La Mesa Nature Reserve: haven for the TNF trail run virgins

Without bating an eyelash, we decided to register for TNF 20km trail run on May 24 at Sacobia, Clark. This is  our first time to do a trail run since we became hooked on running. To somehow test  our limits on the actual race, Berns Tan facilitated a practice  at the La Mesa Nature Reserve at Quezon City on Saturday, May 16. 

THE TRAIL PRACTICE

A brief intro about the La Mesa Nature Reserve was conducted prior to the actual run coupled by what to expect on the trail and some do’s and dont’s to make the practice danger free.   As expected, the first 3km was  challenging as I  was extra  cautious  in my strides especially on muddy  downhill.  Jonas was convincing me to just let go of my fear of slipping  as my adidas adiStar Revolt with 3D ForMotion   fully adapts to the trail  and will definitely  keep my foot stable no matter how uneven the terrain. Hardheaded as I always am, ignored him and continued with my own pace.  Once in a while. Jonas had no choice but to patiently clutch me on mud-covered path. The rest of the kilometers were tolerable as my legs were already warmed and ready for the long run.  Berns,   a seasoned hiker  and a leader-by-heart, was very consistent in guiding us and really checking on each and every one. The weather on the other hand was very cooperative as the sun was lovingly smiling at us. 

 LOST

Jonas was the only guy among the group, so he opted to stay behind while Berns positioned  back and forth for safety reasons. While everybody was enjoying their respective strides, Carol Ibanez  had to back off upon reaching 9.5km as she felt  pain in her knee.  Apparently, she did a one hour treadmill the day before with a maximum speed of 9.5. Knowing how it felt as we were all victims of  running injury, Jonas, Rhoze Lim and me stood by Carol.  We continued following Carol’s pace until we realized that our 6  friends and the guide were all gone. Based on the briefing earlier, we just followed  the directions of color yellow or orange (can’t recall). Obviously, we headed on the wrong direction.  Several exchanges of cellphone calls transpired as to where were   we/they, where did we turn, did we see that arrow etc. etc.  until the signal of both parties went off.  I  knew that  Berns and Candy were already worried as  all they wanted from the start  was  for us to  run as a group, and not otherwise, for security reasons.   We reached a “kubo” where we  met with 2 marshalls. They tried to contact the guide but the latters’ radio was busted.  As advised by the marshalls, we just waited for the others in the “kubo” as everybody will pass that way. Good for Carol as she really had to rest her legs while Rhoze was patiently  cheering her up. I decided to run/jog within the vicinity so as to keep my momentum and to also check once in a while the others.  True enough, the rest of the group arrived 45 minutes later. Turned out that we missed 5km of the 23km run. After few minutes of pitstop, didn’t waste any more time and finished the last 20 minutes of the trail with a big smile. This big smile connotes that we are all ready for May 24 Trail Run (ahihihihihihi). Sacobia here we come. 

A HAVEN IN THE MIDST OF THE CITY. If not for the TNF trail run, we will not discover that, indeed, there is a haven in the midst of the city. This made me realize how God truly loves us by showering us with  breathtaking nature such as La Mesa. 

 

Excited

 

 

attentively listening to the briefing

                                                          opppss pose muna 

we got lost upon reaching 11km

 

La Mesa Dam

                                             Jessica Lao and Carol (prior to the leg pain)