Could lightning strike twice?

It feels so good to be running again! It took me two weeks to rest my lower back after finishing the Cebu City Marathon.

The other day, when I was doing my usual run at the Cebu City Sports Center, almost every runner I met was talking about the forthcoming renovation of the oval.

From what I overheard, all of them are excited and looking ahead for a new track oval. Who would not? The rubber track in the oval is wasted, having outlived its lifespan.

We clamored for this renovation for many years; we’re finally getting what we asked for! We have to thank the city government for finally making it happen.

But for every good news, there always bad news. When the construction starts to renovate the oval, where shall the runners train?

There’s a smaller rubberized oval at the Sacred Heart School-Jesuit (SHS-J) but I don’t know if they will open their door to runners. From what I gathered, it has only six lanes and only caters to the athletes of the school.

Those who have treadmills could do it indoors while those who don’t will have to hit the road. No choice.

The best bet for runners would be Cebu Business Park. I think the Samar Loop, from Union Bank up to Lexmark Building, would be an ideal route to run.

There’s not much vehicular traffic in the area. There will be the 12Ls and 21Bs jeepneys plying the route but it won’t be heavy and there are security guards roving the area.

I’m still scouting a replacement practice venue myself especially now that I’m preparing for the Milo Marathon in July. If you guys know of any other place, please shoot me an e-mail.

With the oval under construction soon, a second sports center, wherever it might be, would be such a big lift. Frankly, the task of lobbying and convincing our local government to build it would be a stretch.

John Pages and Nimrod Quiñones have lobbied hard for the renovation of the oval and now they are leading the clamor for a sports arena.

Nimrod couldn’t have penned it better when he wrote the other day, “I’ll be waiting for that to happen.”

I second that motion!

***

The Rotary Run on February 21 is getting a lot of attention. For the first time, a fun run will start and finish at SM City. The featured distances are also eye popping – 3K run for Rotary Club members and kiddie dash for 12 under – aside from the main distance of 7K and 15K. Most weekend runners are now adept in running the 5K, so an additional 2K won’t be a problem.

Most importantly, Kenneth Casquejo, the organizer of the event, knows how to conduct such a race. Kenneth is an active member of the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC). By active, I mean he was dipping his fingers into the organization, preparation and execution of the Cebu City Marathon that received “perfect” reviews from Manila runners!

For comments, please write r[email protected]