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March 29, 2014

2014 YAKULT 10-MILER RUN: PB for BP & Son


EmoticonSTOP THE PRESS.  Just got to read today the official results of the 2014 Yakult 10-Miler Run held last March 23.  

Of particular interest was the 5K race results and what I saw certainly made my day. It is now official. The Bicolano Penguin got a new Personal Best (PB)  for the 5K distance. The BP clocked 31 mins & 58 secs, besting by a full 2 minutes my previous best in a 5K race set 2 years ago.


Even a better news for me is the fact that my son Marcel also raked in a PB in the 5K. He finished ahead of his old man with a time of 31 mins & 54 secs. His previous best was at 35 mins set in a 5k fun run at the Ateneo in 2012. Not bad for a 15-year old who has not been running regularly (which is about to change as I would be dragging his ass for some more fun runs this summertime).

Running felt good that Sunday of March  23 in the year of Our Lord 2014 .

Marcel excited for the start

father & son  selfie

With Skycable’s  Al Go

My son looking cool at the starting line

Marcel focused at  the homestretch (Photo courtesy of Red Knight)

Jubilant...

...at the finish line.
What are the factors to this newfound “speed” (we use this word in relative terms) and “joy” by the penguin?  Let us count the ways:

Could it be that the myotherapy and chiropractic  treatment I have been getting from Intercare (http://www.intercare-centers.com/)  are taking its positive effect on my overall wellness? More on this on another blog entry.

Could it be the soft surface of the Roxas Boulevard which just got a fresh asphalt makeover? Trent Jonas of www.livestrong.com  points to Asphalt is one of the fastest surfaces on which one  can run. Although it puts some strain on your body, asphalt is significantly more forgiving than concrete as shown in 1992 study published in "Human Movement and Science."

Could it be  that the 5-km route in Yakult was short by a couple hundred meters?  It felt that way for me when reaching the halfway u-turn I glanced at my Timex to see the time 14 mins.  We were in sub-30 pace at that point.  Reviewing also the comments at one (http://www.pinoyfitness.com)  of the popular running hubs in the local internet scene seem to confirm my suspicion.   


Could  it be that running after a young colt like my son made the penguin more spry? Osmosis in running?  No formal studies yet by a distinguished research  institution on this. But my own empirical evidences point to the feeling that I run faster when I try to match the pace and stride of another runner. Better that the runner is younger. And of course, the extra joy of being able to bond  thru running with a loved one  is a force to be reckoned with on its own.      

Whatever the reasons for the fast time, there is no doubt in my mind that we will be running again the Yakult  fun run  next year. It is an institution already in the Philippine running community what with its existence of 25 years and counting. Given that its long-time  race director Rudy Biscocho is old school, the Yakult event is defined by its no nonsense approach. To quote one of my running heroes  (http://runningshield.blogspot.com/)- “No more frills  and not much hoopla which is perfectly fine by me because I feel that’s what gives Yakult that old fashion dependable character.”   

Congratulations to Yakult, the race director and his team. Congratulations to Marcel.  Congratulations to all of us.

We will be back. Emoticon

Photo courtesy of Red Knight




2 comments:

ernie said...

Congrats Marcel! Congrats BP! No doubt this BP jr will also be an ultra runner someday. Cheers!

BP said...

Thank you Ernie. Magtapos muna ng pag-aaral bago mag Ultra, hahahaha...........Seriously, the youth of today are very fortunate to be in the midst of a running boom. More fun runs. More choices. In our high school years, there was practically none.