Running Without Music

Nike+ Human Race

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events

Yes, we took our sweet ass time on this one. I mean, c’mon… we did 13.1 miles that morning. The Nike+ Human race was a nighttime run in Los Angeles (near the USC area) which was another 10K (6.2 miles). The main motivation for this run was to watch Kanye West perform at the end. To our surprise, we found out that Common was also performing.

Some of us were sore from the morning, or just plain ol tired, so we did 3:2 intervals. If you thought we were kicking back in the Disney Half Marathon singing songs, we took this one to another level. Some of us had drinks (yes, alcoholic drinks) in our water belts. Bad idea? Yeah, maybe, but we had our fun! We continued the singing, the taking pictures, and the games. We all started together, and we all finished together. No matter what pace group you’re in… we did this as a team, which was the most rewarding. We finished just in time because once we crossed the finish line, the Kanye West performance just started. He was amazing. He played most of his hits, and Common came in for a song or two.

You can view the photos and videos from this event here.

Disneyland Half Marathon

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events

Yesterday I missed the cutoff time at the Anaheim Expo due to your friendly traffic from LA to the OC. Because of it, I wasn’t able to get a goodie bag nor my race singlet. This morning was event #1 of 2 in one day. Even then, no matter how early I woke up, I caught traffic to the event. That’s LA for ya.

Ok, enough about my whining, and let’s get to the event. I was able to finally get my singlet at the info booth, and I was off to the corrals which was a bit different than I’m used to. They were more vertical, rather than horizontally sectioned off like the Rock N Roll Marathons. The sun wasn’t out yet, but I could feel that high energy from everyone. The crowd consisted of all ages, coming in all shapes and sizes, meaning, some people were dressed either Disney costumes or running gear.

We ran through Disney California, through Disneyland, through the sidestreets of Anaheim, to the Honda Center, Anaheim Stadium, then back to Downtown Disneyland at the ESPN Zone. It was such a fun race because through the parks, we stopped and took pictures of the rides, the characters, and the crowds. We would pass our times singing to old school jams by Boyz II Men and Jodeci. We would play games splashing water on each other, tell funny running (and drunk) stories of our past, and the usual antics we would do during our training. I ran with a few TNT alumni, and also some first-timers. It felt great not thinking about the time we’ll finish. I was afraid the day would be too hot, but it was manageable. It was a little humid at first, but I got used to it. We ran at a 5:1 interval the whole way, taking it VERY easy considering there was one more race to go that night!

You can view my photos here.

Nike Human Race LA

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events

The Nike+ Human Race is on August 31, which I believe replaced the ever so popular One Hit Remix. Sure, the One Hit Remix was fun, but the acts were all “one hit wonders” or performers who are out of the scene. This time around, Nike went all out and booked some talented acts. It’s going to happen all across the world in cities such as Austin, Chicago, New York, London, Paris, and much much more. Every city will have a different performer. Here in LA, we’ll have Kanye West, partying it up for all the finishers in this worldwide 10k event. I’m now officially signed up. It’s only $35, so hurry and sign up before it’s sold out!

San Jose Here I Come!

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events

Call it marathon withdrawals, but I still have the itch to do another race! What did I do? I signed up for the San Jose Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon! Elite Racing had a $15 off coupon, so I just had to jump on it. I mean, after a 26.2 run, what’s 13.1? I think of it as another training day. It’s just another Sunday, or is it? By the time of the race, I won’t have a TNT training plan, but I do have the knowledge of setting something up very similar to it. I just have to be determined and focused. I know that if I do drop off in training, or some kind of cardiovascular training, my risk to injury is increased. I plan to do other small races until the event, so hopefully the San Jose Half won’t be a problem.

Top 10 Pub Crawl Mistakes

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events, fundraising

It’s finally here. Pub Crawl is in a few hours.
Remember, if this is your first Pub Crawl, whether you’re an alcoholic or a lightweight, you should focus on completing the event and not on your speed. For many of you, this will be an incredible personal milestone. Repeat with me now:

1. Not resting the day before.
I’ve already broken this rule, staying up late to do this, but we hope you got some rest. Get your mind off the pub crawl. We know you’re nervous about the big event because there’s so much alcohol. You’ve been training all year. You got this!

2. Eating too much the night before.
Don’t overload on pasta! You don’t want to be in the restroom during the pub crawl. The party may move to another bar while you’re in there!

3. Trying new equipment/food/drink on race day.
Nothing worse than finding that the new beer you’re trying gives you gas, that new shot gives you a migrane, those new jeans chafe, or that new drink makes you sick to your stomach.

4. Going out too fast.
The #1 biggest mistake. Don’t let the adrenaline take over. If you take too much alcohol early on, it can take a long time to recover. No sense getting to bar 2 really fast then struggling for another 2.

5. Not taking your walk breaks early.
If you trained with walk breaks, take them from the start and regularly. You’re going to be excited, so use your mental discipline. Walk around the bar, and meet people!

6. Drinking too much/too little.
Drink as much as you can in an hour. JUST KIDDING. You know your limits. We want to see you at the end. Fill up at the bar and keep tabs on how much you’re drinking.

7. Not maintaining proper form.
Don’t slump over when you’re drunk. Don’t pass out, or else we’ll pose behind you and take pictures.

8. Getting down on yourself if you start to hurt.
You will hurt at some point. Expect it, and know you’ve put the time in to get through it. It’s ok to admit that you’re weak sauce.

9. NOT Drinking with a stranger.
We encourage that you meet new people! There will be a lot of people at the event you don’t know. Feel free to introduce yourself. There is at MOST 3 degrees of separation of the people there. We’ve invited nothing but wonderful people.

10. Forgetting to enjoy the day!
Have fun! Remember why you’re here! To have fun!

—————–

Pub Crawl Details

1:00 - 2:00 pm Hooters (Half off on all appetizers. $3.99 domestic beer)

2:00 - 3:30 pm Ye Olde King’s Head (Happy Hour rates including $2.50 beers, price varying by beer, $5 margaritas and discounted pub snacks.)

3:00 - 4:30 pm Yankee Doodle’s ($1 off on beer, plus they’re hosting us downstairs in their special party room with dance floor and pooltables. People who want to play pool must pay for their own game,though.)

4:30 - 5:30 Barney’s Beanery ($1 tacos - beef, chicken or veggie - $9 Blue Moon and Coors Light pitchers or $3.50 per glass, $17 for 15 wings and a pitcher of beer. They will reserve the whole downstairs area for us.)

Never Gonna Give You Up

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events, fundraising

Tonight was Karina’s Mentor Group’s fundraiser event at the Santa Monica Bar & Grille, in yes you guessed it, Santa Monica. They are usually closed on Mondays but with some TNT pulling some strings, they opened it up for us. It was Karaoke Night, and it was so fun! From songs by The Killers, to 80s Rock, to Pop, all the performances were amazing, and the crowd getting into all the performances made it that much better! Whenever our team gets together for social events, there’s never a dull moment!

Pictures and Videos from the event

Starting Line

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events, videos

Last year, I ran my first marathon in San Diego. The other day, I found the starting line video from that event. You can see the magnitude of this event, and see how many TNT participants are involved.

Getting to Fourth Base

Posted by Marvin Tabangay under events, fundraising

I know what you’re thinking. It’s not what you think. One of our teammates, Javier, and Marie from TNT Tri Team planned a really fun event in Santa Monica, along Main Street. The Pub Crawl. It was at 2pm - 6pm (yeah, I know, a little too early to go drinking, but hey, it’s for a good cause). The plan was to hit up 4 bars, 1)Waterfront cafe, 2) O’Briens, 3) World Cafe, and 4) Finn McCool’s. Since I had a pretty crazy Friday (not going to get into that), I didn’t make it out to the event until the end of bar #3. People referred to each bar stop a base, so I started at third base. What people told me from the bar #2 and #3, people didn’t get crazy until bar #4. People had negative splits (marathon jargon, where people do better in the second half of the run) in their drinking. Great turnout though at about 70 people. At $20 donation each, this seemed to be a great fundraiser to have. Mental note to self: Throw an event like this next time.