Daily thoughts - 日本の実行

I put off writing a post on my most recent run because I was waiting for the results to come out. I was told there was none.

Fail.

I read that there were 7K participants which was more than the 4K forecasted by the organizers. That's really awesome because this run was a fund raising event for the Japanese people and any amount no matter how small, can make a difference. There was was no rfid tag for this race so its rather impossible if the marshalls had to manually take down everyone's clock in time at the finish line. Imagine 7k people.

Im glad I brought my fitness tracker and just manually took my race time. Also I checked the clock display before I crossed the finish line. I think I improved my time by 4 minutes. Yay! I think this was partly because this route didnt have the flyover and also I was able to rest well ( 4 hours compared to 1-3 hours in my previous races).

activity time display

The main reason I joined this event however is because it was for a good cause. I have a soft spot for Japanese people. My first job was at JICA years ago and my bosses there were great. They were hardworking, generous, kind, fun. They were generally friendly very likable.I felt more like I was playing than working. There were times however that we had to meet deadlines and theyd request us to stay over at the office and finish the paperwork. We were well compensated though and were chauffeured to and from work. As a bonus, they even treated me and my colleague to Enchanted Kingdom, a popular theme park in my country.

Even after my stint with JICA, Ive always been fond of Japanese people as a whole, Their quirks, anime, products and their notable work ethics.

with my boss Mr Eiji Teramoto

I lost touch with my Japanese friends over the years. Unfortunately I couldnt find them in Friendster and later on Facebook. Nevertheless, I kinda miss working for them sometimes and I even remember all their names up to now!

1. Mr Eiji Teramoto
2. Mr Tohru Omachi
3. Mr Takeshi Kuibira
4. Mr Nobuyuki Harada
5. Mr Tsukasa Kugimachi

When I heard about the tragedy that struck their country, I was overwhelmed with sadness. I wanted to help but I didnt know how since I could only contribute a little due to my budget constraint.

Then I came across this link on runners runner a website I usually check daily for upcoming races. I also read this event information on the Greentennial facebook page. I signed up right away.

Run for Japan kicked off last April 17 2011 at the Bonifacio Global City. Most fun runs are held at BGC  because its in the heart of the city, the roads are paved and the place is generally clean and orderly.

I picked up my race kit 3 days before the event. Unlike most of the previous races I joined, this one did not have any RFID tag and I think its because this was more of a fun run. In my opinion, omitting the need for a time chip will somehow defray the expenses of the organizers. This in turn will allow them to give more of the pooled money to Japan.

Thumper inspecting my race kit

Pre race day I was invited by my college friend Dr Pam to stay at her house. I havent been to her place for over a decade. I used to sleep over way back in college. We hung out after class or sometimes after training from Tae Kwon Do. I lived in a dormitory back then and it was very easy to sneak out. I was glad my folks never found out. hehe

The house was really beautiful and impressive. I told her it deserves a page in an interior design magazine.

The accommodation was first class!  Her mom even cooked singigang na hipon and laing for me. There were fruits lots of rice and I think I finished most of whatever was on the table. Everything was delicious.

We went to 7 eleven after dinner to get Gatorade for the next day's race. I saw this restaurant across the street and Pam told me that this place is always full of people. Next time I go to Pam's place, we are definitely gonna try the burrito at this joint.

Army Navy Burrito

Tour around the house.

dining area

1st dining table

2nd dining table

shelves inside the guest room

Dr Pam!

Shelves full of Medical books

That's 8 ball in there , their rottweiler-husky beast.  (sorry for the photo's poor quality )

the bath was spotless

i forgot to remove the barrel, this guy had a huge dick bound by a spring.  lolz.

according to my friend, kids love to hang out here. 

Look at what I found!

note: My friend just informed me that a tv commercial was filmed in their house just recently. i told her, "told you so! your house is fabulous!"

I was able to sleep for 4 solid hours and I felt great the next day. Pam and I got to the venue an hour before the race and we were able to warm up. I forgot whether there was a delay in the gun start but I started ahead of Pam because I joined the 10km whereas she she joined the 5km run.

start line. photography by Karen Navarroza

drummers at the start line : photography by Karen Navarroza

photography by Karen Navarroza

cosplay by photography by Karen Navarroza

There are hundreds or possibly thousands of photos of this event and I dont have the energy to scan all of it. You can check out more photos on Greentennial Facebook page and Active Moments website.

Overall I had fun during this run. There was abundant water and pocari drink. There were a few marshalls but the directions were clear so its less likely one will get lost. There were garbage cans/boxes a few meters from the water/hydration that really helped since people were more inclined to throw their used cup in it. As always there was a shower provided by Manila waters and there were firetrucks and ambulance strategically located.

photography by Karen Navarroza

The most amusing part of the run was finding people dressed up in weird outfits and cosplay.

photography by Jpeg Mendoza

photography by Jpeg Mendoza

More photos on Greentennial facebook fanpage.

Here are some photos I took with my not so technologically advanced Nokia phone camera.

 

Drummers

Mascot of Runners Runner

 

Dr Pam and her pretty nurses

yours truly!

ambulance

cosplayers

i dont know who he is supposed to be but his costume was so cool

Cloud strife wants to chop off my head

cosplayers

 

BSG board game

neat pet bowl i found in one of the closed stores.

I was glad I bought gatorade the night before. There was a long line for the free bottled pocari sweat drinks and I didnt really feel like waiting. I was exhausted but thank God I was injury free. I was content with the improved time for a 10km run. Most of all I was happy to see so many Filipinos take part in this worthy cause.

The only annoying thing that happened to me that day was when I got off at Robinson's Galleria on my way home. I found out that there was a cycling event that caused quite a traffic on the route I was taking. That wasnt fun for me. I had to take 2 rides before I got to town. The trip and the waiting took 2-3 hours of my time.  I was so tired and I felt nasty from the heat and sweat. Good thing there was still running water when I got home. I managed to fill up the buckets and take a shower before the supply was cut off for the day.

The long ride to my house didnt ruin my otherwise great morning. I really had a good time and Im proud to be part of the Run for Japan event. The Japanese people have always been generous to us and its high time for us reciprocate that kindness. They deserve it.

これはあなたです！