My computer's back

Got my computer back several days ago. Basically long story short, after two trips to the Apple store, I've got a new hard drive. What that means is, I've lost everything ~ all my data and fancy applications! No more iWork, Photoshop, Word and Excel! :-(

Good thing I backed up my documents to a portable drive before leaving Manila. So except for a week's worth of pictures, most of my data have been restored, phew!

Lesson learned from this:: regular backups via Time Machine. And, to buy Apple Care before the warranty is up.

my computer is dead

argh! my mac conked out this afternoon. not happy about it at all considering it's less than a year old. i'm crossing my fingers I haven't lost my yosemite pictures - that would really suck if I did. taking it to the store tomorrow. hmmm, maybe I can upgrade to the air...

it was a great trip to yosemite. I did my long run, whopee. best of all, I stumbled on a family of deers - 7 of them! it was awesome just to watch them graze. i hope to post some pictures of them and the spectacular views of yosemite...

posted from an iPod touch.

It's definitely springtime...

...because I can't stop sneezing
...the flowers are starting to bloom
...it's still light outside and it's almost 7:30pm

Still jetlagged, I'm not tired but my hours of sleep hasn't yet normalized! Haven't unpacked yet ~ there's no place to put my stuff. My room has become everyone's dumping ground for storage. Argh! Thank god I'm still jobless, because it'll take some time to sort through all this junk. What makes it worse is that it's not even my stuff so I can't just throw them out.

Woke up past 2pm today and went out for a short and easy run. Way shorter than my planned 3 miles. It was an uninspired run, I didn't plan my route, I was sneezing, I was thirsty, there were cars... Aborted the run at 1.73mi rather than continue being miserable. This is not a good start to my marathon training! =(

Miles   ::	1.73
Pace   ::	11:35
Time   ::	20:04

Hopefully it'll all change this weekend. Heading to Yosemite this Friday, whoopee! Looking forward to snowshoeing, biking, hiking, and crossing my fingers, doing my long run for the week, an 8miler. Hmmn, can I fit this all in four days???

Layover in HK

Hi there! Currently in HK for a 3 hour layover before continuing on to SF. I only had a few hours sleep last night, I am so tired. Keeping my fingers crossed that there won't be any screaming babies around me on the long flight...

Just saw a friend's online album of my going away dinner party. My gad, I couldn't stop laughing! I wish I could share it in this space, but there are some people who won't like it... :-) To my friends who came to the despedida party, I shall miss you guys!!! You made my stay in Manila so unforgettable. You guys are the best!

It still hasn't hit me that I am moving back to the Bay Area. But I'm sure once I near SF, my heart will pound with excitement. As many more adventures await.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

...well not quite, but I'm almost there. Sunday is the big day, so I'm making the most of my time left.



These four boxes are currently on its way to Oakland by ship...

Holy weekend in Tagaytay

A fantastic view of Taal lake and volcano

It was a lazy 3 days and two nights at my Tito's place in Tagaytay. The weather was cool enough to wear a light sweater, a welcome change from Manila and Boracay.

I was content just sitting around the dinner table the entire time chatting with the family. I finally tackled organizing my Australia pictures. That was a time suck, whittling down 4,000+/- shots to 810. And I'm not close to done yet, I'd like to get it to under 500! But that can wait.


Cholesterol loading Filipino breakfast. Longanisa, corned beef, pork and beans, fried fish, fried eggs and fried rice. That's a lot of fried stuff!

I had a 2hr massage from Della, my tita's masseuse, who joined us for the weekend. Man, that girl is strong, sometimes to the point of oww! As in, it hurts so good, if you know what I mean. She worked on my shoulders until the knots disappeared, and my legs felt like jelly when she was done. Ahh, she'd be good after a long distance run...



Isn't this girl a cutie?

My 12 year old nephew whupped my ass in wii tennis. Apparently, form doesn't count for much in wii, it's all about the wrist. :-( But it was payback time when I beat my 8 year old godson in Boggle :-) Ha ha, I'll take my wins anywhere I can. On another note, I taught my cousins and godson how to solve Sudoku puzzles. I think I've got them hooked.


Look at that kid dance!


It was a good weekend. Topping it off, we were greeted by two butterflies hovering around the trellis as we were leaving. It was said that the butterflies were my grandparent's spirit saying their hellos. :-)

Boracay revisited

It was unlike any other Boracay trip I've had. For one, we were nowhere "close" to white beach. Second, we didn't even touch the water. And lastly, we ate in most of the time.

Heading to and from white beach from my brother's condo unit was no easy task. Trikes have difficulty climbing the hills to his place. Arrangements have to be made with the condo driver for pickups and drop offs. Plus you need to hike a short but steep hill to get to the multicab. No big deal really, but it may be for some.

Inconveniences aside, we hardly left the condo. There was no need to. It was beautiful up there, the view stunning. We had everything we needed, food, alcohol, wireless connection, a pool and hundreds of movies to choose from. We did venture out a few times to replenish our water supply, for happy hour, and a few meals...

Trip Highlights ::

Nipa Hut. My brother took us on a 20 minute hike to his nipa hut for cocktails. We watched the sunset and were chatted up by Efren, a local landowner, who joined us in our festivities. We were there for a couple of hours, enjoying the view and the latest gossip re the Gucci Gang.


The hike up to the hut




The fantastic view from up there



Night swimming. After cocktails, I did a few easy laps in the pool. It was a good sized pool, approximately 18+/- meters long. The night was calm, the water warm and even better, it didn't sting your eyes. Except for the pool lights, it was pitch black with a few stars out, so quiet, so peaceful...



Tirta Spa. We had a most excellent experience at Tirta. Surpassing my Mandala experience and possibly equaling ShangriLa Mactan's Chi. Even before entering the grounds of Tirta, we were awed by its imposing entrance. As we passed the gates, a man struck the gong announcing our arrival.

We chatted with the lovely and charming owner, En Calvert. She explained the process that went into Tirta. So much love, thought and detail was poured into it, down to personally training her staff. I picked the Hilot massage (Filipino massage), while my sister had the scalp and the foot reflexology treatments. Mmmmm... if you're in Bora, you've got to check this place out.


The entrance to Tirta Spa



Ulysses. There was this guy in Boracay, Ulysses, who used to massage me years ago. He was so good that I'd look for him each time I'm there. But for the last three years, no one seemed to know where he disappeared to. So I was so happy to bump into him and his wife Lynette at D'Mall. We quickly made arrangements for a massage the following day. Oh man, he was good! I wanted to enjoy each stroke, but I fell asleep within the first 30 minutes. I'd say that Uly's massage was at par with my massage at Tirta, but without the ambiance. Afterwards, we were treated to a numbers reading by his wife, an albulario (medium/witch), who claims she can cure various ailments, if you believe in those things...


Uly and his wife Lynette


Low wattage ambiance but a first rate massage

Extended Happy Hour. For our last night in Bora, we headed over to Aria. We befriended Nicky, the restaurant manager, who agreed to give us happy hour prices all night long on the condition that we crawl out of the place at the end of the night. Umm no, we didn't dare. I love their margaritas, they make it strong!




My cousin wanted her face cropped out of the picture...

So, that was my last hurrah. I don't know when I'll be able to visit this place again, but I'm already looking forward to it.

Zero miles in 16 days

I can't believe, I haven't ran since I returned from Australia!!! I can already see unwanted changes in my body. It hasn't helped that I've been eating non-stop, like a pig.

All the walking and running I did in Australia, plus the long plane ride back to Manila, somehow affected my knees. My right knee was swollen for 4 days, it felt like it had some extra fluid there... But it's all better now. I'm going to have to start running again soon. Thank god my marathon training begins next week!

Some pictures from my runs in Australia...

Back in Manila

It's great to be back in Manila, where the weather is surprisingly cool and breezy. A bit jetlagged, even though there's only a 3hr difference between Sydney and Manila.

Will be flying to Boracay this weekend before to the Holy Week rush. Yippee, this will definitely be my last hurrah before returning back to California. That being said, I'll be quite busy the next few weeks, preparing and packing up the bulk of my stuff, doing the goodbye rounds and what nots. I don't know when I'll be able to update and post pictures of my trip to this blog. Hopefully I'll find some downtime in Boracay this weekend to do so.

So until then, happy and safe runnings to all.

Days 13 & 14: Sydney

Day 13
It was an easy and unstructured day. Did an early morning run around Hyde Park, Circular Quay, Sydney Opera House, Royal Botanic Garden and Central Station. After a late breakfast, planned to take the ferry to Watson's Bay then head over to Coogee, but decided to explore the surrounding neighborhoods instead. Walked around the Surry Hills and Darlinghurst areas, discovering cool little streets filled with cafes, little design and boutique shops. Just my kind of thing. Then headed over to Darling Harbour to scope out my route for tomorrow's run.

Day 14   My last day...
Early morning run around Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour and crossed the Pyrmont Bridge. Last minute shopping at Kinokuniya bookstore, Woolworths, Sportsgirl and Paddy's Market. A lot of salivating over Australian designed items especially the Sheridan linens and Japanese/Eastern inspired clothing. Evening flight out of Sydney back to Manila.

That concludes my trip to Australia.

Days 10-12: Sydney and Blue Mountains

Day 10

• Heavy morning rain messed up my plans to run along The Rocks, Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House
  
• Cruised along Sydney Harbour via Majistic Cruise Smart. Awesome 1 hour cruise!
  
• The Rocks Walking Tour. History and other interesting facts about The Rock and how Sydney was discovered.
  
• Sydney Wildlife World. A waste of time, except that I saw Koalas for the first time.

Day 11

• Half day City Sights and Manly Beach Tour. Nice wide beaches over at Manly, but I prefer Bondi Beach. Surf was too strong, so not a whole lot of swimming allowed at Curl Curl.
  
• Great Chunky Beef Pie at Hamlet's at Corso. I'm loving meat pies. Must find a place in Manila!
  
• Halfway stroll of the Sydney Bridge, also called a coat hanger. Great day, hardly any wind.
  
• Walked up Sydney Bridge Pylon for 360 degree views of Sydney. Spectacular panoramic views, better than Syney Tower without the distracting glares!
  
• The Sydney Opera House Essential Tour. Incredible architecture and interesting commentary by Charlie, the tour guide.
  
• Watched a movie at the Dendy, The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. Thought I made the wrong choice, but ended up liking this French film. Very original story.
  
• Sydney Aquarium. It was really awesome to see the sharks swim all around and over me!!! Breezed through the Aquarium, other things that stood out were the little penguins and the colourful reefs ~ that's as close as I'll get to the Great Barrier Reef.
  
• Took Monorail back to hostel.

Day 12

• Woke up at 6:45am to catch the 7:25 train ride to the Blue Mountains. It takes 2 hours to get from Sydney Central to Katoomba.
  
• Purchased the Blue Mountains Explorer Hop On/Hop Off transport to get around.
  
• Did a 2hr hike from Skyway Eastern Anchorage all the way to the base of Scenic World. Took the Railway all the way back up. That's the steepest rail I've ever seen!
  
• Did another hike from Honeymoon Lookout all the way down the Giant Stairway, that's 890 steps going down! I did a freaking 1780 steps! Never had my heartbeat beat so hard. I was ready to walk another 2 hours to the Railway to avoid climbing the stairs, but I lacked the time!
  
• Caught the bus at the Echo Point - Three Sisters to Leura Village.
  
• Devonshire Tea at Bygone Beautys. How very delicious and proper. They had over a thousand teapots on display!
  
• Caught the 3:24pm train back to Sydney. What a day!

Pictures to follow soon.

Day 9: Sydney

• Flew to Sydney in the morning
  
• Coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee. Stunning views!!!
  
• Gay & Lesbian Parade back on Oxford St. Similar to the Berlin Love Parade.
  
• Dinner at Chinatown

Day 8: Gold Coast

• Morning run around Burleigh Heads and the promenade. Awesome run, a few drizzles but the sun eventually came out
  
• Shopping for gifts and requests from family members
  
• Walked along the beach from Palm Beach to Currimbin. Experienced a sand storm

Day 7: Brisbane & Gold Coast

Brisbane

• University of Queensland St. Lucia
  
• Hop on hop off on the Jetty Cat from the University, to Southbank, Toowong, and Brett's Wharf
  
• Tried an Aussie delicacy called chiko roll, a chicken in a roll. The one I tried was disappointing.
  
• Also tried a scone with cream and strawberry. Now that was really yummy!

Gold Coast

• Walked around Surfer's Paradise and Broadbeach
  
• Returned to Goldstein's for their excellent steak pie with mushy green peas
  
• Cocktails in the balcony once again

Day 6: Gold Coast

• Ran along Tallebudgera Creek
  
• Daytrip to Tumblegum in New South Wales for Devonshire Tea. Scenic roads similar to Marin coastal roads and Sonoma hills.
  
• Fish & Chips at Club Talle
  
• Cocktails on the balcony

Day 5: Melbourne / Gold Coast

• Stayed at my aunt and uncle's brand new condo. They have an awesome beach front unit on Palm Beach. Spectacular 280 degree views of the beach!
  
• Lunch at Goldsteins. Really good steak pie with mushy green peas!!!
  
• Coastal drive from Pt. Danger all the way down to the Spit
  
• Cocktails on the balcony

Melbourne: Days 3 & 4

Day 3
Half Day City Sights Tour

• St Patricks Church
• Federation Square
• MCG & Rod Laver Arena
• Docklands
• Royal Botanic Garden
• Remembrance Hall

St. Kilda

• Luna Park
• Ackland St
• Promenade
• Monarch Cake Shop

Crown Casino
Melbourne Aquarium
Victoria State Library
Eureka 88 Sky Deck
Day 4
Ran along Yarra River ~ drizzly but an awesome run!
Fitzroy St: Cool shops & stationeries, lots of handcrafted items, cafes and restaurants
Walking tour of the Eastern Enclave for a taste of the Victorian life ~ lots of balconies with amazing iron work
Watched a movie, Bella, at the Kino Dendy. Movie is highly recommended
Chinatown / Greek town

Melbourne, Part One

Just a quick update on how my Melbourne leg is going so far.

Enjoying myself, meeting people and seeing a whole lot of sights. The hostel where I'm staying at is fine. Location is GREAT! It's at Flinders Lane and Swanston, so central to everything! But my bed is a bit lumpy (what can I expect from AU$30/nite). I have 3 roommates, a girl from Japan, Korea and an Australian from Perth. They're all so sweet and helpful.

So, here's what I've done so far...

Day One:
Melbourne Aquarium
Melbourne River Cruise - Up River
City Highlights & Dandenong Ranges Tour
Melbourne 360 Observation Deck

Day Two:
Running around the Tan Track, Royal Botanic Garden
Fitzroy Gardens: Cook's Cottage
St. Patricks Cathedral
Melbourne Museum
Lygon St. (Little Italy)
Old Melbourne Gaol
QVB / Myer / David Jones
Free outdoor opera by the Melbourne Symphony
Chinatown

No wonder my legs are so tired... Just looking at the above list, I wonder how I was able to fit all these in.

Travel planning: Australia

Been busy the past few weeks preparing for my trip to Australia. From scheduling my itinerary, finalizing trip details, to ripping movies/tv shows for my iPod. Boy, you should see my travel calendar, each day is packed with both sightseeing and some kind of activity, whether it be surfing, skywalking, hiking, and of course, running.

Also starting to think about what to take along... Packing is such a science, you want to be prepared for all situations, but yet you also want to travel light. Do I bring the laptop and/or the Touch, the Garmin and/or the Nano, hiking boots and/or running shoes, which camera, argh, the list goes on! Anyways, I still have a few more days before I leave, I'm sure I'll figure it all out.

I'm over the roof about this trip, but at the same time I'm a bit anxious as it's been years since I've travelled by myself. However, I've done it before (the worrying and traveling solo) and each time was wonderful. And I'm sure this trip won't be any different.

Well, I hope to post little trip snippets here and there, but if I'm not able to, I'll tell you about it in three weeks. Ciao for now.

Running recap: week ending Feb 17

After several weeks of light running, I did much better this week. All because I received a challenge from a runner, who is in the Top 5 in Nike+ Philippines overall distance. Just what I needed! So here is this week's data:

MON ::	-
TUE ::	5.76mi	8:40pa
WED ::	-
THU ::	4.8mi	9:22pa
FRI ::	6.0mi*	10:01pa
SAT ::	-
SUN ::	7.5mi*	10.01pa
TOTAL ::	24.06mi*

*Approximate miles only. Having Issues in regards to inserting Nike+ sensor inside Nike Vomero shoes.

An inspired run

I had an awesome interval run on the treadmill this afternoon. I ran hard and fast, because I was inspired by the music.

I usually listen to my workout playlist or the latest Fdip podcast. Today I set my mp3 to shuffle mode and the songs it spewed out were awesome. Songs I haven't heard in a long while.

Not even 5 minutes into my warmup, I heard Pictures by Systems of a Down. That got me running fast and I even played it twice! Then Van Halen's Dancing In the Street came on, followed by a classic Tom Petty song and a chirpy Ben Lee song. When it was time to cool down, it was Mariah Carey and Joni Mitchell, what perfect timing!

Ahh, it's time to create a new playlist...

Miles ::	5.76
Pace ::	8:40
Time ::	50:02

Day tripping: Clark, Angeles City

Went to Clark Air Force Base in the early hours of Saturday to watch hot air balloons take flight during the Phil Int'l Hot Air Balloon Fiesta.


Legs in running shorts and shoes! :-D

It was unfortunate that the winds were too strong that day. Balloons can't take flight on a windy day, something to do with not being able to fill up a balloon... There wasn't much the organizers, balloonists and spectators can do but wait for the the wind to die down... but no. We did see a couple of balloons partially inflated via "cold inflate," but the wind would just push the air back out.





So although we didn't get to see the balloons in action, there was plenty to keep us entertained. Overhead, there were jumpers, kites and plane aerobatics. On ground, it was people watching and snapping tons of pictures.


Nayong Pilipino
We visited the nearby Nayong Pilipino. It was so-so... a nice attempt in recreating several colonial/heritage types structures, but ehh. We heard one staffer say that they were expecting 5000 people that day, wow! Several busloads of people did come in as we were leaving. A better representation of a heritage village is Sitio Remedios in Currimao, Ilocos.

San Guillermo Church
We still had lots of time to kill before our lunch reservations at C's, so we drove over to Bacolor to check out San Guillermo Parish church. This church was buried in half with lahar from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. It felt weird walking inside this church, like I was disproportionally huge inside a miniature church.


Those three doors used to be windows!


A source of light

C's Italian Restaurant
Afterwards, it was a fantastic lunch at C's Italian Restaurant. Ordered the same thing again, their panizza with parma ham & asparagus, two other gorgonzola dishes and a nice bottle of pinot noir from New Zealand. Yum!! Disappointing though was their tiramisu. I like mine sopping wet with espresso, their version is the dry cakey type.

Cold Spoon
Follow up dessert at Cold Spoon. Oh my gad, they seriously have some good yogurt, the best I've tasted in the Philippines! It was creamy with the right amount of tang. I had mine topped with almond clusters. It is Korean owned and is available for franchising. So to anyone with the extra funds, please bring it to Manila!

Running recap: week ending Feb 10

Not a whole lot of running activity done last week. Pretty embarrassing actually. But I did get a new Nike+ sports kit, and the numbers look about right.

MON ::	-
TUE ::	-
WED ::	3.5mi*	11:26pa
THU ::	6.66mi	9:00pa
FRI ::	3.31mi	9:03pa
SAT ::	-
SUN ::	-
TOTAL ::	13.47mi

* Data from old Nike+ Sports Kit

Apartment 1B

I had lunch with a couple of friends at Apartment 1B today. It was my first time there. I liked the food, I had the french onion soup and crab cakes, and they were both good. But somehow, being there was bittersweet...

You see, before it was Apartment 1B, the place used to be con fusion, a neighborhood restaurant/bar owned by a very dear cousin. Prior to moving back to Manila, for seven years, I made sure to visit con fusion during my almost, if not yearly, vacations.

I have great memories of the place. It was where I hung out with my cousins, our meeting place. I've also made good friends there. The place reminds me of Cheers, the neighborhood bar, where everyone knows your name.

Apartment 1B
One Lafayette Square
132 L.P. Leviste Corner Sedeno St
Salcedo Village, Makati
Tel: 843-4075

New Nike+ Sports Kit

Used a new Nike+ sports kit on my run tonight, and the numbers are looking good. Too good for a hill workout on the treadmill. Need to get it calibrated this Sunday!

Miles ::	6.66
Pace ::	9.0
Time ::	1:00:02

A weekend that wasn't meant to be

Early morning in Taal Lake

Last weekends' highlight was supposed to be sailing around Taal Lake with friends. Upon arrival early Sunday morning, a very tasty breakfast was prepared for us by G+H. We lingered over the breakfast table, soaking up the view, in the company of good friends. After a couple of drinks, I was in a happy state I decided to forego my turn in the hobie cat. In my book, sailing and alcohol doesn't mix, especially as I'm prone to seasickness. No regrets though, since the entertainment and merriment continued on land.

Back to my friends G+H. I was around when they first met months back. Last weekend marked the first time they called each other boyfriend and girlfriend, a big step for them! Congratulations!

At the end of a long enjoyable day, all I wanted was a shower and getting myself to bed. But no! I discovered my bathroom rendered unusable caused by major renovations from the unit above. Argh! So, I'll be sharing my parents bathroom until I don't know when.

Running recap: week ending Feb 3

Last week was a super light week for running, logging approximately 16 miles only. My love for the Nike Vomero shoes continues and grows more and more with each step. It is so light and cushiony I feel like I am flying.

Unfortunately, the Nike+ Sports Kit doesn't work too well with the Vomeros. The distance readings are so off. Could it be that the lush cushioning of the shoe prevents the sensor from registering each step? Anyway, it's not the sensor's battery that's at fault because it works with the NB 1061's. So I guess I'll have to use Marware's pocket when using the Vomero.

MON ::	rest
TUE ::	3.32 mi*	14:43 pa
WED ::	4.88 mi**	10:14 pa
THU ::	rest
FRI ::	3.03 mi*	13:12 pa
SAT ::	02.73 mi*	10:58 pa
SUN ::	rest
TOTAL ::	??? mi

* Vomeros; ** NB

I did it!

I registered for my first marathon! No, not the Philippine Marathon, but the San Francisco Marathon in August. Yeah I know, it's a long time away, but I needed a real goal, not just a plan, to get me moving.

Next thing to do is plan a training schedule, which should start the beginning of April. In the meantime, I'll continue building my base, running approximately 20-25mi per week.

Did you know that San Francisco was voted "#1 Running City in America" by the readers of Runner's World? :-D Ooh, I can't wait!

Travel planning

My aunt and uncle invited me to visit them in the Gold Coast region of Australia. I jumped! HIGH!

This could well be my last hurrah before I move to San Francisco in March. If only I can get a ticket!

All PAL & Qantas flights to Melbourne/Sydney in February are solidly booked. There are a few business class seats available, but that's way over my budget... I'm waitlisted so I'm crossing my fingers that someone cancels!

My itinerary ::
4 nights in Melbourne, daytrip to Great Ocean Road
5 nights in the Gold Coast
4 nights in Sydney

This will be a super budget trip because I'll most likely be traveling solo. Therefore I'll be hostelling it in Melbourne and Sydney.

Some serious shoe loving

I wore my new Nike Vomero+ 2 shoes for the first time today and oh my gawd, they are heaven to my feet.



Compared to my NB 1061, the Vomero+ 2 is super light and cushiony. My kicks and lift offs were higher. I felt bouncy, springy and fast. It also has a support for bunions, which will come in handy during long runs. Love it!


The oval thingy supports bunions

A few things I'll need to adjust to:

• the width ~ it's a lot narrower than my 1061's, but then I was wearing a thick pair of Thorlo socks
  
• my heels feel like they are rolling inward upon landing

Thank you Therese, you are the best!

Nike+ Sports Kit
On another note, my Nike+ sports kit must be dying. I did a 49 minute tempo run today and it reported that I only ran 3.32 miles at a pace of 14:43. HUH?!? By my calculation, I should have covered 5+/- miles. I'll try it with the 1061's tomorrow and see if I get a wrong reading there too. Aren't these things supposed to last 1 year?

Recovery Week

It took me three days to recover from last Sunday's half marathon. My legs were so sore and stiff, that I waddled like a duck when I walked. But it's all good now.

I had a massage the day after the race. It felt good, but a couple of times I felt my ankles were going to snap whenever the masseuse would draw circles with my toes. So note to self: wait a few days before getting a massage.

A recap of last week's runs:

MON ::	recovery
TUE ::	recovery
WED ::	recovery
THU ::	4.22 mi	11:02 pa
FRI ::	3.37 mi	9:53 pa
SAT ::	6.0 mi	10:41 pa
SUN ::	7.33 mi	10:34 pa
TOTAL ::	20.92 mi

Reached the Nike+ Top 4 spot in the Philippines for overall distance today, yippee! I remember a time not so long ago, when I ranked in the 90s. I've come a long way...

Left turns

I met up with my two German friends, Peter & Cathrin, last night. They visit the Philippines each year to escape Europe's bitter winter. Basically, Boracay is their second home. They've been going since the late 1990s, staying at the same resort each year, up to a month at a time! I swear, I love their life.


Gasthof, Boracay. Jan 2006

For the past two weeks, they've been traveling around Thailand and China, so understandably they were craving for European food. My dilemma:: Peter does not eat garlic or onions. You cannot trick him. His taste buds are so sensitive that he knows if there is even a sliver of garlic in his dish. This being the Philippines, a land of garlic lovers, our options were limited. After not much ado, we settled on Italiani's. He requested no garlic on his pasta sauce. Usually my experience in restaurants is that something is always amiss, you don't always get what you ask for. In this case, I'm happy to say that Italiani's followed through, not a hint of garlic in Peter's sauce! Kudos to them.

Anyway, this post isn't about that, so I'll get on with my story.

We were on our way back to Peter & Cathrin's hotel in the Adriatico area. My driver, who is not that familiar with the area, made an illegal left turn. Now, I'm not sure what the case was, but I wouldn't be surprised if he knew what he was doing. This driver is notorious for making his own routes, cutting corners, straddling several lanes and what not. He's been talked to several times, but nothing. He's been with our family for quite a while, and due to his mature age is not easily employable. In other words, my mom can't let him go.



So anyway, we were pulled over by a police officer. The cop, seeing two caucasians in the car got giddy. He took my driver's drivers license and apologized. Said there was something about meeting a quota, blah blah blah, but that it can fixed. My driver and I, in Tagalog, pleaded with the cop to let us go this one time, that we were new to the area, the usual yadi yada. I didn't want to pay up, especially not in front of my European guests. It must have been strange for my friends to see a police officer asking for a handout.

It was late. In the end, my driver figuring I wouldn't be fishing out my wallet anytime soon, stepped out of the car to settle the matter with the officer. Less than five minutes later, we were on our way.

I do not condone it, but eventually I reimbursed my driver.

Post race thoughts

It's been four days since the Subic Marathon, and yet I'm still on a high for completing a half marathon! I started running approximately 8 months ago, so for me this is a big deal. I never thought that I'd be able to run one mile straight, let alone 13+ miles! I have worked so hard for this, and am so proud of myself! Okay, enough of the self patting.

That being said, I know that I am not ready to run the full Philippine Marathon next month. Primarily because I haven't been consistent with my weekly long runs. Last week's race was my longest run yet. I'll only be asking for trouble if I start piling on the miles at this late stage, with less than 5 weeks to go.

I am truly bummed, because the marathon has been my goal since last October. My schedule and plans centered around it. It was what kept me going. And now without this goal, I feel kind of in limbo.

You see, I was planning to move to San Francisco soon after the marathon. But now that I'm not running this race, there's not much left for me to do here in Manila. Sure, my family and friends are here, but I need to start working again.

So anyway, the next marathon on my list is the San Francisco Marathon next August. That gives me more than enough time to train for it. I'll be building up my base, adding quality runs and not foregoing the long runs.

I won't be able to do it alone. I'm thinking of joining a running club, that way, I'll stay on track and make new friends. Funny how running has become such a big part of my life... How decisions are being made because of it...

Computer back up again

Ayyy, been having computer problems lately. Spotty wireless internet connection, that had nothing to do with my wireless router ~ other laptops were working just fine. I think my black beauty was miffed at me for mentioning some MacBook Air lust. Okay, no more of that, it was just a phase... Today, I've had uninterrupted internet connection :-) I think she's forgiven me.

Having Touch trouble too, my calendar hasn't updated since the first time I synched. Tried all sorts of things to no avail. Anyone experiencing the same problem? Mac guy coming next week to check it out, hopefully he can figure it all out.

Wondering if getting the latest Touch upgrade will make it work?!? But, you can only update if you reside in a country with an iTunes Store. How incredibly frustrating!



UPDATE ::   I was able to upgrade my Touch software. I haven't had time to play with it much yet, but it looks like it's worth the $20 USD. I can now write Notes! Maps looks pretty awesome too. Zeroed in on the Philippines, zoomed way up close, and was able to see the major streets of Manila in map view! Also nice satellite and hybrid views. Too bad Google Maps doesn't work in the Philippines. When I asked for directions from Ortigas to Makati, it resulted in a London to Potugal route.

It did a partial calendar synch too. What the hell? Argh!

My first half marathon

The night before the race
I was excited, I couldn't wait for it to be race day. Had an early dinner, 3 huge slices of pizza from Extremely Espresso. Oh, I shouldn't have eaten so much...



Prepared my race stuff so I wouldn't have to deal with it the next day.

• FuelBelt in fridge: 2 flasks filled with Gatorade, 2 flasks with PowerBar Gel (strawberry banana) mixed with water
  
• pinned race bib to shirt
  
• laid out race outfit/paraphernalia on the chaise, ready to go
  
• post race bag packed with sunblock, lipbalm, an extra shirt, Protein Water and a cell phone
  
• set alarm to 3:50am

Was asleep by 10pm. Woken up by a good luck text message at around 11:15pm. My room was freezing, reached for the a/c remote but couldn't find it. Too lazy to get up to adjust the temperature, I endured the cold. It took a while for me to sleep again, but when I did, I slept like a log.

Race day
Woke up a few minutes before 4am, a quick breakfast of graham crackers and water, applied sunblock, dressed and out the door by 4:20am. Was at the starting line 10min later to find out that the 5am start time was for the 42K only. The 21K, 10K, 5K and 3K all started at 6am. The organizers should have arranged for graduated start times, i.e. 5:30am for 21K, 6am for 10K...



Per my watch, the gun went off at 5:52am and off we all went like salmon swimming upstream. I went slow and easy the entire way, even through the hills, stopping occasionally for water breaks and to take pictures of the scenery and what not.



Driving around the course the day before, the hills looked long and deadly, but in actuality it wasn't so. Of the course's hilliest area, between miles 6-8, the inclines were gradual and the descents forgiving. Slowly and surely I went, one step at a time, confident that my "hill" training around Ultra and Green Meadows prepared me for this!

I have a lot of respect for the poor marathoners ahead of us who ran much hillier hills on the way to Ocean Adventure. Hopefully, the scenery made it less painful for them.



Near the turnaround point, we were greeted by a flock of flying black birds overhead. I heard one person was even gifted with droppings, maybe to bring him luck.



By mile 10, my legs were heavy and slowing down. But I knew I could keep going for another 30 minutes or so. From miles 12-13, I stepped it up a bit hoping for a good finish. I kept going and going, but there was no sign of the finish line. I couldn't sustain the pace any longer so at mile 13.85, I began to walk. Argh! I wanted to run the entire race, but my legs felt like it was about to buckle at any time. Finally, Remy Field was in sight, but we kept on going and going, we past it, then went around the block. As soon as I entered the field, I started to run to the finish line. When I crossed it, I felt light, like I was soaring. I was still a bit grumpy though about the distance.



Saw a few friends who finished way ahead of me and yet congratulated me. Sure, we're a competitive lot, but the nice thing about runners is that we support and encourage one another.



My Stats
Distance:  14.75mi (Garmin)
                15.85mi (Nike+, needs recalibration)
Official Time:  2:36:05
Placement:  54.9%  (1040 out of 1895 runners)

Visit the Subic Marathon website to view the complete race results.

Avg Pace:  10:43/mi
Avg Speed:  5.6mph
Max Speed:  8.6mph

Calories:  1416

Avg Heart Rate:  174 bpm
Max Heart Rate:  186 bpm

Ascent:  2176 ft
Descent:  2246 ft



I'd like to commend the organizers, the PNP, and all the volunteers for a job well done. It was easy going from the get go. A few nits to pick however:

• Inaccurate distance for the half marathon ~ we ran 23.67km instead of 21km. Had I known it was going to be this long, I would have conserved my energy for a much stronger finish.
  
• The 21K should have started 30min earlier. The sun was hot and blinding by 7:30am.
  
• A couple more water stations along the way would have been perfect. I was so parched way before the finish line, even with the extra 32 ounces of liquid I brought with me.
  
• No one knew exactly where the baggage check-in counter was.

I'm so proud of all the runners out there! And for the marathoners, wow, I am so in awe of you guys.

Half marathon race result

I did it! I ran my first half marathon at Subic!!! Yeah!
Actually I ran more than 13.1 miles. Way more, per my Garmin.

Distance ::	14.75 miles
Time ::	2:38:17
Pace ::	10:43/mi

UPDATE :: My official finish time is 2:36:05 :-) You can download the race results for the full and half marathon from the Subic Marathon website.

The thing about hair care

Most women know that you're not supposed to shampoo your hair everyday. As a runner, I sweat, a lot, and so does my head. I knew that sooner or later, someone was bound to ask me whether I shampoo everyday.

I was with my sister the other day and she asked me that very question. You see, my sister has beautiful hair. She started running recently to complement her yoga workouts. But, if running means she'll have stinky hair, then she'd rather not.

I told her that I shampoo every other day. During the off days, I rinse my hair after every run. When my hair is dry, I use a product by Stila, called Hair Refresher, and I love it. I think of it is a "powder shampoo" that absorbs the oil produced by your hair. Plus, the Jade Blossom scent is light and quite lovely.

On days that I swim, I rinse my hair first, put some conditioner on, then put my swimming cap on. The conditioner bars the chlorine from penetrating the strands. So I was told. Then of course, I shampoo afterwards.

That's it, in a nutshell, the gist of my hair care maintenance.

What a treat!

After dinner with the girls last night, I was in for a super ultra treat. An entire suite all to myself. And not just any old suite, it was an upgraded suite at the Edsa Shangri La. This was all so completely spontaneous and unexpected! Did I mention it was just me? Alone in a suite? I still can't get over it! Thank You!

Good thing I packed my running gear with me too. To burn off last night's dinner, a breakfast buffet and lunch at a nearby Greek restaurant! All for the sake of carbo loading. Ugh, right now I can't even think about food without cringing! I'm DONE! Done with the carbo loading! I think I've got enough stored in me to carry me through the half marathon on Sunday.

I was so tempted to get a few hours of pampering at the Chi, but I thought, better save the money for that new MacBook Air. Oh, she's a beauty!

What?!? No half for the Phil Marathon?

If this is true, that sucks! Big time!

Plus, the Feb. 24th marathon, which bills itself as the "Philippine International Marathon for the Pasig River," has yet to update it's totally outdated website!!!

I'm sure organizing a marathon of this scale is a challenge and I'm glad someone's out there to do it. But with 38 days left before the race, c'mon, you would think that they'd at least update their site. And, a google search won't yield you much information.

At this point in time, they don't deserve to be called an International marathon.

Feels like I'm on vacation

because this week is taper week. In four days I only ran twice and both of them short runs. Ugh, I want to run more!

SAT ::	0
SUN ::	0
MON ::	4.35 mi	9:45 pa
TUE ::	3.01 mi	11:57 pa

Sunday is race day! I'm treating it as an lsd run, so I won't be setting any PR's here. Actually I will, since it'll be my first half marathon. :-) My next half is on Feb 24th.

Subic race route

for the full and half marathon.

A freebie

Got my Subic Marathon race packet today. Sorry to say, but their singlet is nothing to rave about, especially up close. The design is okay, but the print quality isn't. Best to stick to simple text and graphics next time.



So to the first person who leaves a comment and can pick it up, it's yours. Seriously!

UPDATE :: 1/26 Singlet is reserved for Venice.

Formatting changes made to this site

For the longest time, I've been wanting to add a third column to this site. But I've been dragging my heels because I didn't even know where to begin. I did a search and came across this site. What a great resource for blogger users!

Now all I need to do, is figure out how to remove those darned underlines from the links and I'm set! I've tried adding the code below between the heads, but it just isn't working... Any thoughts?

Taper week

Next Sunday is the Subic Marathon, so today I began my Taper Week. I know, I should have started last week...

Based on the miles I ran last week, the Parrot Marathon Predictor predicts that I will run a 5:02:59 marathon. Therefore, I'm aiming for a sub 2:30 half marathon.

Miles ran today:: 0

On a completely different matter, the trip to Singapore is not pushing through. :-( I will have to see The Police another time.

Two things I'm excited about

• Subic Marathon is next Sunday! I'll be doing my first half.
  
• I'm going to Singapore in early February to see The Police in concert!

Fridays are my swim days, but since I still have a bit of a cold, I did an interval run.

Miles:: 7.00
Time:: 1:05:11
Pace:: 9:18

Low battery indicator

symbol appeared on my Polar F11 heart rate monitor (hrm) about a month ago. This has become my everyday watch and I love it. Since I also use this watch/hrm for swimming, I was advised to take it to an authorized Polar Service Center.

I dragged my heels getting the watch serviced because I didn't think there'd be an authorized center here in Manila. But there is! You can drop off the watch at Toby's and you'll get the watch back within 3 working days. Furthermore, it only costs P140, or approximately $3.50 USD. :-)

I dread the day when my other gadgets run out battery. I wish there is one gadget that does all. These are the tools I use...

Running::

• iPod Nano with Nike+ Sports Kit,
  and
  
• Polar F11 for indoor runs, or
  
• Garmin 305 for outdoor runs

Swimming::

• Polar F11

Stationary Bike::

• Polar F11
• iPod Nano

Feeling much better...

Except for the sore throat, all the symptoms I felt yesterday are now gone. Could it be that last night's run plus amping up on the Vitamin C, have flushed out all the bad toxins from my body? Well whatever it was, I am happy.

Did an easy short run today...

Miles:: 2.89
Time:: 30:03
Pace:: 10:22

Feeling bleh today...

I've got a headache, my throat is sore, I can't hear off one ear and my muscles are sore. Could this be the onset of a flu, or simply a case of overtraining?

I don't want to risk missing the Subic race next weekend. Dare I run an easy 4 miler tonight?

UPDATE: I did run tonight, 5.35 miles. It was supposed to be an easy run, but I exerted more effort than planned. Bad, I know... Per Lance Armstrong through my iPod, I recorded my best 5K yet at 28'18". I felt woozy after the run ~ shouldn't have pushed myself too much...

Marathon stick

My weekly treat is a 1 to 1½ hour massage. Here in Manila, a massage isn't such a big indulgence as it is in other parts of the world. You can get a great massage for under $10 USD in the comfort of your own home. But for those times when I need a mini massage to ease tight calves after a hard or long run, I'd like to get my hands on one of these.

Think you don't have time to run?

Make a list of things you're wasting time on today. Cut one of them out and get the run in.

• blogging
  
• listening to TheFinalSprint/Phedippidations podcasts,
  while doing nothing
  
• instead of listening to them on the treadmill
  
• browsing the web
  
• procrastinating
  

Mr. oNo

I have two set sets of resolutions, a running and a personal one. One of my personal resolutions for 2008 is to be more social, at least once a month. As a friend keeps saying, expand-the-base.

Well, there's this person I was set up with last year, who was described as "okay na okay," hereinafter referred to as Mr oNo. Well, Mr oNo and I went out several times, but I wasn't interested. Nothing wrong with him, I'm just not into him. So that was the end of that. Or so I thought.

Mr oNo's in town for a week or so and has persistently been asking me out. I'd rather go to bed early and do a morning run the next day. My dilemma, should I beg off on this one, or use this opportunity to check off January's social obligation and enjoy a nice dinner?

Running around Macau

It was my first time to Macau and I enjoyed it. The weather was perfect, sunny during the day and chilly at night. Six days is more than enough time to get to know, enjoy and wander around this charming little city. Here are some of the things I did:

• a day trip to Coloane Village and Hac Sa Beach
  
• a shopping expedition in Zhuhai (similar to Shenzen)
  
• a visit to the Da Vinci Exhibition
  
• and walking tours all over town

The cold weather, despite the wind, was conducive to running. I could have kept going and going, but sadly my days were packed. I was able to get four runs in, all of them good ones:

• two around Lago Nam Van and Lago Sai Van
  
• Fisherman's Wharf / Outer Harbour
  
• Penha Hill / Lago Sai Van ~ my best run ever
  
• and a hike up and around Guia Lighthouse

One thing this trip wasn't, is a foodie trip. My father likes eating simple meals. And after several days of eating Chinese food, he craved for something else. On New Year's Eve, it was a McDonald's burger he craved for, so there we all ate. Oh the burger I had, it was so good!

Snippets of the trip:
Discovered :: Daiso, a Japanese discount store
Daily Eats :: LemonCello gelato, various flavors
Savored :: egg tarts from Lord Stow's in Coloane Village
Tried :: fried squab at Dumbo's in Taipa
Money spent gambling :: zero
Total miles ran :: 16.87

Oh, what a year this will be!

I had a tough but exhilarating run on a cold, windy New Year's morning in Macau. The first half of the run up and around Penha Hill was, for lack of a better word, hilly. If ever you find yourself in Macau, I recommend a morning run up to Penha Church ~ the view is spectacular, with the rising sun casting a warm soft glow all over. Plus it's a great workout for the legs. I stopped often to take countless of shots which contributed to the 997 some pictures I shot in 6 days!


Macau Tower

Bring it on, 2008! Wishing everyone great runs, all year long. Happy New Year!