I’m sure some of you would ask why be for a 15k run? For one, it’ll be my longest run to date since being sidelined by injury late last year, and second, i will be test riding the Skechers GOrun.

I’m now on my sixth week of training for the Milo Manila Eliminations in July, and is a bit hampered by the dreaded Plantar Fasciitis and a chronic bout with heel spurs lately.

The timely arrival of the GOrun shoes somehow lifted my spirits up since according to it’s local endorser, Michelle Estuar, this shoe helped eliminate all her foot problems from stress of doing multiple marathons/ultras in one year.

So getting back now into the run, the game plan was to just settle in my slow rhythm and enjoy the route. It’s just a small race, with only around 300 registered for the category, i’m quite nervous that I might be the last to cross the finish line.

The run went by smoothly, with the route a bit typical with some variations. I Contented myself with doing walk breaks at every hydration stop which were efficiently placed and with overflowing supplies.

I’m also very pleased with how the GOrun held up, it really helped make me land mid-foot “unconsciously”. Each stride came naturally, as if running barefoot but with enough protection.

I was surprised not to be limping after the race since for the last couple of months, I would normally limp because of the heel spurs. If this will continue, i’m sure meeting my “goal” come July would be a breeze.

Overall I was happy with how things went, thankful for being able to continuously run even on times that I’m in pain. Despite being injured, i’m so glad to have endured this run.

Special thanks to Entrainuer for giving us a nice race and to Ms. Bernice Almonte-Bobadilla of Skechers Fitness Philippines for letting me try on a pair of GOrun shoes. More power guys!

In Unilab ActiveHealth’s continuing efforts to promote an active and healthy lifestyle among families, 2012 Run United will have its second leg on June 17, 2012 at SM Mall of Asia.

Kids from age 5 to 12 years old can join the Ceelin 500-meter dash to jumpstart their journey to fitness. Moms, dads and older siblings can choose from the different race categories like 3km, 5km, 10km, and 21km.

Registered participants of 500-meter dash, 3km, 5km, and 10km will receive their singlet upon registration. The Active Health race belt bag, bib with timing chip, and Riovana 10% discount stub can be claimed during the 1^st ever Run United race expo scheduled on June 13-16, 2012 at BGC Grounds Riovana from 2pm to 8pm on June 13 and 10am to 8pm on June 14-16.

The participants of the 21k category will have a different singlet color design which makes the runners extra special, aside from the freebies that they will get during the race expo in BGC and the 2^nd piece of the collectible medal and finisher shirt. A personalized RunRio Timing Card will be exclusively given to them they just need to present their old IPICO timing chip during the registration to get the replacement.

21km runners will also get to enjoy running the Bonifacio Global City to Mall of Asia race route, giving them a chance to improve their PR for Run United 1. Shuttle service will be provided from MOA as pick-up point for 21km runners.

“Active Health delivers Unilab’s vision of providing active health solutions for Filipino families,” Unilab Active Health Head Alex Panlilio said.“We encourage families to start or continue leading active lives through our events like Run United.”

Active Health Sport Events Executive Lester Castillo said, “As we have always done in the past, we continuously improve Run United series to give runners a better experience and encourage them to keep running. Through our partnership with Coach Rio dela Cruz, Run United has become one, if not the best, running event in the country.”

As a testament to the level of commitment that Active Health brings to the runners, it has brought in the Team Bike Boutique, the official merchandise partner of Ironman races worldwide, to organize the Run United Race Expo happening on June 13-16, 2012 at the BGC Grounds near Mercato.

The race expo completes the active health experience by gathering runners, sports enthusiasts and their families in this four-day event. Runners can hang out with their friends while checking out the coolest and latest sports apparel. Fitness and athletic brands also present their latest products and services, including gadgets, running gear, among others.

Coach Rio dela Cruz said the race expo brings Run United to a whole new level. “Major international marathons like the ING New York Marathon and Chicago Marathon hold their own expos days before the event. Together with UNILAB Active Health, we look at some of the best practices from international races, and apply them to the Run United Series to further enhance the race experience of the Filipino running community.”

Registration for 2012 Run United 2 is ongoing at the following stores

• Riovana at Bonifacio Global City and Katipunan, Quezon City
• Toby’s at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City and SM North The Block, Quezon City

For online registration, check details at www.unilabactivehealth.com or www.runrio.com. Registration is until June 3, 2012 on a first come first serve basis.

2012 Run United 2 is for the benefit of Gawad Kalinga and Children’s Hour. For more inquiries, check out www.unilabactivehealth.com and www.facebook.com/unilabactivehealth.

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The Run United 2 Race Expo will be held on 13-16th of June 2012 at the Bonifacio Global City open grounds. The expo will be handled by Team Bike Boutique and here are the primary objectives of the event.

Who is Team Bike Boutique?

• The only and best event merchandise company in Asia Pacific
• Same company that also does all Ironman Stores across Asia & Australia
• Sponsors the Alaska Aces, IM 70.3 Philippines and 5i50

Below are photos of the race expo for NYM and Chicago Marathon, it’ll be more or less what we’re going to expect to see at the expo.

Aren’t you guys excited? See you there!

Kudos to Runrio for consistently raising the bar when it comes to race organizing. For the Leg 2, they will be putting up a race expo a few days before the big day. Prominent marathons around the world always does this, it is a venue wherein runners will be picking up their race packets and can also shop for the latest running items/gears that will be on sale during the duration of the expo.

another running essential from ULAH

Nicely designed race bibs. I hope it’s not “too nice” for people to copy or reproduce illegally and then use it to bandit the race.

personalized timing cards

the 2nd piece of the “pizza puzzle”

cool sling bags awaits the finishers

REMINDERS:

•For in-store registrants, keep your registration receipts. You need to present it to claim your Race Kits at the Expo.  For online registrants, kindly print and present your confirmation e-mail to claim your Race Kits at the Expo.

Race results will be available within three (3) days after the race in the

following websites. www.runrio.com and www.unilabactivehealth.com

Contact Nos.:

Timing and Race Results: feedback@runrio.com

Other concerns and Feedback: info@runrio.com

*thanks so much to Runrio Inc./Vimz Mendoza for providing us the details of their much awaited race.

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Last Wednesday, the Launch for the Ensure to Endure: Ensure your strength, run for FREE* was held at the 3rd flr. of Fully Booked in Bonifacio High St. A run brought to us by Abott, who is known for making nutritional products that caters to the adult market. Ensure, which is recommended as a meal replacement for those who are on the go, is also being used by athletes as a supplement to provide energy and recovery after a race or a hard workout.

RACE DETAILS

Riovana Store BGC

•28th St. cor. 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Mon-Thurs : 11am to 9pm

Fri-Sun : 10am to 10pm

Riovana Store Katipunan

•3rd floor Regis Bldg. Katipunan, Quezon City. Across Ateneo and Beside KFC Mon-Sun : 10am to 8pm

Tobys

•SM Mall of Asia – G/F Entertainment Hall, Roxas Blvd., Manila

Mon-Sun, 12nn to 8pm

•The Block – 3rd Floor SM The Block, North Edsa

Mon-Sun, 12nn to 8pm

cool singlet design

5k route map

10k route map

15k route map

Thanks to Entraineur for having us.

How often do you get to train with a legend?

Last Tuesday was not a typical day, it started out really early. I woke up at 2:30am, left the house at 3:30 and was already at R.O.X.by 4. Never have I been to BGC that early except on weekend runs or races. But on that day, it was different. I, together members of the media and other runner-bloggers will troop to Tagaytay Highlands and get to meet and run/train with Salomon International Athlete and trail running legend, Iker Karrera. We will also be joined by Edu Martinell, International Trail Runner & International Social Media Manager.

Salomon Pilipinas Manager Ms. Janice Tanada welcoming the guests

Upon arriving in Tagaytay Highlands, Salomon Pilipinas Manager Ms. Janice Tanada welcomed the participants and introduced Edu Martinell, who made a short presentation and gave some trail running tips over breakfast.

Edu Martinell, International Trail Runner & Salomon International Social Media Manager

During the presentation, he explained to us how running in the trails is different from your ordinary road run.

- Most runners find that their gait changes once they venture off-road.

- Their strides are usually shorter in order to keep balance and more time looking down in order to watch out for rocks and indentation on the dirt.

- The pace generally slows down as the dirt provides less spring than asphalt or concrete.

- The best thing to do is to be aware of these changes, let the gait settle in naturally, and realize that trail running is going to feel a bit different from road running.

Edu with Iker Karrera and Salomon Pilipinas Athlete Coach Ige Lopez

After the brief presentation, we were off to run. Started at the trails behind the mini zoo and the went on to take the Salomon Xtrail 12k route. And as expected, only a few of us were able to keep up with theses elite athletes. We just contented ourselves with checking some part of the trail route.

I was able to have a quick chat with Edu and he told me that the route was nice and it was a great experience running in an unfamiliar trail. After a quick shower, lunch was served. The two personalities then gave exclusive one on one interviews with members of the media and soon after, we were on our way back to Manila. It was a really hectic day especially for both Iker and Edu since they would still have a meet and greet event in the evening at R.O.X. in Bonifacio Global City.

It was really a fun, exciting and tiring day. But how often do you get to meet and run/train with a legend? It was indeed a once in a lifetime experience.

Incidentally, both of them will also be joining the TNF 100 in Benguet where in Iker is one of the heavy favorites to bag the top prize.

Iker Karrera, Champion and Legend

Special thanks to Ms. Janice Tanada and Ms. Vima Mendoza, PR Consultant for Salomon Pilipinas for giving us exclusive invites for the said event.

A few weeks back, I was lucky enough to be invited to the launch of Thorlos socks. We were given an in depth analysis of what a sock should be, some of us were even allowed to try one on for the duration of the event. They are that confident of how comfortable their product is, and boasted of it’s durability (it is said to last for not less than 10 years according to some users). They also have the widest choice range.

Ramesh Mirpuri, President of Colerosh Inc., exclusive distributor of Thorlos® socks in the Philippines showing the wide array of socks from Thorlos

To date, Thorlos has over 54 designs with 2 sub-brands (Experia and 84 Runner) using Thorlo pads techonology with over 98 different styles.

One drawback is that if you’re used to wearin thin socks, you’ve got to have a shoe that is atleast half size bigger than the usual to really feel the padded support that this sock offers. We were fortunate enough to be given free samples to try on and see/feel the difference.

It’s a good thing that i’ll be joining a trail run that weekend and what a perfect way to try them on, and the good thing is, my trail running shoes are a half size bigger than my regular running shoes. It was a perfect fit the moment i tried them on and it surely provided the padding and support that is much needed when running the trails.

It’s just unfortunate that I still can’t try them on my regular running shoes because it creates a tight fit and I might not feel the benefits of what the product really offers. I’ve only worn it once (for the trail run) and my initial assessment was it’s soft and comfy, hope to try them on more frequently so I could give a more in depth feedback.

Coach Rio Dela Cruz uses THORLOS® socks. Running coach Rio dela Cruz recently opened Riovana Store (Runners’ Haven) at the Bonifacio Global City. The store features the latest and the best running shoes, gear and apparel and has shower and locker amenities for runners. Riovana is the only running store that features three-camera Gait analysis technology to better equip urban runners with the proper knowledge and understanding the science of running. Above, Coach Rio proudly displays an array of Thorlos® socks now available in RIOVANA. Thorlos®, the 30 year old American brand trusted by Coach Rio and the first socks brand recipient of the seal of acceptance of the American Podriatic Medical Association (APMA), features over 35 types of socks from running, walking, hiking, basketball, tennis, golf, fitness and even casual and dress socks all customized and scientifically structured to meet the demands of any activity.

Special thanks to Kalvin Kiel Sanggalang, Operations Manager of Thorlos/Colerosh, Inc. for inviting us to the product launch.

Thorlos socks are now available at Riovana, Toby’s, R.O.X., Rustan’s, The Athletes Foot and Planet Sports. For more details about the product, please visit http://www.thorlosphilippines.com/, and kindly like them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thorlosphilippines or you can also follow them on Twitter at @thorlosPH https://twitter.com/?iid=am-212786989413344542961305188&nid=24+profile_user&uid=35425880&utm_content=profile#!/thorlosPH

NO ENERGY DRINKS and SOFT DRINKS will be provided along the route, as part of our product lockout agreement with the event partner. Only bottled water, juices, and other Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (GSMI) beverage products will be provided (beers & gins included upon request).

Tobie Hatfield is Innovation Director in NIKE’s Innovation Kitchen.

In the early 2000s Tobie and a group of colleagues began a journey to find a way to bring to life the concept of training barefoot, a technique that helps strengthen the foot. Their goal was to create a product that replicated barefoot training while offering the support and traction of a lightweight performance shoe.

This is the story of the birth of NIKE FREE.

To read more stories on the NIKE FREE collection:

- Nike Free: Natural Motion Inspired Design

- All-New Nike Free Shoes Launch on NIKEiD

- Nike Women’s Training Presents the Free Advantage

Thanks to Marco Sindiong of Ogilvy for the updates.