Energen Fun Run at BGC

Time really flies. One minute I just found out about the 2013 Energen Fun Run and the next, we're just one week away for the said event, and I am really excited! Know why? Because it's our run for the month of May!

So happening this 26th of May 2013 at Bonifacio Global City is the Energen Fun Run with four distances: 500m dash, 3K, 5K and 10K. Prices for these categories are really, really, really affordable with:

• 500m at P150.00 but no singlet is provided
• 3K at P200.00
• 5K at P300.00
• 10K at P400.00

I've never seen a fun run event as affordable as this since my first run with 7-11 earlier this year, so for those who want to join us this Sunday, I think registration is still open in-store (no online registration for this one) at Chris Sports stores in SM Megamall, MOA, North Edsa, Glorietta and Festival Mall and also at Fitness and Athletics store in BGC.

Gun start for the 10K is at 5:45 AM, which is the earliest, while the rest follows after every 10 minutes. The finishers get to take home an Energen lootbag filled with Energen cereals. But wait, there's more! For the 10K finishers, they'd receive a finisher's t-shirt too! In red!

So, see you there!!! Or better yet, wait for my after-the-run update!

Thanks for reading!

Rebisco "The Gold Rush" 5K Run (On the day of the race)

If on my previous blog I've talked about the hassles of joining the Rebisco @ 50 "The Gold Rush" Fun Run which happened last 7 April 2013, then on this blog, I will share my wonderful yet hot and very painful (not the organizer's fault) experience.

I don't know if it was excitement or restlessness that I felt the night before the race but I slept at midnight after getting our gears ready, and woke up at 3 A.M. Nevertheless, I was energized and ever ready when we got to BGC at 4:45 A.M.

The gun start for the 10K race was 5:45 with 10-minute intervals for the next two categories, but we have to be at the venue an hour earlier because I got to register my Hubby for the Adidas Body Care Challenge. For the challenge, he has to wear the deo and boby spray provided by Adidas and give feedback on the performance of the products after the race.

Interview with the Adidas Staff

Since we still had plenty of time before the race begins, we wandered around and deposited our raffle stubs (yes, there was a raffle for appliances, mobile phones, and overnight stay at a hotel!), collected freebies like Rebisco crackers, Judge gums, Doowee donuts, and of course, took pictures :)

By the way, we had celebrity hosts for this event, namely: DJs Marco and Ingrid from Mellow 94.7, Bobby Yan (an alumni of Xavier), Daiana Meneses and Jasmin Curtis-Smith.

Our Hosts

And then, the race began. Off the 10K runners, my Hubby and friend, went at exactly 5:45 A.M. and after 10 minutes, my sis and I, the 5K runners, followed.

During the run around BGC, I've counted four hydration stations, two ambulances and lots of cheering marshals to push and finish. One pair was even dancing the Ryzza "Cha Cha", and as we passed by them, it really made me smile and my spirits had lifted a bit even when my leg was already killing me. I was not able to properly warm-up before the race so I got leg cramps halfway, so let this be a lesson to all.

Anyway, even though it was only 7 in the morning, the sun was already up and emitting hot rays. So to help the runners cool down a bit, the organizers had rented a fire truck and made a shower for us. It was extremely refreshing.

See the fog-like thing? That's the shower.

So, we finished the race with the following time:
10K - Hubby: 1hr4m31s and 207th of 754 runners
10K - Rod: 1hr21m15s and 562nd of 754 runners
5K- Sis: 44m7s and 501th of 1059 runners
5K- Me: 44m13s and 505th of 1059 runners

Although we didn't in the raffle which was done after the race, we got to take home lots of goodies. Like the loot bag filled with Rebisco goodies...

...and my Hubby get to take home gift packs from Adidas.

In conclusion, it was a very exhausting yet fulfilling event because I get to push myself and I succeeded, with the help of Rebisco and Xavier School.

Thanks for reading and have a good one!

Rebisco @ 50 Gold Rush Run Registration Glitches

Last Sunday, 7 April 2013, while most of you were still peacefully slumbering away in your PJs, lingeries, or whatever it is that you sleep in (or out of), I was already a few steps away from my goal of finishing a 5K race. Yep, you read it right, 5K, and with throbbing leg at that! This is in line with my 2013 pursuit to a healthier me.

The race that we, my sister Yen, friend Rod, Hubby Ige and I, joined was the Rebisco @ 50 "The Gold Rush" Fun Run held at the Bonifacio Global City. This event was the joint project of Xavier School Batch '88 and Rebisco as the former's celebration of its 25th anniversary.

But before I go on about the happenings on the day of the race which I reserved for another blog entry, let me breeze through on the glitches I encountered during the registration and the rescue of my guardian angel named Jen.

I learned about this race as early as the last week of February through +Takbo.ph, but due to our very busy and conflicting work schedules, we got to register by March 19 through www.rebiscorun.com (which is under a Multiply account), and make payments with a credit card instead. Since credit cards usually has a cut-off of up to 3 transactions per day (yet there were 4 of us), one of us got left behind and had to register the next day. But the next day, the online registration had closed because it reached it's limit! Oh no!

And then here's another glitch, Multiply was having a system upgrade/problem and our payments did not reach the merchant (xs88). That means no deliveries of race kits and no instructions for the personalized X Sports Band that I was so excited about. I mean the race is two weeks away and there's a long holiday coming up, we might not receive our kits in time.

I was so frustrated with this that I left messages to Multiply and to Rebisco but no answers from the 20th to the 23rd. Then suddenly, a Ms. Jen (aka my guardian angel) messaged me! To make the long story short, she called me up, we immediately cleared the issues with the payments and we even got my friend registered through her as well.

By April 2, I received all 4 race kits plus the sports band (but not engraved yet due to time restraints). April 3, we went to The Bead Shop Glorietta branch to leave our info for the engraving where they will call us in 2 weeks. The bands stayed with us so we still get to wear them during the race.

If it's not for Ms. Jen, we won't be able to join the race and I would not have a part of the Rebisco Fun Run. So many thanks Ms. Jen, whoever you are!

Thanks for reading and have a good one!

P.S. Today, April 11, 4 days after the race, Multiply has sent me notifications that my online payment was successful. What is that?!

My First Ever Fun Run with 7-11

The alarm was set, the clothes laid out, we simply don't want to be late because... it was our very first fun run! The 7-11 Run 800.

The 7-11 Run 800

This event was organized by 7-11, which poster I saw by chance when I was buying something at their store. I'm not a health buff, I frown on the mention of exercise, and I love junk foods and things that have cholesterol and calories, but when I saw a picture of my mom and myself taken just this January where I was the matronly-looking one because I was chubbier, I vowed that I would, should, get into the groove of sweating out those pounds. And the one fun and less boring way to do it is to run.

So, I immediately went online and registered myself, my hunky health-buff hubby and my already petite sister. I got us into the 3K beginners' race which cost us P350.00 each that comes with a pair singlets and bib with timing chips and safety pins.

Our Runner's Kits

On day of the run, January 17, 2013, Sunday, all three of us woke up real early, jumped into the shower (one by one, of course), and sped off to Aseana Business Park in Pasay City near SM MOA. The main area was pushed back from the road and I thought the starting point was somewhere near the church so we got a lost a bit getting there. But eventually, we discovered that it's the strip where the McDonalds is so we parked our car across the DFA bldg. and took off on foot towards the starting point.

Being first timers, we didn't know what to expect. So, we were simply amazed and giddy to see so many booths that are giving away free samples of energy drinks, crackers, healthy juices, breads, etc. I even saw the mascot of Knick Knacks whom we had a photo taken with (what? he's part of our childhood!).

My sister and I with the Knick Knacks Clown

  Anyway, back to business. We proceeded to the starting point and met with Mam Dey and Rod, whom I urged to join us and who were more than glad to do so. While waiting for our category to start, we took some group shots as souvenir for this very memorable day.

Left to Right: Yen, Dey, Me & Rod

And we kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Our race was delayed. We were getting restless, all 5 of us, while the sun got higher and hotter. And then finally, our group was called to do our warm-ups. Leg raise here, stretching there, and we are ready to run!!!

For the first few strides, we were waiting for one another, cheering on each other that we can do this, that we can finish this before the time's up in 30 minutes. But we got bored, especially my hubby who run ahead of us. We just decided to ignore each other until we meet again, which we did at the water station, all sweaty and panting :)

Thirst-quenching Ice-cold Pocari Sweat to Hydrate

Hubby by then was way ahead of us, he was already making his way to the finish line.

Finish Line Here He Comes

We finally got the u-turn point of our 3K where all of us, except Hubby, met. And of course, picture picture!!!

And because of all those pictures taken where I had to stop, I finally crossed the finish line with an official time of 31m02s and the 754th place. The Hubby had 21m24s at 137th place, Yen had 27m16s at 484th place and Rod at 31m01s at 753rd place. So among the group, I was the most kulelat :( But it was really not that important to me. What matters is that I finished the 3K, I had fun, poured buckets of sweat, I enjoyed every moment of it, got lots of pictures out of it (hahaha), and I got my goodie bag!

Like it was that hard :)

 On the way back to our car, we passed by all these booths and since I was already famished (we didn't eat anything before the race, which I've read somewhere is wrong), we stopped by all of them that has no impossibly-long lines.  What we got were some Selecta Ice Cream sticks, bottles of Pocari Sweat and donuts from Mister Donuts.

Freebies!!!

As the sun rose higher in the sky, people scattered towards their cars and head home to their beds or dining tables. As for us, my Hubby and I stopped by a carinderia to have brunch (yes, we had rice), then head home to get a few shut-eyes.

At the end of the day, though the run was not that long, it was an accomplishment for me. I trained for it for weeks and I even bought a pair of running shoes for this. Well, actually, Hubby bought it for me as a birthday gift :)



So, does this mean that this is not the end of my new-found love? It's definitely a... yes!!! I'm actually looking for the next fun run event and I plan to run 5K next. Good luck with that!

Thanks for reading and have a good one, guys!