6:35 AM 07 June 2008 In Barangay Dibua, Laoag City

After running 26 kilometers last week and another 30 kilometers last Thursday, it seems everything becomes easy, not withstanding the early rise of the sun and my further exposure to the heat of the sun. My runner’s cap, sunglasses, and Nathan Water Belt had been very helpful in my long runs for the past weeks.

I made sure to eat some food (cereals & 2 pieces of banana) and drink a bottle of Propel before leaving the house as I decided to take another route for my 15K run. Instead of going south from the house of my sister and retracing my “nostalgic run” route, I set my eyes on the road that took me towards the north direction.

The road goes to the center of Barangay Dibua North until it reaches Barangay Sangil of Bacarra, the next town north of Laoag City. After running for 3 kilometers going north, the road leads to the direction towards the east and I was running parallel along the Bacarra River but I was nearer to a irrigation canal. My one-way direction ended at the road crossing with Bacarra Road (Laoag to Pagudpud Road) where my GF 305 registered 7.43 kilometers. I made my turn-around and retraced the road I had taken but I made an extra 200 meters towards the west direction before going back to the road leading to Barangay Dibua North.

About 2/3 of the road is paved with cement and the rest of the road is gravel/dirt road. The gravel road made my pace slower as I try to select where my foot would land  due to the presence of small stones/gravel along the way. But I had to regain and increase my pace whenever I reached the paved road. About half of the distance of 7.43 kilometers is shaded with trees on both sides of the road and the other half is exposed to the heat of the sun.

I had to increase my pace whenever I was running along the unshaded parts of my route and sip water when I was in the shaded areas. I did not have any stop-over/pit stops along the way. I saw to it that the water in my Nathan Water jug was enough for my 15K run. I took a sip of water at Km-6; Km-11; and Km-14.

I finished the run in 1:28: 36 hours and here were the data I gathered from my GF 305:

Distance—15.0 kms             Time—1:28:36 hrs

Average Pace—5:54 mins/km      Average Speed—10.2 kms/hr

Maximum Speed—13.0 kms/hr    Total Calories—1,106 cal

Average HR—151 bpm                  Maximum HR—163 bpm

Total Ascent—520 meters            Total Descent—503 meters

Runner’s Kit—Adidas shorts; white sando (cotton) from Fairways & Bluewater Golf; Penshoppe Runner’s Cap; & Maui Sunglass

Running Shoes—ASICS Gel-Cumulus 8

Music—Beatles One; Bee Gees (One Night Only:Live)

My sister told me that there is a running/mountain bike trail along the hills in Barangay Dibua and neighboring barangays that she came to know from doctors and social action workers who usually hike along these trails to reach the far-flung barangays located north & northwest of the city and the said trail end up at the Provincial Athletic Grounds or at the Mariano Marcos State University Campus. I hope to see this trail in the coming days.

After running on these trails, maybe, next time I will try to run along the famous “sand dunes” of Laoag City and Paoay. Wish me luck!