It's Not Just Another Singlet

Not all singlets are created equal.

Some singlets I give away to helpers; some land on garage sale. Some I use when I groom dogs. Some I love to lounge around or sleep in for the fabric comfort, but would not dare wear in the gym or on the road for its ah, uninspired, design. Some are good enough for gym or road training.

A few singlets stand out. Despite its garish colors and rough texture, I wore and kept my 2009 Milo Marathon singlet. I wore it to be part of the thousands who have run a race steeped in tradition and prestige. I kept it as souvenir of my first ever marathon.

My favorite singlet has been the 2008 New Balance Powerrace Singlet. I like it for its instrinsic beauty and love it for the memories it evokes. Its fabric is cool, and its cut is flattering for both the fit and flabby. It is long enough to hide one's modesty when partnered with compression or cycling shorts. No other singlet can take its place as the singlet worn when I discovered I have fallen for Running. I liked the race and the singlet so much that it shows on my blog's photo banner. I would wear my favorite singlet whenever I tried to conquer longer distances during training. The singlet and the magic 25K printed on it reminded me that to a person in love with Running, no distance is too long nor insurmountable.

I therefore view with a tinge of disappointment the initial feedback about the 2009 NB singlet. The 2008 Powerrace being my Best Race of the Year, I had high hopes for the 2009 edition. I was ecstatic when I learned Extribe will handle the race again ( I do hope they repeat the cool running quotes on kilometer markers) but was a little disappointed when the distance was trimmed down to 21k (I hope it does not become just another 21k) and the location was moved back to Global City. I can understand if the race location was moved to make it accessible to more people (a great race deserves to be enjoyed by many!), but why tamper with the singlet quality?

Does the production savings really justify the marketing mileage lost from issuing a lesser quality singlet? I used to hold Mizuno in high regard for the beautiful race shirts they issued in the past races, but that regard diminished significantly when they issued a nicely designed but coarse-textured singlet during the Infinity Run. Now I associate Mizuno with the clever "Never Settle" slogan and the coarse fabric.

To be honest, I haven't seen the new NB race singlet, but I have heard similar feedback from a couple of friends. Enough to make me hesitate to go to Glorietta and see for myself if my favorite singlet has indeed fallen victim to hard times. For an NB fan like myself, it is hard to accept things like these. In the meantime, if you have a reasonably okay, large, 2008 25K NB race singlet you do not mind parting with, I would happy to buy it from you.

I do hope Adidas does not go the route of Mizuno and New Balance. In a time when every brand is working hard to push its name, the race singlet is a strategic branding opportunity. Runners have always associated the Adidas King of the Road race with drool-worthy singlets. I have my own KOTR collection for one. I am sure others have theirs, with probably more editions (if you do have all editions, please email me!). Please major brands, save the positive association. The initial feedback I got the from the Adidas brand managers is that the 2009 singlet is something to look forward to. I sure hope so and I am excited for it.

While others may think it is just a singlet, for me and others who view running as accumulation and recollection of pleasant memories, it is not just another singlet.

It Happened at Km18

(The New Balance Chronicles)


16 November 2008. It was our third year anniversary. Running and I have been together since 2003, but we have only celebrated our anniversary twice - in 2004 and 2005, both of which were disasters. Both times I was late, unprepared and distracted. We had been estranged since then. I tried to woo Running again this August 2008. Admittedly, I did it for selfish reason, but I genuinely fell for her last October.

They say third time is a charm so I intended to celebrate our 3rd anniversary in a big way this November. It had only been three months since we got back together, but I really wanted to profess my love for her in a grand way. With a gulp of courage, shower of prayer and pledge to pull out all the stops, I signed us up both for the New Balance Powerrace in Clark Field, Pampanga. For once I made a training plan - ambitious but not for the faint of heart. I hit the gym as well as the roads. Through a friend, I made reservation for us in the Redwood Villas, a 5-minute jog away from the parade grounds where we intend to renew our vows and profess our love.

I was all-dressed up for the big day. I came in my week-old NB shoes, new pair of NB shorts and socks, a Fuel belt bought a day before. My new shoes had red accents and my hydration belt was fire-engine red -- subconscious testaments to the ardor I was feeling inside. Hundreds came for this mass declaration of love. For the first 12.5 kms, Running and I enjoyed the company of a new friend. Our friend and us declared we shall follow our respective paces, but we ended up in sync all along. At the 12.5km turnaround, I was ecstatic - I reached the point just few minutes over 1.5 hours, with enough energy to spare. I was doing better than expected and even had a chance to beat my best case scenario of sub-3 hours.

After the turn something strange happened. At kilometers 13-14, I found myself alone. In a race of hundreds, there were no people following me and I was not following anyone - 300-400 meters back and front. Where was my friend? Where was this other fellow runner I also trying to pace with from a measured distance? I knew I slowed down to savor my energy GU reward, but was I that slow? Did I celebrate early and unwittingly slackened my pace? How much time did I waste? For the next 4-5 kms I tried to pick up the pace and catch up with my friend and my alternate (albeit involuntary) pacer.

As I steadily picked up pace and overtook some 20 runners, the magic happened again. At kilometer 18. The magic brought me back to that time in my favorite village where I first realized I was in truly love with Running. The warm yet cool embracing feeling was pleasantly familiar. This recent experience was even better. I needed no external stimuli to feel the love. The background mountains were arresting but they pale in comparison to this feeling I have inside. For the first time, I was looking at and being with Running, and nothing else mattered. My eyes were gazing lovingly at her, not because I know that makes her happy, but because I enjoy doing that myself.

It was this love that inspired me to be the best that I can be. To shoot for the 3 hour dream even if the odds are stacked against us. Two hours and 20 minutes has elapsed and I still have a little over 5kms to cover. The dream required that I run at 10kph for the rest of the race, when I only trained to run at an even pace of 8.5kph, with a 10kph sprint at the end. But try I did. For myself. For Running and our mutual love.

It was the best 5 kilometers of my running life. I was conscious of the distance, the hills and the possibility of bonking out, but I steadily accelerated, fueled by love. Every runner I passed seemed to add to my speed and my desire to reach the finish line. The last kilometer was even more glorious. By then I have already overtaken about 34 runners (net) since my 12.5km turnaround. I do not know how fast I was going, but it certainly was faster than my average pace. The best part was that I was not tired nor running out of my breath. I was exhilirated. My quads were smoothly working, my strides were long and I felt like was I born to run.

The last 500 meters was like a movie in my mind. There were still 7-8 runners ahead of me. Can I still improve my time and rank? I have trained for fast 500-meter finish, can I put it to practice this time? Can I give it my all and not hold back? And one by one I go past them. I recalled a triathlon coach egging me to finish strong in a race before. This time, Coach, I finished strong. Thank you. I timed in at 3:07 in my watch but it was the still the best race I have had so far. Big improvement from my 3:32 years ago.

Thank you, New Balance. This time I am legal finisher with a nice medal to boot.

Happy Anniversary, Running.

25K Dilemma

One month before the 2008 New Balance Powerrace, I got this crazy idea to enter the 25K. This distance is a dragon I have always wanted to slay, and crazy me thinks I better get this done now and be over it. Truth is, I have done the NB 25K twice - in 2003 and 2004, and twice I was half-beaten. Yes, I finished it - in 3:30 and 3:45, respectively, but in both instances, I failed to make it within cut-off time.

First attempt: I was not aware of the correct cut-off time the first time. I stupidly thought it was 4 hours and that my slow run pace of 7-8kph could hack it. This was mistake 1. Mistake 2 was thinking that all it takes was sheer will. After my debacle in my first race ever (2003 5K Milo Run in Baguio) ,where the cramping me finished by sheer will, I thought I was invincible. I progressed from 5K to 16K in 1.5 months, simply by running my leisurely pace of 7-8kph. I thought it was simply a matter of running longer. The 25K should be just a simple as that. Mistake number 3 was that I was about 30 minutes late and I tried to catch up with the others without the benefit of warm-up. I cramped at probably 15K. The only thing I was right about is that by sheer will I did make it to the finish line, even if the organizers have already started packing up.

Second attempt: I got the correct cut-off time the next attempt, but the stubborn I committed mistakes 2 and 3 again. My run pace was still slow and I started severely late again.

Third attempt: This is my third attempt and I am hoping that third time is a charm. I know I am risking a lot by attempting again so soon, considering that I just went back to running in August 2008 and I still have excess pounds to lose. But you and I know by now that I am stubborn. Besides, the next (2009) NB Powerrace should be a breeze for me already (if training goes as planned). Now where is the thrill in that? Some people thrive on challenges; I suppose I am one of them. There is a thrill in chasing after the seemingly unattainable. Achieving it gives one a chance to be immortal.

Dilemma: Training is my dilemma now. Do I pick up speed first before trying for greater distance? Or do I log in more kms first and go for speed later. One week has already passed where I tried to rev up my speed to 9kph - that's 8kph to 9kph in one week and I could already feel the stress on my body. I intend to avoid injury at all costs, but I needed longer recovery time with this speed thing I am chasing. Ideally, my relaxed pace should at least be 10kph, supposedly my year-end goal, but if I chase after 10 now, I will be a trainwreck come Nov 16 race time. If I prioritize distance now, I can probably count on some weight loss that can aid me in picking-up speed later, but I may not even have sufficient time for that. There is still tapering to consider. My God, how do I peak and taper within a month? If sheer will fails, there is still divine intervention. So help me God.