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Run for Pinoy Glory





What: Run for Pinoy Glory "Support Team Pilipinas"

When: 7 July 2012 4:00AM, Saturday

Where: Fort San Pedro, Cebu City

Beneficiaries: Filipino Paralympic Athletes competing in London



Registration Centers:

Philippine Red Cross, Lapu-Lapu/Cordova Chapter

R. dela Serna St., Poblacion, Lapu-Lapu City (near Merkado and beside Old Fire Station of Lapu-Lapu City)






Click to download registration form

Distance and Registration Fees:


  • 3K - Php 300.00

  • 5K - Php 300.00

  • 12K - Php 400.00

  • 16K - Php 550.00

  • 21K - Php 650.00


Note: 5+1 for 21K, 16K and 12K (on same category only) / 5+1 for 3K and 5K (mixed category is allowed).



Shadowfax Race finisher shirts and medals will be given to all 21K finishers' while Medals only will be given to 16K finishers.



Summit Water Run for Pinoy Glory loot bags will be given upon finishing the race.



For other details you may call (032) 268-9983 or Mr. Joel Juarez at: 0933-496-6938.
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Travelife Drum Tao Nights

Travelife Magazine - the Philippines' leading travel and lifestyle publication, brings to you, a first time ever in Manila the "Travelife DRUM TAO Nights", a world-famous drum show watched by over 5 million people in 14 countries.

This is something to watch out for, coming for 10 shows only at the Resort's World Manila on July 12 to 22, 2012 every 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, and 8:00 PM.


Tickets are available at Ticketworld.com.ph, or you may also call 891-9999.
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The Great Bank Fun Run



The Bank Marketing Association of the Philippines (BMAP) is staging the first-ever fun run for bankers on July 22 at the Filinvest City in Alabang. Dubbed as “The Great Bank Fun Run,” the race event is expected to bring together more than 2,000 runners from the banking community and will also be open to regular running enthusiasts to promote the habit of saving among Filipino adults and children.



Co-presented by East West Bank, the run will have 3k, 5k and 10k distance races with Php 500.00 flat registration fee. Proceeds of the race event will fund the various programs and initiatives of BMAP such as the Banking On Your Future-Kiddie Account Program in partnership with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, as well as the review of the Banking Code, the BMAP National Convention and other advocacies for the year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. will lead the gun start and the awarding ceremonies. A special commemorative item will be given to race finishers, as well as exciting prizes will be raffled off such as plane tickets, gift certificates and other freebies and giveaways from sponsors.



What: The Great Bank Run (I Run For Savings Consciousness)

When: 22 July 2012, Sunday

Where: Filinvest City, Alabang

Beneficiaries:

Programs and initiatives of BMAP



Distance and Registration Fees:

    10K - Php 500.00

    5K - Php 500.00

    3K - Php 500.00



Registration Centers:

Toby's Sports - SM Mall of Asia, Alabang Town Center, Glorietta 4, Shangri-la Plaza

Runnr Store - Bonifacio High Street, Trinoma



Singlet Design:





Route Map:









Hydration and Medic Stations:


  • Start and Finish area

  • Hydrations will also be stationed every 1.5 kilometers

  • Medics will be available along the route


Organizers:









For more information, please call BMAP secretariat: (02) 637-1115 & 18 or at 0922-838-6200.
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3rd Trek the TEC

The first and real vertical run in the Country has once again challenged the stair-runners after only 7 months from their previously successful event - 2nd Trek the TEC that was held last November 26, 2011. It was no different route from the past installments, but the 2,531 steps of the combined Towers 1 and 2 of the Enterprise Center proves it to be still challenging as ever.

TEC's Tower 1 & 2 (photo by Ramil Lomboy)
Just like my first bump into this vertical run (read my race account here), the atmosphere was still the same - friendly and homey. Everyone is excited, and almost everyone would talk and greet each other. Representing Diadora Philippines Running Team were Bave and Me, and also Cris Dela Cruz co-represented us (Kuya Totoy who co-represented the team last year went freelancer this time).

with Bave and Cris
The race was intimately gathered by challengers of around 300 participants - now much participated than the previous installments. If there were only few elite and hardcore runners from the previous years, this time there were a lot of them who joined both on the individual and team-relay (of 4 members) categories. The absence of the Kenyans was surprising, but that also gave opportunity for our locals coming from different provinces - Cebu, Cagayan De Oro, Baguio, and etc to bag the prizes. I was really delightful seeing them on this race like Coach Cris Sabal, Alquin Bolivar, Mario Maglinaw of ARC, Ka Totoy from Team Ungas, Track & Field Varsitarians, co-hometown Joel Bengtay, the Tres-Marias-combo whom I forgot the names (might be Luisa Raterta, Annaliza Diaz, and Ailene Tolentino), as well as the now 14-year old Michelle De Vera (whom I first raced with at the BDO Race For Life 2010), and other known speedy runners were present to challenge the 90 floors of the Enterprise Center.

with my co-hometown runners from Cordillera and Ka Totoy (right-most)
As the runners were dispatched in batches starting from the relay and then to the individual categories further divided into three groups (identified by the proximity card's lace color), minimal "balyahan" occurred as runners try to outpace each other from the first few flights. I haven't noticed what floor I have stopped running, started to pull myself up with the aid of the handrails, and pushing myself up by pushing my legs. It seemed that I was in a trance going up with my mouth wide open gasping for oxygen at each step, head bowed down. The first time I remember seeing a floor marker was at the 23rd floor already, and the ever ego-dumping signage "quitter's exit" haven't even crossed my visual line until when I was already descending from the 1st tower.

Upon reaching the 1st Tower's summit, I rested for a while and did some stretching before heading downwards to the forever spiral of stairs which I could only take one-step at a time, then sometimes jump at the last three steps. The experience running up and down was almost the same as the previous year. On the 2nd tower, I wasn't able to run anymore (again), and just slowly take two-stairs up at a time while pushing each of my legs to help me lift myself up. As I patiently conquer each flight of stairs, I couldn't help but to reminisce my previous years experience at these two towers, and all the experience was like a déjà vu.

with Ms. Lia, Bave, Coach Cris Sabal, and Ka Totoy
Metal stairs - the sign that the finish line is just a floor away. Which also means that abundant fresh air is already waiting for us. And the freshest of the loots farmed atop the building are already harvested for the runners. Indeed it was, coupled with Pocari Sweat.

I have almost wasn't able to run this race this time as I woke up late with only one-hour left before the gun-start. Thankfully I still made it with a few minutes to spare for a warmp-up, and it was still all worth it having shaved off 51 seconds from my previous time.

I seldom repeat a race unless there's a change in race course, or newer challenge but if you'll ask me if I will still join this event on their 4th? Definitely!

Oh, and the running shirt? It was also much better than last year.

Race Profile:
Distance: 90 floors (2,531 vertical steps)
Personal Time: 00:19:10
Official Ranking: 22nd out of 87 Individual category finishers

Race Info:
When: June 24, 2012.
Where: The Enterprise Center Bldg., Ayala, Makati
Event: 3rd Trek the T.E.C.

You may also view the gun-start of last year's trek the TEC.
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Reverse the Bad: Join WWF’s Reverse Run

Step back then move forward.



This statement represents the World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines’ (WWF-Philippines) vision to confront the present state of the environment by studying the mistakes of the past then focusing on building a greener future and keeping the Earth a living planet.



Humanity is currently using 50% more resources than the Earth can provide. We are living as if we have two planets at our disposal. What better way to secure a more sustainable future than to invite tomorrow’s stewards – the youth – to join WWF-Philippines’ conservation efforts?



On July 22, WWF-Philippines will hold the Reverse Run at the SM Mall of Asia to launch the Reverse the Bad Student Program, a year-long membership program developed for high school and college students who want to amplify their commitment to protect the environment.



As suggested by its name, WWF’s Reverse Run will entail race participants to run in reverse as a symbolic way of joining the organization’s mission to stop and eventually reverse the degradation of nature. Participants will backpedal through the course for 200 meters and will then run forward.



Everyone is invited to join in the Reverse Run. As an added treat, students who register for the run are automatically enlisted as members of the WWF Reverse the Bad Student Program.



There will be registration fee of PHP 500 for those running the 3-kilometer and 6-kilometer course, and PHP 600 will be asked for those taking the 12-kilometer route.



For more about the race details, participants can email wwfreverserun@gmail.com, view the race info, or view the WWF Reverse the Bad video on YouTube.



Reverse the Bad Student Program



Proceeds of the Reverse Run will go to the Reverse the Bad Student Program and WWF’s other programs on environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation.



The creation of the student program is in response to growing calls from youngsters who want to take a more direct and proactive role in helping protect the environment. Through this program, WWF wants to create young stewards to help us secure a better future.



“This program creates platforms for concrete action designed specifically for young persons. There is only one way to deal with a problem, and that is, to solve it. Start with simple, every day things. Stick to it. Scale up rapidly. Live the solutions. Participate.” says WWF-Philippines CEO and Vice Chair Jose Ma. Lorenzo Tan.



The Reverse the Bad Student Program aims to empower and educate students on the different ways their choices affect the environment and instill the notion of making sustainable choices for the future.



As a member, students are entitled to regular areas of dialogue, exclusive invites to WWF-Philippines forums and activities, discounts from partners through their WWF Reverse the Bad membership card.



Concludes Reverse the Bad Student Program Head Marie Bretaña:



“We encourage all students out there who want to protect the environment, or even those who just want to learn more about conservation to join the Reverse the Bad Student Program by taking part in this July’s Reverse Run.



“This is a wonderful and fun opportunity for you to support WWF-Philippines and take that first step towards becoming a steward of a better future,”
adds Bretaña.



Reverse the Bad, Student's Card:









For more details, log on to wwf.org.ph/reversethebad or at AktiboKaBa?
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Salt and High Blood Pressure

by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Salt Restriction Fails to Lower High Blood Pressure in Most People

Gary Taubes wrote an article in the New York Times, stating correctly that there is no good evidence that restricting salt intake reduces high blood pressure significantly or prevents heart attacks (June 2, 2012). If you read my newsletters or listened to my radio show, you know that I have been saying this for more than thirty years. High blood pressure is best managed by eating large amounts of fruits and vegetables; losing excess weight; eating less saturated fat, particularly in red meat; and exercising every day.

Most doctors who believe that a low-salt diet lowers high blood pressure base their argument on the INTERSALT project, published in 1988, which showed that populations that have very high salt levels in their urine also had a high incidence of high blood pressure; and on the 2001 DASH-Sodium study, a 30-day trial of salt restriction (N Engl J Med, January 4, 2001, 201;344:3-10). The DASH study showed that eating significantly less salt can lower high blood pressure a little bit, but it did not show that salt restriction prevents heart attacks or strokes.

THE DATA: Research shows that restricting salt can lower high blood pressure slightly, but there is insufficient evidence that it prevents heart attacks, strokes or premature death (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Published Online: October 5, 2011).

Excess salt intake can cause your body to retain excess water which can raise your blood pressure temporarily. However, middle-aged people who start an exercise program lose their tendency to develop high blood pressure when they take in extra salt (Journal of Human Hypertension, May 2006).

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine showed that people on low-salt diets are actually more likely to suffer heart attacks than those on high salt diets (Journal of General Internal Medicine, June 2008). They analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) of American adults. Dr. Hillel W. Cohen, lead author of the study, stated, "Our findings suggest that for the general adult population, higher sodium is very unlikely to be independently associated with higher risk of death from heart attacks.

Salt Restriction Can Cause High Blood Pressure in Exercisers

Serious exercisers can be harmed by the broad recommendations for all people to restrict salt intake. If you do not exercise, you are not likely to sweat very much and you do not need very much salt. On the other hand, if you exercise vigorously, you sweat and lose a lot of salt. When you don't have enough salt, your adrenal glands put out large amounts of aldosterone, which constricts arteries and raises blood pressure; and your kidneys put out large amounts of renin that also constricts arteries and raises blood pressure (Clinical Autonomic Research. 2002;12(5):353-357). Furthermore, without the extra salt that you need, you will not recover from your hard bouts of exercise and you will be more likely to be injured or tired all the time.

SALT IS THE ONLY MINERAL YOU NEED DURING EXERCISE

Dr. James Gamble spent World War II studying the mineral needs of soldiers fighting the Japanese in the Pacific. He concluded that the only mineral soldiers and athletes need in large amounts is sodium, common table salt. They do not need extra potassium, magnesium, calcium or trace minerals. To this day, nobody has improved on his data and recommendations. His lectures on this topic were presented to Harvard Medical students right up to the time of his retirement in the 1960s {Gamble JL, Extracellular Fluid, A Lecture Syllabus, Harvard University Press. Cambridge, Massachusetts 1958}.

SYMPTOMS OF SALT DEFICIENCY

If you are a serious exerciser and you suddenly are not recovering from your workouts as fast as you usually do, a common cause is loss of salt. Symptoms of salt deficiency include muscle weakness, soreness and cramps, loss of strength and tiredness. Get a blood test for sodium on the day after a hard workout. If your blood sodium is below 132 mmol/L, you need more salt.

HOW SALT DEFICIENCY HAMPERS PERFORMANCE

Not taking in salt when you exercise for more than two hours can prevent you from retaining the water that you drink. It can also block thirst, so you may not know that you are dehydrated. Thirst is a late sign of dehydration. You lose water during exercise primarily through sweating, and sweat contains a far lower concentration of salt than blood. So during exercise, you lose more water than salt, causing the concentration of salt in the blood to rise. You will not feel thirsty until the concentration of salt in the blood rises high enough to trip off thirst osmoreceptors in your brain, and it takes a loss of two to four pints of fluid to do that.

SALT HELPS YOU RETAIN FLUID

You need to take salt to retain the fluid you drink while exercising. If you lose two pints of fluid, you can replace it with two pints of water if you also take salt, but if you don't take salt, it can take four pints of fluid to replace two pints of sweat because the water you drink will pass out through your kidneys. In one study, female competitive distance runners took in drinks with different concentration of salt during a four-hour run (British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2003;37(4). Ninety-two percent of those who took in plain water with no additional salt developed low blood levels of salt.

FITNESS DOES NOT REDUCE SALT LOSS

A study from Spain shows that being fit does not reduce the concentration of salt in sweat (European Journal of Applied Physiology, November 2011). A person who exercises in the heat can lose far more than 4000mg of salt. So in spite of the fact that most serious exercisers get a lot of salt from the large amounts of foods that they eat, they can still become salt deficient.

SALT BEFORE COMPETITION

Taking salt just before competition improves performance (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, January 2007; Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, January 2007). Athletes who took extra salt had larger blood volume and greater endurance. Salt makes you thirsty earlier so you drink more, and salt in your body holds water so you have more water available to meet your needs.

SALT FOR LONG ENDURANCE EVENTS

You can keep yourself fresh during extended exercise by eating foods with salt and drinking frequently, before you feel hungry or thirsty. Once you are weakened by loss of fluid or salt, it becomes very difficult to regain your strength. When an athlete competes in events lasting more than three hours, he or she should replace salt (sodium) at the rate of 700 mg/hour.

Commercial sports drinks help to increase endurance with their caffeine, sugar and salt content, and, to a lesser degree, protein (The Physician and Sportsmedicine, April 2010). Most sports drinks do not contain adequate amounts of salt for long-term exercise, because very salty drinks taste awful. When we cycle for more than three hours on very hot days, we eat salted potato chips and drink ordinary soda.

CASUAL EXERCISERS SELDOM SUFFER FROM SALT DEFICIENCY

The North American diet contains up to 10 times your minimal salt requirements. Salt is added to almost all prepared foods, so if you doubled or tripled your salt losses through sweating, you would still not be deficient because you are already taking in far more salt than you need.

HYPONATREMIA

Taking in large amounts of fluid without also taking in salt dilutes the bloodstream, so that the concentration of salt in the blood is lower than that in brain cells. This can cause fluid to move from the low-salt blood into the high-salt brain causing the brain to swell which can cause seizures and death.

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Epic Moments at The Epic Relay 250

Teamwork has never been previously realized to be possible on any individual sports such as the Track and Field discipline where running is categorized.

I have been involved in other team sports before such as Sepak Takraw, Volleyball, Basketball, and Baseball, but it was running that has took me into a much deeper attachment. And I loved running for its sense of individuality, that I could run wherever and whenever I want, without anybody to care for, because running is my own meditation!



Not until the conceptualization of our group's Epic Relay team, most of my individuality outlook for running has somehow changed. It made me witness a Leader's unfailing love for a group. It made me wonder how much more can that person give, or when he will surrender.

There was no solid cooperation at first, and it isn't falling into our expectations. It made my inner-self wrangle in hopelessness as our group crammed into a tight schedule of meeting the requirements, questioning almost everything:

"Isn't this a group event? When are we going to train as a group?", "When will the remaining slots be filled-up?", "How much expensive can this race get?", "Why are those people who shouted their intent to join disappearing?", "Can we really make it?"

It did made me hopeless, then hopeful. It made me impatient, then it gave me patience. And it also made me realize how important each individual is for a common goal.

With that as the background of our story, I could say that not all of the epic moments that our group has had on the recently held Epic Relay 250 were realized on the race days and race night itself. Sure the routes were challenging, the sun’s heat was exhausting, the sleepless and bathless days were amputating, and each of our runners had our own epic moments on our own legs for the race.

From climbing the steep hills of Bataan, crawling the roads to Mt. Samat, gracefully running the flat roads, and attacking the steep downhills with care.

Learning some history about the epic Battle of Bataan - that's epic!

Witnessing the strength of each runner, of each team is already epic on itself. It gave the real measure of how strong or weak each team was against the other. But aside from these, aside from our own epic moments from our own leg races, two of the most epic moments that we had was before and after the race:

First, was my realization of a Team Leader’s Passion at work – I alone, would have already surrendered weeks before and even during the last day of registration due to lack of preparation, too much cramming; unfillable line-up of runners and support crews for the team; expected heavy expenses; and a lot of negatives and distractions that surrounds the conception of our epic team.

But with Allan’s untiring and non-surrendering attitude made it all possible, and I learned from him. He was able to light up the fire from the very thin light of hope that he saw;

Six:30 Running Group's final sprint to an epic finish

Second, was the member’s indescribable happy face as I (while speeding up towards the finish line), saw all their reactions, with their eyes open and seems like telling me that everything was worth it. After those amputating sleepless and bathless days and night, it was a priceless scene to see how everything finally bears fruit for everyone.

The dream epic race which have almost went to nothing is now a dream come true, seeing everyone who at one point were also previously, or have become half-hearted like me, are now cheerful, satisfied that each of them participated, and fulfilled that they all gave their very best performance for the group and to our common goal - of finishing as one!

I'm glad that this year's Epic Relay has materialized from the thoughtful planning of Ms. Arleen Lindo and all the people behind her team. Good job and Congratulations to everyone!

As for my own legs? All of it was memorable, from climbing the Mt. Samat, running away the cold eve, and dashing through the finish line.

Reaching Mt. Samat
Leg 1 / R.E.P #10:
Race commenced from Liyang, Pilar towards the top of Mt. Samat covering a lot of steep uphill with very steep switchbacks on mixed smooth and rough asphalt roads. Total elevation gain of around 500masl. The first 2-3 kilometers of the route were so hot but thankfully the roads going up to Mt. Samat were covered by the trees. My lungs got busted as I reached the top, I took a few minutes rest and took a picture of the cross, then proceeded to sprint down to pass the baton to our 11th leg runner.

Leg 2 / R.E.P #20:
Sweaty on a midnight run of the 2nd leg which started at Cubi Pt., SBMA and ending at the Harborpoint Mall, SBMA. The route became so exciting with the presence of a pitbull, an askal, and a pinchster dog barking at me while I was urinating on a waiting shed in front of their territory. The jungle noise of nocturnal animals/birds while running the steep downhill of Subic to Olongapo made me shiver in excitement as I imagined that I was running under a dark, moonless night while some unknown creatures are chasing at me. Upon reaching the flat asphalt and concrete roads, I was back to my normal rhythm of some boredom and made me miss those jungle noise. Approximate total elevation loss of 120-130masl under the fresh breeze of midnight air.

Leg 3 / R.E.P #30:
After 2 days and a night of lack of ample rest and no bathing, the final leg came. This leg started with a few flat asphalt roads at Barrio Baretto in Subic, then followed by gradual uphills between kms 3 to 4.5 and a short downhill leading to flat concrete roads towards the finish line at the Lighthouse Hotel in, SBMA.




More of the Epic stories of our group may be found from the following links:
Jenny Red's Tumblr
RunningFreeManila's Six:30 Epic Story Collection


A special thanks also goes to our invaluable sponsors, who came just in the nick of time, believed us, trusted us, and extended their support for our group.

Our Epic Sponsors
Pre-Race Announcement
Video Event Recap
Thorlos Experia Running Socks Review
Diadora Mythos Axeler TI-4 Shoe Review

"Face forward and take the next step. Don't flinch when the road gets rough, you fall down, you miss a turn, or the bridge you planned to cross has collapsed. Do what you say you'll do, and don't let anything or anyone stop you. Deal with the obstacles as they come. Move on." - Marshall Ulrich (author, Running on Empty)
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Our Epic Support and Sponsors

The 2012 Epic Relay was one of my unexpected biggest dream race come true. During it's debut event two years back, I was only a spectator behind Coach Luis "Gingerbread Running" Arcangel's update about their race feat on this historical running adventure as their then team (PowerPuff Boys) battle out their legs and lungs against stronger opponents from Team Timex and Team Army.

When I received the invitation from Ms. Arleen Lindo, the Marketing Manager of Chris Sports' to create a team and join their should-be 2011 Epic Relay, I got hesitant as I don't know who among my runner colleagues and buddies will take the idea of an insane 250 kilometers of relay running. That as well as the financial matters, physical preparations, and race maturity of an individual member are the heaviest things that I have to consider.

For this year's Epic Relay 250, we surely did faced a lot of stress and challenges, much more than what I have mentioned above. These happened even during the conception of our team that a faint hope would surely crumble our dream to experience this epic adventure. But, with Allan's untiring enthusiasm to continue this event for the Six:30, all I can do is to support him and do what I can do best. And with God's guidance, and through Jenny Red's prayers, just a few days and hours before our take-off to SBMA, our generous Sponsors came to help us realize this event. Thus, if it's not for them, we wouldn't have been able to fully enjoy and materialize this race.

Pocari Sweat Philippines, our ion and electrolytes supply drink which helped us prevent dehydration.







Ph7Plus Water which provided us with an effective water replenishment with their alkaline water.


Thorlos Philippines, our official running socks for the event, which helped us prevent blisters and cushioned our feet with the Experia Coolmax.









Diadora Philippines for my cap, shirt, and the Mythos Axeler TI-4 which helped me tread the steep downhills along Subic.

Our Financial Donors:
Silver Horizon Trading and Construction Co. Inc.


Marvin Pangan, Wesley Oraña, Doc Noel and Genesis Señorin, Louie Lopez, and Miriam Teodoro-Bernardo.

To Kuya Junar Layug of Team Ungas for helping us find a van provider who already knows our passion for running.

And of course, to our support crews who did their best to keep us clean and rested while they do the dirty jobs and keeping themselves awake just for us:
  1. Jenny Red
  2. Drew Llanes
  3. Arianne Ramos
  4. Nette Castillo
  5. Richal Paul Maling
  6. Shai Ramos
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Reverse (the Bad) Run

The growing consciousness for the third sector has led to the increase in the demand for individual inclusion in conservation work through financial support as well as through volunteer opportunities. A fair share of these appeals has been made by students. However, due to numerous considerations such as schedules, safety, technical know-how and the like, accommodating these requests has been difficult. Despite of this WWF is motivated to serve this demand, but in lieu of on-ground activities a program grounded on education and geared towards the student audience is to be implemented.



Students of the Earth, Reverse the Bad (Reverse the Bad for short) is a membership program designed specifically for the youth. It provides students with the opportunity to partake in WWF conservation efforts. WWF aims to empower, educate and instill the notion of investing in their future which may translate into more sustainable choices. As a member, students are entitled to regular areas of dialogue, exclusive invites to forums, discounts from partners, membership card, etc. To encourage youth participation, WWF deems it crucial to introduce the program through a customary yet unique enrolment activity.



WWF Reverse Run 2012



The running craze has proved to be an effective method of inciting support. In keeping with this fad and including our own creative take, WWF is to launch the Reverse the Bad student program through a Reverse Run on 22 July 2012 at SM Mall of Asia. As suggested by its name, part of the run will be done in reverse – wherein participants will backpedal through the course. An apt execution, it symbolizes our ability to confront the present environmental state by looking back and moving forward. The first of its kind in the Philippines, and possibly within the region, the activity is expected to receive considerable media attention.



What: World Wildlife Foundation's Reverse Run

When: 22 July 2012 Sunday, 5:00AM

Where: SM Mall of Asia

Beneficiaries: Reverse the Bad Student Program and WWF’s other programs on environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and climate change adaptation.



Distance* and Registration Fees:

    3K - Php 500.00

    6K - Php 500.00

    12K - Php 600.00

*First 200-meter of each distance will be ran backwards



Registration Centers:

Chris Sports - SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, Glorietta 3

Skechers Stores - Trinoma, Market! Market!, Festival Mall Alabang



Singlet Design:



For more information, please call: (02) 822-2568 or send an e-mail to: wwfreverserun@gmail.com. You may also log-on to wwf.org.ph
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Power Tips by David Semerad

Don't let the summer heat and dehydration outscore you. Listen as basketball superstar David Semerad shares his Power Tips for powering through this weather.





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Calcium Pills May Increase Heart Attack Risk

by Dr. Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

A German study followed 24,000 men and women, ages 35 to 64, for 11 years and found that those who take calcium supplements are 86 percent more likely to suffer heart attacks than those who do not (Heart, published online May 23, 2012). More than 60 percent of North American women over 60 take calcium supplements to help prevent bone fractures (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics, 2011).

Image from: LifeMoreNatural
In the study from Germany, there was no significant difference in death from stroke or heart attack no matter how much calcium people got FROM FOODS. There was even a suggestion that increased calcium intake from foods was associated with increased heart attack risk. Other factors that increase heart attack risk were excluded from the study.

Another study showed that calcium pills may reduce fractures by 10 percent, but can INCREASE risk for heart attacks by 25 percent (British Medial Journal, published online July 2010). Thus if 1,000 people were given calcium for five years, there would be 26 fractures prevented but there would also be 14 heart attacks, 10 strokes and 13 deaths more than in people not taking calcium pills.

OTHER STUDIES SHOW THAT TOO MUCH CALCIUM FROM FOOD AND PILLS INCREASES HEART ATTACK RISK

Eight studies followed more than 10,000 patients, average age of 68 years, for an average 3.8 years, taking 500 to 1400 mg calcium daily. They had 1.3 times the chance of suffering a heart attack as people taking no calcium pills. Those taking more than 805 mg calcium per day from food without pills were 1.86 times more likely to suffer heart attacks (British Medical Journal, 2010;341:3691).

HOW TOO MUCH CALCIUM CAN CAUSE HEART ATTACKS

Calcium supplements raise blood calcium levels which increases chances of forming clots, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes (J Bone Miner Res. 1997;12:1959-70). Calcium supplements can thicken neck artery plaques (Atherosclerosis. 2007;194:426-32) and calcify main arteries (J Bone Miner Res. 2010;25:505-12). Taking calcium without also taking vitamin D increases heart attack risk even further, because calcium blocks the activation of vitamin D to cause a relative deficiency of that vitamin.

TOO MUCH VITAMIN D RAISES CALCIUM

Vitamin D markedly increases calcium absorption to raise blood calcium levels. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen followed almost 250,000 people and found that people with blood levels of hydroxy vitamin D below 10 nmol/L were 2.3 times more likely to die prematurely and those with levels above 140 nmol/L were 1.42 times more likely to die prematurely (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, published online May 2012). So both low and high calcium levels are harmful.

GET YOUR CALCIUM FROM FOOD, NOT PILLS

Adult men and women need 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily, according to the National Institutes of Health. You get that amount from a cup of yogurt, a glass of milk and a slice of cheese. If you avoid dairy products, you could meet your calcium requirement with a bowl of enriched cereal, a glass of fortified orange juice, half a cup of tofu and a piece of salmon.

GET YOUR VITAMIN D FROM SUN OR PILLS

You cannot meet your needs for vitamin D from foods. You have to depend on the sun or pills. Get a blood test for hydroxy vitamin D. If it is above 75 nmol/L, you are fine. If it is above 140 nmol/L, you are taking overdoses of vitamin D and should reduce your intake of vitamin D pills.

If your blood level of hydroxy vitamin D is below 50 nmol/L, you need more sunlight or you can try taking up to 2000 IU of vitamin D per day for a month. Once blood levels of vitamin D are above 50 nmol/l, you should reduce your intake of the pills to 1000 IU per day or less.

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Merrell Trail Adventure at It's Finest

The Adventure Run 2 Years Back

Two years ago, I got my taste of getting lost, talking to Carabao (water Buffalo) Marshals, finding our own way, and an excitement spoilage of finally crossing the finish line due to a detour towards the river boulders, which took me more than an hour for just a mere 5K trail run at Wawa, Montalban (more of the story from My 1st Trail Run). Then last year, victory revenge was reclaimed, more runners had fun and enjoyed the trails' challenge, and I learned more about trail running and got a Podium treat for a media award at Timberland, San Mateo (the story here).

Back then, I thought that the adventure of trails had its limit, and I have already conquered the adventure that I could get from running the trails -- specifically the challenges of the Merrell Adventure Run. So this year, I opted to increase my distance even if it takes me two (2) loops to complete the race course.

Given that it was already my third (3rd) time to run the trails of Timberland Heights, I thought I was already familiar with its hills and terrains; that even if the race route was different from the previous races, even with a waterfall, and an "imburnal", I thought that I will still get bored at the second loop. And given the past trail run experiences, I thought that this 3rd installment of Merrell Adventure Run will be much easier. But... with Typhoon Ambo on Sir Thumbie's side beginning Friday until the wee hours of the event day, just look what happened, I got buried, literally, at almost hips deep of orangey-muds along the course!

The 3rd Merrell Adventure

2012 Merrell Adventurers
The first few kilometers of the first loop seemed easy at first, the normal trails, and the same slippery tracks as last years'. But stepping on those sticky cake muds, even a minimalist shoe would gain a lot of weight, heavier than a normal trekking boots that you'll have to resort to a Bayani Casimiro-like tap dance to unload the bulky mud.

There were also river crossings, a lot of rivers with mother nature-formed sharp rocks of different levels of difficulty. Ropes were very essential and useful as one wrong move, wrong step, and a heavy slip might cause you a broken limb or perhaps, "see you down below"!

After the rivers, you will have to go back to the muddy surface, by of course, going up, up, and up, slippery up on some dark mud since the soil was nurtured with decomposed river-side trees and vegetations.

A muddy and slight uphill terrain was also part of the route, but before that, all runners must pass through a sewer full of cockroach and craps. Joking on that part! The sewer were slightly buried on watery yellow, or red, or orange mud however you see it, (I see it orange). Mother nature gave me a taste of unprocessed orange-milk breakfast (it tastes like mud though!).

Then comes the muddy-bloody uphill stretching to about 400 to 600 meters, that you wouldn't dare to run if you have not trained yourself with some weighted-hill repeats with crawling. Why? Because just a few steps going left at the top of the hill, comes the wet, wild, creamy mud obstacle that you have to pass, and it's required to crawl because you wouldn't also dare to step on those unstable bamboos.

Completing the first loop, I didn't realize that the second loop will be much harder to traverse, indeed it was more challenging. Besides the fact that I'll have to undergo the same obstacles as the first loop, the trails this time were already impassable by two legs alone. Even on four-limbs drive (including the arms), the muddy and slippery slopes would get your muscles, test your balance, and abuse your leg and core strength.

This second loop, gave me not just a heavy leg, but also a heavy chest. I was so concentrated on my balance, with the trails, where to step next, where to hold to, that I almost forgot to breathe deep and avoid the shortness of oxygen.

Almost dead-tired (photo by Jobert Dela Victoria)
Verdict

Although this year's singlet was no way better or equal in quality than the previous two years, certainly, the 3rd Merrell Adventure Run really lived up to its monicker of adventure. Crossing the finish line, all I could think of was... nothing! I was blank for a few seconds while walking down towards the shower area - where I got a full reset and refreshed. But the fulfillment? Overflowing!

Unexpected Adventures

Oh, and the adventure didn't end there as my stubborn office-mate who registered for 21K category despite the given advice to take either the 5K or 10K as it is only his first trail run, was still left inside the trails. I was worried that he might have been injured for taking too long to cross the finish. Judging by the time, and seeing him on my second loop still about to complete his first loop, he wouldn't be able to make it until 12 noon. So at 11AM, I told Ms. Glaiza who generously offered their shuttle service to us (for the 3rd year) to go ahead. They left past 11AM after Vicky finished her magical "tadaaa" moment! Such a brave girl, you did it this year for the 2nd time, and now without malong and only jackets to cover you.

Going back to Roy, he arrived safely after almost 7 hours, with all booths, tarps, stage already packed out, and finish arch already getting dismantled. Absence of service going out from Timberland, we opted to ride with some of the stage crews on their truck going to Batasan. The ride was rougher than the trail run as the truck bounces roughly on the rough roads.

Take Home Loots

Everybody got their share of loots from sponsors, even those who crossed the finish line even after past 12noon still got their Finisher's medal. Wowww, that was really great! For me, aside from these, I get to take home the following:
  1. Two pails of mud from my shoes
  2. More than 3 pails of rinsed-off mud from my socks, shorts, and shirt
  3. Three soap rinses in two batch of my running apparels
  4. A resurrected Thorlos socks after three soap+clorox rinsing
  5. An arm full of minor scratches (left arm)
  6. A leg full of small wounds and scratches (right leg)
  7. DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) on my calves
  8. An accidental punch on my left cheek coming from another runner
  9. An adventure under the showers of Ambo
  10. Priceless fulfillment
Race Profile:
Distance: 21km Adventure Trail Run
Official Time: 03:03:26
Official Rank: 23rd out of 300+ Finishers

Race Info:
When: June 2, 2012.
Where: Timberland Heights, San Mateo, Rizal
Event: Merrell Adventure Run 3

Race results may also be viewed from Strider.ph

Roy, still clueless of what he's about to face inside the trails
Allan, itching for the gun-start :)
with the ever-caring ladies of Agatep Associates, and Kuya Jay at the back =D
with the secretive Kuya Jay =)
Bearwin, also now into trail running
the new road kill, trail version
That's Roy, about to cross the finish line.
On the left, that's Kuya about to remove the final piece of the timer
Roy, bravely conquered his first trail run, Congratulations!
More photos may be found from my Facebook album.

Update (23Oct2013): Just recently found out after more than a year that there's an article from PhilStar.com about this race, with my one-line testimonial on it. I remember though that the interview was made after I have crossed the finish line of the MAR 2011.
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Conquer The Outdoors at the Merrell Adventure Run 2012

Cold and steady rain showers greeted the 2,000 runners hours before gunstart of the third Merrell Adventure Run, which happened at the breathtaking and steep mountainside of Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal. The toughest off-road run in the country became even more challenging owing to the wet weather conditions.



Designed by extreme adventure athlete Thumbie Remigio, this year’s Merrell course was more physically and emotionally demanding than last year’s. The race started with a dunk in a mud pit, a few kilometers of slick uneven rocky pathways, and was punctuated with an endless string of uphill climbs.



The downpour had turned the already rigorous uphill off-road course into a slippery path. The 5K, 10K and 21K runners found themselves sliding down muddied inclines, groping for handholds at slippery slopes, and splashing across natural streams. Some runners literally barrelled down the hills to get a good spot at the finish line.



"Mas challenging and mas maganda ang run this year," said Alfredo Vedarozaga also known as the running enthusiast “RunningAtom” who completed the 21K Merrell Run. "Maganda yung trail. Iba ang challenge. Hindi siya puro plain na takbo at mas fulfilling kaysa road runs," he said. ("This year’s run was better and more challenging. The trail run’s great. It’s more challenging unlike plain running and it’s more fulfilling than road runs.")



Runners who had a harder time navigating the course also received assistance and encouragement from other participants and race marshals.



Participants also tried out Merrell’s newest barefoot line at the Merrell Barefoot Running Collection station. This Merrell barefoot line gives wearers a “shoe-less” natural feel that allows them to feel and grip surfaces better. It also promotes balance, agility and posture, heightens the senses and strengthens limbs.



The Merrell Adventure Run 2012 was co-sponsored by Timberland Heights and BusinessWorld.






Trying to survive the first in a series of long, rocky stretches



One of the trails



Emerging from the downhill mud trail



A runner zooms past the finish line



The Merrell Team cheer runners on


Visit RunningAtom's race report at Merrell Trail Adventure at It's Finest.
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Six:30 at Chris Sports' Epic Relay

On June 9-10, the Six:30 Running Group will tread the asphalt roads of Subic to the steep uphills and rolling terrains of Bataan for the 2012 series of the Chris Sports' Epic Relay, an adventure that will test not just our endurance, wit and teamwork, but also our capacity to enjoy the event, outrun ourselves, outpace and outlast our limits on a 40-hour long epic day and night adventure.

Our team composition are a mixture of some seasoned and newly "purpled" runners of the Six:30 running group, together with the individuals who will spend almost three (3) nights and two (2) days to give us cheer, and support.

The Six:30 Epickers:
  1. Allan Ray Enriquez (Running Free Manila)
  2. Carlo Molod
  3. Jayson Escobar
  4. Noel Castillo (Running Castle)
  5. Gloria Labao
  6. Tina Deray
  7. Teejae Amorado
  8. Marikit Soliman
  9. RJay Mercado
  10. and Me on the sides

As a heads up before the race, I just want to express my advance gratitude to our support team who will do most of the non-stop challenging and dirty jobs to ensure each and everyone's safety and happiness:

The Support Team:
  1. Jenny Red
  2. Drew Llanes
  3. Arianne Ramos
  4. Nette Castillo
  5. Richal Paul Maling
  6. Shai Ramos
  7. and to all our fellow Barneys
And also to our partners who will be treading with us and making possible the beginning of this two-day journey, special thanks goes to you:





"Always do what you are afraid to do." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
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