GMA 7 Tatakbo ka ba – Eleksyon 2010

VENUE : The Fort
WHEN : Aug 30, 2k9 (Sunday) Gunstart 6AM
Events : 5k/10k
A race organized by GMA, well advertised in TV, limited slots, a race for election awareness.  Since it was a race organized by a very popular TV station I had high hopes that the race was gonna be well facilitated and might also be my special chance to meet some celebrities and Political candidates for 2010 up close and personal.   But at the end of the race event ALL my expectations were not met at all.

• Race did not start on time because they had to interview several people live on TV before before the gunstart.  As a result the bright minded race administrators figured  since its late anyway they might as well just let the gunstart of 5k and 10k runners start at the same time.
• The First Water Aid station definitely got raped,  the 1st station  was only giving out VITWATER energy drink and because majority of the race participants seem be to new comers, nobody really cared about proper race courtesy.  Everyone was just grabbing 2 to 4 Vitwater in their arms like there was no tomorrow.
• Race route was not very difficult but quite enjoyable because it gave me the chance to see some unexplored areas in the Fort.
• Upon crossing the finish line i wasnt really sure if the facilitators even bothered getting everyones official finish time, but somehow they were pulling the stabs from our bib #s so Im still hoping they could still come up with our race results.
• There were lots of Freebies from different food and drink sponsors, but as usual , just like any other not well organized races mostly early finishers and  5k runner’s family members enjoyed the freebies.  I even tried waiting in the long line of free ZAGU, waited there for almost 20 minutes and the line did not move at all !  I figured it might be faster to find a 7-11 store where I can buy a cold drink instead of waiting in that long line.
• The 10k route was really very short it only measured 9.33km from my GPS watch.
• You also dont get a chance to see the GMA celebrities and Political candidates up close and personal because they were all seggregated in a 50 meter bordered area where only press and special people were allowed to enter.   Its actually more convenient to see them if you just watched the TV telecast.
• Overall, the race facilitation and experience from this event was a really big disappointment.

Kenny Rogers Open URBANITE Run 09

VENUE : The Fort
WHEN : Aug 15, 2k9 (Saturday Night) Gunstart 8:15PM / 8:45PM / 9PM
Events : 5k/10k/15

*Around 3000+ runners.
*This was actually the first time I experienced running beyond 6PM, so this is my first ever official night run.
*Weather was very Humid and Dry, only felt the cold breeze in few parts of the route.
*Some Aid stations only provided WARM Juice, but I want water! so I could pour it in my head and wet my desert dry throat.
*The 10k route for this race isnt really easy at all, lots of challenging uphill w/c made it diffcult for me to keep my organized racing pace. But I still loved the route, it made me realize that I need to consider including uphill courses in my regular training.
*Finished the race in 1 hour 9 mins and 22 seconds.
*Race Facilitation and overall organization of the event was very good.

Better Pacing helps a lot

My last 10k runs have been a disaster at the 7k to 8k mark i always start to feel like I already hit the wall.  Initially, I thought the problem was my preparation, but with my last 10k I know for sure that I had good rest, stretching and energy preparation but I still encountered the same problem at the 8k mark.  So this morning I  had good rest,stretching and energy preparation but I felt like I still had to change something with my tactic.  So i’ve decided to use an organized approach with my pacing.  My battle plan was 1 and 2 KM Easy ,  3rd km Comfortable Fast run,  4th Easy again,  5th Comftable Fast again,  6th Easy, 7th CF, 8th Easy, 9 to last KM  a mix of Fast and Easy.  And heres the the result comparison below,

Left side is the New pacing i did today, while right table was my old pacing.  After comparing the two I’ve noticed I had better speed distribution and I also had more opportunity to run fast  because my energy was properly distributed in the entire run with my new pacing.

New Pacing						Old Pacing
Split	Time per KM	Distance	Avg Speed	Max Speed		Split	Time per KM	Distance	Avg Speed	Max Speed
1	0:07:31	1	7:31	0:44		1	0:06:08	1	6:08	5:07
2	0:07:54	1	7:54	6:41		2	0:06:20	1	6:20	5:01
3	0:06:09	1	6:09	5:07		3	0:06:29	1	6:29	5:34
4	0:07:47	1	7:47	6:34		4	0:06:55	1	6:55	5:30
5	0:05:53	1	5:53	4:52		5	0:06:30	1	6:30	5:01
6	0:07:42	1	7:42	4:42		6	0:07:16	1	7:16	6:01
7	0:06:01	1	6:01	4:39		7	0:06:51	1	6:51	5:49
8	0:07:31	1	7:31	5:40		8	0:07:11	1	7:11	5:34
9	0:06:08	1	6:08	4:18		9	0:07:17	1	7:17	5:36
10	0:06:40	1	6:40	4:39		10	0:08:17	1	8:17	5:07
Summary	1:09:23	10.01	6:56	0:44		Summary	1:11:56	10.00	6:53	4:48

After comparing my old run with my new pacing.  I learned that:

• I need to properly set a Slow and Fast pacing every KM to properly allocate my energy for the entire run.  My old style before was run fast until I exhaust all my energy then recharge by slow jogging, then as soon as my energy level is back start running fast again which seemed to be a wrong approach based from my experience.

• I did not experience any side stitch at all with my new pacing, in all my previous 10k runs i ALWAYS experienced a side stitch.

• I only felt like I did a 5k training practice with my new pacing.

• I felt like I can actually do up to 3km more after hitting 10k, but i already stopped at 10k

• Less Body pain after the training.  yay!

Whats your Collapse Point?

One boring night while browsing google around for any interesting article about running, I stumbled upon Baldrunner’s website.   He has a writeup  w/c talks about Collapse Point. Based on Baldrunner’s research, Collapse Point  is the point along the marathon race where you hit your “Wall”. This term was made famous by Dr John Wagner of the Honolulu Marathon Association.

While the formula for calculating your personal collapse point would be:

(Get your total mileage for 60 days) divide by 20 = Collapse point

or  to put it easier, get your weekly mileage,  then divide your weekly mileage by 7,  multiply the result by 60 then divide it by 20 equals your Collapse point.

After reading this article it was both good news and bad news for me.  Good news is that I came to a realization on how I can improve my weekly and long term training program. While Bad News is I still have a looooooooong  way to go to reach my 1st marathon.

——–

thanks to Baldrunner’s website for his article about Collapse Point.   =)

Hataw Pilipinas – Aug 9, 2009

Race : Hataw Pilipinas
Venue : UP Diliman
When : Aug 9, 2k9 , Assembly 5:30AM , Gunstart : 6AM
Events : 3k / 5k / 10k

• I wasnt really planning on joining any race this weekend but after reading in takbo.ph forums late saturday night I found out that theres gonna be a race tomorrow morning at Marikina and UP.  So I figured what the heck I might as well join since Sunday is my normal long run training day.

• Woke up at 4:50 AM , w/c seems to be too late already to join the Marikina race so I just chose to join the UP race and did some mild jogging along the way as a warmup, made it just in time for the late registration.

• Not too many race participants, I would say around 500 people more or less.  Pero nung bigayan na ng freebies parang dumami bigla tao.

• Race route was very redundant, only the first 1km was different, the remaining 9k was all about running around the UP oval till you reach 10k.

• Theres water aid station at every 2k.

• For some reason I think my pacing in the race wasnt better than my last 10k run.  At the 8k mark I started taking too many walk breaks w/c greatly messed up my momentum.

• Finished the 10k mark at 1hr 9min based on my own timer while I crossed the official Finish line at 1hr 11min 56 sec.  The whole route had a total of 10.44KM based on my Garmin.

• When I crossed the finish line I was disappointed because I  really didnt notice anyone at all keeping track of the official timing of the finishers.  So I guess I really wont be expecting any official race results from this event.

• Even if the race wasnt well organized there were a lot of freebies from the event sponsors, the free race singlet also had a nice design.

Got myself a Garmin

after doing my daily training I decided to stop by at the Second Wind store and have a GAIT Analysis consultation I then found out I was a mild over pronator but what really caught me eye inside the store was the Garmin Forerunner 405.  I began asking Hector all his experience and other details about the Garmin, after my discussion with Hector the only CON in getting a Garmin was its warranty and battery life.  Warranty because if your Garmin somehow suddenly conks out there is no Garmin Service Center in the Philippines and your only choice is either to send it back to US or send it to Garmin’s Service Center in China.  But if its still under warranty according to Hector there should be no charge in getting it repaired, however you would still have to shoulder the shipping charges. Battery life, because the battery is said to be only good for 2 years just like a cellphone battery. This means if you need a new battery you would have to order the battery from out of the country again.   I tried to convince myself not to buy it, but I just cant…so I’ve decided to buy it.

After getting myself my own Garmin I could say that I really like all of its feature.  All the extra information and details about my training is really impressive!  Even if I’m out of town it should now be easy to track how many KMs i have already run and my pace.  For short, Organized training should be easier because it provides me with more information that I can use to analyze my training my performance for self improvement.  So I guess I can say that I’m one satisfied customer.

Family Fun Run 2009

VENUE : Roxas Blvd, Manila

WHEN : Aug 2, 2k9 , Sunday / Assembly time 4PM, gun start 5PM

Events : 3k / 10k

• Its My 2nd 10k Race

• Gun start of the 10k race was scheduled to begin at 4:30 PM , thanks to the long speech from the councilors of manila the race was delayed and gunstart for 10k started at 5PM.

• The weather was windy and very cloudy, which somehow helped me maintain a good body temperature while running.

• Lots of PMT students, PE high school students, College students wearing their PE uniform, it seems like this people were required to attend the fun run to get a special incentive or a plus  in their quizzes or something from their class teachers.  As a result almost 90% of this people just walked the entire 3k making the fun run an Alay Lakad Event for them.

• The race route was very simple.  Start at Raja Sulayman Park along Roxas Blvd and just run straight , then make a U turn at Kalaw Ave. run straight again til you reach Vito Cruz to make another U turn x 2 = 10k

• Started with a slow and steady pace for the first 4 minutes.  First water aid station was already available before you reach 1k.

• Lots of Water Aid stations, w/c is really good!

• After 3k,  rain started pouring. I was already worried thinking that I had to finish the remaining 7k while raining. But after 30 seconds rain just suddenly stopped and the weather went back to normal cloudy and windy again.

• After passing the 4k mark i started feeling weary because of hunger.  Last time I ate something was 11 hrs before the race.  I knew I should’ve drank or ate something at least a couple of hours before the run. As a new runner I now appreciate the value of carbo loading before a race.

• Sprinted the last 100 meters and timed 1 hr 8min 15 sec from my wrist watch.

• About to grab some refreshment after finishing my run but unfortunately all 3k runners , early finishers and bystanders have already pillaged the remaining free energy drinks and mineral water.  So I just went to the nearest 7-11 store and bought myself a pineapple-orange juice.

Globe Run for Home 2009

• The first race event in the Philippines which made use of the Champion Chip for recording your personal time.
• After 2 days of recovering the sore leg muscles from my first 10k run, I felt like i needed an easy run  so I  just joined the 5k event in Run for home.
• Thousand runners all gathered in one place, this is definitely the most overcrowded run event I’ve ever experienced.
• After the gun start it took me 2 mins to cross the starting line because the starting zone was overcrowded with 5k and 3k runners.
• Setting my initial pace for my first 1k was very hard because because of the overcrowded road.
• Didnt bother stopping for the first water aid station.
• I tried maintaining the same pace with my friend running beside me for the entire run.
• I started feeling a side stitch again at around 2.5k, as usual improper breathing technique on my part.
• Was able to quickly grab a cup of water in the overcrowded 2nd aid station.   Some people were like having a tea party and totally relaxing in the aid station making it difficult for other runners to snatch a cup of water.
• Started feeling side stitch again during the uphill portion.
• Me and my running partner tried bursting for several seconds to make up for the lost seconds that we lost in the 2nd aid station and the uphill part.  As a consequence I felt like I lost my rhythm and started feeling side stitch again at around 4k.
• About 300 meters away from the finish line my partner called out to sprint all the way to Finish,  I was able to sprint for almost a 100meters but the annoying pain from my side stitch just kept on stopping me to sprint all the way to the finish.
• A slow finish ,  I crossed the line with 34minutes and 11seconds.  I was able to beat my best  5k run event PR of 35min but somehow I felt unsatisfied since my best 5k PR from training was 33min.
• Race results took 4 days , but after 4 days of waiting I could say it was the best and most detailed race result I’ve ever seen so I guess it was worth waiting for

Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run 2009

Fit & Fun Wellness Buddy Run 2009
Date : July 12, 2k9 – Sunday
VENUE : The Fort, NBC Tent start / finish zone
Start Time : 6:00 AM
Mechanics : Start and Finish with your buddy or else disqualified.
Red and White Singlet = 5k runners
Gray and Blue Singlet = 10k runners

• My first ever 10k run
• Wasnt able to find a buddy willing to do 5k with me, so I accepted my cousin’s challenge of doing my first 10k.
• As an incentive, the 10k singlet really looks better than the 5k singlets hehe
• The longest time I’ve ran without any walk during my training was 45 minutes.  So I was really worried that I might just end up walking after 45 or 50 minutes of running.
• We didnt bother stopping in the first water station because we still felt normal.
• After the first 3k my right shoelace got untied, so I was able to take a quick 2 second rest but it turned out stopping for 2 seconds wasnt really good.  Parang nanikip yung leg muscles ko so medyo binilisan ko pace ko to get myself back in the momentum.  Thank god I didnt end up having leg cramps, so I was back on my pace for the succeeding KM.
• at around 5km i suddenly felt an aching side stitch, but for some reason it disappeared after a few minutes, I really still need to work on my proper breathing while running to prevent this from happening again.
• at around 7km i already started feeling the urge to  start walking slowly,  i think this is where my willpower suddenly kicked in so I still didnt walk and just kept on my with my buddy’s running pace.
• The last 2 water stations I was already pouring all the mineral water in my head just to lower my temperature.
• Getting a glimpse of that glowing  finish line I told my buddy to get ready to go all out, so we sprinted the last 200 meters of the race and finished strong setting my first 10k PR of 1 hour 12 min and 4 sec.
• This has to be the event that has the most freebies,  the lootbag given to the finishers was so filled with lots of health products and groceries it really felt like a complete refund of the registration fee.
• Event organizer was EX-TRIBE,  all i could say to them is WELL DONE!  I’m really looking forward on joining future race events organized by them.
• Same Day Race Results!

The GIG Run 2009

VENUE : UP Diliman, Quezon City

WHEN : June 28, 2k9 – Sunday

Events : 5K/10K

• My 3rd Run Event and my 2nd 5k run.   no more walk this time!  all run and jog,  clocked in 35min 18 sec beating my best 5k PR.
• Ranked 163rd out of  493 5k runners.
• I heard a lot of people still wanted to register but they only had  limited slots  for the 5k and 10k event and  as a result I saw a lot of bandit runners.
• 2nd Water Aid station ran out of cups too fast
• I almost lost hope waiting for the race results, it took less than 2 weeks before we got to see it.
• I felt like my pacing still wasnt good, I felt an aching side stitch on my last 1km.
• After seeing the big green GIG run logo in the finish line I suddenly felt revitalized .  Nagkaron ako bigla ng energy to sprint the last 100 meters of the race.