Travel notes, food finds, and everyday stories.
After finishing the TCS Clark Animo International Marathon, our group of runners did what many athletes do after crossing the finish line. We went looking for food. Running long distances has a way of sharpening your appetite. After hours on the road, with legs heavy and energy nearly spent, the body begins asking for...
Have you ever been deep into a long run when your watch suddenly dies? It happened to me during a 32KM attempt. My smartwatch gave up before I even finished the distance. Nothing kills your momentum faster than losing your pace, distance, and heart rate data halfway through a run. That frustrating experience is...
A running watch dying at kilometer 25 is the kind of nightmare you only need to experience once. During my first attempt at a 32-kilometer run, my Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 suddenly ran out of battery. One moment it was tracking my pace and distance. The next moment, the screen went dark. No data....
Today is the final day of Koko Buri in Clark, and honestly, it feels heavier than expected. A few days ago, they announced their planned closure. The post hit hard. No detailed explanation, no dramatic farewell. Just a goodbye. I do not know the exact reason they are closing, but one thing feels certain....
Where do you go after your legs are cooked, your shirt is soaked, and your brain is still buzzing from a long run? For us, the answer keeps landing in the same place. Cafe Mesa at the Clark Parade Grounds. After a race, you want three things. Food that feels like a reward. A...
What do you really want the night before a race? Not luxury. Not hype. You want quiet streets, a decent bed, hot water that actually works, and a place that does not stress you out before sunrise. Clark has plenty of hotels, but only a few consistently feel like a safe, no drama choice...
What kind of excitement wakes you up before the alarm even has a chance to do its job? At 1:23 a.m., I was wide awake. Not scrolling. Not panicking. Just staring at the ceiling, waiting for the alarm set for 2:00 a.m. We had assembly at 3:00 a.m., and my body seemed to know...
We welcomed the new year the way our bodies protested and our minds secretly loved with a long run under the Clark sun. It has quietly become our ritual. Every first day of the year, we lace up, drive to Clark in Angeles, Pampanga, and run farther than feels reasonable. This was our second...
Waiting for friends. We are headed to Clark to spend the night since the gun start for the Great Run Clark: ASCEND – The Synergy Run is early tomorrow morning. This will be our first attempt at a 32K run. Honestly, we skipped a few weeks of training because work got in the way....
A couple of years ago, we were doing what people usually do in malls: walking without urgency, half-bored, half-curious, letting time pass. Then we saw him. A man seated behind a small booth in the middle of the mall, quietly writing something that did not look familiar. The letters were elegant, deliberate, almost ceremonial....