of the time Charlie (in black Team BR shirt) was the one infront, me at the middle, and Jack guarding my back.

We finally reached our first turn-around point where we cleaned the stream/spring water last week. We briefly stopped to drink some water using our palm and crossed the spring. The picture above is about 500 meters after we passed the turn-around point and the trail started to be steeper until we could not see any trace of the trail. We crossed the same spring for two times before we could continue again running along the trail.

As we got farther and higher, the trail became narrower and later disappeared. We tried to trace the footprints of a horse and the newly cut bananas where we suspect Django could be the one who came earlier to harvest the flowers of the bananas. As we went up the mountain, the horse’s footprints and the cut banana trunks were nowhere in the area! We tried to look around for trace or signs of a trail but the vegetation was too thick. We immediately decided to turn-around as we were about 2 1/2 hours running, jogging and brisk walking in the mountain. My GF 305 registered a distance of 11.2 kilometers!

Charlie, My Trailblazer & Jack, My Back-up Guard

As we were tracing our way back to the place where we started, Jack complained that the soles of his running shoes got separated from the upper parts and he was practically running on his socks! Well, the running shoes is Mizuno but it is already old. Charlie’s shoes is Mizuno, too but it works well with him for the runs we had to the mountain.

When we reached the part of the spring that we cleaned, I told my companions that we’ll have a brief shower and washing of shoes and shorts. It could be that my legs were already tired and stiff on our way back that I experienced sliding on the soft trail with my butt pounding on the ground! I slipped for two times! My shorts were full of mud! These things happened when I was brisk walking on the downhill part of the trail. However, if I jog or run through such soft parts of the downhill trail, my foot/shoes would land on the ground without any sliding. With such observation, I maintained running or jogging throughout our trail run and I did not experience any sliding at all.

As we passed Django’s hut, Django was already infront of his hut and asked where we ended our exploration. I told him about our observation and the absence of trails where we ended. From his story, he was the one who harvested the banana blossoms earlier in the morning and he admitted that there is no more trail on top of the ridge where we turned-around. But admitted that the trail became thickly vegetated that it was hard to trace the existing trail.

With 5 kilometers to go, Elmer and Frank met us on top of a hill with bread and water. Elmer finished his run earlier and used his motorcycle to go back and meet us along the trail. It was a relief for Charlie and Jack to eat and drink as they were tired already. I was tired, too! but I still have water from the spring in my Nathan hydration belt. Jack has to ride the motorcycle because of his torn shoes and Frank joined us for the remaining parts of the run.

Charlie and I finished the trail run in 4 hours to include a brief shower for 10 minutes at the spring. My GF 305 registered a distance of 22.4 kilometers. We were able to run farther, longer, higher and we finished our workout faster! I was tired on this run but a massage was scheduled for the evening from an expert.

Due to my commitment and purpose to establish trails in the forested parts of BM and its neighboring mountains, I have ordered two (2) Jungle Bolos from the Philippine Army which we’ll use to cut those plants that have grown on those trails. I recalled when I was the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army that we ordered thousands of Jungle Bolos from Malaysia as a basic jungle equipment for our Scout Rangers and Special Forces. I know that somehow some of the jungle bolos are still available for lease. Luckily, after some coordination, my order will be delivered next week.

Trail running with a mixture of exploration (trailblazing) is fun!

5 Hours

On June 6, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Runners' Training, Running, Trail Running4 Comments

6:30 AM June 2, 2010 Wednesday 20.5K 4:30 hrs Elevation: 1,500 meters (Adidas Osweego)

This is the third time that we went up to BM for another trail run and for us to extend our exploration on how far the trails would lead us. However, the target was to reach a distance of 10 kilometers from our starting area and then back for a total distance of 20 kilometers. We started at 6:30 AM and all of us were prepared for food—steamed rice packed in banana leaves; hard-boiled eggs; more sardines & bread and lots of water. I brought my old Camelbak with a 2-liter bladder and the rest had their own light backpacks & hydration belts/bottle. We are all conservative runners as we didn’t bring any sports gel, sports drinks, or any sports bar for the said outing.

My Camelbak was too heavy plus my Canon Digital Camera was strapped on its cross-belt. It was hard running uphill with filled-up Camelbak at first but I became accustomed to it as we went nearer to the mountain. Our pace was slow but we gained our loss of speed on the downhill. Finally, we approached the nipa hut of the family whom we were planning to use as “guide”. It was timely that the man in his 60s on a horseback was about to leave towards the forested area of the mountain.

"Django" Leading Our Way Along The Mountain Trail

I’ll call the guy as “Django” and he led us along the trail riding his horse. Our runs became jogs and brisk walks as the trail became more technical due to the presence of rocks, fallen trees & branches, and steep inclinations. We crossed and passed by springs along the route and Django told us that the water is clean and potable. Django would be talking while he was leading us. He was proud pointing to fruit-bearing trees, pineapple plants, bananas and others along the way and he gave the approval for us to eat or pick any fruits of these trees whenever we come here for our trail runs.

Looking For the Markings "JT" On The Rocks

As we passed along a wider spring, Django told me to look for an old marking with the letters “JT” on one of the rocks beside the flowing water. We stopped for awhile and tried to look for the said marking but we were unable to see them. Django would tell me later that the markings were there for many years and the story that there is a “hidden treasure” in those rocks and the story would be carried down from the elders who lived there to the younger ones. Django would tell me also that he had been hunting for buried treasure throughout his life but when I asked him if he found one, he said that he have not found one!

We reached the temporary hut of Django and he asked to stay thereat. We had been running & brisk walking for about 1 1/2 hours already and I took the lead to a trail which I believed to be a part of the established one. The trail led us to a higher elevation and it was very steep as we were stepping on loose soil and plants. As we reached the summit, I was surprised to see the end of the trail with trees cut and signs of the presence of “illegal logging” activity in the area. Since we were too tired to reach the peak, we decided to eat our food—steamed rice & hard-boiled eggs. The sardines were not eaten because nobody brought any spoon as our can opener! The sardines were given again to “Django” on our way back.

After our brief snacks & photo-ops, we returned to the established trail and started to jog & run. After 10 minutes, we reached another spring and I told the elites that I will be taking a shower! All of us started to remove our running shoes and shirts and enjoyed the cool water of the spring! The following pictures would describe how we enjoyed our brief rest at the said spring.

Bamboo Plants All Over The Trail Before Reaching the Turn-Around

We cleaned and made the pool at the spring deeper by re-arranging the rocks so that we can use the pool in our next visits. After our rest & shower, it started to rain hard. We resumed our run as we turned around back to where we started while it was raining. The rains made the trail more slippery and my body started to feel cold. We had to run and jog to make our body warm & perspire until we reached the nipa hut of Django.

A Big Spring at the 10K Turn-Around Point

Django was already inside his hut and he was inviting us for a coffee break. But we declined as we were trying to reach the starting area as soon as possible. Instead, Django gave us a lot of banana flowers as part of his harvest. Each of the elites carried one and it served as our fresh vetable meal for dinner!

Elmer, one of the elite runners, would run ahead of us and stop whenever there is a duhat tree. He would pick its fruits and shared them to us. The fresh duhat fruits served as our food for the last 6K of our run. Finally, we reached our destination at 11:30 AM. We spent five (5) hours for our running adventure and we were able to run 20 kilometers. After shower and changing to dry clothes, we had our lunch and relaxed the whole afternoon. But the elites would again go out for their recovery run later in the afternoon.

What a day to spend when this day was considered a day when I have to avoid something out of my normal daily activities. But this is another story. Spending more time to run on this day in the mountain trails had finally erased my fears. June 2 is no longer a curse!

Lessons Learned During This Run and/or Observations:

1. Our mountains have a lot to offer—trails, spring water, lots of edible plants & fruit trees, and “hidden treasures (?)”.

2. There are still people who are involved in illegal logging in the heart of forested areas. Even if it was raining, we have observed that there are people who are cutting trees for charcoal purposes.

3. People in the mountain are friendly and generous, too! Django’s story about the legend of the “hidden treasure” was confirmed by other sources.

4. Running as a group enhances teamwork and better training.

5. Bringing solid foods in this kind of adventure run is better than ingesting sports gels & bars.

6. Running downhill when the steep trail is muddy and wet is dangerous!

Sardines

On June 3, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Military, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Runners' Training, Running, Trail Running8 Comments

4:00 PM Friday May 28, 2010 @ “Brown Mountain” 16.5K 2:17:31 hrs (Adidas Adizero Mana)

This was our second time to run towards the “Brown Mountain” and we started earlier at 4:00 PM. Having seen a nipa hut with a family staying at the Km-7 point of the trail, I directed my elite athletes to carry with them at least three (3) cans of sardines. In the Army, we call them as “M-203” as the size fits well like the ammunition of a M-203 Grenade Launcher. Sometimes, these sardines are called by their names as “Ligo” or “555”.

For the people living in the mountains, sardines are the most sought after food for them. It is a luxury food that you can exchange one can of sardine for a live native chicken raised by the mountain people! For the Army soldier, sardines is the most important ingredient for his ready-to-eat meal. He can make a gourmet or concoction of food taken from edible plants in the forest garnished with sardines.

Frank Indapan Was Holding A Can of Sardines!

The 3 cans of sardines were intended to be given to the only family that resides along the mountain trail as a “gift” as we intend to request from them to guide us along the trails of the mountain in our future adventure runs. As soon as we reached their hut, we gave them the sardines and asked them for some information about the mountains and the trails. The family appreciated our gesture and they started giving us important information about the mountain/s, the location of springs, and how long and far the trails are in the mountains.

From the nipa hut, we ran another 1.5 kilometers until we reached the first spring. I took some pictures and we tasted the water and it did not affect our stomach. This was our turn-around point and resumed our run back where we started.

Due to our early start, we arrived at the starting area with the sun about to set in the horizon. We finished the run in 2:17+ hours. My legs were stiff and hard but I was happy that we had gone farther from the point we reached the previous day.

Two consecutive days of mountain trail runs for the week were done and I plan to do more next week. My dead-tired legs and body were relieved with a 2-hour massage in the evening.

Shoulders Relaxed

On May 31, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Runners' Training, Running, Trail Running2 Comments

5:00 PM Thursday May 27, 2010 @ “Brown” Mountain 15K 1:58:07 hrs (Adidas Osweego)

This was the first time that my elite athletes brought me to the periphery of BM. The elites usually do their runs to this mountain for their one hour to 1 1/2-hour workouts. We started our run at 5:00 PM. After a slow run for about 500 meters, we had our first uphill climb for about 200 meters of gravel road that ended to a left turn of about 10 meters of flat before another uphill climb of 100 meters. This pattern was repeated for about three times and I started to perspire. We started to experience a level road trail when we reached the 3K point. It was a hard slow uphill run but I kept on remembering to take short strides; lifting my knees higher; swing my arms more; and above all, keep my shoulders relaxed. For every 3-4 minutes during the run, I had to be reminded and always aware with my running form with my shoulders relaxed.

The gravel road slowly turned to a trail road with dust and I was comfortable with my Adidas Osweego which is lighter than the ASICS training shoes that I’ve been using in my road runs. We ran more uphill climbs along one-track trail with tall cogon grasses on both sides. There are also wild plants that keep on brushing on our legs as we trekked uphill. On this portion of the trail, the seven runners in us were lined up on a single file as we went upward towards the mountain.

More Mountains (at the Background) To Explore

As we went deeper to the vegetated part on the side of the mountain, a herd of cattles would immediately approach us and the elites would think that they were going to attack us. We had to run faster and tried to evade the cattles. I was laughing when I saw one of my elites removed his shirt and was seen running naked as his shirt was colored red. As we ran, I realized that I was also wearing a red Mizuno running shirt! Later, I told them that these cattles would approach us thinking that we were there to feed them and I laughed with my theory!

After running for 7K, we saw a hut at the side of the mountain and a family of Aeta resides in it. We stopped for awhile and talked to the family. After a few seconds, we resumed our run towards another uphill trail until we reached a place where my GF 305 registered a distance of 7.5K. It was already getting dark and we decided to turn-around to our starting line.

On our way back for another 7.5K to the starting line, it was a race to beat the coming of darkness on those single-track trails. Actually, it was already dark when we still had 3K more to go and we had to slow down because the trail was uneven. Once again, on the downhill run, I alternately took longer strides and shorter strides depending on the steepness of the trail but I always maintain my shoulders relaxed. It was almost 7:00 in the evening when we reached our starting area.

On our way up to the mountain, I averaged a pace of 7:40 mins/km while our fastest average pace in going down was 6:08 mins/km. These numbers would indicate a very slow pace but I am sure this visit to the BM will make me a faster and stronger runner in my incoming road and trail races.

Always remember to run with your shoulders relaxed. Let them drop and swing your arms naturally!

New Playground

On May 29, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Runners' Training, Running, Trail Running2 Comments

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!

A Nice 8.5K Trail Towards The Mountain & Endless Trails

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!

ultra posts and news

On May 14, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Race Results, Races, Running, Trail Running, Ultramarathon2 Comments

1. I would like to share the 2010 Miwok 100K Trail Race Report of Anton Krupicka which he posted here. You can view also his race pictures here.

2. The 2010 IAU 24-Hour Endurance World Championship Race in Brive, France had started yesterday and the runners are in their 20th Hour of the race. You can check the Live Update here.

It’s A Hill, Not A Mountain

On May 5, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Places to Run, Running, Trail RunningLeave a comment

Yes, it’s not a mountain yet, but I need to traverse these hills before reaching the base of the nearby mountains!

Finally, I was able to run on top of a hill that faces another group of mountains. It is a group of hills that is only a kilometer away from where I am. The trail that leads to the hill is a rough road with stones and gravel and it suddenly ended in a stream where a clear-crystal water flows. I did not want to cross the stream by having my running shoes dived into the water. I slowly inched my way by jumping on big boulders and rocks on the side of the stream until I reached a single-foot track that leads to the top of the hill.

I was surprised that my ASICS Gel-Kayano 14’s sole tracks could hold my feet from sliding as I stepped my feet on the steep parts of the trail. Jogging slowly, I was able to reach the top of the hill and I was surprised that it has a trail that connects to another hill. I proceeded to the next hill which has a distance of about 500-600 meters. After reaching the second hill, I decided to look for the trail that goes down and I was able to pass some illegal settlers which are hardly seen from the nearest highway.

I slowly went down from the hills and it was a good 1 kilometer descending trail. Once I reached the main road which is paved, I ran another one kilometer through it which is uphill and then ran back for another kilometer. Not bad that I was able to count at least 1,040 steps for each kilometer distance and I knew I was running at an average pace of 5:15 minutes per km. As I finished my run along the paved road, I went up again to another hill which is the place where I am staying.

It was already dark when I finished my run. I was able to run a distance of 7 kilometers and I was not tired at all. My GF 305 registered 350 meters ascent to the hills.

Looking around where I am, the hills that I ran through were not the ones that I wanted to reach. Instead of going to the North direction, I took the trail that goes to the South direction. It came upon me that I was lost and did not check on my directions before I started my run. I realized that I just ran through the first trail that I’ve seen from the paved road. I guess, I am still disoriented in this place.

I will try the North direction anytime today and conquer some hills and look for trails that will lead me to the higher mountains someday. My “guide” could not be located…

“Never Stop Running”

On April 29, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Places to Run, Practice Runs, Running, Trail Running2 Comments

For the past days, I’ve been looking into a mountain range just one kilometer away from where I am writing this post and I’ve had the urge to climb and run through its trails but I hesitated because I am alone and I wanted to have a “guide” who is a local in the place. I’ve been to this place a lot of times but I am always enchanted with the mountains. If not for the heat of the summer and unfamiliarity of the place, I could have proceeded with my plan to locate the trails being used by the hunters and locals in the area. I heard they can still hunt for “wild pigs” and other wild animals in the place.

Don’t think that I am starting to train for my future mountain trail race or maybe, inspired by the stories of the finishers and non-finishers of the latest TNF 100 Race in Baguio City-Benguet last weekend. I am just fascinated by the stories of runners I happen to browse into their blogs and entries in social networking sites in the Internet.

Let me take the example of Anton Krupicka who had just finished his “Green Mountain Project”—running on the peak of Green Mountain in Boulder, Colorado everyday until he reached to 100 times. He did it in 92 days since January of this year, averaging at least 15-17 miles every time he runs before he goes to his work as an Instructor/Professor in one of the Colleges near his residence. Come to think that the mountain is covered with snow since he started with his project. By May 1, he will be competing the Miwok 100K in California. This will be his first mountain trail race since he DNFed in last year’s Leadville 100-Mile Trail Race which he won in the previous years.

There is another guy, Martin Parnell, one of my “friends” at www.dailymile.com who just ran his Marathon #72 for the past 72 days! That is, he completes one marathon distance run everyday. He will attempt to run 250 marathons for this year.

Dean Karnazes would run as much as 3X everyday in order to prepare himself for his first 100-Mile Trail Race at Western States Endurance Run. More miles had to be completed and covered when he prepared for his 1st Badwater Ultramarathon.

Being a passionate runner, I am thinking of coming up also with my own running project. Maybe, I could do another “Adventure Run” again this second quarter of the year after finishing my first “Adventure Run” last February which I consider my accomplishment for the First Quarter of this year. Or maybe, think of running up to the peak of the mountain range infront of me for the next 100 days or so? That would be fun and a nice story to post in this blog.

There are so many possibilities; many options; more places to run; and more running “projects” to think of.

But I never thought that running should be used for political ends! Running will always remain as a “way of life”; a “sports” where anybody could excel and be the Best; and the most inexpensive way to stay healthy and active.

“Never Stop Running”.

P.S. Finally, the “guide” just arrived and I am about to start my exploration to the mountain range infront of me!

2nd Day: Noon Edition

On February 10, 2010 By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Runners' Training, Running, Trail Running, Ultramarathon13 Comments

1. I finally stopped infront of the Clark Air Base entrance along the McArthur Highway in Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga after finishing almost 31K from Apalit, Pampanga. I am now resting in one of the popular coffee shops in Dau with a free Wi-Fi connection and making an update about my run this morning.

2. With all the “walk breaks” and “pee stops”, I was able to finish the said distance in 4:47 hours with an average pace of 9:20 minutes per kilometer. It is a very slow pace but I think I am becoming stronger and more resilient to the heat of the sun. My average heart rate is 118 beats per minute and was able to burn 1,961 calories. I feel relaxed with my pace but I am gaining distance.

3. Last night’s dinner consisted of spaghetti, fried chicken, rice, 2 kinds of soup (la paz batchoy & macaroni soup) and fresh bananas. I guess, I was able to satisfy the ratio of 50%-25%-25% (carbo-protein-fats, respectively) for my intake of food. Before I went to bed, I was able to drink 1 Liter of water.

4. In today’s brunch, I ordered Pancit Palabok, Sisig with Rice, one Coke in Can taken with half teaspoon of salt. I felt bloated after my brunch that I could hardly maintain my pace plus the fact that the heat of the sun was already intense to the body.

5. From Apalit to San Fernando, I ran along the left sidewalk as I was facing the traffic. Instead of running along the paved road, I was running on a dirt road filled with stones and lahar. All the way, the rugged road gave comfort to my feet as I had soft landing with the ground. However, on the other side, the sidewalk is paved. But from San Fernando to Mabalacat, both sidewalks are not yet paved. I am glad the acacia trees along the highway were not cut as planned by the DENR and Department of Public Highways. I could see that there is an ample space for expansion of the road but cutting those acacia trees will not justify the intended infrastructural development.

Totally Covered Under The Heat of the Sun & Pollution

6. It is funny that I could see the campaign activities of the national candidates are on full swing! I think I was able to count a half dozen of brand-new pick-ups and vans painted with the campaign color & slogan of Senator Lito Lapid with blaring “jingle” and message for the people to vote and re-elect the Senator. I am sure more of these brand-new vehicles are already on their way to the Visayas and Mindanao as part of the campaign caravan for the Senator. I wonder why Senator Loren Legarda has to use the acacia trees as her campaign display instrument by using nails/staples to keep her posters from being removed. If only those acacia trees are humans, I can just imagine the pain they feel with those nails/staples used to display her campaign posters. I thought the good Lady Senator’s advocacy is to preserve the environment? Do you still remember those road signs with the poem “Trees” by Joyce Kilmer sponsored by the Lady Senator?

7. Before I finally went to bed, I briefly watched the local TV station where local government officials were discussing the things and accomplishments they have provided to their constituents. They talked about social services like free education, free health care, free medical attention & medicines and other services to the people. They even talked of their plans of making their town as the future Taguig City or Makati City where more jobs are generated and thereby, more income to the local government. I said to myself, it’s a waste of time watching the TV!

8. There is a lot of commercial and housing developments in San Fernando City. I’ve seen properties of the Vista Group and the Ayala Land along the route I’ve taken. How I wish these land developers would build parks where people would be in touch with nature; where they could exercise and play their sports they love and build “rest areas” along the national highway. It is sickening to see our concept of “rest areas” in the country—a gasoline station with fastfood chain of stores attached to it! In more advanced/industrialized countries, the “rest area” along the highway is totally different from the convenience-commercial stations along the crossroads with the highway—this is where the gasoline stations, hotels, motels, restaurants, and factory outlet stores are located. The “rest area” is where the motorists could have a brief stop to park their cars, take a nap, and relieve themselves from the call of nature. The “rest area” has two separate parking areas for the big trucks and cars & vans.

9. While I was running, I saw a lot of vehicles parked infront of a fenced property and inside the said property were groups of people doing their morning jog. When I read the name of the establishment, I found it to be a Memorial Park!

10. There is no political connection on this “adventure run”. It is coincidental that I started this run on the first day of Campaign Period for the National & Local Elections. These are the reasons why I am doing this run:

a) I love to run!

b) I have nothing to do except to run and document my running experience through this blog.

c) I want to inspire others to excel and be positive in their respective field.

d) I am retired, want to do what I liked most and be responsible to myself. I want to be the “boss” to myself.

e) I want to document or “journalize” my running experience so that others could gain lessons from them.

f) I want to be active and healthy.

g) There is no more “running training ground” in Metro Manila which is worth trying or repeating. My training grounds are becoming boring! Going to the mountains to look for trails will be the next project.

11. The following were consumed and paid for during this morning’s run:

2 Liters of Water—-P 54.00

2 Bottles of Propel—-P 36.00

2 Bottles of Gatorade—-P 36.00

Brunch at Razon’s—-P 300.00

3 Hours of Internet (SmartBro since yesterday)—-P 60.00

1 Pack of SkyFlakes—-P 5.00

1 Cofffee—-P 5.00

12. The color for the day is Red.