1. This is the 4th week of my training cycle and my injury is no longer bothering my running workouts.
2. I was able to run a total mileage of 61 kilometers for this week as shown on this daily workouts:
04 Jan—10K Run with “strides”. Average pace: 6:00 minutes per kilometer
05 Jan—-5.6K Run. I tried to do a controlled “interval/speed” run at the Oval Track. It was to test my legs and my injury. Average Pace per lap (400 meters): 4:45 minutes per kilometer. I did 5 X 400 meter runs with 1 minute rest after one lap. There was no pain with my injury.
06 Jan—-10K Tempo Run @ Oval Track with an average pace of 5:32 mpk.
07 Jan—-Trip To Cebu City
08 Jan—-9.12K Easy Run inside Camp Lapulapu & Asia Town IT Park in Cebu City. Average Pace: 6:34 mpk
09 Jan—-5K Active Recovery Run @ Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City
10 Jan—-21K/Cebu City Half-Marathon with an Official Time of 1:57:35 hours. Average pace: 5:34 mpk
3. The 4th Week of the Training Cycle is still a part of the Endurance/Base Building Phase. I have maintained a maximum mileage of 60-62 kilometers per week for the past 4 weeks and I intend to lessen my mileage for the 5th week in order to recover.
4. The Cebu City Half-Marathon was a “diagnostic test” to evaluate my performance level. Due to my good performance, it is time to progressively build-up my mileage for endurance and intend to go back to supplementary weight training at the Gym to strengthen my core and leg muscles.
BR With ADIDAS Techno Fit Compression Shorts
5. One of my readers asked me to make a review on the Adidas Techno Fit Compression Shorts. Well, this is what I have to write about this apparel. The “shiny” strips on my buttocks, hamstrings, and at the end of my quads (near the knees) produce a “tight” feeling to my running muscles and I could feel a “squeeze” action whenever I lift my legs. The “squeeze” feeling reminds me to lift my knees some more, resulting to a longer stride. I am basically a “shuffler” (not lifting the knees) but when I wear this shorts, it forces me to lift my knees higher. Aside from this reason, it also prevents the upper leg muscles from injuries. The price is P 3,400+ and it is worth the price.
Runners who are intending to run and participate in the 2nd BDM 102 on March 6-7 are highly encouraged to join the 2nd BDM 50K “test run”. For those who can not make it in this “test run” on 23 January 2010 (Saturday), it is their personal responsibility to conduct a “walk-through” or “test run” on their own before race day.
One of the glaring lessons learned during the conduct of the 1st BDM 102 was for the runners to know the exact route of the race especially on the first 50 kilometers of the race where everybody was running under darkness. Some of the leading runners were not able to accurately went through some roads that led to the other kilometer post markings of the Bataan Death March’s original route. And some did not mind going inside the towns of Limay and Orion and instead ran along the Roman National Highway, shaving off considerable distance from the race.
In order to be fair to everybody and accurately run through the exact route of the BDM, the “test run” will be conducted from Km #0 in Mariveles, Bataan up to Km #50 in Abucay, Bataan on January 23, 2010. The assembly time will be at 6:00 AM at the Bataan Death March Shrine in Mariveles, Bataan. The test run will immediately start at 6:30 AM.
It is in this “test run” that the new rules and regulations will be tested and applied and it is a must for the participants to bring their respective support vehicle and for them to run on the left side of the road, facing the incoming traffic. There will be no pacers and runners shall run on a single file on the edge of the road. If runners would be able to bring their support crew, it would be better.
Runners in this “test run” are not allowed to display banners and tarpaulins of their respective corporate sponsors. However, I will allow the runners to display the banners or tarpaulins of their respective running clubs or groups. The running groups with names of products are strictly not allowed.
Due to the unavailability of ambulance or medical personnel to assist in this run, the runners are advised to bring appropriate FIRST AID KITS in case of any injuries or emergencies during the run.
Km Post #7 & Vicinity
After the start of the run, the drivers of support vehicles are advised to immediately proceed to the vicinity of Kilometer Post #7 where there is an ample space where the vehicles would park and wait for their runners. Support vehicles will be advised NOT to “leapfrog” from Kilometer Post #1 to Kilometer Post #7 because of the lack of road shoulders most especially from Km Post #3 to Km Post #7. With this situation, the runners are also advised to bring their hydration belt with them on the first 7 kilometers of the route.
Km Post #14. Turn Right Towards Brgy Mountain View, Cabcaben
The first critical intersection or Y-road is at Kilometer Post #14 that goes inside Barangay Mountain View, Balantasan, Cabcaben, Bataan. All the runners should turn right on this road and be able to reach Km Post #16 as runners would go back to the main highway.
Km Post # 31. Road from Poblacion Limay, Bataan
The second intersection is at Kilometer Post #23 where the runners must turn right towards the Limay’s National Power Corporation and Limay’s Poblacion. Runners must be able to run again along the main highway after reaching Kilometer Post #31.
The third and last critical intersection is at Kilometer Post #32 where all the runners must turn right again towards the Municipality of Pilar. On this road, the runners would be able to reach Balanga and Abucay. The Finish Area is at the vicinity of Kilometer Post #50 near the Abucay Public Market.
All these critical instersections will be properly marked with yellow-colored ribbons.
Runners are also advised to be careful and completely stop and observe the incoming traffic on both sides of the road/highway before crossing the highway and towards these intersections along the route.
After running through this part of the route (Km #0 to Km #50), the runners would be able to memorize and be confident to run through these intersections even during darkness which will be the actual situation during the race.
From Km Post #50, while they are on their way back to Manila, they could travel along the rest of the route up to the Finish Line at Km Post #102 in San Fernando, Pampanga. The route inside the Poblacion of Guagua, Pampanga is recommended to be seen by the runners. ( A Pit Stop to taste Razon’s Halo-Halo in Guagua would be a nice treat to the runners’ tired leg muscles!!!)
The local runners who will join their first BDM 102 race are highly encouraged to join this “test run”, moreso, to those who will be running their first ultra distance.
A Race Bib will be issued to each runner before the start of the “test run” and it should be displayed visibly infront of their shirt or shorts. Although this is not a formal race, every runner will have a registered finish time for the “test run”.
See you at Km Post #0 on the early morning of January 23. Good luck to everybody.
(Note: Please leave a comment if you intend to join the “test run” so that we can prepare the number of Race Bibs)
1. After the Elite Team Bald Runner finished the 1st Quezon City International Marathon in the middle of October last year, we started planning for our next major road race, the Cebu City Marathon. We immediately transfered our “training camp” to the Sierra Madre Mountains, 70 kilometers east of Metro Manila and bought our plane tickets at least 3 months before our departure from Manila. It was also at that time that I arranged for the accommodation of the whole team at the Officers’ Transient Quarters inside the Central Command Headquarters in Camp Lapulapu, Lahug, Cebu City. With “military” planning, coordination, precision, and support from our corporate-friends/sponsor, the whole team came here to Cebu City well-prepared for the Cebu City Marathon.
Group Picture @ The Terraces, Ayala Center
2. We attended the Carboaloading Party for the Cebu City Marathon last night in our “black” uniform and arrived first in the venue of the activity. I was amazed with the preparations done by the Cebu Executive Runners Club for the said party. This is a good sign of a well-prepared marathon race.
Receiving My Official Copy of FR Magazine
3. The much-anticipated official and my personal copy of the first Runners’ Magazine in the Philippines, Front Runner Magazine was given to me by Jonel aka Bugobugo85. Not because my picture accupied one of the pages of the magazine, it is about time that a broad magazine ala Runners’ World Magazine & Running Times should be locally published and available to everybody with a cheap price. The maiden issue of the Front Runner Magazine is a MUST for every runner, whether you are a beginner or a competitive runner. Congratulations, Jonel and to your staff for a great job!
John Pages as Host/Race Director of Cebu Marathon
4. It was nice to meet John Pages during the Carboloading Party and he was “hands-on” in every part of the program. He made sure that every runner was attended during the party. He stated in his briefing that there are 150 runners from Manila (out of the almost 4,000 runners) who registered for the race and it was heart-warming that he acknowledged the Elite Team Bald Runner. The briefing during the party emphasized that the Gun Start in every distance-race will start ON TIME.
Heidi Acuna aka MarathonFoodie @ The Carbo Party
5. Finally, I met Heidi Acuna aka MarathonFoodie, one of the leading runner-bloggers based in Cebu City. She also delivered an insight to all the runners about the Cebu City Marathon and her personal expectations about the race.
6. Our tables which were occupied by the members Elite Team Bald Runner and my staff became the assembly point for the runners coming from Manila. Captain Amado Castro, Jr aka Reinier Pacific stayed with us during the party. Dr Tommy Tan and company from the Fairview Running Club came to our table, too. Jinoe, Quennie, and Luis aka Gingerbread Running of takbo.ph were with us while watching the movie “The Spirit of Marathon”. Mari Javier, George Dolores, J Cu Unjieng, & Odessa Coral—1st BDM 102 Finishers and runners for the 2nd edition BDM were there, too. Jaymie aka The Bull Runner and family were also in the party. Coach Rio was also one of the speakers during the party as his company/outfit provided the Timing/RFID Chip for the race.
7. I was surprised to see during the party a group of bald runners in one of the tables. I made the initiative to approach them and talk to them. Yes, I think I was able to count 5 or 6 of them and they are part of a running club from Danao City. By their looks alone, they are “hardcores” and competitive runners! I wish them well during the race. This is a good sign that the trademark of Bald Runner has a “chapter or group” in every region or province in the country!
8. For those who approached me and told me that they visit this blogsite on a regular basis, please keep on reading this blog with the hope that every post will be able to inspire you to have an active lifestyle and maintain a positive outlook in life.
9. I had a short and easy run inside Camp Lapulapu this morning. One loop around the camp up to the Tennis Courts/Clubhouse is exactly 1 mile (1.6K). I did 5K in 30:45 minutes with an average pace of 6:09 minutes per kilometer.
The following pictures say what is going on in Cebu City since yesterday. The Elite Team Bald Runner arrived in full force in Cebu City for the 1st Cebu City Marathon to held this coming Sunday. This is one way of showing our support to the growing involvement of running clubs outside Metro Manila & Luzon in coming up with their full Marathon Race.
After One Hour Run From Camp Lapu-lapu@Vicinity Starting Line AreaReady For The Cebu Half-Marathon
My personal thanks to John Pages (www.pages.ph) and the Cebu Executive Runners Club for coming up with this race in Cebu City and for the special attention he and his staff gave us when our team received our race packets.
See you at the Carbo-loading Party at the Cebu Ayala Center tonight!
I started doing this accountability and transparency “thing” since the 1st MASTERS Run held last September 6, 2009. For being consistent in our race events, I am posting a financial report on the conduct of the Rizal Day Run last December 30, 2009. We gained more than One Thousand Pesos during our 1st MASTERS Run but it was fun seeing the support of our friends and participants. This was a running event where we “first” awarded the “Baldie” Medal to every finisher and a significant event to introduce cold beer and ice cream at the Finish Line.
The following is the financial report for the Rizal Day Run. A total of 372 runners registered for the run.
Collection From Registration Fees
P 111,600.00
EXPENSES:
Commemorative T-Shirts
P 27,900.00
Race Bibs
P4,500.00
Gatorade, Foods/Groceries
P 3,700.00
Purchase of Additional Water
P 1,000.00
Rentals For Tables
P 500.00
Water Cups
P 2,000.00
Bond Papers
P 400.00
Brown Envelopes
P 470.00
Wrist Bands
P 1, 200.00
Certificates of Achievement
P 1, 000.00
POL & Gasoline Expenses
P 3, 000.00
Foods For Marshals
P 1, 600.00
Tarpaulin/Banners
P 1, 300.00
Garbage Bags
P 600.00
Rent For PATAFA Race Clock
P 7,000.00
Safety Pins
P 300.00
Finisher’s Medals
P 32, 100.00
Winners’ Medals
P 1, 200.00
TOTAL EXPENSES
P 89, 770.00
TOTAL GAINS FROM THE RACE
P 21, 830.00
In this run, I did not pay for the permit to use the camp and the marshals were not given any fees since the gains for the said race will be used for the training of the members of the Elite Team Bald Runner. All the members of the Elite Team acted as Marshals; Pacers; and Aid Station personnel.
Once again, my sincerest thanks to Jonel & Team Hardcore/FrontRunner Magazine; HINGS Running Club; GHQ & HSC Command; Tintin F aka Timothy; Carrey-Isko-Eugene Group; Reinier Pacific; Takbo.ph; and to all the runners for their support to this run.
1. For this week, I slowly introduced some speed drills during my runs. The speed drills consist of “fartlek” and “strides” incorporated during my runs. My “fartlek” runs are done by increasing my pace for the duration of one minute and then continue with my usual pace during the run. After 2 minutes of my regular pace, I do another repetition of a fast-paced one minute duration until I could do at least 10 repetitions. Sometimes, I do some counting from 1 to 60 as my left foot touches the ground during my “fartlek” runs.
2. For the “strides”, I do a fast-paced run of 100 meters and then go back to my regular pace for the next 100 meters. I usually do this while running on the oval track. I do at least 20 repetitions of the “strides” during my running workout at the oval track.
3. My total mileage for this week is 62 kilometers. The following were my workouts for the 3rd week:
28 Dec (Monday)—10K Easy Run at The Fort with an average pace of 6:18 mpk
29 Dec (Tuesday)—12K Easy Run at Camp Aguinaldo with an average pace of 6:09 mpk.
30 Dec (Wednesday)—Rest Day (?) Rizal Day 32K Run as Race Director.
31 Dec (Thursday)—12K Easy Run at The Fort & McKinley Hill with an average pace of 6:36 mpk.
01 Jan (Friday)—10K Easy Run with “Fartleks” at UP Diliman Compound with an average pace of 6:07 mpk.
02 Jan (Saturday)—12K Easy Run at The Fort with an average pace of 6:45 mpk.
03 Jan (Sunday)—6K Fast Run at the Rizal High School Oval Track with an average pace of 5:25 mpk.
4. My run last Sunday, 03 Jan at the Rizal High School Oval Track in Pasig City was supposed to be an active recovery run for about 30 minutes. However, once I started my run after my stretching and warm-up, I felt I was running faster than my usual pace for an easy run. I felt comfortable with my pace and continued my run and finished 6K. I really do not know if the Adidas TechnoFit compression/tight shorts was instrumental for my fast pace. It was my first time to try such compression shorts with “special bands” squeezing my butt, hamstring, and quadricep muscles. I have yet to use it more in my runs in order to assess and evaluate its usefulness as its price is too expensive as compared to other compression shorts.
1. Organization of More Running Clubs/Groups—Every runner is encouraged to join a running club or group in order for him to be motivated to train and develop his/her full potentials in running and other related endurance sports.
2. More Corporate Sponsorship in Running Events and Training of Elite Athletes.
3. Declare a Week or Month as “National Sports Week” or “Sports Month”—If there are legislators or government executives who are involved in sports, they should legislate a law declaring a part of year as a period where we can hear or meet the people and institutions involved in sports. I know that most of us do not even know the difference between the PSC, POC, and the different national sports federations. It is in this period in the year when Expositions and other running-related activities are scheduled.
4. Winners in Corporate-Sponsored Marathon Races should be sent to International Marathon Races for “exposure”. It is a proven formula that our athletes are only known by our media and our national sports authorities/national leadership when they win in international competition. As winners in international marathon events, our athletes will inspire more of our populace, down to the “grassroots”, to be involved in running.
5. Develop more “volunteerism” during marathon events among the members of the running community—The volunteerism had been highly displayed by the group of Jinoe’s takbo.ph and Captain Amado’s Reinier Pacific during Marathon Races. Of course, Jonel aka Bugobugo85’s Team Hardcore; HINGS Running Club; Carrey-Isko-Eugene Group; and Tintin aka Timothy’s had been consistently the “volunteers” in my road races. I hope that more running clubs and runners will be involved in such acts of giving back their services & goods to the other runners.
6. Conduct of a Running Lecture/Forum/Symposium—How I wish one of the profitable corporate insitutions of the country sponsor the conduct of a Running Symposium where we could meet and hear the words of international runners like Dean Karnazes, Bart Yasso, Paul Tergat, Alberto Salazar, Grete Waitz, and other running Champions in the past. Or maybe, ask our past Project Gintong Alay athletes to share their stories to us. It would be nice to hear how Lydia De Vega trained for the Gold Medal in the past Asian Games.
7. A Wholesome Local Running Magazine—How I wish a Filipino Running Magazine ala Runners World or Running Times or Trail Runner or Trailrunning Magazine be available to the running community with a cheaper price than those published abroad. These pictures will confirm that this wish will become a reality in a matter of days:
Watchout, FR Is Coming!A Wholesome Running Magazine By Hardcores
8. Oval Tracks at Makati University and International School (The Fort) be opened to the public.
9. BDM 102 will find its future Finish Line in 2011. It will be a 24-hour Road Race to this final destination. If you don’t reach this Finish Line in 24 hours, you will be considered as DNF. The following are the pictures of the future Finish Line.
Wide Finish Line LocationBDM Km Post #145
10. Finally, A Runners Library & Museum—A place where runners could share their running “collections” and a place where runners would meet and make their research. A place where we could see the Hall of Fame in Athletics!
1. As the Race Organizer and Director of the 1st RIZAL DAY 32K RUN, I admit that there is still room for improvement in the conduct of a simple road race.
2. Despite my instructions to the leading “PACER” that all the runners must finish 4 loops plus 2/3 of one loop, the leading “PACER” ran directly towards the back of the GHQ Grandstand and towards to the Finish Line after the lead runner had received the 4th “colored wristband”. Weeks and days before race day, I personally ran the course and the following were the results from my GF 305:
1st loop (from the Grandstand) up to the Gen Aguinaldo Monument—-7 kilometers
2nd loop (from Gen Aguinaldo’s Monument and back)—-6.85 kilometers
3rd loop (from Gen Aguinaldo’s Monument and back)—-6.85 kilometers
4th loop (from Gen Aguinaldo’s Monument and back)—-6.85 kilometers
3. I should have made an arrangement for the Fire Trucks of the GHQ’s Fire Department/Station to make a water shower to runners during their 3rd up to the last loop. Lots of water for drinking on the Aid Stations were wasted as some runners stopped to pour a lot of drinking water to their faces, heads, and backs.
4. For those who finished the race and were not able to receive their medals, they will get them during the 2010 PSE Bull Run on January 17th at The Fort. Runners are advised to bring their (used) Race Bibs and IDs for confirmation.
5. Did I hear somebody suggesting that the next RIZAL DAY RUN will be a 35-K Run since Dr Jose Rizal died at the age of 35?
6. Thanks to our donors, friends of BR, BR’s Events staff, and the running community for their support to make this race a success.
Bald Runner
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