My Week as a Single Girl

Day 3. Photo c/o Ms. Marlu. Still waiting for our photo with Wash SyCip. That's me with two-toned hair. Ack. My maxi dress from Tango.

While ze huzband went off to Bangkok, Zurich, and Israel, little ol' me was left behind. Sigh. What was I to do for a week without my better half? Why, move back into Mumsy's casa, of course!

"It's like I'm on vacation!" I texted Hamil, after seeing all the Doritos, Ruffles, Cheetos, and Lay's, the French Onion dip, and fridge full of low-fat milk and Chocolait. My mom kept asking me what I would like to eat. Champorado for breakfast? Check. Longganisa Lucban? Done. Meals that I don't have to cook and dishes I don't have to wash? Score!

Being sort-of single did make me realize one thing: Outside of disc parties, I don't really go out at night anymore. Partly because I'm not inclined to (I get sleepy by 11 pm) and partly because, well, my single friends don't bother to ask me anymore. Eh. Such is life. So my week was filled with more laid-back pursuits.

Day 1. Despedida dinner for Good Housekeeping's former managing editor, Kat. The baroness, as some people call her, is going abroad to study. She made my life so much easier and so I'm really sad to see her go. But I'm happy that she has this rockin' opportunity.
Highlight: Finally trying Galileo Enoteca after years of meaning to.

Day 2. A leisurely 5K run after a running hiatus.
Highlight: I'm so out of shape, but was glad I pushed myself to do it, at an oval no less.

Day 3. Hung out with old colleagues and good friends at the SGV Alumni Homecoming, Makati Shangri-La.
Highlight: Having a picture taken with maester Wash SyCip (who was wearing jeans!).

Day 4. I finally got my stolen (and expired) driver's license replaced! Woohoo! Plus, quality time with mom. Dinner at one of my fave restos was kind of disappointing (why did I order something I hadn't ordered before?), but we made up for it by hanging out with the kiddies for a bit (fun) before getting massages (ahh).
Highlight: Weighing in for my driver's license and finding out I'd lost about three pounds.
Lowlight: That's three pounds out of 15 I gained since I got married. Le sigh.

Day 5. Got into a minor car accident. And no, I was not driving! My mom's driver was. And anyway, it was the other guy's fault, a kid of about 19 who admitted that he "just spaced out." I was so late for training because we had to file a police report and all that.
Highlight: I still made it to training. And we ate at Army Navy afterwards.
Lowlight: Dude who hit our car asked to use my phone because he was low batt. I kid you not. I kinda felt sorry for the guy.

Day 6. Family lunch at Mom and Dad's.
Highlight: Inihaw na baboy, sinigang. Burp.
Lowlight: Not having a ticket to see my boy DRose. Sob.

Day 7. That's today! When I said goodbye to Mom, she said, "Come back soon!" Aww.
Highlight: Jetlagged husband sleeping peacefully beside me as I type.

Goodnight, everyone.:)

Put on Your Running Shoes

...head out the door, run to the nearest newsstand/bookstore, and grab a copy of the first stand-alone issue of Runner's World!

True, one of my dearest friends is the editor in chief, and Piolo is shirtless on the cover (a fact repeatedly mentioned in posts about this mag, I found), but those aren't the only reasons you should go out and get it. The issue's packed! And my favorite feature is an eight-pager on a running icon.

For anyone who likes a good, well-written inspirational story, flip to page 80 and get to know the "Mayor of Running" Bart Yasso. I seriously got teary-eyed while reading it. He has truly pushed his body beyond limits, and has found happiness, has found himself, at the finish line. His story made me believe that my body is capable of doing more than just a measly half marathon!

See Spot Run

Good Housekeeping Philippines had its first-ever Family (and Pet!) Fun Run last Sunday! Though I promoted it to my family and friends, and even did a radio tour for it, the real props should go to our associate publisher Melody, who slaved away for months to produce this great event. We were so overwhelmed by the number of participants--there were about a thousand!

Humans warm up; dogs relax

The events: a 5K open run, a 3K tandem run for parent and child, a 1K run with obstacle course for human and dog, and a 100m dash for kids six and below!

And they're off!

My husband and I joined the open 5K event. Hamil told me at the starting line that he wanted to finish it sub-30--in other words, he was going to leave me behind. Haha. I had no intention of finishing quickly. I projected that I would finish in about 34 minutes, considering I hadn't really run since that half marathon! I was so not in shape, and I even walked a few meters towards the end, taking my sweet time. Imagine my surprise when I rounded the bend leading to the finish line and saw that only 30 minutes had elapsed! Ended up finishing in about 30:31 I think. I could've done it in sub-30 if only I hadn't walked! Oh well. For all my non-effort, I still finished fourth (surprisingly!) among the girls. Husband, meanwhile, did it in 26 minutes! He believes that running a half marathon changed our bodies. (Although I can't, for the life of me, imagine running 21 kilometers now.)

Post-run, participants got loads of freebies (including breakfast!) and were pampered with short massages, and even nail treatments. Dogs got basic grooming.

In between bites of my free tapsilog, I had to do interviews for all these different shows--in all my post-run, sweaty glory! When the crews asked me if I would like to freshen up, I said that that was as good as it was gonna get. Haha.

This was for GMA News

I think, for the most part, people really enjoyed themselves. For P200, it was so worth it--a singlet, bib, hydration stations, breakfast, drink, loot bag, and all these other freebies from various sponsors. My favorite thing about the event (aside from the massive Chow Chow that ran the 1K) was seeing the smiles on families' faces as they ran hand-in-hand. I also loved seeing older ladies running the 5K--there was even a pair wearing matching hot pink leggings!

So many other people wanted to join the event, and this year's participants are already talking about inviting their cousins and friends next year. Here's hoping we'll pull off a bigger, better run in 2012!


All photos from Good Housekeeping Philippines

Kiss #8: At the Finish Line

Adrenalin and pride--possibly the only things that kept us going!

It was dark as the crowd gathered at the starting line on Ayala Avenue for the Condura half marathon. We were a group of five: me, my husband, our 50-year-old ninong, and two of Hamil's friends. I was the only girl. About an hour before, Hamil and I had already slathered petroleum jelly onto our feet and arms (to know why, read this) and eaten bananas. We did a slow warm-up jog before taking our places amid the crowd that turned up for the 21-kilometer run. When the clock hit 4:30 am, wave after wave started running every 30 seconds. Our turn came up, and bodies--mostly tight, impossibly fit bodies that trained much more than I did (a measly six runs in the three weeks before the 21K)--surged ahead of us. (Legolas: "They run as if the very whips of their masters were behind them!")

Two of our friends went ahead of us, while Hamil and I kept pace with our ninong. We turned left onto Rufino and soon, we hit the Skyway. I picked up speed, as I am wont to do while running uphill, for the simple reason that I like getting it over with as soon as possible! I silently thanked our neighborhood with its steep inclines, as well as White Plains with its hilly streets, for somewhat preparing me for this.

Our tactic was to run five kilometers, then walk to recover and munch on some chocolate to keep us going, before running five kilometers again. I kept running ahead and stopping to wait for Hamil, who was making sure that our ninong kept a good pace, enough to meet the three-and-a-half-hour cutoff. My husband kept telling me to go ahead, but I stubbornly insisted on waiting for them.

We ran all the way to Bicutan then made a U-turn back onto the Skyway. By the tenth kilometer, Hamil checked the time, and I started to get worried. I realized that adjusting to someone else's pace was killing my momentum, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to finish. With a somewhat heavy heart, I ran ahead. I didn't want to leave Hamil, but I also didn't want to sputter at some point and give up. Big realization: I run better alone.

The sun had risen by the time I was running to Buendia. I tried listening to some music, but my earphones kept slipping off, so I just kept going in silence. I was excitedly looking for markers saying how far I had run: 14km, 15km, 16km... By the 18th, I told myself I wasn't going to stop running until I reached the finish line. But my body was kind of giving out, and I had to walk for a few seconds every now and then. Once I got on the flyover leading to the Fort, I ran past the people who were walking up the incline. When the flyover flattened, I walked for a bit before picking up speed on the way down.

When I started the race, I had it in my head to finish strong. I wasn't going to run 20 kilometers then just walk it the last kilometer. I was going to run, dammit. I was going to run faster than I had the previous miles. When I rounded a corner, I spotted the finish line and I almost cried. I teared up, knowing that this was the farthest, the longest I had ever run. I sprinted the last 100 meters--at least, as much as I could sprint given legs that already felt like lead.

I crossed the finish line and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. My time was utterly unimpressive, but I was just glad that I did it. Despite the lack of training, despite my hate-hate relationship with running, I did it. Minutes later, my husband came with our ninong.

I was quite proud of myself for running 21 kilometers, something I never would have imagined myself doing, er, a month ago! I was most surprised that I stayed focused throughout the run. I half-expected that my mind would give up at some point, the way it kind of did during our 15K. But on that morning, I felt absolutely no desire to stop. But I'm even more proud of my husband for his unbelievable patience and restraint. He could have run that thing in less than two and a half hours, but he wanted to make sure that our running buddy was OK. That takes even greater strength.

I'm probably never going to run a half marathon again. I honestly thought that this would be my longest run ever, but now I'm considering trying a full marathon. Some day. Not just yet. I'll need much more than three weeks' training for that!

Training Day

So this is what running 15K feels like...

I used to abhor running. Back in college, the warmup before dance practice was sometimes a one-mile run. I could get through it pretty quickly (eight minutes, to be exact), but it was torture. I would bitch through those eight minutes and think about how I would much rather be learning a new routine. Cheerdancer training was no different. We sometimes had to run about half an hour, all around the Ateneo campus, and it was my absolute least favorite part of training.

When I started working, I didn't have regular dance training anymore, so I had to resort to other forms of exercise. Running became one of them. I would push myself to do interval training (increased my speed and endurance) and 5K runs on the treadmill (personal best: around 29 minutes. Obviously, it involved some walking!). For a time, I kind of enjoyed it, especially after a rough day. Running in Ateneo on cool evenings also helped me clear my head when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed.

Last year marked the first time I ran about 11K. It took a while, but I did it. I would've been so proud of myself if only my husband hadn't kept on running for 10 more kilometers (for no apparent reason other than he can), leaving me--and my personal record--behind in the dust.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I had no desire to join fun runs. And then my husband signed me up for a half marathon. That's 21 frickin' kilometers. Our phone conversation:

Hamil: Ano, register na kita? (Should I register for you?)
Tisha: Ummm... Magkano ba yan? (How much?)
Hamil: P1,300.
Tisha: MAGBABAYAD AKO NG P1,300 PARA LANG MAPAGOD?! (I'm paying P1,300 just to get tired?!)

After much thought, and despite being in the worst shape in recent years (I hardly had any exercise in November and December, and I had the holiday fat to show for it), I relented. I figured that this was the first and last time I would ever run that long. And I figured I had one of my 100 kisses waiting for me at the finish line.

Hamil outlined a training program which I haven't been able to follow. The weather was uncooperative last week so I wasn't able to get in the miles I wanted to get in. I did, however, have the best possible trainer for my first 5K run of the year--Marie, one of my really good friends, who just happens to be the editor in chief of Runner's World! She's run the New York Marathon twice and an ultra marathon (that's over 100 kilometers!) so I'd say she's a bit of an expert in this area. She gave me some helpful tips and, more importantly, distracted me from the boredom that inevitably accompanies seemingly endless rounds at the Ultra oval.

Last night, as per Hamil's training schedule, we had to run 15 kilometers. All my old feelings about running resurfaced. (See first paragraph.) By the seventh kilometer, I was already bitching about the pain in my stomach, my knee, my ankle. I wasn't the most pleasant person in the world to run with, but my husband stayed positive, cheering me on and waiting for me. I knew that he was kind of holding back, that he was raring to run ahead. But he stayed with me. He wanted to practice running with me because he doesn't want to leave me when we finally run the 21K, personal record be damned. More than anything, that's what's going to push me to the finish line.

Wish me luck.

Image from here.