“Nasobrahan na ka ug dagan (you’re running too much),” she said in a testy voice that still couldn’t hide her concern.

RUN SAFE. To run safe at night, choose well-lit roads or run with a large group. If you want to to try running at night, join the weekly ungo run every Friday at 10 p.m. from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the It Park.

She had known through Facebook that I was nursing a fever and called me up on a Friday, the day that I organize a weekly run from Sun.Star Cebu to the IT Park, to tell me I should scale down on my running.

“Mangaligsan gani mo (you’ll be run over),” a teenager said with a laugh after taking a drag of cigarette and blowing a puff of smoke at the sidewalk while watching scores of runners in one of the Friday night runs that I organize from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the IT Park.

Recent incidents have raised questions on the safety of the fastest growing sport in the country. Fatalities have been reported in the Milo Marathon in Manila and a recent night run in Mandaue City.

Friends express worry on the risks of running on the road, especially at night. They express their concern with a tone appropriate to someone trying to stop a person from pulling out his own fingernails.

Not to trivialize the risks but more people actually die of illnesses caused by a sedentary lifestyle than by running-related accidents or illnesses.

Running, as with any outdoor physical activity, carries risks. What is important is to minimize these risks.

The Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity (PNGPA) provides very important tips for people wishing to take up physical activities like running:

• As a general precaution, all individuals who want to engage in vigorous physical activity should get clearance from a doctor. Individuals with contraindications to exercise and with symptoms of diseases should be cleared first by a doctor.
• Start slow and within comfortable levels. Progress slowly and according to improved work capacity and do not over-exert.
• Stop immediately if you experience dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath and chest pains.
• Reduce intensity of exercise or stop when there are manifestations of severe fatigue, joint and muscle pains and cramps.
• Keep a daily record of your exercise for monitoring and tracking.
• Ensure proper hydration.
• Wear proper attire and footwear for thermal management and protection from injuries.
• Allow ample recovery after physical activities.

Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador, meanwhile, said people who run at night should avoid dark streets and areas near slums. He said runners should run only in well-lit areas like the Asiatown IT Park.

City Traffic Operations Management (Citom) executive director Rafael Yap said people who run on the road should have “spatial awareness” at all times.

“Always keep in mind to consider safety first,” Yap said. He also suggested that runners run on sidewalks instead of on the road.

Yap also suggested that runners plot their routes ahead and avoid accident-prone areas.

To help increase awareness on safety, CebuRunning will feature several blog posts on the subject this week.

We have more hotels and we’re accessible because we have more flights coming and we have shipping services, he said. He recounted the complaints by triathletes on the difficulty of bringing their gear to CamSur for competitions.

But first, he said, pausing to take a sip from his cup of coffee that had been cleared of the dollop of whipped cream placed there by mistake, let’s make our city’s streets safe for runners and bikers.

SAFER ROADS. Cebu City Marathon organizers Meyrick Jacalan (left) and John Pages (center) of the Cebu Executive Runners Club with outgoing Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who has been named Cebu City Traffic Operations Management chairman. Jakosalem said Citom wants to make Cebu City’s roads safer for runners and cyclists. CLICK TO ENLARGE

Jacalan, one of the core organizers responsible for the hugely successful staging of the Cebu City Marathon, said Cebu City’s streets aren’t friendly to bikers, runners and even pedestrians.

“Motorists should be taught to share the road with bikers and runners. As a start, we can teach drivers to give importance to runners,” he said, “What’s a few minutes of inconvenience on a Sunday morning to the benefits of a community adopting a healthy lifestyle?”

Local government support

Jacalan said the support of the local government unit is crucial to the success of turning Cebu into a sports tourism hub. He said it’s something Cebu City can offer, citing City Hall’s key role in the success of the Cebu City Marathon.

With the way things are developing at the Cebu City Hall, it looks like things are looking up for the local running scene.

Outgoing Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, who served as sports committee chairperson in the City Council, has been named chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (Citom).

Jakosalem said Citom recognizes the boom in running in the city and wants to make the streets safe for bikers, runners and pedestrians. He said the Cebu City Marathon, when parts of the streets were closed and traffic enforcers were aggressive in controlling vehicle flow, should be the benchmark of weekly runs.

But for this to happen, he said race organizers should have close coordination with Citom.

“They should give us the route and coordinate with us weeks before the event. What’s happening is that they just give us a few days notice,” he said in a phone interview. Jakosalem said they can assure full deployment of enforcers if race organizers closely coordinate with them.

Bicycle lane

Jakosalem also said the Citom planning office is studying setting up a bicycle lane on one long stretch of road, possibly Osmeña Blvd. He said it is something outgoing mayor Tomas Osmeña approved of. Among the things they are looking into is how to implement it vis-à-vis the need to designate jeepney stops. Jeepneys might cut into the path of cyclists and cause accidents, he said.

He said that if Cebu City pushes through with its planned bus rapid transit system (BRT), it will be easier to designate bicycle and running lanes in the city’s roads.

But if there’s a place where a bicycle lane will likely be designated, it’s the South Road Properties. Jakosalem said there’s an 80 percent chance it will be opened to bikers and runners.

Making the city’s streets safe for runners and pedestrians is a long process, Jakosalem said. In the first 100 days of Mayor Michael Rama’s administration, City Hall will clear sidewalks of obstructions and implement one-side only vending. That will clear part of the road for pedestrians and runners, he said.

But the goal, he said, is to make runners run safe on the road.

Jakosalem said the suggestion to close even just one lane of Osmeña Blvd. for the exclusive use of runners and bikers early morning Sundays is a “very good one” that will be looked into.