Valentines at Nuvali

It was a nature trail. The sweet breeze of the air, the lovely tall trees all around you, and the beautiful sound of the river flowing down the stream. Oh what a place to take a nice stroll down with your special someone.. Awwwww...

This was the setting for the North Face Thrill of the Trail Run at Nuvali last Sunday. They had two different distances for the race. They had a 11km and 22km run and it was divided into two, one for singles and one for couples.

I joined the 11km singles run, maybe next year I can do couples? *wink wink hahaha Moving on, this was my first trail run and I honestly did not know what to expect out of it. I have been looking at pictures of the trail prior to the race, but then I don't think the pictures really did justice to what I was to face that day.

Gun start was at 5:45 am and we were there as early as 5:00 am. My goal for this race was just to make it to  the top 100 cause they get free finisher shirts! Wuhoooo!!

As the countdown started, I was pumping myself up to get ready to run the unknown. And in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 we were off!

(Please be informed if you are bellow 18, please stop reading now cause the entry bellow will be filled with so much profanity that my momma will smack me from here to Antarctica)

The start of the run was on the road and I easily whisked through the crowd. At about 400m later it was the start of the trail and my friends let me say this out loud now "SHHHHHIIIIIITTTT!!!!!"

Thing is, I have NEVER ran a trail and for one those rocks are "BITCHES!" They feel weird under your foot, its like their trying to annoy you or something.

The picture here to your right is the first "dirt road" we ran and this was barely anything compared to what was to follow.

After the dirt road, the trail started to turn grassy and the surface became uneven. This is where HELL started for me.

The uneven surface forced me to look down since I had to know at which parts I'm going to be running in. Aside from this, there were ditches that you had to jump over, it was way too overwhelming for me at the start of the race and I was honestly getting a little dis-heartened to keep running at this point. But, I knew this was a challenge and I should never back down.

I then closed my eyes and prayed to God who always gives me strength to push further than I think I can. I asked him to help me push through as he always does so that I can glorify him with the gift that he has given me.

Going through the trail we moved our way down and to a small river side. It was pretty small but it was filled with rocks, both enormous and dinky. The challenge at this part was navigating your way through the rocks and the water to find the best possible path.

The surface here was extremely wet & soft. It was sandy on some parts, so at times you sink with out noticing it. The rocks were a scary sight too cause you would have to jump on them & pray that you don't slip.

Past the river we made our way back up the mountain. (It was easier said than done, imagine running up a mountain. Yes that is exactly what we did. EXACTLY OK!)

The trail at that part was the grassy type and at that point of the race, that kind of trail was my best friend. It was about another 6km of that surface til we made it back on the road towards the finish line.

I finished at a time of 1hr 9min 38sec

It was a love-hate relationship that day. I really love nature, but having it mixed with running is just not my thing. I have great respect to the people who do this. This was INTENSE!

There is another upcoming trail run in a few months and it will be in Baguio if I'm not mistaken. So if you will ask me if I will do it again. The answer will be a big HELL NO! haha Maybe next year, but as of now I would rather stick to the road.

Oh and yeah, if you were wondering did I make it to the first 100?

I sure did! I came in at 21st place! WUHOOOOO!!!! Quite ironic isn't it? Oh well... I got the free shirt and that's all I was gunning for. =)

My shoes after the trail run. I cant believe I was contemplating on wearing my Nike Lunar for this. I would be crying right this moment if I did.