LOS ANGELES ? No cramps. No blisters. No sweat.
Manny Pacquiao erased any doubt that he’s suffering from either or both with a vigorous run up the dry, cold mountains of Griffith Park Friday morning.
Pacquiao set a torrid pace that by the time he had the iconic Hollywood sign before him, only one from among his 20 companions stood by him.
The others, including ex-boxers, ate his dust for breakfast.
Mount Lee has an elevation of over 1,500 feet, a steep, circling terrain leading up to the giant Hollywood sign that can be seen from miles away.
It?s a course that?s not for the ordinary man. Even an ATV (all-terrain-vehicle) might have trouble getting up and down any given day.
Later on in the afternoon, the Filipino superstar relaxed on a beach chair, inside the garage of his stylish house in Larchmont.
His black Mercedes and charcoal-gray Ferrari sat outside.
Two men in Pacquiao shirts sat on the ground, each one gently massaging Pacquaio?s massive and precious calves, almost in synchronized motion.
In front of Pacquiao were close to 20 others engaged in a mini darts tournament.
Pacquiao said he gave it all in the morning exercise that he decided to skip his gym session at the Wild Card Gym in the afternoon.
Instead, he invited his troops for some fun.
?Grabe yung ginawa ko kanina (What I did earlier was awesome). Ang hirap nun (That was tough),? said Pacquiao.
In between lines, he directed the mini tournament, and how the pairings went.
Pacquiao looked back at his morning run.
?Sinubukan ko lang ang lakas ng legs ko (I was just testing the strength of my legs),? he said.
At first, Pacquiao couldn?t remember the last time he stood before the Hollywood sign. Then thought it could be the Oscar dela Hoya fight in 2008.
?Yes, the Dela Hoya fight,? he added.
?Okay pa naman legs ko (My legs are still okay). Ganun pa din (They?re still the same). I will climb Hollywood one more time next week,? he said.
Pacquiao had his trainer, Freddie Roach, and team members briefly waiting at the gym by the time they all decided to call it a day.
?It?s okay,? Pacquiao assured.
David Sisson, a 23-year-old son of American missionaries based in General Santos City, was the only one who lasted the distance with Pacquiao in the morning run.
He said it wasn?t easy.
?My legs are aching right now. I managed to stay by him but Manny is really tough. I barely made it,? he said.
The Hollywood sign, first erected in 1923, as an advertisement for a housing plan, was a difficult target.
?As it got bigger before my eyes I knew we got closer. I thought we?d be there in two minutes not knowing that we have to circle around mountains.
?Manny laughed at me and said we were just halfway through. I barely hung on in there,? said Sisson, who speaks fluent Bisaya (a local dialect in the Visayas).
Underneath Pacquiao?s beach chair was a gold blue-tooth speaker that played music that the Filipino boxing icon wanted to hear.
Pacquiao sang along the tunes of Matud Nila, an old Pinoy classic dubbed as the ?cultural anthem? of the Cebuanos.
The boxer who?s in for the biggest fight of all time was having a good time.
?I?m happy,? he said.
?Jesus is happy,? he added.
