The Trails of Daraitan (Part 2)

Daraitan attracts trekkers year round but summer is the time to go frolicking and explore the boulders and the rushing stream of water that passes through the Daraitan and Tinipak rivers.

The trails are paved with stone slabs, dirt and more stones embedded on the earth and the moving film of water that runs along its trails are mesmerizing. If bird watching is your thing, there are different variety of birds that just appear and skydive from nowhere as you observe the many wild orchids and other fauna that are perched atop rocks and boulders.

I’ve received e-mails and text messages inquiring how to get here. If traveling by car, from Cubao just head straight to Marikina towards Marcos Highway passing by SM Marikina straight towards Masinag Market all the way to Antipolo, San Mateo and Tanay.

In an hour, you would have passed the Sierra Madre Resorts and a few minutes later, the Pranjetto Hills Resort. After about 3 kms, you would have reached a cross-road that is bounded by Sampaloc town on your left and the town of Baras on your right. The Tanay Public Market is just on the right side road. Just drive straight the main highway (towards Infanta) and after 2 kms, there’s a street sign that points towards Daraitan. Turn left and it’s another 7-8 kilometers of rough roads before you reach the entrance to the village.

By public transport, there are jeeps from Cubao and Crossing in Edsa, Mandaluyong that ply straight to Tanay Public Market. From there, take another jeepney ride to Daraitan.

The people at the village are very friendly and hospitable. Don’t be alarmed if you see them carrying bolos or machetes. They use these for chopping wood for fuel.

Here are the rest of our pictures:

The Tinipak River

We had all the place to us

That's Darryl giving the thumbs up

With June

The run continues

Noel and June atop the boulders

Finding my step to the top

The tiny spec on the right sitting is Noel

Nice surface trail, this time

Letting a horse with its load pass

Just a passing shot

The white marble stones are nice to see

I was wondering how Noel got there without wetting his shoes

One of my favorite pictures

Trying to relax a bit

More serene part of the river

Wild ducks getting our attention

Darryl doing it the hard way

Perfect place for ducks. Quack, quack!

Another stream pouring into the main river

The last of the rock formations

Tying up shoe-lace

On our way back

Hope to get back at this place

We drank the waters here. Sweet!

Darryl preparing lunch

Corned beef and tuna omelett

[Via http://jazzrunner.wordpress.com]

Goal for Boston.

After running NY, I decided I wasn’t going to have a target for Boston. I wanted some down time and decided I would just maintain my base and get in my quality miles at leisure. I’m glad to have done this since training was tough this winter for various reasons, mostly snow and ice, making my long runs difficult. But, out of habit, or ritual, I did everything I could to get the long runs in, mainly because I enjoyed getting them done.

Then I ran an entire 20 miles at 7:11 pace to see where I was at. This was a pace that I found to be comfortably hard for the distance and wondered if I was going to be able to hold it the entire time. I thought my marathon pace would be 7:26 at best. I am extremely pleased to have been able to do this. But, most importantly, it was the feeling I felt during the run which pleased me most.

As a result, I began to think I was more ready for Boston than I realized. I figured a 7:11 pace for a 20 mile training run could realistically be stretched to 26.2 given a proper taper, and bring me across the finish line in under 3:09.

I’ve given thought to others who have been training for Boston and who have come across bad luck and are now unable to run the race they worked so hard far. They’re missing out. Meanwhile, I have no excuses. I’m starting to realize I have some potential to do well in Boston, yet I never really made a mental commitment to race it. I feel somewhat guilty about that when thinking of others who have committed to race, but can’t.

I just don’t want the pressure this time around of having to live up to a defined goal. And now, when people ask me about Boston, I find myself telling them 3:10. What am I doing I ask myself? With these time goals comes worries. Worries about all the other variables that can affect a race, some of which I cannot control. But, the ones I think I can control screw with my head even worse. I begin to over-prepare and overcompensate all to reach a goal. I lose perspective.

To add insult to injury, I ran a long run last weekend and struggled just to maintain my easy pace for the entire time. I cut it short and did 15 because I knew I wasn’t getting what I wanted out of it. It was just a bad day. I have plenty of reasons without looking to make excuses. I spent the week drinking almost every night. That was unplanned, but obviously effected me in terms of fatigue. I also had an issue with a blister, and an issue with my lower calves. Not much sleep the night before. I had to start this late in the day at 2:00pm. It was warmer than expected and I need time to acclimate. I normally would dismiss this run, and chalk up to being a crap day. But with a goal of 3:10 now in mind, I worry about the timing of this. I only have another long run to do before the taper and I may be less prepared as a result. Ridiculous!

So, April 19th, I’m going to run the best I can according to how I feel. No time goal. Don’t expect 3:10. I’m not. I’m going to go out and try to capture some of what I experienced two weeks ago. If everything comes together I may have a great marathon. I may be able to pull off that pace again. I hope I do. But, if I don’t for whatever reason, I don’t really give a shit.

[Via http://law-of-inertia.com]

Day 28- Bike/Run

Today's View

Cancer can have a way of waking us up to living our best lives.

This was a comment made in response to a story that my brother shared about me and my mom on the Susan G. Komen forum website.  In my case, it pisses me off to admit it, but yes, cancer is one of the big things that woke me up to living my best life. I think those of us who are cancer survivors know in our soul the secret to life- we really only do have the moment we’re living in right now.  There is no guarantee for any person what tomorrow will bring, and there’s only one life per customer, so why not live our best lives now?

The moments I lived in today were amazingly fun! Today was the first day of both biking and running.  We met early again for a Saturday (8 am- who gets up this early on a Saturday?!) at Alton Baker Park.  This was the first time our team has ridden together.

Getting Ready To Ride our team has ridden together, and it was fun!!!

Cold Morning!

It was a cold, clear morning and as usual, the atmosphere in the parking lot was festive and upbeat with all the different teams meeting for their various trainings.  If anyone is ever in need of soaking up some positive energy and being in the presence of great people, come down sometime and see what it’s all about!

Riding Through The Woods

So, we took off on our ride and I was cruising along, chatting with a teammate, when one of the team leaders rode up behind us and suggested that we ride at a “race pace”, as opposed to a cruising pace.  That’s when I realized that I wasn’t just out for a Saturday morning bike ride, I was IN TRAINING!  I picked up the pace and did the 10 mile loop in under an hour- yipee!

Back in the parking lot, I was feeling great and ready for my 30 minute run.  I jumped off the bike all ready to go and the damn arimidex-afflicted joints froze up in my ankles and I had to hobble around for a bit first until the stiffness let up some.

The Boswellia is working, but I still get stiff when I remain in one position for a long time. I think I need to figure out a way to flex my feet some while riding so I don’t freeze up!

Loosening Up To Run

Dropping Off Bikes, Getting Ready To Run

After leaving the bike on the rack and taking off the bike shorts, I took off on the run with 2 other teammates.  Aside from the stiff joints, I felt great!  The temperature was much warmer by the time we were running, and the day was one of those perfect spring days that I long for all winter.  The run was made especially nice by the company of my teammates.

Goal for tomorrow:  Planning.  The girls and I are on Spring Break!  They’re off for 1 week and I’m off for 2. I get to just have fun and train without the stress of how to work it in to my busy work days.  I am hoping to get in a swim and a bike ride  tomorrow because we’ll be away all next week and the nearest swimming pool will be a half hour drive from where we’ll be staying and I can’t bring my bike.

[Via http://triathlonkrista.wordpress.com]

9. All You need is Just a Little Patience

Today was not an exercise day.  It was a rest day for me.  The only thing is I had to put together a swing set for my children.  I would have rather exercised.  I took my wife (reading the directions and getting the next step ready for assembly),  my father-in-law ( giving his own directions and assisting in assembly),  my father (telling us how he thinks it should go an talk over my wife giving the real directions), my brother-in-law (voice of reason, 2nd reader of directions and assembly worker), my mother-in-law (she took the kids out to get them out of the way even though they came back half way though completion), and me (praying it all went together and we did not kill each other).  The task took us 9:30 hours.  That’s right 9:30 F’n hours.  We all worked great together.  There were a few times that I had to tell my Dad to slow down and wait for my wife to read the directions.  We all did a great job the swing set is put together and my little girl and boy are going to have a blast playing on it.

What I learned today was to take things slow, get it right the first time and it will all work out great.  I thought about my exercise routine and life in relation to today’s adventure in swing set building and how I can apply what I learned.  I basically have started out my running and weight lifting programs with the same approach start out slow, focus on technique, and doing it right the first time.  That way my technique will become second nature and make my exercising that much easier.

As for the life lesson.  It was great to work with my family, have fun doing a task, and enjoy the fact that we all accomplished a goal together.  Now when I take pictures of my little ones enjoying the hell out of their  swing set, we can all remember a good time and know we all contributed to their joy.

I want to give a HUGE shout out to all that helped on the swing set project and this song is for all of you.

[Via http://kevarcen.wordpress.com]

sometimes i hate fridays

It’s the end of the work week. Perfect time to hang out with friends, catch a movie or spend hours and hours over coffee.

Unfortunately, Friday is also a quality workout day for me. Hay! Hello 800s, mile repeats and compound sets. Hello Pain.

I’ve been skipping Friday workouts for 3 weeks now and I’ve been feeling mighty guilty about it. I couldn’t wake up early enough to visit the track and better alternative activities always pop up for the evening.

I thought I would miss it again yesterday. I woke up at 4am but couldn’t peel myself off my bed so I ended up going back to sleep. With RadioBossLady birthday party in the evening, I was  ready to say bye bye to the 800s.

At around 12nn, I figured if i cut down on my rest intervals I could do the 800s in the gym and still have a quickie lunch.

I dragged myself to the gym. It took me forever to convince myself to hop on the treadmill. *grumble grumble* After the 2nd repeat I was glowing and smiling widely. Not too bad. I was hitting my pace and I even the plantars are cooperating.

Happiness!

Sometimes I hate Fridays, but not this Friday.

800s, check!

Party, check! Happy birthday Marga!

See y’all tomorrow at the Globe Run!

[Via http://bananarunning.wordpress.com]

Unexpected Day of Work

I honestly didn’t expect to go to work today.  I figured that I’d be placed on call because that has seemed to be the Friday trend lately.  So I went to bed without a shower last night expecting to be able to sleep in a little later than usual and then shower and piddle around the house.  Nope.  So that means I had to drag my rear out of bed that much earlier to get all cleaned up and ready for work.  I usually take my showers at night so I have more time to sleep but every once in a while it is nice to start off my work day with a hot shower to get me going.

I quickly threw together my breakfast since I hadn’t prepared the night before.  (I didn’t get to bed until after 11… eek!!)

My favorite cereal concoction. Kashi H2H and Special K Granola.

A match truly made in cereal heaven.

Then they were going to send me home at 11 due to the calmness and low census of patients and then the floodgates broke loose so I ended up working all day.

Good thing I had my tasty lunch that I had packed to eat yesterday that I didn’t get to eat due to food being catered in.

Whole wheat tortilla stuffed with flank steak, topped with homemade salsa, shredded cheese and spring mix.  So good!

A couple tablespoons of homemade salsa with some chips?  Yes, definitely.

The salsa is pretty spicy so I ate 4 saltines afterwards to keep my mouth from burning off.  Worked like a charm.  And my tummy was completely satisfied.

A pear for an afternoon snack.

Right after work I drove to a church that the hubs was leading Disciple Now for a youth group and ate dinner with him and enjoyed watching the youth worship.

Pizza was served.

Not my first choice of dinner since I feel like I’ve had so much Italian food type items this past week but it’s a good carbo loading meal nonetheless for my 10k tomorrow morning.  And it’s free.  Can’t beat that!

Well, I have my 10k in the morning and will not be getting as much shut eye as I’d like but I’ll sacrifice to support the hubs in his endeavors too!

Thank goodness one of my friends picked up my race packet for me today so I don’t have to be up at the butt crack of dawn to go get it and then wait around for the start of the race.

I’ve got the anxious/nervous/excited jitters but in a good way.  I’m excited for this race!  I just hope I’ll make good time and push myself.  I’ve got everything ready!

Shoes: Check, Sports Bra: Check, Garmin: Check, iPod: Check, Camera: Check, Runing Tee: Check, Socks: Check, Headband: Check, Pants: Check.

I’ll pin my number on tomorrow morning when Glenna brings me my race packet.

Whew. I  think that’s it!

I’m setting my alarm to wake up at 5 a.m. so I can eat me a breakfast and go back to bed until about 6:30 so it will digest.  I’m thinking whole wheat toast with a spread of peanut butter and sliced banana will be sufficient for fuel.

I’m really hoping that my funky mood will go away after my race tomorrow morning.  I’m thinking that running is my natural Xanax.  Those endorphins are good for me and since I haven’t ran since Tuesday, I’m feeling the major itch to get those flowing again!!  So adrenaline+other runner’s energy+completing a race= a great sounding endorphin boost!  Can’t wait!  Hopefully there will be sunshine!!!

I’m off to try and get as much rest as I can!  Wish me luck!  I’ll write as soon as I can after the race!

What is your natural Xanax?  Food, running, working out, love, walking, laughing, etc?

[Via http://afitfoodie.wordpress.com]

Channeling Haruki Murakami

Lecturing for ninety minutes in three-inch/ four-inch heels in a sweltering classroom without ever sitting down knocked off some fifteen pounds beginning June of last year. I’ve been losing weight for the last four, three years.

I guess it’s because my lifestyle is only limited lazy-ass and pig-out weekends.  Five days out of seven (actually, six if you count my three hours-long Spanish class on Saturday which just wipes me out), I’m moving. Really moving. Commuting, inconvenient as it may be especially now that it’s summer, has benefits: you do a lot of walking and sometimes, sprinting. That results into a healthier and more bad-ass you.

However, I lost the fifteen pounds due to the stress of my new academic life. That isn’t good. I used to play badminton and worked out at a gym before but when (my old) work started taking too much of my time, I had to stop.

When I think of losing weight, I don’t like to think about it. Loony, I know. The moment you stop thinking about something, that’s when it happens.

For example, I see this fantabulous dress. I make the mistake of trying it on. The color is great against my skin. I look like a goddess in it. It’s the last in my size. However, the price requires me to fork over the plastic. Which isn’t happening because I only use it for emergencies and for buying home appliances. What happens? Despondency of the greatest magnitude.

I let go. It’s not meant to be, I think. At least I got to try it on. It will look fantabulous on someone else (just a sec, do people still say fantabulous?). Life goes on. I focus on the things I have and consider myself lucky. I’m thankful. I’m happy.

A week later, the dress goes on sale. I get it and wear it.

I stopped thinking about having to lose weight. I swear, I thought the washing machine was making my clothes loose. It wasn’t until a friend saw me and went, “Whoa! What happened to you? You’re thin!” I waved it away. My mother confirmed it when she said, “Why are you wearing your sister’s clothes?”

“These are my pants, Ma,” I retorted.

“Better shop for a new wardrobe,” I was told.

I would like to lose more weight. That’s why I started running again towards the end of January. I started by doing it three times a week, then four times a week. If running is something you’d like to do to lose weight/be healthier, remember that you have to build up your endurance. I started by running for three kilometer for a few weeks, with lots of brisk walking in between.

Now I can do five kilometers running straight! I’m very proud of that

I haven’t been really good this week, however. Finals and finishing grades kept me chained to the desk until the wee hours of the morning. Then my m.a. requirements and yeah, migraine attacks. Three times.

I compensated by jogging for half an hour in the neighborhood. It isn’t the same, though. I like to run in tank tops but this is the Philippines. Unlike in school where nobody gives you a second glance if you run in a tank top, I got a couple of whistles. Gross.

 Yesterday, I picked up Haruki Murakami’s memoir What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

Murakami is one of my favorite writers. I’ve read mostly his short stories and zero novels (bad, I know, I would as soon as I finish my novel backlog that goes all the way to 2004). I love this guy. I’ve often found his stories funny. I’ve been meaning to read his memoir eversince it came out in 2006 and, honestly, forgot about it until a serendipitous stop in a booksale by Zeitgeist in Ateneo’s Dela Costa Hall.

Haruki Murakami has run in marathons. Yes. MARATHONS. The New York City Marathon, among them. I was worried for a teeny-weeny bit that this might be a pontifical memoir. Of course, it isn’t. Murakami is probably one of the most self-aware writers, meaning he believes that most people wouldn’t like his personality. What I like best: he doesn’t justify, he doesn’t apologize. It is what it is.

I’ve only read the first chapter and my respect and admiration for him grows with every word. Yeah, no exaggeration. It doesn’t grow page by page but word by word. It’s just a relief to read someone who doesn’t deliver the usual bull of running or doing anything in order to win or compete. Or how wonderful or exhilating it is and because being a runner leads to a healthier self, you get sick at the thought of steak. While it’s true that what Murakami writes isn’t an entirely new banana, the approach is refreshing and more than a couple of times, got an, “Oh yeah!” exclamation from me.

I intend to participate in a marathon this July. My running buddy Deeji wants us to reach the 10-kilometer mark soon (how, oh how? waaaah). I don’t aim to win, only to finish.

But if there’s a hottie who could drive me to run faster, I just might make it to the finish line first.

[Via http://thechiccommuter.wordpress.com]