Breaking the Barrier

I have been longing to break the sub-50 minute mark for the 10Km distance race ever since the Milo Elimination races last July 5. While I improved my time at 53:42 last July 19 on the Globe Runfor Home, it's just a little faster from the Milo 10Km which was 56:16.

So for three full weeks, I re-engineered my training program and is now on the verge of breaking the 50-minute barrier. How?

1. Varied Type of Runs. Easy runs for maintenance and adding mileage for non-heavy workout runs (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). Long runs to develop endurance (Sundays in Cavite). Interval runs to improve running speed and increase anaerobic threshold (Tuesdays). Tempo runs to develop strength endurance and simulate running at race pace (Thursdays). Different types of runs help running 6 times a week become more fun and less monotonous. Each type of run is designed to improve different aspects of running.
2. Increased Hours and Running Mileage. For the Milo and Globe races, I ran 3 times a week. Longest time was 30 minutes that covered roughly 4km. For the upcoming race, I run 6 times a week. Longest was 60 minutes that covered 8.5 km.I think, I have ran 20kilometers on both preparations for the Milo and Globe races. I ran a total of 75 kilometers in three weeks for this upcoming race alone.
3. Developing Leg Strength. I use weight lifting to strengthen my calves and legs once a week (Fridays). Weight exercises include squats, dead lifts, lunges and leg curls. I jog the stairs from 4th floor to 14th floor 5 times a week. My Sunday long run includes hills and upward elevations. Leg strength keeps you running on a sustained pace and helps avoid leg cramps.
4. Developing Running Speed. Interval runs and Tempo runs are heavy workout runs to develop speed and improve stamina. I jog the stairs downwards from 14th floor to 4th floor. By running fast downstairs, I improve leg speed and faster leg turnover. Running 6 times a week helps me lose weight. Less pounds helps me run faster.
5. Core Drills. I allot 15 minutes of core drills three times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays). These drills help me strengthen my core muscles which helps me run stronger, faster and in a much better form. Includes crunches (upper body crunches, leg crunches, bicycles), superman, bridges and planks.
6. Better Running Outfit. I already bought an Adidas running shorts. It does not hamper my leg movements. It's made of lighter fabric. It does not absorb a lot of sweat and is designed to provide better running comfort and lets air easily goes in and out of the legs for cooling comfort.Still have to buy a pair of running shoes. Probably after I have met my short term goals, I would buy shoes as my reward..
7. Technical Running Knowledge. Thanks to http://www.runnersworld.com/ and Lydiard's training method, I was able to create my own running program.I am also more aware of every step, running form and my running capacity.Food and nutrients, enough sleep, and different running types and running paces help me reach my goal faster.
8. More Confidence. After all those hours and kilometers of hard work, I am more confident of getting the job done.

After all of these, it's now easier to imagine how I will perform this coming August 9. I will keep you updated on my race time and see if all of these changes helped.

UPDATE:

Close but not quite. It was a pretty good race at UP. I started very close to the head of the pack. I started strong and finished stronger. I pushed myself so hard that I was sprinting the last kilometer. But the performance wasn't too strong enough.

I clocked in 51:03 on my stop watch and the official time reads 51:19. It's a NEW PERSONAL RECORD!!!

I felt short of my goal yet again. I am happy with my performance nonetheless and hopes to break the sub-50 minute barrier the next try. I just got to be patient.

Looking at the stats, I have improved from 56:16 (Milo Race last July) to 53:42 (Globe Race last mid-July) and then to 51:19 (Hataw Pilipinas Race this August). That's 4:57 minutes of improvement for just one month. :)

I'll be back to practice runs.Keep running.

EXTRAs:

Bumabalik yung cramps ng binti ko.. binilisan ko kasi masyado yung mga huling kilometro.. Sign na mejo pinilit ko yung katawan ko to finish strong.

Pero masaya.. nde ko na-reach yung target kong time.. Masaya pa den kasi ginawa ko yung lahat ng makakaya ko. I could not think of a better performance mula sa sarili ko relative sa present running capabilities ko.

Nung umpisa.. gusto ko habulin lahat.

Nung kalagitnaan na ng takbuhan.. sabi ko.. "spaghetti.. spaghetti.. naghihintay ang hon ko.." She promised na pagluluto nya ko ng spaghetti pag nareach ko yung target time ko na 48minutes eh.

Nung huling dalawang kilometro.. chini-cheer ko sarili ko.. "push.. push.. push" So bibilis yung mga paa ko.. Pag nararamdaman kong bumibigay na ulit yung mga paa ko at unti-unti na naman akong bumabagal.. Chi-cheer ko lang ulit sarili ko.. "push.. push.. push"

Nung huling kilometro na.. Sabi ko sa sarili ko "ibigay mo nang lahat.. mamaya ka na magpahinga. yung takbong wala kang pagsisihan sa huli."

Walang spaghetti na iluluto para saken ang hon ko to celebrate an achievement.. pero I could still smile a lot after yung race.. kasi alam ko I'm getting closer and closer sa goal ko.

More practice. Patience. Hard Work pa.