Nature Valley Run: Ready, Shoot, Aim

The ideal goal setting practice is this way:  Ready-Aim-Shoot.  With this practice, you are much better prepared in your goal and have a good chance of attaining it.  But here’s a new practice that is done in many industries: Ready-Shoot-Aim.  With the fast paced environment and strong competition, many business today need to bring out their product fast to the market (SHOOT) and later fine tune the details to grab the target niche (AIM).

Ready-Shoot-Aim was my technique in many running events.  Just join the event without any goals and once the gun starts I formulate anything that comes into my liking.  This is was my mind set in the recent Nature Valley Run.  Unknowingly, you might have the same strategy.

Ready

The Nature Valley Run: Runrio Trilogy Leg 2 will be my longest run since my Hong Kong Marathon.  I never had specific goals after the marathon except for joining races from time to time.  Since I said in the video that was played several times during the event that I will run 21 kilometers, so be it.  Anyway, I didn’t say I will run it for less than 2 hours.  Basta, I will Run for Nature.  I will Run for a Tree.  😀

Shoot

We can’t be lat but we still have that bad habit of sleeping late whenever there is a run.  To make sure we wake up early, we don’t turn off the lights when we sleep.  It reminds us that we have an event to run.  We joined Master Mon going to The Fort by 4:30 am.

As expected, the traffic made it hard to get in the Fort area and find a parking.  But we were just in time for the 21K start time.

Aim 1:  Mamita

Just when I went passed by the start line and heard the beep when I stepped on the mat of the transponder, I saw a group from aNR Alabang.  Mamita was in her usual bubbly self and you can hear her full of energy.

For the first few meters, I run with Mamita and the group.  Some of them were still fresh from the TBR marathon two weeks ago and here they are running a 21K.  It took me 3 months to run another 21K so these runners are certified addicts.  😀

I moved ahead to my next Aim.

Aim 2:  Nutty Bunny, Lorie, Chelly, Yan

I spotted Marvs aka nuttybunny in a slow and easy pace.  Then later, we saw some Tres Marias – Lorie, Chelly and Yan.  Slow and easy.  I kept up with them for another kilometer.  They were all in recovery mode.

Aim 3:  Running Fatboy and Per

Here’s a nice Aim.  Dennis and Per just blogged about their Great Wall Half Marathon.  Based on their blog, the Great Wall Half Marathon was full of steps to climb wall after wall.  They must be adjusting  to the flat course of The Fort and must be cursing the hot weather here compared to China.

Aim 4:  Bards

Right after I overtook Dens and Per, Bards was right in front.  I moved quickly to be at pace with her and her friend.  It was weird but we talked about a topic that is not a usual topic for runners.  Feminine wash.  Huh?  Bards even mentioned that there is a feminine wash for men.  We laughed at the oxymoron.  But I was curious and I searched about a masculine wash.  There’s one available locally.  I’ll just wait for other bloggers to make a review about it.

Aim 5:  Running Diva

I met Roselle aka Running Diva going back thru The Fort while tackling the Kalayaan Flyover.  She looked tired and not in a good shape to which she confirmed.  She got a cough and cold.  And she is still running.  Later, she felt better after the run.  Running does have a weird effect.

We paced together for a few kilometers.  We sometimes run together during trainings but not that often lately.  After about two kilometers, Roselle had to walk and I went ahead.  She later caught up and finish ahead of me.  Whatta girl.

Aim 6:  Donna Cruz-Larrazabal

No way.  I have been looking for her and there she was.  She’s way ahead.  I’m just about to make the turn towards Bayani Road and there she was already going back to the finish line.  She’s strong runner.  Maybe she’s in a hurry so she can sing a song at the finish line. It’s not in my iPod but a song was suddenly playing on my head.  Can you guess what that song is?

Aim 7:  Doc T of Team Boring

I made it thru the turn around point at Bayani Road.  A few meters ahead was Doc T of Team Boring.  We made a quick conversation.  It was boring.  I tried to pace with him.  It was boring.  So I went ahead.  Boring.  Hehehe.

They just call their team as Team Boring.  They are planning group runs of 42K around BHS.  How boring can that be?  But believe me when I say that these guys are the life of the party.

Aim 8:  Gailcons

Turning left at Lawton, I met Gail.  She just finished the marathon two weeks ago and now she’s doing a 21K.  She was convinced by Tracy that she can perform well on the 21K and she followed Tracy’s advice.  But I found here complaining of pain in her legs.  Possible ITB.  She tried pushing for a good finish but had to get longer walk breaks.  I paced with her until the finish line.  We talked a lot.  But we didn’t finish together.  Something came up.  A Goal. Finally, I have a goal.

Aim 9:  I Scream for Ice Cream

While in front of ROX, someone told me that there was Haagen-Dazs at the finish line.

What?  Haagen-Dazs?  This is the ice cream that I can only taste when I’m in a plane for a business trip.  So far, I only tasted it four times.   All of them in an international flight.  Only four times and they were in small cups. As Gail and I was nearing the finish, we saw people holding pint sizes of Haagen-Dazs.

I checked the time, I have been running for 2 hours and 30 minutes.  Oh no?  Can there be ice cream left for me when I finish?  Was there enough for all runners?  Did they ran out of Haagen-Dazs?  The suspense was unbearable.

“Gail, mauna na ako ha.” I excused myself from Gail and run as fast as I can to the finish line.

The vanilla clouds suddenly looked like scoops of ice cream.  As I looked at the timer, the LED dots resembled chocolate chips.  Yum yum.  The claps and waves of people sounded like bells ringing.

Finished in my 21K at 2:40:58.  My slowest 21K but I don’t mind.

Thanks to Nature Valley for a great run and to the 11,000+ runners who provided the 11,000 trees to help fight global warming.