How I Ran (and Not Walked) for the Pasig River

Sweaty Selfie, I had no choice! :D

I've almost called last Sunday's Run for Pasig River the run that wasn't.

With -- read: 79,000 runners in attendance at the Quezon City Memorial Circle, there wasn't only heavy vehicle buildup at as early as 5:00 am, foot traffic was also unimaginably shoulder-to-shoulder that it took my cluster roughly an hour just to get to the starting line.

It was almost impossible to run.

But thankfully, there were tiny opportunities called spaces that allowed me to zigzag through the thick crowd, consisting mostly of students and corporate volunteers. Then there were my fellow runners from the Metrobank Group who cannot be missed in their bright green shirts. Seeing a runner or two from our Group would inspire me to go on a little faster every time the conditions seemed tough.

At points where the crowd was really thick and dense that I just had to walk with everyone else, our solidly synchronised women and men from the Armed Forces of the Philippines helped me break through.

It also helped that I kept a focused mind. My goal was not just to finish the finish line; for once, I wanted to be able to say that I have run -- and not just walked -- for the Pasig River after two failed attempts in 2010 and 2011 due to personal emergencies.

Today, I am glad that finally did. Despite the sun, sweat and stench, I made through 5k in approximately just 37 minutes.

With my colleagues at the GT-Metro Foundation

Also read:

Green and Well: 3 Things that Running Taught Me

I BUY LOCAL for Oxfam's #GROWChallenge

Buying locally grown food produced by our small-scale farmers and fishers helps address poverty and brings back jobs, especially in the rural areas.  Asking about where our food comes from and how food is made is a start in helping food producers adopt practices that do not harm the environment. Supporting fair trade and weekend markets helps keep small-scale farmers, fishers and local businesses in business.

 - Oxfam  Philippines

My beauty principle is simple: It has to be sustainable.

And this means that the products I patronize:

• fit my budget;
• can be easily found in the usual beauty shops, drug stores, and convenience stores - especially when there's a sudden sleepover or out of town trip;
• are made of natural products (as much as possible); and
• are produced locally!

Let's support Oxfam! Let's take the #GROWChallenge. 

Oxfam's #GROWChallenge

My friend, Jed Alegado of Oxfam Philippines, encourages us to take the #GROWChallenge.

I'm taking BUY LOCAL. What's yours?

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Our planet produces enough food for everyone, but today, one billion people will go hungry. This is the scandal of our generation, and at its core is control of the world’s resources in the hands of a small number of people. Hunger is about power. It is estimated that only a few hundred corporations make 70% of the decisions made in the global food system, including decisions about resources like land, water, seeds and farm and fishing technologies.

Launched in the Philippines in 2011, GROW is Oxfam’s global campaign for better ways to grow, share and live together. A campaign for the billions of us who eat food over a billion of men and women who grow it, to share solutions for a more hopeful future in which everyone always has enough to eat. Practical positive change starts with each one of us. Every time we choose food that’s produced fairly and sustainably, every time we cut our carbon footprint, and every time we press governments and companies to change their ways, we’re helping to make good things grow.

Share solutions for food, livelihood and the planet. Join the movement. Let’s grow a better way. Take the #GROWChallenge NOW!

http://www.oxfamblogs.org/philippines/grow