Doralicious

RIP Steve Jobs

"Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs

Mt. Pinatubo 50K Trail Challenge

As we speak, I am still reeling from the adrenaline rush brought about by the excitement and the fear (well, 80% fear), of the Pinatubo 50K trail challenge we competed in yesterday.

Together with Councilor Vincent Belmonte, we both signed up for the Pinatubo 50km Ultramarathon Trail Race. My “bucket list” included running in a trail race, and being an ultramarathon-er… so why not accomplish both in one run, right? I have been on a Pinatubo trek 3 years ago, and somewhat had an idea how the terrain and the trail looked like, thus I was pretty confident we could finish 50 kilometers in less than 12 hours which was the cut-of time. Little did I know that the terrain around Pinatubo constantly changes – and the trail which I was familiar with had been closed down for years due to ash-slide (landslide!) Right smack mid-race, at roughly around 19 kilometers did I realize that the trail we were about to trek was the longest, the most difficult, and the ONLY path going to the crater!

The challenge really wasn’t the distance, but the actual course itself. A marathon race (and then some) with added “extras” such as running through sand (or ash flow), crossing gazillions of rivers, going through, in-between, above and under boulders and rocks – all under the scorching heat of the sun, and probably 2 pounds of sand and pebbles and rock inside your shoes and socks! The “bonus” part was diving into a pool of “quick sand,” almost being submerged thigh deep, watching ash-slide (landslide) happen 20 meters away from you, and braving to cross numerous rivers of raging lahar. On our trek down from the crater, heavy rain started to pour. What worried us much was the 8km trek going to where our support vehicle was. There was no trail path and it was all slippery sand and rocks. We knew right away that the river current was going to get even worse. Memories of white water rafting came into mind – it was lahar-water-rafting of ALL rapids – minus the raft, minus the paddle and minus the vest! Visions of the 1991 Pinatubo eruption as well as the powerful mudflow which took thousands of lives kept playing in my head. I knew I was not ready to go yet!

To say I felt “fear” was an understatement. One of my new running friends I met in the race said, when the lahar current suddenly took and yanked him away, his entire life flashed before him. I had a few close calls of slipping down from boulders, almost falling off a ravine, falling butt first in the river, and being taken away by the strong current. My right knee was hurting like hell, and both my legs were all black and blue and bleeding from the rouge rocks flowing with the current and cutting my legs. At that precise moment, your “survival skills” come into play and my legs, though bleeding and in pain, literally dragged my whole body to get to our destination.

One thing I learned from this ordeal was to respect Mother Nature more. Humans may be all powerful and knowledgeable, but once the environment unleashes its fury – we have no choice but to take it all in (or better yet, to RUN for survival). Indeed, it is a very humbling experience.

You ask me: Will I still run? – Ofcourse! …. Will I still try to attempt to become an ultramarathon-woman? – YES! … Will I still participate in a trail race? – Most likely… Will I ever go back to conquer Pinatubo? – NEVER.

Note: Kudos to all the other runners who finished the race! Congratulations to Baldrunner for organizing this 2nd Pinatubo 50km challenge. By far, my most memorable race ever!!! … And a pat on the back for me for (finally) finishing my “Birthday Run” – all 33kms of it (distance in kilometers corresponding to my age!)

Vigan, Ilocos Sur

Cabugao, Ilocos Sur

Hong Kong

Macau

Singapura

Happy 5th Birthday Blog!!!

YAMAHA RUN FOR HEROES

After my long sojourn with running, finally, I am back in track!

To commence my comeback, I was glad to be invited to a blogger's night/ presscon of one of Coach Rio's races. It was nice to see old (running) friends once again, and meet new ones. (Geez. Indeed, the running community is exponentially growing! I remember starting out before as one of the few blogger-runners out there -- now, they are a lot! It's nice to know that a number of people are getting into the running craze and healthy living!)

My 9 month "hibernation" caused me to go "back to zero." Slow pace, short distances and low resistance. My first race would probably be the AKTV Race next week (if registration is still open), and start from 5K. I am giving myself a month to train hard, so that on July 3, I would be able to bump up into running a 10K. Hence, my first 10K race, after a loooong loooong break would happen here:

What: YAMAHA RUN FOR HEROES

When: July 3, 2011

Where: Bonifacio Global City

Distances: 3km/ 5km/ 10km/ 21 km

Registration Period: Online (May 29 - June 19) In Store (May 30 to June 25)

Singlet Design. Nice noh?


Beneficiaries of the race will be the HERO Foundation.

This race aims to raise funds for Hero Foundation -- an Ayala Group initiative which provides education support for children of soldiers from the Armed Forces of the Philippines who have died or have been permanently incapacitated in the line of duty.

Let's go run guys! .... For every step (or stride) you make, you help provide education for a worthy child.

For more inquiries, you may visit this site: Run Rio