35th Milo Marathon Race and the Results

First off, I'd like to give a shout-out to Milo and RunRio: thank you for setting up a safe and very well-organized race. The race kit and booklet is pretty impressive (reminded me of the HK one we did on February, actually). Being preggy and needing more rest than ever, this is actually the first time I've not gone with my husband as support (or finish line cheerer) on a marathon.

And while the heat-stricken memory of last year's Milo Marathon still scared me enough to want to be with him, I had to stay home. The cool thing about this year was a live SMS update on certain distance points. My cel buzzed me awake several times in the wee hours of the morning, and it somehow allayed my worst fears of Chips being soaked and stranded somewhere. The race was progressing well, it seemed, despite the unforgiving weather. 

Chips' official time clocked into my phone at 8:14 AM. I got up from bed and happily ate my breakfast, beaming with pride (aside from the fact that I was having a hearty serving of bacon). I'm visualizing myself at the finish line, jumping and running to give him a hug. I hope he felt it!

This was not the time we were expecting at all, given that he barely trained for this race. The lack of training you'll have to blame on me, who always wanted him home early. Yep, I'm sorry running mistress, the wife had to get her way.

I'm also thanking in this post Chips' pace-buddy for that race, Werner Cruz, for keeping him company as well as his spirits up and happy. Congratulations to him as well, and to the other runners (and supporters) who gave up the warm snuggly hug of their blankets to be part of such a great event!

Official Results may be seen by clicking HERE.

Or you can copy this link to your browser:
http://results.bazumedia.com/event/results/event/miloelim2011

Note: a post from Runrio.com says that the race results are in the process of being verified until August 2 (Tuesday), so I guess you'll have to check again within the next couple of days if your time/ranking has changed... if you're that kind of OC person :)

when a runner goes to the beach...

He will always (initially) take a long time to decide if he will run or not. But he will eventually calculate that with or without the tours involved, he will have enough time to get out and run. A runner will take a vacation from work and the city, but never from running. He brought trail shoes when we went on our honeymoon. He ran twice.

For three days last week, we were in Bohol with family. We've been there before, so Chips together with his brother and myself decided to not join the tour and just spend time on the beach. It was the perfect opportunity for him to spend the morning running around - around 20k, before heading back to join us for breakfast.  I had bacon *squee*.

I didn't get to buy a straw hat, but good thing Chips brought his visor. I love it. It's underside is black, so when sunlight bounces from the ground, it gets absorbed by the black fabric. Genius! Good job, Nike. There aren't many white visors that have this kind of "feature".  Oh and look, another feature in the photo, the 20-week baby bump!

And to relax after a run, he's reading the latest book from his uber-running-idol, Dean Karnazes. He giggles and chuckles and shares tidbits to me with the utmost gleam in his eyes. Watching him talk about running is like hearing a boy talking about a girl he's falling madly in love with. And it's really cute, honestly. If this is his love-affair (aside from me), I really don't mind.

That day we also set out to eat a hearty meal. He did say he passed an italian restaurant on the main road while on his run. He said that it was "not that far". It was good that I had a full breakfast, because we were walking for a good 15 minutes and we still haven't hit this fabled resto. He apologizes, saying it seemed closer when he was running. Right. We decide to trudge on and I said to him, this better be worth a pregnant woman walking on a slightly uphill road for 20 minutes.

We get there, it's called Guisseppe's.  And it was THE BEST Italian meal I've EVER had in my life. And I'm not just saying it because I was a preggers and hungry. The owner is really Italian. They fly in their ingredients straight from Italy. They use wood-fire ovens. Their pasta is fresh and home-made. Need I say more.

They have a branch in Cebu City. So if we're having a family vacation there, I'll definitely eat there. Aside from the brilliant beach waters of Bohol, the meal we had here was a very close contender for THE highlight of the trip. I know, I'm shameless at plugging. I still dream of that lasagna. 

The next day was spent snorkling. And if our baby comes out not loving the water, I'm not sure what happened. I think it's safe to say though that this would be my last beach trip until the little one is born. I could tell though that next year will be really awesome.

a movie your running other half would like to watch

So I was just browsing through Chuvaness.com, after reading the post on the new Bench billboards (featuring athletes from the Philippine Soccer and Rugby teams).  I was just about to close the tab when I spotted a post on a Japanese Film Festival about to happen at Shangri-La Mall.  The hubby was milling around in the kitchen cooking breakfast when I said the (apparently) magic words:

"Ey hun, there's a film about running."

This was followed by quick queries of when and what.  The film is called Feel the Wind (風が強く吹いている) and it is centered around the Hakone Ekiden, a premiere collegiate relay ultra-marathon.  From the synopsis published online, it tells of how two runners who've left the circuit are inspired to run again and choose the famed ultra-marathon as THE race.  

The race is actually a relay among 10 runners from Tokyo to Hakone.  The race is split into two days with 5 legs on each day.  So the two lead characters recruit 8 more, some of which think they're just insane. The movie is an account of this struggling and unlikely group of runners as they run to achieve the impossible.  The film is based on a novel by Sumio Omori.

Hakone-Ekiden map from http://blog.tokyololas.com/

The Japanese Film Festival runs in Manila (Shangri-La Plaza) from July 1 to July 10.  This specific film shows on the following dates and times:  July 5, Tuesday at 7:00pm;  July 7, Thursday at 1:00pm;  July 10, Sunday at 4:00pm.

For full details about the other films and the complete schedule, click HERE.