The North Face 100 Philippines 2016 - Regrets?

Congratulations to all who dared and joined The North Face 100 last weekend. Whether you finished or not, you proved your mettle and challenged your limits. It was fun seeing you guys suffer. hehehe

50 km runners raring to go

A Day With the Philippine Orienteers

(This very late post is brought to us by procrastination.org, world's leader in not getting things done.)

I saw an invitation at work for an orienteering event hosted by the Philippine Orienteers. I got curious because this was the first I've heard of the group. Checking what was online, I realized this was the same people who sort of got in touch with us a few months ago asking about the orienteering scene in the Philippines. Nothing much happened there, so I thought things fizzled out.

Turns out, the club was well and alive. The event that I joined two Sundays ago was already their third since November. Their dedication to the sport is admirable, indeed.

Cycling Training for a Run Event

I put it in my mind to join The North Face 100 this coming May, just for fun. I've thought about finally doing the 100-km distance, but that's just crazy for someone as unprepared as I. So 50 km is the most that I'd do.

The thing is, I really don't get the chance to do any legitimate run training. Sure, I get to run at least twice a week, but that's really pathetic. What I do get to do is bike.

Two Saturdays ago, our planned rock climb trip got cancelled. So instead of wasting a good Saturday, I got duped into riding with Daddy-o, Princess, LA, and a few other well-biked individuals. The route taken was a miserable uphill road passing throuhg Monterey Village, AFP Village, and Maarat. I can't say that I didn't enjoy the ride, but definitely it was painful while I was pedaling. A testament to my lack of long ride is the newly-burnt tan line on my arms.

Then this weekend, I went to SBMA on a marshaling gig at the Ironman 70.3. I ditched my pick-up truck, took my bike and rode the bus. I was supposed to get off inside SBMA, but the bus I rode didn't pass through the freeport. Instead, I had to pedal my way from Olongapo City up to Subic Homes in Binictican. A good 9 kilometers. A meager distance, unless you lack sleep and nursing a neck crick.

The section I handled was close to the start/finish line of the run. The bike came in handy when going back and forth to check on the marshals and racers. It was a bitterly hot day for triathlon. I was glad I wasn't one of the poor racers on the road.

The race finally finished mid-afternoon. Back at the hotel, I found my face, especially my nose, all sunburnt. Didn't participate, but I had the same facial results.

I have to find a way to start running, or my chances of doing the ultra will be gone.

Not Getting (too) Lost at the 3rd MIT-MC Orienteering Competition

Friday - Two days into the event, my original teammate told me he can't join the race. I had to scramble and find an alternate, but actually I only had one person in mind. Daddy-o was my partner almost seven years ago in the second run of this competition, which we didn't finish because of a misread in the map (it still stings from time to time). This would be a perfect chance to redeem ourselves. Daddy-o was initially reluctant but said yes anyway.

Team Lagalag-UPM (photo: MIT-MC)

Sunday - It was a cold morning. The roads are wet, so there's a big chance that the race course would be muddy. The starting line was at the Base Kamp Riders Pit Stop. A lot of new faces and some veteran racers were there. A number of UPM members and applicants were waiting for Thumbie so they can start with their test run. It was a cold but festive atmosphere. Ein basked in the delight of her new fans.

Ein the Orienteering Dog (photo: MIT-MC)

2015 Going To 2016

Happy new year, guys! More than a month has passed since I last wrote here. What can I say? A cluttered mind is not good for blogging.

To save us all the trouble of backtracking, here's a summary of all the things that happened since the last post.