Today marks the start of another 16-week countdown to the first ever Condura full marathon scheduled on February 7, 2010.

I’ve printed out my new training program from Runner’s World Smart Coach and I’m ready to go. Smart Coach now conveniently allows you to select distance and pace in metric system so I don’t need to convert these manually anymore. The paces that Smart Coach crunched out seem reasonable, especially now that weather is a bit cooler in the morning. I’m just wary of the long runs I’ll need to do around the Christmas holidays, when I’m sure it will be a mental struggle to get out of bed and hit the road.

See you all at the Condura starting line!

I recently completed my 3rd executive check-up in as many years. My executive check-up in 2007 was significant to me since that was my wake up call to start exercising; eventually, that led to my running and racing.

I don’t realy look forward to getting poked and probed all over but I like doing the stress test, more commonly called the “treadmill test”.

The particular test the clinic makes me perform is is called the modified Bruce protocol stress test. The test consists of 3-minute stages on a treadmill where each stage becomes exponentially more difficult as the treadmill speeds up and the incline increases. The test is stopped when the patient cannot go further or hits the maximum heart rate. The heart functions, blood pressure, heart rate are all monitored throughout the test.

Basing on the speeds indicated above, it may not seem very fast but the 20% incline was pretty steep, comparable maybe to the steepest inclines at Maarat and nothing like the hills I’d normally encounter. Stage 6 felt like 10k race pace and Stage 7 felt like running 400m at maximum effort.

In 2007, I was able to complete half of stage 6, before I started running. Last year, I did half of stage 7 and the other weekend, I completed stage 7, a new PR! I actually felt I could go on to stage 8 for a bit more but I’m sandbagging for next year’s check-up

SATURDAY: THE RESCUE RUN

I’ve never run back to back races before but last weekend I was faced with 2 races that I both wanted to join. I was already set to run Milo but I couldn’t ignore the Rescue Run, given that its a charity run that will help out the Ondoy victims. Plus, I’ve never run in MOA and I was curious about the flat course by the sea. I signed up to do the 10K.

I was planning to do a tempo paced run but I didn’t pay enough attention during the route briefing so when the race started, I realized I didn’t know where to go so I had to run faster to keep sight of the pace car.

A bit past halfway into the race, Vener, who was a marshal, encouraged me that I was in 11th place so I upped my pace a bit and I managed to overtake some runners. I ended up running faster than expected, although it was slightly short of my PR. I was conscious of saving enough strength for Milo the following day.

All in all, the Rescue Run was a new and enjoyable experience but more importantly, there was a good turnout of runners who all contributed to a good cause.

SUNDAY: MILO 21K

I had my doubts about starting in Milo. I didn’t get to rest after the Rescue Run and I was tired from being up and about the rest of Saturday, and besides, I ended up with a 10k bib, although I was really looking to do a 21k training run. To top it all, I also didn’t know what time the race would start. I thought these were signs that I shouldn’t even bother showing up but I knew that if I didn’t push myself, I’d never get a training run in that day and I’d hate myself for it.

To make a long story short, I was at the Rizal monument by 5:00 AM and it turns out that the start time for the 21k was 5:30. Surprisingly, my run went better than expected. My legs were not sore as they tend to be after a faster than usual run. I also met up with Jaymie at the start and I ran at a chika pace with her for the most part.

I particularly enjoyed the aid station of takbo.ph where I took an apple slice from Milo finals qualifier i2runner Natz. I thought the apple was particularly juicy and refreshing until I learned the day after that it was actually kept in pineapple juice to keep it from turning brown! Although I didn’t avail of the leg massage from the volunteers, the whiff of efficascent oil was stimulating enough to give me an extra push too.

Around the 17k mark, the sun was shining bright already and I was starting to feel worn down, and I was blaming it on my 10k the previous day. I told Jaymie to go ahead and push her pace, knowing how she was training for a marathon this December. On the other hand, I took it easy for a kilometer or two before I resumed my training pace.

I finished at an estimated 2:17, which is a guesstimate since I forgot to start my garmin immediately during the start of the race and I didn’t bother to run through the chutes, since I was wearing a 10k bib. It was a so-so racing time but a good training run for me. I didn’t expect that I could actually run two races over the weekend.

Thanks to Photovendo for the great pics!

I was at SLEX last night when I saw this:

So who’s that guy beside Coach Rio?

Coincidentally, this will be my wife’s first time to join a race. I finally got my wife to register! I wonder why…

No one can be apathetic and do nothing in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy. I’m sure we all did our share by contributing our time or donating goods and/or money through the different organizations helping out. Here’s one more way we can help while doing what we all love to do: running.

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WHAT IS THE RESCUE RUN?
TRR is an organized run where, in lieu of registration fees, donations will
be collected for the distance you will run. This is not a race so there will
be no souvenir t-shirts, no swag bags, no finishers medals, and no prize
money.

There will be no water stations since we believe that water must be given to
those who need it most: victims of Ondoy. Needless to say, it will be KKB
(kanya kanyang bote or kanya kanyang belt)

A registered participant will receive a RESCUE RUNNERS race bib, which the
runner can wear during the race and in sustaining events currently being
planned for the entire month of October to raise funds for rehabilitation.
(Info will be posted on this blog)

WHEN:
October 10, 2009, Saturday
Assembly: 5:30 a.m.
Race start: 6:30 a.m.

DISTANCES: 3km, 5km, 10k

DONATIONS:
Individual: P200 for any distance
Corporate: P5,000 for 20 runners

VENUE: SM Mall of Asia

WHO CAN JOIN:
- open to all athletes, their families and friends
- anyone who is willing to help while getting a few minutes of exercise
- participants are encouraged to collect pledges from their family or
friends who cannot make it to the event

BENEFICIARY:
All proceeds will be donated to the Philippine National Red Cross for the
Typhoon Ketsana (Ondoy) victims. Our goal is to help provide a continuous
supply of food and water to the stricken areas.

VOLUNTEERS:
We are in need of volunteers for road marshals and secretariat. If you are
interested, pls. contact: RESCUE RUNNERS | 0917 -8374204 | 02-2168521 |
rescuerunners@run4change.com

REGISTRATION:
Starts October 5, 2009 at the following venues:
- The SecondWind Running Store (Maginhawa St., UP Village)
- Recreational Outdoor eXchange (ROX, Bonifacio High Street)
- All Terra Bike Shop (Club 650, Libis)
* There will be on site registration starting 5:30 a.m.

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? WHY NOT VOLUNTEER AT RELIEF CENTERS OR DONATE MONEY?

Effort comes in many forms. Not everyone has access to go to a relief or
evacuation center to help out. While everyone wants to help or pitch in,
their jobs, families and other factors make it difficult for them to do so.
We are organizing the run as a means to help. It¹s purely voluntary.

Meager resources are poured into the effort. This run is a no-frills run.
The only add-ons such as the tents, p.a. system and race bibs are
contributions from volunteers that will help in organizing the run, nothing
more.

Help isn¹t a one-time, big-time effort. Undoubtedly, help is needed
immediately. But with the extent of devastation that the floods have
caused, the need for aid could be overwhelming. Instant relief won¹t give
people their homes back. The victims still need the means to rehabilitate
damaged property and rebuild their homes. That takes time and a steady
stream of resources. The Rescue Run is a means to help in that regard. We
hope to be able to provide aid in other ways down the line­be it through
food, rehabilitation or construction material.

Visit THE RESCUE RUNNERS website at http://run4change.com/rescuerun/

I had been on the lookout for an alternative to my TNF Xenon waist pack and the Nathan Speed 4 was my top choice based on online reviews and storage capacity. The only problem was it wasn’t available in Manila. I visited several local stores in the past but they only had the 2-bottle version. I didn’t want to order this online since I couldn’t decide whether to get the small or medium size; I needed to fit this first before deciding.

Thankfully, I finally found the Speed 4 at that candy store for runners, Runnr. At Php1,595, the price is comparable to amazon.com, excluding delivery charges.

The Speed 4 is ideal for runs of 16km or longer. Its 4 bottles store up to 1.2 liters of water, more than my Xenon, but since the weight is distributed among 4 bottles, it actually feels lighter. The bottles fit snugly, didn’t bounce, and could easily slide in and out of the holster with one hand while running. With my Xenon, I had to tighten it quite a bit around my waist so the bottles wouldn’t bounce. The Nathan’s belt is wider compared to the Xenon and is made of stretch material so it felt a lot more comfortable. No more chafing around the waist!

The Nathan has 2 pockets: a small pocket in front that will fit your keys or a gel pack and a larger one in the rear that will fit a cell phone, money, ID, and a couple more gel packs. I like that the rear pocket had a divider to keep stuff organized. I once experienced powdered fig newtons in my Xenon that found its way into every nook and crevice of my cell phone- my car key bounced around in my pouch, punching a hole in the plastic bag where I kept my snack and slowly grinding my fig newtons. I found out too late many kilometers into my run! No chance of that happening with the Nathan though.

The only feature I would’ve wished for is a roomier rear pouch. Although there is sufficient space for most supplies, I sometimes bring along a camera separate from my cellphone, for you know, snapping pics at the races so I could post them in the blog.

Overall, I’m quite satisfied with the Nathan Speed 4 and I’m glad it’s finally available locally.

Dearest Ninang Cory,

Much has been said about you, your character, your legacy and the difference that you have made for this country and the world. They will always be a source of inspiration to all of us Filipinos.

We are very fortunate that we also had the opportunity to meet you up close when you agreed to stand as our ninang in our wedding. We remember best your advice to “always bring out the best in each other”. And so we could better appreciate this message, you shared with us how you brought out the best in Ninoy and how Ninoy brought out the best in you. Your life was a testament to how you lived up to this ideal. We will do our best to live up to that standard and impart those same lessons to our children, as well as be an example to other couples. You may have passed from this world but your memory will always live on.

Your inaanak,
Dindo and Malou

On the eve of his 37th birthday, Workaholic Runner will be running the San Francisco Marathon. Good luck and happy birthday dude! Don’t work too hard!

I’ve known Workaholic Runner for around 28 years, here’s proof:

After being away for almost 20 years, WR is finally visiting Manila later this year. See you around and hope to run with you.

Now that the euphoria over Milo has died down and I’m about to resume regular training, it’s time to reassess my performance and strategy in order to do better in the next marathon. My only goal in Milo was to cross the finish line but next time, I will have a time goal.

I graphed my Milo pace, my last long run prior, and a 5-hour target pace. I thought I went out too fast in the first half, as can be seen in the graph. I was running 15-20 seconds faster per kilometer than a 5-hour goal pace. I think that contributed to my bonking on the latter half, as can be clearly seen from kilometer 26 onwards when I walked a lot. I could’ve done better from km 26-30 but I was sandbagging for the uncharted territory beyond km 32. Obviously, I needed all the extra energy I could use.

I can’t help but think that if I ran the first 25 km slower, I would’ve probably done better the 2nd half of my run. In my next few long runs, I’ll experiment with running a consistent slow pace the 1st half and see how much energy I’ll have in the last few kilometers to come up with some negative splits. I was able to accomplish this in my last 32k long run when I gave it my all in the last 2k. This of course presupposes that I can avoid hitting the wall at around km. 30. The strategy is easier said than done, I have a long way to go in building endurance to execute to the plan.

The idea of running a marathon first occurred to me late in 2007 when I had barely started running and I decided to sign up for a 10k race in early 2008. Since I could already complete a 10k, I thought it wouldn’t be much more difficult to complete a 42k. Fast forward more than 1 1/2 years later and I’ve realized what a foolish thought it was then and just how grueling a 42k really is.

Last July 5, 4:00 AM, I finally made it to the starting line of my first marathon. My only goal that day was to finish the race – I didn’t set time goals yet based on other runner’s first time marathon experiences where their finish times always seemed longer than what I thought they were capable of, given their 10k and 21k times.

With Harry, our Race Logistics Director and the awesome T2 ladies

With all the warm-up exercises, opening prayer and race course description, I thought that Mr. Biscocho would start the race “late” (meaning at exactly the scheduled time) but when the starting gun fired, I checked my watch and true to form, it was 5 minutes early at 4:25 AM. My plan was simple: pace with Bards as long as I can, run conservatively up to 32k, and give it all I’ve got the last 10k.

Within the first few kilometers, Doc Joe ran up behind us and we were a running trio for 19 kilometers until he peeled off to meet up with Jonel.

Pacing with Bards and Doc Joe

My first 22km went well as Bards and I stayed on a pretty consistent pace. The weather was perfect since it wasn’t until 6:30AM when we first experienced our first peep of sunshine but that quickly changed when there was a downpour while we were in the Lawton / Bayani road area. On km. 23, I found that I needed to take a walk break already so I told Bards to go on ahead since I knew she was targetting to hit 5 hours and I didn’t want to keep her from meeting her goal. On hindsight when I was reviewing my Garmin data, I realized that my heart rate had been creeping up so even though I maintained an even pace, I was growing more weary with every kilometer. At km 23, my heart rate was at 10k race pace levels already.

I was conserving my strength for the last 10km so I practically walked the uphill back to Lawton. At the Bayani road area, RJ kept me company on his bike and paced with me for long stretches.

RJ kept me company along Bayani Road

I approached the T2 aid station right before taking on the Kalayaan flyover again and I loaded up on banaba, Gu and fluids before I headed into uncharted territory.

Getting ready for Kalayaan flyover

As I hit kilometer 32 after Buendia – Paseo de Roxas, cramps started attacking my legs. As I stretched my hamstrings along the road, I could only watch as T2 runners Kathy and Beni passed me. By this time it was already 9AM and the weather had become quite hot and humid, around 31 degrees and the sun was shining bright. I pushed on and would periodically douse myself with water from my hydration pack.

When I stopped at the water station past South Super, to my horror my left knee suddenly locked up and I couldn’t bend it. I had to literally drag my foot for about a minute until the muscles loosened up again and I could resume walking then brief jogs. While jogging, cramps again attacked my right leg, beginning with my hamstring then spreading to my knees. I dragged my legs again as if I didn’t have any knees until they gradually loosened. I worried that if I attempted to stop at any water station again, my legs might cramp so much that I might not finish the race.

As I approached the Takbo.ph cheering squad at Buendia-Leveriza, runners ahead of me would get energized and speed up but I could only keep walking. Gene aka Barracuda Running approached me and asked if he could assist me in any way, if I needed a pacer. Without hesitating, I said yes, I’d appreciate a pacer up to the finish line!

Gene readily walked / jogged with me the last 5km at 10am in 30+ degree weather. He would run ahead to refill my water bottle so that I wouldn’t need to stop at the water stations since I was afraid of cramping again. Along the way he would encourage other runners that were exhausted also and were struggling just to get to the finish line.

Gene aka Barracuda Running paced me the last 5 km up to the finish line!

Finally we passed the US Embassy and we started jogging again and I used my last ounce of strength to give one last sprint towards the finish line. I was just so relieved to have finally finished, and with satisfaction I saw my Garmin read 42.05 km, completed in 5:52. Que of Takbo.ph snapped my photo right after crossing and I apologetically told her I was so tired I could barely manage a smile. I felt like Pheidippides when he finally arrived at Athens!

I didn't make the 5-hr cutoff but I still got my finisher's certificate! Thanks to Vener for the picture

With Mr. & Mrs. Takbo.ph Jinoe and Que, Gene

Gene, Beni, Kathy, Bards, Vicky, Tin and Mesh

Congratulations again to all the finishers last Sunday, notably Jay who did a blazing 3:38, Mesh who finished 7th in the women’s division, Bards who just keeps improving her time by leaps and bounds, other T2 ladies Kathy, Beni, Tin, Kristine: your perserverance and endurance amazes me!

Special thanks to Gene who helped me endure the last few kilometers of the race. Bro, I hope to repay the favor by supporting you in your marathon debut in QC this October – I’ll be there!