Monday/December 8:

Rest

Tuesday/December 9 @ Roosevelt National Park: 

Time Of Start: 4:30 PM

Distance: 6.8 Miles

Time/Duration: 2:24+ Hours

Average Speed: 2.4 Miles Per Hour

Total Ascent: 1,323 Feet

Highest Elevation: 1,170 Feet

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/651295445

Comments:

1. Started late in the afternoon and it became dark where I had to use my headlight on the 2nd half of the run. My run became slower when it was dark already.

2. It was slightly raining and I had to use my Eddie Bauer Waterproof Jacket with Hood during the duration of the run.

3. Brought two (2) bottles of 20 oz. each capacity; 4 pieces of GU Gels; 3 pieces of Power Bars; one piece of Honey Stinger Chews; Pocket Camera; iPhone; and Thermal Blanket. I purposely brought all these items in my pack to put more weight and have my body accustomed to the food/nutrition needs and required/mandatory items that I will carry with me during the race.

4. I used my INOV-8 X-Talon Trail Shoe and it was responsive on the wet condition of the trail and rocks along the route.

5. How I wished I could go higher in elevation in the mountain but due to the thick growth of grasses along the trail which need to be cleaned and cut, I decided to turn-around at 1,150 feet elevation.

6. The Eddie Bauer Jacket which I bought 5 years ago was very effective in preventing the rain from getting inside my body. However, my body sweat made the lining of the jacket to be damp and wet which made the Jacket to be heavier as I finished my run.

7. My legs and knees started to become painful as I descended on the downhill portions of the route as I went back to where I started. I have observed that my leg muscles became tighter as I went downhill but I persevered by taking shorter strides and lighter with my footing along the trail.

8. I had a “deep-tissue” massage after my dinner and the soreness and pain disappeared as I went to bed.

Wednesday/December 10:

Rest. I am scheduled to have a 6-mile run but I decided to have a rest after being late to my place of training after a trip to another venue of one of my races where I am the Race Organizer/Race Director.

Instead, I did some body squats and lunges to find out if I still have pain and soreness to my legs. The “deep-tissue” massage the night before “fixed” my issues about my legs. I slept early in the night…eight hours of sleep!

Thursday/December 11 @ Roosevelt National Park:

Time Of Start: 8:00 AM

Distance: 7.37 Miles

Time/Duration: 2:24+ Hours

Average Speed: 3.1 Miles Per Hour

Total Ascent: 1,670 Feet

Highest Elevation: 1,575 Feet

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/651295455

Comments:

1. The run was done in the morning and the weather was with clear sky and slightly cold weather in the mountain. My water/hydration system was the same with that of the Tuesday Run, consuming 40 oz. of water during the run. I added two (2) pieces of VFuel Gels in my pack and I was able to ingest one piece of Gel on my second half of the run.

2. I felt lighter without the Jacket and I was comfortable with my pack with the same content that I had during the Tuesday Run.

3. I used my ALTRA Lone Peak 1.5 Shoes and they are responsive to the trail and rocks.

4. The highest elevation of 1,575 feet was reached at 3.1 Mile but I decided to have my turn-around at this point due to the thick bushes and grasses along the unused trail towards the peak of the mountain. In my estimate there is a need to clean the trail for a distance of about 2 miles until I reach the peak of the mountain. If the highest elevation of this mountain will reach 2,100+ feet in less than 6-Mile distance, this could be my ideal training ground for my TransLantau 100 Race.

5. The massage that I got last Tuesday evening and Full Rest Day on Wednesday gave me a better performance for today. I did not feel any pain or soreness or tightness on my leg muscles and knees on my downhill runs back to Starting Area. It resulted to a faster Average Speed in my workout.

Friday/December 12:

Rest. I had a trip to Fort Magsaysay to attend a Coordinating Conference regarding my race thereat to be held on the weekend.

Saturday/December 13 @ Hill Taklang Damulag, Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City:

Time Of Start: 7:23 AM

Distance: 10.30 Miles

Time: 3:32:52 Hours

Average Pace: 20:41 minutes per mile

Average Speed: 3.1 miles per hour

Elevation Gain: 2,800 Feet

Highest Elevation: 1,255 Feet

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/651295464

Comments:

1. While supervising my race as the Race Director, I thought of running the course from Fernandez Hill View Deck to the Peak of Taklang Damulag (Hill) trying to find out how many “hill repeats” that I can do until I am tired. However, my training program called for a 10-mile run and any distance after that would be a bonus.

2. The weather was cooler in the early part of the morning but it became hotter on my third climb to the peak. I was carrying my TNF Hand-held Bottle which is just enough for my hydration need for one trip.

3. I had to rest for about 2-3 minutes just enough to make refill on my water bottle and eat something, most specially before I started my third climb.

4. I used my ALTRA Lone Peak 1.5 which was very responsive on the slippery trail and rocks along the route. However, the shoes became heavier as it became wet/damp from the sweat going to my socks and full body.

5. I did not have any problems or soreness on my legs during the duration of the run. If only not for the heat of the sun, I could have attempted a 4th climb to the peak.

6. I will make a point to visit Fort Magsaysay at least once a month and try to break my personal record on how many times I could climb the peak of Taklang Damulag in one day or 12 hours!

7. I was averaging 1:11+ hours per “hill repeat” which is a big improvement on my performance in climbing the hill two years ago.

Sunday/December 14 @ Hill Taklang Damulag, Fort Magsaysay, Palayan City

Time Of Start: 6:56 AM

Distance: 6.69 Miles

Time: 2:20:57 Hours

Average Pace: 21:04 minutes per mile

Average Speed: 2.9 miles per hour

Elevation Gain: 1,814 Feet

Highest Peak: 1,255 Feet

http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/651295472

Comments:

1. I felt I was not wasted from yesterday’s triple trip to Taklang Damulag. For today, I did two “hill repeats” which I expected to have a distance of 7 miles but my running effort was satisfactory.

2. I used my INOV-8 X-Talon Trail Shoes and they were very light and was able to have a very nice leg turn-over during the duration of the workout. I might be slower this time but I feel strong to finish another repeat after completing my scheduled distance for the day.

3. Just the same with yesterday’s run, I was using my TNF Hand-held bottle. I had my breakfast before I started the run and it gave me the energy throughout the workout.

Summary:

Total Distance: 31.16 Miles or 49.85 Kilometers

Total Time: 10:30 Hours

Total Ascent: 7,607 Feet (152.14 Feet Elevation Gain Per Kilometer)