Lessons and Tips from Buying a Brand New Car

Three months ago we bought our second car, this time from Suzuki Shaw in Mandaluyong City. You may ask why we have chosen this dealership, the answer as follows:

1. We have a friend from this dealership
2. We expected that we will be given best service
3. The new model of Suzuki Celerio was good enough to impress us

But our buying experience turned out to be not good because we did not get what we expected. And we have resorted to demand letters and formal complaint. Well, I will not talk about the details as we have already entered to a compromise agreement but I would like to share the LESSONS that we learned from our bad experience.

First, NEVER GIVE YOUR 100% TRUST to your sales agent. Even though the agent is your friend, reserve some of your trust. Some people will do whatever it takes to sell even for the sake of friendship.

Second, SCOUT AND LOOK FOR OTHER DEALERSHIP. Compare their customer service standard. Compare their freebies being offered. Get other options. There are so many dealers that will offer better deals just to sell.

Third, INSPECT THE UNIT THOROUGHLY. Check everything, from the outside to the inside of the unit. Check the engine, tires, windows, steering wheel, transmission and dashboard. Most especially check the ODOMETER. It should be from 5kms to 15kms. Beyond this mileage, refuse to accept the unit.

Fourth, BEST TO BRING A TRUSTED MECHANIC to check on the unit. You won't get wrong with a third party checking on your prospect car.

I hope you will learn from our lessons. Better to be sure before buying than complain afterwards.

Milo National Marathon Manila Leg on July 26, 2015

My 5th full marathon distance (42.195km) in 5 years at the 39th Milo National Marathon held last July 26, 2015.

The route was revised compared to the previous years 42K route, the Kalayaan flyover to BGC and McKinley was excluded, instead 42K runners did a two loops at the Roxas Boulevar-Coastal area.

I attempted to hit sub5 finish but was not able to do so and settled for a 5:07 finish, 5 minutes slower than my last year's Milo Marathon. This is due to minimal training and long hibernation prior to the race.

One sad thing for this year's Milo Marathon Manila leg is that another runner died. Let's all be safe especially when running long distance.

Time to recover and see you on the road!

Photo credits to Photo Ops, click here for their official site.

Run United Philippine Marathon on October 4, 2015

Last October 5, 2014, I ran my 14th 21K distance at the Run United Philippine Marathon (RUPM). This event made my total mileage to 2,453 kilometers since 2010.

For the past months I have been selecting my commercial races as events looked to be too expensive compared to previous years.

RUPM 2014, 21K

This year's RUPM will be held on October 4, 2015 at MOA, Pasay City.  But I might not be joining this event due to other personal priorities.

If you're interested, below are the race details from Runrio.com;

PRESENTS



EXCEED YOURSELF
REGISTER NOW For The 2015 RUN UNITED PHILIPPINE MARATHON!/

The 2015 Run United Philippine Marathon will be held on October 4, 2015 with 5k, 10k, 21k and 42km race categories. All categories will have a start and finish at One Esplanade, Seaside Blvd. The Race Kit Claiming Expo will be on October 1 to 3, 2015 at One Esplanade.

REGISTRATION SCHEDULE:

REGISTRATION TYPE	START & END DATE	VENUE	KIT DISTRIBUTION	ADDITIONAL FEES
Register before August 16 to get a guaranteed singlet and 21km/42km finishers’ shirt size.
Priority Online Registration (for 21km RU1 & 21km & 32km RU2 registrants only)	June 12 – 18, 2015	www.runrio.com	Runners have an option to have their kits delivered or picked up during the Race Kit Claiming Expo in One Esplanade	Plus P150 for the delivery & processing fees
Online Registration	June 19 – Sept 13, 2015
In-Store Prepaid Card Selling for Actual Runners only	June 19 – Sept 18, 2015	Selected Toby’s and Runnr Stores	Runners must claim their kits during the Race Kit Claiming Expo at One Esplanade	None for actual runners

PREPAID CARD SELLING VENUES

In-store purchase of the prepaid cards will be available at the following stores, from 12:00NN to 8:00PM Monday to Sunday starting June 19, 2015.

• RUNNR Store BGC
• B1 Bonifacio High St. The Fort, Taguig City
• Toby’s Robinsons Galleria
• Level 3, Robinsons Galleria, EDSA cor Ortigas Ave. Quezon City
• RUNNR Store Trinoma
• GF EDSA-North Ave. Terminal, Project 6, Quezon City
• Toby’s MOA
• SM Mall of Asia, GF Entertainment Hall, Roxas Blvd, Manila
• Toby’s Arena Glorietta 2
• 3F Glorietta 2, Ayala Center, Makati City
• Toby’s Robinsons Metro East
• 3F Robinsons Place Metro East, Marcos Hiway, Brgy Dela Paz, Santolan, Pasig

REGISTRATION FEES:

Category	Registration Fee	Kit Inclusions
		Pre-Race	Post-Race
5k	PhP750	Active Health Singlet with Chaf-Reduc Technology, & Race Bib with D-tag	Active Health Non-Woven Bag & Drinks
10K	Php850	Active Health Singlet with Chaf-Reduc Technology, & Race Bib with D-tag	Active Health Non-Woven Bag & Drinks
21K	Php950	Active Health Singlet with Chaf-Reduc Technology, & Race Bib with D-tag	Active Health Non-Woven Bag, 21km Finishers’ Shirt, 21km Finishers’ Medal, and Drinks
42K	Php1,350	Active Health Singlet with Chaf-Reduc Technology, & Race Bib with D-tag	Active Health Non-Woven Bag, 42km Finishers’ Shirt, 42km Finishers’ Medal, and Drinks
UPSIZE YOUR REGISTRATION – ADD P60.00 AND GET A CUSTOMIZED EXCEED YOURSELF TRAINING & NUTRITION PLAN FROM COACH ANI DE LEON-BROWN and it comes with a PERSONALIZED RACE BIB, ACTIVE HEALTH GEL BIB HOLDER and FREE 3 pcs ENERVON ACTIV & 1 40GMS ENERVON HP RECOVERY DRINK.

Note: Additional P150 will be charged for race kit delivery for online registrants. Fees are inclusive of P50 web admin fees.

Race Bib with D-Tag Delivery Schedule – on or before September 18, 2015

For IN-STORE PREPAID CARD BUYERS: Complete race kit will be given during the Race Kit Claiming Expo from October 1 to 3, 2015 at One Esplanade, Seaside corner J.W. Diokno Boulevard, Mall Of Asia Complex, Pasay City. STRICTLY NO RACE CLAIMING ON RACE DAY!

DATE	START	END	VENUE
OCTOBER 1 & 2, 2015	10:00 AM	8:00 PM	One Esplanade, Seaside corner J.W. Diokno Boulevard, Mall Of Asia Complex, Pasay City.
OCTOBER 3, 2015	10:00 AM	5:00 PM

ASSEMBLY AND GUN START TIMES:

RACE CATEGORY	ASSEMBLY TIME	GUN TIME
42KM	1:00 AM	2:00 AM
21KM	3:00 AM	4:00 AM
10KM	4:00 AM	5:00 AM
5KM	4:30 AM	5:30 AM

REMINDERS

• All registration will be done ONLINE by logging on to www.unilabactivehealth.com
• Register before August 16 to guarantee your singlet (for all categories) & finishers’ shirt size for 21km and 42km finishers
• Prepaid cards will be sold in store on a per person basis only.
• Online registration via credit card/ Paypal will end September 3, 2015.
• Prepaid cards must be registered on or before September 18, 2015.
• Online registration and prepaid card selling is on a first come first served basis.

RACE RESULTS:

• Race results will be available within three (3) days after the race at the following websites: www.unilabactivehealth.com and www.runrio.com.
• Timing and Race Results: feedback@runrio.com

39th National Milo Marathon - My 5th 42K in the Making

Last weekend, I registered for the 39th National Milo Marathon Manila eliminations to be held on July 26, 2015. I will be joining the 42K category for the second straight year. This will be my 5th full marathon in five years of running (with three 50K's in the bag).

I started joining Milo Marathon in their 35th edition last 2011. In the previous editions, I participated in the 21K category.

Back to present, Milo registration for the 21K and 42K became stricter with the required Fit-to-Run medical certificate. Thus, registration was not selling fast like in any other races.

And to add, their singlet for the 21K and 42K category seemed to be unfinished especially in the prints at the back portion. Observations and comparison versus previous singlets as follows;

1. Print job not finished - Milo logo
2. No reflector strips
3. Same material as last year

Milo Marathon singlet comparison 2014 (R) vs 2015 (L)

Singlets don't really matter with running performance but organizers such as Runrio should at least have quality check on this part. Especially that the Milo logo is the one that was partially printed.

 Let's keep running!