Volunteer Duties at Color Manila Run 2013

The best way to start the running year is to begin with "flying" colors.

The first organized fun run for this year, Color Manila Run 2013, literally made this a possibility. Pigments of five different colors each stationed along the race route flying in the air is the highlight of this fun run for a cause.

Let's have a background review of the event shall we? Okay, here it goes. This event was organized by Proactive (Yes, Brooks Run Happy, Immuvit, Kellog's Run for a Healthy Filipina and Adidas King of the Road).

The beneficiaries of this run for a cause are Republikha (a non-stock, non-profit organization that reaches out to children through music. Sharing messages that teach them to build and not destroy. It is their goal to shape the nation using the power of music) and Hop-E (a foundation moving towards helping eradicate poverty through the four elements, Education, Empowerment, Employment, and Events. They are now giving free education to the children and parents mountains of Rizal amongst other things).

I got the chance to become a volunteer when someone from my Facebook friends shared a link to a blog entry of jhamjhamrunner that is looking for volunteers for the said event. I was one of the lucky ones who were chosen. Before I was chosen, I was also contemplating to sign up for this event as I was sold with the idea of running in clouds of different colors.

Going back, call time for volunteers is 3:00 AM. After almost everyone was at the meeting place, we immediately went together as a team (I was sneaking in and out of the group to shoot some photos) to the baggage counter area and was provided with what we needed. Color-coded uniforms, breakfast, and most importantly, the blower that we will use to create a "cloud effect". Group picture of volunteers can be seen here in my Tumblr post.

Team uniforms :)

One blower for each color station.

I was tasked to handle the blower for our team (I was with the blue team) and I can't wait to get my hands on the equipment. I know, but it was my first time so bear with me will you?

Audition for the movie SAW?

Breakfast done, it was a short briefing session with all teams before we got deployed along the race course. DOs and DONTs were discussed and after that, a short demo on how to start up and operate the blowers were shown.

Race briefing moments before we got deployed.

Demo time! I cant wait to try this one out for myself!

After the discussion, we were all set, teams got deployed one by one and when we were dropped off to our station, we immediately huddled up and prepared the necessary stuff. Plastic drums containing blue pigments were positioned strategically along the route (we had to cover two sides for the runners coming and going back) so we, as a team, had to manage our blue pigment supplies so that everyone has a chance to "be blue".

"Before" picture of the Blue Team

It was fun to be interactive this time. The two times I was a volunteer last year was manning a hydration station-turned a participant in Lace Up! For Anika and was taking pictures on the recently-concluded Rescue Run 2012. This time it was different, and this time interaction with runners will be top-priority. I was fortunate enough to be part of this and experience the event from a volunteer's perspective.

The race started. When runners started to come to our station, all hell broke loose! Clouds of blue pigments in the air, runners showered with blue colored powders (flour, actually) and I was busy trying to put as much blue to the runners using the blower with the assistance of another volunteer. It was tough to be consistently holding the blower while trying to direct the powder to the passing runners.

Some were okay with it, some tried to avoid the shower of blue (killjoy!), others were lying on the ground and trying to put more blue pigments onto their backs. After the smoke has settled and all runners passed by, it was time for us to clean up. But before doing our clean up chores, we had to pose for a quick photo to immortalize our activity together.

"After" picture of the Blue Team - we became the Smurfs!
Photo Credit: Cleodelia Armendez

Then after the photo-op, we went on and tried to sweep as much blue powder into a decent area on the street for the final clean up from the organizers. After doing some clean-up, we went back to the same assembly area for debriefing and breakfast.

Of course, I had to have a photo lying on the blue pigments before we did the sweeping and clean up.
 
Some observations:

• The event attracted new runners, offering a rather shorter distance without limiting the amount of fun participants got
• It was nice to play around while doing a morning run
• It was a challenge to be a volunteer this time as we needed to be actively hurling the colored powders to the passing runners
• Saw more families with their kids doing a morning run, a promising sight for all of us I should say
• Huge activity area, with a local jeepney parked for photo-op
• Overall, it was fun from beginning to end

It was an honor to be part of this and to be able to contribute to the success of this event. I have heard some positive feedback and minimal complaints. This should be a good foundation for future events of this type.

Now, how about Color Run takes a tour in the Philippines?

That would be awesome!

40 Ways to a Better 2013

Health:

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants, and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time for prayer and reflection
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2012.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for at least 7 hours.

 

Personality:
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day — and while you walk, smile.
11. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don’t overdo; keep your limits.
14. Don’t take yourself so seriously; no one else does.
15. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Community:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right things.
33. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. Forgiveness heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, don’t take it for granted – embrace life.
39. Your inner most is always happy. So, be happy and ENJOY LIFE!

Last but not least:
40. Grow your relationship with God.

Source: General Knowledge

My 2012 - A Year in Review

The year 2012 is finally on its last hours. On this last day of the year, some would still need to report for work (just like I do) while others would be spending precious time with their loved ones. As we do the countdown later this evening, I would like to look back and remember what I did and what happened to me from January to December this year. I mostly joined running events so, this entry will be more of a running event review.

January 2012:
All four Sundays of this month was closed as I signed up for four fun runs, not to mention the opening of yet another basketball league that I joined in which is good until March 2012 should we go deep in the playoffs. It's worth mentioning too that I also won my first prize (at Go Natural Run 2012) for the year? It pretty much gave way for what's more blessings to come throughout the year.

Here are the events I joined on January 2012:
January 8, 2012: PSE Bull Run 2012 (Photo Credit: Yongsky)
January 15, 2012: Go Natural Run 2012
January 22, 2012: Timex Run 2012
January 27, 2012: Grace to the Finish 2012
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Team ("Squirt") Pulandit poses for a group picture before a game

February 2012:
After having a FULL January, I had to take a step back and focus more on the basketball league I joined and give more time in training. I did a couple and the rest were either training at the gym or with HyperSports or playing at the league I joined in.

Here are the events I joined on February 2012:
February 5, 2012: Condura Skyway Marathon 2012 (Photo Credit: Jonah May Trapal)
February 26, 2012: XTERRA Pang Rave Trail Run 2012
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Photo-op after one of the Get Fit sessions with HyperSports

March 2012:
After taking a step back last February, I decided to move forward in being more active again and signed up for four runs for the whole month. Our basketball team is still active and fighting for a quarterfinal spot and I integrated these runs with training at the gym or with HyperSports while playing at the league I joined in.

Here are the events I joined on March 2012:
March 4, 2012: Run United 1 2012
March 11, 2012: Dash for Love
March 18, 2012: 12k jog @ Daang Hari-Daang Reyna
March 25, 2012: BDO Race 4 Life (Photo credit: Sigue Correr Runners)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Running 200m in one of the Get Fit sessions with HyperSports

April 2012:
My birthday month is supposed to be action packed but sadly, missed a couple of events going in the last two weeks of the month. The basketball team I am playing for lost our game for a quarterfinal spot so, it was still a good month, training, running and basketball-wise. Lots of basketball is still ahead as I will be participating in our company's annual Sports Fest opening the following month. With that in mind, I had to limit my fun run participation for May and June due to training camp activities in preparation for our games. If it would be classified as a "regret", then I regret that I was unable to try the most hyped Ice Cream sticks of all time (so far) - Magnum. My lame reason? I wanted to try this one out with someone special. Though that didn't happen, I was blessed enough to begin training for Supervisor role at work.

Here are the events I joined/missed on April 2012:
April 1, 2012: Green and White Run 2012
April 8, 2012: 10k Jog @ Sunken Garden
April 15, 2012: Earth Run 2012 (Photo credit: Glenn Apacible)
April 21, 2012: The Running Dead (Birthday Run)
April 22, 2012: NatGeo Earth Day Run 2012 (Won Race Kit from Ulikblog Runner/Missed)
April 29, 2012: Hyundai Fun Run (Missed)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

May 2012:
Summertime is almost over. Concentrating pretty much with basketball and training for our games, my fun run participation was again limited to a couple of events. Training is still on-going. Got the chance to look back at my childhood as I was able to see the movie "The Avengers". Lost my phone but it was a blessing in disguise as I was able to "upgrade" to a higher phone model and enjoyed the benefits (being always online) a couple of months after.

Here are the events I joined/missed on May 2012:
May 13, 2012: Annual Sports Fest
May 19, 2012: Takbo Para Kay Kristo
May 27, 2012: Greenfield City Clean Air Run 2012 (Photo credit: M+M Photography)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Sports Fest Opening - May 13, 2012

June 2012:
Basketball-centered, the month of June was all about the company sports fest. My team didn't do well and settled for a 3rd place finish. As for running, I was "peer-pressured" by one of my friends to move up and run 21k. The longest distance I did so far is 10k so, it was a personal challenge and I am glad I conquered this task. That practically set the tome for the remainder of the year as I managed to complete four more half-marathons, the last one was completed in November. Won a race kit for Run United 2 and blessed someone (I was already registered when I won).

Here are the events I joined on June 2012:
Month of June: Annual Sports Fest
June 17, 2012: Run United 2 2012
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Getting ready for my basketball game :)

July 2012:
Sports Fest finally comes to an end. The team bagged 3rd place and since basketball season is over, I was able to slowly go back to my regular runs and squeeze in some training. The month was very challenging as we have experiences of unexpected heavy rains that began after Get Fit Run 2012 and went on and off until August. It didn't help much with training and getting up from sleep was a daily struggle. Good thing though the gym is near the office and the hot shower was my main motivation to sweat it out. It was also this month just before Get Fit Run 2012 that we had our little group formed "unofficially". 2nd half-marathon completed that month.

Here are the events I joined on July 2012:
July 8, 2012: HyperSports Get Fit Run 2012
July 22, 2012: Lace Up for Anika: Run for a Hearty Cause (Volunteer for Hydration Station and eventually ran a short 5k in the end)
July 29, 2012: 36th Milo National Marathon Manila Eliminations
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

The team that fell one game short for a championship game and had to settle fighting for a third place. A heart breaker. We enjoyed the last game though with a one-sided game and a winning margin of 32 points as far as I can remember. Oh sweet revenge.

 Reserved Energy Team first group picture after Get Fit Run 2012

August 2012:
And with heavy rains here and there, this month was very, very cold so to say. Cold and comforting that I was not able to maximize training and working out. I encountered difficulty in completing my run at Regent Fun Run 2012 and took it slow the week thereafter. Not much to remember this month other that the rumors of the next opening for The Bull Runner Dream Marathon Batch 4 is soon coming up. I didn't had any interest at first but before the end of the month, I was convinced by someone to sign up anyway.

Here are the events I joined on August 2012:
August 12, 2012: Regent Fun Run 2012
August 19, 2012: 18k/20k LSD with Pinoy Fitness Family (Photo credit: PinoyFitness.Com)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

First LSD experience with Pinoy Fitness family :)

September 2012:
Finally got approved and got a portable WiFi from SUN. It pretty much gave way to what was a boring android phone to an overused and "can't-live-without" device. After all that on and off heavy rains and suspension of classes, I was back and tried to be as active as I can be in the running scene. This was also the month that online reservation for The Bull Runner Dream Marathon Batch 4 opened. As I have said earlier, I had no interest to participate but one person changed my mind and I eventually gave in. Registering for this life-changing event gave way to a more conscious effort to train and live a more healthy lifestyle. 3rd (plagued by heavy rains and strong winds made it special) half-marathon completed that month. Won a race kit for Adidas King of the Road and blessed someone (again, I was already registered when I won. I'm seeing a pattern here), also some some pretty cool stuff from Summit Water.

Here are the events I joined on September 2012:
September 2, 2012: Phoenix Run 2012
September 9, 2012: Mizuno Run Academy Graduation Run
September 16, 2012: Run United 3 2012
September 23, 2012: Rexona Run 2012
September 30, 2012: Adidas King of the Road 2012 (Photo Credit: Rookie Shots)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Hey! I'm almost always online NOW :)

October 2012:
4th half-marathon completed this month. Won a couple of race kits for Men's Health (for the third time, I was already registered when I won. The pattern became evident) and blessed a couple of people. With our onshore client visiting in, I also had a chance to go with them in Villa Escudero. It was my first time to enjoy such an experience. I also had my first taste of Maki Soup with a couple of friends while they toured me in the busy streets of Quiapo. Running at night (Adobo Run After Dark 3) only for the third time also made this month extra special. Won GCs for Starbucks too :)

Here are the events I joined on October 2012:
October 13, 2012: Bull Session #1 (Photo Credit: Hanz Magat)
October 14, 2012: Men’s Health Urbanathlon and Festival 2012 (Photo Credit: Belle Photography)
October 20, 2012: Adobo Run After Dark 3
October 21, 2012: Freedom Run by the Lake
October 28, 2012: Run United Philippine Marathon 2012 (Photo Credit: RunRio)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Fooling around at Villa Escudero :)

It's not the food, it's the bonding. My first taste of the Maki Soup was a delight!

 

November 2012:
Big events are making their final push towards the end of the year. I was very disappointed to miss New Balance Power Run 2012 and was contented to take pictures of the event so as not to feel too sorry for missing it. Got my second serving of being a volunteer for Tetra Pak RFR and it was also on this month that I was able to complete my 5th half-marathon which is the most special so far (Run United 3 comes in second) as I ran as the God of Thunder - Thor with Captain America and Hulk. Now, I had to suffer the consequences as I am being called "Thor" by some of the runners. It was cool to be recognized by some of the running friends as the Asgardian God though I have to live with it until the rest of my life :)

I enjoyed my Thanksgiving weekend though, seeing two movies back to back on a Friday afternoon, attend a concert (won tickets by the way) with a friend on a Saturday night and finally having a dose of fun run the Sunday morning after that. Truly blessed shall I say. Add to that another basketball league I was called to join in and the month gets more action-packed. Some more good news, I also won three thousand pesos as a consolation prize for my blog entry for Rexona Online Writing Contest.

Here are the events I joined on November 2012:
November 11, 2012: New Balance Power Run (Freelance Photographer)
November 17, 2012: TBR Dream Team Run 2012
November 18, 2012: Tetra Pak Recycle Feed Run (Volunteer Marshall/Photographer)
November 25, 2012: Run BGC (Photo credit: PinoyFitness.Com)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Running as the Asian Avengers just before doing some volunteer duties for Tetra Pak RFR the following morning. I am proud to say that I made a difference the following morning :)

Volunteer duties done!

December 2012:
The final month of the year. Christmas is in the air and social obligations will definitely keep you out of training if you don't manage your time very well. That is what happened to me. My only runs were the weekend runs. Other that that, I was too busy at work that it ate most of my time. Throw in the fact that I was tied up to my basketball team and social obligations, the month was very demanding. Managed to join fun runs for the first three weeks and then did some volunteer duties for Rescue Run 2012. Also won a pair of tickets to attend a PBA game at MoA Arena.

Here are the events I joined on December 2012:
December 1, 2012: 3rd Bull Session
December 2, 2012: Nike We Run Manila 2012
December 9, 2012: 36th Milo Marathon National Finals
December 15, 2012: Pinoy Fitness Run For Change @ BGC 2012 (Photo Credit: PHOTOJojo)
December 23, 2012: Rescue Run 2012 (Volunteer Hydration/Photographer; Photo Credit: Manghusi PhotoShop)
Picture representation can be seen by clicking THIS LINK.

Post-game photo. First time to be in attendance in a professional basketball game.

"It's not about who you spend the most time with. It's about who you have the best memories with."

The year that passed was pretty awesome considering that I was most of the time tied up at work and was struggling to find my rhythm to run or work out. I'm glad I survived. The year was full of blessings, happiness, friendships and most important of all, I felt that for the very first time, I belong. I need not pretend to be liked by people. For the first time in a very long time, I was able to be myself. I'm happy to be a part of the running community and I am too blessed to be stressed.

I declare this year a year of blessings, abundance, adventures, accomplishments, happiness, friendship, love, love and more love. Live life to the fullest, a life of victory and live with no regrets.

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you right and forget about the ones who don't. Believe that everything happens for a reason, if you get a chance, take it; if it changes your life, let it. Nobody said that it would be easy but I can promise you, it would be worth it!"