Category:

Trail Running

Team BisaKol Nailing the ATM500 Virtual Run Race

by pinksoda June 21, 2020

254 teams, 1016 road and trail runners, and 9 Asian Countries, one goal, that is to crush 500kilometers as a team in 14 days! Welcome to the Asia Trail Master 500-kilometers Virtual Run Race.

ATM 500 – “RUN ASIA, RUN VIRTUAL” aims to keep everyone in a good physical and mental shape, and adds an element of competition into the mix. It is a team format on purpose because in times of social distancing, it is important to keep fostering team spirit and interpersonal connections.

The Rules:

“The best teamwork comes from men who are working independently toward one goal in unison.” – James Cash Penney

Team BisaKol

Thus, team BisaKol was born! I wasn’t actually expecting to be a part of this team because joining the ATM500 Virtual Run was NEVER in my head! Like NOT AT ALL! But someone was crazy enough to think I can do it and added me to the group to complete the team. It was a pleasant surprise though honestly I was nervous as hell! It was like toeing the line for another 50-miler ultra trail race! But, since I am already in, I said to myself, let’s do this!

BisaKol, means Bisayang Bicolanos, us 4 being descent of Bisaya/ Bicolano, we decided to call ourselves BisaKol (thanks to Capt. Coy for the fun idea). We are all trail runners in the team who have missed running the trails as we haven’t been into the trails since the lockdown with Mt. Kalatungan Trail Ultra (50miles) as our last race together. Team BisaKol is composed of Capt. Coy Calleja, Jun Doble Santos, Tim Tuscano and yours truly. So, Why did we join the ATM500? What urged us to register? That I had to ask my teammates! And here’s what they have to say:

Why Did I Join the ATM500: At first I was undecided to join ATM 500 since I am a Trail Runner and here on my location there is no near accessible trails because of the Pandemic but I took it as a challenge, discover new strengths and weaknesses of road running. To add this up I only run on an average of 40km maximum per week as a daily maintenance. So to answer the question why? Simply because it’s a new challenge for me.

Mindset: Mindset? What was mindset? Oh believe me I have my mind but it was not set to the whole duration of my 128km contribution to the team, I just repeat my daily mantra “I’m tired but I’m gonna do this tired”

Why Did I Join the ATM500: I joined the ATM Virtual Run challenge to experience the NEW Normal race and for self-fulfillment. Due to quarantine I haven’t had any outdoor activities for 3 months.

Mindset: To contribute to my team and enjoy this new normal race.

Why Did I Join the ATM500: I joined the ATM500 because I have missed running especially in trails as I haven’t been running since the ECQ. It wasn’t easy not going outdoors to run since running to me is a lifestyle and I needed something to push me to run farther while having a specific goal. I thought this virtual race is perfect to get me back into my feet running and I was quite sure I’ll enjoy the race with great teammates.

Mindset: Simple! To enjoy the race, kill mileage on a daily basis and finish the race ahead of time. Not too fast, not too slow. I will just really have fun running again keeping the goal to finish strong in mind.

Why Did I Join the ATM500: It wasn’t part of my plan to join this virtual race. First because I am not a fan of long distance road running (I am your trail kind of girl), plus I know joining this would mean waking up extra early to do some mileage and I am NOT a morning person! In this time of the pandemic, I was just aiming to run at least 15km a week, 50km being the longest but I have never achieved that since March – running on a 260meters loop infront of my house. I got myself to agree to do this because a new challenge is not bad at all plus running outside is already allowed! I wanted to do something new and worthwhile in this time of the pandemic as well. Plus, it’s thrilling and exciting to be running along with some of Asia’s elite trail runners who are also registered to the race. And hey! I am teaming up with 3 fun and committed gentlemen! 😉

Mindset: Run first thing in the morning, don’t be an ass, work with your team, you’re a girl but it’s not a license to be weak! Do your best, hustle harder, prove the doubters wrong, overcome yourself while enjoying the race and finish strong!

The Race

So finally, Day 1 came and everyone being all set to smash the 500km, ran and booom! Team BisaKol registered a total of 100+km distance on the first day! Whoah! Fired up much? Chill guys! This is a 14-day virtual run race for fun right? And we are still on our first day! Hahahaha! It dawned to me that these guys I am with are in it to smash it, not in 14 days but definitely in a wayyy shorter time! Though there were teams grinding extra hard on day one that they finished the 500km or registered an amazing 400+km total distance on day 1! Crazy! But then again, most of the trail runners registered are ultra trail runners, so you know, crazy is in their genes!

**Our Common Ground! Si Jabeeee! Napadaan lang guysh!**

No one said anything or set the deadline to finish in our team but by the looks of it, with the daily mileage these guys are clocking in, I was certain these guys are looking into finishing the race in less than 7 days! The daily grind was craaaazy! Seeing other teams also busting their butts off to finish increasing their daily mileage, there was this sense of friendly competition and a little pressure! Positive pressure as it definitely added extra push, challenge, and pumped up the adrenaline rush! It felt like we were in an actual race. Though we’ve constantly reminded each other to just chill, relax, and enjoy the race, we have this kind of silent agreement that by Day 6 we will reach the 500km mark.

The Daily Grind

Was that an easy task to do? Well maybe for some, but to me personally, it was not the easiest but also did not see it as tedious because it felt like a real race that I committed myself into, therefore I will finish it with no qualms. That was the first time that I ran 6 days straight. LSD running everyday! Well not too slow, but was on my decent pace throughout the duration of the race. I had to consistently wake up at 4:00AM to prepare and ran 20-25km – now that is something NEW!

**We made a commitment to hustle for that goal! Enjoy each grind, push and encourage one another, and finish strong!**

Not the usual me but it’s part of the commitment. And I am quite sure the BisaKol boys had their own struggles to keep up with the daily mileage contribution considering their schedules and personal commitments and priorities.

Day 5, I decided to rest and the boys said, yes it’s okay, you go ahead and rest. Well I did, but the funny thing was, while I was just chilling at home, the three guys were rocking their Day 5 mileage that I felt the need to do my share at least? They encouraged me to just rest but dude! You guys are clocking in crazy mileage! I told them I will just be cheering for them, but goodness! Their commitment and energy is too contagious! Too contagious that in the afternoon I finally gave in and laced up and ran a quick 8km just to close my personal mileage to 90km on day 5 and do my little share for the day 😀 ! See what hardworking teammates can make you do? Hahaha! The BisaKol guys are nothing but motivating!

500KM Sealed and Completed

Day 6, just me, Jun, and Tim were grinding since Capt. Coy closed in already on Day 5 at 129km. Way beyond the 125km individual target. It felt like we were all giving out our all towards the finish line! I was seriously pushing and forcing myself to dig deeper because man! I am already feeling a sensation on my right iliotibial tract with every stride I was making after my 12^th kilometer for that day. I was aiming for 25km but was just able to finish 21km. The 3 of us were simultaneously running while Capt. Coy was also cheering on us! The real time updates on our GC was fun! It was like running together, checking on each other, and cheering one another to keep going! And before the day ended, we completed the 500km challenge! See Asia Trail Master Day 6 Race Report – HERE.

That was truly one for the book! I ran a total of 112km for 6 days, supposedly 125 but the boys got my 13km covered. Yay! So proud to be a part of a team where everyone is level headed, humble, committed, supportive, and most of all, great team players! You can never go wrong with these guys! So thankful that they picked me to be their female team member. Gotta live up to the expectation and hustle as hard as they do! Thank you, gentlemen! That was quite an ultra-race experience again with you! Congratulations to us for finishing the race early and for winning against our self-doubts and limitations! Thank you Sportslicious Malaysia and Asia Trail Master for coming up with this fun Virtual Run Race!

So which one is our next? ?

June 21, 2020 1 comment

Trail Running

5 Lessons the MKTU Ultra Trail Taught Me

by pinksoda March 28, 2020

written by pinksoda

The recently concluded Mt. Kalatungan Trail Ultra was by far my longest ultra-trail distance race. I have been in this trail running sport for more than 2 years now and have ran a couple of ultra-trail races – races that have taught me important lessons that I think are crucial in order to survive long and challenging routes. This kind of endurance race takes determination to a whole new level and I learned a lot about myself along the way.

While enjoying the trails during trainings and actual races, I have also met new friends who have been trail running for quite a while – those I call the experienced, some elites. Having the privilege to talk to few of them is equivalent to new learnings about the sport. Those are tips and tricks from planning/training to actual races that have helped me in so many ways.

As I have said, I consider myself a newbie in this sport and I am no expert on the matter, however, I would like to share 5 important lessons that I have learned from my first 50–miles mountain run race with the hope that it’ll also help fellow trail runners.

March 28, 2020 2 comments

Trail Running

Mt. Kalatungan Trail Ultra – Braving the 5th Highest Mountain in the Philippines

by pinksoda March 11, 2020

written by pinksoda

If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it- to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into power and strength. Endurance is not just the ability to bear a hard thing, but to turn it into glory.

And here I am again, recollecting what I went through, how I survived my first 50-miler trail run race. My first trail run race for 2020 and up until now, 3 days after the race, I still can’t believe that I actually did it, that I endured being out there in the forest for more than 20 hours! Some people asked me, why are you running that long? What is it that you are trying to prove? Well to answer that question, I don’t really know WHY! Am I out to prove something? To anyone? Definitely No, to myself perhaps yes! To me it’s a case of proving to myself I could do something out of the ordinary, that I could do more than what I have done before. So when my friend said we are running the 80km category in Mt. Kalatungan, the 5th highest mountain in the Philippines, Though I was skeptical, a huge part of me said YES, for the challenge, for the fun of racing with dear friends, and seeing friends again from the trail running community who are also accepting the challenge of the country’s 5th highest mountain. Having been to both Mt. Kalatungan and Lumpanag or Wiji (2900m+ & 2800m+ elevation) before, I knew it won’t be easy and it will require commitment to train in order to survive the race.

MKTU – The brave souls who toed the line for 80km category 76 runners with only 12 women taking the challenge

March 11, 2020 0 comment

Fitness Trail Running

Race Report – First 70km Trail Race Unlocked

by pinksoda January 11, 2020

written by pinksoda

What difference would it make in your life if you had an absolutely unshakable confidence in your ability to achieve anything you really put your mind to?

Have you ever had moments where you doubt yourself and your capability to actually accomplish things and entertained thoughts in your head saying you can’t do it, you’re not good enough, you’re weak, never strong enough, and you’re bound to fail? I have! Quite a lot of times! Well, almost all the time actually! But I am just glad that despite all the doubts, I often prove myself wrong. Photo below is a proof! Doubted I’d ever finish a 70km+ Mountain Marathon, and I did! 😀

Hello again friends, mumsh, veshies, fans (chars!), and oh, haters? It’s me again! It’s been quite a while as usual since my last race report entry. My bad! Life got in the way and struggled to get my writing mojo back. Soooo! What have I missed? A lot I guess. As much as I want to constantly write an entry here, my schedule is crazy and sometimes procrastination gets in the way. Yeah, Spank me! Okay, I am just excited to share my last ultra trail race experience. Long overdue actually. I have been wanting to blog about it after getting back from that out of town race but, yeah, I got lazy and busy. 😀

So back to the questions above, do I ever doubt myself? Certainly I did have doubts and a lot of demons in my head when I signed up for my last race, the Mt. Talinis Ultra Mountain Marathon 2019. It wasn’t really something that I and my team planned for long, it was a sudden decision through the persuasion and encouragement of RD Carlo Chiong who also served as our coach and mentor in preparing for the race. It was not in my plans just yet to increase race distances as I wanted to be more comfortable with 50kms first before going up a notch higher. But my training partner was too determined to run 50miles in Mapawa that I committed to her that I’d join her in trainings in preparation for the hell-ish Mapawa 50miles race. But because we were part of the organizing team, running the said race became impossible. Hence, the shift of race and venue! Pla decided to run in Mt. Talinis Mountain Ultra Marathon and encouraged me to register as well so we get our 70km race unlocked! It was a bit of a hard decision actually but I signed up a day after she did anyway. So, there! 70km trail running for me and my training buddy. At first I was just cool about it, not excited, not threatened, steady lang. Until the days progressed, I felt like I was cramming with training, though I think we were just right on track training-wise. But still, nerves were starting to get the best of me as the final day approaches. The demons in my head were starting to creep in and there I was, beginning to get scared and actually entertained the thoughts of bailing out! It was my first 70km trail running race and I didn’t think I would be able to make it to the finish line on time. The intermediate cut-offs were intimidating me big time! I always get intimidated with intermediate cut-offs! Looks like I developed trauma with intermediate cut-off as my first ultra dnf was due to not reaching the AS (Aid Station) before intermediate cut-off time, though that was my first and only DNF so far. But anyway, the training continued.

January 11, 2020 11 comments

Fitness Trail Running

Hoka Torrent FKT50 – Muspo 2019 Trail Run Race Report

by pinksoda July 27, 2019

written by pinksoda

“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.”- Navy Seal_s

Hello again friends from the blogosphere! I’m here again for another trail run race report. I know it’s been quite a while so I hope this is gonna be worth your time :). The last ultra trail run race I did was 4 months back – the Cordillera Mountain Ultra which was challenging for me at my level. Not a pro and fast trail runner, I am just your girl who wants to safely finish every race I sign up 🙂

So this blog post is all about the 2nd ultra race I did this year, the Muspo 50km by Hoka, the brain child of a good trail runner friend Philip. This is this year’s first 50km edition as his first race last January 2019 was just a full marathon (42km) which I missed because I was preparing for my CMU race. As usual it was a last minute decision to sign up for the race – last day of the early bird rate promo (May). Thankfully we went back to trail running 2 weeks after resting from our race in Cordillera, so I was still good – training wise.

I signed up with my teammate and friend Pla and we made plans for the trainings we will do to prepare after signing up. We are not pros, we are just your average trail runners who simply want to conquer ourselves in each race and finish injury free. So April to June was more running, and weekends were reserved for training in the trails, climbing hills, running downhills, taking on muddy terrains, under the heat of the sun with some boxing and gym workout occasionally for cross-training.

TO VALENCIA CITY (BUKIDNON)

We got to Valencia Bukidnon Friday night and race day is still Sunday (3:00AM) so we still have plenty of time to rest and just relax before race day. Took the bus around 4:00PM and got to Valencia Bukidnon past 7 in the evening, raining! We were starving so we dropped by the bus stop for a quick dinner before proceeding to our home for the night.

Sharing some Saturday – pre race day photos. Race kit claiming and race briefing.

Saturday – waiting for check-in at GV Hotel Valencia before heading to race briefing and race kit claiming

Saturday Breakfast at Kambigan – love their food!! Very affordable too

July 27, 2019 0 comment

Fitness Trail Running Workout Corner

Cordillera Mountain Ultra – Bucket List Ticked Off

by pinksoda April 2, 2019

written by pinksoda

“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t go on but you keep going anyway”

Chose that quote to open this post because that’s how I exactly felt at my recently concluded Cordillera Mountain Ultra race in Tinongdan, Itogon Benguet. CMU50 has been a bucket list since I started trail running. We wanted to join 2018 but we were not able to push through so we put it off a bit as we were also not prepared.

Then 2019 schedule came out and we were on it again, wanting to tick off that trail run race bucket list! I was really skeptical, no, actually scared at first. I had tons of apprehensions and was too scared to go out of my comfort zone. I have this issue of doubting myself even before I do something I want to do (good). Thanks to teammates and friends who are strong-willed, persistent, and confident, who included me in the registration and paid it ahead. I was left with no choice but to train and suck it all up! No turning back now! We knew we were up against a tough race because hey! it’s Cordillera! So we trained the best way we can and the best way we knew how.

One week before race day, after my last cardio training, I GOT SICK! I knew it from the symptoms that I will be having a flu and I was anxious because it would usually take me 5 days to a week to fully recover. So instead of doing taper runs for the week, I ended up staying at home and in bed for the most part of the week just resting. I must’ve consumed all the vitamin C in the world just to feel better!

Met with Sir Toni and C3 in Manila before we took our bus to Baguio

I flew to Manila with my friends/teammates still not feeling well (2 days before race day) and met some friends there before heading to Baguio. We arrived at Baguio 3AM Friday with no reserved accommodation from anywhere. Plan was just to have breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins (That Thing Called Tadhana keshe!), and then market for foods to bring in Tinongdan. We walked along the session road to look for an open establishment for coffee and stayed at Burnham Park until 7:00 in the morning then headed to Elena’s friend’s place to leave our bags before hitting the wet market. And we are all set to our race destination!

Breakfast at Cafe by the Ruins in Baguio with my girls

Going Tinongdan

This year’s CMU race commenced at Tinongdan, Itogon. Tinongdan is the second largest barangay in Itogon, Benguet and is one of the tourist destinations in Cordillera with Mt. Ugo as a popular destination among mountaineers and trail runners. We were informed ahead that there will only be one trip going to Tinongdan daily via Jeepney and it leaves before lunch. We of course made sure we get to the terminal before 11 in the morning to ensure a seat. The jeepney left Baguio almost 2pm! Can’t imagine we waited almost 3 hours just sitting there :D, patience is virtue mga dhai!

April 2, 2019 14 comments