Meanwhile, the day before my long run, a fellow runner sent me this text message: Are you back? My reply was, “Yep,” and even added, “It’s BDM (acronym for Bataan Death March) weekend now.” We exchanged a little friendly banter of doing the LSD there. Half jokingly, half seriously, she prodded me to inquire if we could sign up at the event and run a fifty to seventy-kilometer distance para daw payat kaagad (so as to lose weight instantly). Given the time, I knew it would be impossible to register. This event is organized under strict adherence to BDM rules including registration requirements. I replied, “Huwag na. Done na tayo doon. Beauty rest na muna. (Let’s not. We’re done with it. It’s better to have a beauty rest.) Running around Rockwell or going to another place is OK with me.”
In the end, we agreed to do LSD somewhere in the south, in the scenic trail she told me where she and her running buddy, now a dive instructor at a resort in the Visayas, used to train. A bowl of lugaw or arroz caldo (porridge or congee with chicken topped with hard-boiled egg) at Aling Pina’s Lugawan (canteen) in Silang, Cavite was the prime motivator to do this run.
It was still dark with patchy drizzle at times. The long path was almost deserted; the only living creatures in sight were us. The road was lit only by the headlights of a passing car or motorbike, the silence broken only by the noise of the engine and our incessant chatter. We started to walk the course to warm up our rather still sleepy legs, going up a sloping pavement with the first few kilometers relatively less steep than the others. Watching the pre-dawn glow of bluish-gray, purple, pink and orange burst into yellow sunlight, revealing the beauty of Mother Nature at its best. Fantastic sight!
On our way back, the sky suddenly became overcast with heavy rain clouds, later the rain started to pour, which made running more pleasant. After a few minutes, the rain let up, then just as suddenly the sun shone again. Nearing the place from where we started, we stopped to rest and quenched our thirst with fresh buko juice (coconut water) at Mang (mister) Vic’s buko stall. To top it off, much to our delight, Mang Vic gave us free freshly cut pineapple slices.
I would like to thank this lady adventurer, hard-core ultra marathon runner, and trail seeker, who remains grounded despite all the experience and achievement, Ivy aka the Running Contessa (Italian countess), for the invite, photos, and for bringing me to a good route to run at early morning. Until next time!
