13 January 2008
The following pictures were taken at the finish line of the 2008 Clark Freeport 10K Run:
These are pictures taken during my running workout with my son, John Paul, at the Ilocos Norte Sports Oval Track in Laoag City after running for almost one and half hours from Barangay Dibua to the crossing Gabu Road and Suba Road and back to the Poblacion of Laoag City.
It appears that my son has the runner’s form, body-built for a runner and has the speed for a marathoner. I must admit that he is faster, stronger, better in running form, better trained and more efficient in running than I am when I was at his age.
I told him to have ourselves registered to run the 2008 San Francisco City Marathon and apply for our names to be raffled or be part of the lottery to participate in the 2008 New York City Marathon as early this part of the year.
Joan Benoit Samuelson: (USA)
1979 & 1983 Boston Women’s Marathon Champion
1984 Winner in the US Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials in 2:31:04, 2 1/2 weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery.
1984 First Olympic Womens Marathon Gold Medal with a time of 2:24:52. The only American woman to win the event up to the present.
1985 Winner in the Women’s Chicago Marathon in 2:21:21.
2002 American Women’s Record Holder among 45-49 years old with 2:42:28 in Chicago Marathon
2006 Running partner of Lance Armstrong in the last 16 miles of the New York Marathon
2007 Training for the US Women’s Olympic Trials set on April 20, 2008 in Boston ( The day before the Boston Marathon). It will be her fourth Women’s Olympic Trials. Her goal is to break 2:50:00 at 50 years old!
Grete Andersen Waitz: (Norway)
1978-1988 Winner of the New York City Marathon for 9 times
1983 Winner of the World Championship Women’s Marathon in Helsinki, Finland
1983 & 1986 Winner of the Women’s London Marathon
1984 Silver Medalist in the 1984 Olympic Games Women’s Marathon
Rosa Mota: (Portugal)
1984 Bronze Medalist Women’s Marathon Olympic Games
1983 & 1984 Champion Chicago Women’s Marathon
1982, 1986, & 1990 European Women’s Marathon Champion
1988 Gold Medalist Olympic Games Women’s Marathon
1987 World’s Marathon Champion
1987, 1988, & 1990 Champion Boston Women’s Marathon
Ingrid Kristiansen: (Norway)
1980, 1981, & 1982 Champion Stockholm Women’s Marathon
1984, 1985, 1987, & 1989 Champion Women’s Fastest Marathon Race
1984, 1985, 1987, & 1988 Champion London Women’s Marathon
1986 Champion Chicago Women’s Marathon
Allison Roe: (New Zealand)
1981 Champion Boston Women’s Marathon
1981 Champion New York City Women’s Marathon
I arrived in Manila yesterday morning to meet my son who just arrived from Los Angeles, California. My son, John, will be staying in the country for three weeks for the Christmas Holidays and asked me for him to ride on a bus going to Laoag City. Well, he got his wish and boarded a bus going to the North last night! He will be my running partner in the next few days.
Officially, I am in Manila to attend the 72nd Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be held tomorrow, 21 December, with a Military Parade at the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand which starts at 9:00 AM. No less than the President and Commander-In-Chief will be the Guest of Honor and Speaker.
Yesterday afternoon, at 5:00 PM, I had my easy run from my quarterts in Fort Bonifacio to the Libingan ng mga Bayani running along the outer/perimeter roads inside and leaving towards the gate, going down to C-5 Highway, up to the “Heritage Mile”, passing through the Libingan Road towards Lawton Avenue and all the way to Market! Market! and Serendra. I passed through the Bonifacio High Street Mall, right turn towards the MC Depot and then left to Jollibee. From that point, I sprinted towards McDonald’s and back towards Gate #1 of Fort Bonifacio. From the gate, I made my cool-down jog up to my quarters.
It was a nice 11.5-mile/18.4-kilometer run which I finished in 1:35:55 hours. I was running an average pace of 8:20-8:25 mins per mile or 5:13-5:20 mins per kilometer which was a faster pace from my previous runs in Jamindan this week. My easy run became a hard and fast workout!
I was trying to catch up with a lady runner which was 50 meters ahead of me at the Libingan Road going towards Lawton Avenue. I could only manage to get nearer to her at a distance of 10 meters ahead of me but I was not able to catch up with her. I lost her while we were approaching Market! Market! as the traffic was heavy and it was too dark already.
These are some pictures infront of The Infinity at The Fort on my way back to Fort Bonifacio.
These pictures were taken during my Tuesday Run (18 Dec ’07) in Jamindan. I was using my Pharmaton singlet given after the 27th RUNNEX 10K run; Accel shorts; NB 902; and Penshoppe cap.
Being my first International Marathon Race since I started running in the early ’80s, I was able to preserve the Finisher’s T-shirt of the Inaugural Infantry Marathon held in Fort Benning, Georgia on the third Sunday of January 1984.
Hereunder is the picture of the shirt which I placed in a frame. The back of the shirt is printed with the Badge of the Infantry with the words “Follow Me”.
Aside from Waldemar Cierpinski whom I featured in one of my postings, I would like also to feature my “running idols” in the ’80s until such time when I reduced my regular practice runs in the ’90s. These “champions” motivated me to be serious in running and ultimately, inspired me to run more marathon races in the ’80s and later part of the ’90s. These running idols were the “items and personalities” to read in the Runners World Magazine and other runners’ magazines then and most readers sometimes try to emulate and copy their training programs. I was one of them!
Bill Rodgers (Race # 1) of USA won the Boston Marathon for four times (1980, 1979, 1978, 1975); won the New York Marathon for four times (1979, 1978, 1977, 1976); and won the Fukuoka Marathon once (1977).
Toshihiko Seko of Japan won the Fukuoka Marathon for four times (1983, 1980, 1979, 1978); won the Boston Marathon two times (1981, 1987); and other prestigious marathon races in Japan & Europe.
Rob de Castella of Australia won the Marathon in the Commonwealth Games twice (1982 & 1986); won the Fukuoka Marathon in 1981; won the Rotterdam Marathon twice (1983 & 1991); won the World Championship Marathon in 1983; and the Boston Marathon in 1986.
Alberto Salazar was born in Cuba but later migrated to the USA with his family. He won the New York City Marathon for three times (1980, 1981, 1982) and won the Boston Marathon in 1982. He suffered a heart attact last June 30, 2007.
Steve Jones is a Welshman who won the Chicago Marathon for two times (1985, 1984); won the London Marathon in 1985; and later won the New York City Marathon in 1988.
Rod Dixon of New Zealand had been the Bronze Medalist in the 1972 Munich Olympics for the 1,500-meter distance. He also won the New York City Marathon in 1983. He was a distinct runner then with his all-black running attire (official color of New Zealand uniform) and mustache in his running pictures. He now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.
These “marathoners” were featured in the cover pages of running magazines in the ’80s and it was nice reading articles how they won in their respective marathon races by writers who were also runners. Nowadays, seldom you could see marathon champions featured in the cover pages of popular running magazines in publication. Most of these magazines are already fond of featuring beautiful lady runners who are are not yet champions!
I wonder when will they (runners magazines) feature the top Kenyans, Ethiopians, African, European…and Asian “elite/champion” runners in their special stories and cover pages?
I woke up at 5:30 AM and prepared myself for my long slow distance run for this week. After my 15-20 minutes of stretching, I was on the road, running along the 2-mile route I’ve measured inside the camp. This route is considered as hill workout due to the terrain in my area.
The following are my registered times every round of the 2-mile route:
2 miles—— 19:32 mins
4 miles—— 38:38 mins; 19:06 mins/round
6 miles—— 58:06 mins; 19:28 mins/round
8 miles——1:17:13 hours; 19:07 mins/round
10 miles——1:36:14 hours; 19:01 mins/round
12 miles——1:55:42 hours; 19:28 mins/round
14 miles——2:17:50 hours; 22:08 mins/round
16 miles——2:42:37 hours; 24:47 mins/round
I finished my run with a 500-meter cool down jog. It was almost 9:00 AM. I took a longer time for my stretching exercises after the run. I felt pain on my right ankle before the 14-mile mark as my shoes and socks were soaked with my own sweat and rain. My wet New Balance 716 shoes became tighter to my feet as my right big toe nail started rubbing to the top-front edge of my shoes. I don’t want to have a “dead” toe nail as I had never experienced one before.
The pain on my right ankle and the rubbing toe nail made my run slower before completing my 7th round and ultimately, made my last round as my slowest run for the course. That gave me the signal to slowly end the running workout for the day. Besides, I was already hungry!
The intermittent rainshowers in the morning in Jamindan were very refreshing to my body.
It was a nice and refreshing Saturday Long Slow Distance run.
I attended my Infantry Officer’s Advance Course at the US Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, USA from November 1983 to May 1984. It took me only one week to orient, get to know the names of all the installations/facilities/roads and go around the vast camp by jogging/running. Because of this talent & quick knowledge of the place, I became the “designated driver” of our group (five officers) in a Volkswagen Rabbit car!
During weekends, I had the chance to run 10K road races inside the camp and to the nearby city of Columbus, Georgia & Phenix City, Alabama. It was winter time when I had my schooling and I had to wear a cap, woolen gloves, and long-sleeved Hobbie shirts for my runs.
One of my sprint runs before the finish line.
Our “group” (Filipino Officers in the class) consists of 3 Philippine Army Officers and 2 Philippine Constabulary Officers. Aside from being the “designated driver”, I was also the “official cook/chef” of the group! The PC Officer on the extreme left became a Brigadier General (one-star); I reached the rank of a Major General (two-star); the officer at my left became the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (four-star); and the remaining officers retired as Colonels.
Bald Runner 
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