Nov 10: Karera Lakas Pilipinas - Commandant's Cup

You know how when you get a hangover you swear you're never going to drink again? I always say that at CrossFit, usually after a team event, but then when the next team event comes up I find myself inevitably drawn to joining. I said that after Brave Mudders last year, but then I found myself signing up for the CrossFit Open a few months later. After the Open, I joined the ION Manila Throwdown last September. I swore after that I wasn't going to cave in to peer pressure (or as my boxmates like to call it, "encouragement") and join another event or competition, yet there I was last Sunday morning getting ready at 4:30 am for the Karera Lakas Pilipinas 5K obstacle run.

There wasn't any team category in the race but the CFMNL coaches probably thought it would be a good idea to form teams of 5. I teamed with Coach Jordan, his girlfriend Marix, Maigirl, and Rhona. The race was in Cavite -- a good 1 1/2 hours from Manila -- and it started at 8 am. There was a hecka lot of uphill running at the beginning and I walked a lot. I was wearing an old pair of shoes and after a while the arch of my foot started aching a bit. Nothing unbearable though.

Race map

The obstacles were fun but the run was a killer.

Happy faces before the obstacles

Boulder maze

10 kg sandbag carry

CFMNL family enjoying a picnic lunch by the beach catered by Cafe Lupe

CrossFit MNL + Brave Mudders = Muddy Fun!

Pictures grabbed from Lala's, Joanna's, Isabelle's, and Brave Mudders' facebook albums.

CFMNL peeps before the race (photo thanks to Isabelle)

"Break the Wall" obstacle

Net Crawl: one of the first obstacles in the course

Just like doing bear crawls, but muddy.

Almost there...

Team Jordan, aka Team Bacon at the finish line!

Getting hosed like dirty dogs!

Us girls had a nice view from here.

I think I like trail running more than regular running. The weather was cloudy and it was nice for running.

Gun time: 1:24:21

I can't believe it took us one and a half bloody hours to finish! We were the 35th out of 47 teams to finish but we all had fun!

Haze of sloth

I haven't been running as often as I should, and when I do I don't run as hard as I should. See evidence below:

March data from my GTC

Pitiful. I have been stuck in this rut for quite some time now and I need to motivate myself harder. I've been trying to convince my brother-in-law to register with me late this year for The Bull Runner Dream Marathon which will be held sometime in 2012. After all, we still have about 6 months to train and up our mileage. We'll see. If not next year, maybe in 2 years.

Condura Skyway Marathon 10K

Repost from my tumblr about my first Condura experience (with some edits here and there):

I conquered two flyovers last Sunday and it felt great. I didn’t get to set a new PR but I enjoyed every exhausting bit of the race.

Assembly time for 10K runners was 5 am. My sister generously offered to drive me, so we left the house a little after 4:30 and got there just a little after 5. The emcee gave some last-minute reminders then fired the gun at exactly 5:30.

I started out too fast, and before I knew it we were going up the Skyway. I trudged on and made sure to enjoy the quiet scenery. I listened to the footfalls and chatter around me, the roosters crowing, the lightening sky. Sometime after KM 6, I started feeling winded so I walked until I felt like I could run again. Around KM 8, I spotted the next hydration station and saw that they had sponges. I grabbed one and I swear the ice-cold water saved me and gave me that much-needed boost as I “attacked” the Buendia flyover going to Kalayaan.

By the time the finish line was in sight I already felt drained, but I dug in and sprinted through the last few hundred meters.

Things I Liked: 1) Marshals were present all throughout the race course and they made sure that angry drivers wouldn’t run over the runners; 2) there was a hydration station every 2 kilometers — which made me almost regret having brought my trusty hydration belt; 3) the cool medal, of course; 4) the free popsicle (I'm mababaw like that).

What I Didn’t Like: Not a single photo of myself on Marathonphotos.com!

When it comes to races, only 2 things are important for me - the presence of helpful, able marshals and well-stocked hydration stations. The other things - singlets, freebies, even the course itself - are not that important for me.

See you next year, Skyway! Big thank yous to Julie and Sir Pat for making this a memorable experience for me!