Mark's VO2

May Their Tribe Increase

May Their Tribe Increase, originally uploaded by m8parco.

Running has been become the new badminton and you see runners almost everywhere. But not all runners are the same. The success of running has spawned a multitude of new subspecies of runners. Here are some of them.

Ultra’s – No race is too long for the Ultra runners. The longer the better. No pain, no gain is not a motto. It is a mantra for this tribe. They are knowledgeable on the science of endurance. Fuel, diet, pace, equipment. They have emotional and physical scars from their past scrapes with glycogen depletion. Many from this tribe join the Multi athletes.

The Joneses – They started running after finding out the badminton was passé. They have the latest gadgets, newest apparel and the most expensive running shoes. In the past you could easily spot them since they wore the most expensive shoes even if this did not fit their running style. Second wind and Runnr are the best things that happened for this group. They need to keep up with the Joneses.

Chika – The loud and noisy runners. They run for fun and spend a lot of time talking and enjoying the race. There is no shame in walking for these runners. They usually run in groups and will wait for the slowest runner or walker in the group. They run on a dare or because they want to get that finishers medal or a cool shirt. Many of them move on to become Weekend Warriors.

Addicts – Some people just love to run. Races don’t matter. You will see this quirky group at anytime of the day. They don’t run to race, lose weight… when the running fad dies down they will still be running.

Hardcore – you will see this group at the start of the race mentally looking at potential competitors. They train hard and have specific target races where they expect to peak. The rookies in this group usually spend much of their time recovering from injuries. They tend to push themselves too hard. But they eventually learn and with their dark sunburnt skin, taut muscles and serious game faces you cannot miss them especially when they are up on the stage receiving their medals. Podium, podium, podium!!! You can also watch the finish line where they will pounce and sprint by unsuspecting runners as they collect the scalps of the people they beat to the line.

Multi sport – composed of mainly well heeled people (expensive gear) who can afford to buy the latest bicycles. They usually run and train using their trisuits. They usually wear tight aerodynamic jerseys so they easily transition from run to bike or run during training. They are very competitive in the runs but they usually regard most races as training. They put their game faces on when they compete in multi sport events.

Weekend Warriors – They spend most of the week under artificial light working to make a living. In theyweekend they transform into runners and try to spend as much time training or running. They can easily be spotted since they run in Luneta or Boni High street with their pale legs and relatively new shoes. They only get to use them in the weekends.

Blogger Runners – Runners who think they know it all. They write articles assuming that some people would read their articles. They frequently meet with organizers who are launching a new race. But it’s true the blogger runners know it all. They know all about the new races so read their blogs.

Gadget runners – This group cannot be seen without their, Ipods, heart rate monitors, pedometers, shades, compression shorts, water bottle carrier, Cho pats, armband with a handphone, headgear, reflective gear, running backpack with nutrition bars/gels, windbreaker… with all their stuff they can probably go and keep on running for 48 hours. Be careful when you run beside them because their gear sometimes falls and hit other runners.

This is pure fiction. Any similarity to a true people or events is incidental.

See you all at the starting line.

Jakarta Race Series 2011

Jakarta Race Series 2011, originally uploaded by m8parco.

Finally we have something to look forward to this year. But 5K runs are usually short and painful affairs. We will try to enjoy the races.

The kids will join the shorter race.

See you all at the starting line.