new distance, new pace

Like what I wrote in my last post, I think one of the signs that I have improved as a runner is the fact that I am now running distances in regular training that would only run before in fun runs with all the fun fare. My regular training for the last two weeks was all about that.

Royson, Imye and I resumed our regular twice-a-week maintenance run but this time we added LSD runs during the weekends. This is part of our (more serious) training for the TBR Dream Marathon and for the 7 Eleven run.  We also tried a new faster pace. I have been used to running 2:1 slow for so long that I was surprised that I was able to keep up when we decided to run 3:1 moderately fast pace. Wow! With the 3:1 run-walk pace, our average pace ranges from 8:30 to 10:30 per kilometer. Nice! Applying what I've learned from the TBR training, I found it also comfortable to run a faster speed using short strides and an increased cadence.

Last January 10, the group ran 16k around MOA!  The last time I ran 16k was during the Bull Session at Nuvali. That was the farthest distance I have ran so far. But wait... there's more... by the following Sunday (Jan 12) at Diliman, we ran 18k using the same 3:1 moderately fast pace. We deserved medals for those two run. Haha. My (R) hamstring, (L) gastrocs and the soles of (B) my feet were the sites of aches and pains but aside from those, I felt fine. We celebrated by eating corn on a cob and having our feet massaged. That was a nice reward.

This week, we ran twice at MOA just for an hour each.  We tried a 3:1 fast pace on the first day and a 4:1 moderately fast pace on the second. We finished 6.8 km for 3:1 fast and 6.5 km for 4:1 mod fast. I am more comfortable with the 3:1 pace. That's what we will use for the 7 eleven half marathon tomorrow which we will consider our LSD for the week.

After running my first 21 km, the goal is to run 30 km two weeks before the big marathon day!

I feel I am now transitioning as a runner. I am slowly leaving behind my newbie self.

We no longer need medals or loot bags to encourage us to run. The goals are different now. I am different now.

a running start

I really felt guilty for not being able to run on the last week of 2013 because I was on a road trip with my friends. Guilty and envious. Haha. Most of my bull runner batchmates, in our facebook page, are posting about how they are sticking to the program. A lot of them are regularly doing  (very) long slow runs with some already reaching the 30k-mark. Wow! I have a lot of catching up to. That is why, last week I ran for four consecutive days. Hehe.  Not sure if that's healthy but I had no pains after so I'm still glad I did it. I experimented on different paces to determine the ideal one to use in future long runs.

Day 1
Last Thurs, January 2, I went for a 7km-run from our condo to Luneta park and back.  I did several rounds around the Quirino Grandstand using my usual 2:1 slow run-walk pace. I was hoping to finish 10 km but my nose got irritated by the dust from the construction nearby so I left early. It was a really a slow run. My average pace was 12.55 min per km. Boo!  The holidays really got to me.

only 7km in 91 mins, oh no!

Day 2
The following day, I ran again, this time, at the Mall of Asia with Royson.  Imye was supposed to come along to practice for the 7-eleven half-marathon she also signed up for but she got sick that day. It was Royson's first long run after a long time.  Haha. Again, we used the 2:1 slow run-walk pace and finished 10 km in 2 hours and 2 minutes! That's roughly 12 min per km. Hmmm... that is still toooooo sloooooow!  With an average pace like that we will not be able to finish 21 km in 4 hours, the cut-off for the 7-eleven run and our target time for the first half of the TBR dream marathon.  We need an average pace of 10 min per km to reach our target time so we decided to run again on Sunday and try out a 3:1 slow pace. 

will never reach the cut-off time at this rate

Day 3

I couldn't wait for Sunday to try out the pace. Haha. The following day, I did a maintenance run back at the Quirino Graandstand.  Fortunately, it was no longer as dusty as the other day.  I ran for 47 minutes and finished 4.21 km using a slow 3:1 pace.  My average pace was 11 min per km. Yey!  It was still more than 10 minutes but with this average pace, we can already make it to the cut-off time. :)

around the grand stand, faster this time

Day 4
We were thinking of joining of a fun run at Diliman that Sunday but on the last minute, we decided to back out and just run. Dom and I met Royson at Welcome rotonda; and the three of us met up with Imye and her cousin, Herald at Philcoa. We got to Diliman a little past 5 AM.  It was good that we decided not to join the fun run.  They haven't started the fun run by the time we got there.  They moved the gun start to 6AM. By that time, we were already done with at least two rounds around the academic oval.

We used the 3:1 slow pace.  After a few minutes, Herald and Dom went ahead of us using a different pace. The plan was to do five rounds around the academic oval and then assess if we can run some more. We were comfortable with the pace and soon we were lost in our merry conversation.

Royson and I were wearing our TBR training shirt.  By the end of our first round, we were greeted by a lot of our TBR batchmates who were also there with their own running groups. Hmmm... let's see if I can recall the TBR batchmates that we've met.  First, we were greeted by a big group of runners who were on their 2nd day of LSD in Diliman.  I'm assuming that was the 4:1 running group of Dexter et al. We met a father with his son who was part of the fun run.  He was pacing his son during the race.  Alice, one of the people I've met during the bull session in Nuvali, ran with us for a while.  She said she was comfortable with our slow pace. We chatted while we ran.  She was the one who actually told us about Dexter's group.  After one round, we went our separate ways.  We met a couple both in TBR uniform; a lady running with two older gentlemen; a serious solo runner; and blogger Jema with the Singapore team.  I have to say, the academic oval was full of TBR dreamers.  Everyone greeted everyone.  It's a very supportive community I'm lucky to be part of.  We actually convinced Dom and Imye to join the next TBR. Hehe.

After 5 rounds and a few meters, we decided to stop. We ran 11.5 km in 2 hours and 10 minutes.  Our average pace was 11 min and 22 sec per km.  Not bad! With that pace we can already cross the 21 km mark in 4 hours. Yey!  We just need to maintain the pace.

After eating breakfast at Maginhawa St., we went home happy and satisfied.

with Royson, Dom, Imye and Herald at UP Diliman

I am proud of myself for starting the year right.  It's funny to think that before, for us to run 10 km, it has to be in a fun run with all it's trappings (medal, finisher's cert, loot bag, singlet, etc).  But now, 10 km is just part of our regular training. Haha. I love thinking about these little signs of improvement. Definitely, after almost a year of running, we have gone a long way. Pun intended. :)

[upcoming run] 7-eleven run 1000 [updates]

I asked the organizers of the run thru their facebook account about the rule:

2.10, “A runner may NOT use a personal music system, e.g. iPod, or a radio communication device, including a cellular phone, whilst running. 

Here is their response:

We cannot allow music gadgets for safety purposes, as runners might not hear the instructions from marshals. Thank you.


I told them that I understand where they are coming from however i explained that a lot of runners, including myself, use music to help them run. Music is a good form of motivation especially when running long distances and that some runners even use their "personal music systems" to time their running pace. I asked them if the rule be strictly implemented?

No response yet.

Hmmm... what to do? What to do?

getting back on track

Classic ningas kugon! After two blog entries, there was complete silence.

Due to an extremely busy schedule with work and graduate studies, my weekly jogs and occasional fun run participation, just like my blogging have taken a back seat.

I'm now back to my original weight (booo!) and I have lost some of the cardiovascular endurance I have gain (boooo again!).

But I'm now trying to get back on track. Here are a few things that I have been doing to gain what I have lost:

• Two months ago, I've enrolled in a gym. I do the weights and all but my primary reason for joining is to use the cardio equipment.  In the gym, I can still run even if the weather is bad.

• I've registered in next year's Bull Runner Dream Marathon.  Yup! By February next year I will be running in a marathon! 42 kilometers Whew! So far, I've been (trying to be) faithful with the Bull University's training program and I have joined 1 bull session, that's a long slow run with the other TBR dreamers, and I plan to join the future sessions to get ready for the big day.

• I have a December full of weekend runs! Last week I joined the Nike We Run 10k fun run.  Today, I just got home from the St. Luke's Run for Wellness 10k fun run. Next Saturday, I'll be joining another Bull Session. We will be running for 2 and half hours in Nuvali. This will be followed by a 42-k relay in Tarlac for the Busko Challenge. I am to run the first 14 km.  I hope my legs don't fail me.

Although, I'm still not back to my previous weekly routine, at least I am not completely stagnant.  I hope to end this year and start next year right.  I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

Expect more run stories soon!

the road so far

I love to walk.  I can walk for hours and be lost in my thoughts.  I think it was inevitable that later on I would discover running as my physical activity of choice.

I've only started running this year. I jog twice or thrice a week with my friends; and so far, I have joined six fun runs. I'm a newbie runner through and through.

Since, I started running I've noticed a lot of changes. I've lost weight, not much, but still worth celebrating.  My cardiovascular endurance has improved.  I can now walk three flights of stairs to the fourth floor without feeling winded. I can run longer and faster compared to when I started.  I want to document more of these changes and more of my discoveries as I continue running.  That's why I created this blog.

This will be a blog dedicated to running, as this gopher train his paws from a being newbie to a marathoner and beyond.