Banana Running’s post about her 1st Year Anniversary gave me an idea to come up also with a year- end review and assessment about this blog. Actually, I was thinking of coming up with a post with regards to my one-year review and assessment of my running training and performance. But I have to deal first with the easier task of telling my readers what transpired with this blog for the past one year.
Last April 2007, I started blogging with “Blogger” as the Western Visayas Commander of Philippine Army troops and para-military units where I posted the Command’s activities, plans, actions, accomplishments and civic-oriented activities geared towards the accomplishment of our mission in the area. My posts were about military operations and civil-military activities within the islands of Panay, Negros, Guimaras, Siquijor, Cebu, and Bohol. This blog became my medium of transmitting my “media releases” to the different news reporters who are based in Iloilo City, Bacolod City and Cebu City as my Division Headquarters in Jamindan, Capiz could be hardly reached by land transportation from the news reporters.
On the last week of October 2007, I was browsing the internet with the plan of making some research about running and ultimately coming up with a plan to record or journalize my running workouts along the mountains of Jamindan. As I “googled” the words “running + Philippines”, I was surprised to see the blog of The Bull Runner at WordPress. This was my first exposure to WordPress and I was inspired what The Bull Runner had started for the past 5 months before I started “blogging” with the title name “Bald Runner” with WordPress. And the rest is history.
I consider the following factors or reasons why this blog had been visited for the past year:
1) As the Chairman of the “DND-AFP GIntong Pangarap For Marathon Program”, I was able to use this blog to announce the schedule, activities, and results of the past Half-Marathon, half-marathon relay and lesser distance road races we had conducted. It was unfortunate that I had to recommend, through this blog, the closure of this program.
2) By initially donating my four (4) pairs of running shoes, this gave birth to “Project Donate A Shoe” which so far received 50 pairs of donated running shoes (from here and abroad) and distributed the same number to recipients with “old, torn, tattered, and over-used” running shoes.
3) My Race Reports to the different road races I’ve participated locally and in the USA with my “running” pictures.
4) My Running Shoes Reviews. My shoe review on the ASICS Gel-Kinsei 2 is the top most topic/post being read in this blog with almost 5,900 hits since I posted such review.
5) The “1,000-Km Club” became popular as a motivating factor to all runners where every increment of 100 kms has a corresponding “treat or gift”. The runner must come up for his/her “ultimate gift or treat” once he/she reaches 1,000-Km total. This is also a way for a runner to monitor his mileage within the week or month.
6) My daily training workouts and my training philosophy in running. Patience and Consistency are the principles of training in running which I consider as the most important. Whether you follow the Lydiard’s Way; Galloway’s Method; Bowerman’s Way; Salazar’s Techniques; Hudson’s Adaptive Training; Macmillan’s Performance; Jack Daniel’s “Hard & Easy” Days; or Stephen Daniel’s “High-Intensity Interval sessions, each runner must be able to undergo the following phases in preparation to a certain race—base-building for endurance; sharpening and speed phase; tapering; & recovery.
7) This blog is about competition and getting the best finish time every race. Every runner must be able to compete with himself and the route of the race. Depending on his/her training and preparation, he/she must be able to come up with a “race strategy” and be able to learn a lesson in every race.
8) Feedbacks and Critique to every race is a regular menu of this blog for the race organizers to improve and give the best service to every paying runner/participant in every road race. I guess, I am not the only one doing this.
My highest number of hits for a day was 1,078 with a daily average hits of 600-800 and monthly increase of readership from 5,000 to 6,000 since January of this year. I had the highest number of hits during the month of August when I ran the San Francisco Marathon and Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run in Calabasas, California.
Let me thank the following for making this blog as a “living organism” that keeps on growing and reaching up to other runners around the world:
1) To my son, John, who advised me to continue with this blog when I decided to stop this “monster” after finishing my first ultramarathon trail run in California. To my daughter, Jovelle, who taught me how to make my blog appear on top of the Google page when someone “googles” the words “runner + Philippines” during the early part of this year.
2) To The Bull Runner who is leading the way for runners to blog and who happens to be the number one referral to this blog. Takbo.ph is also becoming an active platform for this blog’s exposure. Thanks, Jinoe!
3) To the “Hardcore Group” who are constant and regular visitors/”commentors” of this blog—MarkFB; The Loony Runner; High Altitude; Aldz; JayR; Lester; Bugobugo85; Cecil/Miraclecello; Prometheus Cometh; Mark & Tiffin; Nolan; JunC; RunRio; Olvis; SF Runner; Quicksilver; Banana Running; Passion Runner; Jinoe; Doc Doray; My Iron Shoes; Levyang; RunDMoon; RunMD; Running DATCOM; PinoyUltraRunners; BroJ; JSyRunning; The Fit Mommy; Taki; Nora; The MeekRunner; The ForeignRunner; Rayyoshi; IbanRunner; Ben Gaetos; Ben Chan; Running Shield; Lakay Felipe; Omar; Ibetlacbay; Mukhang Guilty; Constantine; Daniel; Marga; Amado; and the rest of the “runner-bloggers”.
4) To all the readers and runners/joggers reading this blog. I hope you are learning a lot from my posts and improving your finish time every time you join a road race.
5) To those who have donated their slightly used running shoes to support the “Project Donate A Shoe”.
I will end this post from what Banana Running had described about me. Yes, I really “dream big”…I dream that we should be physically active and let ourselves be “examples” to our children and influence others to be physically active and healthy through jogging/running; I dream also to discover “raw talents” who could be trained, supported and be qualified to the National Pool of Runners & eventually produce qualifiers for the Olympic Games; and finally, I dream to help others who are in need through running.
Guys, I could not do this alone if I want these “dreams” to become reality. I need your support.
Keep on reading this blog and enjoy running. Onward to my 2nd year of blogging!
Bald Runner 
Congratulations. you have always inspired us runners to do what we enjoy most that is run and blog. keep it up and will see you not only in the races but on the road.
LikeLike
BR,
Congratulations and Happy Anniversary Sir Jovie!!! Thank you very much for sharing what you know and experience through this blog. Both you and Bullrunner served as my inspirations in coming out with my own training blog/journal as well. More power to you!!
Levy
LikeLike
congrats BR! you and TBR are probably the two runners who have inspired the most people, both in running and blogging… keep it up!
LikeLike
for the advices, knowledge, ideas in running and the moments on the roads/trails, thank you BR!
LikeLike
Congrats on your 1st Year Blogging Anniversary. The 1,000KM Club was really an inspiration to me and Im almost there. More blogging. More running. More power to the BaldRunner.
LikeLike
Sir BR,
Thank you. One of the many many reasons why I got into running (and continues to do so) is this blog. Very motivating and inspiring.
Thank you,
Omar
LikeLike
Congratulations on your anniversary BR!
You are filling a niche, giving Filipinos a comprehensive resource for everything running in the Philippines and beyond. The local flavor in your posts makes some of us on foreign shores long for home.
Do continue with what your valuable contribution to the global running community. Thanks for including me in your “Hardcore Group”. I’ll definitely be around when your site records 1,000,000 hits.
Have a great day,
Quicksilver
LikeLike
Congrats on your first anniversary! I have been greatly influenced by what you write here BR. Looking forward to more runs with you. Always wear your heart on your sleeve.
I hope you got the email I sent already. Download link na lang, the exe was rejected.
LikeLike
Salute to Baldrunner! i’ll do a 365-push ups for your anniversary. i’ll start to support by joining your Bataan102. i’m also spreading the word about this run to other runners i meet on the road. if you have a shirt to promote Bataan102, i’ll be glad to wear them (running or not)
LikeLike
Congratulations Jovie! One way or another you have definitely touched people who have visited your site. The quality and contents of your blog speaks for itself. We look forward to your mission.
LikeLike
congratulations and thank you for keeping the running fire ablaze.
and thank you for providing the inspiration, making hopes and dreams come true for many other faceless,countless and nameless runners.
where there are roads, we run. and where there are more roads, we run some more!
let’s keep banging the roads sir jovie!
LikeLike
Congratulations Baldrunner! You are an inspiration to us runners who also dream big, who wants to excel on this field that we have chosen and be an encouragement to others who also have this dream. More power to you…
LikeLike
Congratulations. It has been a long fruitfull year and more power to you, your blog and your endeavors.
Regards Mark & Tiffin
LikeLike
Congratulations on the first year of Baldrunner blogging. Not only have you provided infos on runs, trainings, races, etc. You’re an inspiration of each and every one of us. When i talk to my friends about running, i cant seem to help but always mention your blog and what i have picked up and learned from it.
Thanks to your blog that i am still looking forward to running when i wake up…or at least try to…every morning! I, together with the other runners, will defeinitely look forward to your posts for the days and years to come! Thank you again! =)
LikeLike
congratulations sir! Keep it up……. God bless! i would like to join the BR’s 1,000KM Club and hope to make it as one of my motivation in running. Can i include my fast runs which i have logged in my journal and my nike ipod? Thank you very much sir jovie for inspiring and welcoming new runners like me.
LikeLike
Congratulations BR. If it weren’t for you and a number of the runner/bloggers in the Philippines, the upcoming trip may be a year or two away.
The shoes are in the suitcase and I’ll have them for you at either VSO or the NB Power Race. Take care and will see you soon!
LikeLike
Congratulations BR! Thank you for inspiring many newbie runners like me to run. To Bataan102 and beyond!
LikeLike
Congratulations on your first anniversary, Sir Jovie. You have inspired a lot of people to reach new heights. Thank you for stepping up and continuous involvement in the sport of running. Mabuhay!!
LikeLike
Hi Sir Jovie, congrats and many thanks for the helpful tips you’re posting. I was the one who greeted you at ULTRA yesterday while you were on the sidelines after your run. More great posts from you in the coming months!
LikeLike
Many congratulations, I still remember the first time I checked on your blog, it had 80 page views. 600-800 a day is impressive.
Thanks for the mention in your hardcore group list.
LikeLike
Sir jovie! Congrats to your 1st year anniversary! i ve learned so much to your blog. Thank you very much for inspiring us to keep on running.
LikeLike
congratulations sir! more blogs and runs to come!
LikeLike
Happy Anniversary Bald Runner! May you inspire more runners to join in on the fun whether it’s for a 5k or an ultra 🙂
LikeLike
to all the “hardcore” runners, “runner-bloggers”, readers/visitors, and friends, thanks for all those encouraging comments. this blog is dedicated to all of you and i am inspired to post some more of the “things” about running because of your interest in maintaining an active healthy lifestyle. let us all have fun and keep on running! see you at the races.
LikeLike
Sir Jovie,
Congrats on your first year anniversary. It has been a year of learning and inspiration from you. Aside from your blog getting more influential, I observed from your journal that your actual running pace and distance has already improved a lot since you came back into this passion of ours. That’s why you have always been a true inspiration to us. Thank you.
More power, BR. On to the next year of more exciting races!
Nolan
LikeLike