Mt. Ugo Skyrun

The day was December 26, 2010. Just like the first skyrun, i found myself sitting on a pavement at the Botanical Park, just about 7 minutes from my house. The pick up was scheduled at 5:30am, so i woke up early.  I didn't want to be late. This was a special run for me. As i waited and got text messages from Kian that they're on their way, i was also waiting for the two runners i invited. I wasn't really sure if they were coming. I just knew the answer when they finally showed up. Richard and his brother came, all geared up for the skyrun. We talked about what to expect in the run as we waited for Kian, Jules and company.

They came, not in a jeepney but in a taxi. I know that getting there will be shorter than Pulag. Richard, Edgar and i hopped in the back and the journey began. Kian and Jules introduced us to Mia and Cha, both runners or triathletes. They were very pleasant company. The drive seemed long for me. I was nervous. My tummy seemed to churn. I wasn't used to this. Then finally we arrived at the place. We registered and waited for our guide. Looking around the hall and looking at pictures of previous climbs, the man who handled our registration offered us coffee. It felt good...the brew smelled good. I craved for a couple of sips. The others had their own cups too. The coffee finally gave me a kick.

Off we went again, this time to the jump off point. We parked and heard Kian instructed the driver to come and pick us up before 7pm.  The driver was doubtful and had that sheepish smile on his face, almost saying out loud, "are you kidding me?". We all walked to the hanging bridge; the link that connects the villagers to civilization. Running Mt. Ugo will be a first for me. Unlike Mt. Pulag, which is steep with many abrupt drops and verticals, Ugo is longer and winding.

Start of the ascent was fun. Stories started to flow and i finally found my tongue! I felt so awkward and i didn't know how to act. I felt embarrassed for i didn't know how to entertain my guests. I don't know what came to me. But i tried. I had to. This skyrun was my second plan after all. 

I felt heavy. I know i wasn't in tip-top shape. I knew i was better during my training for Kinabalu and the last TNF100. From my running weight of 49kg, i ran Mt. Ugo at 52kg. That's heavy for me. I can't breathe. For the first time since 2006, i felt fat. The terrain was getting rough and i can feel the gradual uphill. Leading the pack was our guide, while our sweeper was Kian. I opted to be in the middle. Often in front of me were the brothers: Richard and Edgar. I say they were fast and they were strong. Though i didn't know if they were enjoying it, i was just hoping that they're not bored. I just couldn't find the right things to say to them. I just lost my tongue. At some compression stops, while Kian, Cha, Jules and Mia munched on their food,  i did talk to the brothers and joined them for a snack. They told me they're okay but i wasn't a hundred percent sure of that. But the good thing is both were pleasant and quite fun to talk with. I took pictures of them while they were on the run. They were good.

 

Reaching Lussod for a recharge and change of guide felt good. The locals were very nice to us. We rested, took some pictures that were all crazy, wacky and sweet just the same. A funny pic Kian and i had was with a pig and carabao.  Kian used that as his facebook profile pic for a while.

Passing by endless greens of pines, grass and the outline of the mountains before us, I couldn’t help but appreciate the beauty of this moment; of this experience. As our guide took us up further, I turned my back to check the others and they’re not far behind. The guys in front of me: the brothers Richard and Edgar and Mia were not too far either.  Richard was the closest to me so I had a reference.  At whatever pace, we ran and walked and stopped to wait for the others.

At a vertical, we stopped for lunch. Everyone took out their own meal. I just had raisins with me and a bottle of Gatorade and water. Like the usual, I don’t eat much on skyruns. I don’t eat breakfast either. I’m used to nourishing myself days before a skyrun. But I was dependent on water, and sometimes on energy gels. I had a fun time, watching my buddies eat. They have a big appetite and it looked good. I got a banana myself. Thanks to Richard. It was too good to resist. Especially knowing that it would replace the potassium that I lost, as I profusely sweat. Thank you Richard.  I like it when I see people eat. It brings out a part of 
their character. The way they munch; the way they handle their food and how they handle a conversation while having a meal. (I was closely sensitive to anyone who made a sound while chewing and thank goodness, there was no one!). Stories were fun as always and forgot the pain in our legs and feet for a while. No one complained.

Almost to the top now, the wind was pushy at this point and it's getting cold. Putting my jacket back on then taking it off again as i run up a few meters. That's how fast you can get hot on a grueling ascent. But alas! the summit was there for me to take. I crashed to the ground, almost kissing it and looked up the sky and finally sighed. It just felt good conquering another majestic mountain.

It overwhelmed me. The others were all so ecstatic too. Everyone clicked and clicked their cameras to record that moment on top of Mt. Ugo.



As we prepare ourselves going back down the steep slopes, Kian had one final instruction, that we wait for each other and stay in groups, that way it would be easier to track each other. That instruction, was one i'll never forget. Our plan was to get down and be back before 7pm where the taxi dropped us off.


Running down was alright but one should be extra mindful of his/her legs and feet. I knew mine was burning so i took my time. I can't afford an injury now, especially since i never experienced an injury. I want to keep that record for myself. As we all ran down, the brothers took off fast and left us. Following Richard and Edgar were Kian and Mia while i chose to run at ease with Jules and Cha. Going down and down was endless. It was winding too. I felt like i'm running it over and over again, the terrain looked the same to me. I just laughed to myself. Jules agreed with me and both of us laughed. Finally we reached Lussod and took a breather before setting off again. We checked our time and confidently told ourselves, "we'll make it". Kian, Richard and Edgar went ahead this time. Jules, Mia, Cha and i were following close behind, so we thought. We checked our watches, it's almost sunset, it was still okay. We can still maket it.



At that precise moment, Jules, Mia, Cha and i looked around us and started to ask each other where we are. We can no longer see Kian, Richard and Edgar in front of us. We went back up to retrace our steps. We were disoriented as it was getting darker by the minute. We heard the stream, so we knew we were close to that marker.








Then again we went down, trying to remember if the pathways were familiar. Giving up, Jules and Mia called Kian. I called Richard. But my phone was running low on battery. I spoke to Richard only for a few seconds before i got cut. As per instruction, Kian asked us to stay put and keep shouting just so they could trace us. After a few minutes, Kian and Richard found us. We were so glad to see them. And we all laughed. We found out that we were at the right track after all. That was fun but at the same time alarming. Thanks to Kian and Richard for coming to the rescue. We owe you.
It took us another hour or so going down; it was getting dark and thank goodness we all had our headlamps. We waited for each other and found our way back to the foot of the bridge. Everyone was tired and soaked. Feet and legs screaming. Finally we saw our taxi waiting for us. I saw the driver and he greeted, smiled and seemed to be proud of us. The whole route was about 24-25 kilometers. Hopping at the back with Richard and Edgar felt so good. I stretched my legs and massaged it. I was mentally feeling my feet, my toes, they're fine.


 




A visit to the massage shop after a few days would be a treat. As the cab took us closer to home, i was craving for noodles, arroz caldo, double cheese burger, hot chocolate drink, and a warm bath. At the same time, i thought again, my plan B, as i called it was about to end. I knew i didn't get to achieve the real purpose of this skyrun. I am just grateful though for those precious moments for it was up close and personal. A plan C? i don't know. I think i no longer have the nerve to do another. I can be a coward at times. I'll go home with just the memory of it all.

Mt. Pulag Skyrun

It's a chilly morning of November 27, 2010 and the wind's nipping. Checking my gears again and still yawning. Looking at my old, rusty watch, my PSA (Philippine Skyrunning Association) friends are coming any minute soon. This will be my first skyrun since i arrived from Indonesia and my first to skyrun Mt. Pulag, unofficially the second highest mountain in the Philippines. It's 2,922 meters high (9,587 ft.), perfect for a high altitude run. Kian, who's always been the leader of our pack will be bringing in some of his friends. I tried to invite some runners in my city but i wasn't so lucky. They turned me down, one in particular but that is like saying i was wishing for the moon. Ouch!
A few minutes before 6am, they came in a monster jeepney, i say. I felt glad being reunited with one of the nicest running friend of mine, Kian. I got introduced to Jules, Jay and Rome. They all looked great and hungry for a skyrun. I bet they all trained better than i. I didn't get to do any conditioning. I admit, i got lazy with this weather,. So i silently prayed that i would survive this skyrun. I didn't have any drive at all. The motivation was missing. Ouch again.

And so we went. The drive was more than two hours from Botanical garden to Kabayan. I felt nauseous at the back and so were the others. The ride was really bumpy. I hit my head here and there. One of my running friends opted to go top-load. I wanted that too but i just felt dizzy at that time. It would've been an adventure being up there. Finally we arrived at a town restaurant nearby a dirt road. Everybody was hungry, except me. Rome surprised me, he ordered a whole chicken for his hi-protein diet. Kian had his usual vegies-only. Jules and Jay had adobo for breakfast (I think), while i had my usual brewed coffee for that kick. The restaurant was kind of full with other trekkers from Manila, i suppose. They were mostly members of a mountaineering club in their company. As i sipped my coffee, i felt alone again. I was supposed to be with other running friends but i guess they were busy. I couldn't turn down Kian's invite; i wanted this skyrun so bad. I haven't done this for a long time, making me feel a delinquent in skyrunning.

Of we go, we loaded up and the journey continued. Another fourty five minutes, we arrived at Ambuclao. It was great seeing the old Ambuclao Dam, which served the people of this region for decades. We stopped and took pictures of the group. Only then i knew that Rome was dizzy and was having a bad tummy. Good thing he didn't "let go" of that thing inside! Then we drove again and arrived at the DENR in Bokod for registration and briefing. The briefing was hilarious! thanks to Ma'am Tammy (but we shouldn't call her that anymore...long story). Our group had a good laugh and we wanted more of her jokes. As everybody was laughing, i was weeping and laughing silently as i cannot make a sound.  That was too much for me! Because of her, our group got the brunt of jokes but we didn't mind at all.We enjoyed it. We just can't stop laughing. We miss her already.

Once we paid for our registration and haggled for our jeepney, we proceeded to Kabayan. For most trekkers, they would take "Ambangeg trail" but for us, we wanted to take the "Akiki route". We planned to traverse Akiki to Ambangeg in one day. In Kabayan, we checked-in at a small lodging house. Since it was a Saturday, it was market day and it also happened to be their foundation day. We went around, saw the town's museum, visited a cave with skulls, ate halo-halo and ate dinner. Dinner was great. I had beef broccoli and a lot of rice. Rome had his usual whole or half chicken and no rice, Kian with his vegies, Jules and Jay also had vegies and meat. While we ate, we planned our run. We leave before six in the morning and walk to the jump off point. We bring only the essentials like: water, gels, trail food, packed lunch... as simple as that. At the lodge, we were met up by some French tourists. One of them wanted to join us for the traverse. The group welcomed him to join us.

It was past six in the morning. Breakfast came late for the restaurant opened late. I just had coffee, i still felt full of yesterday's gorging. My friends got their packed lunch and went to get ready. We finally left at around 6:40. Walking to the jump off point was fun. Rome kept babbling with our French guest. I can't help but overhear their stories about their travels abroad. Nice.

I wore my red rain jacket, over my favorite running shorts and black dry fit shirt. My feet were protected by my Merrells. They're old but very reliable. It never failed me in all of my trail runs. It had a good grip especially in wet, slipppery grounds. I never lost my footing.

As always, click here, click there. It wasn't enough. Smiles were all over our faces. Though i was missing my motivation, i loved this day. I just love the people i'm running with.

I could feel the air is thinning as we're going up. The trail wasn't gentle. It was ruthless. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy. I felt the burn creep up my legs and thighs and i'm already soaked and red as a tomato. Just like the others, i had to walk up. It was impossible running this type of vertical. It's a killer; reminds me of Mt. Kinabalu. I hummed to myself and kept saying, "love the pain...love the pain". And i embraced it. There was no "wall".

Everyone welcomed every compression stop for a recharge. At the "hellipad" stop, we saw a rainbow. That was refreshing, like a promise of better things to come. Snacks were great and fun. Jay shared to me this delicious Indian rotti bread with stuffing, and it tasted great. I promised to go hunting for it when i go to Manila. I was craving for it ever since. Then later, he gave me almond nuts which i enjoyed with such delight.



Several times, we ran and passed by a number of trekkers. In a way, we felt guilty because we weren't carrying big loads of implements like they did. They looked at us with envy. Kian, who was our lead, lauded them and humbly told them that we're only running the mountain and so no need for the heavy packs. I don't know what they thought of us when we left them to rest.
The vertical was endless and so was the beautiful view. Tall grasses spread before us, combed by the strong, cool wind. The pines stood proud looking down on us. The sea of clouds looked like beds of cotton, i wanted to sleep. From where i was, i could see a part of Baguio and Sto. Tomas. I sat there and took it all in: the beauty and wonder of it all...i wanted to cry.

 My legs were starting to hurt a bit but the pain was manageable. We've been running for more than five hours when Kian checked his watch and told us we'll be at the summit around noontime. We've endured the rainforest part of the ascent, and we were so relieved to reach the grassland. The summit was just over there, covered by the mist and was teasing us. Kian egged us to run it. Jay and i went for it. Jules chose to keep it slow as she was feeling that stubborn cramp in her legs. Jay and i kept running and walking. We passed by campers and i could smell their food! Sausages, ham, tuyo, and coffee filled the air...you name it! My tummy was screaming for a stop and grab a bite. I can be thick when I'm hungry!

In one of our stops, Jay and i had no idea, we were just 10 feet away from the summit. The summit was covered with fog so we didn't notice.  I was the first to summit at 12:21pm, then Jay followed close by. We sat as we waited for the fog to clear out and the others to arrive. Just as Kian predicted: we were there noon time.

From the summit, we could see the campers. We took endless pictures of us and the view. Everyone congratulated everyone. Jules was contagious with her jump of joy photo shoot. We all did a jump shot! It was fun. As we rested for a few more minutes, we talked about the run down to Ambangeg. Everybody felt energized because we're going home. This time, i ran with Rome, his strides were long and heavy and fast. All of us ran and ran and ran. We stopped for several times to wait for the others. We met trekkers on our way and again, we got that "look" and we answered them with a smile and a "hello".

Finally, we reached the rangers' station. We were so hungry. I ate all the eggs from Kian's "purse" (which i had a difficulty opening!). While the others ate, Rome went for a very cold shower and came back numb and shaking. He was the only one who smelled good amongst us.






The drive back down was bumpy. What's worse? the jeepney we were on had no front lights. We were blind. It was pitchblack. The driver did his best with the wiring and we were back on the road. That was a relief. A second night in the cold and dark was not part of our plan. We wanted food, a soft bed and wanted out of our grubby clothes and shoes.
The trip back to Baguio was quiet and calm. Some fell half asleep. It was almost eight in the evening. I was busy looking at the stars, like a child making a wish, hoping it would come true. That moment i thought of my missing motivation. Maybe it wasn't meant to be or maybe another try would do it. I asked Kian about the next skyrun. Another run after Christmas was possible, he said. Then bling! my brain got busy, finally a second plan's in tow...a second chance for me. I silently made my wish again. Here comes another shot at the moon...
Parting ways with my friends was kind of sad. I miss them and can't wait to see them in our next skyrun. To Kian: thanks for being such a leader..you gave us the "push". To Jules: thanks for the jump shots and the girly talk .Jay: thanks for the food, especially those nuts that you gave me! Yummy!, and Rome: thank you for the stories of your travel and your brand of music. You  guys are wonderful. See you in June.

Why run?

I always wanted to be an athlete. I was 7 when i saw an olympic event on television - gymnastics. I loved the floor exercise, until i saw a track and field competition. I fell in love with it. As a kid who grew up sickly due to asthma, i was not allowed to enjoy sports. I was often left green with envy of those athletes in my class and those on television and newspapers. Because of my medications and occassional attacks, i gained weight and easily got tired and it was hard to breathe.
Come highschool, my life changed. My asthma attacks came less and less until it finally bid farewell to me. I started to go out very early in the morning to go jogging. It was dark and cold but i didn't mind at all. What was important was i could ride with the wind, taste my own sweat and hear my heart pounding for more. That's how i started running.
2006 was the year it all began - running and me.  I met a lot of roadrunners, even hard-cores at that. I've always admired them and it brought smiles to my face whenever i see them. Then i met Manung Resty and Ma'am Che Alberto. Manung Resty was the one who pushed me to go further, like a coach would say to his athlete. Ma'am Che is a distance runner who would always inform me on when and where is the next race. She's ran countless marathons and organizes events for the budding runners in my city. She would always tell me to work on my speed and do more long distance running. I tried and i did. Manung Resty is quite the opposite of the madamme. He would just say run rashel, run...swoosh! But later on he also told me that although i have already gained endurance, i needed speed and longer strides. I am still working on it.
My first half marathon came October of 2006 in San Fernando, La Union. It was hot, humid and i felt heavy. The afternoon downpour soothed my heated skin. Running in the flat was such a bore that it made me yawn.  I missed the mountains. The morning heat was excruciating that gave birth to my "wall". I pushed it and told it to go away. Then the rain came, it made me faster. I finised 3rd amongst the women. It qualified me for the national finals of the Milo Marathon, my first full course marathon. And that's how i started.
Why i run? It makes me feel good about myself. Running is my own form of meditation. The thing that keeps me sane.