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.