Category: Insights

My Prediction Coming True!

On By kingofpotsIn Insights4 Comments

My prediction that the Senators/Congressmen will come out with a formal inquiry on the dismal performance of our athletes and Sports Officials during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is coming true!

My prediction on the result of this Senate Inquiry? I predict that nothing tangible will happen as a result of the inquiry! The inquiry will be a forum for “grandstanding” politicians—it will be a clash of ideas and full of recommendations and promises but I doubt if these things will be implemented.

The Bald Runner’s solutions to our sports debacle and problems are the following:

1) Political Will

a) Replace all the Commissioners of the PSC, change the leadership of the POC, and replace all the Presidents of the National Sports Associations. Designate non-political figures. A lot of “political will” is needed to do this!

b) Implementation of our Sports Program/Strategy and its Continuity whoever is the Chairman of the PSC, Chairman of the POC, and Presidents of the National Sports Associations.

c) Establishment of a Sports Academy or Sports Institute—I heard this concept during the administration of former President Fidel Ramos but up to this time I don’t know if we have one.

d) Accountability and Tranparency of Finances and Expenses.

2) Money, Money, & Money 

a) Appropriate more financial support to athletes, not to sports officials!

b) Private/Corporate Involvement is highly encouraged. Special Sports Projects like the NIKE’s Project Oregon, Team Running USA, and Brooks-Hansons Distance Project of the USA should be adopted. Such projects could be supported by Lucio Tan, Henry Sy, Reghis Romero, Ayalas, Gokongweis, and those personalities who promised cash rewards to our first Olympic gold medalist.

Anyway, read the following news report from www.inquirer.net: Continue reading “My Prediction Coming True!” →

My First Ultramarathon Race: Bulldog 50K

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Pictures, Races, Running30 Comments

Recap of the Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run in Malibu Creek State Park, Calabasas, California, USA (23 August 2008)

I registered to participate in this ultra trail run on the 2nd week of July after I arrived in Los Angeles, California to experience what it takes to run an ultramarathon, a running event which is longer than a marathon. My son paid $ 70.00 for the registration fee through his bank’s debit card and my application was accepted immediately.

I ran through the route of the race for two times except for the actual last 3 kilometers of the trail that connects the Corral Canyon/Backbone Trail to the Malibu Creek State Park, which is the Tapia Trail, instead, I had to run along the side of the Las Virgenes Road facing the incoming traffic.

In my first practice run in this route (25K-loop) with my son, my GF 305 registered a total ascent of 4,593.6 feet (1,392 meters) not including the last steep hill between Tapia Park and Malibu Creek State Park, and a total descent of 4,217.4 feet (1,278 meters). After running the whole distance of the Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run, I expect to run run twice the figures above as my total ascent & descent distances. The race started at an elevation of 600 feet (182 meters) and reached the highest peak of 2,528 feet (766 meters) at the end of Bulldog & Corral Canyon Trails. And I have to run through the peaks and the trails twice under the heat of the sun!

Continue reading “My First Ultramarathon Race: Bulldog 50K” →

“The Same Story Goes On And On”

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running1 Comment

The reason why I could easily predict what these politicians, sports officials, columnists, and sports fans would say and do is because I have read and heard the same story (plans, strategy, actions and what have you) repeated over and over every time we don’t win any medal in the Summer Olympics.

Read the following news story…Very sad, indeed! Continue reading ““The Same Story Goes On And On”” →

Race Strategy & Tactics: Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running5 Comments

1. Finish The Race—The ultimate objective in participating to this ultramarathon trail race is to finish the race. This will be my first ultramarathon trail run and treat this as my benchmark for future training in ultramarathon races.

2. Think Time, Not Distance—Since this will be a run along the mountain trails of Malibu & Calabasas, my average pace will be slower and I have to finish the race within the 9-hour limit, starting at 6:30 AM and closing the race at 3:30 PM. I should be able to run eack 25K loop within 4 hours or better.

3. Familiarity of the Race Route—I ran the 25-K loop twice, one week before and after the San Francisco Marathon finishing each run practice at 3:30 to 4 hours. At least, I have a knowledge of the route and had experienced running it during noontime. Continue reading “Race Strategy & Tactics: Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run” →

Opinion: On Philippine Sports

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running2 Comments

The column below by Mr Recah Trinidad shows his dismay in the dismal performance of our athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games through the comments he got from sports fans and from his friends. It seems also that our athletes were just used to represent our country in the Olympic Games and thereby letting our sports officials, politicians, and their friends/supporters to have a “free ride” to watch the Olympic Games in behalf of the government’s and taxpayers’s money.

I made a prediction that the Philippine Team will not win any medal this time for the simple reason that our athletes’ qualifications before the Games are not considered within the Category “A” of Olympic Standards which means that there are more elite athletes on top of them and our athletes are not even Gold Medalists in the past Asian Games. And the other reasons are just personal impressions and opinion from what I have read, heard, seen and personally experienced. Continue reading “Opinion: On Philippine Sports” →

Zero Medal For The 2008 Pinoy Olympic Team

On By kingofpotsIn Insights6 Comments

Our last athlete competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in taekwando just lost her game few minutes ago. No medal for us in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games!

That’s it! My prediction came true and it very sad to know that the Philippines is zero in medal earnings for the past three (3) Olympic Games.

Very sad!…Quo vadis, Philippine sports?

5 Days Before Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Runners' Training, Running5 Comments

Last Monday afternoon, I did a speed run around the neighborhood covering at least two blocks and this session was an impulsive action on my part just to test if I still have some speed on my legs. It had been months that I did not have this kind of speed drill due to the fact that I concentrated much on my endurance for the San Francisco Marathon and lately, for my first ultramarathon trail run this Saturday. The streets in the neighborhood is relatively flat with some ascending portions and I thought I could make some sprints along the sidewalk. And I did!

One loop has an average distance of 850 meters as my GF 305 registers 845 to 870 meters on those repetition runs I did. I was surprised to see that I averaged 4:30 minutes per kilometer on my pace for the whole speed session. I did eight (8) repetitions of the loop with at least 200-300-meter recovery runs in between reps. I was happy and surprised that I still have that speed with my legs and I guess, I am becoming faster with my average speed. Continue reading “5 Days Before Bulldog 50K Ultra Trail Run” →

When I am Not Running…

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running9 Comments

…I am cooking! Yes, I am cooking “gout-free” dishes at home. One of the co-nurses of my wife gave fresh ampalaya and tomatoes taken from their home garden and my wife’s relatives from San Francisco gave also leaves of kangkong when we visited them briefly before the San Francisco Marathon.

The following pictures show the Bald Runner cooking some Filipino dishes in California:

This is the hardest part in cooking, preparaing and cutting the ingredients needed for the dish!

It’s time to heat up the stainless wok that my daughter suggested me to use when cooking.

Guisadong Ampalaya ready to be served and…

Adobong Kangkong with Oyster’s Sauce!

It is becoming a “bad habit” and boring in eating foreign dishes here, sometimes in fastfood chains and chinese/american/italian restaurants, which serve food with high cholesterol content and too much in quantity per serving! I have to see to it that I eat a lot of vegetables and prepare them in my own way.

Runner and a Cook? Why not?…Nice combination! Bon Apetit!

Team Running USA & Philippine Sports

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Running5 Comments

This is one of the privately-managed distance running projects in the USA today. This sports project on the training of the elite runners of USA complements the vision and objectives of the Brooks-Hansons Distance Project and the Project Oregon of NIKE which I featured in this blog for the past weeks.

Team Running USA has Deana Kastor and Ryan Hall as their top athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, Deana Kastor was DNFd in the last Sunday’s 2008 Women’s Olympic Marathon. Hopes for a good accomplishment of this sports project in the Olympic Men’s Marathon lies now on the legs and shoulders of Ryan Hall.

These three sports projects—Team Running USA (Mammoth Lakes, California), Brooks-Hansons Distance Project (Rochester Hills, Michigan), and the NIKE’s Project Oregon (Eugene, Oregon) where one had been created as early in 1999 and the latest one was created six years ago. The vision of these projects is to bring back the USA elite athletes into long distance running supremacy in the sports world. These projects were also geared on discovering why the Africans are the best in running long distance events and eventually aiming to beat them. Continue reading “Team Running USA & Philippine Sports” →

Fargo Street & Los Angeles Pinoy Ultra Runners

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Jogging, Runners' Training, Running2 Comments

Ben Gaetos aka “benwah” made a comment on this blog giving me encouraging words and tips on my preparations for my first 50K ultra trail run next Saturday in the Malibu Creek State Park. Benwah is an accomplished ultramarathon runner together with Carmela Layson and E-Rod aka “Habang Tumatakbo”, successfully finishing almost all the popular ultra trail runs in California. Lately, Carmela Layson won in her age category as Female Champion in the Mt Disappointment 80K/80M Trail Run last 09 August 2008 at the Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel Mountains where Jorge Pacheco (Champion of 2008 Badwater) won as the Champion in the 80-Mile race.

These three Pinoy Ultramarathon runners living in the Los Angeles area will be running the famous Angeles Crest 100-Mile Endurance Trail Run which will be held on 13 September 2008. Continue reading “Fargo Street & Los Angeles Pinoy Ultra Runners” →