The family that runs together

MANILA, Philippines - If you want to discuss something at length with Maricel Laxa, the best place is not a restaurant or a five-star hotel. It would be at the UP Oval.

Maricel runs around the stretch of the widely-known strip in the Diliman campus as often as she can.

“That’s equivalent to 2.2 kilometers,” says Maricel. “I go there with friends. And I prefer to discuss matters while running rather than sitting in some restaurant.”

The health-conscious will agree. Moving achieves more things than sitting down and lying still. Your mind is more alert; your body is in better shape. You think better; move faster. You get more things done.

No wonder Maricel prefers hitting two birds with one stone by running around the UP Oval and talking shop with friends and associates.

Maricel didn’t discover the joys of running by accident. It’s in her genes. Her 86-year-old grandma Anastacia has won marathons and joins every fun run she comes across with. The sprightly grandma usually ends up the oldest finisher in every race.

“We just assign a family member to go with her,” reveals Maricel.

Back in college, Maricel’s husband Anthony Pangilinan coached the Assumption track team. It’s no surprise then, that their son Donny, 11 placed first in a triathlon for kids and ranked second in the Looney Tunes race.

It will be bonding time for them all over again on Nov. 22 at the Mall of Asia. Her grandma, her mom Imelda llanan, Anthony and Donny will join Del Monte’s Dare To Be Fit ’N Right Fun Run. With them will be at least 5,000 running enthusiasts from running clubs, schools, gyms, media, sports and entertainment personalities who will join the fun run for the benefit of typhoon victims through SM Cares Foundation.

It will be a sight to see: Four generations running side-by-side, broad smiles on their faces, a collective spring in their steps.

“Donny loves to run with his dad. My grandma’s rheumatism is gone. And I myself, who thought I had bad knees, because I joined the cross country team in high school, never felt any pain,” reports Maricel.

Mention an upcoming race they can join, and the Pangilinan children gladly abandon the computer and get ready to train. Who wants to be tagged the last one in, anyway? So they run as fast as their legs can take them.

And just so they don’t end up with sore muscles and even an injured limb, Maricel makes sure they wear the proper shoes (Maricel’s is custom-made for running) and go through stretching and warm-up exercises.

A runner must make sure he or she doesn’t push himself too much, cautions Maricel. He must pace himself, know his limits and respect it as well.

“It pays to know your stride, which you can get from a gait test,” she explains.

It will help you decide just how far you can run on Day One and on the other days you plan to continue the exercise.

That’s a fact any seasoned runner like Maricel won’t run away from.