Cafe France Run: A Throwback Race

When I started joining runs 4-5 years ago, these races were quite a simple affair. Race packets just included a singlet, race bib and a map of the race route. Routes would have marshalls, and some water stations. Runs would start and end without much fanfare as programs would usually just be for awarding of the winners. However, after reading how foreign runs were being organized, I began to wish more of our runs would be like theirs.

I wished we would also have timing chips to accurately get our finishing times. I wished for a race expo, for loot bags… And many more.

Be careful for what you wish for… you might just get it.

And then it happened. With more people joining races, races became more sophisticated. Timing chips were now included in the race packets. Packets, which were to be claimed a few days before the race during a race expo. Loot bags became the norm, and all races were expected to have them.

Of course it was great to finally have all these perks. But with these perks came an inadvertent complication. Registration fees began to skyrocket. 10k runs which used to cost around 200-300 pesos (singlet already included), now cost at the minimum 500 pesos. Big-time races would of course charge more, sometimes costing the runner a cool 1000 pesos.

And because of this, the frequency of me joining races plummeted as the reg fees steadily climbed up. From someone who would join all available races, be it weekly… Sometimes even on back-to-back days… I became someone who hardly joined any races.

Return to racing

However, a few weeks ago, while going through facebook, I came across an ad. There would be a run and it would only cost 300 pesos! Seeing that my schedule was free that day. I immediately decided to go register and join the race. Registration was quite simple, I went to a nearby Cafe France branch, filled up a form. Paid my fee. And right there and then, they gave me my packet which contained… My bib, a race map, and a singlet. Simple, not much fanfare. Just like the old days.

For the race itself, will write a post about in the next few days.

Cafe France Run: Registered

I got to register for the Cafe France run today. I’m pretty excited for this race since:
1) this will be my first race in over a year; and
2) I haven’t ran in the race route (CCP) in quite a while.

Wish it was saturday already…

New Year Resolutions

New year nanaman… Kaya time for making resolutions once again. Though my resolutions are quite simple:
1) run more;
2) blog more.

Stuck at 65

Yup. That’s my weight for the longest time now… 65kgs. This is the barrier that I have to get over. Though I’ve been running more regularly, I’ve been eating more regularly too… no wonder I’m stuck.

What Am I?

When I started running 4 years ago, I tagged myself with the label… RUNNER. Not a jogger, but a runner. I don’t have  a good idea what differentiates one from the other, but, being a runner sure sounded cooler than being a jogger so that’s what I preferred to call myself.

Of course, when talking with my non-running friends about my running exploits, they’d always refer to it as jogging. And since I couldn’t really explain what the difference was, all the more they didn’t understand that there was a difference! I eventually learned to accept that to many people I knew, I wasn’t a runner… but a jogger.

As a runner (or jogger), my mindset has always been that during training or races, I should be running (or jogging) the complete distance. There should be no walking at all. And if I had to walk any segment of the course… the run wouldn’t be considered a complete success!

However, after joining a couple of ultras… my mindset has now been completely changed… I no longer desire to run the full distances… I now prefer to incorporate walking breaks in all my runs! This change in mindset has now put me in quite a predicament… what to label myself? If a runner runs… a jogger jogs… a walker walks… what do you call someone who runs/jogs and walks?

You Don’t Look Malnourished Anymore

A few hours ago, a family friend (who I haven’t seen in a few months) said… “Di ka na mukhang malnourished!” (You Don’t Look Malnourished Anymore). All I could do was just smile and nod in agreement. As a runner, that probably is one of the worst things to hear from a non-runner… because that means you’ve packed in a lot of weight!

A few months ago, I was surprised to find out I already weighed 68 kgs (actually I wasn’t really that surprised since I felt I was 68 kgs). I challenged myself to lose 8 kgs in two months. Well, its been almost 5 months and when I weighed myself a week ago… I was at 65 kgs. Three kgs in 5 months! Definitely my weight loss challenge didn’t go as well as I hoped, but I’m still quite happy that I did lose a few kgs. The plan now is to continue doing runs… continue eating the right food in the right amounts… so that hopefully, the next time I see my family friend he’d say… “Mukha kang nanamang malnourished!” (You look malnourished again!) 

 

Return of the Comeback

For many months, I haven’t been running much… which means not much thoughts about running… hence no blog posts.

I’ve been running more regularly the past couple months… now I’m thinking about running stuff again… hopefully that would mean more blog posts… maybe.