My Blog

Two road races are again set for next Sunday, September 27, one up north and another down south.

At the Fort Bonifacio Global City, New Balance, which is no doubt one of the major forces behind the continued popularity of running in the country today, will be holding the New Balance Power Run … Raising HOPE.

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More and more corporate sponsors are getting into the Philippine running scene and that’s good for runners.

Yes, even us non-elite, age groupers, and recreational types. More races simply mean more opportunities to test ourselves, hone our running skills, live out our dreams of breaking that personal record, or simply enjoying a weekend race with birds of the same feather.

So what’s out there?

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Lance Armstrong on the podium at the end of the Tour de France is not anything new. He has been up there seven times.

Not at third place, though, and without the yellow jersey on his back.

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July 5th. It was my first hour-long run in about a month.

I chose to take one of those dirt road circuits that takes me through some 13 to 15 kilometers of wooded hilly terrain. An almost 6:00 am start was not ideal for a run this long, I thought, especially for one like me who doesn’t do too good in the heat. The shade from the rubber and fruit trees that line both sides of these backroads and the cool breeze that blows through them would somehow keep me from burning out fast.

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On the final climb to the finish of Stage 15 of the 96th Tour de France yesterday, Lance Armstrong was left on the slopes of Verbier along with other key GC contenders when his Astana teammate Alberto Contador stepped on the gas.

Contador went on to win the stage, grab the maillot jaune and establish his position on top of the GC with a 1′37″ lead on the second-placed Lance, who finished the stage in ninth.

What does Lance have to say about that?

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The Isport BOTAK Paa-Tibayan Takbo 100-kilometer marathon, the first ultra marathon ever staged in Metro Manila, is set on Sunday. It is described as a milestone in the local running scene, and I guess no one will disagree.

For BOTAK to organize and sponsor the race is, I would say, living up to tradition.

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I am tired.

At 53, I am not as fresh as I used to be.

My breathing is heavier. My lungs burn faster than they used to. My heart reaches maximum beat rate earlier.

My legs don’t hurt, though. They don’t feel rubbery. They just churn, perhaps by instinct, and so I keep on running.

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After the euphoria of finishing the 1st Vic Sai Araw ng Dabaw Run 5k race had passed, reality began sinking in.

I had run the race well, I presume. I started off a bit to the back of the pack and still quite confused if I was lined up for the right race as I hardly noticed the 10k runners start off. The announcer was calling on the 5k racers to prepare so I was thinking maybe this wasn’t my race yet. But up front I saw runners in my age group lined up, and I thought maybe this was really it. I was trying to make my way to the front when the starting gun went off.

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I have been off the saddle for a month or so, and a text message to the information officer of the City Government of Kidapawan about my new temporary contact number was answered with an invitation to join a mountain bike ride with a group made mostly of city government workers.

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Once again, Manny has made Filipinos proud. It was sweet victory, but also a sad ending to a brilliant career for one of boxing’s best fighters.

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