The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
About 55,000 tourists visit Liechtenstein every year. This blog was viewed about 320,000 times in 2012. If it were Liechtenstein, it would take about 6 years for that many people to see it. Your blog had more visits than a small country in Europe!
Recce is a British English term while Recon is a North American English/Australian English term of the word Reconnaissance. The word is defined as:
“Reconnaissance is a mission to obtain information by visual observation of other detection methods, about the activities and resources of the enemy or potential enemy, or about the meteorologic, hydrographic, or geographic characteristics of a particular area”. (From Reconnaissance: US Army Field Manual 7-92; Chapter 4)
In ultra trail running, the conduct of reconnaissance on the race course is a “must” if one has to establish full confidence to finish the race or even establish a better performance in the race. For elite and/or top-rated ultra runners, they make it a point to run through the course as part of their recce/recon. The “race course” is the “enemy” for every runner and he/she needs all the data about the enemy and defeats it at all costs. Conducting a recon run is no longer a “secret” among Champions. It is the Way of the Champions!
When brothers Gerald and Cresenciano Sabal won as Team Champion in the Mt Apo Boulder Face International Challenge last March of this year, I personally asked Gerald Sabal to consider competing for the 2013 Vibram Hongkong 100K Trail Run (HK100) and improve the past performance of the Pinoy elite runners in the said race. I got a positive reply from Gerald and the support of Andre Blumberg from Hongkong continues for the exposure of Pinoy runners in international running competitions.
In order to gain confidence and familiarity of the HK100 trail course, I brought Gerald Sabal to Hongkong last July this year with Andre Blumberg as our Host and Guide. We had a night run and a day run in two successive days along the second half and most difficult portions of the course. Our recce/recon was very fruitful as Gerald was able to experience the climate and to see for himself the condition and elevation of the course.
Andre & Gerald @ Needle HillAndre & Bald RunnerTook A Picture Of The Famous Bamboo Snake Along The Course
Marcelo’s continuous winnings in my ultra races in every month and for being the Champion in the 1st PAU National Championship in Guimaras, Andre Blumberg of Hongkong asked me if Marcelo could also join Gerald Sabal for the 2013 HK100 Trail Run. I immediately approved of the proposal. So, for the 2013 HK100 Trail Run, Andre Blumberg of Hongkong had sponsored for the Registration Fees, Round-Trip Tickets and Accommodation for Gerald Sabal and Marcelo Bautista. Andre Blumberg had been consistently the “Good Samaritan” of our elite Ultrarunners.
2nd Day Recce/Recon RunAlways Behind These Two Fast Trail RunnersMcLehose Trail In Hongkong
If you are wondering why an international runner, as an individual, is the one who have been initiating and offering support to our elite ultrarunners to international races, I am also wondering why? Instead of asking him why he is doing this support, we should ask ourselves and our corporate entities in the country why we are not supporting our elite runners to international exposure.
Two weeks ago, Andre Blumberg came to the country to participate in the 2nd edition of the Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run and he brought with him running kit/apparel, equipment, and nutrition for Marcelo and Gerald. The two runners had been adapting and “breaking-in” on the nutrition & equipment provided by Andre as they are now training in Baguio City/Benguet Province. Their “new” nutrition is giving them better performance in their training.
The “Good Samaritan”, Marcelo, & BR @ 2nd Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run
For the past two weeks, Gerald and Marcelo had been training hard in the mountains in Baguio/Benguet (Mts. Cabuyao & Santo Tomas); stairs running & repeats at the Lourdes Grotto; trail running loops at the Camp John Hay Complex; speed drills & stretching workouts; and LSDs to Ambuklao Dam and back to Baguio City. Such training is geared towards teamwork, nutrition & hydration strategy, pacing, dependability of running equipment, high altitude, strength-endurance, and most of all, running in a cold environment.
Gerald and Marcelo had been consistently running in Baguio City/Benguet when the temperature is at its lowest (starting at 2:00 AM up to 6:00 AM). Going up to the peak of Mount Santo Tomas on the early morning (4 AM) on Christmas Day gave them a cold temperature with gusty winds experience, the same situation they will experience at the peak of Tai Mo San (900+ masl), the highest elevation of the HK100 course! So far, their acclimatization training had been very successful. Their cold environment is geared towards being able to run with light apparel with the 8-10 degrees Celsius temperature on Race Day.
Gerald & Marcelo @ The Peak Of Mt Sto. Tomas (2,260 MASL)Teamwork! Gerald & Marcelo Descending From Mt. Sto. Tomas
The two runners will arrive in Hongkong with at least two days to recon the course and acclimatize to the prevailing climate/weather in the area. There will be NO special foods (5-Star Hotel Buffet) for them before the race and no NEW running kit/equipment to be used for the race. More sleep and rest will be waiting for them in Hongkong prior to the conduct of the race.
Target goal for the two runners? Hoping and praying that they will land on the Top 15 Finishers and with a Finish Time of Sub-11 Hours.
Let us join hands in supporting Gerald and Marcelo in the 2013 Hongkong 100K Trail Run and to their future International Ultrarunning Races!
To Andre, thank you very much for being the “Good Samaritan” to our elite ultrarunners!
For those who are in the know of this kind of workout, it is simply called “Tabata” Interval Workout. It is an intense workout created and studied by a Japanese Sports Scientist Izumi Tabata whose duration is only FOUR MINUTES! According to his studies, exposing this workout to athletes, on a regular basis, had greatly improved their aerobic and anaerobic capabilities.
It is simply done by doing the exercise (of choice) in 20 seconds and then resting for another 10 seconds. This repetition (of exercise and rest) is done for eight (8) times, totalling to 240 seconds or 4 minutes. The intensity of the selected exercise could be fast/hard, moderate, or easy, depending on one’s capability.
This workout can be done indoors or when you feel bored/sleepy in the house or in the office or in the classroom. You can start with a single exercise or combine it with other exercises depending on the duration of your planned workout.
As for me, I usually complete a 4-minute workout for a certain exercise before going to the next exercise that I want. Some athletes would prefer to alternate one exercise to another. There are no strict rules to follow as long as you do one exercise for eight (8) repetitions.
To strengthen my legs, I usually do the following exercises one at a time by following the Tabata Protocol (20 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest, 8 reps):
Jumping Jacks
Body Weight Squats
“100 Ups”
Forward Lunges
“High Knees”
It will take me 20 minutes to complete these exercises with my shirt and short soaked with my sweat! I usually do this workout at least twice a week inside the house. However, I still do some light stretching before and after my Tabata Workout.
I use my Gymboss or my handheld digital stopwatch to time my workout.
You can devise you own set of exercises depending on what part of your body you want to be strengthened. You can also use some weights or other exercise tools for this workout.
Tabata Workout/Protocol can be applied in your speed training on the oval track, hill repeats or on your “speed bursts” on the road & trails. The possibilities of applying this protocol to your workout/exercises are endless.
Try it and you will be amazed how easy you can heat up your body or see your sweat dropping on the floor or your clothes being damp/wet with your own sweat.
Interval workout in an oval track or in a measured-loop course is one of the best ways to improve one’s speed in running. Whether you are training for the usual long distance runs from 3K to Marathon or even Ultra Marathon Races, a runner needs to incorporate speed workouts to his training program.
Having been absent in local races for the past months and weeks, I continued to do my LSDs on the roads, trails and mountains as I slowly recovered from my running-related injury. But my LSDs and peak-bagging feats made me a slower runner on the roads but made me a stronger runner on the trails.
For the past 3 weeks, I’ve started running again on city roads and I monitored my LSD pace for these runs. I’ve observed that I could run an average of 7.5K per hour speed which I think is an appropriate ultra marathon speed to finish an ultra distance within the prescribed cut-off time. But for a marathon pace, such speed is a “death march” pace to the finish!
I wanted to improve my speed to the range of 8-8.5K per hour and for me to get into that range of speed is to do some interval workout. I started doing my interval workout at the Philippine Army Grandstand/Parade Ground Jogging Lane. The course is flat, paved and it is approximately 1-kilometer loop (actually it lacks 3-5 meters which is very negligible). This is where I started doing my weekly 1K interval repeats in five (5) repetitions with 400-500 meters as walking breaks in between.
What is different and unique in my interval workouts is that I do it after one hour of snorkling/swimming at the Philippine Army Swimming Pool and it is usually done from 11:30-12:30 noon time. Yes, that’s how crazy I am in my present training. That is the reason why my skin is becoming darker everyday! (Note: One-half of the loop is partially shaded with trees)
My first week interval workout data gave me an average of 5:30 minutes/km pace and my average LSD speed increased to 8K per hour. My second week interval workout gave me an average of 5:20 minutes/km pace and my average LSD speed increased to 8.5K per hour. Lately, my third week interval workout gave me an average of 5:10 minutes/km pace and my average LSD speed increased to 9.0K per hour. In my rough estimate, it’s within 10:45 minutes/mile range and if I can sustain such pace, I can run a full marathon in 4:42 to 4:45 hours. Not bad for a Senior Citizen!
Even if I immediately wear my running shoes after coming out of the swimming pool and do my jogging to the Parade Ground, I still do my warm-up easy run for 1K; do some basic stretching to my calf muscles, quads, hamstrings, glutes and ITBs; and do some brief speed drills like “knee-high” or “100-ups”, butt kicks, and bouncing lunges! After my interval workout, I have to do also another 1K “cool-down” jog or brisk walk before I end up with my post-stretching exercises, the same ritual before the workout, except for the speed drills.
Since is it very hot at noon time, I see to it that I have to drink water every time I finish one repetition of the workout. It is only after the workout that I ingest food and drink my sports drinks. (Note: There are water fountains along the jogging lane)
If you want to get faster and more consistent in your training and races, don’t forget to include an interval workout in your training program, at least, once a week. There are other ways and means to make you faster but I’ll have to reserve that in my future posts.
Remember, interval workout is the reason why the runner in front of you is faster and stronger! You can do it, too! And ultimately, beat the runner who had been passing you or the guy in front of you!
(Note: Don’t be misled why I’ve been swimming a lot. Swimming is a part of my cure/treatment to my injury and I use it as an “extender”/cross-training workout for my ultra running training)
This is the most popular jazz composition of the late Dave Brubeck, who just died few weeks ago before reaching the age of 92 years old and also the famous jazz pianist who led the Dave Brubeck Jazz Quartet known throughout the world. Listening to the rendition of “Take Five” simply brings back the music of Dave Brubeck in to my mind.
“Take Five” and the Dave Brubeck Jazz Quartet had started the proliferation of contemporary jazz music and inspired others to love such kind of music.
Last October of this year counts as my Fifth Year Anniversary in blogging and thinking of where I am right now blows my mind of reminiscing the past years of trying to share my experiences and adventures in running to my readers. This blog evolved by itself from a daily journal of my runs and training/preparations for my incoming races which turned to narration of detailed Race Reports of each race that I joined. I am sure that these Race Reports were accepted by Race Organizers as feedback to improve on their future races. Ideas brought about as a result of my experiences, observations, and researches made through journals, books and other resources in the Internet gave birth to plans. And these plans were brought to action.
Early next year will be the staging of the 5th Bataan Death March 102K Ultra Marathon Race (BDM 102) and this event is my gauge on how far I’ve been into serious running and blogging. It is also my gauge on how far has the running community in the country had been influenced and inspired to train, prepare, and experience what is like to finish an ultra marathon distance. And it seems that runners see this event as the “Holy Grail” of running experience and accomplishment. This event transformed me into Race Organizer and Director for Ultra Running Events in the country. And I was able to inspire and influence others to do the same and spread the conduct of ultra running events in other parts of the country.
I’ve created an Elite Team of Runners and made them as Champions and Podium Finishers. I’ve created a Sports Federation for Ultrarunning in the country and we are ably represented in Ultra Running Events in other countries sanctioned by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) by bringing some of our elite runners to these events. Other local ultrarunners are finding their way to join ultra running events in Asia, Europe, and the USA. But what is most important is that we are slowly transforming the country as the center/mecca of ultrarunning events in ASIA and Southeast ASIA through the Bataan Death March 160K & 102K Ultra Marathon Races (BDM 160/BDM 102); the Taklang Damulag 100-Mile Endurance Run (TD 100); West Coast 200K Multi-Day Stage Run (WC 200); and other ultra events that are staged/scheduled almost every month in the country.
Soon, an ultrarunner can have a choice of at least two (2) ultrarunning events in a period of one month! Race Organizers in other parts of the country are sprouting fast for the past years and most of their races have qualifying points for most of the popular ultrarunning events in the world. All of these occurrences in ultra running are unprecedented and more runners are attracted to the challenge and determination to finish such events.
So, where is this blog going for the next FIVE years? It will still be a blog, of course! It will remain as my journal of my running experiences and adventures here and abroad. I will also feature my thoughts, ideas, plans, observations, and things/persons about running and ultra running. It will also continue as the resource of ultrarunning in the country.
Just like the music “Take Five” and the Dave Brubeck Jazz Quartet, this blog will continue as a “pioneer” in running events/adventures and as inspiration for others to explore what they are capable of in terms of endurance and determination.
In simple terms, this blog will always remain about RUNNING.
Marcelo Bautista broke the course record and was awarded as the Champion in the 2nd edition of the Clark-Miyamit 50-Mile Trail Run (CM50) with a time of 11:09:28 hours, breaking the old course record by 2 hours & almost 20 minutes. On the shorter distance event, Danin Arenzana also broke the Men’s Course Record in the Clark-Miyamit 60K Trail Run with a time of 9:15:37 hours, missing at least one minute/few seconds to break the course record of 9:14 hours. Official Results are posted here.
Marcelo On The Left, Danin In Team BR Shirt
Both runners are members of the Team Bald Runner Ultra Racing. This ultrarunning event is the seventh successive win for Marcelo since April of this year. This is also Danin’s first Championship win in an ultra trail event after he won his first podium finish as 1st Runner-Up in the 1st Mt Ugo Trail Marathon (42K) last April of this year.
Marcelo Approaching The Finish LineDanin Approaching The Finish Line
The plan for the race was for the two runners to finish strong and be able to break the existing course record. They delivered and their accomplishments were very commendable.
Bald Runner 
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