Pre Christmas Run with the Honda Cars Pasig runners

A day before Christmas, Swthrt and I and two of Honda Cars Pasig strong runners Richie Azcueta (a TBR Dream Marathoner) and Sonny Paronda decided to do a long run. Our starting point was at the Honda Cars Pasig near Eastwood City and our goal was to run at least 30K as part of our preparation for the Condura Skyway Marathon. We started our run at around 5:30 am with our route entrusted to Sonny who lives in Cainta. We took the Calle Industria Road going to Manggahan Floodway then to Ortigas Avenue. Our leadman, Sonny led us all the way to Greenland Subdivision in Cainta where he lives. It was quite noticeable that more people are into running as we saw a lot of them converged in a small loop inside the village. We were treated to endless left and right turn before finally exiting the village through its backdoor leading us to Highway2000 going to Club Manila East.

Upon reaching Club Manila East, we then again noticed that there were more runners along the wide road leading to the resort. We then proceeded to Taytay’s main highway where we had a short stop at 7-11 store to refill our hydration bottles.

After the pitstop, we then proceeded to the uphill Tikling Road and reached Havila Village before we went back to the main higway going to Rosario Pasig. We then turned right at Imelda Avenue and turned left at Karangalan Village that led us back to Manggahan Pasig and back to Honda via Calle Industria. We returned to Honda after four hours and thirty minutes. According to Sonny’s tracking device we only covered 28.5K but then it was a tiring but fulfilling long run. Merry Christmas and a Happy new year to all the runners!

Condura Skyway Marathon Bloggers' Night

One of the perks of being a runner blogger is that you get invites to press conferences, test runs, product launch and more. Last December 15, Condura Skyway Marathon Secretariat headed by Mr. Ton Concepcion organized a bloggers' night for the launching of the Condura Run 2011 which would now be known as the Condura Skyway Marathon 2011. The re-branding carries the vision of becoming the premiere marathon event in the Asia-Pacific Region by 2012 and continues its advocacy of protecting the environment especially the marine ecosystem. Having helped foundations and organizations protecting the Tubataha Reef, Whale sharks of Donsol, Sorsogon, and the Dolphins of Bohol, next year’s beneficiary will again be the dolphins of Bohol. The event aims to raise funds for the protection of dolphins of Baclayon Bohol through scientific research and promotion of eco-tourism and creation of livelihood opportunities. This is in partnership with Ayala Foundation, Inc.

After the briefing on what to expect of the CSM 2011 edition which includes new race routes, new distance category (16K), more freebies, the bloggers got to experience the fast and easy e-registration at the Greenbelt 3, Makati City.

Photos by Kulit on the Run, Vima

For registration details visit www.conduraskywaymarathon.com.

Thank you Condura for the great time!

Reasons to join Condura Skyway Marathon

There can be 101 reasons why run the Condura Run which will now be known as the Condura Skyway Marathon. The CSM has been a significant event in my running experience. The 2009 Run for the Whale Sharks was my first 21K race while the 2010 Run for the Dolphins was my first full 42K marathon race. Next year’s edition will surely be another memorable race because I will be running the full marathon again with Swthrt.

So what are you waiting for! Register now and have an experience of the premiere running event in the Philippines

The Condura Skyway Marathon

Sunday, February 6, 2011

10km, 16km and 21km : Ayala Triangle Start and Finish at Bonifacio Global City

3km, 5km and 42k : Bonifacio Global City Start and Finish

For More details visit www.condurarun.com

Condura’s Top 12 Reasons to Join the Condura Skyway Marathon

1. RUN FOR THE DOLPHINS
A guaranteed donation of P50 pesos per runner plus any surplus from the run shall help protect the Dolphins of Baclayon, Bohol – the Dolphin capital of the Philippines.

2. EVERY RUNNER GETS A MEDAL
Whether you are a fun run newbie or a seasoned marathoner, conquering your chosen distance makes you a winner in our book – you deserve a medal whichever distance you run!

3. SPECIAL EDITION DOLPHIN SHIRT
All participants will receive a dri-fit type technical shirt with event logo designed by Team Manila. Perfect for wicking off the Sunday morning sweat!

4. D-TAG TECHNOLOGY
This is the timing system used by top marathons around the world including the New York City marathon. We will be using the D-TAGS for all race categories for fast and accurate recording of your finishing time.

5. BREAKTHROUGH e-REG SYSTEM
Registration is now more convenient and accurate with our proprietary e-REG system. Whether you are paying cash or through credit card, you can now register from any computer anytime and anywhere.

6. 16K NEW RACE CATEGORY
Wanting to graduate from your regular 10k but not so sure if you're ready for a 21k half-marathon? The 16k category should be just right for you. We are introducing this race category due to insistent public demand.

7. FIRST 10K ON THE SKYWAY
Last year, only the runners of the 21k and 42k distances were able to run the Skyway. This time, the 10k and 16k runners will get to experience the thrill of running on the Skyway on a point to point route starting at Ayala triangle and ending at the Bonifacio Global City.

8. NEW 21K ROUTE
Our first point-to-point half marathon, starting at Ayala triangle and ending at the Bonifacio Global City will enable you to run more of the Skyway!

9. RUN THE NEW EXTENDED SKYWAY!
The Skyway just got extended and now goes out all the way to Sukat. Every time a portion of the Skyway is completed, the full Marathon extends up to the farthest point – and back!

10. FUN ROUTE FOR THE 3K AND 5K RUNNERS AROUND BONIFACIO GLOBAL CITY
The Bonifacio Global City (BGC) is one of the most friendly running routes in the metro; making it a favorite venue for running events. However, we changed last year's route for both the 3k and 5k categories to make it challenging yet enjoyable for all participants.

11. 2 STARTS, 1 FINISH
Last year we had one starting point and two finish lines. This time it is the other way around! This was done so that more runners can run the Skyway as well as to manage congestion from both runners and vehicular traffic. Our goal is to give runners the best running experience possible.

12. LOTS OF FREEBIES AND GIVEAWAYS!
We have a lot of treats from our sponsors to help you celebrate your post race victory.

TRUE JOY

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” Isaiah 12:3

There’s no doubting the joy and happiness that come from hitting that game-winning home run or last-minute buzzer beater. You’re a hero when you succeed – but what about when you miss the shot? It’s easy to be joyful when everything’s going perfect, but what about those times when things aren’t going quite as you expected? Doesn’t theBible teach us to praise God no matter the circumstances?

Learning to have joy in life is a lot like saying wedding vows. We as Christians must remember to express our love and faith “through good times and bad.” Just because life is throwing a few curve balls doesn’t mean God has stepped off the mound. God wants us to learn to find joy even on the not-so-joyous days. Once we can find that type of faith, it becomes easier to give him praise on the hard days.

Remember, God has more than just a few plays—He has the game plan for your life!

- Natalie Creech

Photos Talks - 32K Run United 2

BGC Run: A birthday run for Swthrt

The recently concluded BGC Run was incidentally a birthday run for Swthrt as it fell exactly on her birthday. What a great way to celebrate it than to set a new PR for 21K. Since we started running together in long distance races, we were not quiet conscious on setting or beating records. If ever we do set new PR, great and if not, then so be it. For us running together, the different experiences we have in every race and finished at the same time is more than enough to celebrate. But for this race, I confess that I had a hidden agenda in mind of setting a PR to highlight the occasion of Swthrt’s birthday. Our best time together for 21k was 2:39 (which I checked only after the race) at the Unilab Run for Wellness this year. Before the start of the race I was kind of conditioning Swthrt that we can try for a sub 2:30 on this race and she was willing to give it a try. And so we were up for the challenge.

The race
As we always do in a race, we arrived early to avoid the hassle of finding a spot to park our car and have some time for a warm up run. We were surprised that the crowd was not as big compared to the Run United 2 held a week ago. One reason probably was because there were several races scheduled on the same day. Two races were already held in Fort Bonifacio, BGC Run and the Mc Donald’s Fun Run. We were quiet intimidated with the seemingly small number of 21K runners. We certainly don’t want to be at the tail end and so what else can we do but to run at our best effort. When it was time to go, we started a little faster than our usual starting pace. The cool weather and the warm up really helped and I just hoped we could be able to sustain our pace. Apparently, we did not. It took us 33:56 for the first 5K wherein I was already gasping for air because of the quick start. The next 5K split was at 35:49. At this point we were able to maintain a good pace or should I say our usual 7min pace. The third 5k split time was 39:22 which evidently showed that we were slowing down. The fourth and final 5K sent us to a frequent walk-run mode setting 40:31 time. At this point, we were certain that we cannot beat the 2:30:00 and was settled to do a sub2:40:00. To our recollection, we never finished below 2 hour and 40 minutes in a 21k race. The thought gave us another motivation that we could still set a new PR. We mastered all our energy to make the final push and finished at 2:37:+ setting a PR Birthday Run for Swthrt. We were really exhausted after the race but it was a great run indeed. Congratulation to Runrio for another well organized race.

Coming next of our own trilogy will be the 21K QCIM, see you there!