(This is a long-overdue gratitude blog for Jinoe and Que; am glad that it comes on the heels of this voting thing as a game changer for the tattawards.)

My foray into running began in 2008 when I got sick and needed to drastically change my sedentary lifestyle.  Not only did takbo.ph give me an opportunity to read through accounts of hundreds of people who ran,  takbo.ph also allowed me to be who I am without being a subject of ridicule or judgment – considering running is a sport and I’m ahhh, well, ahhh….not sporty J  I was big and beautiful.  But I was accepted.  I was made to feel welcome and loved.  As slow as I was, as big as I was, I had a place to be as slow and as big as I needed to be.

It was in takbo.ph that I found really good friends – the kind you find in elementary or high school – where it’s a little bit more pure as when you’re older – you know what Im talking about  – the same interests, humour, wavelength, music, writing style, the same type of kindness – where most believed in good and positivism, where hardwork and discipline are part and parcel of the running lifestyle.

Poster Making for First Time Marathoners

People at takbo.ph are good people.  They are not mean, they encourage, they wait for you to the finish, heck they even pace you from start to finish, they make posters and banners for your first marathon, and much much more.  How much more?  Let’s see…

TAKBO.PH is a Venue to Get People Together

• Although there may be dissenting opinions in the different fora, it’s managed really well by the administrators; such that when it gets too personal and mean, it gets bumped off; it truly is a venue for togetherness and respectfulness (I know wrong grammar.)
• As cheesy as it is, there are many a love affair that hails from the site (Aminin! Natuloy man o naunsyami, kinilig pa rin kayo diba? LOL)
• Businesses made; business partnerships forged (parang LOTR lang ah)

The Iconic TAKBO.PH Tarpaulin

The TAKBO.PH  tarp is an iconic tarpaulin in all the races–every runner wants to have a picture with that tarp – it used to be just one; but as the family grew, and different running groups  were formed, Jinoe and Que had to produce more and more.

The Iconic Banner at McDo

Various Advocacies TAKBO.PH introduced, initiated, and maintained

• The Breakfast Club was the brainchild of Que and Mar if Im not mistaken, where runners contribute to a gathering for children without homes at Jollibee, play games with them, have a meal with them and have them bring home a loot bag of groceries for their families.

Breakfast Club, Pasay

• Support/Aid  Stations.  My personal experience with takbo.ph’s support station was at Botak 100 in 2008, did I get the date right? And boy, was that experience something else!  Then there was the unforgettable Milo Support Station  (http://margauybaula.multiply.com/journal/item/6/Tales-at-the-Milo-Support-Station) and the Condura Support Station—all memorable, all fun and laughter

Botak 100 at KM 81

• Angel Brigade. Takbo.ph is a staple of Angel Brigade.  When typhoon Ondoy hit, it was takbo.ph who built care packages of sardines, noodles, crackers, milk, water , clothes and more.  They would of course do this after their runs at BHS, but always ready to help…until today when AB asks for volunteers, you know at least 20 pairs of legs will be at the AB Headquarters packing as fast as they can to get the relief goods to our kababayans

Tired Packers

• Medical Mission.  Do you know that there are plenty of doctors and nurses in the house such that everybody want to contribute in their own way?  The tent city in Rizal was a wonderful opportunity for us runners to serve (http://margauybaula.multiply.com/photos/album/14/ANGEL-BRIGADE-TAKBO.PH-MEDICAL-MISSION-ACCOMPLISHED.)

Med Mission, Rizal (Tent City)

Medical Mission, Rizal

• Mountain Climbers are also runners and through AB and takbo.ph,  we built packages of slippers, blankets,  kulambos, and school supplies and they brought it to the literally far flung areas of the north

Marky on the mountain of Benguet

• Pencil Project, Better Bones Project are only a couple of individually-initiated projects that tapped into the takbo.ph database and knocked on our hearts to donate items and time, which we all happily did.

MISCELLANEOUS TAKBO.PH ACTIVITIES

Such as the Cervical Cancer and Sports Injury Talk by Doc Dianne and Doc Rannie;  Biggest Loser 1-2-3 where those who joined really fought for this title; as well as the Wine and Cheese Parties at 7 in the morning; games of patintero and luksong tinik even before the BHS backyard was done; of Girls Night Out, concelebrated birthdays, the traditional Noche Buena Run, Bisita Iglesia Run the missing CP2, of bloggers and such

Wine and Cheese

Girls Night Out

Noche Buena Run in UP

Bisita Iglesia Run (From UP to Quiapo

Patintero

Luksong Tinik

The Mysterious CP2

Blogger Friends (Photo by Jazzrunner)

TAKBO.PH  Does Not End with Finishing a Marathon

• Because of the discipline developed in training for longer distances, inclusive of recovery runs, speed training, tempo run, drills, cross training (swim, bike),  proper nutrition, and plenty of reading , there are different ways of growing in this beloved community

1. Your Personal Record (PR) is the best way to measure your development in this sport.  This entails listening to your body and not copying your neighbour’s training plan or PR.  Your growth is your own.
2. 3-5-10-15/16-21-32-42-50-60-70-80-102-160-250km.  I know, I know…the 250km is a relay – hahaha.  As you develop endurance and stamina and a true love/craziness for this sport, you also tend to up the ante as far as distance is concerned.  Have you noticed though that longer distance runners are thinner? hahahaha
3. Triathlons.  A natural progression to running is multisport /triathlon.  The transition to this is amazing.  I’ve literally seen a n ultramarathoner  – non swimmer (sputtering at the army pool) progress to a couple of Half Ironmans under his belt as well as a Full Ironman Distance  in just 12-18n months time.  As more runners are getting more and more into multipsort, I cant help but be glad that their base is running, for a triathlete can tell you that the game and therefore the finish is made in the run.

Runners turned Triathletes

My life is full and meaningful because I googled running in 2008 and found TAKBO.PH – I read, participated in the fora, shoutboxed during office hours (shhhhh…), bought the takbo singlet, happily wear them in all my races, ran 5, 10, 21, 32, and 42km here and abroad, all the while enjoying the camaraderie of friends  who I know will last a lifetime.

Game Changer you say? I say Life Changer