The People Who Inspired Me to Run & My Running Idols

THE PEOPLE WHO FIRST INSPIRED ME TO RUN

My Dad 

My Dad has always encouraged my sisters and I since we were young to get into sports. Back when we were kids, he would wake us up early in the morning on Sundays to play tennis with our trainer or join him jog around CCP Complex while my Mom goes to the weekend market.  I was never the sporty type of girl and I hated it when he woke us up early on a Sunday morning just to exercise. After a tough rally with our tennis trainer, he always encouraged us not to stop and just keep going. He would say, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" He also often reminded us never to sit right away to maintain our heart rate and not to hydrate too much immediately. I never understood or questioned him before, I thought he was just too tough on us. :) But now I find myself remembering my dad's words when I have to push myself when running or during an intense workout.

I hope I could run even a 5K race with him (and I hope with my Mom too, IF we could convince her), hopefully when they come home next year.

Grace Hanover

Tita Grace and I after the 2nd Heroes Run

Tita Grace is my eldest sister’s mother-in-law. She qualified and finished the Boston Marathon twice and has finished quite a number of other marathons too. When my husband and I had the chance to bond with her in 2011, she encouraged us to try running.  She told us stories of her first marathon in 1986 here in Manila, and what stuck in my head was her story about how their hydration way back then was  “sago’t gulaman” which she said made her feel more thirsty than hydrated. She commended how the races now are more organized as compared to how they were before.  She encouraged us to try walking first. To use her words she said, “Just try walking and eventually, you will find yourself running.” She is indeed our inspiration. We joined a race with her once during the 2nd Heroes 10K Run in Fort Bonifacio last December 2013.   Until now, we still dream of running a full marathon with her (hopefully in 2015 for her 70th birthday).  

Macel Janeo

Chix & Macel

Macel has been my friend since I was ten years old(?)  We live in the same village and we were schoolmates in Grade School, High School and College.  I vividly remember that day when I saw her during one of her marathon training runs here in the village.  It was around 12nn, while I was driving home I stopped beside her and asked, “Macel, what are you doing, are you insane? Ang init, bakit ka tumatakbo?” She then explained she was training for the Singapore Marathon. That’s when I thought to myself, why not try running?  Before I knew it, there we were (my husband and I) running with her and Mike (her husband).

Mike Janeo

L-R: Mike (my husband), Coach Mike Janeo, Chix

Mike is the husband of my friend, Macel.  He was the first person who taught us (my husband and I) the “basics” of running. He shared with us almost everything we know about running from proper running form, hydration, apparel, respecting the marathon distance - how the first 21k is very much different from the 2nd 21k in a full marathon, the importance of conserving  in order to finish strong, and all the other running terms we did not know existed were taught to us by our Coach Mike.  He has been (and is still) our coach and was our pacer too, during our first marathon (TBR Dream Marathon 2014).

LAST, but definitely not the least...

Mike (my husband)

My husband and I before crossing the finish line of our first marathon
(TBR-ULAH Dream Marathon 2014)

Mike has always been worried about me because I was so lazy to move. I was inactive / literally a couch potato - the only 'marathons' that mattered to me then were TV series and movie marathons.  He encouraged me to do some stretching (at least) to keep myself healthy. My reply to him would always be, "Next time." I always hated waiting for him when he would exercise in the morning and I would just sit there at the dining area until the time he was finished so we could have breakfast together.
If not for my husband who never gave up on me, for always persuading me to start exercising, I wouldn't start running.

Now, I am happy that we get to talk about anything and everything when we run together.

MY RUNNING IDOLS

JAYMIE PIZZARO “The Bull Runner” 

www.thebullrunner.com

Jaymie and I during the TBR Dream 2015's First Bull Circle at St. Luke's BGC - after I shared my marathon story

RAUL PATRICK CONCEPCION “Runningshield” 

www.runningshield.blogspot.com

My husband Mike, Patrick Concepcion (Runningshield) and I - after the World Vision 2014 21k Race in BGC

RIO DELA CRUZ “Coach Rio” 

www.runrio.com

Coach Rio and I during one of our Sunday morning training runs at the UP-Academic Oval