Hidden Routes

October 3, 2011

My baby brother Sonnyboy, who loves to bike on mountain trails in between med school exams, has been telling me about the trails of Barangay Budlaan for the longest time.

Listening to him describe his route with streams, a mini river and mountains, right in the middle of Cebu City's busy Talamban area makes the place sound mythical and almost unbelievable, until I ran the 4th leg of Columbia Eco Trail.

Budlaan is well known amongst bikers, but I've never heard of a foot race being held there before. Also, there is something truly hardcore about having to climb mountains and cross rivers to get to the finishline, which is why it piqued my interest and made me sign up for the Eco Trail Run.

There were no more than 100 runners at the starting line early morning of Saturday. I saw the “usual suspects” from the previous leg of Columbia's trail run series and quite a number of trail running newbies like June Rabin of Monster Radio BT 105.9 and Marget Fernan-Villarica.

It was a no frills race.. Runners were required to bring their own hydration system as there was only one hydration refilling station halfway through the route. 

While this would have raised howls of protest (not to mention a bashing on social networking sites) in a road race, I heard none last Saturday. It still baffles me how trail runners accept this with nary a complaint. 

My only explanation is that hydration will not be an issue as long as you are candid with runners from the very start and say -- “Hey, because of the race terrain we have very limited logistics. So, we advice you to provide for your own supplies.” 

Or maybe, trail runners are either just made of more hardy stuff ; or they are just too smitten by the beauty of the trails hidden to most regular people (even most runners) that complaining about lack of water stations seems petty.

To say that the trails and the 2-kilometer river trek were pretty is an understatement. Yes, the 60-degree climb plus 400-meter elevation (as indicated on my Garmin F-305) was a bitch and the descents toe-crushing, but the view from the top was priceless and beautiful beyond words.

Despite the beauty of the trails, the growth of trail running in Cebu is still slow compared to the explosion of road running and racing. There are two reasons why regular roadies, despite the high mileage under their belt can be quite intimidated by the trails – fear of getting lost and getting injured.

 In trail running, runners are expected navigate their way through the lush vegetation with nary a soul in sight relying only trail markers and a few marshals. Runners have to rely on gut. If you feel that you are lost, then you probably are. The only way to find your way back is to retrace your steps and find the last marker to get your bearings. As Tabugok Mountaineer so aptly puts it, “Dili jud day pwede sa Trail Run ang 'puro lakas walang utak"!” 

As for getting injured, I have only this to say: The road and the trail both present equal amount of chances for getting injured. It is not the trail's fault. It's the way we run it and the shoes we wear while running on trail that's to blame if we get injured. 

For those unfamiliar with Budlaan, it's the barangay between Talamban and Busay. Getting there is easy. Just hop on a jeepney going to Talamban and get off at Sunny Hills subdivision where motorcycles wait to take passengers on a 4.5-kilometer ride to Budlaan Barangay Hall. 

Of course you can also help reduce your carbon footprint by running from your house to Sunny Hills then on to Budlaan. When the road forks, your left leads to La Tegola in Busay and the right leads to Pit-os. Just ask the locals for directions. Be sure to bring your own hydration system and energy bars as stores can be few and far between.

Falling in Love with Trail Running

July 22, 2011

After running and racing city streets for the longest time, my legs were becoming road-weary.  I felt the urge for a change of scenery and discover new running routes – off the beaten path.   And so I signed up for the 3^rd leg of the Columbia Eco Trail Run.  I almost knew nothing about the race, except that the starting line will be at the Guadalupe Church and runners will traverse the trails of Barangay Kalunasan.

On Saturday morning I showed up at the starting line, I felt out of place in my in my short split shorts and runner’s long bra.  Almost all the women and most of the male runners were wearing throw-away tights, long sleeves or arm warmers.  We were less than 100 runners.

During the briefing we were told that runners had to bring their own water, the race route was 12.5KM and that the cut-off time is 5 hours.  Five hours for a 12K race?  Why would you need that much time to finish 12.5K?

Three hours and 10 minutes after, I got my answers.  If you’re a new runner, you would probably need all of five hours where more than 50% of the route involved technical ascents and steep down hills, tricky and slipper ridge walk, jungle trek with grass, plants and foliage up to your neck, and two water (stream) crossing.  The tights and arm warmers were protection from mud and nasty cuts during the jungle trek.

When I reached the top of Barangay Kalunasan just before the turnaround point, I understood why the band of runners who showed at the starting line paid P350 registration without any complaints for a race with no water station and with only shirts (and no cash) as prizes for the top 3 males and females.  The view of the city from an elevation higher than the Transcentral Highway was priceless.  As I stood there, my eyes felt misty.  I breathed, took it all in and felt truly happy to be alive and healthy enough to make the climb and see the city that I love like I’ve never seen it before.    

Photo credit: J. Robles 

There will be a 4^th leg of the Columbia Eco Trail Run.  If you wish to experience for yourself the magic of trail running, consider these trail running tips I gathered (albeit belatedly) from the web:

   Run on roads for a while before moving to trails. It helps to have a base level of fitness before you attempt your first trail run.

Wear trail-running shoes, and dress in high-performance running clothes that are appropriate for all potential weather conditions.

Prepare by eating and drinking the proper things before and during your run.

 Run on trails that are suitable to your level of fitness. Choose flat trails if you're a beginner or more challenging trails if you're an experienced runner.

Pace yourself. Save energy for the miles ahead.

 Slow down on steep climbs. Many experienced trail runners "power walk" steep sections and make up the lost time on flats and downhill slopes.

 Stay in control on steep descents - keep your head up, control your speed and avoid obstacles.

 Take water and some gels because it will take longer than you think.

 Leave the trail as you found it.  Don't leave your gel packs, plastic bags, gum, gum wrappers, banana peels or anything else.