QCIM - Part 3

Takbo.ph was ably represented at the QCIM through husband and wife running team Jinoe and Queenie. I believe Jinoe did a 21K while Queenie did a 10K.

Dante Briones finally ran his first 21K. He's been training with the Runnex Group at U.P. and we, his friends, are very proud that he finally made the plunge. Now, he's training for his first 42K in 2010!! Good luck Dante!

Hector Yuzon of Second Wind with a strong finish for his 42K!

Dindo, a.k.a. runningDATCom!! Almost didn't recognize him without his familiar and signature headband!!

Another running couple Vener (Run Unltd.) and Christy nearing the finish line together!!!

The Banana Runner in her banana-yellow shirt with another 42K up her sleeve!!

Jaymie, a.k.a. The Bull Runner, with a good 42K showing! I'm happy she's in green!! :-)

Ed Francisco did a good run also on his 2nd 42K. Was able to catch him as he sprinted towards the Finish Line, all smiles. He then came back to join me and Dave to wait for the rest of the gang.
Ting Joson was all smiles upon seeing us near the Finish Line -- this is her first 42K attempt and looks like she's ready for more. Congrats Ting!

Hector went back a number of times to shepherd his wards from Team Tri-Polar. Here's Laarnie with her strong finishing kick on the 42K.

Last, but not the least, is Bobby Go -- one of Dave's pacers. Bobby is New York bound for the NY Marathon and this was his LSD. Dave was actually concerned that Bobby was running a really slow pace as a pacer but he was there to finish his training and to help support all the members of Team Tri-Polar. You can still see him wearing his Pacers' Balloon!!

Congratulations again to all the runners and finishers!!! I'm filled with envy but I'm glad I was there to capture the moments.

QCIM - Part 2

One the key success factors for the QCIM was the all-out support of the Quezon City local government headed by Honorable Mayor Sonny Belmonte. Here, he gamely went on a walk (he actually announced he'll do a 0.5K walk but he definitely did more than that!!) with members of the organizing group, Runnex.

While the runners were seriously trying to establish new PRs or just gamely finish their events (many were first time full marathoners!), this guy came on a stilt!! It's tough enough running the different distances but to do this on walking stilts, that takes talent and a different kind of physical conditioning. And he arrived with all smiles and full of banter!!

The Finish Line was inside the Quezon Memorial Circle. All the runners started outside the Quezon City City Hall complex. I was watching the runners coming home and it was extremely orderly -- the use of the timing chip helps a lot to decongest the Finish Line. Runners were immediately directed to the Activity Area at the heart of the Quezon Memorial Circle.
The chute leading up to the Finish Line was well thought off -- large enough to accommodate the different waves of finishers -- hardly any congestion. I caught several people I know as they finished their individual categories. I was surprised to see good friend Gerry Buhain, my batchmate in Engineering at La Salle -- looks like a first timer at a running event!!

I also saw Quennie, lovely better half of Jinoe, who takes care of Takbo.ph, plus a familiar member of the Takbo.ph group who always runs pushing the stroller of his son -- really inspiring to see him at every race.

The top ten finishers of each category were herded into a small containment area near the Finish Line. Each runner was given a finishers tag and photographed for evidence. The lady runners gamely posed for pictures -- many of them were extremely pretty!!! Pinays talaga -- when it comes to photos, everyone poses!! Even if they didn't know who I was!!

This was an international race and a number of Kenyans took up the challenge to run the first every QC International Marathon. They definitely dominated the different categories they ran in.


At the Activity Area Stage, it was a familiar face that greeted my camera lens -- QC Councilor Doray, a.k.a. Doralicious!! Having finished her own race, she now was taking care of shepherding the post-race program, together with QC Council Dante.

Various sights at the Activity Area. It was a carnival atmosphere at the Finish Area. It was truly great having the Quezon Memorial Monument as backdrop to a truly amazing race. Congratulations to the Quezon City government, Runnex and the rest of the organizers and, of course, the runners who all made it!!

Next post, I'll focus on the individuals and friends I caught on my camera.

Quezon City International Marathon - Sights and Insights

More than a month ago, I was set on running my third 21K at the Quezon City International Marathon. I was excited and was lucky enough to have been included in the list of runner/bloggers who were invited to participate. I knew that I could do it with a sustained training program and it would be great to experience a broader Quezon City event versus the usual Fort Bonifacio/Makati or University of the Philippines runs. I also wanted to support my friend Dave de Leon, who was part of the organizing group under Runnex.

But, as with a lot of well-laid plans, things started to fall apart. Training days became strained because of work load and weather interference. Then came the devastating typhoons and I was pulled left and right with activities and work. As such, I found myself facing last Sunday with a training plan in shambles.

So, what do you do when you know you can't handle an ardous 21K run? You go and help support the event through the eyes of my camera instead. In the next few posts, I shall try to give you a flavor of what transpired last Sunday (Oct. 18) at the QC International Marathon. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture the run along the route -- I stayed around the Quezon Memorial Circle area. Hopefully, other bloggers would have route-based pictures to complete the view.

This post will focus on the race starts -- I missed the Full Marathon start -- couldn't get myself to wake up on time, but I was able to capture the 21K and other races.

At the starting line early in the morning -- the 42K runners took off at 4:30am, followed by the 21K runners at 5am. The QCIM logo looked golden and radiant under the bright lights at the starting area.

Zorro was both a fixture and a runner in the 21K. The QC government came in full force to support the race in line with their 70th founding anniversary. Even the PNP came in full force to help with crowd control. I was impressed with the portalets -- the colors were attractive and different!

Dave de Leon introduced me to a number of the Runnex organizers and I had a chance to meet one of our foremost national track stars -- Elma Muros.

One the unique features of this event was the Paraplegic division. It was inspiring to see our brethrens in wheelchair handling the grueling race -- a real show of upper body strength.

The Honorable Mayor Sonny Belmonte of Quezon City was there early in the morning to lend support for the whole project -- here you see him firing the gun for the start of the 5K race.

A collage of pictures showing the action at the starts of the different races

Right after the turn from Commonwealth Ave. is the water station of 100 Plus. Dave samples some of the 100 Plus drinks prepared for the runners

Salonpas was also prepared to help respond to the sore muscles of the runners. Unfortunately, they didn't have the Salonpas sprays -- which would have been gratefully welcomed by many of the tired runners coming into the final stretches of the race.

That's it for the meantime. I'm working on the next installment featuring some of the pictures taken near the finish line. Till my next post!!!

New Running Supplies Shipment

Just want to inform everyone that my new shipment of running supplies just arrived. I'm putting on the market the following items:

GU Roctane Ultra Endurance Energy Gels - P 3,000 per box

Vanilla Orange Flavor, 24Pk box, Exp Mar 2010
Blueberry Pomegranate, 24Pk box, Exp May 2010

GU Energy Gels - P 1,450 per box (apologies to my old customers but my costs went up slightly)

Vanilla Bean, 24Pk box, Exp Apr 2010
Strawberry Banana, 24Pk box, Exp Apr 2010
Espresso Love, 24Pk box, Exp May 2010
Chocolate Outburst, 24 Pk box, Exp. May 2010
Orange Burst, 24 Pk box, Exp. May 2010





Body Glide Anti-Chafing Sticks



1.3 oz Stick - P 450.00

2.5 oz Stick - P 750.00



If you are interested in any of these products, please give me a push through my email at syjohnny@gmail.com. We can communicate on what's the best approach to consummate the transaction.

Thank you all.

Post Cam-Sur Get Together

My friend Dave has repeatedly warned me that my blog is becoming irrelevant -- because I haven't updated it in over a month!!! Part of it is because I haven't joined any races recently -- and my training is sporadic. With work on the rise and the weather uncooperative, there hasn't been much activity to report on.

But, while my blog has been quiet, my Facebook account is active -- since it doesn't focus on just running. Unfortunately, Dave and Jorge don't have Facebook -- that's why all the pressure is there to put the pictures I've posted in FB right here in my blog.

So, dear friend Dave, here's my first posting after a month and we'll celebrate the successful completion of the 70.3 Ironman even at Cam-Sur last month by several of our running buddies -- now certified triathletes and Ironmen!!!

Actually -- I don't have pictures of the Cam-Sur event. I'll try and get copies from Ed Francisco. His lovely spouse Moy took a lot of pictures of the event. I'll update the blog when I get the pictures.


In the meantime, we'll fastforward and talk about the get together we had on Monday, August 31. Hosted by power couple Bobby (the Emperor) and Gina Go at their residence, we arrived to share food, drinks, stories and pictures from an exciting and successful Ironman! The photos and the side stories were abundant -- made me, Dave and Rico feel so out of it!! We weren't there!!! And, we were all envious!!!



From spills that gave Laarni a shiner to the tragic accident befalling Miguel Vazquez -- it wasn't all silver lining -- but with the team ably completing the gruelling event with even podium finishes -- it was a cause for celebration nevertheless!! Of course, there were pictures with the pros and winners, too!!! The ladies were all swooning!!



Ting finished second in her age group but was outshone during the awarding by the 3rd placer, when she took the mike and gave a speech!!!



But, I got to meet up with Hector Yuzon of Second Wind with his lovely partner Tania and bike expert Edmund Mangaser.

Envious as I was, I still wasn't motivated enough to try the 2 other disciplines. I'll focus first on my running -- and maybe join them next year as photographer and part of the support team!!! he! he!

On Motivation and Re-Starting

It's been over a week since the Globe Run for Home 21K. For a number of reasons, I wasn't able to run since that race until yesterday. While it's easy to give excuses -- weather, work, time, etc., it seems like it's so hard to maintain a high level of motivation after completing a goal.

Finishing the 21K race was an accomplishment -- albeit not great. I've now set up a new goal of training for a full 42K. But, somehow, after the rigor of preparing for the last 21K, it's so hard to find the same level of motivation to start my training program for the full marathon.

If you scout the web on the topic of running motivation, there isn't a lack of resources to choose from. But, somehow, despite all the techniques, it's like the feeling after a sugar rush -- you just feel lethargic and lost. I guess that's why you really need to take time off after your major efforts and work out a re-focusing plan.

So yesterday, after all the internal mind games about starting and not starting, I actually woke up early to resume my running regimen. Unfortunately, while you force the effort, all is not in place and it was agonizing getting back into the groove. Every step was a struggle -- not necessarily physical. The concentration needed to push myself mentally was enormous.

Somehow, I got myself to finish my 5K run. It wasn't pretty but it was good to just start running again. I know that it will take a lot more mental effort to get myself back into a routine -- it's just slow progress. But, one thing that is helping me refocus is the fact that my friends Jorge, Dave and Mesh just did one of my dreams -- running the full marathon at San Francisco. If they can do it, there is no excuse for me not to.

So, in the words of two famous shoe brands -- Impossible is Nothing and Just Do It!!!

Congratulations - SF Marathon Finishers

Yesterday, 3 of our friends attempted and completed the 42Kms of the San Francisco Marathon. They are: Mesh (3:57:56), Jorge (5:02) and Dave (5:10). I've always dreamed of participating in the full marathon at San Francisco -- the last time I ran, I joined the 5K event. That was just a few months after I started running -- ergo, I wasn't ready for any other distance outside of the 5K. But, I love this event because it allows you to run over the Golden Gate Bridge, one of the most recognizable icon of the city by the bay. So, it shall continue to be one of my aspirations to run across the Golden Gate Bridge.

My heartfelt congratulations to all those who finished but most especially to these 3 friends. I shall be ever envious until I myself complete the same event some day.

Globe Run for Home Results - Other Views

I started exploring the Globe Run for Home Results page after my blog entry and found two other views of the results.

The above view had the split times for the two halves and the average pace. Interesting also was the bird's eye view of the finish line. If you actually move the mouse over the dots (on the web page, not here), you'll see who the racers were behind or beside you.

This view gave you the course map and your place vis-a-vis the leaders -- of the race, the female lead and the age group lead.

Fantastic new approaches to presenting the results. Great innovations -- Congratulations again to the race organizers!!