Trails anyone?

The gods must be crazy when they invented the word, ‘trail’. And they must have been crazier when they invented the words, ‘trail run’. Heck, I must have been the craziest of them all, when I decided to try what they meant, not knowing that I will be coming back for more!


Sta Rosa, Laguna

With only three trail runs under my belt (and counting…), but a number of treks up my spine, I may not be your best authority when it comes to this passion. But I will tell you my encounters nonetheless - with no other than the stones, dirt roads, pits, hanging bridges, enormous roots, river crossings, boulders, slippery uphill, hungry cattle, ridges, leaping frogs, enchanted pathways, streams, fornicating crickets, tall grasses, wild horses, cliffs, mammoth millipedes, and clouds as my witnesses.


Camiguin

Notwithstanding the heat that summer brings or the flood, wind, and storms during the rainy season, my two feet still finds “stubborn me” hiking up a mountain or running through a trail. What is it about the trails that keep me coming back unrelentingly? If not for the list above, then it must be the absolute thrill that one gets from sheer exhaustion. Now where did I get that?


Mariveles, Bataan


Sta. Rosa, Laguna

What is the first thing you must know before you go crazy? Have yourself checked by the doctor – I mean it! And yes, include a visit to the psychiatrist as well because your decision to join a trail run or a trek might be due to the need to forget a painful memory. And diverting it towards something more painful which could eventually become a lasting memory was all you could think of. Oh well, that’s one of the definitions of madness!

After the doctor's appointment, get the proper gear. The thing about trails is you don’t have to care about how good you must look because by the end of the day y’all look alike!


Mariveles, Bataan

Before you run on trails, learn everything about the terrain. Will your running shoes hold enough pebbles from the river crossing? Will your CWX bear the cuts? Will your dri-fit singlet protect your arms from the thorns? Are you wearing enough sun block to protect yourself? Can your hydration pack provide enough liquids to last every 10 kms? Remember, trail running is a test of survival. Not just endurance. Not just speed. Not just strategy. You must know the real meaning of “self-contained.”

After the shopping galore, the registration fee, the blog declaration of your craziness, and the physical and lingo training, the next best thing to do is set your goal on the finish line and you’re all set!


Mariveles, Bataan

Be it a trail run or a trek, when it comes to the word ‘summit’, I may have different definitions from the next but this word is the only motivation that keeps me going. And just when I thought that I have had enough trail vocabulary to last a dayhike, a friend had just asked me to pronounce “acclimatization.”


Camiguin

Eight races after...

Yakult
Run for their lives
Condura run
Slimmerun
Step up
Botak
Market market
TNF 100

Never thought that a sport would reunite me with writing. It took me four mountains and eight races after to hit the keys again and gear up that gray area between my ears - unbelievably, the writer in me is now grasping (or more like gasping) for the right words to finish this blog entry.

Had it not been for the eventful trail run last weekend, I wouldn't have started on blogging - even with the constant prodding by friends. The challenge is to keep it real and ideal. The goal is to keep on writing and enjoying life while I can. For the next few days, I will take you all on a journey that I have yet to take myself - I hope you enjoy it.

The North Face 100 - Fast and Furious

Reality checked in when I got on board the Victory Liner bus en route to Dau, Pampanga last May 23 at 11am. Packed and ready to hit the Sacobia trail for my first trail run, I thought this would be no different from my previous climbs.  But then again, this is a trail run - not just a climb. Good thing I packed the right stuff - I think:

Adidas climacool shirt
Adidas running shorts
Black tights
Black socks
REI bush hat
...and my good old Nike cross training shoes (who says you can't run and climb in them? Ha!)

The bus ride gave me a pounding headache that I had to sleep it off -  which I regretted because the headache got worse when we got off at the Victory Liner Dau station in Clark.  Since I was the smart ass who said I knew how to get to Clearwater Resort - where my friends and I stayed for the night, I had to figure out which jeepney or tricycle we had to ride on to.

After calling Clearwater again for the right directions, we got into a tricycle and got off at Clark maingate.  From there, we rode a jeepney to Parkson Duty Free.  The jeepney drivers were saying that it was going to be a long walk from Parkson to Clearwater Resort.When we asked how long, they said, "Around 2 kilometers..." No problem.  We're not runners for nothing, right? Wrong. We are runners yes, but we were not ready for the heat that took its toll on us during the midday walk. 

Although it was a little shy of a kilometer walk, we felt so drained we wanted to hit the pools in the resort when we arrived. We opted to check out our room instead.  After unpacking, we went out to check the TNF jump-off area at the Expo Filipino parking lot, which we were told is just near the resort - and it was.  The jump-off area was calm and quite a few ultramarathon runners were already arriving minutes apart from each other.  While waiting for our friend, Superpinoy Isko, to arrive at the finish line from his 50km, the unthinkable happened!



- The Aftermath -


A hard-hitting storm wreaked havoc over the jump-off area and destroyed everything - from the tents to the finish line posts to the posters to Coach Rio's hair!  Fast and furious, the heavy rain ran past the jump-off area and swept off everything that got in its way -  leaving all of us stunned and very wet!  And this was me wondering - how am I going to run in wet shoes along muddy terrain the next day!  Uh-oh, this is one hell of a trail run going to happen!  Coach Rio and company were up to their necks with worry about the 100km runners' safety and whether or not they should continue with the race the next day. Good thing the rain subsided after 30 or so minutes but it left a very wrecked jump-off area.  And good thing Isko and friends arrived a few minutes later - drenched and exhausted but safe.  After making sure that Isko finished off his adobo and rice, which we brought for him, my friends and I went off to Parkson Duty Free to do some last minute shopping.


- Conquering lahar... -

The storm didn't return overnight and it was a relief to see that the jump-off area was back to normal the next day when we arrived for the 20 and 10 km run.  15 minutes after the 20 km runners took off, I ran off with the 10km pack. The first kilometer of pavement running gave me enough momentum for the trail that I was expecting.  But I lost it when we got sidestepped in a narrow trail down the Sacobia bridge - where a traffic of runners had to wait for their turn to go down.The first river crossing under the bridge was not bad - the water could have been higher had the storm continued the night before. The lahar bed was soft under the feet - and this was me thinking - ok this is going to be one easy trail.  We ran past two more river crossings and past the cogon and up to a higher trail - where the muddy part of the trek was.  And this was when I realized how I missed climbing -it had been almost a year since my friends and I climbed Mt. Hibok-Hibok in Camiguin.


- My 'black' Nike shoes -

I clocked in at 1:36 on my watch at the finish line and I was unbelievably happy to see how dirty my Nike shoes were - they were almost black!  My tights were muddy and my skin sunburnt.  I knew I would be lining up again for another trail run next time - and maybe, just maybe, for a 20km this time.