From time to time, we get an invite to help support various campaigns that have a worthwhile cause. As responsible citizens, we all need to lend a helping hand for such pursuits, because we’re all in this together, as the saying goes.
So it is with all seriousness that I’m posting about this upcoming event that everyone, and I mean everyone, not just runners or cause-oriented groups, should support.
Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) launches KaRUNungan 2010, which aims to help generate awareness and support for the continued resource and learning gaps in the Philippine education system. The funds it will raise through this campaign will be used to produce instructional shows in English, Science and Math, using “virtual” teachers on air. KCFI wishes to help the majority of elementary and high school students, who are still unable to attain adequate mastery of their lessons.
Through KaRUNungan 2010 and various running events, KCFI enjoins the growingFilipino community of runners to champion the cause of Philippine education, and give Filipino students their second wind that will help them reach the finish line. As KaRUNungan 2010′s theme says, “Every Learner, A Finisher.”
Karunungan 2010 Manila will be held on November 28 at the Meralco Compound in Ortigas. A total of 5,000 runners are expected to join the event.
For more info (race fees/prizes, routemaps, etc.) visit Knowledge Channel or contact Nicole Garingan at (632) 910-2131
Trade in your old pair and in exchange of your old athletic shoes, get:
a: Php500 OFF your new purchase worth Php1,500 – P3,499
b. Php1000 OFF your new purchase worth Php3,500 and up
More details, including a list of participating Adidas Stores, can be found here.
I guess its time to snatch those Adizeros I’ve been meaning to get for the longest time! No more thick soles for me. From now on, its just flats, the lighter the better!
This offer is only good till October 31, 2010!
Excuse me, while I say goodbye to an old pair of Adis…
This past year, I have come to a lot of realizations in my “young” running “career.” First off, I know I am not fast. Secondly, I don’t have the power to keep up with other runners. Lastly, I don’t think I’m at a point where I am serious enough to dedicate most of my waking hours to this dreadful task of endlessly putting one foot ahead of the other to get to the same location one started from in the first place.
Of course there was a time, early on, when I thought I could run fast and far, and be among those runners who beat their own records, run in good form, or even look their best as they crossed the finish line.
The sad reality was, the small progress I had made with regards to speed slowly waned; and my usual long mileage gradually decreased over time; compounded by an uneven smile trying to hide my dog-tired face whenever I make it to the end of the race, physically in one piece but internally torn apart into many inconsequential little bits of living matter.
I also invested in the heavy stuff: a couple of pairs of mid-priced running shoes; compression shorts; good socks and dry-fit jerseys; a hydration belt; and a Garmin to track my mileage and monitor my heart-rate. But toys like these don’t help in maintaining a consistent level of eagerness for the job at hand.
Lately also, I’ve noticed how much disinterest I’ve had with regards to race events, even if I can still sense a little spark of excitement inside me. Alas, that little spark isn’t enough to convince me to register and part with a considerable amount of money, in exchange for a ratty sando, a hastily printed race bib, and the chore of waking up at an ungodly hour to get to the race venue.
Recently, the thought of sharing road space with 5,000 other runners scares the hell out of me. Not that I’m selfish with my space, but I just don’t like going with the flow of everyone else. Makes me think that its all for show.
Maybe I just don’t like crowds. Or maybe I’m just in a phase where I could care less.
Ironically, I still do run. On my own. Out and around my neighborhood. Or around U.P. on Sundays. But I do it on my own time. Like 7-8am on weekdays, and 10am-12noon on Sundays.
I’m putting on my own mileage. I’m not following any strict rules or training regimen. I don’t care if gets me nowhere. I don’t even believe it’ll get me somewhere.
Friends in the running community sometimes ask when I’m going to join them for LSDs and race events. One even asked when I’m going to run again.
But I still run. At least I try to. And when I get tired, I walk. When I don’t feel like running, I don’t force it. And it makes me grouchy.
For me, what matters most now is the fact that I can still run — whether slow or quick.
Its not about the time or distance anymore. Its not about the singlet or finisher’s shirt or freebies in the lootbag. Its not about the race quality, nor the route and the number of water stations.
Before, I found all these things exciting, enough for me to sign up and register and try my best against others. But then I found myself imprisoned by my expectations of a good run: expectations that may have been formed by others, by the things I’ve read or seen, and other external factors.
I didn’t want running to become a chore or a goal. I wanted it to remain fun. For me, I find more joy in the actual run than the end of it. Sometimes, I don’t run as fast as I can just so I can keep running longer, does that make sense? My fear kasi is once I cross the finish line, that’s the end of it.
On the other hand, I don’t relish the idea of running for more than 2 hours. I run away from both speed and distance. So what have I got left?
Maybe that’s why this past year, I’ve decided to shun the longer distance, only because I find I can have the same satisfaction in the 5k and 10k.
Who knows? Maybe sometime in the future, I can run just as good and as far as everybody else. I’m not discounting the possibility that I can even become better at this running thing. Eventually, I may be able to surmount the invisible obstacles that I have set for myself at this time.
I’d like to take the slow and easy route when it comes to running. Maybe its because I still want to enjoy it, to make it a leisurely activity instead of a committed sport.
Running for me started as a truly fun and enjoyable sport, shared with other runners who were equally filled with good vibes and a wholesome fun spirit.
Maybe I just miss those days. I surely miss those guys.
So right now, I don’t consider myself a runner. I sometimes even cringe at being called a “runner.” I’m not being humble, nor am I being too modest.
I just want it to be clearly stated that I am not a runner.
Yet.
I’m not a runner.
I don’t enjoy avoiding landmines and dog poo.
I don’t enjoy breathing heavy like a pregnant walrus.
Missed the Takbo.ph RunFest due to a family emergency. I was set to run the 10k that Sunday, to celebrate running and my recent milestone of breaching my 1,000-km personal mileage, but something happened that was more important.
My mother-in-law passed away the day before the RunFest.
Sometimes, we only think about the present, and that’s a good thing, especially during a long run. Sometimes, we also look forward. We think about our form while running. We think of each step that our legs make. We consciously look ahead to our running route, whether pre-planned or spontaneous. We always try to anticipate what will come next, whether after an arduous hill climb or a blind corner.
But the passing of a person, a loved one, usually follows no schedule. It doesn’t let you do your thing first before doing its own thing. Death has a life of its own, if you really think about it. What it makes the living do is stop everything they’re doing. It encourages everyone to put everything on hold, to remember the person who passed away. Who cares if you’ve got a race? Who cares if you’re logging more miles? Who cares if you’ve got a new PR?
Then again, this past year has been full of challenges and sacrifices. Not only for my family, but also for me on a personal level. I’ve left and forgotten most of the details with every kilometer I’ve run since last year, when my mother-in-law had to be rushed to the ER due to respiratory failure.
But now that she’s free from this mortal life, she is now free to do as she wish, to live beyond the limits of her physical body. This event has also freed us, her family, from fear, anxiety, despair and a little bit of loneliness. Now we know that she is truly happy, in a happy place, where she always wanted to be.
A friend sent an SMS to me during the wake, asking how I was. My only reply was:
“I wish I could run long and far, until I could feel something else aching, instead of feeling nothing but infinite sadness.”
I’ve forgotton all about my 1,000-km milestone. But I will remember my mother-in-law each time I look back at breaching that mark.
