Auto Review - May 24, 2009

I've been running in weekly races consecutively for the month of May. The reason why I chose to run in this race is because I knew that the route is going to be challenging.. McKinley Hill kaya... The route didn't disappoint me :)

I was very excited pero mukhang hindi because I was kind of late meaning not enough lead time before the start of the race.. I almost jumped from the car because I really thought late na ako... Good thing they had calisthenics before the race... hehe... cute yon ha...

I rushed my stretching somewhere in the grassy part of the starting area.. I was so intent on my stretching exercises that I didn't notice that red ants were crawling up my shoes.. until one bit me.. I was shocked because my entire left shoe was almost filled with red ants.. Siyempre.. panic ako I screeched I think and ran to the sidewalk pounding my feet incessantly... Kainis!!! Sakit kaya nung kagat ng langgam... buti isa lang... good thing my son wasn't bitten by them kundi lalo pa akong maiinis!!

I liked this race because of the varied participants... The first 2.5 km was mostly uphill.. My heart was pounding so hard after the 500 meters that I doubted if I can finish the route within a decent time... Then I thought, I've been running 8Ks in the gym... Surely I can finish this within 40 minutes...

My running pace improved a lot after the 2.5km mark.. Most of the runners ahead of me stopped at the water station to drink.. I didn't do that because I always make it a point to bring a bottle of Gatorade during a run.. kahit 5k lang hehehe... They gave out rubber bands for the mark which is good kasi I can use it after :) Talking of frugality huh..... I was running and breathing steadily..... No pains at all .. my legs felt really good... In the end I finished the race in 36 minutes... Personal record for me.. Sana accurate ito .. I'm still using my son's Php250 watch eh...
(My sister in Singapore was kind enough to buy me a Garmin 305... arriving in 10 days... Can't wait.. Thank you Tita Lerie)...:)

I wrote my name on the finisher's wall. I felt really good..I hope that I'll be able to write my name on more walls.. in more races in the next 20 more years....

Breaching the 8K

I breached the 8k yesterday at the gym.... :) I ran 8.50 Km gearing up for the 10K. Sad though that on the 31st there's no 10K run.. All are above 10K. Maybe I'd sign up for the IE8 for the 4-miler for the meantime. Good thing I used the reliable Treadmill in the gym... there are machines there that stop at 7.5km. Bad trip yon... :)

I was pretty sore the whole day yesterday. And, when I sit for a long time and stand up I hear my knees click.. wonder why? Hmmm..

My goal is to start running 10k starting Tuesday next week. The biggest challenge there is to wake up early so I can be in the gym at exactly 6:00 am... Then I'd be finished by 7:00 am or 7:30 am which gives me time to the have the gym's coffee which I really like (I'm not into coffee that much anymore).

Maybe I should likewise start using the gym's steam bath??? I forgot all about that na.. It's been a long time and long overdue I suppose. Yehey..

Power Mile - The Fort (May 17, 2009)

Kudos to the organizers of Power Mile. I have never attended a race as well organized as this one. Actually, I emailed the organizers to tell them that I'm expecting lots of water during the race. They answered me back to say that they will make sure of that and make sure they did... I think the runners were all amply hydrated during the race which is very very good. And the water was very cold ergo thirst-quenching...

I went to the race prepared. It was my first 8K. I trained for 8ks the entire week in the gym so I know what to expect in terms of distance. The race started at exactly 5:45 am. It was kind of intimidating to join a longer distance because I felt that the runners were essentially "experienced" runners. But in any case, I wasn't in it to win. It's for personal fulfillment.

As usual I started the race with my normal pacing probably 8 minutes per km. I targeted this one girl who looks experienced that I hope I can pace with. She had a garmin and hydration belt so medyo wrong target which I soon learned. She had a pretty fast pace. I on the other hand made a mistake of wearing a patella band around my left knee hoping that it will help support my knee. However, within 2 km of the race, the band fell of my knee because of the sweat. So I had to go to the side to take it off... Lost seconds for me...

Sometimes it amazes me how an 8km in the gym feels so long outside... That route was quite difficult for me. For one, it was hilly.. Going to McKinley was already hilly, along the S&R was a little hilly as well.. even the stretch along the British school was also uphill... my pacing went from 8 mins to 9 mins per km. Along the S&R stretch I was pacing with this American who I think is about 55 years old or more. We were really running side by side until he went ahead of me and I think finished 5 minutes ahead of me.. Oh well, I'm only 5 while he's 5'10 I think. But still, I hope I can be like him one day... strong and steady....

When I saw the finish line turning right from 5th avenue, I felt so relieved that it was the end. But again, I was confident so I finished strong. I didn't walk anywhere along the route except for quick stops to drink water. I have yet to master drinking while running. Nabibilaukan talaga ako kaya I have to walk while doing it. I finished in 1 hour and 15 minutes based on my Php250 stopwatch.. Haha.. yun ang gamit ko. It's a watch I bought in one of the tiangges in Singapore for my son Rafael na hindi niya ginagamit. I go rather than buy a Garmin I will use this one first kasi newbie pa naman ako... may stopwatch din naman ... haha... (Note: Official time 1 hour and 7 minutes... not bad....)

Running the 8k gave me new confidence that I can do the 10K. Hindi ako humahagod kanina. In fact, I was able to converse agad with my sister at the finish line. By the way, my sister entered the 2 mile and finished in 35 minutes. I'm very proud of her. Way to go...

So the hard part now is which race to run on Sunday... So many races to choose from but I want to be careful with what to pick in terms of route, distance and organizer. Takot ako sa injury that's why I painstakingly assess each. I don't want to overdo myself.. I stretch a lot... I drink ample amounts of water... I don't eat much before a race... I get enough sleep ... I do my after race stretching... Ang tawag dito PRANING!!! Haha.... Di bale na... safe naman....

Botak Paabilisan May 10, 2009

The Botak Run started at 6:00 am and yet I was in the venue as early as 4:30 am!! Lesson learned, check out the exact schedule of your run. Yung 4:30 am pala are for the 42kers... Asa pa ako. So I had time to stretch and do one whole round of slow and relaxed running around high street.

The run for the 5kers started at exactly 6:00 am. Pretty good turnout of participants. The route was again not flat. The 5k is really starting to get easier so I guess it's really time to move up to 8k or 10k. I do my run at consistent pacing for the first 4k then try to increase the pace at the stretch. I felt really happy that I still felt very strong when I reached the finish line. I clocked in at 44 minutes....

My kumpare ran as well today and I'm impressed. He ran the 10k and clocked in at 53 minutes. He's the ninong of my son who's also going to be a priest soon... Kaya pala fit na fit eh kabayo pala tumakbo... :) We all had breakfast at Seattle's Best after with Rafael, my sister, her husband and my niece...

I had the chance to see my form through a short video that my son took of me.. Not bad.. So, in order to keep the challenge up.. I registered immediately for the 8k this coming 17th also in The Fort... The route map looks great. I was able to encourage my family to run the 2-mile as well. Can't wait...

While going around Serendra at 12:00pm, we saw 42kers still walking towards the finish line. They started at 5:00 am.. It must be excruciating to be under the sun for 7 hours running or walking for that matter. I am amazed at their will power. I hope someday I can do that. I will work towards that goal.

Treadmill Run (May 08, 2009)

Yup yup yup.. I am ready for the 8k. I followed the advise of one of the bihasa runners in takbo.ph to just slacken the pace a little. I was able to do the 8k this morning. I was sweating like crazy. I actually felt the sweat drop of my ponytail this morning... Felt really good...

Again, the problem is I get really hungry the entire day... haha.. talaga bang ganun?

And.. I like the fact that I stay on the treadmill a whole lot longer than the others. Most "gymmers" stay on the treadmill like 15 to 20 minutes.. while I was on it this morning for more than 50 minutes doing continuous running...

I am again very excited for the Botak run on Sunday... but more excited to register for the Power Mile on the 17th .... I also have an official photographer with me on Sunday who can take pictures.... my brother-in-law... Kailangan pag tatakbo may picture... Milestone yan.. :) I will also try to ask him to take a short video so I can see my form...

Proper form daw should be like there's a thread pulling your head up.. you should be leaning forward... feet shuffling... hands a little above your hips at a 90 degree angle swaying like a pendulum (di pwedeng 91 kailangan 90 and pendulum swaying ... fist not tightly closed...relaxed breathing)... eh pano ko malalaman kung tama form ko ... eh di dapat may video diba???? :) :)

Treadmill Time (May 06, 2009)

Ran this morning before going to work. Was in the gym at exactly 6:30 am. Since I am training myself for an eventual 10k run, I've been increasing my treadmill run each and every session. I actually ran 5.4 km this morning at a speed of 8.00.. I did a fast walk (how do they call that in runners' lingo?) for the remaining 2 km.

Somehow when you're running alone it makes running even harder. There was this person who used the machine beside me while I was at 4.70 km... his pace made my running easier BUT he stepped right off after 5 minutes... Pambihira... In any case, that distance was the longest I've ran in the gym. Will try to go 6.00 km this Friday.

The problem is I got really hungry the whole day.. I was hungry by 11:00 am.. I was hungry again by 2:00 pm.. At 6:00 pm I was hungry again.. Ano ba ito?? A lot of my colleagues and clients are noticing though that I'm getting smaller... Yipee.... But you know what? I don't think of that anymore. I just want to run and I enjoy it. When I run, I imagine my heart pumping and looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger inside my rib cage... Haha... Seriously nga, I imagine that sometimes. It makes me really smile..

The Southern Race

That was a great and fun race. I was expecting a lot of participants but not that many. The race was also pretty special because both my mom and dad joined the 3k and of course my one and only son Rafael.

I have been nursing a cold since yesterday. I actually didn't get enough sleep last night because my colds were really bothering me. I couldn't breathe thru my nose. I ended up sleeping for only 4 hours. My son on the other hand was so excited for today that he ended up sleeping late as well and waking up very early.

In any case, despite the odds... I still went to the race. I was having 2nd thoughts last night because I wasn't feeling well. But heck!! I waited for this race for a long time... hehe.. colds or no colds I am running. I'm glad I did. It was so fun. I joined the 5k as usual. I'm doing another 5k this Sunday and then I am eventually moving to 8k (5mile). Afterwhich, I will brave the 10k. I think I can do it...

The race started out beside Starbucks ATC. The first 50 meters was already hilly. A lot of people ended up walking the first 50 meters.. I didn't.. I started out running and finished running. I passed a lot of runners and I feel so good about it. As a matter of fact, even with lack of sleep, I feel that my energy level has improved a lot...

The 3k runners started 5 minutes after the 5k runners. I actually caught up with my mom and dad and Rafael at the last kilometer. I kidded my son saying "Hey Rafael, why are you still here? Are you running the 5k?" I go, "C'mon babe we can do this". And we ran the last kilometer with gusto. I still finished ahead of Rafael clocking in at 43 minutes.

I didn't feel tired at all which is a good sign. I was also wearing my new Mizuno Running Shoes which are soooo comfortable. I'm very happy with it.

I'm glad that more and more people are taking up running. It's a good way to spend your Sundays with the Family. The Southern Race was a very well organized race. I didn't see the water stations though along the route but I know there were. I had my own bottle of water so that's just fine. At the end of the route, they were giving out water in very small cups... I think I ended up using up more than 20 cups...hehe.. sorry .. I feel guilty. It's like I don't care about the environment.

Can't wait to do the Botak run on Sunday (May 10). I already registered at 5k... It's going to be in The Fort. First time I will be running in that area... Again, can't wait...

To my mom and dad, great run... I hope you continue running. It's very good for the heart. I hope Rafael continues to run as well.