We run just another marathon... BCN

I must admit that after the Tokyo Marathon I did not trust that Old Pa was able to set a decent mark on the watch in this type of event.

To many time wasted with my brother and too many years from our debut in Barcelona. 

Besides he trained only from late September to March. that's only about 4 months totaling about 1,100 km. He was busy enjoying cycling...

But we stopped the damn thing in 3 hours 8 minutes 9 seconds, and he was bitching around with my brother - who run the last 200 meters with us - who made us much slower.

Anyways, great job. Next? My hometown.

侍 Samurai - FB and Miffa running

In Barcelona, every year we celebrate one of the biggest run on earth, with almost 60k runners this year this is more than 2 times Tokyo's marathon.

So Miffa and me got into our Samurai outfits and we run it in the baby stroller category with great success.

Miffa and Father Bunny’s new sponsor: RABIDAS

RABIDAS Hong Kong a leader in athletic apparel and bunny sensation Miffa Chan has signed a two years contract.

The winner of 2009 Barcelona and 2010 Tokyo Marathon in Bunnies categorie will use RABIDAS products in all her training and competitions.

The agreement has been made possible thanks to 9j’s SPORT MANAGEMENT.


RABIDAS Hong Kong, líder en material deportivo y la super estrella coneja Miffa Chan han firmado un contrato que une a ambas partes por dos años.

La ganadora de la maratón de Barcelona de 2009 y de Tokyo de 2010 en la categoría de lepóridos usara los productos RABIDAS en sus entrenamientos y competiciones.

EL acuerdo ha sido possible gracias a la mediación de 9j’s SPORT MANAGEMENT

Miffa run Tokyo´s Marathon 2010

Under terrible weather with low temperatures and pouring rain we suceeded. We suffer much more than in Barcelona and this time we really deserved the medal. Our friends from Cafemiffy were there too to help us in the logistics and to give us support, our succes is a result of their help and dedication.

Miffa will run Tokyo’s 2010 Marathon

Obviously to help Father Bunny to finish the course like in Barcelona. Last time problems with several issues have ruined our excellent training but we are confident to achieve a nice result in this course.

The Marathon Expo was incredible, the way to find the right place, quite hard, but after reading the start point procedures and rules I think that we will run two marathons. The first to find our way to the place and our starting lot and then – easier- to run the 42.195 kms.

Good luck Father Bunny!!

Volvo Bonaqua Sprint Run - La Cagamos (Castellano)

La ruta

El dorsal personalizado

Para los que no se creían lo de la "pool"

Detalle de "mal gusto"

Mientras que en Barcelona los miembros de mi equipo estaban ultimando los últimos detalles para correr la cursa de bombers del 2009 yo me estaba acabando de levantar para correr mi primera carrera de trail de mi vida: La Volvo Bonaqua Mui Wo a Pui O sprint run en la isla de Lantau (Hong Kong). La verdad es que tenía bastantes esperanzas de hacerlo bien ya que en nuestro entrenamiento abundan los desniveles y las zonas de tierra.

El día anterior – maldito jet lag- me pase hasta las tantas dibujando el mapa de la carrera en el Google Earth para ver el desnivel. Lo hice hasta el kilómetro 8 (cuando me cansé) y me descargue un par de ficheros con datos DEM (Digital Elevation Model) que me sirvieron para poder calcular el perfil aproximado de la carrera.

También me dio para investigar un poco quien participa y quien esta delante, y es que si un tío con 1:08:00 en media maratón queda en el décimo puesto, hay que pensar que algo huele mal.

Desde luego he cometido un montón de errores, el primero no llevar agua ni isotónica para los primeros 8 kilómetros (check point y avituallamiento). Correr en un bosque tropical o sub tropical (no voy a discutirlo) con 26 a 29 grados y casi un 98 % de humedad no es algo que encontremos a estas alturas en el Parc Güel. Otro error fue empezar la carrera a un ritmo moderado, unos 3:40 el kilómetro que me dejaron en medio del pelotón el primer kilómetro. ¿Qué cojones pasa aquí? Me preguntaba. Y pronto me respondieron, acabado el primer kilómetro el camino se hacia tan estrecho que en algunas zonas no se podía ir más que en fila india.

Desde el 1.6 al 2.5 el camino era de subida, una subida bestial, pero fui capaz de hacerlo corriendo, a un ritmo modesto, pero corriendo. Desde el 4 al 4,8 mis piernas dijeron basta, totalmente llenas de acido láctico y calambres que me provocaron las escaleras de esta sección. Totalmente exhausto, sin poder correr y a veces sin poder pasar a corredores más lentos llegue al punto más alto, de unos 260 metros.

La bajada no fue más fácil, escaleras, llanos, cortas subidas… Comencé una bajada suicida desde el 5 al 7.5 jugándome el tipo y pasando a gente por las cunetas. Tuve un par o más de avisos: te vas a romper un tobillo. Pero llegue a una sección de asfalto en el 6 donde pude recuperar algunas posiciones a un ritmo de 4:45 (reíros, reíros).

Antes de llegar al avituallamiento y check point de la playa de Pui O tuvimos que cruzar una lengua de mar que me dejo empapados los pies y llenos de arena. Odio correr en la playa, de hecho nunca lo he hecho con lo que imite a los que si lo hacen y me puse en la zona donde la arena esta mojada. Cruce este punto en el top 10 o 15, según me dijo un amigo que estaba allí.

El tiempo del ganador fue 48 minutos versus mis 52 en este punto. Sólo quedan 4 kilómetros, animo!

Mierda, tengo que correr 700 metros por las rocas que están al final de la playa (bueno correr o andar), saltando de una a otra roca que además resbala de forma peligrosa. Con esto no contaba.

No es lo que mejor hago, pero lo puedo hacer. Mientras busco la mejor ruta me caigo al mar. No es una caída grave pero me golpeo la rodilla y me hago una herida algo aparatosa con los mejillones de la roca con la que golpeo. Se acaban las rocas pero ahora hay que correr en una playa llena de piedras redondas y basura varia. A la mierda, quiero mucho a mis piernas y las guardo para batallas más heroicas-

El incidente, el miedo, mi poca aptitud para correr en cantos rodados hacen que la gente me pase y pierda mucho tiempo en esta sección.

Llega el tramo del río, un kilómetro de despropósito cuesta arriba siguiendo el curso de un río lleno de rocas con verdín, que resbalaban más que pastillas de jabón, secciones que incluían subir ayudado de cuerdas e incluso una escalera del mismo material. Durante los primeros 700 metros avanzo bien y paso a gente pero mi rodilla no para de sangrar, estoy cansado, sobre todo los brazos y hombros y mi moral ya no esta en modo agresivo, si no en modo “llega entero a casa”. Menos mal que me compre los guantes porque has de usar las manos y los brazos constantemente.

Unas 5 personas o quizás más me pasan en los último 300 metros, pero es que ya me daba igual. En otra sección de asfalto de unos 200 metros recupero posiciones y paso a dos de ellos corriendo por una carretera abierta al tráfico.

Un descenso suicida más sin fuerzas para controlar un error y llego al último kilómetro y medio. No esta mal.

Lo que no esperaba era otra vez la playa llena de cantos rodados y los acantilados, así que desmoralizado me pongo a andar otra vez. Demasiado cansado para pensar y para ver donde pongo los pies. No quiero más heridas.

Termino la carrera exhausto pero sobre todo pienso que he fracasado mi misión, con una conejo hija que se ilusionó al verme tan arriba en el 8 y que asistió a mi hundimiento.

Lo he hecho lo mejor que he podido, lo he dado casi todo, he sufrido casi más que nunca pero ni me esperaba esto ni me he entrenado para ello. Además conforme te haces viejo quieres más a tu pellejo que lo que crees.

En fín, no me quede a la fiesta, no soy muy sociable y no estaba de mucho humor por lo que me fui a visita el Buda gigante de Lantau.

Volvo Bonaqua Sprint Run - Failed Mission (English)

While my running mates were preparing things for the 2009 cursa de bombers I was getting up to run my first trail race ever. I was quite confident in my possibilities because of our training spot and intensive hill running.

The day before I spent more than three hours drawing the race path till the 8th kilometre and downloading a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) to figure up what the profile was.

Now I am writing this review because I don’t want to forget about the experience. Even after the marathon my face was better and my gesture showed less suffering than today.

Of course I have done several mistakes the first one was not to take some water or isotonic drink for the first eight km. 26 to 29 Celsius and 98 % humidity running in a tropical (or may sub tropical forest) is not what we found in our Parc Güel. Another one was starting the run at a moderate pace (3:40 minutes a kilometre) that put me in the middle of nowhere. I thought that people wanted to commit self suicide but there were fighting to arrive to the first kilometre mark the sooner as possible. And there was a good reason to do so. A narrow path, sometimes just enough for one person makes quite difficult to overpass.

From approximately 1.6 to 2.5 the path was climbing up to the top but I was able to run at a modest but constant pace, but from the 4 to the 4.8 my legs were totally burnt out by the ladders that appeared in that section. Unable to run and blocked by some runners I got to the top (about 260 meters) totally exhausted.

The descent was not better, with my legs aching and full of lactic acid I started a suicide downhill section from 5 to 7.5. Passing people out of the track and having some severe warning with some stones that were in the mood to break my ankles. Finally about the 6th we arrived to a “normal road” and I was able to maintain a pace of about 4:45 minutes a kilometre (enough to pass quite a few people).

We have to cross some water to get into the Pui O beach and about 700 meters running on the beach (with my shoes full of water and sand, excellent). I hate running on the beach and I try to imitate the more experienced people, so I moved to the wet side and crossed the first check point in the top 10 or top 15 according to a friend who was there taking pictures.

The winner made 48 minutes and I made an impressive 52. Not bad. There were only 4 kilometers left.

Damn it!. Now we have about 700 meters of running / walking on the cliffs, jumping from one slippery rock to another one. This is something that I did not count on.

Ok, that’s not my best but I can manager. I try to find the path and I felt down into the sea. No problem but my right knee took the hit and is wounded by the small mussels that gave me quite a deeper cut. The cliffs ended, but now we have to run over a rounded rocks beach – I say no way, I must keep my ankles for more heroic battles-

The incident, my poor attitude to run over that rounded rocks beach made that most of the people who was behind passed me on that section.

Finally the river loop was one kilometre uphill following a river with big slippery rocks, some climbing sections and even a rope ladder. The first 700 meters I even got to pass some people but every step has to be measured carefully, my knee is bleeding and you have to use your arms and hands to secure yourself and to find the better way. (Thank good I bought that gloves)

About four five people overtook me on the last 300 metres but a short road section of about 200 meter were enough to pass two of them.

Again a suicide downhill section when I was able to maintain my position but…

The same damn rounded rocks beach and cliff section. I decided to walk, I was too tired just to think and to look where my feet were landing and I wanted no more wounds.

I finish the race exhausted but above all with the feeling that I have failed my mission, with an angry daughter bunny who saw me on the top positions on the 8th and that finally was deceived when I plunged on the ranking.

I did my best, I was more tired than ever and I suffered quite a lot, but I did not expect that and, of course, I was not trained for that.

I decided to catch a taxi and go to visit the Giant Buddha so I missed the finish party. Well I am not a very social person and besides I was quite sad.

Island Shangri-La pool and Father Bunny

Well, I have the feeling that lately Father Bunny is obsessed with running, cycling and swimming. This is surely because of bad companions.

But for this time I will like to thank them because from the 28 meters long swimming pool my favourite building – The Bank of China- view is just fantastic.

May be Father Bunny wants to thank the building for the good luck it gave to him in the Marathon (he printed the HK skyline in her bid and shoe sole).

We went there by night and while I was having a carrot juice and other people were enjoying a bbq, he was the only swimming. (about 900 meters)

Tomorrow Volvo Bonaqua Mui Wo to Pui O sprint race.

We have run the Barcelona’s Marathon.

When more than a year ago Father Bunny started to run again (He was running in 2003 for six months) I was very sceptical about his real possibilities. Furthermore his dream about finishing a Marathon (42 kilometres and 195 metres) seemed less than possible.

Father Bunny complexion is not the best one for long distance running and besides the amount of training to finish a Marathon in good shape is quite important.

During all this time he has been training and racing, sometimes with Draculina who often helped him to maintain the right pace, but his new friends from correCATagafo (experienced runners and tri-athletes) has played a vital role in his achievements.

I wanted to share his success with him and I waited for him in the last kilometre to enter together in 3 hours and 17 seconds. Quite a great mark for an old guy that surprisingly did not encounter The Wall and arrived in quite a decent shape.

Another World Bunny Record set by Miffa Chan

Cuando hace más de un año el Viejo volvío a correr ( lo hizo en 2003 durante seis meses) era muy escéptica sobre sus posibilidades reales. Es más creía que su sueño de correr y terminar una maratón era más que imposible.

Su complexión no es la mejor para la carrera de larga distancia y además el nivel y exigencia del entrenamiento que requiere un maratón con dignidad es muy elevado.

Durante todo este tiempo ha estado entrenando y compitiendo en pruebas menores, algunas veces con Draculina, que siempre le ha ayudado a mantener el ritmo de carrera. Pero una parte muy importante del éxito es de la ayuda que le han prestado sus nuevos amigos de correCATagafo (experimentados corredores y triatletas).

Quería compartir ese momento con él y le estuve esperando en los últimos kilómetros para entrar juntos en 3 horas y 17 minutos. Un tiempo bastante bueno para un viejo que de manera sorprendente no se encontró con el temido MURO y llego bastante fresco.

Otro Record del Mundo Conejo de Miffa. ¡Gracias a todos los correCATagafo

Draculina’s pre marathon party

Tomorrow Father Bunny, Draculina and myself Hill run Barcelona’s marathon. FB has been training since past February and he has completed about 1600 kilometres in this time, not good but not bad either.

It will be my first official run but I have been named FB running club chairman and I will like to help my father in the last kilometres.

Tomorrow it’s the great day, a meeting with glory or a big deception. Success often is written with bloody letters.

We must stop this, now!

Today I asked my father for some money, just 50 euros to buy some ice cream and Belgian chocolotes to enjoy a nice afternoon with my friends.

He said he had no money for that luxuries and told me about the need to save money and to use it wisely in this times of economic crisis.

I have opened his wardrobe and this is what I have founded!! Any lawyer out there??

Last race of 2008

I wonder how a human can be so insanely mad about running that even the last day of this 2008 prepared to run.

If you have an old father that is not getting older in a proper way may be you have the answer or the same problem.

Well, at least this time he was the first one. Eheem!!! The first guy who crossed the finish line dressed in his clerk attire.

What and embarrassment, but soon is going to be my birthday.

Finally old Father got something for running

Spanish: Al final al puto Viejo le dan algo por correr.

I have said sometimes that humans do not run and my Father will rate as a turtle considering that he runs very slow even for being a human. Despite that he runs and runs every week with her new running friends. Past December the 7th they run in Mataro where he embarrassed me with his poor performance.

But he –and all the people who finished – got a very nice present from a health and beauty company.

At least he and Draculina helped our family to cope with the economic crisis. We have some pictures of the team, but they’re some damn hot and attractive that we are afraid of crazy girls asking for their phone numbers and me being homeless after the divorce.

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Ya lo he dicho varias veces; los humanos no sirven para correr y mucho menos el viejo, que no ganaría ni a una tortuga. A pesar de lo malo que es sigue corriendo y corriendo cada semana con sus nuevos amigos corredores. El pasado 7 de diciembre corrieron la media maratón de Mataró, donde me avergonzó por lo mal que lo hizo y porque fue incapaz de hacer algo digno “porque me dolían las piernas”.

Pero por primera vez él y TODOS los que terminaron recibieron un regalo magnífico del patrocinador.

Por lo menos él y Draculina ayudaron a nuestra familia a intentar superar la crisis. Tenemos varias fotos del equipo, pero con hombres tan atractivos y musculados es posible que se monte un buen sarao y yo acabe en la calle tras el divorcio. (que sé que a más de uno las turistas acalaman con delirio en el Parc Güel)

The run of my life

Wanna know who is my father? just remember who was in New Zealand
in summer time while others enjoied the summer in the northern hemisphere.

UPDATED: My rotten spoiled child sabotaged my time. She added 10 minutes more!!! It was less than 1:30

You know that my daughter defied me saying that humans do not run and furthermore I was old and slow. Since then I have been training hard to make her swallow her words.

And Today Draculina, Ramiro and me stopped the watch at 1:29:04 in a Half Marathon.

I must admit that now I have the expert advice of other human racers who really are aware of my problem. (Mr. Bunny)

The Real Challenge is this…!

Trying to run on your city’s Marathon? What a shame, Father Bunny. Real finishers take planes and fight against jet lag and cheap hotels.

Going on foot from home to the start is very convenience and you know that if you decide to quit a taxi will take you back home.

But if you want to feel the glory of being a real finisher my city’s Marathon is the choice.

Have you imagined going up on Nathan road to Lantau and crossing the Tsing Ma Bridge to end in Causeway Bay.

Are you afraid?

In our way to the Marathon.

I am not going to loose my bet with my daughter and on 2009 I will run a Marathon no later than mid March.

On my agenda: Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon or/and Mizuno Barcelona Marathon.

Today I run another race – Barceloneta- to end a very hard week..

PS: This time Mem accompanied me.

Mythical running shoes from the past

When I was young a friend of mine and myself had a hobby: after school we went to El Corte Ingles in Bilbao, I do not remember which floor, but in the sports section they had a special places for the most advanced and expensive footwear.

Together with the item’s prize they put additional information like weight. There covered by a glass that protected them from undesirable people like us – unable to buy one pair with several years’ savings- were: The Adidas New York.

285 grams of Anthracite coloured beauty made in Western Germany.

The first model was released in 1982 or something around there and of course I never have owned one pair. May be fifteen or twenty years after that they made a re-edition.

I failed to get the real colour a few years ago. I loved them, I love them but I was not going to pay 200 dollars for a crappy pair. I missed the opportunity because I didn’t found my size.

Now, I founded on ebay for just 25 euro. A pity that the colour scheme is not the original one and that the overall feeling is that this pair has nothing related to the old New York.

Running "La Merce" 10k race

Today FB took part into “Merce 2008 10 kilometres race” Five years before he run his first Half Marathon in this date. Unfortunately Draculina wasn’t so good and she decided to stay at home with the rest of the family.

He did hi personal best with moderately effortless and enjoyed running by Barcelona’s most famous streets and avenues. Despite the good time he said that when he arrived to the finish line he was quite sad because he couldn’t share his joy with anyone.

Hmm, Draculina must go with him next time.

Humans do not run, they just jog.

Rabbits and Hares do not jog, we run. Surely you never have seen one of us dressed with a technical outfit for running or wearing a sport shoes with cushion and stability properties, shoes that surely will help you to achieve better results. Of course you won't see us running with headphones and a stupid iphone attached to our arms. With all those humans trying to imitate the real runners the fact of running is loosing its tempo. Humans run like ballet dancers and we run to survive. The false truth about a biped runner has damaged the running scene and the humans have been confident with this fact.

Only those who run for a reason, knows about serious running. And for sure we know about it

21097.5 meters - and some more stuff

Yes, I know this is not a runners’ blog or a sportman’s blog, but when i decided to bet about the athletics capabilities of my father I knew that sometimes things would go wrong and he will succeed.

So, I just let him to tell about his achievements. Bear in mind that he was really out from the last two kilometres and only me – from home with my friend Daikyn- calling Draculina to help him to finish are responsible for his time.

“Well I must reckon that Miffa is right, I only run in New Zealand
about 120 kilometres with extreme cold and great efforts to
breath normally, our paces and our kilometres, together with a
couple of kilograms that we earned during our “vacation “ were
telling us that the second half marathon will be a disaster.

The same track - two times - steady and hot

A devilish track with a downhill + uphill profile + high temperatures
made the track extremely demanding. We experienced some
problems in the second run about 17-19 kilometres, but finally
we managed to stop the watch at 1:37:10 with the last two
kilometres riding with Draculina attached to my right hands”

It’s a pity that for the first time I have been verbally abused
by a group of runners that make funny words about my cargo pants
while the only reason to wear this outfit is to carry Draculina.
I can tell you that it’s an extra weight and uncomforting matter
that has nothing to be with any fancy or political thinking. I have
really felt very harassed but their words and at some points I was
at the point to talk back to them – of course in a much more
polite way-.