Gatorade Run 1122

My partner and I were very excited to join the very first Gatorade Run here in the country.  Gatorade has been very active in participating in most marathons as a sponsor and them organizing their own race is not only very exciting but is also long overdue.  Let me share my experience in this race.

Date: November 22, 2015
Where: MOA Grounds, Pasay City
Organizer: Runrio

Registration
Registration fee for 11k: P1,100
I had great difficulty in registering my boyfriend and I for this race because of the complex you need to go through.  First, you have to buy a prepaid card in selected branches of Adidas and then you will have to use that to register online.  After you have registered online, you would have to wait for the availability of the singlets and then go back again to your chosen Adidas branch.  Unfortunately, only selected branches are pick-up points and none of them are in the South of the Metro.  This was such a hassle for me as I would have to tread the traffic and travel far for the singlet.  Upon reading the forums on Facebook about the race, they mentioned that people can still register in the chosen Adidas branches even after the registration period ended.  So Dave and I went the Fort to register but to our dismay, they said we can no longer register.  We were so disheartened.  And then there was an announcement that people can register on the day. Woohoo! We were able to race!

Singlet
The singlet was AWESOME! It was a neon orange racer back (sleeveless shirt for men) with cool, minimal design.  The material used was exceptional, I really liked it.  Good thing Gatorade partnered with Adidas.  My only regret was, since we were late to register, I got the Large size which was really big for me.

Race
It was on familiar grounds for me, stretching all the way to Roxas and back to MOA.  I really enjoyed this race even though they had 8,000 participants because the people who participated were all enthusiastic and seemed like they were having fun.  There was even one guy who came all the way from Bulacan and accidentally left his race bib at home but still participated in the race.  There were stations almost after every kilometer with more Gatorade stations than water stations.  Marshals were complete, directional signages were there as well as ambulance and medical stations.

Finisher's Shirt
Right after I finished the race, I claimed my finisher's shirt immediately.  I wouldn't want to get the wrong size again, so at least my finisher shirt had to be right.  It was just as cool as the singlet!  I think its from their climacool line.

After Event
The set-up of the event after the race was a bit more lively than most races because of the inflatables and all.  They also had a lot of different booths, some of them were very interesting and new to me.

Recovery booth

Personalize your shirt

Hydration consultation

Trivia station

Congratulations Gatorade and Adidas for a successful event! We would definitely join again next year!

Juice Hut Manila

I make it a point to cleanse and detox after a period of mindless eating, when I feel bloated and heavy.  The method I use is juicing, wherein you just take fruit and vegetable juices for a period of time.  For me, I only juice for three days.  That’s as much as I can handle.   

My favorite juice program is the one from Juice Hut Manila.  They have the three-day juice program which I always get.  This consists of 21 bottles in total, 7 250 ml bottles a day.

I have tried several juice programs from different brands but Juice Hut Manila is my choice and here’s why:

1.     All their juices taste great. Seriously! I enjoy drinking all their flavors especially their milk blends. Even my boyfriend liked it.

2.     The program offers 7 bottles a day which helps me survive the day without feeling dizzy or weak. They also provide you with a guide on what to take and when to take it.  For me, what I do is, I take one bottle every two hours to help me survive the day.

3.     Their program is affordable. Of all the juice programs I have tried, their program is the most affordable one.  The 3-day program just costs 3,100!

On the first day of cleansing, I already released the toxins I needed to release and I already started feeling great.  After completing 3 days, I feel renewed and totally clean! People were even complimenting me about my skin, saying I have that “glow”.  I’m pretty sure its from juicing. 

After juicing, you can now start your journey to eating healthy as you wouldn’t want junk to enter your body again.  Taking in junk (and carbs!) would feel uncomfortable. So start your cleanse and be healthy! =)

POGS Run For Mom 2015

Earlier today, Dave and I joined the POGS Run For Mom 2015 race in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. I have been eyeing this race for a while now and was glad to get an invite from a friend.  Luckily, they provide on-site registration.  I simply cannot pass up an opportunity to run for a cause that I support.


 Mederma, the leading brand in the US for stretch marks therapy have established their campaign called Medermom which encourages mothers to support and care for other mothers who may have limited access to maternal care. This advocacy, I definitely support and whatever help I can give, I will give it, for I am a mom myself and I know the challenges mothers face.  No matter what they go through, they will always put the care of their families first and Medermom aims to provide them the care and help they need.

Medermom partnered with Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) to dedicate a special run for moms in support of their advocacy that every mother deserves only the greatest care. It was good to see that a lot of people participated in the race.  There were doctors, moms, dads, teens and even little kids.

Even before the race started, the people were already very hyped up! The event started with a very energetic warm-up exercise then off we went to the race.

What I liked about the race itself is the venue, Camp Aguinaldo, and the different stops they had.  Running in Camp Aguinaldo seemed like you were running in a small familiar village.  There were police in uniforms cleaning the roads together, greeting you as you pass by.  There were small groups of policemen jogging together in two lines.  People were very warm and polite.

During the race, they had several unusual stops; there was the pastillas booth, Halloween booth, where people in masks were giving away candies and there was the iced candy stop.  I like iced candy and this booth surely made me smile.

After the race, there were also several food booths that were offering street food like taho, hotdogs, ice cream and fishballs.  They also had their own photobooth thats free! Good job to POGS and Mederma for this collaboration!

Now, on to something a little more interesting for moms like me, the Mederma Stretch marks therapy. Anything that will solve my stretch marks problem, I am absolutely down for it!  I have worried about stretch marks even before I got pregnant and have tried several popular brands of stretch marks therapy lotion in the market, religiously lathering it on my tummy but all to no avail.  With very limited choices in the country of this kind of product, this definitely piqued my interest.

The Marketing Manager, Ms. J-Ann Mirasol, explained that its never too late to try it.  There were  moms who tried even after several years after giving birth and still got positive results.  This product is carefully formulated with Onion Extract, Centella Asiatica and Hyaluronic Acid and is clinically proven to have a triple restore action that softens, smoothens and replenishes skin in as early as two weeks.  Well then, upon hearing that, I'm sold!  Im definitely buying this product ASAP while their BUY 1, TAKE 1 promo is still on!

Mederma products are currently available for purchase in selected Watson's and Mercury drug stores. For more details, please visit www.facebook.com/MederMOM

New Balance Power Run 2015

New category, new trail and a whole new level of confidence!

I ran my first 10-kilometer race last November 8, 2015 at Vista City, Daang Hari and I must say, I did pretty well than I expected.  My target time was 1 hour and 30 minutes with an average pace of 10 min/km, but I finished the race at 1 hour and 20 minutes with an average pace of 8.37min/km!  I did slightly better than my average pace in the last marathon I ran and that even had a shorter distance.  This just means my performance is improving and it motivates me to do even better! I also did not have a hard time during the race, in fact, surprisingly, I ran in most parts of the race.  My friends scared me about the 10K category saying it was really difficult.  Because of this, I really trained hard for it. The only complaint I have is that I felt really hungry after the 7th kilometer.

Below are some of my comments on the race:

Vista City, Daang Hari
Positive:
Wide and clean road
There were trees and plants around
Good view

Negative:
Dead cat
Dead dog
Smoke from siga

New Balance Singlet
Positive:
Cool design
Very comfortable material
A lot of available sizes

Negative:
I would prefer a sleeveless singlet

Route
Positive:
I liked that there were a few uphill and downhill parts.

Negative:
None!

Race
Positive:
Well-organized
Water and Gatorade were available
Registration was convenient
Fee was acceptable (P750 for 10k)
Freebies were okay (wristband and headband from New Balance)

Negative:
None!

Start

Finish line

Companion:
The best!

Thank you to my reliable running buddy who never wants to leave me behind during a race even though he is way faster than me.  There is never a race I have been to without him.

Overall, I enjoyed the race except for the stinky dead dog.  They should have disposed of the body instead of just throwing it on the side.

Preparing for my first 10k!

This Sunday, November 8, 2015, I will be joining the New Balance Power Run 2015 race in the 10k category.

Its going to be my very first 10k race!!!

I am both excited and nervous at the same time.  You don't know if you're going to get injured or dizzy in race.  I am prone to getting dizzy after a race actually.  To train for the race, I have been doing at least 8 kilometers a week; 5k twice a week and one 3k on a weekend.  I'm just hoping that's enough for me to survive my first 10k.

I have been running in Filinvest City.  The road is flat and made of concrete with no cars passing by.  If you want a little elevation, you can make a turn towards the Palms Country Club.  Its good to run there because the environment feels safe and there are a lot of trees for some shade and fresh air. A lot of seasoned runners and beginners run at Filinvest City.

During one of my training sessions, I bumped into some friends who motivated me to run my first 10k.  The first one is Ms. Ruth Floresca, she is a lifestyle blogger(mommywrites.blogspot.com). I met her through work and since then have developed a friendship. She actually inspired me to join the 10k category. She has been joining marathons under the 10k category and told me that I can do it too, and even blog about it! Hence, the birth of this blog.

(Photo c/o Ms. Ruth)

The second one is Ms. Mae Sarcia, who used to be a client of mine in my former job. Ms. Mae is a teacher in one of the private schools inside Ayala Alabang. She is bubbly, cheerful and apparently, has an active lifestyle. She's already joined a full marathon(42K) and several other special marathons like the one in Caliraya and Sagada. I was amazed. Ms. Mae told me things I didn't know yet about running like proper breathing and foot assessment. Apparently, I need to get my feet assessed first! She also told me that the 10k category would be very easy for me and I believed her. That sealed the deal. I'm ready for my first 10k race!

Nike+ VS Runtastic App

Running apps are really useful in the sport of running.  They could track your pace, distance, route and even your progress.  But which running app is the best? Even I don't have the answer.  All I know is, I am very satisfied with the ones I use.

I don't only use one, but two running apps.  The first one I discovered is Runtastic.  It also shows the pace, distance, route, weather, etc.  It shows everything relevant for running.  Your speed is even represented by different colors.  The feature I like the most in Runtastic is the voice feedback. It alerts you every after kilometer completed during a run.  You also have the option to track either the calories burned or the time.

Record per run, more detailed and specific

Record of all your activities

Home

The free version of the app only allows the voice feedback to alert you after the first kilometer.  It also just shows you the time, pace and distance after a run.  I wanted more features so I purchased the full app for 2.99 dollars, but I found out that there's not much difference between the free version and the full version.  The features that were added that I found useful was the automatic pause and the voice feedback for every kilometer.  The rest, I could not understand anymore.  Also, all the Training programs in this app can only be downloaded for a fee of 21 dollars per program!!!

A friend of mine who is a seasoned runner referred the Nike+ Runner app that you can download for free.  When I tried this app, I discovered that it has all the features of the Runtastic full app (the one that cost me 2.99 dollars). Bummer.  I should have downloaded this app instead of paying for Runtastic.  Its also much easier to use.    

Home

Record of all your activities

Summary of all your activities and how your total distance compares to your friends - cool feature :)

Specific record per run

I use two running apps simply because I cannot drop the record of my activities in Runtastic since I have been using it longer than Nike+. Had I started with Nike+, I wouldn't go with any other app anymore. 

Recommendation:

Go for the Nike+ Runner. You will get everything you need for FREE!

Nike Running Shoes

When I started running (which was just recently), I was wearing my Roshe Runs.  These shoes are so comfy, I use them all the time for both gym and casual wear.

Until I was told that these shoes were not for running that I realized I needed REAL running shoes.  Not wearing the proper shoes for running could get you injured, so off I went to hunt for the perfect pair.  Its also an excuse to buy a new pair of Nikes since I have been itching to buy a new pair for  a long time now.

So research, research, research and I came across the latest craze in Nike running shoes, the Flyknit Racers!  The materia used is ultralight, strong and flexible without compromising protection and stability.  It is the perfect shoes for running.  I wanted a pair of these so bad but I could not find my size! I wanted either the Blue Lagoon or the Game Royale.  On Instagram, a pair ranges from 6,999 to as much as 13,000.

Blue lagoon

Game royale

I would pay this much for a pair of these racers but I really needed to start training already so I just decided stop searching and opted for a pair that's available.  I went to the Nike store and found that there were different kinds of Flyknit shoes.  What I liked was the Nike Free 4.0 because it was the simplest and most conventional looking one.  The designs of the other shoes were a bit too much for me and the colors were striking.  I followed the advice of the sales consultant to get the black so its easy to pair it with any outfit.

These Flyknit shoes are soooo comfy, even comfier than the Roshe Runs.  It's like wearing thick socks that molds itself to your feet and wraps it so comfortably.  These will be my new favorite shoes and for sure I will be buying more of this kind.

Other than the material used, the functionality is also very important.  When I tried them for running, they have just proven to be the most comfortable shoes I ever used in my life. Its sole was so flexible and light, it bends in all the right places while still protecting the sole of your feet.  No pain after running! These just cost me P5,990.

I am very satisfied (and motivated) with my new pair of running shoes!

Subaru Run 2015

I really enjoyed my first ever marathon so I enlisted myself in the next marathon on the same trail, the Subaru Run 2015.  This time, no friend had to push me.  I pushed myself.  My objective was to perform better and make sure not to miss the gun start.

What are the things I liked about the Subaru Run?

1. Registration
Joining the Subaru Run 2015 was very convenient for me because they had a registration booth in Subaru, Alabang which was very near my place.  I immediately got my awesome singlet upon payment!

2. Singlet
I really liked the royal blue color of the singlet.  The material used  was also light and breathable.  It didn't look cheap at all.

3. Venue
I liked that it was on familiar grounds.  At least my focus was on improving my pace and time instead of the challenge of being on a new trail.  I'll get to that after a few more races.

4. Companion
My boyfriend went with me. =) I love that he supports me in what I want to do and even joins me when he can.

I finished the race in 42 minutes! Thats 13 minutes less than my first 5k run! I really tried my best and pushed myself hard. I kept running and never stopped in the first 3 kilometers, rested and walked on the fourth and ran again in the last kilometer.

I already completed two 5k runs. Now, its time for a 10k run!

Little Tycoon Playhouse in Westgate

After resigning from my 6-day, 9-to-forever job, I have been trying to make up for lost time with the little kids. The first thing I wanted to do was take them to places I was not able to take them when I was busy, like playhouses and parks.  I was just relying on kwento and pictures from the yaya.

One sunny afternoon, I decided to take the kids to this new playhouse on Westgate called Little Tycoon Playhouse.  It was located in the second floor of Westgate's new building and was not very hard to find.

My first concern was the rate because I would be paying for two kids plus two yayas.  When I learned that it was only P200/hour plus one companion can go in for free, we gave it a go.

The playhouse was designed to mirror a little town.  It had a police station, grocery store, salon, restaurant, french cafe, office, japanese restaurant, karaoke bar and a hospital all built for small kids.

I wasn't very impressed with this playhouse because there were only a few variety of toys.  There were small buildings and plastic toys but there's not much that would encourage physical activity for my toddler. I don't think it offered a lot for him.  Maybe it would appeal to bigger kids, 6 years old and above, where they could play pretend. The props were pretty cool.  I enjoyed taking photos of the kids in the mini-japanese restaurant.

My second concern was the safety of kids.  My son immediately rode the toy car inside the playhouse and got disappointed that it was not working.  He insisted on riding the car, so I asked the attendant why it was not working.  She said it was still charging.  When I checked the car, the car seat was lose and there were wires underneath that was plugged in.  That immediately got me worried because that's very dangerous for kids.  It could get them electricuted.  They should not be charging it inside the playhouse while kids are there.

Another thing was, the fire extinguishers were also inside the playhouse within reach of the kids.  There was one beside the hospital and one beside the telephone booth that the kids could easily reach.  That's a big no-no for me because the kids could play with it.

I think the kids didn't have fun as much as they could have.  I'll probably not take my son there again anytime soon. I would rather go to Fun Ranch where he could play and have lots of fun.

Sofitel Manila Half Marathon 2015

This is the very first marathon I joined and its the marathon that got me started running.  A friend of mine signed me up for the 5k one week before the race and that was the only time I had to train.  I would jog for at least 10 minutes a day and that was it.  The only preparation I did well was carb-loading.  =)

Registration was pretty convenient and I was able to get all the information I needed at takbo.ph before the race.

My friends and I arrived a few minutes late for the race.  I missed my very first gun start which would have been memorable.  Nonetheless, I am still very happy and excited to run this race with my friends.

There were a lot of runners that day! Roughly, 5000 runners participated, both pros and amateurs.  As a first timer, I really enjoyed this race, seeing other people both young and old enjoying the challenge.

I ran in the first 2 kilometers but slowed down and walked for the third and forth kilometer.  But for the last kilometer, I tried my best to finish the race running. And I did. With struggle. Great struggle.

I was full of emotions after the race and of course was very happy! I think that's what they call the runner's high.

I finished my first ever race in 52 mins!

About the Mom

First and foremost, before I start this journey, let me write about where I will be coming from.  Just recently, I resigned from work as a Marketing Manager of the biggest surplus depot in the country.  I did this to start my own business and most importantly, to have more time for my two year old son.  It was a difficult choice to make, to leave the career I have built successfully and have worked hard for. But we have to stick to our priorities and make a choice, and in my case, my priority is my son.

Liam is now two years and 4 months old and have just started going to school.  Raising a toddler as a first time mom is very challenging.  There are a lot of things we both need to learn in this stage.  I will be writing more about our adventures together in this blog to document our progress.

Aside from choosing to be a mom, I quit my job to pursue my passion for children.  I have always wanted to work with kids my entire life and at the same time, it was also part of my life plan to put up my own business.  So last August, I was able to fulfill both by opening my own Preschool.  Starting your own business is not as easy as I thought it was. I will also be sharing the challenges I face as a mompreneur in this blog.

Lastly, since I have time to do the things I enjoy, I can devote time to my newest hobby, running.  I always like challenging myself and going beyond my limits and running has given me the opportunity to do just that.  I am a beginner in this sport so I'm very excited to write about my progress in this new found love of mine.  I cannot wait to run my first 10k this year.  Then hopefully, by next year, I get to try doing a 21k.