This was a good and timely break from all the food events I had attended in the same week. Thanks to Franc, my mom, friend and I got the chance to lace up our running shoes once again for the Ensure Acti MΒ² Mind and Body Challenge 2014 last Saturday at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The run was a success, with Ensure in partnership with FOX International Channels and BGC. It was a combination of a fun run and some interesting fun challenges in one great event.
I knew I should have gone to bed earlier the night before the run to sleep the optimum hours and fuel my body with energy. But I couldn’t do that because I came from the KTG Mooncake Festival + Dice Game and reached home nearly at 10PM. A bit of worry also crept in, since I didn’t prepare intentionally and specifically for the 3k run. I couldn’t just cram physically! Anyway, I just prayed that my daily stretches and workouts would be enough not to shock and stress my body so much during the event.
My mom and I woke up at 4AM and left home at 5AM. An hour later, we were at the venue and received our race kits from Franc. Immediately, we changed outfits and got ready. Ensure booth attendants welcomed us to engage and try the Word Search,Β Labyrinth, Guess-timate and the Physical Strength Challenge (with free tasting of the Ensure Acti MΒ² milk.
The Ensure Acti MΒ² is formulated to supplement the diet. It is free of gluten and is suitable for individuals with lactose sensitivity. It’s great for adult nutrition and I love the taste of vanilla-flavored milk. π
Ensure Acti MΒ² Mind and Body Challenge 2014 (Bonifacio Global City, Taguig)
To warm up, we joined other participants in a short-minute exercise led by two dance leaders on the stage. And before we realized it, the run had started with no break in between. It was a sterling day, with good temperature and a nice breeze (but more sun than I expected at 6:45AM).
The 3k Ensure Run Route
The first 500 meters were a cinch. We stopped by a water station, drank one cup of cold water and continued running without feeling pressured. I ran at my own pace but stopped every so often to wait for my mom behind. While walking briskly to let her catch up, I admired the clean views in BGC. Not long after, we came across inflatables and tried one of them. It was crazy fun! 
I was smiling all the way since it was my first time to go through the inflatable obstacle as an adult.
pic credit: francramon.com
Also part of the mind challenge was the Spot the Differences Challenge. Runners were to count the differences between two Ensure posters and decide which path to take on. We got the correct answer so we did not need to swing on the monkey bars. The final obstacle was the labyrinth. We worked our way through it easily and were just so darn excited upon seeing the finish line ahead.
So this was where it endedβ¦and started.
All finishers received a loot bag from Ensure. Yay! π
Wrap Up
The Ensure Acti MΒ² Mind and Body Challenge was not hard; it was accessible to people of varying fitness levels. One didn’t necessarily have to be a pro runner or even particularly fit to successfully complete the course. I felt so happy and proud of my mom because she made it! *cheers* The voice inside her head didn’t give up easily. She allowed her mind to be right until her body realized it was wrong.
In the end, she boasted that she’s stronger than Mommy Osie of The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition Doubles. Huh? Mommy Osie finished 21k and that’s not actually comparable to what we achieved in this run. Here’s me hoping we’ll get to that also next time! π
To those who haven’t tried joining a fun run: Know that there’s nothing to be afraid of. Almost all challengers sprinted until they could run, run until they could only jog, and jogged until they could only walk. The biggest hurdle is most probably overcoming the fear of the unknown and participating in a fresh, unique event where the outcome is uncertain and the challenges are not described in detail prior to the event. Well, participating is the only way to find out. π
About Rochkirstin Santos-Sioco
Health and technology freak. Food and lifestyle blogger with a large appetite for food and travel.
Seems like a lot of fun, and congratz for completing! This is probably something i’d like to try to do myself (i’m quite horrible at running fast, but i can run slowly for a pretty long time, or i should say jog *LOL*), if only Indonesia has these kind of events-with the effort to make it more interesting like this!
Thanks, Mindy! You can try running the 500m dash first and practice until you build stamina to run farther. π
You wear shorts at last, for this run, but for global City only. Nice you finished the race.
Haha it sounded as if I never wear shorts. π Thanks, Fernando. It was a nice run!
I’m glad you and your mom enjoyed the run. I hope you would do more runs in the future.
Yup, thanks for the invite, Franc. I just checked takbo.ph for scheduled runs this year. I sure do hope to be able to join/participate more runs soon.
That’s great! You’ll enjoy having runs every now and then.
Yeah I need them. π
haha! I felt the same way.. the food events that we attended got us conscious with all the carbs we consumed. I salute your mom! ’cause most of the moms I know can’t run any longer. hehe
Wow. She’ll be happy to read your comment. π Thanks, Jam! We need more exercise like this in our routine.
I wish I could do something like this with my mom. She really needs the exercise and I never joined an event like this. I’m just starting to run and I’d love to join a challenge/marathon in the future.
You’ll be a good inspiration for her. It’s good if you can encourage her to also join and be your running buddy/mate. π
So you had such a great fun there,hope I could join you someday in near future.
Yup, it was fun burning those calories. π
I love those inflatable obstacle courses. This sounds like it was a really fun event!
Haha I hated passing through those inflatables. They’re great at ruining my ponytail and getting my shirt dirty! π
Looks like such a fun day.
Yup, we were fortunate that it didn’t rain. Weather has been really crazy lately.
That looks neat! And it looks like you had a great time!
It was a really fun “fun run” after all. π
Looks like a great day had by all.. the run part i will leave up to everyone else.. lol
Haha you’ll get the mind challenges but not the physical ones? Why oh why? π
I have never joined a race but it looks fun.
I was sleepy before the start of the race. I think the adrenaline got me going! Nobody ran really fast; everyone was just having proper pacing. π
Looks like you had a great time. The inflatable obstacles are the best. They just look hilarious to me. I’m sure they’re still difficult, though.
Yeah I didn’t know they were difficult to pass through because kids made them look like a breeze. Mom was insisting that we finish them all. π― I couldn’t say yes.
How wonderful that you got to do this with mom and friend! I think events like this are always a little more fun with people to share the experience with π
Yes, a partner / buddy is a good source of motivation to continue running till the end.
Looks like a great event and a fun time. The inflatable obstacles are awesome. I would have to go down them two or three times.
The inflatable obstacles made the run unique. I have never encountered any fun run with these as props before. Oh you sound brave and game, just the way I like it. π
Congratulations on participating! You did a good thing and it looks like it was a fun time too!
Thanks! One thing I realized was that it’s okay to walk and run and do a little of both. I took walking breaks four times throughout the race. Once I got my heart rate down, Iβd start jogging again.
The race I am doing in 2 weeks is the Insane Inflatable 5k, there are about 12 inflatable obstacles through the whole race.
Whoa. Sounds scary to me haha. Good luck, Gabby! And be careful. π
I have been running for 3 years but never outside of the gym. I have been thinking of trying a run like this. Thanks for the inspiration π
Yeah, running in a gym (treadmill) and running outside on actual streets are two different experiences. It’s still better to breathe fresh air while on the concrete roads.
This looks like it would be a fun adventure indeed. You should be proud of yourselves for finishing. Congrats on finishing to you all. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Rebecca! I knew that I wouldnβt finish in last place and I knew that I wasnβt competing against the other runnersβI was there for me. π
I need to experience someday like this someday! π
Yes, you should! Your first run will be memorable for sure. π
Inggit ako! I haven’t experienced running yet..hahaha. I think I won’t be able to finish kasi.
Haha yes, you can! Don’t believe in the negative thought. Kaya nga ng mommy ko eh hihi. π
Well, running is definitely not my forte, but it looks like you really had a lot of fun. These are great pictures, and thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Dolly. Running is not my forte either but I grab the chance whenever I can. when you see the finish line approaching, no matter how tired you feel, somehow you dig down deep and give it everything youβve got left. It’s the most fun you’ll ever have running. π
Looks like a wonderful event! I am sure you had a great time. Love all your pictures! Certainly shows us all the hard work you did!
Thanks, Michele! If it was only easy to take photos during the run, I would have taken more.
That looks like a great run. I would love to stop at the inflatables and jump on them. =)
Haha at first I thought that’s a childish thing to do but then everybody was doing it. We have freedom to do whatever makes us happy. π
Inflatables for grown ups! That made me laugh. I’m glad you had a good challenge!
Yeah right I’m also glad that I’ve tried it even once, thanks to my mom who pushed me to hop on the inflatables. π
What a great activity to do with your Mom. The inflatable looks like it would be fun.
Those obstacles were not as simple as they looked like from afar! π
That looks like an adventure race, I am sure you enjoyed it!
We enjoyed it alright. All our perspiration and fats burned made the experience great.
Looks like you had a great time! I need to get running again
I hope you’re inspired. π Run with a buddy so you won’t get bored.
I love road races. looks like you had a beautiful day
Yup, it was a day like no other. π
Congratulations on completing this event! You should be proud of your self for finishing. I would love to do this someday!
Thanks, Deanna. π Yeah, you should!
Looks like a fun time for the Family π
I’ve seen some families running together and for sure they’re happy doing that. π
this looks like a very fun event. i just hope something like this will be held nearby so i can join in, too! π
Proximity of the venue’s location is a factor on deciding if I’d join or not as well. I prefer Manila / Makati / MOA / BGC areas. π
What a fun and challenging event! Glad you didn’t have to do the monkey bars π
Oh yes, thank God we got the correct answer for that.
What a cool challenge! I want to do something like this someday. Time to start working out!
Yes. Go girl. π
I’m not much of a runner but there are so many fun ones out there now, like this, that make we want to start!
This post is also meant to inspire people to run. π
Congratulations on making it to the finish line. I did the MS Walk a little while ago and really enjoyed it too.
Thanks! π