Category: Runners’ Training

Recap: Training Journal (11-17 Nov 2007)

On By kingofpotsIn Practice Runs, Runners' TrainingLeave a comment

Total Miles/Kms (Running)—18.125 miles/29 kms

Total Miles/Kms (X-training/Cycling)—13.125 miles/21 km

Total Miles/Kms Covered—31.25 miles/50 kms

Average Speed (Run)—6:00 – 6:15 mins/km or 9:30 – 10:00 mins/mile

Number of Speed Runs—One

Number Speed/Tempo Runs—None

Comments: I am starting to get my strength and endurance for longer distance running. If not for the rains in my place, I could have logged on more kms/miles for the week. Anyway, I was able to have more time to rest and have my muscles recovered through massage and stretching. I hope to improve more on my speed in the next weeks to come. So far, I don’t have any injuries or pain after my rest days. It was a nice week!

DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap For Marathon

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Runners' Training, Running, Sports ProgramLeave a comment

I really don’t know if this is a Sports Project or a Sports Program which was created after the 2000 Olympic Games. But the way it was managed and run by its former Chairman and Director, it appears that this is a Sports Program which is being undertaken by the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The vision of this program is for the country to develop future candidates/athletes for our quest towards attaining our “First Olympic Gold Medal” in the sports of Taekwando, Boxing, Shooting, and Marathon, initially, among the officers and soldiers of the AFP. Thus, it was named as “DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap” (Golden Dream).

The DND-AFP took upon itself to concentrate on these four sports as most of the officers and men of the AFP are trained, exposed, and excelled in each of these sports discipline. Most of the national athletes who excel in these sports are non-commisioned officers/Enlisted Personnel of the AFP and some of the officers also excel in Taekwando and Shooting. During President Marcos’ administration, top athletes of the country were made to be enlisted in the AFP so that they have a continuous source of income/pay & allowances. These athletes only received additional allowances and training support from their respective Sports Committees/Federations and the National Sports Commission if they are preparing for international competitions and if they win medals in prestigious competitions abroad. This program had been carried up to the present. But things had not improved in our support to our national athletes. It is sad to say that they are not properly coached, lack of facilities & sports equipment, not exposed in international competitions, “malnourished”, no scholarship/educational program for the less-privileged athletes, and worst, being exploited by politics in the country’s sports programs.

The DND-AFP took the initiative to embark on these four sports programs/discipline by assigning senior officers of the AFP who excel/have interest on these sports to lead and attain the vision of the program. However, after the Olympic Games “fever” had gone, the interest and commitment for the improvement and exposure of such sports died down, except for the Marathon Program. The main culprit of this situation was the lack of resources/financial support to sustain the program and lack of leadership. Luckily for the Marathon, the previous Chairman/Program Director initiated fund-raising programs and made the program as an organization and had it registered as an Incorporation through the Security Exchange Commission (SEC). The former Program Director was a “passionate” Marathoner/Runner. Before he retired from the service as an Admiral of the Philippine Navy, he was able to conduct an annual rendition of the DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap for Marathon during the month of December, as part of the one-month celebration of the AFP Anniversary, from November up to the anniversary day, every 21st of  December. Before the program was handed to me, the program was able to conduct three (3) annual races (combination of 5K, 10K, & 20K) where the venues were rotated among the Major Branch of Service of the AFP (Philippine Army, Philippine Navy, & Philippine Air Force). The ultimate goal then was to conduct a full Marathon for the members of the AFP.

Under my leadership, the program conducted it’s 4th race which was a “5 in 1” race event. There was a Half-Marathon, 10K, 5K, 2-Mile General’s Race, and Members of the Media 2-Mile Race.  There were lots of awards and lots of classification among the age category runners which made the awarding ceremony longer than the conduct of the Half-Marathon Race. The lesser distance races were done inside Camp Aguinaldo while the Half-Marathon covered nearby roads leading to the Green Meadows Subdivision. Most of the Generals, who attended the 2-mile race, walked! This was the first time that we exposed and included the public/civilian sector in our race/program. This event was done sometime in June 2006.

The 5th rendition of the Sports Program was the introduction of the 3 X 7K Team Relay ( 2-man & 1-woman per team) which was conducted in Fort Bonifacio, last February of this year, where the race route covered up to the grounds of the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The conduct and management of the race was very simple and it became a success. A number of teams from the civilian sector joined this event and and they received special awards for their involvement and attendance. In the AFP, this  event format was copied by other Major Branch of Service in their inter-athletic competitions.

On this 16th of December 2007, the DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap For Marathon Team Relay Race will be held at the Bonifacio Naval Station, Fort Bonifacio. There is a clamor/request from other running groups to bring back the Half-Marathon Race of this program. This request will be decided by the members of the Sports Program during their last coordinating conference on 23 November 2007.

I wanted to have more races every year but due to work-related constraints, the athletic/sports representatives from the Major Services opted to have at least two races every year with the end-view of conducting a full Marathon in the future.

At present, the financial resources turned-over to me by the previous Chairman/Director had been “doubled” (increased by 100%) as we plan to conduct more races and realize our goal to conduct a Marathon Race. May this goal of the program be attained before I retire from the service.

Training Journal

On By kingofpotsIn Runners' TrainingLeave a comment

11-17 November 2007

11 Nov (Sunday)—–Rest, One Hour Swedish Body Massage

12 Nov (Monday)—-Slow Run along 2-mile route inside camp @  9:30-10:00 pace/mile.

             Ran 5 X 2 miles from 5:20-7:00 PM.

             Average Pace–9:51 per mile or 6:09.3 per kilometer.

             Total Time—1:38:32

             Total Distance—10 miles/16 kilometers.

              Stretching After Run—15 minutes

Comments: Getting stronger and more relaxed. Better and longer strides. Breathing rythym much improved. Sunday rest, 7-hour sleep in the evening  and body massage greatly contributed for a better performance. Drank water every 2 miles. Cooler weather in the early evening. Had to run slower on dark spots/areas along the road without street lights. Camp streets will be fully lighted within 1-2 weeks!

13 Nov (Tuesday)—-CrossTraining (Cycling/Stationary Biking)/ One Hr

               Used my Mountain Bike mounted on a Minoura Trainer

                Time of Activity—-5:30-6:30 PM

                 Average Speed—–21-23 kms/hour

                 Cycling RPM——-80-85 rpm (Average)

                 Low/High RPM—70/105 rpm

                 Estimated Distance Covered—-21-22 kms

Comments: Had slight high blood pressure of 130/90 before biking. I made short hill walking prior to my blood pressure test. Still tired from yesterday’s run, slept average of 5 hours last night & woke up early this morning. My butt is sore for not biking for the past two months! It was a nice cross-training workout. The whole floor was wet with my sweat. I have to sleep early tonight for my fast tempo run tomorrow!

14 Nov (Wednesday)—Speed Run/Tempo

               5 X 1 Km @ 5:50-6:00 min pace per repetition

               1 Km Recovery Run in between reps @ 6:33-6:45 min

               1.5 Km Warm Up Run @ 7:00 min pace per km

               1.5 Km Cool Down Run @ 7:30 min pace per km

               Time of Run—2:20-3:45 PM; Cloudy skies

               Total Distance Covered—8.125 Miles/13 Kms

               Total Aggregate Time—1:24:15

Comments: I was running along the beachfront of Boracay from North, Station 0 to Station 3, end of the white beach in the South  and vice-versa, which covers a distance of about 5 Kms. I practically ran the whole white sand stretch for three times. I had slow runs along Stations 2 & 3 as the sand was very loose. My feet could hardly hit the ground on stable condition as my feet were buried in the sand. I could hardly kick my legs and bring up my knees fast because of the unstable & loose ground. The workout strengthened my knees and ankles. I feel pain on my knees and ankles right now. I need to rest them early tonight. The sky was cloudy and weather was not hot. As I ran towards the north, I was going against the wind which gave little resistance to my runs. I ended the workout with a “Halo-Halo” with lots of crushed ice at Cindy’s @ The Mall!

15 Nov (Thursday)—Rest, Swedish Massage @ Riviera Spa, Iloilo City

Comments: Had 10 minutes Sauna and one hour of Swedish Massage in Iloilo City after attending a meeting. Slept early in the evening & had 7 hours of sleep.

16 Nov (Friday)—Rest, No Run

17 Nov (Saturday)—Rest, No Run

Comments: It’s been raining for the past two days. I needed these two days to rest and read my books.

Strengthening Exercises @ Home (Part 1)

On By kingofpotsIn Runners' TrainingLeave a comment

While at home/in my quarters, I always make a habit to do at least three strengthening exercises before taking my shower in the morning, before shower after workouts & practice runs, and before shower before going to bed. These are: Push-ups; Sit-ups (Abdominal Crunches); and Knee bends.

I recommend you start your first day with 20 repetitions for Push-ups, Sit-ups, and Knee bends. On the next day, you add one repetition for each exercise. At the end of the week, you will be able to do 27 repetitions for each exercise. Maintain that number of repetitions for the next week. On the third week, add again one repetition every day and at the end of the week, you should be able to do 34 repetitions for each exercise. Maintain 34 repetitions for the whole fourth week and on the fifth week, start adding one repetition every day for each exercise. At the end of the 5th week, you should be able to do 41 reps comfortable. Repeat the process until you will be comfortable doing as many reps as you can on these three strengthening exercises.

These is my secret training when preparing for my regular Army Physical Fitness Test. Consistently, I have been getting 100% rating on this test. For my age, I should be able to do 65 reps of Push-ups in 2 minutes; 70 reps of Sit-ups in 2 minutes; and be able to run 2 miles (3.2) kilometers in 17:30 in order to “max” the test.

I highly recommend my training for my Army Physical Fitness Test to runners for them to strengthen their legs/knees, abdominal muscles, and upper torso muscles.

“Shuffle, Don’t Bounce”

On By kingofpotsIn Marathon Race, Runners' Training, RunningLeave a comment

When I joined the 1st City of Angels Half-Marathon Race in Los Angeles last December 4, 2006 with my daughter, I observed that she was “bouncing” during the run. “Bouncing” means that you are pushing much of your legs after your foot hits the ground. In effect, the whole body is bouncing as you run, creating extra effort to your legs, knees and body. Sometimes, bouncing creates a semblance of being suspended on the air for a half of a second before your leading foot strikes the ground. Well, I didn’t mind her style of running while we were on the race but I encouraged her to increase her speed and maintain her cadence and breathing rythym on the last 3-4 miles before the finish line.

Immediately after the race, she was happy that she was able to improve her PR best time for the distance by 12 minutes. I congratulated her for the determination she had shown despite for the reason that she just had her “monthly visitor” (which she told me only after the race!). Anyway, while we were walking back to home (our house is 2-3 miles away from LA City Hall), I told her about her tendency to “bounce” during running.

Of course, she told me that she is not “bouncing” when she runs. I described and demonstrated how she was “bouncing” while running. I also demonstrated to her how to “shuffle” while running. I suggested and recommended to her to adopt the “shuffle” style of running.

Basically, I am a “shuffler”. Shuffling means that a runner does not need to raise his/her knees too much in the air and the foot should not be ahead of the knees while running. It is an exaggerated trotting of the feet with the ball of the feet or heel hitting much of the ground. This is the most relaxing way to run with the knees not being forced to exert extra effort. It takes time to practice and adopt this kind of running. But for me, this is the best running style I recommend for runners training for their first marathon.

My running models in marathon in the ’80s; Bill Rodgers, Alberto Salazar, Robert de Castella, Toshihiko Seko,  Steve Jones, and Waldemar Cierpinski; were all “shufflers”.

My God, I am really that old and bald if you don’t know these famous marathoners in the past!!!

High Altitude Training

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Practice Runs, Runners' Training1 Comment

I accidentally deleted my previous posting on this topic. I posted this topic while I was in Boracay Island for two days.

Altitude Training or High Altitude Training dates back after the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968 where the city is located 2, 240 meters above sea level. It was at this time when world records on sprints and endurance sports were broken and some of the time records then were not yet surpassed up to this time. Most of the athletes from the high altitude places of Africa, Finland, and New Zealand had excelled in endurance sports events.

Scientific studies showed that when the body is exposed to altitude training, there is less oxygen in the air and due to less oxygen intake, the body tends to develop new red blood cells. New red blood cells means more oxygen in the blood which is translated to more speed, power and endurance.

This is the very reason why it was a part of my planning, practice and strategy to have my practice runs in Baguio City for a minimum of one month up to a maximum of two months. Although Baguio City (1, 530 meters above sea level) is not as high as Mexico City, it was the most accessible place where I can have my altitude training.

I may not be as competetive as the national athletes at that time who were training in Baguio City, but I knew that altitude training gave me more endurance to finish the marathon race without any pains and had faster post recovery than the other runners. In all my marathon practices, I saw to it that Baguio practice runs were part of my training/s.

Simulated altitude training gadgets are already available in the market by elite athletes in other more developed countries but they are expensive. However, I don’t recommend such gadgets/tents to average runners. Actual practice runs in higher elevated places is highly recommended as it is more affordable and economical.

Baguio City is still my best bet to practice altitude running/training. The route from Silang, Cavite to Tagaytay and running within Tagaytay area is also an option. Another option which I tried before is the route from the UP Los Banos Grounds to Mt Makiling peak.