TULOY PO KAYO sa aking munting kastilyo.... WELCOME TO KASTILYONG LAPIS ....

Feb 23, 2010

Run for a CAUSE: Run for HOME

What better way to do in a Sunday than run with our friends and loved ones and where each step we all take changes the lives of others? Doing that thing we love to do and at the same time helping our needy fellowmen to have a decent home to live in? We will run for a cause, we will run for home.

Win or lose, a new personal running record or not, the real winners would be these poor Filipinos who could not afford a decent home. Let's do this. Let's run for home.



The Race Venue

Coach Rio of www.runrio.com led us through the race routes of the 3k, 5k, 10k, 15k and 21k running distance categories. Participants would be running under the shades of the towering buildings at the heart of Makati. 



All race categories will run through Makati's Ayala Triangle. The starting line will be located in the Paseo de Roxas side of the Ayala Triangle going to Makati Avenue and then to Ayala Avenue. 5K runners will go as far as the Buendia Avenue and the 10K, 15K and 21K runners get to cross the Kalayaan flyover all the way to the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and back.

This will be my home court except for the Kalayaan flyover. I have been training here in Makati since the Milo Marathon last year. So let's see how the Makati runners respond to this unique experience to run mostly in the comforts of our running grounds.

Unique Technology: First from Globe


Champion chips will again be used. This is one of the first races in the country to use such advance timing technology. And continuing with the Globe's commitment to serving us with the latest technology, participating runners get to have their Facebook Walls automatically updated with their race times. Facebook mania. For this auto update feature, Facebook users should download and install a Facebook application  (Facebook Live Updates via Champion Chip).

Not yet convinced? Well, here's something to spice up your imagination. What if your facebook friends, your family, your network of friends and everyone who have an access to the internet can see your streaming video at the finish line? Wouldn't that be something truly awesome? Yeah. Globe will offer a free streaming video of the runners crossing the Finish Line. Yehey. Your facebook account gets to updated every time you cross a reading / sensor station. As you get nearer and nearer to the Finish Line, your family and network of friends then get to check out your Finish Line moments right in front of their computer screens.

Globe Run for Home and the Champion chip reminds me so much of the oh-so-sweet Christine Reyes. Can we run now, Globe? Please do invite her again. Please. Please. Please.



 The Earth-Friendly Singlet
 

Check out Globe's Run for Home 2010 Singlets. Every singlet is actually made from 3 recycled PET bottles. This race is not only technologically advanced, it's earth friendly as well.


So what are you waiting for?

Go register at globe.com.ph/run/. Discounts and Promos available. Race Day is on March 21, 5AM. Registration ends on March 5, 8:00 PM.

Globe is donating a portion of the proceeds to Habitat for Humanity Philippines, with the common goal of building communities through volunteerism. Habitat for Humanity is a global organization dedicated to uplifting people’s lives by providing them affordable and durable housing.   In partnership with Habitat for Humanity Philippines, Globe will support the construction of new housing units to address the need for resettlement of the informal settlers from the Pasig riverbanks, a project initiated by Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig (KBIP).  Run for Home 2010 will help fund the construction of houses in Bayanijuan sa Calauan, a 100-hectare resettlement community in Barangay Dayap, Calauan, Laguna. This initiative is part of the Ayala Group of Companies’ commitment to build communities for those in need.

My Personal Goal

Globe is actually the race I have been waiting for to set my 10Km race bench mark. Starting January 2, 2010, I have set my eyes and dreams on conquering this race before I get to prepare and train for my marathon dreams. It would be real tough to race a sub-40 minutes 10Km with a route going through the Kalayaan flyover. But as the saying goes.. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. So let's go do this.

Feb 22, 2010

My Triple Bloopers at the Superbods Run

I found a way (make that three ways!!!) to turn a beautiful event into a bad one - almost.

When two of my running friends and I arrived at the Superbods Run, I was just amazed by the runners turnout. A little less than 12,000 runners from all walks of life participated. The little kids including babies on strollers (well I suppose they were just there to be watched by their yayas) up to the oldies.

Even dogs participated.

It promised to be a good event. Did it live up to the hype?

The Race: Was it Organized?

I could only attest for the 5K race and some. The color coding on singlets and bibs made the race category distinctions clear. You could tell the distance a person is running. And that helped the marshals and organizers control the crowd better.

A huge TV screen was also well positioned just in front of the starting line. Some twenty minutes before the race starts for the 5K, two thickly muscled men and a sexy lady led the way to some stretching and warming up. A few minutes before the race, a video tour of the race route was presented to the runners. That was the first route video presentation on race day I've seen since 2008.

Then the video countdown before the race starts. That was fantastic. Huge numbers flashed on TV screen counting down the remaining seconds up to the start. Just fantastic. Runners in front of me were so excited they were jumping up and down. :D While it was fun to see and witness up close, I think the wasted energy and the adrenaline rush at the starting line might prove disastrous for me. I need to conserve all my energy on running the 5K race if I want a new PR. So I did not jump and down and shout in excitement. I just stretched my quads and hamstrings up until the final second before we started.

My Race: How I turned a Beautiful Race Ugly

I was looking for a 5K race, I ran for 6K.

I started near the front of the pack, about the 15th-20th row. I can't get nearer than that. After the start signal, I had to maneuver over hundreds of runners to get a freeway and run against time.

I did have the freeway I needed after a 3:55 minute 1K. Unfortunately, my left shoelace got untied. Thankfully, it wasn;t the shoe where I placed the timing chip. This was the first of my three blunders of this relatively short 5K race.

After the 2.45K halfway point, I was running for 10:12 minutes (***8th among 1890 5k male runners). Then another blunder, I got mixed up with the runners going into the Rotonda Loop, when I was suppose to get out of it and ran back towards the Finish Line.
***Correction: I was not 8th after the 2.45K split, I was tenth.
Rank Bib# Name RkTot Cat RkCat FinishTime ChipTime Split_2k45
1 4624 Gerald Sabal 1 MB 1 00:19:57 00:19:55 00:07:53
2 4623 Jujet De Asis 2 MB 2 00:19:57 00:19:54 00:07:54
3 7515 Ben Alejandrino 3 MB 3 00:20:00 00:19:58 00:07:55
6 7166 Leowefred Zambrona 6 MB 5 00:25:30 00:25:27 00:08:51
5 6555 Ronald Salgano 5 MB 4 00:20:28 00:20:25 00:08:52
7 7053 Jun Rondilla 7 MB 6 00:25:34 00:25:31 00:09:00
4 6754 Jon Trimble 4 ME 1 00:20:15 00:20:12 00:09:10
54 3949 Rodrigo Narod Eco 71 MB 38 00:28:29 00:28:22 00:09:36
11 6943 Ryan Danguilit 11 MB 9 00:26:01 00:25:57 00:09:54
23 4449 Jayson Deuna 29 MB 19 00:27:04 00:26:55 00:10:12


I ran 3Km in 12:50 minutes (4:17 pace). Thanks to the untied shoelace and a wrong turn at the Rotaonda, I wasted a few seconds off my 4:00 min/km target pace.

My last and most unfortunate blunder of the race was to run an extra kilometer or more. I did not notice the turning sign for the 5K runners. Nor did some of the faster 5K runners I was running with. We got lost. We ran 6++ kilometers.

I did sprint to the finish and recorded a finish time of 27:04 minutes, ranked 23rd place. It wasn't my best race. But it was lots of fun. The uphill climb took the speed out of me. I did lots of blunders and I paid for it.

There were lots of runners and somehow, it boosted my energy and sense of competition. I was actually strong enough to outrun packs of runners in front of me from start to finish. I was also foolish enough to run more than the required 5K, maybe the race marshals should take part of the blame as well. Next time, I should memorize the race map and look out for race signs.

Overall: A Fun Fun Event

The face towel, the loot bag with a canned Tuna, the Gatorade drink and the Century tuna food at the finish line all made up for what was supposed to be an off day for me. I was tired and tested after a 6K run. The face towel, the food and the drinks were very refreshing. I got full after those Tuna Salad, a banana, Century Tuna turnover and Pandesal with Centura Tuna. I also got a tasty Nature Valley's Granola Bar. 

The run was very competitive with thousands of runners going at it. The freebies were plenty, delicious and healthy. There were also post-race events like the Go-See supermodel event and the Electronic Bike competition to keep the crowd excited. Elite runner Eduardo Buenavista took the first prize at the 21K category earning him a whopping P42,000, a new pair of Nike shoes and a Timex watch.

Click Below for the Race Results:
  1. Men's Division 3K | 5K | 10K | 21K
  2. Women's Division 3K | 5K | 10K | 21K
My 5K PR could wait. The sub-20 5K target was just not there for me in this race. I believe that in the end of it all, I was not just racing for a PR, I was racing to have fun. And last Sunday's Century Run, I got lots of it.

Feb 9, 2010

Easy Runs: What for?

Season 2: The Road To Boston

Chapter 2. Road Work

2.5 Easy Runs: Take it Real Easy

You are born to run.. Much like this Ferrari F1.

Building your body lean and mean.. Be the best the world has ever seen.

No quitting, just surviving.. You can take the win.

Run strong and fast and keep believing.. A Ferrari thrives within.

A Ferrari thrives within. Oh Yeah!!!
It might have been much better if an actual Ferrari can be used in road racing, though. :p

As a runner, we submit ourselves as engines and cars on road racing. We 'ride' our own bodies from start to finish. It is therefore a must, to take care of our bodies and make sure that it is at its best come race day. Maintenance is a must . Injuries are nightmares for there are no spare parts.

For elite runners, to race is to win. For the competitive ones, to race is to be at their absolute best - be it a PR or a longest distance ever endured and finished. For some others, they just come to run or walk and enjoy their way to the finish. Whatever the goal is, every runner wants to be in near perfect condition come race day.

Still, injuries mount and sideline so many runners for weeks, months or years, God forbid!. We either train too long to reach farther distances or too fast to register faster times. Long slow distance runs (LSD), Tempos and Intervals are the runners' best tools to seek these improvements. Admittedly, runners do want to ran faster and longer.

We do want to unleash the Ferrari within us. To bring out the very best that we believe and know we are. I know I do.

The thing is, unlike a Ferrari or any other engines, we get tired. We're humans. Our muscles do get exhausted after a hard training run. And we need to rest and recover to be able to fire up our engines for another grueling run.

For dedicated runners, rest and recovery is both a mental and physical battle. We often want to keep improving and get going on the road. Two problems of runners are (1) over training (or burn out) and (2) running too much too soon. I am guilty of both, especially last year when I decided I'd be a marathoner. Competitive runners not only need to train hard, long and fast. They also need to build enough mileage. And building enough mileage is no easy task.

Fortunately, there are Easy runs. Easy runs are like maintenance check ups for our engines within. By doing these easy maintenance runs, we get to rest from long and speed workout runs. We run slower and shorter. We let our legs and lungs recover. And still be able to log running miles. Running easy for 2-3 times a week will have huge impact not only by letting our body recover, it also piles up kilometers and kilometers on our training logs. It lets us build mileage while resting and recovering!

With these benefits of running easy, how many runners actually go for easy maintenance runs? How many times a week? How slow and how short?

Remember, we have muscles and tissues and not engines and spare parts.

Take it Real Easy

I have easy runs on my training schedule. I have it twice a week and 5-10 kilometers for each easy run. Sometimes though, I still push myself harder than necessary. Almost forgetting to take it easy and use it to let the muscles recover from speed work or from Sunday's long run.

I have written this entry to remind myself of the benefits of running easy. Of just enjoying the run. I can also pay lots of attention to my running details while running slow. Am I stooping down? Am I swinging my arms too high? Am I still using my forefoot for landing or striking? Or am I using the heels? Do I run tall? Do I run soft? How's my breathing patterns? Etc.

When I run slower than my race pace, I can see the imperfections and faults that I do especially when I'm getting tired and lazy. When I run fast, the focus is just running fast and I often forget about the details.

I can now see clearly why Easy runs are so important. And why they are sometimes called maintenance runs.

Feb 6, 2010

Derek Ramsay and the Century Superbods Run

Hunk actor Piolo Pascual ran the Timex 2009. Then Dingdong Dantes participated on the Yes Pinoy Book Run 2010. Now it's Derek Ramsay's turn to make the upcoming Century Tuna Superbods Run this February 21 a much more exciting event. A healthy body requires a healthy lifestyle and to see such gorgeous men participate on running events only serves to promote that notion.

Hardcore runners might not pay attention to such event endorsers but casual runners and non-runners will. It helps the running boom sustain it's momentum and perhaps shine even brighter. I now see TV commercials promoting these events. And TV news and showbiz programs also cover and report about the "star-strucked" running community. Piolo did extremely well on his 10-kilometer race. He just smashed the sub-50 minute 10-kilometer race time! Dingdong also did pretty well on his 28-minute 5-kilometer Book Run.

So how will Derek Ramsay perform on the road? More importantly, how will runners and non-runners respond to Derek Ramsay promoting the Century Superbods Run?

The sexiest.. the year's biggest.. the most star-studded celebration of health and fitness.. this running event is expected to gather the country’s hottest celebrities. WOW! And this one is really explosive.. All race finishers get a chance to become the next image models of Century Tuna and win P100,000.

Not so fast. What about freebies? Will the majority of the participants who will not be fortunate enough to be the next Century Tuna model get some freebies at the finish line?

Yes! There will be freebies they say as they launched this sexiest, biggest and hottest race event of the year. 


The event, which was launched recently at the National Sports Grill in Greenbelt, will gather the country’s hottest celebrities and running enthusiasts to participate in exhilarating race events as well as to enjoy exciting activities, raffle treats, freebies and a lot of other surprises.

As a brand dedicated to health and wellness, Century Tuna is not only committed to delighting customers with high-quality, delicious and healthy products, but also through events and activities that encourage and inspire people to start an active and healthy lifestyle,” said Century Canning Corporation general manager Gold Tantoco.

With the Superbods Run, Century Tuna aims to give health buffs an exciting way to get fit and healthy this 2010. To know more about the event, visit www.centurysuperbodsrun.ph.

And for all those runners who love to run for a good cause, the event also aims to raise funds for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Come February 21, 2010, let us continue to celebrate an active and a healthy lifestyle. I will be looking forward to my first race of the year. And my first attempt to break the sub-20 minute 5-kilometer race. And a handful of Century Tuna products at the finish line. ;)


Registration Details



@ The Superbods Launch

Century Canning Corp.’s Leo Po, RunRio project manager Kaye Lopez, Derek Ramsay, and Superbods 2009 winners Theresa Fenger and Van Victor Leaño

Reema Chanco and Leo Po


Century Canning Corp.’s Angela Gamboa and Gold Tantoco with Gatorade’s Ton Gatchalian

 
Superbods 2009 winners Theresa Fenger and Van Victor Leaño

  
Derek Ramsay

  (From left) WWF’s Mayj Tolentino, Chrisse Olayres and Joanne Ignacio with Derek Ramsay

 RunRio project manager Kaye Lopez and PC&V’s Aylnn Tenorio

 
(From left) Century Canning Corp. R&D Division’s Mon Macaisa; senior product manager Macky Macapagal; R&D Division’s Mary Jane Terbio; Century Corned Tuna endorser Derek Ramsay; and Century Canning Corp. executives Angela Gamboa, Gold Tantoco and Leo Po

Feb 5, 2010

Need Help: 3Km Race Plan

Hi Guys,

How's your training going? Good luck on your own different upcoming races.

I wrote this entry to seek your running advice. I am really hoping to beat the 4:00 min/km in my next road races. Just this morning, I finished my 3 kilometer tempo run.


I did three laps on the 1K loop above. On my first lap, I clocked in a 3:44-minute kilometer. Great. However, I only managed a 4:07 and a 4:15 on the last two laps. I finished the 3K run in 12:06 minutes.

My strategy is to run at top speed for 200 - 300 meters, recover for 100 meters and then run at top speed again.. and then recover. Similar to what I do during interval training.

My strategy seems to work only on the first kilometer. On the succeeding kilometers of this 3K run, I cannot hold the speed any longer and needs lots of recovery time. As a result, I am slowing down more and more.

My question is.. Should I continue with this strategy and just improve on my recovery time? Or should I just run below my top speed to completely rid off of those slow recovery times?

As of this writing, I can think of two solutions for my slow downs:

1. I still have more than two weeks on my schedule for Interval Training. I could use that time to improve my recovery times. I train for 8x400 meter intervals with 400 meter recoveries and then 6x800 meter intervals with 400 meter recoveries. I plan on running intervals with less recoveries.

2. To avoid slow downs after running on top speed, it would be better to just run just below my maximum speed. I will run my next Tempo Run with a consistent pace from start to the last 400 meters. Only after that will I run at top speed to reach the finish line.

I need your advice on this. Please help. I am so near on my target and yet still so far from reaching it.

Thanks and Regards,
Jayson

Feb 4, 2010

High Intensity Intervals: Might or Myth?

Some 6 or 7 years ago while jogging at the U.P. Diliman Acad Oval, I wondered if I could be a track athlete. Maybe I'm born for this thing. Maybe I could run really good. Then some lean runners passed me by and made me eat some dusts mixed with dried old tree leaves. Reality does bite. And when it bites, it most often hurts.

Back to the present day as I know it.. I'm still running and still dreaming if I could be a track athlete. And about 20 pounds heavier. Could I really run as fast as the elite Pinoy runners? Maybe I have a chance. Just maybe. Just a little secret between the two of us, I started to keep track of the Fastest Pinoy Runners, because maybe someday I could keep up with their pace. I have their fastest times so I know what to expect when I compete. My blood's boiling as I type these words as I have been waiting for a long long time to compete with the elites. And then reality bites again. And then all I have are dusts to eat.. Dusts and only dusts again.

I started road racing last November 2008 on Race for LIFE. 10 kilometers in 56:00 minutes. I finished 52nd of 268 finishers with a 5:36 min/km pace. One year later, I joined the Race for LIFE 2009. I finished 6th of 1085 5Km race finishers with my best ever race pace of 4:17 min/km.
Maybe I do have a chance. Just maybe.

My goal this year is to stay competitive and break the sub-11 3K barrier, sub-20 5K barrier, sub-40 10K barrier, qualify for the MILO Marathon Finals and most of all qualify for the Boston Marathon. I still believe it's possible. So let's keep the training logs going.



Season 2: The Road To Boston

Chapter 2. Road Work

2.4 High Intensity Intervals: Might or Myth?

I sprinted. I found out I could run as fast as 2:40 min/km. OK. :)
I was running 10km races. I am nowhere near as fast. NOT OK. :(

What if I could bring my 2:40 minutes per kilometer sprinting speed to a 5-kilometer or a 10-kilometer race? I would not be breaking world records, but I will be close to doing it. So what if? Is there a correlation between sprinting and long distance running? Or this interval training is nothing more than a myth?

The last time I used High Intensity Interval Training as my springboard to my 5000 meter race, I improved significantly. To be exact, I recorded a personal best of 21:24 minutes on a 5000 meter race. This was after 10000 meter races at 5:09 min/km paces and slower. How did I improved from barely being able to reach 5:00 min/km to 4:17 min/km?

There is no doubt in my mind that my 10x400m intervals boosted my running speed at that time. Still, I am seeking for more. Faster. Stronger. More durable me. I wonder how I would be able to come close to my 400m speed, 2:40 min/km, when running the 5000m and 10000m road races? What if I could hold my interval speed on longer distances? Just imagine if I could achieve that. 2:40 min/km at 5000m. Wow! It would be amazing. It would shock the Philippine road racing community. :D

But I won't be doing that in the near future. My short term goal is to run under 4:00 min/km for 10 kilometers in March. That's what I will be trying to do before the Globe Run for Home in March 21. And so far, I am failing. Miserably. It was not that easy.

After 4 and a half weeks of my 11-week training schedule, here are my training speed:

EASY   4:49 min/km for 10km. (Suggested: 4:51)
TEMPO DNF for 3km. (Suggested: 4:01)
MAX VO2 2:40 min/km for 400m, 3:14 min/km for 800m. (Suggested: 3:37)
LONG 5:36 min/km for 15km. (Suggested: 4:51 - 5:29)

I have passed the mark for Easy and Interval runs. I still have to deliver on my Tempo and Long runs. But that's perfectly alright. On the first 7 weeks of my 11-week sub-40 10-kilometer training schedule, physical conditionting and high intensity anaerobic training are the top priorities. I do easy runs, interval runs, long runs and is now starting to incorporate tempo runs. But mostly, the interval runs are the highlights of Week2-Week7 training phase. This is where I set my maximum oxygen uptake. This is where I set the limits up to where I could no longer hold my maximum speed. This is where I get to understand just how fast I could go.

High intensity interval training (HIIT) and physical conditioning also goes hand in hand to bring me to my best possible shape and most capable running self. I expect that to come into fruition after Week 7. On Weeks 8 and 9, I will then be running on my race pace and condition myself for competing at the road races. On these weeks, I expect to meet my 4:01 min/km Tempo pace. And my 4:51 min/km Long run pace.

I like this training schedule. But would this HIIT training help me much? Would it whip me into top shape and would it be able to push me closer to my 4:00 min/km target pace? Or is it just a freaking waste of energy? Imagine running 400m and 800m sprints for nothing. A real sad sorry scenario, right? If HIIT turns out as MYTH instead of MIGHT, I would have just been slacking and shirking for almost half of my training schedule.

Of Track Athletes and the Fastest Men on Earth



Fascinated by just how fast a human being could sprint on track, I have viewed several youtube clips of sprint competitions. And then I was hooked. Could I ever come close to these track athletes World Record times?

Maybe not in my lifetime. :D

I am learning a lot though. Speed. Strength. Endurance. Motivation. Speed Form. Strategies. I am starting to believe I could achieve much much more. Athletes work so hard to achieve their best physical capabilities. If I do work half as hard as they do, maybe I could see better results.

I like Michael Johnson. He is physically built for speed. I like his running form. He also spoke about running relaxed. It seems very difficult to run relax as you try to reach your fastest 400meter dash. However, upon implementing this running relaxation at top speed. I was able to hold my speed for longer distances. It's amazingly effective.

I also like Usain Bolt. His character and antics are sure fan-friendly. The media loves him. But I don't have the height nor the character to keep up with him. He is lots of fun to watch though.

More than anything, these track athletes inspire me on my own running training. They motivate me to train harder, faster, stronger. I like to have the mental toughness they possess. Their beliefs and aspirations. Their discipline in and out of preparations. In training and off season discipline. When you see talented athletes work so hard to improve, how much more is required of big-bellied fans like me to gain significant improvements? Watching them stride for Gold, I just want to hit the road and go for my personal best time.

Man on a Mission

Michael Johnson holds the World Record for 400meter run at 43.18 seconds. I do 8x400 meter intervals as part of my 5,000 and 10,000 meter training schedule. So far, I have only managed a best time of 1:05.5 minutes.

At this interval speed, I get to train my maximum oxygen uptake. That maximum really depletes my lungs of oxygen I want to stop at the halfway point already. But for me, it's about knowing how fast I could really go. It's a ride. A self discovery. And then applying what I've learned and experienced to actual road racing. Adapting to that fast paced speed just below my High Intensity Interval sets.

That's how I established my 21-minute 5k last year.

This year, I will break the 20-minute barrier and then the 40-minute 10K barrier. That is my mission.

That's what I'm training so hard for.