Color Manila Run: Leaving a Colorful Trail

(Photo: jazzrunner.wordpress.com)

Date: January 6, 2013

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Happy 2013, guys!   How was the start of your year? Mine was awesome because I won free race kits to this year’s first colorful run: the Color Manila Run!

I saw this run on pinoyfitness.com last year, and seeing that the registration period has already ended, I didn’t consider this anymore. And just as I was about to give up on my search for a cool run for January 2013, Gala magazine announced that they’re having a race kit giveaway for Color Manila Run. I immediately grabbed the opportunity and, fortunately, I won two race kits!   I shared it with my little sister Joy, who helped me win the contest by sharing my comment to her friends. Thank you sis! :*

Anyway, the run was so awesome! It was my first time to experience such a happy and super colorful race. Each color stations– where we got sprinkled with different color powders– were amazing and, in the end, we emerged untidy BUT super duper colorful!   Never mind the long hours we had in the shower afterwards; the important thing is that we were able to run with big smiles on our faces… and five happy colors on our bodies.

Plus, the cute finisher medal and freebies made the run more rewarding. Ahh, the joys of running and burning fats while getting cool stuff from sponsors!

Here are some snappies from the run (just because I can’t purely talk about it anymore… it was just so freakin’ colorful!):

(Me and my clean white Color Manila Run shirt before it got splattered with lotsa colors!)

(On board the Color Manila Run jeep!)

(Yes, many people participated in this multicolored run. And this pic shows the 5K runners only.)

(Now the fun starts! First color splatter: calm blue!)

(Jolly as ever at the sunny yellow station!)

(My hair got sprinkled with my favorite color at the blooming pink station!)

(Enjoying the color burst all over the place at the cool green station!)

 

(Free hugs at the posh violet station! Lol.)

(My sister and I after the run… check out the medal!)

(Yours truly, showing off her beautifully-stained shirt, colorful body and her rockin’ medal! Yay!)

An equally awesome sequel to this run, the Color Manila Nite Run 2013, was announced on this day. Sadly, I wasn’t able to participate.

Yea, too bad I missed it… this time LED lights were used instead of color powders!

(This run was organized by Proactive Sports and KangaROOS.)

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This blog entry can also be seen on meekalexyproject.wordpress.com. Follow us there! 🙂

United Colors of 88 Run: All For One

(Photo: pinoyfitness.com)

Date: November 10, 2012

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Another run without Meeks. Sad.   Anyway, I had a new running buddy with me, so it’s fine. Lol.

It was just a simple fun run… with lots of people from different participating schools. (I even saw Robi Domingo, hehehe) I totally like the singlet because it’s black (you know, hides all unwanted bulge… kidding!) and guess what? For the second time, I got a finisher’s medal at the end of the run.

I know the medal doesn’t mean that I was one of the top finishers, but for me, it meant something more. You see, being able to finish a 5-kilometer sprint from BGC to EDSA-Buendia then back again to BGC is already an achievement for us beginners. We may not be able to run as fast and as skilled as those who chose to take the 10K or 21K barefoot, but we know that we have already conquered a fairly-long distance.

(Finished another 5K… awesome!)

By the way, the freebies were fantastic.   Ice cream, coffee, donuts… we even got a burlap-like backpack from Puma. Yay!

(Guys, meet Mad, my running buddy for this one )

All in all, the run was splendid. The important thing is we got to sweat out really good. The loot bags and other cool stuff were just bonuses.

(This run was organized by Greentennial.)

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This blog entry can also be seen on meekalexyproject.wordpress.com. Follow us there! 🙂

InsuRUNce 2012: Sunny, Simple Sunday Sprint (4S)

(photo: pinoyfitness.com)

Date: October 14, 2012

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I will just make this post short and simple, okay? Just like the run itself, which was kind of short (yea for me, because I only ran 3K for a change) and super simple… but was still warmly accepted by amateur and professional runners alike, as well as parents who just wanted to bond with their kids under a lovely Sunday sun.

Unfortunately, I participated in this fun run ALONE due to some last minute changes involving my ‘supposed-to-be’ running buddy. But it was still awesome, nonetheless. 🙂  I opted to run 3K this time to see if 5K was really that long… because when I started my “The Running Project” last July 2012 with the Manila Bay Cleanup Run, I signed up for a 5K route and I really thought I made a mistake because it was very long! Well, that was before I got used to running (and walking) 5K distances, and now I feel good. 🙂

(Photos: Vertical Finisher)

Turns out, 3K was super short! I got so bitin that, after the run, I walked from BGC to Glorietta 5… and ended up with really sore legs for 2-3 days. 🙂  But the pain was so worth it! I got to sweat a few more while walking the streets of BGC— and a little sight-seeing didn’t hurt. 😉

Like I said, the run was very simple. The freebies were reasonable (thanks for the hygiene stuff inside a hygiene kit, Pru Like UK!) and hey, we had free Gatorade drinks! 🙂  LOL.

I hope there’ll be more run like this in the future— simple and no fuss at all, also less people and more space to run on.

Meh. But then again, that’s just me. 😉

(This run was organized by Without Limits)

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Outbreak BGC: Survival of the Fittest, the Fastest, and the Sneakiest

(Photo: angkulet.com)

Outbreak BGC, held at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila

Date: July 28, 2012

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This is not my first time to chip in a running event (I joined the Manila Bay Cleanup Run 2012 last July 15), but I’m a real newbie to this “zombie apocalypse” run thing. And what does a newbie has to say about it?

Simple: mind-blowing, super exhausting, very unique, intense, and a total killer.

Just a little info about this zombie run: Outbreak Manila was inspired by “Run For Your Lives” and its first ever race was held last April 14 at Nuvali, Laguna. (I was there but wasn’t able to participate) Now, following the colossal success of the first leg, the brains behind Outbreak made the 2nd one a “night run” and took the suspense and adventure at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. And oh, they have this famous tagline that says, “Don’t think, just run.”

(With my running buddies (Gala mag friends) Cindy and Ate Airiz ;>)

Basically, this was my first time to experience being chased by hordes of flag-stealing (not flesh-eating) zombies, and I really enjoyed it!   Though I nearly gave up after just a kilometer (the route was 5K) because of leg soreness, blurry eyeglass vision, lack of oxygen, and the heavy rain (yes it rained moments after our wave’s gun start!), I still found the event very amusing. Yes, I was so nervous at first, but then I started to enjoy it, like I’m really part of an actual zombie apocalypse.

(My get-up: a comfy sleepwear, complete with a pillow and some unattended rollers on my hair. Hahaha!)

Okay, so now based on my experience (yes!), I will share some important tips to beat the outbreak.

Survival of the FITTEST: In order to emerge victorious at the end of the race, you must have a healthy heart and strong muscles to back you up. In short, you need some cardio exercises, man!   When you’re fit, you’re sort of immune to long runs and heavy breathings, so your chances of survival will automatically increase. I’ve had my share of oxygen shortage because I don’t do my aerobics session every day, but I noticed that I can actually run farther without having to stop to catch my breath. So get your body moving and your heart pumping– it’ll do you good.

Survival of the FASTEST: Of course, if you’re aware that a bunch of zombies are already running after you, what would you do? Run fast… faster… and, yeah, fastest (lol). To get past the creepy zombies, you must run like the wind, because if you’ll just walk and goof around, these after-life creatures will devour on your brai– oops– flags. These flags are important in Outbreak Manila because it signifies your life– when you run out of flags, you’ll be pronounced “dead” and you won’t have any bragging rights anymore (haha!). And really, if there will be a true zombie invasion, would you just walk past them? NO. Value your “life” and run for it.

Survival of the SNEAKIEST: Yes, this is so true (hihi). This is just a mock zombie apocalypse, so the “zombies” won’t really hurt you (physical violence is not allowed in Outbreak Manila). In that case, you can find a way to sneak past them just so they won’t get your flags. How? It’s up to you. Runners are unintentionally advised to think fast and be wise, so I really don’t know about your sneaky plans. But to tell you the truth, I’ve had my share of effective tricks to beat the zombies.   I’m not going to tell you (secret!), but they’re really foolproof, because even though I’m actually within reach, they didn’t get my flags. Yeap, I can be that sneaky!

(Me and the Gala team before reaching the finish line… wet look! Photo: Outbreak Manila)

(Wet and tired after the 5K run!)

To sum this whole thing up, I emerged with ONE flag (haha, so much for the tips lol) and the bragging right to say that I really survived the outbreak. Cool enough? Yes. But add the awesome freebies and the experience itself and you can actually say “super mega cool!”

To top it all off, I will never forget this running event. The experience was just so amazing that I’m planning to join the 3rd leg– as a zombie.   So freakin’ radical!

(Cool “I Came. I Ran. I Survived.” shirt ;>)

Special thanks to the Gala Magazine team for providing me my race kit and for being my official buddies during the race. It was really nice to see all of you again.

To know more about Outbreak Manila, click here and here.

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