PINOY RUNNERS GLOBAL 2021 CHALLENGE: an Aesop's Fable apt for this Mother of all the Virtual Takbo Series

 

Aesop is on my mind when faced with the 2021 Pinoy Runners Global Challenge. 

The 2021 Pinoy Runners Global Challenge is  a gargantuan task for mere mortals like the Bicolano Penguin. It is a  challenge of running 2,021 kilometers or 2,021 miles from Jan 1, 2021 to Dec 31, 2021. Such a huge challenge got me thinking of the Greek storyteller whose body of work are now known collectively as Aesop's Fables.   

BP registered for the PRG 2021 Kms Challenge 

But before we tackle the specific Aesop's fable that will be very relevant to this challenge, let us first talk to the author(s) of this latest Pinoy Runners Global blockbuster. As always, I turned to PRG's "motherator" and inquired who indeed are the authors. Rona Janowitz replied that the authors are Kap Jen Evangelista and Kap Ray Javier.  These two are gentlemen very accomodating in responding to inquiries on PRG activities. Pretty soon, the Bicolano Penguin (BP) was chatting with them. Here is an excerpt of the conversation on the 2021 Challenge and its origin.  

Kap Ray Javier of Brgy DMV

Kap Jen Evaneglista of Brgy Dallas

BP:  What is the idea behind the PRG 2021 Challenge?  What is the purpose?

Kap Ray:  Actually as far as I know, si Kap Minnie at Kap Jen nag-umpisa niyan. They started 2020 km/miles challenge hosted sa Nike Run Club (NRC) last year.  This year is a continuation on what we think will become a yearly tradition...the 2021 Km/Mile Challenge, this time sponsored naman ng Pinoy Mamaw.  With all the sad things that happened in 2020 due to the COVID19 pandemic, time to leave it behind. Like the Pinoy Mamaw series - na challenge mga runners. 2021 Km/Miles is another BIG challenge...di biro ang mileage. Each runner in the 2021 PRG challenge will once again prove their commtiment to the test in 2021.  Naka motivate din mag run, knowing di ka nag-iisa. For the whole year, we need to promote active lifestyle. 2021 challenge is on top of the list.

Kap Jen:  This will be the 2nd year we will be having this huge challenge. PRG 2021 is the mother of all the Virtual Takbo series. Dahil it's a year-long challenge that we need to fill-in little by little, miles after miles, day by day, week by week into months. And we can only do this as a team. "Kayang-kaya basta sama sama." Ito po ang isa sa mga motto ng Pinoy Mamaw. 

It all started after Christmas 2019. During that time when we recently introduced Brgy Barcelona, the number of PRG members was close to 1,800. Kap Minnie had an ambitious plan to launch Project 2K. I supported her crazy idea  that in 2 to 3 days, we can reach 2000 members. We tapped resources like Nay Rona to campaaign adding new members. And a few hours before New Year's Eve, we reached 2,000 members. The bulk of those 200 members were from the Philippines. Dahil din dito, kaya po nag expand tayo and decided to create a separate FB group sa mga kababayan natin sa Pilipinas.  We are actually celebrating this Jan 6 the 1st year Anniversary of Pinoy Runners PH. Ito po ang bunga ng 2020 2K project namin ni Kap Minnie. And then, what's next?  Then we thought of creating a 2020 Kms Challenge to celebrate the 2020 members of PRG. A year challenge is nothing new in the running community. I have seen this in Strava, NRC and other apps. Pero walang accountability at kanya-kanya ang mga challenges.  We wanted to make it unique the Filipino way. So we created PRG 2020 Miles/Kilo Challenge on January 2020 with registration using google sheet. By the end of January 2020, we had registered numbers totalling 115 for both miles and kms. 

Then pandemic came in Feb-March. Lockdowns and curfews everywhere but runners find their own way to help one another. During the lockdown, we are all scared. This global pandemic changed our lives but runners find ways to motivate one another. Running boost our immune system to cope with covid. Some of us continue running outside (solo) and other indoors (treadmill). Sometime in April 2020, Kap Zaldy Peralta (Brgy FACI-Ireland) suddenly announced he complete 2,020 kms. Bigla kaming nabuhayan to continue the challenge. Our PRG 2020 Challenge is far bigger than the Covid. So in our own backyard, or small iskinita (alley), basketball court, people started to run again, miles after miles. Beginning of June, we received another announcement. Kap Richard Allen Ramos of Brgy China completed 2,020 miles. And we all go back on the road with caution and following govt guidance rules and finish the challenge. I guess PRG 2020 Challenge was a success and as early as October, the finishers were already asking how to register for the PRG 2021 Challenge. 

With the help of Kap Ray, we are more organized this time. We use RunSignUp for registration and we learned a lot from the last year challenge. We created a Strava Club too so people can see other members' miles that helps everyone to keep moving and reaching our year goal. Last year, it was only me and Kap Minnie who organized the PRG 2020 Challenge. Now that we have a great committee coordinators of Mamaw, we tapped their support and help in organizing the PRG 2021 Challenge. This PRG 2021 also fits the decription of Mamaw because only hardcore (gahi in Bisaya or uragon) runners will dare to sign up.  Kaya we decided Pinoy Mamaw Committee to host this Virtual Tabko of PRG. 

BP:  How many runners registered for the 2020 Challenge? How many runners actually finished the 2020 Challenge?

Kap Jen:  115 registered for the PRG 2020. Out of 32 who signed up for 2020 miles, 16 of us claimed  a certificate of completion.  There are 42 runners from 2020 Kilometers Challenge who completed it. 42 out of 82 is a 50% success rate. 

BP:  What are the lessons learned in achieving the significant feat of completing 2,020 kilometers and/or 2,020 miles in one year?  What are the keys to success?

Kap Jen:  Personally, I set this 2,019 miles goal in 2019 and I failed. I ran only 1,700+ miles. In 2020, I pushed this  "PRG 2020 Miles/Kilometers Challenge" to make it happen because I want to succeed this time. I need all the inspiration(s) I can get from kapwa Pinoy whom I know but it was tough specially at the beginning of global pandemic. My way to achieve this goal is to sign-up with smaller challenge with some of my local running friends here in Texas. We registered 1,000 Kms Challenge from May 1st to Aug 31. I completed that in mid-July.  I also did Yeti 50Km Challenge and tried to run as much as I can all the PRG Virtual Takbo series.  All these small and medium challenges add up to achieve my grand goal which is 2020 miles challenge. Huge dedication for the love of running. 

Zaldy Peralta of Brgy FACI-Ireland. He is the first to accomplish 2,020 kms in the 2020 Challenge. 

Richard Allen Ramos of Brgy China. He is the first to accomplish the 2,020 miles in the 2020 Challenge

In addition to Jen and Ray, there are 11 who have volunteered to be part of the "Committee Coordinators of Mamaw" that helped in organizing the PRG 2021 Challenge and are more than willing to guide the participants.  These are Minnie, Leah, Nelda, Wilson, Remz, Odette, Lakay, Jay, Badette, Reynard and Win.  God bless your generous soles.    

"Huge dedication for the love of running" - these words look to be on the dot for the Aesop's fable I had in mine looking at the gargantuan challenge of 2,021 kms in 1 year. Dedication and steady are twins in successfully accomplishing a goal. "Slow and steady wins the race" is the classic moral of the Aesop's fable entitled "The Tortoise and the Hare."

Having originated in ancient Greece, the fable has varied over the years, but the basic element remains the same. The hare is an arrogant bully who continually boasts about his speed and picks on the tortoise for being a slow folk. Having had enough of the verbal bullying, the tortoise questions the hare's claim of being the fastest creature. So, both ended up challenging each other in a race, with the hare supremely confident of besting the slow reptile. At the start, the hare has gotten a commanding lead over the tortoise. To demonstrate his confidence, the hare even took a nap  during the race. This proved to be the hare's undoing. The tortoise has been moving at a slow and steady pace but ultimately the tortoise finishes ahead of the hare, primarily due to the mammal's  recklessness in getting distracted and taking a nap. 

How "slow and steady" wins the race? To apply it in my personal quest  to achieve the PRG 2021 Challenge, I take inspiration on the explanation on how it works. In an article  entitled The Tortoise Mindset: How Slow & Steady Wins the Race of Life , author Patrik Eblad share these words:

"When you're consistent, that creates momentum. That momemtum creates progress. The progress creates self-confidence. The self-confidence starts shaping a new more resourceful and empowering identity. And with this new identity comes the ability to create lasting change in your life.  So here's what I suggest. Take your goals and chop them up into small daily miinum quotas. Then. start obsessing about executing on them every single day."

Taking to heart the suggestion, I  took out the number 2,121 kms  and chop them out into small periodic quotas.   2,121 kms divided by 12 months is 176.75 kms per month.  176.75 divided by 4 weeks is 44.18 kms per week. 44.18 divided by 7 days is 6.3 kms per day. I don't like 6. Thus, my typical running week this 2021 will be 4 weekdays running 5 kms per day and 24 kms on the weeked. 

First 7 days of 2021 , the BP ran 5 times and logged 52 kms in total. The Bicolano Pagong will use the "Slow & Steady" approach in completing the 2021 Kms Challenge.   

Slow and Steady.  The 2,021 kms will be done.