Milo Countdown

I’m getting ready, getting readddyyy!!!
Oh boy, what a day it’s gonna be!!!

It’s just a little over a week before Milo and I can’t wait. I’ve completed all my training runs and I only have a couple of easy 5k runs left to do next week and a relatively short 8 mile easy run this Sunday. If I were a rice cooker, I’d just be on Keep Warm mode until the big day.

I can’t help but feel a little nervous though, like the student who feels he hasn’t studied hard enough for the final exams the following day. During my long runs, I usually felt quite exhausted so I’m not sure how I’m going to fare when I run the last 10k on July 5 purely on adrenaline. It doesn’t help that I belatedly realized that there’s a 5 hour cut-off in order for my name to appear in the finisher’s list.

Oh well, I just take comfort that more experienced runners say it’s better to be under- than overtrained going into the marathon. I’d be happy just to complete 42k, no matter what the time.

Botak 42K: Matira Matibay

A few weeks ago, Bards texted me if I wanted to do a 42K long run in the Botak Paa-tibayan marathon. I thought it was a crazy idea since I had just then started my 16-week training program for the July Milo marathon and I felt I wouldn’t be ready. Just when I convinced myself to give it a try, I realized that the run would fall on a Mother’s Day and I would have to be in Pampanga for a Mother’s Day lunch. I checked my training schedule and my Smart Coach said I was to do a 20 mile run that day anyway and so I planned at least that distance for that morning and end my run at Rockwell.

At 4:32AM, runners were still assembling and there was no sign of any starting program whatsoever. No music from the loudspeakers, no announcer to signal the start of the race, nothing. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that the emcee came up on stage to introduce the race organizer who described the route for us. Up this point I had my doubts about the kind of water support and marshals for the race since the route had a lot of turns, but the organizer promised water stations every 2 kms for the first 25 kms and every 1 km thereafter. He also promised a lot of marshals and enumerated a long list of organizations that were supporting the race, including the MMDA, Makati Police and several other volunteer groups. The starting gun was finally fired at 4:58AM.

Starting Line

I kept pace with Bards and Ria throughout the whole run, except a section where minutes after taking 2 bites of my Snickers bar, I felt stomach cramps and I had to find a bathroom super fast. It was a good thing that my support car was nearby and I had to ride the car up to McKinley Hill to find the nearest fastfood store. Before riding the car though, I took off my race bib should anyone spot me and report me as a “cheater”. After relieving myself of my tension, I spotted Bards and Ria again coming up Lawton and we ran together again.

Tight group after the first 5k

Around km. 25 along Buendia, we came across a “36 km” sign and the guy manning the spot insisted it really was 36km. The funny thing is less than a kilometer after that was the 26km turnaround point at the intersection of Pasong Tamo. We expected we should’ve turned right towards Ayala Ave. towards Makati Ave., as printed on the race map but instead, we were directed to turn left to Ayala Ave. extension instead and towards South Ave. then right to Kalayaan Ave. heading to Rockwell. The last water station we encountered was at Buendia and there were no cups at that point. Fortunately, the support vehicle of the Fort Striders offered water and ice to all the runners along Kalayaan Ave. and they were a huge lifesaver as many had been without water for several kilometers already and it was already quite hot.

Energetic Bards at around km. 22

When we finally got to Rockwell, it was already well beyond my personal cut-off time of 8:30AM since I had to get home and get ready for a Mother’s Day lunch at Pampanga. With the 32km reading on my Garmin, I decided to call it a day. I actually was disappointed that I didn’t have time to run anymore since I noticed that I didn’t feel as tired as I usually would when I’d run close to this distance in the past. That must be a sign that my training is starting to pay off. However, I will need to experiment with different foods on a run to find a type that won’t give me stomach cramps. Anyhow, I’ve got another 20-miler in my schedule 2 weeks from now and I can’t wait to get out on the road again.

Special thanks to Bards and the T2 gang especially Harry and Vince for sharing their vehicles for the support crew. It would have been next to impossible to run that distance without you guys.

Congratulations also to Bards for beating her Singapore marathon time by close to an hour! Way to go Bards, ang tibay mo!

What I liked:
- Good quality personalized singlet, although I didn’t get to claim mine at R.O.X. and unfortunately I will never wear it since I didn’t finish the race.

What could be improved:
- Start on time
- A clearer and more detailed race map, given the many turns
- Deliver on the basics: Water stations with cups and water and marshals to guide runners
- A route that doesn’t pass through a busy highway like C-5

Greenfield City Run

When you hear of Greenfield City Sta. Rosa, you probably think of the alternative exit at SLEX when you’re headed to Tagaytay or maybe the outlet shopping malls at Paseo Sta. Rosa. It wouldn’t occur to most of us to run there so we runners were curious when the Greenfield Great Escape run was first announced. Despite the new and unusual race venue, the race was handled by veteran organizers Coach Rio and Vince Mendoza so we were assured of a well organized event.

The half marathon wisely was set to begin at 5AM. I was a bit skeptical that the early gun time could be pulled off but true enough, the announcer was calling a minute-by-minute countdown and at exactly 5AM, the starting gun was fired. Given the summer heat and how early the sun rises nowadays, this was a big plus for the race. The 1st 4km led us through the Pramana village where some new age type music was being played through loud speakers. The music was nice and soothing but not the best to pump you up for a race. A nice touch was the presence of bamboo torches or sulo that lit the way since it was still quite dark at this point. It was a flat, slightly downhill route that led us close to the Greenfield exit at SLEX and soon we were at the turnaround.

We later on crossed the busy Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road to get to the area of the Mamplasan SLEX exit. Along this road, a sound system was also set up where more upbeat and running appropriate music was playing. We passed Laguna Industrial Park on our right and the road to Verdana on our left and we headed north to the Mamplasan exit where we did our turnaround after 13.5km. I had been hitting my target pace up to this point but it was getting hot and it was a slight incline back to Paseo so I slowed down. Runners started overtaking me and I would take a break in every water station to squeeze a piece of foam on my head and take water. Pretty soon a marshal was encouraging us that there was just 1km to go. I did my best to sprint and I managed to squeeze out my fastest lap in the last 5km to hit the finish line. My time was better than Condura but still off my PR. I’ll blame the heat this time around.

After the race, I refilled my water bottles and attempted another 5km to hit my long run target but with the treeless route and the sun mercilessly beating down on me, I called it a day after only 3km.

What I liked about this race:
- Started exactly on time at 5AM to beat the heat and the treeless route
- Fresh race venue / route
- Little touches to make the run more enjoyable like torches along the route when it was still dark and music along an otherwise eerily silent route
- Kilometer markers synchronized perfectly with my Garmin auto lap
- Finisher’s medal that I can show off to my 3-year old son when I get home
- Freebies!
- Ample parking at the venue
- Shuttle bus from Manila to Sta. Rosa
- Online registration

What could be improved:

I couldn’t think of anything to improve on with the race organization itself but certain things about the venue could be worked on:

- Long line entering the parking area at 4:30AM. I thought the guard was handing out parking tickets but there was none so I didn’t understand why there was a long queue of vehicles
- I asked the guard which restroom was open at this time and he seemed clueless. Fortunately a maintenance man pointed me in the right direction.

Overall this was a pretty good race and I’ll look forward to joining the next edition.

After the race, I saw friends Jaymie and Miguel, JunC and Mariel who had just put up their unique he-said, she-said running blog. We were later joined by Jay who had just completed an extra 9km to run a total of 30km.

Condura Stats

Condura must be one of the most well-attended races in the Philippines with a total of 5,274 participants. Most ran 5K but it’s interesting that 21K runners even outnumbered the 10K runners. That’s a clear sign how people are taking running much more seriously today, as it takes a significant amount of training to complete a half marathon compared to a 10K.

The following table is the distribution of the 21K runners by gender and time. I compared this against the 21K distribution I made for the Adidas KOTR last October and they were not significantly different from each other except of course that there was double the number of 21K runners in Condura compared to Adidas.

I compared the participant stats of some of the races I had on file and Condura was truly one of the biggest races. It would be interesting to see how this would stack up against the Milo Metro Manila eliminations.

Congratulations again to Condura’s Patrick and Ton Concepcion for an exceptionally well-organized and attended race!

Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda

Since Sunday, I had been contemplating whether to post a report about the Condura race at all. It was of course very well organized and one of the best races I’ve joined, and the organizers deserve all our congratulations. However, it was also quite a disappointing performance for me. I had written up several drafts and I wasn’t happy with what I wrote since I couldn’t quite express how I felt about my run. Then I read Javy’s Falling Short post and I decided finally to share my own story.

I had hoped to equal or surpass my previous half marathon PR but things did not fall into place this time. I can only blame myself for the things I did and did not do prior to the race: I should have stretched more to avoid the tight hamstrings, I should have put in more miles on the road to build endurance, I shouldn’t have eaten that huge meal the night before the race that made me feel bloated and heavy that morning. In my eagerness to hit a PR, I didn’t pace myself properly and I found myself walking a lot during the last 10K. I also suffered a side stitch that wouldn’t go away for most of the run. I was helpless as I watched runner after runner go past me.

I checked my log when I got home and I confirmed my suspicion that the past few months, I ran some of my long runs faster than my race that morning, including my last long run the previous week where I completed 21k 6 minutes faster.

Running, like life, will have its ups and downs. We just figure out the lessons to be learned and try to avoid making the same mistakes. We move on and try to forget the disappointments. After all, there will be many other races to run, other opportunities for redemption.

10K First Timers Vince and Moyzee: Congratulations!

TBR launches TBR magazine

With Ben, Banggigay, and the Main Man Patrick Concepcion

Chito the Sunday Warrior

25 Years Ago

In 1984, we:

- Had a lot more hair
- Weighed 80 pounds less but stood about the same height
- Had a lot less fashion sense

16 Week Countdown Begins

To all those planning to run the Milo Marathon on July 5, the 16-week training period starts this week. I personally haven’t figured out my training plan, whether to use Runner’s World Smart Coach or the training program that can be downloaded to my Garmin, as reported by i2 Runner. I’ll have to figure this out this week already.

I hope to see you all at the starting line on July 5, 2009!

Bargain Running Shoes!

I recently found one of the best bargains in running shoes ever. I bought a pair of New Balance 1224’s for the equivalent of Php2,670, less than half the retail price in New Balance stores here in Manila.

I found these at the Citygate Outlet mall in Hongkong, selling for HKD419, compared to the Php6,300 retail price here for the same model and color. I also saw the NB859 selling for HKD300+ but I thought the 1224 was already a great bargain. Luckily, they were available in my size, since I got the impression that sizes were limited.

In the same mall, I found outlet stores for Nike and Adidas but I didn’t have enough time to research the different stability and motion control models for these brands, so I stuck with the New Balance shoes that worked for me in the past. Other outlet stores in Citygate include Giordano, Esprit, Armani Exchange, and Polo Ralph Lauren but that’s another story

The Citygate Outlet mall is connected to the Tung Chung MTR station, the station that takes you to the cable car ride to Po Lin Monastery where the Big Buddha is located and is also one stop away from the Sunny Bay station that connects to the Disney MTR line.

Rotary Club of Makati West’s Gift of Life: Comeback Race, Comeback Post

My last race was the PSE Bull Run 2 months ago and it feels almost as long since I last wrote anything on this blog. I’ve been on maintenance mileage mode during my blogging hiatus as I find it mentally difficult to focus on training hard if my next race is still some way off.

Yesterday, I finally joined a race again, my own Rotary Club’s Gift of Life race.

What I liked about this race:

Accurate Time Countdown. The race started at 5:58AM, 2 minutes ahead of schedule, and the countdown was being announced even before 5:30AM. Since I was running laps around BHS prior to the race, this helped me in estimating when I should end my warm-up and proceed to the starting line. I ended up waiting only about 1 minute before the race started.

Fresh Route. Although the race was held at Fort Bonifacio, the organizers made an effort to keep the route fresh. From behind the NBC Tent, we made a clockwise run to 26th Ave., then Rizal Drive, right to 32nd Street and right again towards Serendra. From there, instead of heading towards Lawton, we took a backway behind the Essensa tower and through the rotunda of the American cemetery to take us to McKinley Hill. We also took a long loop inside MKH such that I didn’t see many of the faster runners after the u-turn, like Jonel and Lester, whom I jogged with before the race. The actual race skipped the busy Bayani drive portion of the race that was printed on the the race map provided in my kit.

Marching Band. A marching band was stationed in the latter part of the route, to help give that added push as we conquered the slopes of McKinley Hill.

Freebies! Almost immediately after crossing the finish line, I was handed my finisher’s medal, Cadbury chocolates and bottled water from the sponsors. Further on in the booths, there were free drinks from Powerade, Oishi iced tea and more Cadbury chocolates.

Beneficiaries. Of course, the race is for the benefit of the Gift of Life program that helps children with congenital heart defects fund their needed surgeries. By joining this race, runners make a direct impact to give a child and his/her family a better life.

What could be improved:

Race Distance. Some reported the race to be as short as 9.6km. My Garmin measured it at 9.73km, while it was 9.82km when uploaded to Motion Based.

I finished the course in 55 minutes, not too bad for my standards but still off my personal best, as I was keeping some energy in reserve for the training run I did after the race in preparation for Condura. See you all next week as we run to save the whale sharks!