This is just the latest update about my personal time as I finished the XXIV LA Marathon.
I finished with a time of 4:07:33 hours. I placed # 1,902Overall out of 14,185 Finishers. Not bad!
I placed # 1,630 out of the 9,011Male Finishers.
I placed # 47 out of 394 finishers in my age category for 55-59 years old.
Race Report and Pictures to follow. I have to eat and hydrate first.
7:00 PM 24 May 2009
In 12 Hours I will be joining my first Los Angeles Marathon. After this LA City Marathon had been conceived two decades ago, this will be the first chance that I’ll be running the famous marathon event in the western side of the USA. The LA Marathon was usually held on the month of March for the past years but because of reasons I don’t know, the new owners/management of this marathon event had it done on the celebration of Memorial Day for the whole USA.
Few hours ago, Dean Karnazes aka Ultramarathon Man arrived, on foot, at the LA Marathon Exposition for a brief Lecture and Book Signing which is being held at the LA Convention Center. Dean K started to run 100 miles from Santa Barbara, California and arrived at the LA Convention Center with a lot of runners waiting for him. After sleeping tonight, he will be joining the rest of the participants for the 7:20AM start tomorrow.
I will let the pictures do the explanation on my preparation for this event.
Of course, I will not forget my Bandana and Oakley Sunglasses!!!
For details of the Marathon Event, please browse at www.lamarathon.com.
23-24 May 2009 @ Sacobia, Clark, Philippines
Eduardo Villanueva of Team Bald Runner won as the Overall Champion in the TNF 100K Solo Run at Sacobia, Clark, Philippines. Ed Villanueva was also the Overall Champion in the 1st Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race held last April 5, 2009.
In the 100K Team relay, Cresenciano Sabal and Reynaldo De Los Reyes of Team Bald Runner also won Overall Team Champion in the said event.
Ed Villanueva received a cash prize of Twenty Thousand Pesos (P 20,000) and other Gifts from The North Face and other sponsors. The members of the 100K Team Relay also received a cash prize of Seven Thousand Pesos (P 7,000) each and other gifts from The North Face and other sponsors.
Congratulations!…”Good Job”!!! Mabuhay ang Team Bald Runner!!!
7:20 AM 23 May 2009 @ Sierra Madre, California (The 2nd Oldest Trail Race in the USA)
Last September 2008, I had a chance to run at the Mt Wilson Trail from Sierra Madre up to its peak and back to where we started with my son, John and then for the second time, with John, Jovelle, & Bryan. It was a memorable experience as it gave a challenge to all of us. Through this experience running along this trail, I found out that there is a yearly trail race event every month of May.
Actually, I’ve recalled this event when I was trying to browse for a trail race where I could register and run while I am here in California since last month. Due to its proximity to the Los Angeles Marathon’s race day, I opted not to register in this race and tried to look for another ultra trail race where I could join after the marathon. Finally, I thought of planning to go to Sierra Made for me to observe the race.
This morning, together with my son, John, we went to Sierra Madre to witness the start and finish of the 43rd Mt Wilson Trail Race. A few seconds before the race started, I was already on the sidelines taking pictures to the runners. At exactly 7:20 AM, as scheduled, the race started after a brief ceremony and briefing to the runners. After ten minutes, the race for the kids started and it was finished before the trail runners arrived. This is what I like with the races here, they start promptly on the scheduled start time of the race.
The Mt Wilson Trail Race started at the commercial center of Sierra Madre with the participation of 328 runners. It was a small race but the whole community was involved in the event. The youngest runner is a 10-year old boy and the oldest is 71 years old. The race is one of the attractions of Sierra Madre and most of the volunteers are senior citizens living in the area. It is a very organized race with the appropriate and adequate water stations along the trail. There were lots of food—fresh fruits, bread, pretzels and sports drinks at the finish area which were distributed by the volunteers to each finisher. The race is a 4.3 mile going up to the Orchard Place at Mt Wilson and another 4.3 miles in going down towards the Finish Line. Last year’s 1st place finish time was 1:01:53 hours.
I waited for the top 3 runners to arrive and I could see how strong the runners are. I observed that these top runners were using ordinary running shoes and nobody among these tops runners were using those sophisticated trail shoes. They are just being practical because they are running on loose soil, rocks, and small rocks and most of all, there was no rain.
I was also impressed how the children could run with or without their parent’s assistance during the kid’s race. Each of these kids really enjoyed crossing the tape at the finish line and I observed some of them would return on the road and experience crossing the tape for another round. These kids ran a distance of less than one mile. Very athletic and strong kids!
I had also a chance to inspect and observe the technical people at the finish line. The Emcee (a lady) kept on updating the status of the race from start up to the finish and I guess, she did not stop talking up to the awarding ceremony. The Emcee would tell to the crowd where the first/second/third runners and also the first lady runner are located along the route at a certain time. She gives the update every five minutes! There were no entertainers or singers during the event! I have also a chance to inspect the timing and digital clock devices. I observed that there were only 3 people involved in the timing system—one is operating a laptop computer and the other two guys were operating the digital clocks and the RFID system by ChronoTrack by checking these equipment if they are working. I suspect that these two guys are Filipinos but I did not dare to talk to them. I found out later that these people belong to one of the biggest road racing event companies in the USA/California. By observing how the race was going on, I was able to get some ideas which I think our Race Organizers/Race Directors in the Philippines should know and be able to apply in order to raise the quality of our road races. I would personally suggest to these Race Organizers in Metro Manila to spend some time to go abroad and observe how races in other countries are managed. The race results were posted on the website of the Race Event Organizer after 3 Hours reckoned from the time the race started.
The first runner, James Timphony, who happens to be the defending champion, on the said race arrived at the finish line with a time of 1:00:35 hours and he was able to improve his time last year by 1:18 minutes. He is 21 years old. The second runner arrived after 2 minutes and he is 35 years old. After almost ten runners had arrived at the finish line, my son and I left Sierra Madre for another appointment for the day. (Note: Because of the D-Tags tied on the shoes of each runner, the finishers were not wearing “strings/straws” or anything that would prove that they reached the turn-around point of the race!!!)
I have the impression that the race organizer have not offered any cash prizes for the winners. Each of the finishers receives a certificate and the Champions in the overall male and female categories are the only ones being given with trophies.
(Note: For more information and details about the race and the City of Sierra Madre, please “google” Mt Wilson Trail Race)
8:30 PM 22 May 2009 @ Silverlake Reservoir
Silverlake Reservoir is a good 10-minute ride from my place and I had a run with my daughter after dinner. My daughter, Jovelle, had been running a lot in preparation for the Los Angeles Marathon on Monday. We started our run at 8:30PM with a prevailing temperature of about 64 degrees Fahrenheit. It was cold basing from my running weather standards in the Philippines but it was a nice weather for a run.
My warm-up run was about one kilometer with a pace of 6:30 minutes per kilometer and later increased my pace. I did not have any stretching anymore before I steadily increased my pace during the run. There were a few people along the running route and I only count about three people who are running and the rest of about four couples were walking with their dogs. There are portions of the route that are not lighted but the lights from the street posts would illuminate a portion of the running area.
Because of the nice and ideal weather for running, I started to sweat after running two loops of the route, which is equivalent to 7 kilometers. But once I perspired, it was a continous perspiration mixed with the cold air around. How I wished I could run some more but I did not want that my daughter would be waiting for me while her sweat and wet running attire would dry up.
I did four loops which registered in my GF 305 with a distance of 14 kilometers. I had a time of 1:23:45 hours. It was a slow run but I am happy that I could easily increase my pace during the run. I did some “fartleks” along the route as 3/4 of the whole loop is a dirt road. However, due to my slow warm-up run at the start and a slow cool-down run before I stopped the run, I was able to register an average pace of 6:00 minutes per kilometer. After the run, I did some stretching and waited for my daughter who did 3 loops for her running workout. I hope to have two more runs as my active recovery runs with a duration of 30 minutes each workout before the Los Angeles Marathon.
Running with a cold weather situation is a good activity to end the day.
These are the things that I do whenever I am on vacation/break in Los Angeles, California. Shopping will come later. Ha!Ha!Ha!
On my first day in the City of Los Angeles, the first thing that I did was to visit the “Barnes & Noble” Bookstore. From our place, such bookstore is located at Americana Shopping Complex at Brand St, Glendale, California. I bought two books on running, namely: “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” by Haruki Murakami and “Daniel’s Running Formula” by Jack Daniels, PhD. I bought another book about Website Creation and Design.
I finished reading Murakami’s book in two days with some breaks in between. After reading the book, I conclude that I could write a book about running, too! He wrote the book when he was 57 years old and I just turned 57 years old last Sunday. Hmmm, I think this is a good idea!
On my second day, I watched the movie “Angels & Demons” at the Americana Cinemas and then ate at Red Robbin with their Grilled Chicken Hamburger (It was big!). And later at 6:00 PM, I had a 3-loop run at the Silverlake Reservoir which is equivalent to 10.2 Kms (one loop is 3.4 kms). Before my run, I dropped by the Hydration Station of Joe Matias aka The Running Shoe Guru and owner of the A Runners Circle (ARC) Store at the park within the Lake and we had a lengthy conversation. It was a chance to personally thank him for the Balikbayan Box with donated used shoes he sent to me to the Philippines.
I did also some cooking! Have you tasted and tried a Sinigang Beef with Broccoli? Well, I cooked it. It tastes good according to my kids! Nothing was left from this particular food that I cooked for dinner! Next time, I’ll post the pictures of the food I prepare during my cooking adventures!
This morning, I did another 10-Km run around the Echo Park Lake which I did in 55 minutes. It is a slow to moderate run as I tried to concentrate on the number of strides/steps I make in every minute. I forced myself to run 180 steps per minute or count at least 90 steps every time my left foot strikes the ground. As I was doing this, I observed that I was registering an everage pace within the range of 4:50-5:15 minutes per kilometer. I was able to sustain such stride frequency within the middle 5-km portion of my workout. For a change, it was a nice mantra to be counting 1 up to 90 while running.
Guys, till next post and good luck again to the TNF 100 Solo & Relay runners who are on their way to Clark Freeport today.
This post is not meant to pressure or give jitters to all the solo runners of this weekend’s TNF 100 Clark Sacobia. I just want to inform everybody that TNF 100 Australia which was held last 16-17 May 2009 at the World Heritage Blue Mountain National Park in Leura, Australia (1 1/2 hours from Sydney, Australia) had published its results and feedbacks about the race in their official website. How I wished the TNF 100 Sacobia Website would be as comprehensive as the TNF 100 Australia. Please browse at http://www.thenorthface.com.au/100/ for the profile of runners, results, race information, and gallery of pictures of competitors.
In last week’s TNF Australia results, the Solo Men’s 100K Run was won by Andrew Lee with a time of 10:20:51 hours, breaking the a new record by 2 minutes from Andrew Komar’s time last year. In the Solo Ladies’ 100K Run, Julie Quinn finished the race in 12:13:45 hours, setting a new record time by shaving 32 minutes from last year’s time of Heather Logie.
Dean Karnazes finished the Solo Men’s 100K Run in 14:42:56 hours and ranked #39 for the top overall category after arriving in Australia on Friday night before the race started on Saturday morning.
There were 333 runners in the Solo 100K Run and 31 teams in the relay run. Out of the 333 runners, there are no reports in the website on the number of DNF runners, however, in the “General Discussion” page, there were comments from solo 100K runners who did not finish the race.
To all the TNF 100 Sacobia Solo and Relay Runners, good luck and wishing you all the best!!!
My best wishes and prayers will also go to the members of the Elite Team Bald Runner Solo Runners and Team Relay!!!
The following “Angels Wearing Running Shoes” had been consistently supporting my “projects” by donating their “old shoes” and their road race “finisher’s t-shirts”. Again, I am featuring them in this blog to acknowledge their effort of “bringing back” something to the sports they love by benefitting the less-fortunate members of the running community. Almost 60 pairs of donated used shoes are awaiting to be distributed for the MILO Manila Eliminations on July 9, 2009 as I wanted these shoes to be distributed at the Luneta Park with a wider cross-section of recipient-runners coming from the neighboring provinces of Metro Manila.
Moreover, the donated “finisher’s t-shirts” had been packed and ready to be sent to the Gawad Kalinga Communities of Laoag City and some municipalities of Cagayan Province.
To all the “Angels Wearing Running Shoes”, thank you very much!
Jayson, one of the latest recipients of the “1,000-Km Club” Finisher’s T-Shirt, also donated one (1) pair of his “used” running shoes.
Jinoe Gavan and the people of takbo.ph endorsed me as the Special Guest in the conduct of the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) 2009 Fun Run which was held at the La Mesa Eco Park last Saturday morning, starting at 6:00 AM of 16 May 2009. After phone calls and exchanges of SMS and e-mail messages, my attendance in the said activity was set through the invitation of Jerome Sese, the HR supervisor of Aboitiz Transport System. I consider that I was a Special Guest of the activity since I was the only one outside the Aboitiz Group who was invited to grace the affair.
Jerome wanted me to speak among the officers, staff, and employees of the Aboitiz Transport System, which is a conglomeration of 3-4 different companies involved in transport, shipping and messenger services, about running and inform/invite them to join the weekly road races in Metro Manila. I was informed also that the HR Group of Aboitiz is conducting such activity as a result of a personnel health audit report among its officers, staff, and employees that shows that most of them have hypertension, arthritis/gout, diabetes, and early signs of overweight. As part of the solution for these illnesses, the HR group deemed it wise to conduct such activity and at the same time provide a “team building” activity for everybody.
After a short warm-up and stretching exercises, the activity started with a 2-km trail run inside the La Mesa Eco Park. After all the participants finished the fun run, simple breakfast was served consisting of arroz caldo, taho, and fruit juices. Breakfast was followed with a program where the participants were grouped by their respective companies. Cheering and shouting were done by each group through the signal/cue from the Emcee. There was fun and joy among the participants. It was followed by an aerobics/dance exercise led by 3 professional fitness instructors which almost took 30 minutes. This part of the program was very challenging to the participants as most of them sweat it out more than their 2-km fun run.
After the dance exercises, I was called for my part to tell everybody about my advocacy to promote running/walking . I told them briefly on the basics of developing and motivating them to be involved in endurance sports like running and brisk-walking. I advised each company to come up with a core group of runners/walkers and I will visit their respective offices to conduct a more detailed running clinic for FREE as soon as they are prepared. For the meantime, I advised them to visit my blogsite to find out more of the projects I’ve been advocating for the past years. I invited them to join the weekly road races in Metro Manila but I told them to start from the shorter distances first before going to the longer ones. It takes time for their body to develop their endurance in order to finish such races without being prone to any injury.
My talk with the group was very brief but I encouraged them to take care of their health and be an example/model to their family in terms of adhering to an active healthy lifestyle in order to prevent them from being inflicted with the so-called “lifestyle illnesses” due to lack of exercise/physical activity. It was followed with the awarding of the top 3 finishers in the 2-km run where I assisted their officers.
After the last messages from their officers, the activity ended at about 9:30 AM. I had a nice time visiting the La Mesa Eco Park for the first time and walk along its trails and get around the different facilities of the park. I highly recommend to everybody to visit this place and enjoy a nice scenery of a nature’s park.
Thanks Jerome, Melvin and to the Officers of the Aboitiz Transport System (ATS) for inviting me in this activity and for their hospitality.
As of May 17, 2009
After breakfast at Jollibee Market! Market! yesterday morning, I awarded the Bald Runner’s “1,000-Km Club” Finisher’s T-Shirt to the following:
Ultramarathoner Jose Mari Javier was also awarded a “1,000-Km Club” Finisher’s T-Shirt but his picture was not taken due to a discharged battery of my camera. I am sorry, Mari, we will have your picture re-taken next time.
Bald Runner 
You must be logged in to post a comment.