Hero, you have an awesome daddy.

Albeit a crazy one. Some of my friends call your dad Captain Awesome, and it's not hard to see why. 

He wakes up at 4:30 in the morning to do his 100-miler training. Short runs, he says. They're around 8 kilometers long. He comes back home in time to see you wake up. You somehow know that mornings are meant for playing with daddy. So you smile and let him pick you up. He changes you from your frogsuit pajamas and into your onesie. Changes your diaper too. You don't mind at all that mommy is still asleep.

Your daddy then dives into the morning rush traffic to clock in at 8:30am. By the afternoon, I'm sure he just couldn't wait to come home. And it's back onto the traffic to see you just after you've had your dinner. Before we had you, we'd have late meals. But now we're done eating by 7:30 just so he could have a little over an hour of play before you get cranky and sleepy.

He plays with you, makes silly voices to make your toys "talk" to you. He crawls on the floor with you. Concocts adventures with pillows and blankets for you. It amazes me how he can still manage to. While I stand already weary and I work at home.

On weekends he'll do his longer training runs. Up to 38 kilometers, I think (and I think on some days he has to do more). It's insane, isn't it? It's almost doing a self-imposed marathon. He makes it home late morning and you're already awake, playing or just come from your bath. And he'll still play with you before he goes to take a rest. You don't even care if he's sweaty and kick your little legs in the air, begging to be carried. Sometimes you even cry when he doesn't.

Then there are days when he doesn't get to rest at all (or barely). Because then he'll be helping mommy with her workshops. He'll carry the things, arrange the seats, take the photos and pack it all up again. Sometimes during the lessons he'll even remind mommy to teach or do things she'd otherwise forget. And after all that, he drives hurriedly home so we could play with you and cuddle with you (even if you don't really like cuddling).

He's super. And you're lucky. And I've got a feeling you'll be running around and doing amazing things, just like your daddy.

when your husband is out running and you're not there.

Well, technically you are - somewhere there. But not quite. Unless of course you're the kind of wife who runs with her husband. 

I couldn't sleep tonight and I realized that I haven't written on this blog in ages. This would be a retrospect on the TNF100 that happened in Baguio City eons ago (aka last April). At the same time, some pondering by an insomniac brain brought about by a friend who let her husband go on his race with that fresh sense of worry.

We were talking about that a couple of days ago. And I found myself becoming that "oh don't worry it's going to be fine" kind of character. The truth is though, you can't escape the worry. Even if it's just a training run early morning. He leaves. You hear rain. You go back to sleep but really, you're hoping that he's on his way back and doesn't catch a cold.  

Then you'd have major ultras that really boggle your mind with the amount of insanity. Like the Bataan Death March (though at least for this, I was part of the support crew following him around). And then the TNF100. The great thing about the it was that we got to bring Hero up to Baguio with us. I mean, look at that little ball of cuteness.

The hard thing about the TNF100 was... err, the TNF100. From the previous time we were up there, I knew it was hard. It was crazy. And crazy as crazy could, my crazy husband is doing the 100k. TRAIL. UP IN THE MOUNTAINS. The un-best part of it is, you're not there. With him.  It's not like a city race. Or an ultra out of town. This was TNF. And it's one hundred effing kilometers. At ear-popping heights above sea level. Like, HELLO.

Okay, so you're kind of used to this whole race thing anyway. You're sharing in the buzz and the excitement. And it's truly a happy moment. Until the gun start and they're off and you're not with him anymore. And you're left with just faith and trust that he listened to you when you repeatedly said things like "don't push yourself too hard" and "listen to your body" and "be safe". Translation in your head: PLEASE COME BACK IN ONE PIECE, GODDAMMIT.

Having been with him in a number of races, knowing his pace, I would calculate how much distance he's probably covered. He has a phone, but I didn't want to bug him too often. He'd call or text to update and I'd think that hey, he's doing well. And then there's this super icky feeling. I'm not sure if you just become wired that way. When something in your gut tells you that something bad (or at least not right) is going to happen.

And then he calls and says, "I don't think I can finish this". And you're half in denial and half relieved. Because for one thing, of course you'd want him to finish! All that work! While the other part of you wants to just scoop him up from wherever he is and give him a big hug - thank God it's over.

That night, Chips made a decision to quit the race at KM70. He took shelter at an aid station, squeezed into a small tent with a couple of marshalls, and waited for daybreak before heading down the mountains. His phone battery went dead and during that time I think parts of my brain short-circuited because of the anxiety. Kind locals at a sari-sari store lent him a battery to use while we were working out his location. We picked him up along Kennon Road and hugging him all stinky, reeking of sweat and soil felt like the best thing ever. 

And I actually found myself saying, "you'll finish it next year". WHAT. YES. I want him to do it again next year. I will send him off again. Into a monster of a thing totally unknown to me. 

And we're going to finish it, yes we will.

(But before that, there's the BDM160 and the BDM102 - yes, crazy as crazy could, my crazy husband would like to do both)

Daddy's a bit excited.

On the way back from a business trip up north, he stopped by an Adidas outlet store. He bought shoes for himself (new racers) and he couldn't resist buying shoes for Hero. He told me this on the phone. I thought it was a wee bit silly. But he couldn't stop gushing about how cute they were.

When I saw the little pair, I pretty much would've bought them too. Even if it would take maybe a year before Hero could actually use them. THEY ARE JUST SO DARN ADOWABLE.

And they're not the least bit intimidated by all of Daddy's big (and stinky) shoes. Coz you know, cute always wins.

The Condura Skyway Marathon 2012 - Official Results

I really thought that this would be the first confirmed race for the year. In the last post, it's really the one that didn't have any disclaimer to it. Boy was I wrong.

This is actually the hubby's SECOND race. See, I had thought that he was just doing support for the BDM 50K test run for his running buddy who'll be doing it for the first time. Nuh-uh. He raced it. And despite coming from the running enemy that is the holiday season, he actually did pretty well. He placed 22nd, with an official time of 7:10:58. Official results can be seen HERE.

Okay, back to the post at hand. The Condura Skyway Marathon which is hereby the second race for the year. Unlike the past runs, this one was held at night. Why they did that, I don't know. Chips wasn't too fond of it - he just wanted to run it because he wanted to get back into shape.

For one thing, there's no majestic sunrise. Therefore, no view, no colors, no nothing. Just bouncing reflectors and camera flashes. It basically stripped him out of the beauty he so loved to see when running. I would be able to relate - at least on an aesthetic viewpoint, how would you get that awesome finish photo?

Anyway, he intented to just "run it" and not "race it". But ended up racing it anyway. It's not a PR, but considering that he came from a 4-day seminar and had little sleep (enter playing with Hero), he's really proud of what he accomplished.

Official Results can be viewed HERE.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to plan his recovery as well (enter again playing with Hero) and he totally forgot to ice his muscles when he got home. But really, when you have a little one waiting for you, how could you remember?

And can I just say, the medal is HUGE. It's as big (or even bigger) than Hero's head.

That's Hero obviously not knowing what the hell is happening. LOL.

Oh hello, 2012!

It's been a long while since I posted here! Why? Well, Hero's here! The past months have been a whirlwind of cuteness, eyebags and holiday fat. Chips is actually on this quest to get back into shape. But Hero is just so good at keeping him from going out to run (look at that face, who wouldn't want to stay in?).

We're pretty excited for this year. Especially since Hero can be with me at the finish line once she's big enough. And that would just fall around this year's TNF100 - summer at Baguio with Hero, how fun is that?! I'm also really grateful that BR has published his planned races for 2012 - at least I'd have a reference of when Chips is going to be gone.

So far, here are the runs he's chosen to join:

January 14, 2012—BDM 50K “Test Run” Mariveles to Abucay, Bataan (as support crew)

January 21, 2012—MOUNTAIN & TRAIL RUNNING 101 - TBC

February 5, 2012—Condura Skyway Marathon, "Run for the Mangroves"

February 25, 2012—MOUNTAIN & TRAIL RUNNING 101 - TBC

March 3-4, 2012—4th BDM 102K Ultra Marathon Race (as support crew)

April 21-22, 2012—TNF100 Baguio, 100K 

June 2, 2012—Taklang Damulag 50-Mile Mountain/Trail Run & 50K Run

August 25, 2012—2nd ILOCOS NORTE (Burgos To Pagudpud) 60K Ultra Marathon Run

That basically takes care of half of the year. Though really, I never know when another race decides to show up. Like with a free race kit or something. Hero and I will just be ready with our finish line outfits (swimsuits too, for the Pagudpud run!).

Happy New Year, everyone!

10 signs that the hubby left his Facebook account active on my laptop.

My default tabs when I open my browser are my Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook pages. Most of the time I'm totally dazed and just instinctively scroll to read messages and posts. And then I wonder. Wait, these don't sound like things my contacts would post...

Since my MBP spends most of the day on and online, the hubby would usually just borrow it to check his Facebook account. He doesn't do this often. And at times he forgets to sign it out. Here are some of the signs that the wall I've opened isn't actually mine, and it takes a while for them to sink in because I rarely pay attention to people's profile thumbnails.

1. My contacts start posting updates as early as 7:00am (if I backtrack the time correctly).
2. I've been tagged in a poster promoting a race. It usually has big visuals of trees, a running silhouette, and perhaps a grunge spatter of what's made to appear as mud to signify a trail route.
3. I've been tagged in an album that has 2-3 digits beside the letter "K" as part of its title.
4. My contacts are posting photos of race numbers beside finisher medals.
5. 90% of the thumbnails to the left of my browsing window are of people in singlets and visors/caps. Either in running form or posed underneath a finish line. 
6. There are no posts from online sellers announcing new arrivals of bags or shoes.
7. No one says "kalorkey", "jirits", or "IKR" on the wall.
8. There are maps showing a GPS tracking system of some sort.
9. Status updates comprise of the words "just finished", "LSD", "xx-K", and time of day.
10. I see my profile thumbnail on the wall.

We make such a good team :D

frontRunner's Run to the Clouds (also known as the fabled last race)

When the hubby signed up for this, he said it was going to be his last for the year. I guess it was silently qualified as the last ultramarathon for the year. Because yes, his running mistress managed to squiggle in yet ANOTHER free race (will post about this one separately).

The Run to the Clouds Ultramarathon was held last October 30, up in the Benguet Province. They hole up in Baguio City the day before, where the shuttle was going to pick them up to take them up to the starting line. So while we were dying from the humidity here in Manila, they were enjoying the cool and pine-scented fresh mountain air. 

The race starts at Ambuklao Dam. And finishes on top of this mountain where you see those big radars (in Sto. Tomas) if you're in Baguio City. So the place you'd like to reach after x-hours is actually literally, mountains away. 

photo by Runners Spotted

Anyway, he totally loved this race. A big thanks to frontRunner magazine for organizing it. He raved about the people he met, about the views they saw, about the challenge of the uphills and downhills. Yes, he raved like a madwoman who successfully conquered a super sale (oh wait, that would be me).

photo by Dabobong Delos Angeles

He had discovered the benefits of a ponkan while jogging uphill and of the soups he bought at roadside karinderyas to warm his insides. He also told me while smiling ear to ear about some Baguio locals he chatted up as they biked uphill (visualize: crazy runner beside pedaling biker going uphill). I listened as he laughed about taking a cold shower in some outhouse after he crossed the finish line.

Cold shower. It was 10 degrees. His breath turned to mist every time he exhaled. Yes, he took a cold shower. I would've totally screamed my head off.

photo by Stephen Lopez Felices

The biggie at the end of it: Chips so enjoys runs in Baguio that he says we'll have to take Hero there a lot. YAY. I love Baguio. I'll teach her how to ride a horse. We can be on the horse, ride up the mountain trails and be followed (or alongside) her crazy daddy. Who'll most probably be running along wearing his favorite trail shoes.

2011 Adidas KOTR Philippines

The running mistress, she found her way (and got it) - AGAIN. See, I already knew that the hubby was going to the frontRunner cloud race thing. I had braced myself to spend half of the super long weekend without him.

Then miraculously, the hubby got a free race kit for Adidas King of the Road. Oh, you running mistress your ways are cunning, yes they are! At least it wasn't a full marathon (consuelo). And he was gone for less than 4 hours. Okay, like I was awake anyway. But still.

 

Last race schmace. 

When the hubby returned home, I was ready to put on a pout. But then he had my favorite meal from Tapa King for breakfast. Oh he knows me so well. I can't help but love him and his blistered feet.

*Race Results from the Organizers still not available, but you could check for updates HERE.

Photos from A Runner's Circle and Team USB.

you can't stop your husband from running away.

Running is a mean mistress to contend with. She will not let go easily. Even if you're less than 3 months due to bringing a child into the world. Your husband will go with her. Early in the morning. Or maybe for an entire day. Sometimes even overseas.

Yep, that's what my husband did. As I was happily enjoying the balance of my second trimester and up until now that we're nearing the finish line.

There was the 2nd PAU Mt. Pinatubo Ultramarathon (50k). Yep, up and down a mountain it was. And it was trail. Thru rivers and lahar. See, normal people would rent a 4x4 to save hours of sludging. But these weren't normal people. 

Photos by Keshia Fule.

Then there was the Bursa Malaysia Rat Race (4.5k). Uh-huh. Muh-lay-sia. The hubby was gone for around 4 days to fulfill his duties as a Maybanker. Their CEO and some foreign colleagues apparently refer to him as "the crazy one" and they probably said, "Hey, let's get that crazy one from the Philippines to join the Rat Race team." The crazy one said OK. 

The race was a pressure test. So much expectations. So little km's to prove it - 4.5k as compared to the long distances he so loves. I stayed at my parent's home for the time being. Sick with the flu and floating in a queen-sized bed. He did get me a nice gray hoodie from Uniqlo. Yay me. 

Photos by Michelle Looi and Chuah Sakura.

And then there's the Manila International Marathon (which was supposed to be last July or something). He didn't race it. Just wanted to do his ultrarunning pace and finish. From this race he's gone over his goal of reaching his 1,000th km in running races. Which was apparently a goal for this year. I actually miss being at the finish line. I'm such a fan girl (read: future stage mother).

Photo by Alfred delos Reyes 

So YAY. We thought it was over. That's what you think! The mistress, she laughs. Because here comes the frontRunner Magazine's Rock and Road Series 1: Run to the Clouds 50k. 

With a title like that, I doubt that the hubby had strength to resist. Benguet. Mountains. Ultramarathon. Road and dirt road. Oh the wonderful words to invite the crazy people! It's going to be on October 30. He says it's going to be the last race for the year.

Let's see, Hero, let's see. I'm sure you'd like to be taken up the mountains too.

why we're calling our baby Hero.

When we didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl, I was calling our little baby "Bean." Chips didn't want anything to do with that at all (one, it sounds puny and two, he or she may end up like Mr. Bean). And since we still didn't know, we really couldn't pick out names yet. So we thought, okay, let's at least have a nickname ready. 

If it could have something to do with the baby's real name later on, that would be great. But if not, well, case-in-point there's "Chips" which if you knew his real name would beg the question "now where did that come from?" Did we want the same for our kid? Well, curiosity is always a great conversation starter. 

Okay so here's what we knew: the baby is due December. If you backtrack, that would make him or her a March baby. A Bataan Death March baby to be exact! 

One night during dinner, Chips was wearing his BDM finisher's shirt. And I just said, why don't we call him (or her) Hero? It would work either way. And I loved how it just brings us back to how incredible that race was for Team Chips. Hero. That's what we're nick-naming our little one.

So now we know that we're having a girl. And we talk to her and call her Hero. We haven't completely decided on what her real (full) name would be yet, but for sure, our Hero's going to be a feisty little ball of cuteness. Who knows, maybe she'll even grow up to be a runner like her daddy.

the battle of the baby joggers

It's fun looking at strollers, especially now that we're just a couple of months from our due date. We're not really bent on getting a jogger. But they just look extremely hardcore and cool. Chips would presumably have loads of fun with it. I just like it because I guess it stems from my love of big cars, err, SUV's.

We've decided on getting a lightweight stroller, especially since I'll be using it most of the time. And we could still take the baby jogging - maybe not at Chips' pace. Most probably mine, which is like... walking. Anyway, just for amusement's sake, I'll post some photos and info on baby joggers I found totally cool.

Caution: No reviews. Purely aesthetic. Maybe some snide remarks.

The JEEP OVERLAND Limited Jogging Stroller.  They named it after a monster of an SUV. That just about sold it for me. And it has an odometer and a dock for iPods. The other thing, JEEP is branded so beautifully up front. Grrrar.

The JOOVY Zoom 360 Jogger.  It looks fierce. It's actually for "city living". I guess you would need all that 3" travel suspension with all the potholes in the metro. The product manual also says it's made out of aircraft grade aluminum. So when your baby travels, your jogger and the airplane would be really good friends.

The BOB Ironman Single Jogger. It's called IRONMAN. How awesome is that. Your baby could look at other babies and say, "Hey I'm on an ironman. Oh what, your stroller has little bears." And if daddy or mommy has actually done the Ironman, that's just doubly awesome. It's like fate.

The SCHWINN JOYRIDER Jogging Stroller.  The sheer size of the wheels bite you first. They're 20 inches in diameter. How crazy is that. It's made up of aluminum and folds into something I couldn't even explain. It looks like a stroller sandwich.

The BABY JOGGER 25th Anniversary Performance Jogger. If other babies saw your baby in this stroller, they'd be thinking your baby was some loony speedfreak. It's just a picture and it already looks fast. It's a solid one-piece frame built for maximum durability and it has shock absorbers too. It also has reflective stitching in case you know, you'd like to get your baby used to your 4am weekend runs.

35th Milo Marathon - Garmin Connect

I think that this Garmin thing is so cool. Honestly, when the hubby showed me a photo of the watch I said to him, "It looks like a calculator." Well, it still does. But at least now I think it's a cool calculator.

Ever since he got it, they've been inseparable on runs. Even the shortest distance. Still need to wear it. Except for unfortunate instances (very few) when he forgets it or forgets to charge it.

He even wanted to try out its heart rate monitor belt-thing on my tummy to see if it could pick up our baby's heartbeat. If we get crazy enough maybe we just will.

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.

when you can't run far away because your wife is pregnant.

So you're used to going on daily runs.  After work, maybe and hour or two of jogging and running around the city before heading home.  But what?  Oh my, now your wife is pregnant.  She's alone at home and can go into fits of nausea at any given moment.  There's this instinct that makes you just want to be home or at least nearer.  You're torn.  But you guess that fatherly drive actually kicks in earlier than you thought.

So what now?  The muscles still need to churn.  You've got races you want to do PR's in.  And all the food and energy needs to be burned somehow.  Well, as the pregnant wife with a husband struggling to still keep his running in stride, I have noted the following as possible alternatives to the far-running-away.

The Treadmill.  The obvious indoor choice.  The boring indoor choice.  The ultra-runner, trail-loving hubby doesn't really detest it (okay, maybe he does) but it's the running choice better than not running at all.  The gym in the condo has some and at least he's technically already home.  

I think it can pose its own kind of mental challenge.  Like instead of trying to focus your mind on running X-amount of kilometers with a fair stream of sanity, correct pacing, and positivity, you can challenge your brain to practice selective hearing in order to block out other people's useless clatter and horrid taste in radio stations.

Of the few times I actually went on the treadmill, I actually tried to close my eyes so I could imagine myself somewhere else.  Like in a field.  With furry dogs running alongside me with their tongues sticking out.  But then I lost my footing and almost fell to the side of the machine.  So maybe trying to imagine things with your eyes open can be another challenge.

The Stairs.  We live on the 11th floor and sometimes, just to have that break from the all-horizontal life, the hubby likes to climb up and down the fire escape.  He does the "Honey, I'm home!" bit, makes sure I'm okay and changes into his gear.  For sure he reaches the ground floor.  I'm just not sure if he goes any higher than our floor.  I really can't imagine it.  I usually am ready to die by the third flight of stairs.

It's safe to say that he works up a healthy bit of sweat.  It's not anything like running up an incline in some tree-laced road, but again, it's really better than nothing.

ERRATUM: It has been brought to my attention that the hubby reaches the roof deck of our building. Which is I think the 27th floor.  The up-and-down then continues for at least three times, with running around the complex as "breaks" in between.  Now I don't really know why running around would be considered a break.  Usually a break you know, means to stop and stand still.

The Pool.  The condominium complex we live in has a nice pool, where a section of it I think has a decent lap length.  The hubby sometimes trades in his running shoes drenched in sweat for a legitimate dose of liquid.  He'd do a couple of laps and as per a tip on a running magazine, does some "running" in the water.  The sight is peculiar.  It can be replaced by an old lady undergoing water therapy for some joint injury.

But it seems to be a great challenge - both on strength and perseverance.  Because the water will want to stop you.  And you need to work against it in order to move forward.  Since you're fighting the water's resistance, your body would tend to lean forward too (which is, I hear, part of having good running form).

Just prepare for some of the kids in the pool to look at you weird.  Despite themselves sitting on inflated animals with unproportional body parts.

The Kitchen.  Okay so it's not really running-related.  But at least you get to help relieve your pregnant wife of the gag reflex at the slightest odor of garlic.  Chopping and cooking food involves precision, patience and being in tune with your senses.  That's just like being in a sport, I suppose.  Oh and sometimes you also get wet.  Like, when you need to wash the dishes.  It also involves friction and resistance.  Not in a swimming pool, but like, with some stupid sauce blob that decided to solidify at the bottom of a pan.

Alright, I'm out of things to say.  I'm currently killing time waiting for my husband (I don't think he's supposed to run after work today) and I should be getting to cook in a bit.  Till the next post, guys. Take care.

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the ultramarathoner's would-be best friend

We love dogs.  We each have labradors (who are happy-dappy, but have gotten infused to our parent's laid-back outlook in life) we'd love to play with more often.  I miss having a dog to cuddle with so much, and I compensate by watching a lot of Animal Planet, specifically, Dogs 101.

That day, they were featuring the Rhodesian Ridgeback.  It's a large breed, very dignified in stature.  When the host said that it's a breed that some athletes look for, I just had to scream and call the hubby into the room.

Originally bred in Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe, they were used as hunting and protector dogs.  Specifically, to hunt for lions.  Which is why they're also called the Lion Dog or African Lion Hound.  Intense, yes.

The great thing about this dog is that its history lends itself well to its ability to run great distances (try 30 miles in a single clip) and sustain its energy even in extreme temperatures and varying terrain.  There are some athletes, runners specifically, who have these Ridgebacks as their running / training buddies.

Though they would happily live in big spaces with access to the great outdoors (like my hubby and his love for the trail), they also make good city dwellers for as long as they get an hour's exercise every day. The hubby says it wouldn't be a problem, as that's just like... 10 kilometers.  For him at least.

If we had one, it would be great.  Maybe we could even train it to be a support crew.

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so the hubby's not running TNF100

Remember the first time he asked for a really good reason to NOT run?  Well, apparently my concerns of him breaking a leg, falling or dying wasn't good enough.  It did though come to some point that I really did just want him to run, because I could feel that he really wanted to do it.

But then our little bean came into the picture.  So he's decided to give up his kit and not run this coming weekend.  

So the "I have to run TNF100 this year" goal is out for now.  Maybe next year.  The new goal is to do a sub-four in a marathon.  There are two coming up this June-July, and there's a 50k trail as well that's under consideration.  

But as of now, much of our excitement (as well as the grandparents-to-be) is on getting our bean healthy and well.   I'll have to get a nice chair for finish line waiting now.  Haha.

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on certificates, pregnancy and ziplines

Finishing a race, it's great to get a medal.  And it's really great to get a trophy.  Sometimes, you also get a finisher's certificate.  Having completed the Standard Chartered HK Marathon, the race kit says that they'll actually mail you an official certificate of achievement.  Isn't that way cool?  They'll actually go through all the effort of mailing stuff, no matter where you came from.  Well, I guess it would just be fair, since we flew to HK for it anyway.  But still.

And hello lookie what we got in the mail one day!

It actually looks really cool.  The paper is nice too.  Like, with full-on colored printing.  No scrimping on ink there.  Nice,  I would say.  But wait.  What's that?  Oh my glorious typographic God.

DID THEY JUST USE COMIC SANS?  They did!  Your name, for all the hardship of running through biting cold weather, breaking through and surviving with tens of thousands of runners - it is written in all capitalized glory of Comic Sans.  Ugh, I cannot express my utter hatred for this typeface.  I'm sorry Standard Chartered, the prestige just got bumped down by the use of the most loathed font by typegeeks around the world.

Okay, I will leave that now and go onto more uppity news.  We are pregnant!  Just a couple of weeks along.  Maybe a month.  As my cousin says, what a way to get out of running.  Haha.  I am now officially regressing my jogging program.  Also because I haven't done anything fitness-y for more than a week.  Which would probably make this kiddo a BDM baby.  Which would kind of dispel the belief that marathon and/or long-distance running would make it umm, harder.

Which brings me to the third subject of this post: there's a really cool trail run coming in July.  The TNF100 we're not actually sure if we're attending.  Well, Chips hasn't decided yet if he's to still run it or not.  A lot of sacrifices are going to be made in the next 9 months, and I really hate that it could hold back on the hubby's joy for trail running.

Anyway, the July trail run is in Cagayan De Oro, Mindanao.  It's so cool.  You get to run through pineapple fields and mountains.  More details are in TBR's blog.  The race is organized by a good running friend of Chips, which is also a motivation for us to go.

My original motivation was to get to try the zipline which is in the park where the finish line is.  It's actually the longest in Asia!  Isn't that totally awesome?!?  Oh the speedfreak in me is shaking with anticipation.  BUT THEN, I'm pregnant.  And well, I don't think they allow it.  DAMN.  Oh well.

So that's what's been happening so far.  I'm going to play Angry Birds now.

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him and me: statement shirts

HIM.

ME.

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