I failed to break sub-2 hours in the Subic International Half-Marathon but I am still strong and injury-free. I am ready for the Pasig River Heritage Marathon for next month.
I finished the Half-Marathon race in 2:12:56 hours (unofficial time) taken from my Timex watch.
More stories and pictures to be posted later today.
19 January 2008 (8:30 PM)
I arrived at Subic Freeport on or about 4:00 PM today (Saturday) with my driver and security. I was able to keep in touch with the Philippine Army Team runners at the parking area of the Subic Oval Track where the registration office is located. I was able to register as VIP Runner and got my reserved race number and singlet. Thanks for the help and involvement of the Philippine National Police as one of the Organizers/Sponsors of the event. A Police Officer facilitated my registration without any problem. He even invited me for an informal dinner at the Oval Track/Finish Line area.
I was happy to see Kilometer Markings (to be placed along the route) being prepared near the registration office. Three days ago, I sent a text message to PNP Chief Superintendent Samuel Tucay suggesting him to place mile/kilometer markings along the route of the Subic Marathon and told him also that I am going to run the Half-Marathon.
Learning from my past mistake from the Clark 10K Run last weekend, I immediately oriented myself with the route by slowly driving along the roads where the marathon will pass. The first 6-7 kilometers is relatively flat with the next two kilometers as gradual uphill going towards the airport. The last 1-2 kilometers going to the turn-around point is a “roller coaster” terrain. I could see that going back to the finish line will be an easier task in terms of the terrain but the heat of the rising sun will a harder task to overcome.
I am bringing along my Nathan Water Belt for my water supply and instructed my driver/security to be ready to replenish my water supply at the 12-km mark.
We had dinner/”carbo-loading” at Aristocrat Restaurant (spaghetti, pancit canton, boneless chicken barbecue w/ java rice, & SMB Light Beer) and presently staying in one of the hotels/inns near the SBMA Office which is few meters away from the starting line.
I was informed that another group of Kenyan runners (a different group from the Clark Freeport Marathon’s Kenyan runners) will be joining the race.
Assembly time will be 5:00 AM and Start of the Race will be at 6:00 AM tomorrow.
It’s final…The DND-AFP “Gintong Pangarap” Half-Marathon is reset to 09 March 2008. This will be hosted by the Philippine Air Force and it will start at the Grandstand at Camp Villamor Air Base, Pasay City on or about 5:00 AM.
Flyers and Registration Forms will be available at the Subic International Marathon this Sunday and in the succeeding weekend road races.
Details of the race will be posted later on this blogsite.
18 January 2008
I arrived here in Iloilo City from Jamindan yesterday afternoon. I had an appointment visit with Bishop Angel Lagdameo in Jaro, Iloilo City at 4:00 PM yesterday. Bishop Lagdameo and I had been meeting on a regular basis every month and discuss things and issues prevailing the country but more on telling him what my Command had been doing to the people of Western Visayas.
I am scheduled to meet Vice-President Noli de Castro today in connection with the inauguration of the new Bacolod-Silay City Airport where he is the Guest of Honor. Later, before lunch, I will be taking the Weesam Fastcraft for Bacolod City.
I woke up at 5:30 AM to prepare for my short run at the Iloilo Sports Complex Oval Track. After a slow and warm-up run for four rounds on the oval, I started my run and averaged 2:35-2:50 minutes per round/400 meters. Later, I did Yasso 800s with the following registered times—3:35 minutes; 3:44 minutes; 3:49 minutes; and 3:39 minutes. I jogged one round to recover every interval run. I am surprised that I improved with my time as compared with my performance during my run with my son, John, last month.
My Average HR was 164. My Maximum HR was 169 and my Minimum HR was 153. I was reaching my Oxygen Debt and Threshold with my Yasso 800s. I am slowly introducing speed runs in my training and find out if I have enough strength already on my leg muscles in order to prevent any injury. I am happy with my running workout today. I was able to finish 27 times around the oval to include cool-down run. This will be my last run before the Subic Half-Marathon this coming Sunday.
Total Distance: 7 miles or 11.2 kilometers.
1. Recon and Inspect the Route—Find time to familiarize with the route of the race looking for the general terrain (uphill & downhill portions) of the route. This could be done weeks/days before the race.
2. Visualize Mile/Km Markers—In the absence of mile/kilometer markers, establish reference points along the route which will serve as your mile/km markers. This should be done during your reconnaissance activity on the route.
3. Plan for a Strategy—Depending on the extent and nature of your training in preparation to the race, you should be able to come up with your “strategy” to attain your desired goal for the race. It could be a fast run in the 1st half of the course & an average pace up to the finish; or an average pace on the 1st half & a fast pace on the remaining half of the course; or running at an average pace with “modified fartlek” along the route; or maintaining a fast pace or “speed play” throughout the course.
4. Drink Water—This is very basic. Drink water before the race, along the route, and after the race. Rule of Thumb: Drink water every 3 kilometers. Water provides replenishment to the runners’ sweat/perspiration and minerals taken out from the body due to perspiration. Psychologically, water provides more power and strength to the runner. For runners in tropical countries like ours, water provides cooling effect to the body. Proper and immediate replenishment of water to the body contribute to a faster recovery for the tired muscles of every runner.
5. Stretching & Warm-Up—More stretching and warm-up needed before and after the race. I did not have enough time to properly stretch my muscles and jog to warm-up. This lack of proper stretching and warm-up gave me the condition which made me run at a faster pace at the start of the race.
6. Desired Goal—Come up with a conservative goal to be attained on the said race. I was planning for a sub-50-minute PR best for the race but I did not follow my “strategy”—to run a conservative pace on the first half and run at a “speed play” pace on the last half of the course. I need to control the “adrenaline rush” at the start of the race. This will never happen again!
7. Body Massage—Don’t forget to have that body massage at least two days before D-Day of the Race. My successive body massages for the week, at Marco Polo Hotel and Olympia Spa, days before the day of the race were able to loosen my tight and tired muscles from my training runs. My muscles were loose and relaxed before and during the race. Early and fast recovery from my race was also a result of a good body massage.
17 January 2008
It started raining after I woke up at 5:45 AM. I planned to run at 6:00 AM but it was raining hard and it gave me time to check if the Globe Internet Connection was already working. I was really frustrated to see that it was not yet working and I opted to take my usual morning green tea and eventually had my breakfast.
I started running once the rains stopped at 9:00 AM. I ran along the 2-mile route inside the camp with the road wet and damp. Sometimes, there are parts of the road which are slippery because of the thick moss that grow on top of the road. I tried to avoid the accumulated water along the road and the slippery moss which made my run as slow and controlled but more comfortable.
I finished 3 rounds around the 2-mile route with the following times:
2 miles—18:18 minutes
4 miles—35:43 minutes
6 miles—53:37 minutes
I ran the second round at 17:25 minutes while my third round’s time was 17:54 minutes. I ran one mile as my cool-down run and later made my post-stretching exercises. This run was an easy run with an average pace of 8:56 minutes per mile or 5:35 minutes per kilometer.
My TIMEX Watch Zone Trainer Digital Heart Monitor registered the following data:
Elapsed Time—53:37 minutes
Time In Zone—47:42 minutes
Maximum HR—157
Minimum HR—100
Average HR—142
Total Calories—647
Total Distance: 7 miles or 11.2 kilometers
16 January 2008
After running 10 miles this morning, I attended to all the paper works which needed my attention and decision. Later, I called my Chief of Staff to relay to him my instructions/directives on what to be done in the coming days and things to follow-up among our subordinate units. After lunch, I reviewed our plans and thrusts for this year and came up with my schedule to visit my subordinate units within my Command in the coming days & weeks. I had to rest later and was able to sleep for almost two hours before preparing myself for another running workout in the afternoon.
After a 20-minute stretching, I started my first round of the 2-mile route inside the camp. I finished the first round in 16:25 minutes. My second round was timed at 32:15 minutes, making the round covered in 16:50 minutes. My third round was timed at 47:42 minutes, which means that I made the last round in 15:27 minutes. I made a one-mile run as my cool-down run after running three rounds along the 2-mile route.
I considered this running workout as a modified “speed play” where I increased my speed on the uphill portions of the route. My average speed for the run was 7:57 minutes per mile or 4:58 minutes per kilometer. This was my fastest time so far for the distance of 6 miles along the 2-mile route inside the camp.
My TIMEX Watch Zone Trainer Digital Heart Monitor registered the following data:
Elapsed Time—47:42 minutes
Time In Zone—44:58 minutes
Maximum HR—162
Minimum HR—93
Average HR—147
Total Calories—613
Total Distance: 7miles or 11.2 kilometers
16 January 2008
I started my run at 6:40 AM along the 2-mile route inside the camp. As always, I started my run at a very slow pace because the first 200 meters is uphill with the rest of the 1st mile going slightly downhill. However, the last one mile is a “killer” uphill one.
The workout is a slow and easy run with emphasis on going strong and emphasis on knee upward movements in uphill portions of the route. My time for the first round was 17:50 minutes. The second round was timed at 35:07 minutes. My third round’s time registered at 52:35 minutes. My fourth round was at 1:11:48 hours.
I was able to run 5 times around the 2-mile route with a total distance of 10 miles or 16 kilometers. My average pace was 9:04 minutes per mile or 5:40 minutes per kilometer.
The following were data taken from my TIMEX Zone Trainer Digital Heart Monitor:
Elapsed Time—1:30:41 minutes
Time In Zone—1:13:12 minutes
Maximum HR—153
Minimum HR—86
Average HR—140
Total Calories—1,066
15 January 2008
I started my running workout at 5:30 PM along the 2-mile route inside the camp. I finished 3 rounds which is equivalent to 6 miles in 50:54 minutes. My average pace was 8:29 minutes per mile or 5:18 minutes per kilometer.
The following were the data taken from my TIMEX Zone Trainer heart Digital Monitor:
Elapsed Time—50:54 minutes
Time In Zone—41:10 minutes
Maximum HR—159
Minimum HR—83
Average HR—142
Total Calories—614
15 January 2008 (6:30 AM-7:30 AM)
I was able to run 6 miles along the 2-mile route inside the camp with a time of 52:07 minutes. It was an easy run.
Bald Runner 
You must be logged in to post a comment.