My 2012 in a nutshell :D

In a few more hours, 2012 will be finally over. For me, it was a very remarkable year filled with ups and downs, happiness and sadness, glories and failures but most of all important lessons that forged me into a better person. It will never hurt sharing some of the things which I think made my 2012 a year to remember!

1. My first ever Did Not Finish! (actually I have two this year) which haunted me till today. I have to succumbed to insufficient fuel that led to major cramps and rapid weight loss. I thank my team who supported and helped me recover. But it remains a pain that I need to get off really soon...

2. Triple week Ultras - 2012 is my year of the ultras. Coming from a massive failure last January, I vowed to get stronger and wiser for the next edition of the race. I did ultras for 3 consecutive weekend, pushing myself to the limits and showing the world that it can be done!

3. WC 200 km - if my stint as a 3-weekend crazy ultramarathoner is not insane enough, I did 3 consecutive ultra distances in 3 days! It was an adventure of the lifetime as I journeyed from Subic Bay, Zambales to Alaminos, Pangasinan. Beautiful scenery yet very painful adventure! I like!

4. Australia trip - went back to Adelaide for a two-week project while doing left and right LSD. Experienced late sunsets while running at the beach! It was surreal! :D

5. LuzViMin Ultra - well, I love trilogies so I conquered the 3 major islands doing an Ultramarathon in them! Luzon - Fort Magsaysay 60 km, Visayas - I shall Return 50 km and Mindanao - CDO/Dahilayan 57 km. It's really more fun in the Philippines

6. Secret trips - I've been exploring a lot of places here in the Philippines under stealth which revealed a lot of beauty and stories in each place. Sample: Coron was a majestic place to be :D

7. First Century Trail Ultra - Amazing experience set in the far but beautiful place of Kayapa where I conquered Ugo again and the punishing trail towards the Ambasa watershed. Frozen, tired, wasak, etc. are a few words which described the aftermath. I don't care, the running man medal is all worth it :D

8. Hulk - bought my new pet which will help me cross the finishline this January. Hindi siya pangporma, his sole purpose is to become my support vehicle in my addiction.

9. Investments - build your future and invest your money in things that will make it grow! Started a few ones this year :D

10. Wenner - My team won the epic relay championship (men and mixed categories) after 2 years. Sweet revenge!!! :D

My 2012 is not complete without the help of my friends and family who shared the year with me. I want to thank you all for being there despite all the odds and even beyond happiness :). I wish all of you the best in the upcoming new year! :))

On the stroke of midnight, this year will be coming to a close. The new year will reveal itself marking a clean slate in our lives. For me, I'm excited for 2013. It will be a year of opportunities and changes! (No peeking) :))

Happy new year everyone! Stay safe and I wish you all the best in 2013 :))

2013 Ultra Schedule: Sanity Check

Sa mga adik na ayaw paawat ang mga paa sa pagtahak ng mga WALKING DISTANCES, ito ang schedule ng mga events nek yir (2013).

Events po ito nina Papi Jonel, Atty. Jon at Sir BR (Ipon-ipon na!):

2013 LIST OF ULTRA/TRAIL EVENTS

JANUARY
5-6 Fat Ass, Clark Field
26-27 BDM 160

FEBRUARY
10 BDM 102 Test Run: From BDM Km 50 to BDM Km 102
22-24 Hardcore Hundred Miles Trail-Kayapa (details)

MARCH
2-3 5th Bataan Death March 102 Ultra Marathon Race
31 2nd Mount Ugo Trail Marathon/Half Marathon http://frontrunnermagph.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/2nd-mount-ugo-trail-marathonhalf-marathon/

APRIL
6 Mt Mayon 360 50-Mile Ultra Marathon Race
13-14 2nd Marcos-Kennon 50-Mile Ultra Run (Rosario, La Union)
28 3rd Labor Day Coast to Coast 65k Ultra, Cebu

MAY
1 5th Tagaytay To Nasugbu 50K Ultra Run (T2N)
4 Batanes 50 Miles/21k
10-11 Western Pangasinan 65K Ultra Marathon Race (Sual to Bolinao)
25 2013 Four Lakes 100k/Old Spanish Trail 60k (details)

JUNE
12 1st Mt Tirad Pass 50K Ultra Run
14-16 Santander to Bogo 226k (Solo/Team of 4), Cebu
30 3rd Valley Trail Challenge, NUVALI

JULY
13-14 1st Negros Occidental 50-Mile Run (San Carlos City To Bacolod City)

AUGUST
3 2nd Burgos To Pagudpud 50K Ultra Run (Ilocos Norte) or Fort Magsaysay 60K Ultra Run
17 2013 I Shall Return 50k, Tacloban
24-25 1st Bataan Six-Peak Ultra Challenge

SEPTEMBER
14-15 PAU National Championship 110K/50K Ultra Race (Guimaras)
28 3rd Warrior 50k, Cebu

OCTOBER
12-13 Mt Pinatubo 100K/50K Trail Challenge
26 2nd Rock and Road Trail Marathon, NUVALI

NOVEMBER
1-3 2nd WEST COAST 200K Multi-Day Stage Run & 1st WEST COAST 200 Endurance Run (Single Stage)
9-10 2013 H1-Cebu (details) & B50 (details)
17 6th Tagaytay To Nasugbu 50K Ultra Run (T2N)
24 3rd Clark-Miyamit 50 Miles/60K

DECEMBER
1 1st Mt Pulag 50K Challenge
14-15 3rd Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run & 50-Mile Run

1st West Coast 200: Through Insanity and Miracles

West Coast 200 was a different breed of monster. It was a multi-day staged ultra that happened last Nov 1-4, 2012 from Remy Field, Subic to Hundred Islands, Lucap, Pangasinan. Out of 33 starters, only 29 crossed the finish line in this one of a kind race in the Philippines. It aims to replicate the multi-day adventure run done by Sir Jovie last year (the first time he was bitten by a dog) and shared the route with us ultra-addicts. How did I end up joining this @*#&#$%# fun run?!

THE BEGINNING

Everything started after BDM 160. I was still left thinking why the hell did I DNF'ed when Sir Jovie posted the invite for the event. Out of impulsiveness, I signed up and became the first runner to signify his intent in joining the maiden event. It took me at least 3 weeks to realize, what the HELL am I THINKING!? 200K, how the hell am I going to survive that. But alas, the dice has been rolled and I can't back-out anymore since I don't want to be labeled as a "Taklang Damulag". Then again, the thought haunted me for months!

One last run before the big day!

Training began as early as summer this year. I did B2B2B ultras to gain the necessary endurance for the race. I experimented with different formulas and techniques in surviving ultras; from doing it in self-support, introducing new supplements and post-race rituals. Heck, I even ventured into doing trail ultras to strengthen my core and quads! (if you can remember the Death by Ultra Summer and Rainy season series, this RACE is the reason why the hell I did those insane ordeals). But still I can't say I'm ready until raceday. Nobody knows if I'm really fit to do such a feat because of my disastrous experience in this year's BDM 160. Too late for that as race day was getting nearer everyday...

PRE-RACE

My battle plan was simple: 1. Get a decent support crew 2. Bring enough support food 3. Take it easy 4. Don't Panic. I was lucky enough to get Harry Duruin as my driver/support to help me in the race. I was not expecting anyone to join my support crew because the schedule was really messy as it conflicts with a National holiday. It was also his first time to support and I was so thankful on the patience and help that he provided all throughout.

We left Manila on October 31 early evening. We were not able to book any hotel because we arrived late in Subic. No choice but to sleep in the car and wait until the gunstart. We were feasted by mosquitoes plus the anxiety kicked-in early so I hardly got any sleep. I know it will be very difficult but the show must go on; we went to the starting line (Remy Field) at around 4 am to pick-up the bib and do our preparation.

I was surprised that there were 33 crazy ultrarunners who joined the event. It was nice to know that these guys and gals had set some of the time away from their family to join this maiden event. After prepping up we entered the field already and awaited for some final instructions from BR. At exactly 5:00 am, WC 200 had started!

The insane starters of the WC 200!

Day 1: Burn Baby Burn!

Day 1 covered Subic, Zambales to Botolan, Zambales (73 km). We exactly have 12 hours to complete the today's course which I thought was quite justifiable and attainable. The first part of this leg is quite familiar; it was the same route as the last 5 legs of the Epic Relay! 5 different people did that stretch till San Narciso and now it will only be a single-staged route for the WC addicts!

I know it was hilly on the first 3K as we left the gates of Subic. I tried to maintain a decent pace to conserve energy and still have the strength to continue on the succeeding legs. Harry was waiting for me at km 5 but I did not feel hungry nor thirsty yet because I brought along a Simple Hydration Bottle (ayan Tin may libre ka ng ads from me :))). So I signaled him to wait for me at km 10 and continue my run.

At km 15 after the support car issue

I was actually waiting for the support vehicle to go past me when I left him from the km 5 mark. 1 km...2 km... suddenly I became worried because the car didn't passed yet. I was surprised when one of the support crews told me the car wouldn't start. Damn! It still too early to get such a problem. I forgot to instruct him how to start the car properly. I rode the support car to go back to km 5 but luckily, I spotted my car passed us so I asked the driver to drop me off where I was picked up. That was a relief!

Back at the run, I sped up a little to talk to Harry and asked what happened. My hunch was correct that he didn't disarm the alarm before starting the engine. I've lost some time already but I'm determined to finish this so I sped up and try to catch up with the other runners.

I've maintain a good pace from km 5 to 35 with short stops to eat and drink from the support vehicle. I was able to catch up with Tin and TJ at around km 30. The sun was already up by that time and it was getting hotter. I switched to Galloway method (6:3) to conserve more energy while maintaining a good pace. I've maintained it until km 45 where the heat was really unbearable. No clouds, no rain and no wind... it spelled disaster for those who are not used to running under hot conditions. I found myself walking already as I don't want to suffer from a heatstroke.

At km 30, before the "banana" shot

Papi Jonel caught up with me during the long stretch of San Felipe. We chatted about the insanity, strategies and worries about the race. Papi was still strong as he continues to do a steady pace ahead of me. I tried to catch up but I don't want to burn up on day 1 so I just continued walking towards the next town.

Sobrang initttttt!!!

Harry already started doing the support every 3 km to survive the heat. I was getting bored with the usual food and drinks in the support car that I bought a few food along the way. I had some spanish bread and a bottle full of pineapple juice, refreshed my palate with the different flavor! At that point (i believe km 55), I felt something nasty on my left foot. So I just continued my power walk until we reach the boundary of Botolan.

Ubos na lakas! Dila na lang ang puhunan :))

On the last 5 km, the sea is already a spectacular view. I'm already tired of running and walking but the view distracted me. Upon reaching the Botolan bridge (soon to be jump-off point of Pinatubo 100 km next year), I started to gain some speed. I instructed Harry to go straight to the finish line already as I thought I can handle it from there. I ran the last 500 meters and finally, after 10 hours, 15 minutes of running I completed the first leg of the WC 200.

Last few kms before the finish line!

Landian sa Finish line (Day 1)

At the finish line, I sat down and had a short chat with the finishers and BR. I took my recovery drink and asked Harry to reserve the room already. We waited for Totoy to finish before we went our way to the hotel.

I also discovered I acquired a small blister on my left foot. uh-oh, this is bad. I still have 2 days left and this will make it more difficult...

We had our lunch/dinner at Inasal and went back to the hotel to catch some sleep. There is no time to socialize as we only have a few hours left before we start the 2nd day of hell!

DAY 2: Crossing the Borderline

We woke up at 3:40 am. #&$^%*$% nobody has set the alarm!!! Thank God I woke up at just the right time to prepare our stuff and start the race on time. We left the hotel at around 4:30 am, a few minutes after BR. I checked the blister under my foot, it's still a bit painful but bearable. I don't have a choice so I covered it up with leukoplast before wearing my shoes. It's too late to pop it out as it can spell disaster on that morning's run.

Upon arriving at the starting line, I had a chance to check with the other runners. Majority are still sleepy, some of them slept at the Poblacion in their tents. It was still dark when BR asked us to gather at the starting line to give his final instructions before gunstart. Before that, I would like to thank Judy for treating us with a superb lugaw! It was delicious and just enough to warm our stomach! Hindi makatarungan ang sarap! :D

Day 2: 32 na lang kami! :(

The route for that day was from Botolan, Zambales till Infanta, Pangasinan (71.5 km). BR described the route as full of uphells and downhells, rolling hills in between plus our friendly sun to fry us up. The cut-off was 14 hours so imagine how difficult the route was (weary runner + punishing course = wasak)?! But my goal is to finish earlier than the cut-off and enjoy a few hours of slack and rest.

The gun popped at 5 am and we were released from the starting line. I noticed that this time, the pace are slower compared to the 1st day. Probably everyone is still not recovered or are still weary from yesterday. I tried to pace with Alfie and Reynalynne for the first 20 km to cover as much as I can before the sun cook us up. Alas I can't do the same pacing as yesterday because as early as the 20th km, the route had hills already :(. No choice but to slow down and walk those darn uphells.

I caught up with Totoy at km 20 but I had to drop my pace at km 30. I noticed that I felt weak already! Plus the blister was painful at this point :(. The heat was not helping as well so I have to power walk and tried to survive until I reached the support vehicle.

Still strong at km 20!

Things turned from bad to worst because I was beginning to experience the same symptoms I had when I DNF'ed in BDM 160. I didn't want that to happen so I said to myself that I will have to rest and eat some solid food to recover in the next pit stop. And that's what I actually did.

With the Bigotilyong Aleman (walking the long uphill)

Alfie who ironically enjoyed the heat of the 2nd day!

Upon reaching km 35, I sat down and ask Harry to get the canned tuna paella and some softdrinks as I wanted to eat. Also Bob Castilla reached me while I was eating so I offered him some food and water before he left. I knew it will consume some of my time but I did the right thing. After that short stop, I felt refreshed so I continued my way to Candelaria, Zambales.

Harry Duruin, my reliable support/driver all throughout the race :D

Since it was really hot, I had a few stop overs to buy some halo-halo (I think I had 3). While resting and waiting, I talked to some of the locals and asked them about the place. They were surprised and called me insane for running from Botolan to Infanta. I just laughed at them and I knew that this is the same reaction I'll get when I told them my story (it was so hot that within 3 minutes, the ice in my halo-halo had melted already without even mixing it!)

Somewhere in km 45, near a burger joint

I was power-walking for 20 km to conserve strength and recover from the heat. As much as I wanted to run, I really can't as I still have one more day left in this epic race. I told that to Harry and he said he was getting bored! :)). I just tried to keep myself cool by dousing and pouring water all over my body to disperse the heat. I also felt my blister was getting bigger and another one has developed on the other foot :(

We've reached the town of Sta. Cruz at around 2 pm in the afternoon. I was already gaining my pace again but due to the trucks, I have to cut it off shortly. I had enough shares of trucks and motorist almost sideswiping me during the race! The distance for the km 63 pit-stop was too long and I saw Harry waiting for me in-front of a local videoke bar. He told me the legend of INPANTY (because of the old lady walking around in her undies) :)) and how near I am from the finish line. A few travelers (I think they came from Potipot) rolled down their windows and asked how long were we running. I told them "200K lang po" and I heard them curse and laugh before they left :))

At last, I've reached the Zambales-Pangasinan borderline. I really want to finish the leg so badly that I tried to ran and gain some speed when I saw the km 1 post. But it was wrong: I know that I have to pass a few more landmarks before the finishline. And what's more disappointing, there is another KM 1 post!!! Man, I'm so screwed so I gave up and continue power walking until I reached the cemetary. When I verified that the finish line is indeed really near, I jogged and ran; finally, after 11:23 hours I finished the 2nd leg of WC 200.

At the finish line, we've waited for CJ to arrive and compared notes with the rest of the finishers. They too found it difficult; with the route profile and hot weather. I took my recovery drink and removed my shoes to check on my blisters. They were BIG and PAINFUL so I planned to pop them out once we were at the hotel. CJ arrived already and after he recovered, we informed BR that we were leaving and searched for a place to stay.

Blisters galore!

I can't hardly walk because of the blisters but there were no pain on both legs. Fatigued but not painful which means I still have a good fighting chance to finish the darn race. But the blisters will be a huge roadblock as it stings every time I walked. Hay.

We didn't had anytime to go around and find a place to eat so we ordered some cup noodles and ate it up with the remaining pieces of bread from the car. I was so hungry but I had no choice as I can barely walk that night.

Our room in Sta. Cruz, Zambales!

CJ recovering?!

One more leg to go and TIME will be our number challenge...

Last Day: Of Miracles and Recovery

Finally, it was the last day. It would be a night run so we still have some time to rest and recover. I checked my blisters and still they are tender :(. I decided to pop and drain them already to promote healing before the race.

While waiting for the evening:

- We had breakfast at the INPANTY carinderia. It is where I discovered there was such a thing as Fried Chick (micro chicken) and Microporkchop that looks like a mini-cassette tape!
- Lunch at Mang Inasal for the NTH time. We told the tricycle driver to bring us to Chowking at the town plaza and he brought us to Mang Inasal! ("Dito po ang Chowking ay Mang Inasal"). Sakit sa ulo!
- Popped and drained my blisters! It was still stingy but I had no choice
- Brought some coconut juice after Totoy took all my supply during day 2
- Watched BAGETS! (JC Bonnin in the house!)
- some other random things in the hotel...

5:30 pm when we left the hotel and went back to the starting line. We had a short dinner of barbeque and rice before meeting up with the rest of the runners. BR informed us that instead of 7 pm, the race will start at 8 pm for a cooler weather. Well, that's fine with us as I had more chance to talk to my fellow runners and ask them about their experiences (inggit ako kina Papi sa kanilang tinuluyan...)

With Michael De Me... Papi Jonel :))

A few of the runners waiting for the gunstart

With the lovebirds...

The hardcore ultramen and woman!

The last leg will be from Infanta, Pangasinan to Lucap, Pangasinan (57 km). The finish line would be at the light house near the port of the boats going to the Hundred Islands. It was a night run so I expect the cooler temperature to be at my advantage. Though the TIME BARRIER still worried me, 10 hours to complete a 57 km run after doing 145 km in the past 2 days seems to be overkill. Plus I'm bothered about the blisters on both feet, that was the first time I experienced such in my ultra career.

We were released at exactly 8 pm. Oh, BR warned us about the dogs. I was expecting that they were leashed, I was so wrong! As early as km 5, stray dogs flock the road slowing us down to shove them off and avoid being bitten! Darn, those pups from BR's past run did became BIGGER! :))

The weather was cold alright; up to a point where I was already shivering! But it helped me maintain a good pace during the first half of the race. I never felt the fatigue on my way to Dasol, Pangasinan. Though I noticed each time I stopped at the support vehicle, the pain on the blisters are damn excruciating! I have no choice but to continue with the pain because I really wanted to finish the race!

Km 18, we were greeted with the family of RJ KnightRunner. They gave us water and sweet saba while taking our picture. It was great hearing them cheer for us as we continue our run in the darkness (thanks RJ!).

RJ's parents

Dasol Aid station!

I noticed that the route, should it be done in the daytime, is comparable to the 2nd day in terms of elevation profile. There were a lot of uphells and downhells with random dog attacks! I was busy focusing on my pace that I was quite surprised that I still have the energy to run those inclines in the darkness. It was a miracle!

When I reached km 35, I can feel the fatigue creeping up on my legs. At that point, I caught up with Jorell which was speeding on the first half as well. Good thing I had someone to pace with and get rid of the boredom in the darkness. Though I had to stop at km 46 because the blisters are getting unbearable, I asked him to go ahead.

Jorell resting!

Wasak na!

Man, both feet was aching because of the swollen blisters. Runners were already passing by but I really need to solve the blister problem. I wiped my feet dry and remove the moistures from my socks. I taped them again to prevent from getting bigger before I regain my pacing. It was another miracle as I was able to completely recover and set a fast pace despite what happened earlier!

Reached Alaminos junction at around 1:30 am and from that point I decided to power walk to recover. I wanted a strong finish plus I saw that long incline going to Lucap. I had Harry stopped by at km 53 to refill my water and eat a few bites before telling him to proceed to the finish line. From that point, I sped up and sprinted towards the finish line.

Dogs were barking and the end is still far but I really wanted to finish the race. I was hitting 4:30 mpk according to my Garmin. It is quite astounding for someone who's suffering from blister pain and acquired almost 200K already for the past 3 days! I never slowed down as I saw the flash from cameras taking pictures at the finish line. Every step was like coming from a fresh set of legs and at exactly 3:10 am of November 4, 2012, I finished the inaugural WC 200 multi-staged ultra in the country!

At the finish line! (ang itim ko!)

Runners with their awesome support crews

Happy Ultrarunners! (mga siraulo!)

Team Powerpuff Boys (Alfie 2nd over-all, Reynalynne ladies champion
Totoy 6th place, Yours truly 9th place)

1st WC 200 Ultra Finishers!

Award!

I ranked 9th out of 29 finishers (33 starters) which is an added bonus to this awesome feat! :D My total time is 29:xx:xx hours, sweet!

Ang mga Ungasis!!!

It took me a while to accept that I finished the race already even a couple of days after. You can see the post of my fellow runners who obviously still had hang-over from the epic adventure. Next year, BR plans to have a single staged race of the same route with a 36-hour cut-off. I'm still contemplating about it but who knows my crazy instincts will bring me to the starting line!

Till my next adventure! (lintek na BDM 160 yan, kung anu-ano na ginagawa ko para lang ma-distract sa iyo!)

Special thanks to:
Harry for the awesome support and driver in this insanity
Judy, Lyra, Running photographers, Jorell, Carl for the pictures
Sir Jovie for creating insane events and proving that such crazy runners will accept his challenges
God for the guidance and protection of all runners throughout the race (Praise the Lord!)


Race details can be found here

Death By Ultra Summer Series 2012

Summer was supposed to be filled with a lot of time under the sun, swimming by the beach or taking a long vacation somewhere far from the city. But not for me. I chose to do something different last summer. And it's been a long plan since I've had a (^%*$@%;%^ DNF (Did Not Finish) last January which jumpstarted this idea. Yes folks, I did 3 ultra events for 3 consecutive weeks (dafuq?!).

Why the hell did I do it? First, I need to get stronger. My DNF in the previous BDM 160 was a mess that forever scarred my career. I want to release all of the frustrations by becoming stronger in the ultra distances.  It tick off a switch in my head that I need to train hard for me to be better next year!

Second, I want to prove that it is really doable. Dean Karnaze have done consecutive ultras for 45 days. I saw Papi Jonel did it when he was raising funds for the storm victims last year (4 consecutive weekends). Then why can't I? 3 ultras should be bearable if you use the right formula :)

Third, I just want to explore and enjoy summer. It's a weird way to spend one but I want to visit different places --- on foot!

Episode I: Bohol Ultramarathon (80K)

First stop would be the ultra from bohol. Organized by the Cebu Ultrarunning Club, the race will start from Panglao Beach and ends at the Chocolate Hills. It's my 2nd 50-miler race and also my first time to be in Bohol so I was really excited with this race. Also, Rodel Cuaton aka Argo will be joining here as part of his vacation.

The gunstart was exactly done at midnight. I have no idea on the total number of participants but I guess it's around 150++. The first part of the race was flat as we cruise thru the Panglao area towards the city. It was relatively flat and I was pacing with Raffy and Ambo during this time towards the darkness.

The rolling hills started as we approached the city proper (20+ km) then became flat as we head towards the Loboc area. We were running with the sea at our side though I was not able to appreciate it since it was really dark. I ran out of water as I approach km 42 so I really slowed down to conserve energy. Refilled at the aid station, I continued my run-walk strategy towards km 50 where a light breakfast was served.

I think km 50 is at the Loboc town proper if I'm not mistaken. From here, the road started to go uphells like the ones in Tanay only nastier. The sun had already peeked and the heat starts to rise. I have to conserve my energy for the last 50 km since the roads were all ascending. It was tough because I felt fatigued already though I knew I need to sustain my pace. And so I did a lot of walking...

I was actually refreshed when I reached the man-made forest (around km 61-63). It was actually cool and refreshing! Plus I was so awed and amazed on the work they did to establish such a place. It was a bit dark since the trees covered the forest floor and the fresh air was really revitalizing! Too bad I only had a short time in that place as I continued my journey to finish the race.

The last 10 km was a killer! It was flat and hot already! I can feel the pain in my feet! Though I was saved by the aid station that the UNGO running club had set-up. If only I was not chasing after the time, I would had stayed a little longer and enjoyed a sip of Tuba (coconut wine) with matching pulutans! :))

As I approach Carmen, I saw the legendary hills that I only see in postcards and pictures. It was stunning! It made me picked up a decent pace to jog the last few meters of the race. Turned-right towards the viewing deck, the last 300-400 meters were SHOTGUN-level ascend but since I know I'm near the finish line, I ran. After a few minutes I finally nailed the first leg!

We had a big lunch at the finish line before we headed out to a buffet dinner at the Loboc River (waited for Jumbo Argo to arrive at the finish line). I observed my legs and noticed that though I had soreness around the calf area and pain in the ball of my foot, I'm still strong.

That's good news because I only had roughly 6 days to recover for the insane 2nd leg...

(to be continued)

Episode II: Four Lakes 100 km Trail Ultra

Exactly 5 days after that escapade in Bohol, I started my journey up north to run my first 100K Trail Ultra. The Four Lakes 100 km Trail Ultramarathon is a signature route of our beloved Michael De Mesa Jonel Mendoza in the settings of Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. I've done the 42K Trail Marathon here last April 1 (the April fool's marathon) so I'm quite familiar with some parts of the route plus I did enjoy the scenery and challenges this route has to offer.

We had a 6 hours trip to Baguio and 3.5 hours trip down to the municipal hall of Kayapa. We were greeted by the usual suspects (I was looking for BR) and a few new faces. A briefing was conducted shortly then a usual photo ops before we proceeded to the inn (the same inn where we stayed before). We had an early dinner of pansit, fried chicken and tons of extra rice (carbo loading) before we went to our room to rest and sleep.

We woke up at exactly 230 am. I prepared my stuff already and drop bags the night before. I took the freezing water bath (#&$*#&$% ginaw!!!) to refresh myself before I wore my gear. At the starting line, a short ceremony was done and we were released at exactly 4:30 am.

The first 24 kms was the same route as the marathon before. Though this time I had brought a trekking pole to aid me in the uphells and had to start slower to conserve the energy for the rest of the race. The route is still beautiful; now there were no dense fog and the sun is actually shining brightly. The mountainside is very beautiful and you can see some of the peaks peeking like islands on a sea of fog :).

I reached the baseline of Ugo in 3 hours. Same elevation, same #&*$*%&$ difficulty of climb. Upon reaching the summit, I asked the marshall to take my picture before heading down towards the Old Spanish Trail. This route is quite interesting because it was really narrow (single track) and one wrong step will send you rolling down the steep mountainside. I had a few close call because I was always checking my pace and time; thankfully I didn't fall or had a major accident.

At the end of the trail is a steep downhill where some of the marker flags were missing. I think we've lost 20 minutes here looking for the right path. Major Ron and Doc Toto had caught up with me here so I had some companions throughout the race.

Finally, we found the right trail! We ran towards the Kayapa Market Proper where the 3rd aid station and get our first drop bags. There was a feast of breads, eggs, hot noodle soup and even halo-halo to refuel. My good friend "Red Horse Runner" Rey Jimenez was the marshall in this station. I took some time to rest and eat up because we still have a long way to go before the next major aid station. Also, Rey warned us about the upcoming route: It's pure uphell!

At first I didn't pay any attention of what Rey mentioned. He must be kidding. But I took back my words, after the long hanging bridge, the #&$*%$&% route was a MAJOR UPHELL! No kidding! It's probably around 30-40 degrees incline of pure uphell. At this point, I can feel the cramps on my quads were already acting up. Since I'm with Major and Doc Toto, we agreed not to attack the hills and took time to reach the top.

That was the longest uphell of my life. Imagine, every 100 meters we have to rest and catch our breaths! Then we saw ate Che Bihag, cruising thru the uphills as if she was walking in a park! Life is so unfair! We were so chicked!

Anyway, it was good to know that the actual distance (5 km) was only 3 km before we reach a minor aid station. The Amelong Labeng Barangay hall served the sweetest sweet potatoes that I've ever tasted! We refilled our water bags here before heading towards the next landmark. It was actually around noon so it was a hot already.

Towards the next landmark, we have to traverse a wide dirt road. It was wide enough for a truck to pass thru though it was muddy. We call this trail as PAASA (paasa na sa susunod na liko, peak na!). It was a winding path where we felt like were circling the mountain! At this point, my cramps were becoming worst as it  attacks almost every 15 minutes. After a while, we were able to reach the summit. We were not really sure if there was a marshall at the actual cell site so we went near it just to found out that there are none. Better safe than sure!

I had applied some liniments on my quads and thighs already to recover from the cramps. It helped for a while as I was able to jog a couple of times going down the summit. I also remembered somewhere waiting for Major Ron to catch up with us so I had the liberty of lying down the grass fields to take some rest. It was actually funny because I almost dozed off to sleep :))

When Major arrived we continued our run-walk towards the highway. I had already consumed all of my water around 2-3 km away from the aid station so I was in panic mode. Damn, it was already hot and after a while, we were in the highway. We started to jog towards the Castillo Aid station (km 54) to refill and rest. I was already contemplating of downgrading to 60 km already at that point. The cramps and mental demon were too much but thanks to Doc Toto, he pushed me and did not let me quit. We took our time to rest and eat at that station. One by one, runners are popping out of the trail and joined us while we rest. A envy those who did 60K as they only had 6 km left and they will be done with their agony. After 20 minutes, we continued our trek towards the remaining part of the race...

The next landmark would be our first lake. And the inclines were again, killers! Why the hell would a lake be on top of a mountain #*$($*%#. I have no choice but to continue as we want to at least have a decent pictures while there is still some sunlight. It was a nice sight because a fog was on top of the Buaca lake. Talk about creepiness!

I noticed that the cramps were already gone and I think I'm on my way to recovery :). It was a good sign!

The second lake can be found at the bottom of a huge mountain wall. I swear it was so steep that one wrong move will make you tumble to your death. And a #&$*%(% kalabaw was blocking our way down! We managed to cross alive and trekked towards the Dayap school (which has #&*$&%$ incline again) which is km. 62. It was already dark so we wore our headlamps again and re-fueled big time!

The next landmark we need to cover would be the twin Nayao lakes which unfortunately we were not able to see since it was night already. The path was rocky and rolling, I swear it was the longest 12 km of my life! In between the route, we rested in a waiting shed for a few minutes while Doc Toto was recording a short video to document our experience.

There were sections in this route which is very creepy and you don't want to be stuck without lights. There were killer inclines, eroding edges and even a short river crossing. There was supposed to be a waterfall somewhere in the forest, we heard it but we can't see it because it was too dark. At the end of it is the Banaw school where Isko was waiting to serve us some hot soup, milo and iced tea! I was already too tired at this point and I requested him if I can doze off for a few minutes before heading out again. I did while being covered in a blanket near a fireplace! It was heaven for me as it helped me regain some energy. By the way, at this point, it was very very cold that we need to keep on moving to avoid freezing to death.

After 30 minutes, we started our journey back to the Dayap school. It was almost midnight and I was estimating what time should we be back in order to beat the cut-off. It was a long run - trek with us having short rests in between to recover. I even tripped on our way back since I stepped on a loose rock! I felt the wound in my knees and was scared that I was injured. I tried to walk to see if I was injured and after a few steps the pain went away. I'm too close to finishing this race to quit!

After 3.5 hours, we were back in the Dayap school. Again we re-fueled and refilled our water bags before we set out to the next aid station. It was rather a short run/walk when we reached the City border where I finally got my last drop bag which contains my secret weapon. It was the energy drink the yaya ambow gave me before I went to Kayapa. I took a few shots and gave doc some. I felt an energy rush so without further adieu, we started our way towards the mossy forest again. I swear I feel so refreshed after a while and I was able to climb that mossy forest in a very fast pace!

Last 8 km. We reached Bundao at exactly 630 am in the morning. The energy drink effect was slowly wearing away so we tried to jog it off a bit. A huge skin chaffing has built up in my thighs making it hard to run or even jog. I really just wanted to finish the race so I lived thru the pain and trekked the downhills. It was the same last part of the previous marathon so I know it was very near. I began counting down the remaining distance until the last 500 meters.

At last, after a grueling 29++ hours, I finally crossed that darn finish line! Man I cried when I finished because I can't believe how I survived that ordeal. I was even speechless in happiness and fulfillment. But what mattered most is I am done and I got that kick-ass running man medal! And that marked my first century trail ultramarathon.,

I have one more race scheduled and the last one is another hardcore trail route...

Episode III: Taklang Damulag 50K
(to be continued)

Epic Tips for an Epic Race

Your team signed-up for a grand adventure of a lifetime. But are you really ready? Here are some of my tips on how to survive the epic relay:

1. You are a team - Yes, you will run your individual legs but at the end of the day, it's a team race. Hence, be responsible with your teammates, try to extend help whenever they need you and cheer them up as they approach the exchange points :)
2. Distribute your strength across the legs - You have 3 legs to accomplish. If you push too much on the first leg, you might burn-out on the 2 other legs. Know when to conserve and do an all-out sprint :)
3. Bring something to entertain yourself - You have approximately 3-4 hours before your next run so better bring something to entertain yourself while wating
4. Powernap - SLEEP will be a luxury during the race so make sure you rest in between legs. It will help you recover as well :)
5. Extra clothes - the van will be really smelly after a few of your legs. Bring extra clothes to freshen you up on your next leg
6. OBEY THE RULES - As much as possible, PLEASE ABIDE by the RACE BIBLE. Penalties are costly especially if you're gunning for a personal best
7. Support Crew - They are very valuable especially when you are tired and low morale. Treat them right during the race and brief them properly regarding the do's and don'ts of the race.
8. Food - Food is scarce throughout the race so make sure you packed plenty before starting
9. Heat Training - part of the race is Bataan. And you've heard about the BDM right? The summer heat here is unbearable for runners so I advise you to really gear up for the heat. Douse yourself with water and bring a lot of hydration
10. Be very vigilant - last time there was a runner sideswiped during the race. Do the BR rule of running against traffic and be extra careful especially at night. DOGS will be all-over the 2nd leg of the race :(
11. Document everything - Bring cameras! Take a lot of pictures and videos. Minsan lang to. If you can share it via a blog, do it! Immortalize your experience! :)
12. Thank God - At the end of the race, offer a short prayer to the Lord and thank Him for this opportunity to do an EPIC adventure!

Tomorrow will be a big day for all of us running through Bataan, Zambales and Subic!  Good luck to all the teams and remember to have FUN! :D

 See you at the starting line.

2nd year Ultra Anniversary

Today marks my 2nd year Ultramarathon Anniversary :D. So far, here are the adventures I did for the past 2 years:

Tanay 50K (May 2010)

Pasuquin to Pagudpud 70K (August 2010)

1st Pinatubo 50K (October 2010)

2010 1st BDM 102 Test Run (January 2011)

2010 2nd BDM 102 Test Run (February 2011)

2011 BDM 102 (March 2011)

Dahilayan 57K (July 2011)

Fort Magsaysay 60K (July 2011)

Cocos to Sual 65K (August 2011)

2nd Pinatubo 50K (September 2011)

Ambuklao to Radar 50K (October 2011)

Miyamit 60k/50 miler (November 2011)

BDM 160 (January 2012) - fail! :(

2012 BDM 102 (March 2012)

2nd Tanay 50K (March 2012)

Mayon 360 (April 2012)

That's 16 Ultramarathon in my book! Geez, ang dami na pala :)). Looking forward for more races in the future :D

1st Mt. Ugo Trail Marathon

Official Race Logo (c/o Atty. Jon's blog)

This was one of my most awaited trail run for 2012. Based on the post from Papi Jonel's blog, it will offer a challenge and a "cool" change to the usual trail runs that we had in the past. Also I joined the race to see if the 100 km King of the Mountain Trail in May is really doable within the 30 hours cut-off. Did it meet my expectations? Here's a recap of my experience.

PRELUDE:

We went to Kayapa (March 31, 2012) from Baguio. Sir Ron invited us for breakfast and "test" run in his playground in PMA which will serve as our warm-up and conditioning run before the event on Sunday. We left Baguio at around 1:30 pm on a "bullet-van" (i wonder how they train to drive that fast even with the tight turns on the hi-way).

We reached Kayapa town proper at around 4:30 pm. It was really a peaceful town with only minimal stores and almost 0 city luxury at the center (very weak Globe signal, no internet, no Jollibee :))). We were late for the briefing but we were able to get our racekits from Papi as soon as we arrived at the municipal center. The usual suspects were there as well meaning this will be one hell of a trail run :).

We checked in at Boulevard Inn which is a stone-throw away from the starting line. It also has a resto where we had our late lunch. It offers cooked meals for a very affordable price (pansit for 3-4 person @ P85?!) which filled us up to gut. The innkeeper was quite irrate probably because of the sudden rush of guests which kept on asking her about the rooms + the volume of orders from the eatery (we understood her position :))).

The rooms were simple - Bed and Mirror. No TV, No Hot water, No fuzz from a city inn. We're very fine with this as we were there to race and enjoy the peace and quiet for the weekend. Since there were nothing to do, we decided to sleep early that night at around 8 pm (I think that was the earliest sleep I had in years!).

RACE DAY (Km 0-10)

We went to the starting line at around 3:30 am. We checked-in our stuff, stretched, had a short talk, did some photo-ops and waited for the gunstart. Sir Jovie (BaldRunner) led the Philippine national anthem while Papi Jonel did the prayer. After the short program, the horn sounded at exactly 430 am and we were off to start the race.

The first few kms was thru a highway leading to the trail entrance. It was all uphill! I considered saving off my strength for the later climb and decided to do a jog-walk strategy. My body still needs to warm-up so whenever the path becomes a bit flat, I tried to run. It was really dark and I was thankful that there were no vehicles speeding up that time. We practically own the highway :D.

After 5 kms, we reached the entry point to the first barangay. The calve-eating slope doesn't stop there; the inclines were very steep and slippery due to the rain! It was also muddy, so I guess there will be no running for me in this part of the course :)

At km 7, dawn has already broken and I've reached the mossy forest. It was like running in the middle of the jungle with only the birds and bugs as your background music. It was purely green with a one-lane track which is adjacent to a ravine. I can't see the bottom because of the fog and I never want to find out what will happen if I fall to it. Running thru this part of the route requires caution as well because some of the path are mossy and slippery, one wrong move and you might end up in the bottomless pit! :D

Also at this point, I realized that my hands were already freezing. I can't move them (it seems that blood was no longer circulating) and they were already pale! I stretched and rubbed them to recover their color. Good thing I brought the gloves with me so I wore them to keep my hands warm. Talk about fashion statement wtf :))

Km 11-23 (Summit)

I reached the end of the mossy forest and reached the Andupit junction at around 1:15 mins. The area was full of fog and I thought I was inside the time space warp of Shaider! I'm just waiting for a monster to come out of nowhere :)) From there, I did a leisure jog going to the first aid station at the Bundao waiting shed where I had a few bite from a granola bar and gulp down some Mountain Dew.

From the aid station, I traveled 5 km going to the next pit stop. The path leaving the aid station was like a man-made japanese garden with plants guiding the path. I thought we were entering someone else garden; who would have thought that such a place exists in the mountain. Also, it was quite windy here plus the road has a lot of ascend and really slippery. The wind here was so strong that there was an instance that it almost blew my cap off! This caused me to accidentally slip from the rocks and stumble knee-first on the hard surface! I thought I was going to roll-over, thankfully I was able to prevent it. I assessed my knees (I can't see if I was wounded during that time because I wore tights) as it was painful; I decided to continue on the race and ignore the pain since I still have a lot of trail to cover.

I've passed thru the Ansipsip waiting shed and went thru the trail going to the Domolpos village. I passed by Philippe and his companion here while climbing over a fence along the trail. James Telias was already on his way back when I met him and advised me that there will be an intersection where I need to look to my left to see the yellow flag marker. From here, I passed by a fence which were covered by strange colored moss (big ones!) which I thought was pretty cool.

I reached the 2nd aid station at the Domolpos waiting shed. Here, I met sir Romy Doctolero changing his outfit for the ascend to the summit. I popped an anti-fatigue pill here and load up some carbs before I continued my journey to the summit. It was a looongggg walk/run from the aid station to the base of the summit. I was expecting a lot of uphill but surprisingly, the route was rolling with of course majority uphill! Here I meet Jael who was lost in the Domolpos intersection. He's strong as he was lost by around 5 km and yet he had already reached me. He almost fell to the ravine while overtaking me; good thing that I was able to catch him! I let him pass thru as he was breezing thru the trails.

At the base of the summit, BoyP has already reached me. It was damn hard! The ascent was indeed a killer (plus the thin air and fatigue) which caused me to stop often and catch my breath. It was around 2 km of pure killer uphill passing thru a few fences and a small forest where the notorious limatiks are abundant. I didn't experience any but I hate it when I do. I also met Jones Mortega here who had some massive cramp attacks.

After 30-40 minutes of cursing and walking, a familiar voice greeted me at the summit. It was Isko Lapira who designed the route for the race. I was really cursing him for the challenging trail :)). Too bad it was foggy at the summit, I didn't get to see the wonderful view of the surrounding mountain area :(. After taking our pictures at the peak marker, we started our long journey back to where we came from.

@#$#$@$@# ascent to the peak!!! (c/o Jake Manzano)

Very Nice View!!! (c/o Mam Trace)

 

Km 23 - 32 (Back to Bundao)

The trail back to the Domolpos aid station was shorter. We took the shorter but quad-killing route. There was a time when the fog cleared up a little and finally we had a short peek of the wonderful view of Pangasinan from the summit. It was so surreal and beautiful even though it was short. But I realized that time was still ticking so I decided to speed up on the descend.

Back at the Domolpos waiting shed, I passed by a few other runners who are still on their way to the peak. I ate some granola, chocolate and drank some gatorade as the road back would be a long one. The pain on the knees was gone so I was able to regain my speed. On the way back, I passed by the village of Domolpos where I met some of the local wild pigs and dogs. And I thought that all the uphills were already done but no, the road from Domolpos going back to the intersection is far from a walk in the park! Again I was cursing as we were climbing the trail, good thing I was able to recharge or I'll have a hard time.

When we were back at the intersection, we had a short confusion and debate. There were multiple markers! I know that one of them will bring us back to the Domolpos waiting shed while the other to the finish line. Trusting my instinct, I told my companions that we take the left road as the other one will only make us lost. We did the right decision and after one hour, I was back at the Bundao waiting shed!

Km 32 - Finish Line

Run to the finish line! (c/o Ysmael Ilagan)

Looking at the Garmin, the distance was already around 32 km. If we are going to use the old path, it will be another 12 km thus the total race distance would be 44 km! I thought Jonel would give us a bonus 2 km but upon reaching the Ansipsip junction, the marker led us to another route away from the mossy forest. The trail here was pure descending. Sharp downhills with muddy/slippery trail! I have to control my pace here because I might tumble down to the "bottomless" ravine :)). There were fences again along the route which I climbed to continue.

The last aid station was positioned in the last 5 km mark. Finally, there was gatorade! The marshall told me that I'm almost near the finish line and majority of the remaining trail are all downhill. Downhill with a lot of mud! :))

As I near the village, I was building my pace for a strong finish. I passed by some kids to which I left my remaining trail food (to lighten up my load). There was a waterfall but I decided to go thru the hanging bridge as I don't want to get my feet wet (it was freezing cold!). Sped up the last km only to have my pace broken by a ##$@#$@#$ uphill road :)). At last, after 7 hours and 28 minutes I crossed the finish line strong!

After the race I ate my food and ordered some beers to socialize with my fellow finishers. We were exchanging our own stories about the race and had a common point: It's the most beautiful trail marathon that we had ever joined in! :D

Kagat Medal moment (c/o Rocket Bong)

Post-Race Eklat

I was a beautiful race. Despite the hard weather and difficult route, the experience and scenery would make it a bang for your buck race anytime! I really had a good time travelling with the rest of the ultra adiks to join such a trail race. Also, I believe that I made history by merely being part of the pioneer edition.

Although the story doesn't end here yet. There is an ultra edition of this race this coming May (66k and 100K) which will extend the route to the 4 lakes and beyond Ugo. I've already signed up as I know it will be another challenging yet amazing race along the beautiful route in the mountains.

Congrats Papi Jonel for a very successful race! Again, you made the adiks fulfilled with their craving for pain :D

Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera during the race so I'm sharing the pictures from my fellow runners (Thanks Jake Manzano, Trace Abella-Pineda, Sir Jovie and Bong Alindada for the pics!)

The fence with a lot of strange moss! (c/o mam trace)

After Bundao? (c/o mam trace)

Runners ascending the summit (c/o RocketBong)

Wild Pigs! (c/o RocketBong)