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Gear Listings for Multi-Day Climb

Aside from the outdoor adventures that I like such as hiking, biking, and running, one of my first love was mountain climbing. It feels great whenever you reach the highest peek of a mountain, feeling the soft breeze of air throughout your sweating body. You would feel an immediate release from the stress or depression if you're feeling any. Reaching the peek would make you feel like a 'King' or a 'Queen' being on top of the world, having a bird's eye-view of the little towns, and the entirety of the area surrounding the mountain.



And thinking of reliving my old self with enjoying activities that are close to nature, I would have to make another preparation for hiking or possibly mountain climbing activities. So to remind myself, and also for the guidance of other climbers, I have thought of posting these gear listings for a multi-day climb that was previously given to me by my climbing buddy - Jaymark. Remember that some of the gears listed here may be shareable to your buddies if you already have one. Teamwork plays a vital role in climbing!

Complete Gear Listings for Multi-day Climbs

MUST HAVE/REQUIRED:
I.D.

CORE GEAR:
Backpack
Sleeping bag
Sleeping pad
Ground Sheet
Tent/Tarp/Bivy w/ guy lines and stakes

HOUSEKEEPING/KITCHEN:
Stove w/ fuel and windscreen
Cook set (outdoor lightweight pots, shareable)
Spoon
Water Bottles
Collapsible water bladders (2 Liters total)
Stainless Steel Cup

PERSONAL NECESSITIES:
Soap
Toilet Paper
Tootbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo
*everything should be lightweight and compact

CLOTHING:
**Clothing would depend on the length of the outdoor adventure**
Rain gear (Waterproof Jacket/Pants)
Breathable/Quick drying/Moisture wicking Shirts
Breathable/Quick drying/Moisture wicking Pants
Insulation (Fleece Jacket for cold weather)
Socks
Underwear
Bandanna
Gloves

SURVIVAL KIT and MISC:
First Aid Kit
Multi-tool/Knife
Headlamp
Compass
Matches
Emergency Blanket/Space Blanket
Whistle
Water Purification Tablets
Signal Mirror
Sewing Needle w/ Thread
Candles (2 birthday-sized)
Utility Cord
Garbage Bag
Camera
Pen

Hey, Jaymark, buddy, wherever you are, I hope you'll read this soon, I'm already preparing for our Mt. Pulag Christmas expedition on 2010. ;)
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Men's Health Urbanathlon & Festival 2009

I'm an Urbanathlete! Another greatly challenging and one of a kind run from Men's Health Philippines - the Urbanathlon and Festival 2009.

Contrary to the previous races of Men's Health -- the Miracle Run 2009 with failed results, this year's Urbanathlon event paved way for a record breaking organization of race results! Yes, it is already out, very fast considering that this event didn't use a timing chip like the one used for my previous run. Many thanks and salute to the organizer (I heard it was also Coach Rio, is he the owner of Finishline?).

On the 3rd flight of the vertical run

Aside from the on-time and accurate release of the race results, every details are also included for each runner. I am glad that I still finished at sub-60 time. And to my surprise, out of the 286 10k male finishers (39 females), I made it on the 59th rank, with an average pace of 0:05:57 min/km. My rank for my age group is 15B, or 15th in the age category 'B'. The first finisher was 0:20:23 ahead from me.

One of my favorite obstacles of this event was the vertical run. A staggering 8 flights (not floors or storeys) going up and another 8 going down made my quads ache sweetly. I really missed that kind of leg pain, it did stretched my legs and lungs out to its fullest considering that it is just in the 2-kilometer point of the total 10-k race. Another favorite was the wall-climb, it measured 20-feet as advertised by Men's Health, maybe 10-feet going up and another 10-feet going down. The 10-feet measure is from the ground up to the horizontal metal bar above the wall's height where the ropes are tied. Remembering the 2008 Urbanathlon wall-climb, it seems that this one is much lower and easier to climb. The hurdles are too easy also compared to last year's. I was able to jump from it without the need to hold or support my body weight. The weaver and crawl were also a good resting-point. In addition, the total distance seems to be more than 10-kilometer, Men's Health may have offset the shorter distance from the previous year which was only at an approximate of 9.75 km.

Last Obstacle - Wall climb

The photovendo team were also out on the race track, shooting photos of every runner. But, this time, the photos are no longer available for free, so goodbye for the more than 100.00 increase in this event's registration fee. You may choose to order a soft-copy or 4"x6" print-copy or both, for Php 95.00 each. You can still download your photos, but you'll have to stick with the small resolution and the watermark, like this one:

After the descend from the vertical run

The festives courtesy of Kenny Roger's are sumptuous enough, though we were not able to choose from Roast Chicken Sandwich, Cold Chunky Tuna or Cold Chunky Chicken.

You may download the race results from the links below:
10k Male     10k Female     5k Male     5k Female     Alternate location

Strathletes Team with Coach Rio

Race Profile:
Distance: 10 km.
Official Time: 00:59:32
Official Ranking: 59th out of 286 male finishers

Race Info:
When: Nov. 22, 2009.
Where: McKinley Hills, Taguig City
Event: Men's Health Urbanathlon and Festival 2009
Read more ...

MH Urbanathlon 2009 Obstacles

Hurdles - 2008 Urbanathlon and Festival

What are the excitements that are in store for this coming Urbanathlon & Festival?

"This November, run the Men’s Health Urbanathlon™, a race unlike any other!
Hit the concrete, do a skyscraper vertical run, scramble through urban obstacles and never, ever forget it."

After waiting for a long time, Men's Health Philippines have finally announced the 2009 Urbanathlon and Festival. Many runners and challengers alike have physically prepared for the obstacle courses that will wait idly on the coming race course for 5k and 10k categories. Last year, I have expected climbing stairs of at least 10 storey building like that in New York Urbanathlon and Festival 2006, but such obstacle has not been listed for the Philippines.

And for this year, just after the news came out, I have been waiting long once again for the list of obstacle courses for the Men's Health Philippines Urbanathlon and Festival 2009. But to my dismay, and many others who wanted to know the challenges ahead for this event, the list of obstacles never made its way to the public and on their website. I really wonder why? Was it once again, another failure in their event organization? Ever since the official race result for Men's Health Miracle Run 2009 had never been heard of, a lot of runners for Men's Health rated down their confidence level with Summit Media or Men's Health Philippines when it comes to race organizing.

One week before the race event, I was able to dig some obstacle info from other blogs. Check out these pre-event obstacle course planning as posted by ForeFoot Runner:

Body Weaver

20-feet wall climb

Now, two days before the race event, one of my running colleague was able to download some Portable Document Files (PDF) regarding the race and obstacle course for this event. Follow the links below to get a copy for yourself.

5k Urbanathlon race course and obstacles
10k Urbanathlon race course and obstacles

I just hope that this time, race results will be out on-time and accurately.
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Timex Run Photos from PhotoVendo

My first four fun-runs have always been blank, meaning, no graphical memories of the event can prove my stories except for the race bib and certificates that I kept. Prior to my corporate-times running, I only have two mindsets of joining a running event: a) To win or to finish the course; 2) To keep myself healthy and active. And when I started my fifth running event, I just realized how good it was to see yourself, the event, and your running buds with photo memories that you can keep and be proud of.

One issue rises though if you also want a photo of your actual running posture, or just to see yourself in action while running. For those who have running buddies with them who always carry a camera along the race route, this is easy. It's just a matter of exchanging point-and-shoot with each other. But what if, like me, doesn't want to carry a camera while running, or none of your running colleagues with cameras runs with you on your chosen distance category?

Don't worry, PhotoVendo is just around to capture your running moments. It is really self-fulfilling seeing yourself in action, and also helpful in analyzing your running posture, as well as your worst facial expression while breathing (lol!).

Check out some of my photos below taken during the 1st Timex Run:

Passing the 7th kilometer along Buendia Bridge


Getting near the finish line

My last full sprint a few meters from the finish line
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RFID Technology in Running Events

Sprints, dashes, relays, cross-country, trails and marathons - are the most common running categories that many of the athletes and non-athletes are engaging of. Running events have been filling up our streets early in the morning each day, or mostly once to thrice a week. A lot of people are already joining marathons, from as young as three years old, to as old as eighty plus. And for most of the runners, time is of essence; elapsed time, split times, average speed, and etc. are the timing details that a runner wants to know and record during his training or running course. Thus, Transponder timings (also called chip timing or RFID timing) were born.

But before the Timing Chips got its hike on running events, other timing and tracking gadgets such as stop watches, speed trackers, barcodes and barcode readers, and wrist watches with built-in timers have been the personal choice of every race organizers and runners. Even until now, these manually operated timers are still widely used for personal and smaller events.

My recent 10k running event with Timex have been blessed to have this kind of technology which accurately measured the race time of each runners. The data gathered by the RFID Chip also helped in the generation of a detailed running analysis (RunAlysis) of every participant. Thanks to the organizer, RunRio for including this kind of innovation for this event.

The RunAlysis generated for me was excellent. It boasted my average speed both in mph and kph; my place by gender, division, and overall ranking; split times per mile or per kilometer; and a bird's eye view of the finish line when I passed through it. A sample detailed race statistics can be downloaded here.

So how does this system works? A timing chip is marked with a unique identification, and is composed of a silicon chip and energizing coil. This coil is inactive (passive RFID) until moved into a magnetic field, generated by a send antenna in a mat (used to mark the start and finish lines of a race). The transponder then transmits its unique identification number to a receive antenna in a mat a. The send and receive antennas are cast in thin tartan mats. These antenna mats are placed at the finish line and other timing locations. They are connected to a box at the side of the road, containing electronics and batteries. Each time an athlete wearing a timing chip crosses the mats, the chip gets energized and sends out its unique ID number. This number and corresponding time are then stored in the box and transferred to a timing computer for further processing b.

One more thing that I was happy about my previous race was the free online photo vendo courtesy of Photovendo.ph. As I have previously stated in my blog for Timex Run 2009, the PhotoVendo uses the signal from the timing chip to trigger the shooting of the cameras stationed on some posts along the race routes, this was not the case (lol). There were camera men stationed along the race routes, armed with fast-shooting cameras with big lenses, not automated though, but are also triggered to shoot for the runners as they pass them by. This made the downloading of photos from their website made possible just by inputting your race number.

Further readings:
a. Wikipedia
b Alta Vista Sports
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Burn Fat & Lose Weight Effectively

In today's generation, a lot of people have been worrying about their health in every aspect. From internal health (that which affects our body organs) up to the external fitness level. And one of the most troubling health issues that also contributes to a lot of known "killers" are being overweight and having bulk of unhealthy fats around the body.

In contrast, a lot of misinformation about losing weight is that Cardio exercise alone makes you lose more fat, and that strength training yields to larger muscles so we have to refrain from it. But as Dr. Richard A. DiCenso explained in his recent article that involving yourself on strength training will only give you bulky muscles is just simply a myth. Well, I was also a believer of this before. And I have wrongly advised my wife to refrain from heavier strength training since her workout program before at one of the known fitness gyms was losing weight. Lately did I realized that strength and resistance training is as important as cardio exercise in fat burning and losing weight.

Dr. DiCenso stressed out the following points in his recent Article why strength training is as important as cardio exercise to effectively lose weight.
Muscle Burns Fat
Cardio alone does not work. The more lean muscle mass you have, the less fat you will have. The reason for this is that muscle actually burns fat. Muscle helps the body burn calories for hours after a workout. Studies have shown people who lift weights have an even lower fat mass percentage than those who do aerobic exercise alone.

Muscle Builds Strength
Most people don't stop to consider that the more strength you have, the less likely you may be to get injured. Of course, that doesn't mean you should over do the weights because this can also injure you. But, if you are an avid runner, cyclist or swimmer it might make sense to lift some weights so your body is stronger and can perform longer and more efficiently without getting injured.

Muscle Reshapes The Body
What if you just dropped fifty pounds through diet and a nightly jog through your neighborhood but when you look in the mirror, things still jiggle and you still carry weight in the same spots you always did? The best way to change this is to shape your body through building muscle. This will tighten, firm, tone, and target those trouble spots that you just can't seem to get rid of.

Muscle Fights Disease
The highest numbers of women who get osteoporosis in later years are ones of slim build. Doctors always say that one of the best ways to fight this debilitating bone loss is to do weight-bearing activities, which increase bone density. Muscle has also been shown in major studies to fight the onset of type two diabetes, build the heart muscle to fight heart disease, and even help those who suffer from arthritis to be more symptom free.
To read more about his article, you may visit www.shapefit.com or follow this link directly.
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Timex Run 2009

Time is Running, so we ran with Timex.

Timex Run 2009, organized by Coach Rio, was one of the very much organized running event I have joined. With the event's aim of donating the proceeds to the Timex-Unicef school in Masbate - my beloved hometown, I have opted to join and register for this event though my November's already fully booked with a lot of work, family and personal events. After all, I seldom hear some help coming in to this poor province. Thanks to Timex and Unicef.

Although I was late from the 10k race-start, I did not worry much about my personal time since a time-chip (champion chip) was used for the recording of our detailed running time. The use of this chip also gave me full confidence for the race results to be 100% accurate. Photos can also be downloaded soon from PhotoVendo's website. These two technology were also used for the Kenny's 2009 Open Urbanite, also organized by RunRio.


Running with Timex

The disposable timing chip and the PhotoVendo added more excitement for us for this race event. I believe the technology of PhotoVendo also uses the signal from the timing chip to trigger the shooting of the cameras stationed on some posts along the race routes. Now I can't wait to see how do I look like while running. This would be the first time that I will be having "real" photo(s) on the run since no one from my colleagues who have a supposedly camera to take a shot of our strides (sorry, I'm just a photo-addict, hehehe!) runs with me on my distance category. So most of the fun shots (lol!) while running are all blessed to them.



Update as of Nov. 16, 2009:

The race results are already out. So fast ain't it? :)

As I have mentioned on my post above, I was late for the gun-start of 10k. I started 16 minutes late when the 10k gun has fired. Out of the 1,024 recorded runners for the 10k category, though I was the last one to come out from the starting line, I was able to made it as the 624th finisher with finish time of 0:56:50. My half-split was 0:26:54, it also indicates that my pace slowed-down a bit on the second half.



You may download the race results below as gathered from the timing chips. Links courtesy from RunRio.com:
3k Results     5k Results     10k Results     21k Results


My only photo with Piolo and Coach Rio


Race Profile:
Distance: 10 km.
Official Finish Time: 01:12:47
Half-split: 00:26:54
Age Category: 144th out of 210 aged 20-29 male runners
Men's Division: 485th out of 693 male finishers
Overall Ranking: 624th out of 1,024 10k finishers

Race Info:
When: Nov. 15, 2009.
Where: The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Event: 1st Timex Run 2009
Read more ...

A Run for The Pasig River - Event and Race Result

The Philippine International Marathon hosted this recently held event themed "A Run for the Pasig River" aiming to raise funds for the benefit of "Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig" (KBPIP). KBPIP is a project of ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc. together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission that aims to clean the Pasig River and its tributaries.


Stradcom Runners "Strathletes" posing for our Certificates


According to news, there were about 22,000 runners and individuals converged in the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta. We saw a lot of groups from the different Universities, PMAers, PNP, and sponsor companies. While our unofficial group "Strathletes", couldn't have been able to participate in this event if not for our Company/HR's encouraging invitation. And since it is a sponsored run for us, we were able to form a bigger running team for the first time, composing of fifteen STRADCOM employees. Mack - our regular running colleague wasn't able to come with us since he has to sleep yet from the overnight activity in the office. One of our office mate brought the love of her life with her who also ran with us. The new batch of faces of fun run runners from the Company gave more excitement to everyone, from the seasonal and to those making it a career.


The only give-aways, Certificates (lol)


As for the run itself, I thought the route would be much easier since there were only three turns and one U-turn (10k turnaround point) for the whole course. Unfortunately, along the way, there are more zigzag paths due to the bulk of runners and "walkers" alike (you know what I mean, hehehe!), specially on the last 3 kilometers where the turnaround point of the 5 and 3 kilometer categories are.

I also forgot to wear my knee pads, or my "anti-rheuma" pads as I call it. My left knee started to ache upon reaching the 6-kilometer mark, the point of time where my lungs have started to relax and take-in more oxygen. I could have already run for a faster pace at this point if not for the pain where I almost tripped twice
on my left leg. This made me run slower instead on the halfway to somehow relax my legs and knees.


Group photo with Mr. Ricky Davao


Comparing the venue of this event with other running events being held at McKinley Hill or at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, the air is much fresh in the latter. Although Luneta is near the seashore, the smell of the ocean doesn't even smell like an ocean and even the presence of salty-smell is absent. I saw a creek or what seems like a small river near the Buendia bridge, and the air in that area is really unpleasant. I thought that maybe the water on that river came from Pasig River (lol!). It's a good thing that DENR and KBPIP is raising funds through events such as this one to somehow, and little by little, re-enliven the Pasig River.

The winner was another "Bulakenyan" runner (you may read the history here why they were called Bulakenyan), as I've heard from the murmurings.

More photos can be found in Facebook.

Event: Philippine International Marathon 2009 - A Run for the Pasig River
Date: Nov. 8, 2009.
Venue: Luneta Park, Manila
Unofficial Time: 00:58:02
Ranking: xxth

Keep posted for the official race results from PIM.
Read more ...

My 1st Personal Best Run

Since I started joining fun runs, I have encountered a lot of good and fast runners. Some have unimaginable stamina, longer strides, and some really run just for the fun and excitement.

I have also learned that some motivations during the event is a good mind booster whenever you feel like giving up already. Baguio's runs and marathons have never been emptied (as I have observed) with either PMA or Military participants since Fort Del Pilar or PMA is also in Baguio. Their presence served as the competition target for some runners. For this running event, my target competitors are my neighbor playmates (yes I still play with them until my 18th). I know I have greater advantage than them in long distance running than playing basketball since I have already joined quite a few running events and morning jogs. But I still competed with them since they also challenged me anyway (you know how kids are!), hehehe!

As the race starts, I felt the surge of energy like never before, it was so full. I really feel so motivated, specially knowing that I have already left my playmates. Now I am already competing with the other runners, and no longer with my playmates. The energy I have is still the same. I can feel that my legs are still asking for a longer stride, and so I did lengthen my stride to the fullest of what I can extend without affecting the proper running form and pacing. It feels good that your whole body is cooperating with the moment.

Although the energy I felt did not last for more than half an hour neither until half of the distance, I still feel fulfilled about my performance. Upon reaching the final few kilometers to the finish line, my pace stride and pace is back to how I really run since I am already tired. Now on the few meters left, I heard a lot of people cheering and shouting to every runner. I thought they are just happy for the running event that took place, and that they are some family members of some of the participants. I never increased my speed and stride as I come near the finish line. Later did I know, that the cheering of the people watching the runners is because they are anticipating the first top ten finishers.

There was only a few more steps when suddenly, some runners went past through me rushing to the finish line like they are still competing for the first place. And to my dismay, I could've been able to reach the 10th or 11th place of the race. I really never expected it! I immediately went to the race organizer to check if they already have the ranking of the top then, and yes they have. But I'm no longer one of them. The organizer just told me, 'ay sayang, nahuli ka lang ng ilang segundo, hindi ka umabot!'. And so it goes, I just told to myself that I am still a newbie runner and the top ten ranking is still not in my time, a good way to relief myself.

Race Info:
When: Dec. 7, 1997.
Where: Burnham Park, Baguio City
Event: Rotary Club of Baguio North Invitational 10km. Run
Distance: 10 km.
Personal Time: 00:42:40
Rank: 15th


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