About the Author

Who am I?

A passionate competitive sportsman who loves to write. Passionate as having the heart to push through and tough it out on my chosen sports. Competitive as having the will, guts and hard work to train hard and push myself to my limits. I may not the best athlete in any sport I play, but you bet I always give it my all.. win or lose.

I work as a Software Engineer in Makati City, Philippines. I graduated from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering. My hometown is the agricultural municipality of Silang, Cavite.

I write about the sports I play. Boxing, running, basketball and billiards. Though I really write a lot about the former two than the latter mentioned sports. I love to live up to my full name Jayson Tibayan Deuna. During one of my long runs in Silang, Cavite, a bystander smiled to me and said.. "Tibay!". He noticed me running on my second loop around the 7km Silang Oval. I thought to myself.. "Yeah.. That's my middle name!" Tibay is a Filipino word for tough. My middle name is Tibayan which means to make tough. My last name is a pretty harder name to live up to - Deuna which is taken from the root word una. In English, that means first. I can be tough, can I be first? The passionate and competitive sportsman in me just loves to live up to my name. It motivates me to train harder. It adds up to my will to win.

Why Pandesal?

Details of this could be found in the Pandesal Runner Adventures. To paraphrase it here, I am the Pandesal Runner because that is the purpose of my Sunday long runs. I will run from our house, 530am in the morning, to a bakery about 4 kilometers away to buy hot pandesal for our family breakfast. Pandesal is also my favorite carbo loading breakfast. So I also used it on my boxing blogs - The Pandesal Boxer Chronicles.


Contact Me
Email at jayson.deuna@gmail.com.

Thanks for visiting. I wrote this About the Author on my 27th birthday, October 12, 2009. Happy Birthday to me. ;)


More About My Running:

1. Name and occupation.

My name is Jayson Deuna. I'm 27 years old. I work as a software engineer in Makati.

2. How long have you been running?

I have been running since I was in college. I jog around the University of the Philippines academic oval since I was a freshman. But I only started to join and loved road racing since late 2008. 

3. Why did you pick running over other sports?

It's free. I can run almost anywhere and anytime. I don't pay membership fees, instructor's fee or any other gym usage and coaching expenses. Running improves my speed and stamina and it keeps me healthy, strong and fit. I don't have to go to the gym to keep my weight in normal range. Running is the natural sports for me. 

4. Tell us something about your first running experience.

Late 2008, my office boss invited me to join the Race for LIFE '08. It was for the benefit of the out of school youths. I was into jogging but I haven't raced before. I proudly registered for the 10-kilometer race. It was a totally new experience for me. At gun start, everybody sprinted and run as fast as they could. The energy and excitement of the crowd and my own adrenaline rush pushed me to run and go all out. I remembered breathing so deep and running too hard to finish that race. The following day, I could not walk straight. I had muscle pains all over my body. 

5. What do you want to achieve in running?

I want to qualify and run the Boston Marathon. That is my dream and goal right now.

6. What was your most memorable running event that you joined?

I would say my first marathon run. I ran 42.195 kilometers in a little less than 4 hours from 4:30 in the morning. It was at the Philippine International Marathon 2009. My parents together with my girlfriend and her sister, we all slept at a condo in Makati the night before. We all live in Cavite. They were cheering and clapping their hands for me when the marathon started. I was so excited and pumped up. I did prepare for 42 days for that one special day.
 
I started fast and strong only to have problems on my hydration belt and then I injured my right knee when I was only on the 16th kilometer of the 42-kilometer marathon. I was hardly able to walk. I was almost crying and limping in pain. They say long distance runs are a personal battle in which you find out a lot about yourself. I fought on and tried as hard as I could to continue with the race. It was all heart, guts and determination coupled with the inspiration I had with the support of my family and running friends.

I could not walk straight after that marathon and I had to rest my right knee for two months before I could run again. It was a hard marathon battle for me and that experience made me stronger and a lot eager to run a lot more.

7. What have you reaped from the sport, so far?

I was an overweight office employee for three years. I weighed 165 pounds at 5'7". On my annual physical examination early 2009, sponsored by our company, I was advised to modify my lifestyle and reduce weight.
 
I took running more seriously and after about months of continuous running, I trimmed down to 145 pounds. I am now well under the healthy weight range for my age and height. More than that, I feel stronger and faster because of running.

I met a lot of new running friends from the races I joined and from the Filipino running community (takbo.ph). I also write about my running experiences in http://kastilyonglapis.blogspot.com/ and have met new reader and running friends from it. I stay healthy and build friendships through running.

Picture Gallery 

Night befor my second marathon.

OK. We're up and ready..

Girls.. remember the race route please

They're having fun.

I'm still OK here.

The face says it all.. I'm in trouble.

Better luck next time.

Post marathon picture. Smile!

Loving my medal.. I walked at least 12 kilometers for it!

Post marathon meal.. Huling pizza ko yan!!!