Coast to Coast Route Setting (Cebu)

The coast-to-coast quest

The idea was to find a route from the west coast to the east coast of southern Cebu. Alegria would be the default origin in the west and Alcoy would be the terminus on the east.

 

So instead of celebrating Sinulog with the rest of Cebu City, I once again headed for the south.

Travel Beyond Blogs

With a few more weeks left before my ultra trail race, I decided to have my training run and break in my new trail shoes during the rainy weekend. While others ran the wet streets of the city for the Cebu City Marathon, I was running the hills in the south.

It was a typical Alegria weekend getaway for me. I packed three sets of clothes, my hydration pack, my running shoes, some fishing stuff and a box of munchkins for the kids in Sitio Tumandok. I was hoping to do a little fishing once I got there but the drizzle never stopped and the sea was turbulent over the whole weekend. The weather also made the kids in Sitio Tumandok uninterested in gathering around for our regular reading sessions so I just contented myself with a PBA game show on TV. Television’s gotten boring for me so I don’t watch TV anymore these days. I am a 90’s PBA fan and so it was a surprise for me to see Tim Cone still in the league and an even bigger surprise to see Pumaren, Abarrientos and Cariaso in suits instead of their jerseys. I watched a couple of more forgettable TV shows after dinner before I turned in. Drowning the sound of the TV still on, the roaring tide was my lullaby.

Mt Apo Day Hike Traverse

Finally, a view of Mt Apo from Lake Venado

Finally, the third leg of my Big Three has been completed. A few years back, I dreamed of traversing the three highest mountains of each island group in the country—Apo (Mindanao), Pulag (Luzon) and Kanlaon (Visayas)—within a day!  In 2011 I ‘dayhiked’ Mt Pulag using the Akiki-Ambangeg route. I repeated the same journey in the same year with my trail running buddies Kevin and Buyco. Early this year, I traversed Mt Kanlaon with a triathlete friend Xerxis Tan via the Mapot-Guintubdan route. We finished the journey in around seven hours. Finally last month, Kevin again and I were able to secure a special permit to traverse Mt Apo via the the Mandaragan-Culan route.

Read more: RunLaon XL

Why Trail Running is Better Than Road Running

Mt Lanaya (Cebu)

Exercise is a way of life for many of us, and a good chunk of our cohort enjoy the benefits of running. And why not? Euphoric highs can come from the body releasing stress when endorphins kick in during a run. Plus the overall health of a runner is usually very good, as running works so many of the body’s muscles. Many city dwellers have no choice but to run on sidewalks or along streets, but for those fortunate enough to have a choice between being on streets versus running on trails, it would behoove you to pick trails for the added benefits that the experience will bring you!

How to Choose the Right Running Shoes

My Salomon Speedcross and Columbia Ravenous (2011)

Choosing the right running shoes ensures that you'll get all the benefits of running without risking injury to your body. Because there isn't just one best running shoe, runners should determine the type of feet they have, so that they can choose the best type of shoe to fit their specific running needs. This is more important for a beginning runner, but no runner should ever forget it. Below are some of the ways you can choose the right shoe for YOU.