Mileage This is distance which i have covered for the week : Monday    – Rest day Tuesday   – 20KM Wednesday – 10KM Thursday  – 20KM Friday    – Rest day Saturday  – 0KM Sunday    – 31KM I covered the entire 31km this morning without any sleep due to work. Running with protective eyewear helped a lot – less glare for my tired eyes. Scorched Earth Last Sunday, I started late (read:7am) and the sun was already at its mightiest. If you would still like to do your long run at this time, I suggest that you run in loops. Just make sure that there is a public restroom with running water which you can pour on your body to decrease your body temprature and a convinience store for hydration fluids and food in the loop which you...

Milo Marathon Last week, I joined the Milo Marathon and finished it in 5 hours 14 minutes. Milo Marathon is one of “the” running events in the country.  Being able to join it this year is a first for me, since this is my 1st official Milo Marathon. For the past 2 years, i only joined the half-mary event due to injuries.   Although the route is the same as the previous years, this year was a bit different since  the starting / finish line was moved from the Quirino Grandstand to the Mall of Asia and the routes for the shorter distances (3/5/10k) were changed –  i think this was to prevent the fun runners from consuming all the hydration fluids near the finish line. This proved to be effective since this is the first time I experienced still being able to hydrate  near the finish line. Kudos to Milo and Runrio!   Running in the rain It is the rainy season again and almost all my running shoes are wet. Drying them is a pain. So here is a little tip to make it a bit easier: Remove the insole of your shoes Wash your shoes Let it drip for a while Put paper in your shoes (an entire page of your broadsheet would do) Replace the paper whenever necessary The logic behind it is to let the paper absorb the water from your shoes. When I do it, it usually takes a day before my shoes dry up. Oh by the way, i heard that body glide isn’t as effective in the rain. Is this true ? It’s a good thing that i have always used petroleum jelly.   Asics Gel Kayano 15   The thing about new running shoes is that...

In my attempt to be consistent with my training schedule, I ran 10k this morning. I had my annual flu shot yesterday and according to the doctor, it should be ok to run today.  So here is the result of my run:       Unlike yesterday,  it is warm today (or is it just me ?) because when I reached the 3Km mark, I thought that I went for a swim instead of a run due to the amount of sweat flowing from my apparel.     PCP Run 2 Sundays ago, I joined the PCP 10k run because of the discount we got from a corporate sponsor.   I was feeling a bit under the weather before the race started so what I thought would be an effort-less run turned out to be the opposite.     Hmm .. what happened to my splits ?     After  reaching the finish line, I went to my car and wondered how it is that I feel energized for no apparent reason – could it be the 10 minute walk to the parking area ? the free Gatorade at the finish line ? Whatever the reason is, I decided not to waste my weekend and run an additional 10k towards the PICC area where another race has just concluded.        If I knew that I would be running after the race I would’ve  kept my pace slower so as not to drain what little energy I had stored.     Training Aides   Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves – to avoid further injury     I’ll post my review on these items next time  ...

Instead of starting my run at 4:30 this morning, I waited for the rain to stop – but then, it didn’t .  So, at around 4:50 I decided to give it a go. It’s a good thing that I decided to push on, since the rain didn’t stop until 7:30 am. Running in the rain can be an enjoyable experience – it is way better than running under a humid environment. A lot of things have been said on the dos and don’ts  when running in the rain, so please humor me and allow me to add my 2 cents : Just because you are running in the rain doesn’t mean that your body temperature won’t rise – so it is very important to keep yourself hydrated. I won’t get in to the details as to how much fluids you need to ingest : when you’re thirsty, you are already dehydrated. Sometimes a drizzle can add to the humidity, making your body temperature rise faster. I wouldn’t recommend using a rain coat when running in the rain; hell, I wouldn’t even recommend wearing a raincoat when running under the heat of the sun. Wait, wouldn’t that make it a “sun” coat ?  – I have seen a lot of runners doing this lately: I don’t know if there is a scientific reason for this but I’m sure that people who do this are at a higher risk of suffering from heat stroke. Wear technical clothes – need I explain ?  Imagine running under the rain wearing a cotton shirt : I’m sure it will weigh twice as heavy. This is the most important tip : If you have more than a pair of running shoes,  use the pair which is due for cleaning  This...

With three more PT sessions left, I decided that it is about time that I started training again, even if it involves running short distances only. This morning, I was able to do a 5k walk and a 6k run.  Instead of running in the MOA complex due to the volume of the participants in today’s GMA Kapuso Fun Run, I ran towards the PICC area and then went home.     Runners (or walkers ?) on their way to the Mall of Asia Compound More participants along Macapagal Avenue When I reached home, I felt really good – I haven’t felt like this in weeks Oh by the way, the lock laces are really good – you can wear and remove your shoes...

At the starting line of last week’s  “A  G.O.O.D.  Run”, I was asked by one of the big bosses where I work from if the emecees get paid . I said I think so . He then said that may we should organize our own race  so that we can reap the benfits of the current running boom in our country ; I said we should think of a great name for our race …. I think it has almost been two years since I last joined a 10k race; the reason for which is practicality: I needed to do long back to back weekend runs – and of course the cost.  I joined this one because we have been sponsored by one of our office’s Principals – they would pay 500 bucks : this means that I only had to pay 100 bucks to join the race. Another reason is that  I haven’t ran in almost 1 month due to my injury (my therapist advised against joining this race) – running this race would be a welcome against the monotony of staying indoors during the weekends. What they say about being “de-trained” is true – I had a hard time finsihing this race – the panting was so heavy that I had to to take walk breaks all through out the course – not that I am complaining, after all I can’t run as fast as I want to due to my injury. I finished this race with a chip time of 63 minutes.     Race Result On another note, I have just recently acquired a pair of lock laces which I used on my Asics GT 2140.   My ever-dependable Asics. Let’s see how this one goes...

Prologue I was hoping this year, I would go full circle : from being a pacer during the 1st Bataan Death March Ultramarthon, support crew driver last year and finally a finisher. Well, what can I say ? Just like all those who have hoped to finish their first 102km race , I stood at the starting line happy that finally all these months of hardships are coming to an end as the realization of owning my first ever BDM trophy draws near – only to find out later that it wasn’t meant to be.   Preparation Perhaps anybody who would run their first 102 km race will really seriously train months ahead for it – I followed the schedule , I did my best to gain mileage – no rain nor spells of sleepiness would get in my way to train; I figured that I should also train for sleeplessness since the race would start late in the evening and eventually end late in the afternoon. I even joined endurance activities  like  “THE” fat-ass and joined midnight runs of ultra runner friends who were preparing for their  1st BDM 100 miler – not even supernatural manifestations stopped me then. Every week was ultra distance weekend for me as training required me to run an ultra marathon distance every weekend. For the mental part, I already had a goal- I was dead set on finishing it  the earliest time possible: I have already strategized how to handle the first  7 kilometers as well as the rolling terrain of the first 20+ kilometers. Everything was planned  :  from my apparel, my running shoes, my first aid kit , my food and hydration up to how long it should take me to reach Abucay, my pace...

As usual, work has been more hectic : an audit here, a deadline there , another deadline over there …. ok, I know you get the picture It really is difficult squeezing in runs at 4 in the morning on a weekday, considering that you have slept at 11:30 pm the day before. So this is the best schedule that I came up with last week : Monday – Rest Tuesday – 21 KM Wednesday – 8 KM Thursday – 20 KM Friday – Rest Saturday – 21 KM Sunday – 23 KM I was able to do only 93 KMs for last week and my knees are sore – my weekend runs couldn’t even be considered “long” runs. I hope I could sustain this mileage for this week before increasing it next week. Wish me...

I can still remember the time when I first listened to new wave music, I was a freshman in high school then. It was one of those mundane afternoons where I was scanning the frequency modulation band for relaxing music to listen to while solving Algebra problems. That moment  had  rippled through my life – the attitude, the rock and roll lifestyle and most of all the music – finally, an alternative to the jokes from the supposedly number one pop radio station at the time. The last few days of their broadcast were great  : Zach and Joey in the morning (in the afternoon and in cyberspace) and Tom Lupton’s eulogy to mention a few, brought back happy  memories from 23 years ago. Thank you NU 107 for rocking this runner’s life.    ...

I only ran twice and covered around 15 kilometers two weeks after the P2P 70K run. I have popped the blisters but both of my big toes still retain liquid which I have to pop after my easy jog/walk routines. Recovery isn’t that quick for me – and the leather shoes which I have to wear for work aren’t helping either. I envy those runners who recover quickly. Work has never been easy – it seems that my load has doubled (if not tripled) and I’m getting less sleep than before . I wasn’t even able to enjoy the three day weekend. On a lighter note, both my big toes feel better, hopefully I could start really running again this weekend in order to prepare  for my next...

It  was a ten hour drive from here to Ilocos Norte;  a nice easy drive with most of the tunes coming from the 70s – which felt right for the rainy weather. We arrived there just a few minutes short of midnight. We woke up early the next day, ate crispy dinuguan, empanada, poque-poque and blue-berry cheese cake. Nah, the cake tasted the same up there – it just felt “good” at the moment.         Yummy! There were also a lot of light moments before the actual event; after-all what would life be without it ?     Then came “D-day” …. I sure as hell wasn’t prepared for it – but since I’ve already registered ….     This is the first time I have covered 70K – yup, I got more than what I’ve paid for : a bonus if you must. PAU races are I guess just  that – scenic and filled with surprises Running that distance without training is stupid – I was thinking that if I had difficulty finishing  70k ( I was 4th to the last) , then how the hell am I supposed to finish Bataan 102? I really need better time management between my training and being a corporate IT slave. Thanks again to my support crew and team Bald Runner  who consistently encouraged me to finish the race even when I was already dead set on giving up.   Bangui Windmills – a class of its own .. Since “70” is the word for the day, here is a song from that decade which we kept playing on the car radio while driving up North.      ...

Fall Has Started12°C, partially cloudy and the sun shining really bright at times…definitely the perfect run in a long day while waiting for my fiance to get home from work after checking on websites and cleaning up his place. Went to Sweden to visit him for a month, I guess one last run alone before flying back to Manila (aside from the long walks we have that would last at least a couple of hours) is what I needed so that the hours of wait until he gets home would seem faster   Rocksmurfen and CrazyGraceAs I started to walk towards the jog route, I started to freeze a little and got a runny nose so I started running. I’d stop awhile to see if a car would hit me, and sometimes to stare back at drivers slowing down to look at me. I think it was because I had dark hair and looked foreign (uh, let’s say…Asian? Duh! Haha!) or probably because I only had my really thin Nike running shorts, New Balance running shirt and a windbreaker while the other two joggers / runners I saw were wearing thick jogging pants and fleece jackets. Hehe, stubborn might actually be an appropriate word. Lazy to dress up? Hmmm… I will keep this short because there’s nothing technical about what I did, it was just a normal “stroll” down the jogging path around here. Had I been training, I would have gone longer at this temperature. Until then, all I have to show is the video below. I will be leaving soon, and though it will be very lonely and sad for both of us, we gotta keep our spirits high. Not the best thing to say but here it goes anyway: Manila, I...

  This morning, I was able to run almost 30 KM.  I feel a sense of accomplishment- it has been almost 4 months since I have stopped running due to an ankle injury and work related training during Sundays.  The only other long run that  I completed before this  was running 25km during the Milo half-marathon ( yup, i added loops before heading for the finish line). It’s also my first time to run that distance alone ; you see running  that long by yourself is very difficult. It’s a good thing that I brought my iPod with me to keep me entertained. I  had to take a different route for this run since MOA was filled by the participants of the Rexona Run.   Cones lined along Macapagal Avenue … This is the first time I ran this route alone … When I reached the Quirino Grandstand, I was looking for the mosaic containing President Cory’s pictures but didn’t find any … This is the distance I have covered upon reaching the Quirino Grandstand according to my GPS watch. It seems that I wasn’t the only one doing a long run this morning – I met Pat of Takbo.ph twice. Upon reaching the 28th KM I suddenly felt weak,l then I remembered :  I didn’t eat breakfast! Almost 30 KM – I had to stop due to the heat; next week I’ll try to start...

Half a year ago, I have decided to indulge myself with work as a Production Director, something I can do aside from being a Web Designer while working at home. I used to walk at least an hour a day, and workout when I have the time. Sad thing is, I got too busy and I ended up with no workout at all (not even walking) before independence day. I decided to “runstart” my routine by joining the Milo run this year. I did not, however, literally mean it to be exactly like that! Left the house at almost 5am and hailed a cab that only brought us to 2KM from the starting line (Roxas Boulevard had already been closed) and my brother’s 21KM race starts at 0530H. I was able to record a video of him, the last of the runners, trying to put his knee support (if I’m not mistaken) in place because he’s forgotten to fix it while in the cab. He shows up at 00:43 below 😀 Also recorded the live band playing an upbeat tune for the remaining runners: It felt like I was in the MRT while trying to get into the starting line for the 5KM run. Not only was it too crowded, but people actually had to stop and wait (yes, that included me!). Monster Magnet’s song was just perfect for my ears at this time so I tried singing to it a bit just to keep myself calm. When I got to the starting line…oh, what fun. Haha saw Mr. Zorro The Runner greeting everyone with a red flag (ser…ano bang nakalagay sa bandila mong hawak? sorry hindi ko makita hehehe). Even shot a video of him waving the flag haha…fangirl? Nah, just channeling my...

Lately, I have returned to sedentary-overworked individual mode. There were no regular training runs save for a few like the back to back weekend when I did a 21k on a Saturday and  then a day hike in Tarac ridge in Bataan the day after.  Should I mention that I slowed everybody down?   Thanks to Jeff for the photo I took a 2 week break afterwards before running again due to an ankle injury.  You see,  I wasn’t supposed to run yet but I was able to acquire a GPS watch ….. Timex Speed + Distance A bit cumbersome, don’t you think ? I think I have aggravated the injury, oh...

I used to remember when I complained a lot about not having enough water stations, but after the 2010 edition of Globe’s run for home, I think I should complain about having too many water stations ….. not! Well,  it almost was your typical 21Km run along the Makati – Global City area, except that this race started in Makati and ended in a different street in Makati. It was fun being able to run under the greenbelt tunnel for the first time – a nice new route which you can’t run on a regular day. No PR for this 21km run (some say it was 22+km, who cares ? as long as the distance is not less than what we paid for) . I finished it in 2:30 – I am still under the weather but I thought that since I paid for it, I might as well run it, hehehe....

“takami no kenbutsu” The first time I heard that phrase was when I watched the movie “L change the world” – loosely translated, it means “observe from a vantage point”. This would be my second time to be a part of  ultrarunner Isko Lapira’s  (aka   David Goggins of the Philippines) support crew. The only difference is that I am the only driver for the entire duration since Ian can’t make it due to an office activity. This year’s chores weren’t as hard as last year’s, since pacers are no longer allowed- giving me enough time to catch some zs in between check points. But that was just that, for the second year I am still watching things from a distance. I figured that since I was able to survive this January’s 50k test run plus last year’s BDM pacing experience , I might as well join the same 102km event next year (gulp!) – knowing  Isko, he will probably move up to the 145Km category … ang tibay talaga!   Breakfast at KM 50 The Sands of Pampanga See you in next year’s Bataan Death March 145 KM   Albert, BR, Isko and...

These past few Sundays, I have been doing long runs – the last of which was joining my CAMANAVA runner friends Isko and Jomar  prepare for the recently concluded 2010 edition of BDM 102.  They did 52 Km while i did 30Km only. It was after that when I realized that my Nike Triax would need replacement soon. After all, it is the only pair I have and after around 600 KM …. So now, let me introduce you to my little friend (drumroll please) … The Asics Gel-Nimbus 10   I really like Asics GEL Technology   I hope that I can break it in before this Sunday’s Globe run for...

Before I even started running , I have already summited several of our country’s mountains. So whenever there is a trail run on the race calendar, I really try my best to participate in it. The North Face trail run in Nuvali is one of the best trail runs I have ever joined due to the following : Cheap registration fee. Near Metro Manila (no need to bring a tent or get a hotel room) Shuttle Service was provided (although I didn’t avail of this service) Nice race distance – although it would’ve been better if they had a 50k category  (something to look forward to in TNF Baguio) Ample water stations Lots of marshalls TNF and PUR really did a great job with this one; the trail wasn’t that difficult but it gave people like me who haven’t hit the trail in quite a long time just the right dose of endorphins Congratulations to TNF and PUR for a job well done.   The 22k starting line. The race started at 5:45 am instead of 5:15. The Dawn Blue Skies (Road) signs of the times George of Team Hardcore – he covered more than 22KM as he was running back and forth the trail. IDOL!!! Nice view! Never mind the runner, hehehe This pair used to be color gray …. The second river crossing – view from the top Nice stairs There were a few of these rock formations along the trail … I miss...

I remembered my first Condura experience when I ran my first half-Mary in the Skyway last year – it was awesome! So, when this year’s edition of the said race was announced, I definitely had to register. You see, the half-mary last year was just that : half of the skyway, so I thought that it was a good idea that the Concepcion brothers included the full marathon event. It has been a well documented observation in the  running community that organizing races has turned into a profitable business with some organizers more interested in making a quick buck rather than satisfying their participants. That is the reason why starting this year, I am choosing the races that I join (and being a bandit with the rest, hehehe). I know that quality has an expensive price tag that goes with it ; so even if I had hesitations in joining this race due to the expensive registration fee , I still joined the 42K event and I’m glad that I did. Fireworks lit up a seemingly cold and tense morning where the 42K runners were preparing for the end of the countdown that would start the event. This is a refreshing scene compared to the usual Sunday morning race start.  Everybody was happy and excited to run! The challenging but enjoyable part of the race started early on as we ran around the Fort area , claiming one ascent after another before we scaled the Kalayaan flyover towards Buendia – this part of the route was dark since the streets we traversed had no lamp posts on it. The vertical path which was the Kalayaan flyover as well as the rest of the Makati area was well lit and lively with the presence of...