January 8, 2012 : Run with ME

On a cool Sunday morning, I joined the Run with ME, a fun run organized by the Ateneo de Manila University John Gokongwei School of Management (JGSOM), Management Engineering Association (MEA) and Foundation of Ateneo Management Engineering (FAME) to raise funds for the Ateneo College  Scholarship  Fund.

It is a fun run that I very much looked forward to joining.  First is because I was a  scholar back in my college years in Ateneo.  The fun run is one of the chances for me to support the scholarship drive of the Ateneo.  

Second, the Run with ME provided a rare opportunity to run the best 2 running campuses in Metro Manila. The 21-km route started from the Loyola Heights Campus snaking into Katipunan Avenue, then entering the tree-lined UP Diliman campus and then back to Ateneo.

Run with ME 21-km route Loyola Heights portion

Run with ME 21-km route UP Diliman portion

 

Third, I needed to join a 21-km fun run to prepare for the 50-km test run of the Bataan Death March Ultra which is scheduled for January 14, 2012 in Mariveles (in turn the 50-km test run is in preparation for the 102-km BDM this coming March).  Starting the new year, I find it hard to train solo.  So I decided to join the Run with ME hoping to find running company from kindred spirits (i.e. not so fast runners).

And finding  them I did.  At the start of the fun run, I was approached by Rommel, a Milo running clinic classmate and Bryan, an Ateneo college graduate.  Both kept me company prior to the start, swapping stories of our running adventures from the year just ended.  When the fun run started, they got to go ahead of me as they were not into the Galloway run walk run.

With Rommel and Bryan at the start area

But I did not have to wait long because at the 5-km mark along Katipunan Avenue, I got to run side by side with a lady runner who was a Galloway practitioner.    Dang, the lady runner was training for the The Bull Runner (TBR)  Dream Marathon scheduled sometime this March 2012.  Pretty soon, both Dang and me (TBR Dream Marathoner circa 2010) were joined by Matt who was also into Galloway as we entered  the UP Diiman Campus.  Small world, it turned out that Matt was a TBR Dream Marathoner circa 2011.             

        TBR Dream Marathoners:  Dang of Batch 2012 and me of Batch 2010

As we rounded the UP Oval, Lyra, another 21-km lady runner, got to join our Galloway running group. With the group getting bigger, this tended to generate more power for us so much so that our pace started to get faster and we got to do this until the finish line at the Ateneo.  Proof is that we got to overtake a dozen more runners in the last 5 kms. 

Plus, my finish time of 2 hours 31 mins for the Run with ME 21-km is my second best time for the said distance.  (I still have to better the 2 hours 30 mins Greenfield Run in the summer of 2010).  

21-km finishers :  me, Lyra and Bryan

Run with ME 21-km finisher’s medal

TBR Dream Marathoners:  Matt of Batch 2011 and me

 

Thank you to my Galloway running mates for the cooperation.  

It also feels good to see  many Ateneo college students, no doubt budding Management Engineers,  volunteering their time and effort to be race organizers and race marshals for this worthy fun run.

Running does bring out the goodness in us humans.