Holiday Sins.......

Ok, so I cheated......

But I never denied the fact that I have a hard time loosing weight due to the fact that I like to munch on anything that I fancy. Let my new years entry post be a foody blog. Every time I would go home to the province I have always missed eating our province's famous Halo-Halo restaurant since it was located well....... a very near 20 miles (3 towns) away. What I didn't know was that the owner's only son expanded the family business downtown.

Take note: I only knew this fact 6 days ago. And since then I have long been like a prodigal son in his homecoming. Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!

Ok confession time........

I had 2 bowls today, 2 yesterday, 1 the other day, another bowl the day before that another, and another............. This thing is a major treat! Sorry to bash, but Chowking's, Razon's and Aristocrat's offering simply cannot compete. I'm not a good writer, I have a very limited vocabulary and I'm already lost for adjectives for this sinful treat.

DJC Halo-Halo is almost the same age as our family's restaurant 20++ good years in existence. They have started business in the town of Tiwi, Albay. And now 2nd generation owner John opened business inside the LandCo developed business district in downtown Legazpi City, Albay. For only 60 bucks, I guarantee that you can get a taste of heaven. :D

Merry Holidays!!!!!!

Christmas this year is truly wonderful this year.

Santa gave me a new pair of............. Legs! A stronger and healthier one. :)

Thanks Santa! Promise, I'll always be a good boy.

LSD days are here again......

I hope everyone's still training throughout the holiday season. I'm stuck in the province enjoying every single training day. The change in scenery and terrain definitely helps.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Diet.......

Ever since I started training I noticed that my diet also needed a few kicks here and there. As what I learned from the Chasing Kimbia Documentaries and Ka Totoy, I need to add more fruits into my diet. And so I did......

Pre-Workout Snack 4am:
1pc Dole Banana (c/o 7-11 pioneer)

After workout recovery snack 730am:
Pineapple (half) and Watermelon (quarter) (c/o Mang Jun )

Breakfast 9am:
Rice Meal

Lunch 12:30pm:
Rice Meal(light serving), 1pc banana

Afternoon snack 4:30pm:
Rice Meal(light serving)

Dinner 9pm:
Rice Meal, Pineapple (half), Protein shake (if I'm not lazy to prepare)

I try to avoid salty and sweet cravings but always fail. hehehe Thanks to my ever favorite Chippy and any dark chocolates. Coach Jo insists that I need to loose about 10lbs more to get into a good race weight. I'm just not sure if I'll be focused enough to say no to the tasty treats. :)

I'd like to compare notes and see just how much of a pig I am compared to the rest of humanity. Kindly log your diet, I don't mind if you post anonymously :)

DND Race, h@ppyFeet Xmas Breakfast, Training......

Who thought that we would finally win a podium place on the LAST possible race of the season??? Well apparently Joms, Jaymie and I did win 3rd place on last Sunday's DND-Gintong Pangarap 21km Relay Race.

The race is composed of teams of 3 (2male-1female). Each would run a 7km loop to complete the half marathon distance. For a more detailed race recap visit jaymie's blog.

After the awarding ceremony, Jaymie had to go home for family day. Joms and I headed back to the h@ppyFeet Christmas Breakfast at Dampa-Pasay. Due to my core cramps during the race I opted to skip the free meal after the race. Unlucky me, the food was served 30minutes before lunch. :( I was really hungry by this time, good thing all the chatting and laughing covered up the nausea. hehehehe

All the waiting though was well worth it! When the food arrived, No one dared to chat nor smile. hehehehehe everyone just munched and munched and munched...... Again thank you Mon and Tisha for bringing us there and taking care of the food selection! I have to reiterate.... it was worth the wait! Satisfied with brunch, exchanged gift goodies... we all headed home for a much deserved rest.

I had to skip my usual Monday scheduled training session and opt to just do the usual 5km loop on a really slow pace for recovery. With Coach Jo's permission of course. :)

Tuesday is always a complete REST day for me.

Wednesday was Track Day! Speed Work! Lotsa Fun running circles. I joined the PhilSPADA track team in some of the drills and went on with my workout. This time I was pretty darn consistent with my times. I hope Coach can add some more distance to my workouts. hehehehe I really can't wait for the 400's!

Today, Coach sent me an SMS. My workout, LSD! and I'll be doing it all alone this time. (scary!!!!) Of course for you healthy folks it's just an LSD session..... but for me! That's a real, real, real scary session.... Brings back lots of awfully (literally)painful memories. I went out a bit late this time.

6am ::: turn-around point SM Mall of Asia.
Target time: 60minutes
Workout: LSD 50minutes, 10minutes 10km pace.

I did just that and I couldn't believe my legs! I can! I can run long already! Now if only I can make Coach give me a GO signal for a good 20km run next week.....

GOLD!!!! GOLD!!!! GOLD!!!!!

Philippine's bet snagged the GOLD medal spot for the 400m event.

Julius Felicisimo Nierras Jr ran a 46.56sec 400m.

Galeng ng pinoy! Congrats bay!

SEA Games 2007

Eduardo Buenavista 2:27:21 BRONZE MEDAL!!!!!!

Jho Ann Banayag 2:43:33 BRONZE MEDAL!!!!!!

The Philippine's best didn't fail to bring home a medal. Congratulations to our runners! and other athletes competing in the South Eeast Asian Games 2008 in Thailand.


~taken from PDI dated 12-10-07

Yakult 10m/5km run

Yesterday's race was pure bliss.

There... in just one sentence, that is how I would describe what transpired yesterday. I wasn't able to break my 5km PR but hey not every race is a PR race right!?

A good student follows the rules.

- warm up 30mins before the race.
-stretch
-pee
-stretch
-keep warm
-and start at the front row :)

I did just that and to my amazement, I was starting at the front row at gun start and kept in place for the first 500m. :) at least I was able to hold it for that long. I then eased up a bit on my pace but still maintained a good form. That was my target for this race. I needed to constantly check my arm swing, stride, and make sure that I lift my legs well and keep my back straight.

The same problem that I encountered last race continued to haunt me. I still lack the cardio capacity to maintain my 1st 3km pace all the way to the finish. I clocked in a really good 9mins at the turn-around point. Which gave the needed boost. But just as I thought that could go all the way. It happened! I was gasping for air terribly. I could hear myself breath really hard by the 3km mark.

"why now!? why?!"

That's all I can think of right there. I tried to ease up some more just to make sure that I recover enough for a good last 500m push. I ended up finishing at 21:52. almost 25secs off my 5km PR.

I really need more and longer long runs. I just wish that my body can take the beating. I'm quite happy with my bursts of speed already. Thanks to the new found love for the track! I guess the workouts payed off after all. :)

Now back to training.

New Route.........

(RIIIIIIIINNGGGGG)
(RIIIIIIIINNGGGGG)
(RIIIIIIIINNGGGGG)


"Good Morning Mr. Chan! This is your wake up call."


I think I did set it a bit too early! It's still dark outside. However I can smell the fresh provincial scent of the streets, the already cool November breeze......

Got down at about 5:30am already..... I did my usual stretching routine and walked for my warm up. I have totally no idea where to go. The front desk at the hotel didn't really have an idea where its good to run. They however assured me that its way safer here than it is back in Manila. :)

Since she was the 4th person who told me that detail since I arrived here, I think I got pass the scared stage and now on my way to just the concerned stage. And besides I can't skip training today. I need the mileage.

Coach Jo sent me an SMS. The day calls for a good 40 minute 80% run. Too bad though, I couldn't find any hill nearby.

Realization for the start of the day..... I was really in the province! At 5:30am there were only a few people outside and just as many tricycle doing rounds at the plaza. I took off at a really easy pace. Trying to just feel every stride and push off. It felt good! After a quick check on my watch 7 minutes had already pass. I increased my pace, still focusing on every stride.

I ran on a 2 lane concrete provincial road. I think I was heading towards the container yard area. There were a few uphill sections but were really short and mild. So I turned up the pace a bit more and tried the usual follow the bike in front. :) I guess the local thought I was sneaking at his back so he instantly gained speed on the slight downhill section.... Oh well, time to bring down the pace a bit. I passed by a couple of heavily armed army checkpoints as well.

After 21 minutes, I headed back to the same direction. I guess I lacked in the preparation for the route. I should have asked more people where it was best to go. I was really hoping I'd be able to see those fisherfolks carrying huge tunas on their shoulder. :) I guess I was kind of disappointed. But at least I was able to carry on my training.

I stopped by the plaza for some strider session. I found that they closed about 150m of the road right in front of the city hall. It was still early enough for me not to be noticed that much by the employees so I made it into my own striders track. :) After a few reps a cool down walk around the plaza and it was again time to hit the core! :)

General Santos City isn't that scary. I think it was just all this bad media hype that got me really concerned about the security of the place.

changes........ (animo run 2007)

I closed my eyes.....

Turned on my right side......

Turned on my other right side.....

I still couldn't sleep! D@mn iT!!!!

I went downstairs 3 times that night. I guess I did over hydrated the whole Saturday.

::: 3am :::::

"Is it time already?????", arrrgh! Still too early..... I can't sleep! I did however took my time, brushed my teeth, took a quick shower and put on my Brand Spanking new h@ppyFeet uniform.

:::: 4:20am ::::

"Hmmmm..... Pan de Manila!" its just about 400meters away from my apartment..... Fearing that I might over pace myself again and puke Pan de Sal a the finish line. I bought 2 pcs only and again took my time to finish it on the spot.

:::: 5:15 am ::::

"Where's the parking area!!?!?!?!?!" If I have a gripe on last Sunday's race, it would be the different directions that I got from the guards on Mall Of Asia (MOA). It took me 15 minutes of endless U turns on the mall grounds. Only to find out that we had to park on the 3rd floor parking! I looked for Totoy's car and as usual, parked nearby to catch all the pre-race chat.


:::: 5:30 am ::::

Coach Jo and I were still trying our luck to change my registration to the La Salle Category. It seems that I ran out of luck. I was stuck on the OPEN category. (note to self: look for my old ID). Did a couple of 250m jog for warm up and my usual stretching routine.

::: 5:55am ::::

"The race will start on time...." yup! that's true! We headed on the starting grid and for the first time I was starting near the front row! Coach Jo ran me through all the pros/cons of starting up front. Hard as it seems, I mustered all my excitement and tried to churn it into courage. Courage that I needed for the next 5kms. It was a real big change for me.

7

6

5

4

3

2

1....

:::: Gun Start ::::

Inspired by Haile's Sprinting Burst at the start and fueled by the excitement of racing again. I sprinted alongside all the runners up front. Paced back only when I got a comfortably fast rhythm. I knew I have the speed, the only question that was bothering me that time was, Did I have the endurance to keep my speed up to the finish? Plagued by this shin problem I have only done a couple of 40 minute "long" run sessions in the past 3 weeks of recovery training. I shifted my concentration more on my form. Stride per stride, I checked my gait, I checked my back, and my ever so wobbly arms. Concentrated on keeping them clipped but relaxed enough.

Got to the first turn-around and I was still feeling strong. No sign of slowing down now.... Coach Jo then told me to ready for another break away strider. We passed by a couple more runners this time.

:::: 3km marker :::::::
I checked my watch and it flashed this 4 big numbers....... 12:01

"Just on time.... Now I just need to sustain my pace for a couple more km". This is when I noticed that I didn't have more left to push. I tried to recover just before I hit the next short uphill section. But I just can seem to find my rhythm. I can't find my stride.... I'm loosing my pace.

::::: last 1km :::::::::

I closed my eyes...... lift, contact, push-off..... lift, contact, push-off..... I focused on my arms, swing, swing, swing.....

I just wanted to take my thoughts away from slowing..... I knew I lost a lot of time from the 3rd km lap. I had to maintain my pace or push. I saw the last 400 stretch! I ran and just closed my eyes. Got to the last turn and held my strength for the last push.

I clocked in at only 21:26.

Disappointed?????? I guess a little.... I was really hoping to break 20 minutes.
New PR????? Well, for this route (MOA)??? Hell yeah! I still slashed 1:10 off my last race time.

Now off to some more long run session. I still need to improve my endurance. Thanks to Coach Jo for guiding me throughout the race and throwing me tips on race day strategies.

I will break that 20 minute barrier..... (now ben, repeat 200,000,000,000 times!)

let the rain begin....... again!

Its really hard to wake up early and bike 10km when its raining little animals outside. I had the pleasure :( of experiencing just that for the past 2 days already. I would still wake up at 3:45am only to wait and wait.... and wait... until its already almost 5am just for the rain to slightly lighten up a bit.

Yesterday's session was ok since it was a my 40 minute long run day. :) geez.... 40 minute long run.... tsk tsk tsk..... Now I sound really lame. But this morning I was really getting worried on running on the track, specially when I got a glimpse of the amount of water on it. :(

and then there was this.........

I can't show the entire photo for fear that KC might get mad at me. Sorry Miss KC, I couldn't wait for the Mizuno. :(

"Running at 70mph, the cheetah is the fastest mammal on the planet..." Well wearing this thing felt like I was doing 20kph like the other elite runners. Let me reiterate..... it FELT like.... But I don't think I was even close to that speed. Well at least not yet....

I had the whole track for myself today. Not even the Muay Thai Team nor the Soccer Team was there. Even if it rained some more, I wouldn't have any excuse to slack off my speed.

I just wish it would rain on my daily commute to and from the track. I can deal with the cold when I run but when I bike....... grrrrrrrrrrrr..... the chill is a real killer. Oh! and the slippery road too! :)

Some Inspiration to keep on training.........

I missed this episode on CNN. Thank god for YouTube! :)

I'd like you to meet, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia. Current Marathon World Record Holder and numerous other distance running record. This man is considered the best long distance runner.








oh! and if you have time. check out his Olympic Videos too! It's a real treat!

2008

Got an email today from the organizers. It's almost been a year already since the last Bull Run!? Time really flies!



This has been one of the first races I have participated in. Oh, and I miss racing in Fort Boni too! It has been a while since I have ran that course. See you around!

Is it a dream??????

I started my day with the usual 345am alarm. Everything that I needed was already at the living room prepared the night before. Gloves check, helmet check, running shoes check, short nyorts check, and 2 bottles of Gatorade check!

I know I'm still recovering from my injury but today was a real treat for me. Coach JoAr sent me and SMS last Sunday declaring both Monday and Tuesday as an absolute rest day. (bummer!) no biking, no stairs, not even my elastic band workout isn't permitted. But then he again sent me an SMS yesterday saying that today will be a long run session. WTF!!!!!!! Just reading the SMS make me gulp in fear. I can honestly say that I shivered in fear at that exact moment.

How can I run for an hour, when I can't even run 2 laps at the track. He assured me of his decision and said that I should shrug off all my fears and learn to trust him.

I'm not sure if it was the fear or the excitement, probably both, that made me go really early today. I was at the track quarter before 5am. Did my warm up and stretch when Coach arrived. The route was simple, still packed with lots of hills and sweeping downhill sections. White Plains & Green Meadows was our little playground. I'm not that familiar with the location so I was just following along.

15 minutes had pass..... I can feel my tibial muscle slightly getting sore. But very manageable. Absolutely no pain nor limping on footstrike and push-off. Whew!!! By this time I'm not sure if I was sweating from the run or the intensity of just checking every detail of my run.

30 minutes..... It was the same. Still no pain and still pushing off harder and harder on the hills.

45 minutes...... The flat areas are visible! I'm growing more conscious on every strike. Even running on the flats are possible without pain! This must be a dream! It can't be true! It is! It is!

I can run!!!!!!!

Going back to the track, coach warned me of the steep hill just before the gate entrance. And that its going to be an all out sprint up. As if it was like changing gears on my bike. I did change my stride just before hitting the hill. Leaned just right for a good mid foot strike. Faster RPM with just a slight smaller stride. Just 30 meters before the top I felt my airway literally tightening as I almost drag myself to the top. Nausea, and the constant gagging reflex was hitting me again. I'm glad I made it! I'm glad it was real! This is definitely a sign of a good recovery training. Salamat coach!

VR.......

I stumbled upon hitme's blog and noticed that no one seems to be doing the VR's anymore.... I thought all the while that everybody was still doing it but forgets to post or at least say hi to the other VR runners.

Well today, I did it again... This time I'm not pounding the metro roads, nor am I doing my usual almost suicidal counterflow runs through Makati and Kalayaan overpass.
I woke up at 3:45am, prepared my usual gear. Did my usual morning rituals.... 4:30am I'd be heading out on the street for a good 30 minute warm-up bike to Pasig.

Destination: Ultra Oval Track.

I would be at the track by around 5am and do my workout. The only thing that's new this time is that it takes more time for me to do my warm-up, stretching and cool-down this time. :) I'm now starting to be smart on my training and runs. No more unscheduled runs, nor the usual double suicidal long runs.... Well I still haven't done any so.... I guess I'm still craving for it. The only thing that didn't change is that I still end my VR at 7am. Does it count as a long run????? :D

How did you do your VR today???

Pain Free Training

At long last!!!! Coach JoAr and I finally found the workout that works for my recovery. Pain free and cardio busting workouts that test my limitations.

Up-Hill and Stairs Training

I'm now on my second week of recovery/strength training. I still miss running for an extended period of time and distance. (insert dreaming scene here: LSD session) I just wish I could run flat out on the next race.

Animo Run 2007

November 25, 2007
6:00AM
SM Mall Of Asia - IMAX Parking Area

Registration will be open until November 23, 2007 at the DLSU Sports Complex Lobby or you may visit their website at http://geocities.com/dlsurunningclub

This will be my next target 5km race. I hope to finish strong, pain-free and faster this time. :D

Hard Decisions.....

Last week, I had to prepare and make a very hard decision for myself. I have to skip a couple of long distance races.

NB Power Race
Singapore Marathon 2007
Subic Marathon 2008
Philippine Marathon 2008

If I was to join a long distance race It would have to be sometime near the mid of next year. For now I will be focusing more on the shorter distance races specially the 5km event. 10km might be reserved for December or January of next year.

I hope I am doing the right thing and that it'll be beneficial for the long term.

Run for LOVE - Gawad Kalinga|Adidas Run

Therapy is great! Pain is really manageable even while running. I'm still doing my usual 20minute sessions. And still relying on my bike sessions for my cardio-workout. Came Saturday October 27, 2007, after almost 1 month of absolutely no racing and running. I decided to join a 5km race. This has been my goal for now. Do short distance training and short distance racing.

I know its still grueling since I will need to speed up for a shorter distance and speeding up is also detrimental to my recovery. But with a steady training, drill workouts (just started, see bottom for details) and some elastic band workouts. I think I can do this.

The race started 10 minutes after 6am. I came in just in time for a very short warm up and stretching session. And off the runners go! As usual I started way at the back of the whole 5km pack and eased my way up in the middle chase pack. After just the first corner. I came across a friend who's also a fast 800m runner Jo-Ar Alvadorez. He asked me if he could join in the 5km race. "Well, why not!" I answered. Having a fast runner with me will surely motivate me on the race.

Jo-Ar already knows my condition and he also noticed my shin wrap thingy! hehehe We exchanged stories while skilfully dodging and avoiding traffic along the route. After the 1st KM I noticed that I was still going fast and and faster and still can handle both the pain(nonexistent) and the cardio load.

about 500m from the turn-around point we noticed that the 1st runner was still not showing up on the other side of the route. Which means that they were running slower than the usual. We counted the runners heading back and stopped the count at 21 upon reaching the turn-around point. Whoah! This can't be true!?! I was running almost up front. Jo asked me if I can still handle the load and if I was willing to take some puking speed! hehehe The road-racer inside came alive and I just nodded to say yes!

We turned the second half of the race into a Fartlek session. Targeting one person up front at a time. And moving on to the next just after a very short down pace rest. I missed the feeling of going all out. And this first race surely gave me a taste of what I always want to do. Run Fast, Run Hard, and now may I add Run Smart. :)

I finished at 22:34 12th place overall all. Not bad for a first race. :)


DRILLS, DRILLS, DRILLS......

Today, I started training again. But now with the supervision of Jo. Goals needed to be adjusted and so does my expectations. I won't be doing super hard workouts, 400m repeats, and long runs. The Goal this time is to recover fast and recover well from my shin injury. My running form(specially my gait cycle) is also the priority in order to avoid re injuring myself.

Drill workout is the main event of the day. I never thought that there were that many drill exercises in running. It was enough to keep my heart rate at a constant thump-thump-thump! I hope I can keep up with all the new stuff I need to learn and master. It surely does make me look forward to the next session. :)

A Taste of Something Old & Something New....

Recovery is still slow, and I'm still loosing my sanity every day that pass without my training runs. I have skipped yet another race/event last Sunday and as much as I am very eager in participating in a race. I'm counting again money invested on therapy, I guess this is the only reason that is holding me back on doing anything crazy with my recovery.

Another week had pass without any training runs, Read this>>>> 0 miles. But I have logged about 100kms of bike sessions the whole week. I have to admit, biking is a totally different experience for me. I'm still perfecting my shifting timing and proper pacing(rpm). The only thing that makes me smile after each sessions is the feeling of my Heart Rate. And I still feel nauseous when I overdo it. :)

To spice things up and hopefully bring some smile and a lot of sweat I tried a new kind of training session today.

No, I didn't try to cross my neighbor's backyard. And NO, I didn't bonk doing a 30km++ LSD. I read in a triathlon training article that triathletes sometimes train back2back discipline sessions like, swim/run or bike/run. This kind of training is called a "brick" session.

I gave it a shot today, I did 1 hour of moderate intensity bike session and as if I went through a transition area(my apartment) I was back out in the metro again for another 20mins of light run. I didn't feel weird about the sudden change of activity but I noticed that I was running a bit more strict in my form. My back was practically straight the whole time. :) and each foot landing was checked and rechecked. The pain is still noticeable but very much manageable. And take note, I'm not on pain meds anymore. Yipeee!!!!!

My run route today took me back to were I started my training runs. that 20minute session was still the same. From my apartment, through Quirino Ave and then Roxas Ave ending at the Pedro Gil intersection. It's a lousy +- 2.5km route but hey! It's were I started and It's were I'm going to start my training again. :) I really don't like to overdo it, and so I am just planning on doing 2 more 20 minute sessions this week and hopefully join the 5km event this Saturday, if I'm still pain free.

A trip to the DOC....... finally!

I managed to gather all my courage and face the hard reality of my still aching left shin. I gave the doc a visit today and exposed two 11x14's profile of my lower left leg..... Just the thought of knowing the results tomorrow is working like a quick and really strong dose of java to me right now. My fingers are still crossed.

slow Recovery.....

Crisp white sand beaches, relaxing sound of the waves ashore, and an endless supply of drinks and food galore.... El Nido.

If only I can swim a whopping 10 miles from where I was imagining that place. :( I have been stuck in the middle of the sea for 6 whole days of work... work... work... Ok here's my disclaimer again, I AM NOT COMPLAINING. The food was great, the people were nice, and the assignment was a bit challenging so I did enjoy it a bit.

As I am still recuperating from my shin splints, I knew that I had to take steps in making sure that I can continue my cross training activities and by this week do some light running already. Got a new running injury gear before I left manila. It's a shin compression sleeve :P

- I just look really cool on those orange coverall :P -

This is what kept me sane for 6 days in a 3 floor 300sq/mt living quarters. Well I did most of my cardio-heartbreak workouts on the bike and did some light 3km and 5km runs on the treadmill. Then I tried to push for 10km last Sunday, so far so good no additional pain. I can manage to do some more light running with only a very mild and manageable discomfort.

Update:

10-10-07
Chaia is back in town. The usual h@ppyFeet present in our regular training runs around Makati planned on a quick bite after the training. Unlucky me, I still had to go back to my apartment, I forgot to bring my shorts. And so I decided to start my workout from my apartment giving me another 3km of mileage to my workout. Was also able to meet up with our uniform supplier. Great news! Final design was approved and downpayment was already made (thanks Bangge!). I can't wait for the first race in November where we can debut our brand spanking new h@ppyFeet uniform.

10-12-07
I met up with Renz at about 6am we planned to do some track work today, but it turned out that the track was exclusive for Philippine Team Practice and Senior Citizens only. hmmmmp.... So then just decided to run around Ultra Sports Arena and took advantage of the uphill/downhill terrain. Was another good 40minute workout for me. I still didn't push my legs that far since I'm still hoping on a good race next Sunday. :)

batTling thE pAin

Today marks the 6th day of absolutely no running for me. When I finally decided to take the next step in my training by getting a coach, here I am stuck or even taking some step back in my current fitness level. Random thoughts, flashing in my mind, of my finish time increasing by the second. Will I ever recover from this pain that I was st@pid enough to get myself into?

I have been Icing, Resting and Massaging(with some Chinese smelling oil) my shins for the past few days. Doc Brent even gave me some anti-inflammatory meds for it. But I've been a really good patient and only took it on extreme pain day which was last Tuesday.

Lately I have been biking and last Sunday did some 40 minute swimming. I hope to do more of the swim training only if I could find a good lapping pool nearby. Rizal Sports Pool is reserved for the Philippine Swim team at 6am and opens at 8am. So if you know of a good lapping pool near Makati or Manila area which opens at 5am or 6am please leave me a comment.

Milo Legazpi City Elims 21km Picture Updates

Sorry it took some time for me to upload this pictures.

Mizuno Running Clinic

Traffic!

God d@mn Traffic!

arrrrrgggggggghhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I went out of the office thinking that it was early enough for me to fetch Renz and be able to get to the Mizuno Run on time. Well Thursday night traffic in Makati is just terrible. I was stuck in the same place for like 20mins. I even sent Renz and SMS saying that he should walk and take a motorcycle ride going to the place just for him to get there and be able to join the run. Well I guess luck wasn't really on my side last night.

I was able to arrive at the Mizuno Bonifacio High Street Branch at around 7:35pm already. It actually took me an hour and half just to get to Fort Bonifacio! WT........ anyway, I tried to stick around and look for the usual faces, Jaymie, Renz and some of the fast elite runners. I bumped into Marga, another TBR's regular reader.

Ok I learned my lesson well last night. I'll bring my bike going to the Mizuno Run next time. that'll save me an hour for sure. :) I hope you could come and join their Running Clinics every other Thursday. The next one is set on

October 11, 2007 7:00pm.

- tbr and marga -

NB Power Race

Although my pair just gave up on me I still love my NB. I'm on the lookout for a new pair, 2 actually. One for training and a racing flat, I'm taking Totoy's advice on this. :) Well here's the take on their latest event.


What : NB Power Race (the next level)
When: November 11, 2007 6:30am
Where: Clark Freeport Zone
Race Events: 10km open || 25km open & age category
Race Fee: 300.00pesos only

Here's the great thing about this race. For the first 500 entries to the 25km race they will be providing an RF-ID timing chips! Looks like my prayers for a Champion Chip event has been answered by NB!

There's still time to train! Bump up your weekly mileage and see you all at the race!

Deadline for entries is on OCTOBER 14, 2007

There's also a "RUN for CURE" 5km fun run on October 21, 2007 6am at the Powerplant Mall. For more details call 898-1933

FAME rUn

"Buhay Marino"

Well i got a taste of what it's like to live a life of a mariner when I had an assignment to shoot for an oil company. Good thing it only lasted for a 2 weeks. Going out of the the vessel and you'll just see an endless horizon of ocean water it does take a lot of courage and well a lot more courage to work on such a place. I salute all the Filipino Sailors for having such quality.

5:42am

A sea of mariners (im not sure if they were trainees or full time employees already) were gathered at the starting grid already. All I heard was the warm up drill going on. So I skipped it and just looked for the h@ppyFeet members that I had registered for the event. I guess John Pembroke (a UK based runner visiting the PI) was already getting worried that he might not be able to get his race packet from me. I saw him already in line for the on-site registration table. :D Gave him the race packet and looked for the other runners. When all of a sudden I heard the race gun fire! It was only 5:56 on my watch. I guess they were really serious when they said that the race will promptly start at 6am.

Good thing Mon(our senior h@ppyFeet member) gladly took all the remaining race packets from me. I ran as fast as I can manage and just avoided all the traffic by going on the wrong side of the street. Good thing was that by the 1st km the runners were already spaced out. That's when I returned to the race course.

1st Turn around point

I felt that I pushed a bit too much so I decided to slow down and just maintain a good pace for the next 3km. The course also had some good incline parts. So I decided to apply my previous race strategy. Run fast as I can on the flats and just maintain a good pace on the incline.

2nd Turn around point

I still felt good and I was still very conscious on my running form. If there was something that I learned from Milo Legazpi race, it was to CONSTANTLY REMIND myself of my RUNNING FORM during a race.

I got a chance to run along with Joms and Lala by the 4th km. What surprised me was that Joms wasn't pacing for his 5km event. He only pushed harder when he asked for the time which was already nearing 19mins and we were still about 1km away from the finish line.

2nd lap

Passing by the Start/Finish line for my second lap, I was still feeling good and still very conscious again of my running form. Again I tried to push every 300meters checking if I can maintain it longer. Well I wanted to play safe this time so I reserved some for the last 2~3km of the race. I was pacing alongside a runner from mariners running club. I tried to hold on to his pace for almost a kilometer. After a good 4+minutes I felt that I still can push my pace, I did a good 2meter push and it was just in time before the slight incline which I needed to pace back a bit.

Last 2km

I knew the distance, I also knew that John and Totoy was a good 4 minutes ahead of me. I just needed to maintain my fast pace for another 1.5km and still have some left for a good push at the very last minute. Last turn, West side stretch of Mall of Asia. I did my final push. Straightened back, a little lean forward, changed my breathing and full strides. I saw the clock hitting 49:55 I pushed and again I jumped for a 49:59 finish. I just hope they did record it as a sub 50min finish. I was a bit dazed at the finish but I held on. I hope this is how I always finish a race. And hopefully I wont forget what I've learned from the last 2 races.

- h@ppyFeet moment -

After the race Doc and I planned on doing a trail run back at the San Mateo Mountains.


The mountain scene changed a bit since the last time I went there. We were greeted with this very nice view. We tackled the shortest trail there Roxas trail. We met a couple of MTB groups along the way and most of them and the locals where asking Doc and I where we had parked our bikes??? hehehehe But we did overtake them at the climbs and even on the single track section of the trail. I think they were really surprised to see that we were also going fast. Well we were just doing a nice and fun run. :)

We took the paved Halo-Halo trail going to our rest stop Giant. We were then greeted by a sudden downpour just about 500meters away from the sari sari store. We were just hoping by this time that the Instant Noodles will be instant enough for our already severe hunger. Ok so we did have the instant pancit canton...... and some rice.... and some luncheon meat..... :D hahaha we were stuffed that I was getting worried on how will we be running back to the car. It took us until 2pm for our run. The way back was full of power walks and a lot of talking.

I hope next time more h@ppyFeet members would join in the fun of trail running.

Paging RENZ, JOMS, JUDAH, CHAIA and the others! Let's go trail running again!

a mOrninG with Kythe

I am happy to announce to you all that we have finally turned over the collected funds for the Milo-Kythe foundation run. Anton suggested that we do the hospital visit last Saturday
September 22.

We met up at Caltex Buendia-Pasong Tamo at around 8:30am. We were visiting the AFP V Luna Hospital at East Avenue Quezon City. Upon reaching the hospital, security is a bit tight so we had to name drop Kythe's full time nurse at the hospital, Tita Aida.

We then met up with Tita Aida and Ninin another Kythe Volunteer. Nothing ceremonious, we turned over the funds got the receipts and we just planned on staying for a while with the kids.
But to our surprise there was a planned activity that day for all the kids. Another charitable group was doing some painting activity. "Wow! Painting!" Even I got all excited. I learned the several painting pieces are in fact connected and would display a bigger picture. :) Cool one ey!
During all this activity I noticed a very familiar figure by the huge window..... I blinked twice or maybe even more and still checked if it was really him. It is him! The former president of the Republic of the Philippines Fidel V. Ramos. This was another treat! Not only did we get to turn over the funds, meet the kids, enjoy some painting time with them, we also got to meet and get some souvenir photos with FVR. (ok anton, you have got to send me those pictures)

To all the family and friends that supported me on this fund raising activity Thank you very much.

Tito Lugie | Eric | Karen | Maritess | Mon | Chaia
Tonton | Papa&Mama

As I have stated in my first post regarding this activity, No matter how big or small the amount is... If we all contribute something, collectively it'll be a big amount. At this early stage, I would like to invite you for next year's race. This year we only had 3 runners Anton, Jaymie and I plus the TNF supported 100km runners. Hopefully next year more of your guys would join in and help us Race Funds. :D

miLo Legazpi City eLims 21km

I met up with Totoy, Tisha and Rio. We were all heading for the city with the perfect cone, Legazpi. The bus ride would take us 11hours, 2 rest stops and 510kms. We left Manila 6minutes past 7pm. And the traffic at Osmena highway was just staggering. To top it all, everyone didn't have any snacks, well Rio did grabbed some sandwich, lucky guy. and just minutes after we left we were already feeling the hunger. I was just wishing to get to the first stop as fast as possible.

Chowking Candelaria,Quezon was the first stop of the trip. Since it was a 21km race that we were going for, carbo loading was on top of our to-do list. Thank god for chao-fan and Lauriat!
Arriving at the second stop we grabbed some java and stretched a bit. It was freezing back at the bus, so we just stayed out the entire stop.

5am

We got a glimpes of the provincial 2 lane road, but with no luck on the majestic view of Mt. Mayon, it was raining litttle animal that's why. When we reached Legazpi City proper, guess what we did first? EAT. I took the guys to best restaurant in town! Cres Snack Inn! Got some soup, Chinese noodles, rice and fish for our first meal of the day. We then headed home to freshen up and rest again.It was before lunch that we headed to the Legazpi Sports Office to fix our registration for the race. We ran into some trouble since the 21km event was limited to 100 slots only. And we were forced to use the best Filipino technique in times of panic! Name Drop. And of course call the person that you just name dropped. :D Good morning Mrs. Biscocho! We were wondering if you could still accomodate 3 more runners for the 21km event.... pls pls pls..... Ok so we got the race numbers. 5km Female race numbers! hehehehe with a big felt marker it became the single most important thing for a race, of course next to the free shirt.We met up with our additional runners Pen and Renz before lunch. Then went back to the best restaurant in town for some spicy stuff. By this time I was sure they were ready for it. :) Bikol Express, Laing and more Bikol Express!
Got everything that we needed for the race, gatorade, red bull, oatmeal, MILO and some meds. We also took the time to go through the 21km route. We didn't want any nice surprise the next day right. Went back to the mi casa and chatted till dinner time. My folks prepared more carbs for us and so we worked our way into dinner.

4AM Sunday :: Race Day

I already heard footsteps upstairs. Someone was really excited! hehehe I went through my usual stuff, gatorade, and some light meal just to avoid the acidic feel in my tummy during the race. We took some group photos before we head out for the race. I bet you those smiles are mere reflections of all the excitement(anxiety) that we all experiencing.
We arrived 45 minutes early at the starting grid. 21km runners are up front followed by the 3km kids and 5km runners at the back. When the countdown clock ticked at 20mins before race start, it started to rain heavy. I didn't mind the rain since I love running while its raining. The problem here is that the parents of all the kids running 3km were starting to panic. "naku sisipunin anak ko"...... 5minutes to race start, I started to shiver in the cold already. I was starting to get worried of the possible problems..... hard start(like a cold engine of a car) hehehe and blisters!

:: Gun Start ::

I think it was my first time to start at the front of the grid. And I was just shocked by the mad dash of the runners. Maybe it was because of all the waiting or the excitement or both. Whatever caused it, I was really not prepared for it. I started to huff and puff just barely 300meters away. :D It felt like I was doing an all out 400 repeat at the track. All 100 runners got separated early on the race.

Passing the 2nd kilometer I was greeted by my Sister with her son and daughter all cheering my name! wehw! I smiled and tried to fly! hehehehe After just another kilometer I was greeted by my Mom&Dad with the same cheer! Talk about pressure. hehehehe I knew it was still really early on the race so I tried to stay on my current pace just get to the halfway mark.

Since I was wearing my favorite yellow jersey I was an instant pick out from the local runners wearing the official singlet. I would hear all the side comments from the locals in our dialect. They thought that I couldn't understand them.... Well I can understand every d@mn word they were saying. :P One of the runner from the biggest contingent PNP said to the other runner "makusog man palan an.... tirahun mo na. kayang kaya!" ---> "he's strong, get pass him, you can do it!" :) When I heard them say that I immediately gave them a taste of my dust. hehehehe well for just about 300meters.

Got to the turn around point in under an hour, which means that I did run faster than I was supposed to or have planned to. Grabbed the loop tag and got some fluids, a very diluted Gatorade tasting drink.

Just after 3km from the turnaround point. I started to feel my legs getting heavier and heavier. I knew I was loosing proper form by that time. But I needed to push.... Only to find out there's nothing more left in me for a good push. I knew that I would be sacrificing a good finish if I continue to suicidally push my pace. 2 runners pass me by the last 7km. One of them was a fellow runner from Manila, Lala Calma. I knew she was coming out strong. And she did!

I passed by the last 4km only to see my very supportive folks still cheering for me to push to the last kms. I felt my heart drop to the ground in disappointment. I know that my mom would instantly see that I was already in trouble, just by my running form at that time. I just knew that I was throwing a really sloppy stride. 500m down the road I saw my sister and her kids again cheering my name. I smiled for the camera and just pushed at the same pace. This is were I saw one runner, a local, walking. He got cramps and by his count it was the 16th cramp attack already. I shouted for him to join me in my pace and just hold on till the final 2km. He tried but only to give up after 500m. Now I have to deal with my own problem. Getting into the finish as fast as I can.

I noticed a police motorbike rider trailing by my left side. It felt good! Knowing that I wasn't alone. He didn't mind me, or maybe he was just being cautious seeing my tired face and dragging feet. hehehe Reaching the last slight uphill section in front of my Alma Mater I got a glimpse of the start/finish line. I pushed..... and held on tight.... Closed my eyes..... and just thought of the finish line. I finished 1:44:26 || 36/100 runners. A good 4 minutes faster than my KOTR half.

I knew I trained well the past few weeks before this race. Did I unrealistically challenge myself for a faster time??? or maybe I just got too confident at the first half and forgot to do my usual race strategy (wait.... wait... wait.... then all out after the turn around) Still, I have another race to add on my list for next year.

- Totoy with a strong 13th spot finish -

- Renz doing a last 200m sprint alongside Ina -

- Lala still looking fresh after finishing 1:41:00 2nd place womens -

- thanks Rio for the post race recovery meal !!! sana lagi kang champion para lagi libre kain kami. :D -

- everyone's worried, clouds covering the view -

- I had fun! I sure hope they did too! -

pReping fOr my Next hAlf

Preparing for a race has never been a real easy task for me. I would either under train for it like my previous half and get cramps all over the place or overtrain and get some disturbing aches on my shins. I felt this one since last week, just when I was doing VR#6 LSD. I think it was part of the reason why I failed to complete my training session that day. So it leads me to the question

What are shin splints?

Shin splints is the general name given to pain at the front of the lower leg. Shin splints is not a diagnosis in itself but a description of symptoms of which there could be a number of causes. The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium of the tibia (sheath surrounding the bone). Traction forces occur from the muscles of the lower leg on the periostium.

taken from : http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net

I knew I had them, and when I met an elite runner bud he did confirm that it was shin splints.
He also said that I was doing one of the following:

1. breaking the 10% mileage increase rule
2. using the wrong shush (i hope so, nice excuse for a new one)
3. running on poor form

I just hope I can get enough rest this week along with ice therapy and some Chinese smelling oil helps me recup fast enough for my half marathon this coming weekend. Im getting worries.... I really want to do a flat out 21km run specially on this race. The reason.... My mom will be watching from the sidelines that's why I wanted to do a good race. She has been one of the reasons why I took up running. Back in her days, she used to top the womens 100m/200m and 400 relay during the SCUAA meets.

Right now, I'm currently stuck on my bike doing intervals around Macapagal Ave just to keep up with my cardio needs. I have a training session tonight with my fellow h@ppyFeet members around Makati, I just hope the rain would stop for our training. I might do some stretches I just learned and some light running only.

Good thing there's still 80 days to go till Singapore Marathon. Looks like I may have to slow my pace down a notch in training.

chAsing 4 nEw PR

I learned today that I ran a 43:26 last UP Great Run(thanks chaia for the file). This info came from the official time list of the race organizers. I'm not sure though if it was the downhill that helped me run faster or was it really my current physical state that helped me push my body to a near fainting/really out of breath/ heart thumping run.

After all the fuzz, I did my usual training and added some new things to spice things up. I hoped for a better and faster sunday race again. Even if it was only 2 weeks after setting my UP PR. And so Fil-Mus Run was the day I had to test myself again.

410am

Hmmm.... that's weird, I woke up 5 mins earlier than my alarm clock. Believe me folks, this is really unusual. I sent SMS to everyone and started calling to wake the group up. hehehe Went downstairs grabbed a Gatorade and Powerbar and started watching TV for warm up.

5:10am

Got all the h@ppyFeet joining the race and we headed off to the race start. Since I live about 3kms away only I knew pretty much where to go for the best parking spot. We arrived at the race start about 20 mins early and started to chat and do some warm ups. Jaymie was looking good specially with her brand spanking new limegreen Creation8!!!!! Perfect color for our soon to be released h@ppyFeet Uniform. tsk tsk... I envy you Miss Jaymie.

6:00am

Still doing some stretching and light jog. And still feeling weird near my Achilles tendon (both leg). By this time, I was already praying real hard again for a fast and safe race. I relaxed at the back of the whole pack and thought of only one thing..... Discomfort. Yes, this is still a 10km race. And as any racer would be feeling, it'll be a real fast race and you will never feel any comfort so to speak along the way. Geez, is this thing turning me into a great masochist?


6:12am

Gun start!

:: Race Start ::

I took the innermost lane of Roxas Blvd, took long steady and fast strides. Avoided dozens of chatting, smiling and spitting people along the way. I was back on my newly found breathing rhythm. And just glided my way down to the 0km marker the first turn around point.

:: First Turnaround point ::

I grabbed the first loop tag and a cup of cold water. Sip, spit, sip and drank. That's how i usually do it. hehehe I tried to relax for a few shorter strides and once I passed by Kalaw Ave took another race pace strides. I was still feeling ok at this point. Same huff and puff rhythm and same thought.... discomfort!

:: Second Turnaround point ::

Got the second loop tag and this time I took a 20 second walk. Shook and stretched my legs then got back again. I took a slow restart then build my pace back. By this time I did a time check and it was 18:02 nearing 5km mark. which means I was just right on my target pace. As i passed by the start/finish line I felt a strong urge to throw up. I managed to slow down a notch cause I was sure that I was running way faster than what my body is prepared for. Either it didn't work or It was too late. I tried to hide behind some trees and tried pewking it out. Nothing came out but I surely felt better! hehehe (by the way i'm not bulimic, in case anyone is wondering).

Tried to restart again since I knew I wasted a good 30 seconds back there. Started real slow this time.


:: third turnaround point ::

Took 2 cups of water, Sip, Spit, Sip and spit some more this time. Drank some water and the 2nd cup was for a cold shower. Thank you race organizer for the cold water!

I was able to recup back and tried doing my race pace again. This time I was really conscious of
my breathing and heart rate(no HRM, old school by feel). Surprisingly I was able to do my race pace again for 2 mins then about 30 second shorties for rest.


:: Last turnaround point ::

I felt good and was still passing some people by which only means that I was still capable of going faster, if only I am smart enough to hold on to a realistic pace. :)

I saw a couple of Centaur (orange uniform) runners doing their last 300m strides and went all out along with them. Read an article about this thing and it was said that your body can only do a flat out pace for only 200+ meters. Well goodluck to me. hehehe As I know that it was still way more than 200 meters away from the finish line.

Saw the entrance to the finish line, still doing flat out speed. then saw the race time hitting 42:59 then I tried to jump it! hehehehehehehehehehe

:D I know it was a stupid and pathetic attempt, but hey! I got 43:01:01 on my watch as my new 10km time.

When I race, I know I will feel aches and pains on the right spot. I prepare myself for lots of discomfort. This is the only measure that I did push my body to its limits. We all race for different reasons, I do it to check how fast I can take myself next.

:: h@ppyFeet Team ::
Welcome to our new members!

I love munching Chippy!!!!

trAil #2

Ever dreamed about lush… beautiful rain forrest????

This is as good as it gets people of Metro Manila. And yes! It is right in the heart or shall we say at the edge of the heart of the city. This picturesque place is the

La Mesa Eco Trail

The place is being taken good care of the people from Bantay Kalikasan, a project of the Lopez’s of ABS-CBN. They have been reforesting the place since the late 90’s. I’ve last visited this place a good 3 years ago already. Having an assignment to do a portrait of woman behind Bantay Kalikasan, Ms. Gina Lopez. Back then I just saw trees, trees and more trees… But the place didn’t give me any idea’s of it being a safe haven for runners, bikes and hikers alike.

Just a mere 20kms away from the 0km marker this place welcomes everyone with 200 pesos for entrance fee(minimum of 5 persons). Groups going in the forest are provided with an aerobically capable trail guide. ☺

After our first taste of the trails in San Mateo, Doc and I planned on doing another trail run session. The date was set and thank god we have the minimum number of participants. ☺

The runners:

Ben :: Brent :: Judah :: Renz :: Roselle :: Chaia :: Julie (Trail Guide)

The day started a bit late at 630am meeting of the group along Buendia Ave. Since no one knew where the place is, we arrived at the place about 730am. We didn’t waste and hit the trails as soon as we arrived. We did the “medium” loop towards Tower #5.
Just about 200meters from the start, our trail guide took us under heavy forest. Guess, where our route took us???
This is where most of Metro Manila gets its water supply.

We then took the route going back to the main road. It’s a single lane wide rough road mostly covered with either mud or loosely compacted rocks. Most of the route is covered by the tree canopy, so for all the "i don't want to get dark" runners out there, this is the trail for you. The only gripe that I have is the mosquito bites. I think it was only me that was complaining about this thing though. How was I any different from the rest of the pack???? I did take a shower before going out my pad. :)

- Roselle's VSO buddy Judah -

Most of the runners headed out with a slow pace. While I stayed behind of them and joined Miss Roselle’s pace. I think this was her first time to tackle the trails. Good thing we were only doing the 9km loop this time. More or this thing Miss Roselle and road racing will be very easy for you.

1:11:00
We arrived at Tower #5, got some rest and chatted a bit then we were off going back to Violago gate. This time, Doc Brent joined us in our pace and chat. The terrain also changed quite a bit. It was more muddy and grassy on this part, so definitely the climbs are harder to do and the flats are still slowly paced.
The trail was still enveloped by the tree canopy but this time, you will know that you are still running within the metro running. The smell of fish being fried and some wood for fire, was also noticeable. And there were also parts where you can hear the jeepnies just at the other side of the bounding wall. Still, this was still a great trail to run in! :)
The final stretch towards the parking lot, everybody ran at almost race pace! It was a fun end to a short (9km) long(2:11:00) run. So, where will the next trail be??? I think I can smell the pineapple plantation of Sta Rosa.

Chaia wearing her new NB roady :: Renz sporting also his new TNF (Mt Apo Break-in)

Long rUN INcreMent #4

I started with 14km as my base distance for my Long Run sessions. Today I did my 4th increment and finish my 22km run still on the same amount of time that I intended to do my long run sessions 2 hours. I still did the same route only this time I passed by the same 4km added route at the start of my run.

I guess this video can summarize the only difference this time around.

note: jump to 00:45 seconds on the timeline to get the message.



I only learned that VR#6 was canceled yesterday. Eric, i hope your grandma is ok. Banggi, you have got to get some rest girl! Was there anyone out there who still did their run today????? Or am I the only OC runner that hitMe mentioned? :D anyway, I hope next week I'll have more company.

a fUn LoNg WeekEnd!

A Long Active Weekend

Friday August 24, 2007

I had a whole day location shoot at new restaurant in Quezon City. I was working with Patrick again for the food styling. I was asking Patrick for 3 weeks already if I could tag along with him during his trail biking sessions for me to learn more trails near the metro. Good thing he had a clear schedule for the next day. ☺ Finally, I was going to experience riding the trails!


Saturday August 25, 2007

Quarter before 5am I was up already and on my way to Patrick’s place. We were going back to the same trail that Doc, RC and I took the week 2 weekends ago, San Mateo Timberland. Only this time, we will be tackling single-track downhill and uphill trails along the way.

I’m not a biker… well not yet. So I had a loaner bike and gear with me, thanks again to Pat! We arrived at San Mateo at around 6:30am. Ate a couple of bananas and got some fluids going already. Quarter to 7am and we were off to the hills.

We took the same steep paved uphill sections and through the gates of Timberland. Past the gates were more uphill paved sections for another 1 km. I have just started to hill train for my running and biking up the hill is a totally different ballgame. I then learned that biking uses a different muscle group than running. That’s why I was having doubts if I can make it up the hill at least. But then again, I guess my aerobic ability was able to push me through the incline. ☺ Nah! The trick was to constantly shift down, and if all else fails?! Use the “Granny Gear”, its what bikers call when you use the biggest gear at the rear and the smallest gear up front. ☺
Trails!
With the paved section over I was really excited with trails… oh and the downhill section too! Pat and I didn’t go straight the main road, we took the first left turn towards the Roxas Trail. There was more uphill here before I got a taste of the first short and easy downhill. I was still having a hard time managing the brakes. Since I am use to riding a motorcycle, I was looking for other ways to slow down my momentum other than the rear and front brakes. Looks like there’s no engine brake here guys. Hehehehe Pat just said that I modulate the use of my brakes. Hey it works!Then came my first steep trail climb. Since it rained the night before, the trail was damp enough to provide some slick mud. I thought that I can manage to get through the climb by powering my way up. Thing is, climbing a slippery hill need weight balance and just the right RPM to maximize tire grip. See, when you don’t distribute your weight properly, It’s either you pop a wheelie and turn backwards or if you put too much weight up front, you loose grip for traction on the rear wheel. Geez… it’s really technical.


After that first steep trail, came the single track downhill section!!!!! Woooohooo!!!!! If you thought that a single track is wide enough for you then you got it all wrong. It’s almost hard to see the track through the bush! Downhill is FUN!
After the single track section we got to Halo-Halo trail which is pretty much an uphill paved section going to the first break stop for a quick snack. I’m enjoying the uphill section more than the downhill though. I can really feel the burn on my quads and my panting. Plus it’s less dangerous too. ☺
Got in our first stop by about 9am. Bought some bread and simple sugars for some boost. If only I knew that I can order Pancit Canton(Chinese noodles)! Tsk tsk…. We got back to the trail and went to ka Virgel’s place. It was another rest stop for bikers and motorbike riders. The place had huts in the middle of the pond. And up the hill has a fresh water spring. Anyway back to more riding.
We took a shorty and headed back to Timberland. Remember the steep paved uphill section at the start. I guess the saying is true…. “ what goes up must come down” . I’m not sure how fast I was going… but it definitely gave me the rush that I needed. ☺

Biking is definitely a great cross training session to do for running.

• Uphill: great resistance and strength training
• Downhill: is pure FUN! But is definitely dangerous. ☺
• The training is also low impact, unless you fall on a downhill ride. Hehehe

Hey, don't take it from me! Try it out and see for yourself.


August 26, 2007

UP GREAT RUN

“Today, I’m going to run fast” repeat 20,000 times. That was what I was saying over and over again since 4am. I did my usual pre race preparations and got out of the house. I picked up Miss Roselle on the way to the race. Got to the race start about 40 minutes before race start. I was still repeating my line. ☺

Race started 8 minutes late. When all 2,000++ runners started the run. Joms and I took the time to manage to get through the pack. We ran in the side street. The race looked like a Milo marathon event. I guess the organizers did a great job in promoting the run.

By the first KM the pack was still big but at least there was some space to run on to. I still manage to keep my pace relatively fast with a few shorter stride for breaks. After the loop around the academic quadrangle (2.2km) the route took the first downhill section. And consequently, a steep uphill. I tried to maximize my strides on the downhill and give just my intended race effort on the uphill to conserve some energy for the last 3km of the race.

The next 1km of the race was flat through the main avenue and right side of the quadrangle. Then we get to the next fast downhill section again. And what do you know…. Another steep uphill again right after. I was still trying out psychology on this part of the race… only this time this was my line… “I shouldn’t be comfortable”. Yes folks, I needed to hear that just to remind me that panting, aching, and almost getting dizzy is part of racing. ☺ If I give up on any section then I know I didn’t do my best.

The next downhill-uphill section of the course was really hard due to the glare and heat of the sun. It added to the already grueling section. Only this time I knew that its going to be the last 3km of the race and when I did my time check my watch only registered a good 30:00++…. Which means I have the chance of getting what I wanted if I just hold on to my current race pace.

I was trying to be more conscious of running form at this time of the race. I know that as you progress into the race you loose the proper form, hence you loose energy and time. I couldn’t get my strides to flow, as I wanted. I knew that I was loosing time cause of my short throw. I knew the dynamics of doing longer strides but it just seems that my legs weren’t cooperating with me. Now I have to get to that before the next race. My breathing though was right in-tune with my tempo. Although I was really panting hard, I knew that I could still sustain the load for the rest of the race.

The last 1km through the quadrangle was just pure bliss. All I can think of is the finish at the next 2 corners and my time for the race. Still can’t do longer strides though, but I hung on my pace. Got into the last corner and saw the official clock, smiled and crossed the line at 44:43.

I made it! 18 seconds shy of my target finish time. I wish this is how my mindset is whenever I race. A new PR, a great race!

- still h@ppyFeet after the race at UP -

After the UP GREAT RUN


We had our first h@ppyFeet Picnic!

I would like to thank all the people who made this event possible ☺
Although we were still missing a few members, at least most of the attendee’s got to meet each other already. Hope we have more picnic’s to come.


August 27, 2007

Patrick sent me an SMS if I can join another trail biking session. Of course I said yes! Well, i'll let the pictures tell you the story.....

- did I mention it rained the whole night and the morning too?! -

- we used small garbage bags for water resistance... It didn't work -- second victim of a busted chain -- we had to cross this river, It was FUN! some actually went back and did it again for the camera :) -

- series..... when it pours, there's mud!!!!! -- notice how deep the mud is???? -

- landslide..... had to walk and jump on the side of the hill. Sorry mates, there was no jump ramp for this thing -
- no one was able to bike on this steep very muddy hill. :) -- it was definitely a fun ride! -

Thanks Patrick for lending me Jack's bike and gear. Oh and to Miss Patricia, thanks for the betadine for my first trail crash wound! hehehehe and to the Patrick's biking buds, I may not be able to remember all of your names, but I will surely remember your bikes! hehehehe :)

Geez.... I really hope I was good boy this year. Santa, i just want a descent bike. :P