My cousin Ella, the eldest among her siblings, showed us a simple warm-up before we set off then we talked while we ran which I believe made us forget about the distance at one point, it was a light but lively jog. She handed down minor tips after years of running with the best trainers in the country (Coach Rio dela Cruz, Coach Anna). There were small tips like inhaling then exhaling on the 4th count while running “(inhale) 1,2,3,4(exhale)(inhale) 1, 2, 3, 4 (exhale)…” and keeping elbows near your rib cage at a loose right angle and your hands comfortably suspended while swinging and positioned as if you were “holding a potato chip” in each hand. None of these tips on form were expressed to be mandatory, just recommended, but I did as I was advised. Their family is “insanely fit” and not in an overboard way, they love playing, eating, and enjoying their naps, too. I love how Ella and her “bunch” have really embraced the Spirituality and righteousness found in physical fitness and taking care of your body. Not every couple on earth can say they are both tri-athletes, have 5 children (including a 1 year old), and 4 out of those 5 children happen to be tri-athletes as well.
Post run, I walked proudly into my Tito Anthony’s house (popularly known as the head of his tri-athlete family, Team Pangilinan) and said we just did ’bout 4km. He said “Before you know it, Jules, you’ll be telling me ‘I just did my first 10k, Tito’ “, and Tita Maricel told me to ice my legs when I arrived home because of the hills in the terrain of their village, to boost recovery and lessen pain. Coach Dan Brown (not the author of the Da Vinci Code he says) said “As a beginner better to run every 2nd day (not daily) so that you can recover. And you don’t have to run all the way to complete it the first time. Alternate between walking and running first, if you must, then after a few weeks or months just run and time yourself…”. So what was I supposed to do on non-running days like today for example? On the hunt for a new “less aggressive” but still intense workout I could share with my mom I remembered Tita Maricel did pilates. So I researched online and came across this POP Pilates Begginers’ Workout with Cassey Ho.
