The fun run was held at Bonifacio Global City, with the starting line on the same spot as that of the ScholaRun. It's the 7th year NatGeo has been doing this event in Manila. Actually, simultaneous fun runs happened on other countries as well - Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Taichung also had their NatGeo fun runs at that same day, April 17, 2016.

After a few times that I did this, I noticed I was able to run farther distances without slowing down to walk, which I think is a good sign!

Fun Run Day

I was already up before 2AM on the day of the fun run, because I was planning to do some things in preparation to the other things I was going to do for the rest of the day after joining the run (I was going somewhere after the run). I had last-minute plan changes so it took longer for me to get out of the house. Carrying only my phone, music player, some bills, and a bottle of an energy drink, I left the house at around 3:30AM. 

I arrived at BGC a few minutes before 4AM. Good thing I didn't get lost locating our company's booth. It helped that there were still just a few people in the area, mostly staff of each participating company starting to set up their respective booths. I got my singlet and race kits from our booth. I originally wanted to exchange kits with a colleague who was going for a shorter run (3K) but I just went for it and registered for the 5K run. I thought since I was able to run 4K yesterday in my practice jog, then I guess I would be able to survive today, right? xD

Soon after, more people arrived and I finally saw my teammates who were also going to run. After assembling everything that was needed (wore my singlet, attached the bib, ate a banana c/o our company's booth, did the warm up exercise), we waited for the start of the run. Since I was running for 5K, our gunstart was at 5:50AM. 

When the host on stage signaled all participating 5K runners to start lining up near the starting line, I felt the excitement surge through me. I prepared my music player and started the jogging playlist I created the night before (first song was Born Hater by Epik High). Adrenaline rushed as the countdown started... and then we were off!

Within the first few seconds of the run, my colleagues already went far ahead from me. （・□・；） Well I kind of expected that already. I'm a slow runner, running in small steps to reserve my energy for the rest of the race. Good thing I had music in my ears to entertain me throughout the run. It was actually an advantage to be running solo, I learned, because I could stop and just walk anytime I wanted. I was running on my own pace, and I liked that.

I think I stopped to walk for half of the duration of the race. |_・) To entertain myself, I synced my activity with the songs in my playlist. During every chorus of the song, I resumed running. I did brisk walking for the other parts of the song. There were moments when I thought I cannot run anymore because my legs (especially the shin bones) were aching already. I just shifted my attention to the song that was currently playing in my ears. When Call Me Baby  started playing, I started running again. I just recalled EXO's concert here and all the fun I had watching them and adrenaline surged again. I think I did a lot of overtakes during that moment haha. I imagined my kpop bias was waiting for me at the finish line so I needed to run faster. ┗(＾0＾)┓ Also, whenever I see people along the route taking photos of the runners, I poised myself to run while keeping a gleaming face, just in case they snap a photo of me! Hahaha.

Finally when the finish line came to view, almost all the people with me went running again. I ran along with them. I felt so happy when I got to the finish line and when the staff gave me my medal. :D According to the race time, it took me 47 minutes to finish the 5K run!

5K Finisher! 😁🏃

A photo posted by Kathleen R (@katalinarosario) on Feb 27, 2016 at 3:01pm PST

Yaaay! And that was my first experience for a fun run!

There were no muscle ache after (well so far?), just my body feeling exhausted. I realized I did not drink enough water throughout the race, so I had to replenish my body with fluids throughout the day. I felt that familiar feeling of dehydration throughout the day, which is bad I know, so I drank water whenever possible.

For now, 5K is just the right distance for me. I just cannot imagine myself running for 10K or higher!

Here are some reminders/tips for first time runners that I can provide based on this experience, and also to note things down for myself the next time I run again!

• Bring as few items as possible. There were assigned baggage counters in the event, I was told, but I did not bother locating them. I only had a handful of items with me, and most of them I placed on the jogging arm band that I bought.
• Insert a towel on your back even before the start of the run. One of my colleagues gave this advice to me. I know this is something done to kids when they play outside, but I guess it's also applicable for adults. A few minutes after the race, I just pulled it out of my back to allow my skin to breathe again. I just allowed the rest of my sweat to evaporate naturally.
• Wear drifit clothings! I think this is a must. The fabric would let your sweat evaporate more easily, making you feel cooler and more comfortable.
• Do a practice jog before the fun run. This is most beneficial to those who are not really active. This is to prepare your body for this activity and will make things feel easier for you during the run itself. Just a caution: avoid doing it a day before the event. This is one mistake I did. For my case, I always had issues with my shin bones. They ache easily whenever I jog for long runs. During the practice jog the day before, my shin bones only ached during my last lap. My body did not have enough time to recover (I think). During the run itself, my shin bones ached within the first minutes of jogging. :( I had to endure the pain throughout the run. Good thing I was able to overcome the pain and reach the finish line!

With my Fun Run mates! (photo by Mark E, grabbed from April B.'s FB)

I'm so glad I got to join this fun run. What an experience! It was fun. I reckon I'd run again next year! :D

There were a lot of stop overs during the climb. Good thing the locals built wooden chairs on some points along the trail. It felt so good to sit down for a bit after the uphill climbs! There were also wooden huts there and the locals were selling food there, like melon juice, halo-halo, even goto and lugaw - perfect for hungry and tired hikers!


There were horses up the mountains! We actually met a lot of them during the climb. It's the locals' means to bring up resources to people who were living up the mountains. Most of the horses that we met were carrying two containers, hanging on both sides of its body. Because the trails were very steep, we had to give way to the horses in several occasions so that they could pass through first. It was a bit of an inconvenience for us, because we sometimes had to go down again on an uphill path just to make way for the horses. ε-(´・｀) Because a lot of those horses pass the trails throughout the day, it was unsurprising to see a LOT of poops along the path. It was one of the challenges in the climb, to avoid stepping on these landmines. xD

It was foggy during the first parts of the climb, which was a good thing I guess because we didn't see much of the cliff which was just a side-step away from the trail.（゜◇゜）There were actually dangerous spots along the path that one wrong step will make you fall down the cliff! I specifically remember one point in the trail that I almost lost my balance. Fortunately my reflexes acted and I was able to cling onto the rocks. Goodness knows what could have happened if I failed to do that.

One of the fun parts for me during the climb was the rappelling part! I was actually a bit worried before this hiking day that I won't have the strength to pull my body up using the ropes, but I was able to do it! Yay. (゜▽゜;) I used to do rappelling for CWTS during college and I really enjoyed it (save for that aussie rappelling ><) so I guess there were still something left in me of the skills I gained during that time. :D

My colleague thought me some breathing techniques to not get tired easily especially during uphill trails. She said I should be breathing in a particular pattern once I start to pant, and then breath deeply to slow down my heart beat rate. It was a bit difficult to follow this at first, but I felt it really helped!


Reaching the Summit
It was amazing. It was very fulfilling to reach the top of the mountain! Actually the first few minutes, there were nothing but fog.

our hiking group resting at the summit

me at the top of the world!!! (well just of Mt Batulao hehehe) *excuse the haggard face* xD

Good thing after a few minutes, the fog cleared up and we saw this amazing view.

We saw a 360-degree view of Batangas!

Scenery worth climbing for. 😊

A photo posted by Kathleen R (@katalinarosario) on Jul 4, 2015 at 4:01am PDT

Seeing how high we were, I could not believe I actually climbed all of that to reach this spot! We stayed for at least 30 minutes at the summit, just enjoying the view and taking photos.

There were lots of these yellow bugs at the summit.

It's at the summit that I met this local stray dog. I think it's used to climbing this mountain and following the people. He approached every person he found eating food and just stood near them and looked longingly at them. Of course the people could not resist this cute dog, so everyone was giving  him treats.

He didn't like mushroom fries though.

The Descend
After absorbing the great scenery at the summit and having a recharging rest, we decided it's time to go down. That's when it began to become foggier, and soon raindrops fell. Good thing I bought a raincoat! The rain fell harder as we walked down. I could see the fog (or were they clouds?) slowly approaching the mountains.

I don't know but the climb down felt way easier than the climb up. Maybe because the sense of fulfillment gave me energy and I was just enjoying my time walking down. Because of the rain, the path grew muddy and slippery. Good thing none of us in the group got on a major sliding accident (well except me I guess but I intentionally went on a slide because it was easier to just sit and make my way down! Haha! #mudslidemode

By that time we were already meeting a lot of people going up. It was so nice because people were saying their 'good morning!' and 'ingat po tayo!' (be careful!) greetings to locals and fellow climbers that they meet. I felt that hikers have a very kind culture. I'm not used to this so I was just smiling awkwardly. xD

All in all it took us 5 hours to climb up and down Mt. Batulao.  It was already noon time when we reached the starting point again. We took a bath at the foot of the mountain to clean up (we were all dirty because of the mud, and wet because of the rain!) and then traveled to a nearby restaurant to eat a hearty lunch! I swear after the climb, all the food tasted really great! Maybe because I was already so tired and hungry at that time.


Reflections
I learned a lot from this climb. It was a tough test of endurance and patience. I learned to take things one step at a time, to not look up so you won't be overwhelmed of how much high and far you still need to climb, and also to not look down so that you won't be that scared of the cliff and of the heights. All you have to focus is the now -  the current path you are stepping on, extending to a few more steps beyond to help prepare for you next actions.

The climb also exercised my mind, I guess, through strategic problem solving. As you walk, you were constantly deciding where to best place your foot along the path.

I also learned to push myself to my limits. There were moments when I wanted to just stop and rest because my leg muscles were already screaming in pain, but I had to endure it and just go on with the climb. And then I realized I could actually make it to the top. And it felt great.


I would definitely want to climb another mountain again. There are lots of mountains here in the country so I have a lot to choose from. Thanks to pinoymountaineer.com for helping me set my expectations for this climb. Mt. Batulao is rated 4/9 in terms of difficulty. I guess I want my next climb to be a bit below that level. xD I hope me and my officemates can arrange something again.

* Meditate for 5 minutes before going to sleep.

* Do yoga in the morning during weekends.
* Walk from office to the bus station on the way home.

After a week, my weight is still the same. -_____-





[UPDATE 09/18/13]
I'm tweaking this goal plan for a bit, because I devised a new plan that will last for three months. So good luck again! ^_______^