I was Among Pioneer Joggers in Project 8, If not the Pioneer

One early morning while I was out running and brisk walking, images of me and my classmates jogging the streets about 43 years back came to mind (yeah 43 years back!), especially as I turned right to Assets Street from Assistant Street along the perimeter of the plaza. That portion of Assistant Street was where we approached a nearby small apartment on the right which had its front door opening directly to the street.

We often saw this tall slim man with curly hair inside it—probably the tenant—through the screen door. He looked exactly like our PE teacher at the nearby St. Patrick School along General Avenue. Mr. Gil Abrena, the PE teacher, also looked like Ariel Ureta, an actor-host-comedian popular in the 70s.

Anyway, I have been jogging the streets of Project 8 since 1973, particular the area called “taas” (up) which included Actuarial, Accounting, Administration, Personnel, Records, and Finance, to name a few. Jogging or brisk walking in the streets then was unheard of, so people who saw me always wondered what I was doing running around at 4 in the morning, sometimes mocking me. People did that in Luneta Park or at the Manila Bay area, not in Project 8. So they’d often tell me to go to those places instead of running around the village like an idiot.

But I kept on, often running with my classmates at St. Patrick—Manny and Dwight (sometimes with Manny’s friend, Terence) who lived in St. Joseph Village—and sometimes with my childhood friend, Arturo. We were in grade 7 and dabbling with martial arts inspired by the sudden fame of Bruce Lee who also died in 1973. But mostly I ran alone. I woke up daily at 4 am and ran the dark streets until the sun shone brightly at 6 am. When my classmates were with me, we would also ran along General Avenue and even as far as St. Joseph Village, particularly the portion where there were no houses yet. The empty streets provided us ample space to run as much as we wanted and practice some martial arts moves.

In high school, Manny and Dwight and their family left for the Visayas while Terence became busy with school. Arturo had other interests. I was left alone, running at dawn until sunlight shone. Everyday. In my fourth year in high school I earned a first dan black belt degree mentored by my best friend Angelo or Angie, as friends called him, who was a member of the Philippine Karate Association.

There were even times I woke up at 3.30 am to prepare for my Tai chi class in Luneta Park at 4 am.

Anyway today, you’d see lots of joggers and brisk walkers in the streets in our village (especially in our area) sharing my fondness for running and brisk walking. To think that some 40 years ago I ran there alone. I’m glad more people are into fitness today, young and old, and taking advantage of our uphill streets as an ideal free venue for it.