Category: Running

Gym Workout

On By kingofpotsIn Runners' Training, Running, Sports Program1 Comment

If ever I am in Manila for a meeting/consultation or on official business, I always see to it to visit my Gym everyday. Last Thursday morning, I had my “fastest” gym workout in my entire life which I finished in one hour.

I did lots of dumdbell exercises–bicep curls, tricep extensions, and other exercises I could think of with the dumdbells, from 10 lbs to 20 lbs. I did also the Lateral and Vertical Pulls with the Universal Dynamic Machine doing as much as 3 sets in 15 reps per set at 75-90 lbs for my back muscles.

But the main purpose of my workout was to strengthen my quadriceps. I did Leg Extensions with Flex Fitness Machine with the following variable weights:

        3 sets X 15 reps @ 30 lbs

        3 sets X 15 reps @ 45 lbs

        5 sets X 15 reps @ 60 lbs

I always believe that strengthening the quadriceps will always make the knees better in shape and injury-free.

I did also Bench Press for my arms and chest muscles with the Smith Machine with 50 lbs weight at 3 sets X 10 repetitions.

I finished my workout with Leg Press to strengthen my hamstrings and buttocks’ muscles with 90 lbs weight at 3 sets X 10 repetitions.

My cool down exercise was abdominal crunches on top of a rubber ball at 3 sets X 20 repetitions.

Due to my kids’ membership with Gold’s Gym Los Angeles, they enrolled me as a member when I visited them last December 2003. I just extended my membership with the Gold’s Gym in the country when I arrived back from Los Angeles in January 2004.

I do my workouts at Gold’s Gym Glorietta. I am not building bigger muscles for my body but I just wanted my muscles to be toned and more active by using lighter weights with higher number of repetitions.

The “Heritage” Mile

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Practice Runs, Runners' Training, RunningLeave a comment

Last Wednesday morning, between 7:00 AM-9:00 AM, I had my run from my quarters in Fort Bonifacio to the Libingan ng mga Bayani grounds. I finished 2 rounds of the outer circle/outer roads of the cemetery and went out passing infront of the Heritage Park towards C-5 Road. From C-5 Road, I made my speed run up to the Bayani Road (Ft Bonifacio Gate near the Chapel). I call this stretch as the “Heritage” Mile! This is the place where I totally walked during the 2005 Pasig River Heritage Marathon which took me almost 20 to 30 minutes. I made two sets of running through this stretch from C-5 using the bermuda covered lawn of the park just to remove the “ghost” of the past. It took me at least 8 minutes to run the distance.

From the “Heritage” Mile, I went back to the Libingan grounds and ran another 1 1/2 rounds and then returned to the streets of Paoville (Officers’ Quarters area) and back to my quarters. My whole running time was 1 hour & 48 minutes. I estimate that I was able to run about 17 to 18 kilometers or 11.25 miles.

Comment: I was annoyed and irritated by the sunblock lotion I placed on my face. The lotion got mixed with my sweat and it entered to my eyes. The irritation on my both eyes practically made me blind during the first round at the Libingan. I had to stop at the outpost and asked for bath soap and water from the soldiers/guard to wash my face. I got a lesson from this experience, not to use sunblock again!

My New Shoes: New Balance 902

On By kingofpotsIn Pictures, Runner's Fashion/Attire, Running, Running Shoes1 Comment

I bought my new running shoes this morning at “Athlete’s Foot” Glorietta. It is “On Sale” with 20% discount. I have yet to try it on the road and oval track tomorrow at the Iloilo City Oval Track.

Since I am a loyal  and faithful “New Balance” Running Shoes Runner, I hope this will give me a better performance in my training.

This particular shoes was voted as the Runners World Magazine’s Editor’s Choice for the Month of March 2007. It is a lightweight trainer and considered as the “lightest training shoe” of New Balance. It weighs 10 ounces. I like the color, orange and the “Sure Lace” shoestrings!!

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Nathan Water Belt

On By kingofpotsIn Pictures, Runners Accessories, Running1 Comment

I bought this hip-mounted canted water bottle belt, together with my Asics Tiger “Cumulus” Running Shoes, last December 2006 at Phidippides Store in Ventura Blvd., Encino, California. I was attracted to buy this item after observing and seeing most of the average runners at the 1st City of Angels Half-Marathon Race were wearing this particular water belt. I was not particular with the name of the manufacturer/brand that time but I was after a “new style” of carrying a water jug and a small energy drink container snugged with the body during running practices.

In combat shooting, there is a particular gun holster which is positioned at the back of the body. They call this the “SOB” (Small Of the Back) holster. For this particualr water belt, I would like to call it “SOB” Water Belt! I think my wife paid $ 35.00 for the said item. It has a zippered pocket which can fit my Nokia 9300i phone and my reading glasses!

As I reached home, when I read the “Brochure & Warranty Papers” tied with the Nathan Water Belt, I found out that it was “Made in the Philippines”!!!

Last Wednesday, I used this Nathan “SOB” Water Belt for the second time since I bought it. It was useful as I ran almost 1 hour and 50 minutes for my speed tempo runs.

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These pictures were taken inside my quarters in Fort Bonifacio after my speed tempo runs.

I don’t experience any bounce with the water jug as long as the elastic belt is adjusted properly and fitted tight to the waist. The bottle could be easily reached by the right hand. I highly recommend this runner’s accessory for long slow distance running practices, but not in actual road races.

Yasso 800s

On By kingofpotsIn Practice Runs, Runners' Training, RunningLeave a comment

I found out about “Yasso 800s” when I started buying back issues of Runners World Magazine for the months of April, June & July of this year. I bought these back issues last month when I started running seriously again. I thought Yasso 800s is some kind of an equipment that improves the performance of a runner or an equipment that measures the strength and endurance of a runner.

My research in the Internet brought me to the article of Amby Burfoot in the September 2001 issue of the Runners World Magazine where he started to use the term “Yasso 800s” based from the training experiences of Mr Bart Yasso in his preparation for a Marathon race. According to Mr Yasso, he runs sets of 800-meter runs and the average time in these runs could predict accurately his time to finish a marathon race. If he averages 2:45 minutes in his 800-meter runs, he predicts that he could finish the marathon in 2 hours & 45 minutes. Simply put, the minutes & seconds a runner could finish sets of 800-meter runs is translated to hours & minutes as predicted time to finish the marathon.

Early this morning, I ordered some of my men to measure a distance of 800 meters, with a measuring tape used by my engineers,  along the 2-mile route I am using in my camp in Jamindan. The first 400 meters is slightly uphill and the rest is relatively plain.

I tried my first Yasso 800s at noon today when the rains stopped. After a short stretching exercises, I did my first set at 3:49 mins and slowly jogged 400 meters. My second run was 3:45 mins. My third run was 3:46 mins. My fourth & last run was 3:52 mins. I between these runs (2nd to 4th) I jogged 500-700 meters as my recovery runs. Before I ended my brief and testing for my first Yasso 800s, I slowly jogged 1 km to cool down. I ended the workout with the stretching of my legs. I ran a total of 6-7 kilometers for the whole Yasso 800s workout.

I am happy with the results of my brief Yasso 800s runs. If Mr Yasso is right in his predictions/theory, I am predicting that I am regaining my power, strength, and endurance when I was a serious runner 25 years ago. This is a positive result after three weeks of serious training for a marathon.

Thanks, Mr Yasso, you will be my regular training partner every week!!!

Sunday’s Long Slow Distance Run

On By kingofpotsIn Practice Runs, Runners' Training, RunningLeave a comment

18 November 2007

For not running for the past three days, I planned to have my long slow distance (LSD) run for Sunday. I felt the three-day rest I imposed to myself made me nervous and uneasy, thinking that the mileage I have ran for the past days would be meaningless and gone to waste. For the past weeks, I’ve been trying to test and evaluate my body if I could still run the Marathon despite the short preparations and training adjustments I have to make while I am doing my job with my unit or command. This is the reason why I came up with a Training Journal so that I can review and evaluate my training progress. But the 3-day rest since Thursday is telling me that my body could no longer take the beating of a Marathon, more so that I am getting older since I concentrated on training and finishing my yearly marathons in the ’80s & ’90s. But my mind would tell me otherwise..I wanted to run some more!

Finally, last night I’ve decided to run even if Sunday is supposed to be a rest day but those three days had made me restless, uncomfortable and uneasy. It seems my body is asking for more beating on the road and for more practice runs. I prepared my grey Accel shorts, white t-shirt, socks and my New Balance running shoes. I slept early last night just to be sure I have at least seven hours of sleep. I had my alarm clock set at 4:30 AM and intend to have my run at exactly 5:00 AM after a short stretching session.

As scheduled, I started my run at 5:00 AM with a small flashlight on my right hand as the surrounding was still dark. I conditioned my mind that this practice run is a long, slow distance run and had to control my pace. After running for almost one kilometer, it started to rain! I made a wrong decision not to wear my Fort Ilocandia Golf Club baseball cap! The rain started to hit/drop on my bald head and the feeling was refreshing. I kept on running while the rain was on and off. On my second kilometer, my sweat started to mix with the rain and my whole t-shirt was damp.

I made my run along the 2-mile route that I have measured inside the camp. Practically, the course is a hill practice route. I prepositioned a number of bottled water at the starting line where I can take a drink every after a round of the route. My first round’s time was 18:48 mins and I had to slow down as I wanted my pace to be slower. I guess, I started to run faster when I felt the rain falling on my head! At least, I wanted to have an average pace of 20 mins per round (2 miles) or 10 mins per mile pace. So, for the next rounds I have to slow down.

I really wanted to test my body how it feels when I run continuously for two hours, not thinking of the distance I could cover for the duration of my run. Slowly and consistently, I was able to finish and stop my run for the morning after completing seven (7) rounds of my 2-mile route. If not for the Sunday Mass which is scheduled at 8:00 AM this morning, I could have run more and test my body at how much time lapsed and how far is the distance that I could cover before I hit my “wall”. I stopped at 7:20 AM and did my stretching exercises after the run. For two hours and twenty minutes, I was still strong and wanted to run some more. But my schedule with God, the Creator for at least one hour per week in our Chapel has the most priority to attend to during Sundays.

For this morning, I was able to run 14 miles or 22.4 kilometers for a time of 2:20:00. This is the longest run I’ve made since I started to train again for the Marathon or be serious again in joining the road races in Manila. I was running at an average pace of 6:15 mins per kilometer or 10:00 mins per mile which was very comfortable and easy for me.

Surprisingly, I don’t feel any pain or any injuries on my feet and legs. I got some rashes on my groin area because of the wet running shorts that always got stucked to the inner portion of my thighs. The rubbing of the wet shorts to my inner thigh made my skin sore. I should had applied more body lotion/oil on my groin area. Anyway, the rashes will be gone in a few days.

Positively thinking, I can conclude that I can still run the Marathon within the four-hour range/sub-five hours if I joined a Marathon Race today! I can feel I am on the right track for my preparations and training for my next Marathon in February 2008. My previous increasing and graduated long runs for the past weeks; hill training runs in Jamindan; regular massage; sleep; and the latest 3-day rest contributed in today’s training accomplishment.

This calls for a celebration..I will drink a glass of Robert Mondavi’s Cabarnet Sauvignon before going to bed tonight!!!

6th DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap for Marathon Race (Team Relay)

On By kingofpotsIn Races, Running, Sports ProgramLeave a comment

The 6th rendition of the DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap for Marathon Race will be held on 5:30 AM of 16 December 2007. The race will start and finish at the Grandstand of the Bonifacio Naval Station in Fort Bonifacio. (Note: The grandstand could be reached by entering the gate towards the Headquarters of the Philippine Marines near the old Gate 3 of Fort Bonifacio)

The race will be a team relay. Each team should consist of two male runners and one female runner. Each member of the team will run a distance of 7 kilometers. Each runner will start and finish infront of the Grandstand. Teams will be divided into two categories—Juniors, for 39 years old and below; and Seniors, for 40 years old and above. The lowest total time aggregate for the team wins. The top three (3) teams, for each age category, will be awarded with throphy, medals and cash prizes. Special awards/trophies, medals and cash prizes  will be given to top three teams in the civilian sector.

The registration fee is One Hundred Fifty Pesos (P 150.00) per individual/Four Hundred Fifty Pesos (P 450.00) for the whole team. Each runner will receive a Cerificate of Completion/Achievement; a Finisher’s Medal; Finisher’s T-shirt; and Free Food after the race. There will be surprise gifts during the awarding ceremony. 

For particulars and registration forms, please contact Maj Rodrigo Turno at his cellphone # 0905-900-3658

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.

2006 Pasig River Heritage Marathon: Results

On By kingofpotsIn Marathon Race, Marathon Race Results, RunningLeave a comment

Source: Association of International Marathons and Road Races (AIMS): RESULTS

26 FEBRUARY 2006: PHILIPPINE MARATHON FOR THE PASIG RIVER

Gripping drama characterized this second marathon edition in Metro Manila. In the midst of the country’s political turmoil, the marathon nevertheless started and ended without a hitch.

The top two men are in-house athletes of the Philippine Army, who, at that time, were under red alert following a Presidential Proclamation placing the entire country under a “State of National Emergency.”

On the women’s side, youth triumphed over experience when Jhoan Banayag, of the University of the East Athletics Team, won over a veteran field which included last year’s winner Maria Estela Mamac-Diaz.

This was the first time, including the first four years when the road race was known as the Pasig River Heritage Marathon, that an international-calibre runner was among the 903 starters. Robert Njoroge Wambugu flew in barely four hours before the gun with little more than a pair of training shoes. Fellow competitor Cesar Bollecer of Direct Link Running Club, showing the visitor the unique Filipino brand of hospitality, exchanged running shoes with him on the start line, but the drama did not end there.

Njoroge, benefitting from his extensive international exposure, immediately took the lead. But after two of the course’s nine bridges, jet lag, lack of sleep and the warm weather began to tell on his legs, allowing the locals to catch up and pull away. Dropping to a 10th-place finish, Wambugu vowed to be back to redeem himself in next year’s edition.

The marathon is an advocacy project of the Clean & Green Foundation Incorporated on behalf of the Philippine Government’s Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission. It seeks to harness the people’s participation in the long-running Pasig River rehabilitation program.

The Pasig River is the Philippines’ most historical and important inland waterway, which runs from east to west dividing Metropolitical Manila into north and south areas. The country’s history in the last 400 years is closely intertwined with the river, spanning Spanish, British, American and Japanese colonial occupations, revolutions, world wars, and local uprisings. Located along its banks are the Filipino’s most historical districts, buildings and sites.

MEN:
1  Cresciano SABAL             PHI  2:26:13
2  Bernardo DESAMITO           PHI  2:30:29
3  Memerto CORPUZ              PHI  2:32:24
4  Regelio de Leon SARMIENTO   PHI  2:35:28
5  Rodolfo TACADINO            PHI  2:36:02
6  Allan BALLESTER             PHI  2:37:00
7  Jujet DE ASIS               PHI  2:37:24
8  Michael CANILLO             PHI  2:38:11
9  Wilson MANINGKIL            PHI  2:39:26
10 Robert WAMBUGU              KEN  2:40:00
 
WOMEN:
1  Jhoan BANAYANG              PHI  3:02:37
2  Flordeliza CARREON-CACHERO  PHI  3:09:13
3  Ailene TOLENTINO            PHI  3:09:28
4  Ma. Estela MAMAC DIAZ       PHI  3:09:42
5  Liza DELFIN                 PHI  3:24:22
6  Merlita ARIAS               PHI  3:34:17
7  Mila PAJE                   PHI  3:37:04
8  Marychiel MINAS             PHI  3:41:18
9  Joanne MANANGAT             PHI  3:43:58
10 Genevieve DELA PENA         PHI  3:44:39

2005 Pasig River Heritage Marathon: An Experience

On By kingofpotsIn Insights, Marathon Race, Races, Running2 Comments

Prior to this marathon event, the last marathon race that I finished was the 1997 PAL Manila International Marathon. But in-between these races, I have been joining 10 to 20 K Road Races in Metro Manila.

A collegue of mine who is also a passionate runner and two years older than me, invited and urged me to join the 2005 Pasig River Heritage Marathon seven months before the D-Day (27 February 2005). Because we had been together joining marathons in previous years, I accepted the invitation even if I had a very delicate and sensitive job with hectic schedules to follow. I have to squeeze in at least one hour every day for my running practices in Metro Manila.

My practice runs and schedules were not consistent and I was not making a log/journal of my daily runs. My weekend long runs were limited up to a maximum of 25 kilometers. Basically, I did not follow strictly my past training strategy of building-up strength and resistance by running more distances and logging more miles. I did not had any speed plays/runs. I did not had the chance to run for higher altitude training in Baguio City as my practice runs were limited in Fort Bonifacio, The Fort/Global City area, Camp Aguinaldo and the Libingan ng mga Bayani Grounds.

I had to strengthen my legs and upper body muscles through daily weight training at the Gym by using free weights, Nautilus/Life Fitness Machines, and Yoga sessions. Although I did not had any Personal Trainer, I concentrated my workouts to my buttocks, legs, arms and stomach muscles. I did not use heavy weights as I did not want bulky muscles but I needed my muscles to be toned and stronger. I used lighter weights but with more sets and repetitions. Yoga sessions made me more relaxed and my muscles stretched every after gym workouts.

I know in my mind that I was not after a PR best time for a marathon at this time when I am already old and reaching the age of 53 years old, and after a long lull and absence of serious training and marathon race for the past eight years. I know then that I was courting disaster or encouraging self-inflicted pains to my body after running this marathon. Well, I just simply put in my mind that my goal to run this marathon event is to be able to finish in less than five hours and be able to recover fast without any injuries or encounter any “bad signs/problems” to my body. I just wanted to survive finishing the race with no injuries.

The following are the insights, observations, comments, experiences and recommendations during the said marathon event:

1) The registration fee was P 500.00 and it covered a “carbo-loading” event a day before the race, a Finisher’s T-shirt, and a Certificate of Finishing the Marathon. The “carbo-loading” was done at “The Tent” at The Fort which was scheduled at 5 PM the day before the race day. The “carbo-loading” was not organized and the food was so bad and disgusting that each registered runner was given a small amount of spaghetti in small styrofoam packs. The pasta/spaghetti was not well-cooked. I ended not eating the food as this was my first frustration in the said event. Instead, I went to the nearby Jollibee and ate two (2) orders of Spaghetti w/ Yum Burger Meal.

2) Before the start of the race, a prayer for the runners was led by an “activist-running priest” who was very popular in criticizing the programs and policies/pronouncements of the government and the present administration. I could not see any reason why the organizers would invite this priest to an event which is being fully endorsed and supported by the government through a Presidential Proclamation which was duly signed by the President of the country.

3) The start of the race was delayed by almost 15 minutes. It was scheduled to start at 5:00 AM.

4) The streets/route on the first three kilometers were very dark and could hardly see where your feet were landing on the ground. Some of the street portions near Intramuros were wet and the smell of the surroundings was so bad. I had to run slowly while passing through these places to avoid the slippery ground.

5) Our group and some runners ran an extra two kilometers as we were going to the wrong direction towards the Manila Hotel because we got lost along the way. This was due to the late arrival of road marshalls and no directional signs were seen within the first five kilometers of the course. This really made me angry along the way and it took so much spent energy from me, psychologically and physically. I was cursing the organizers while I was running.

6) Water stations were lacking along the route. I anticipated this problem by bringing some of my staffs to provide me with a handy water jug/s. These jugs are like the ones used by cyclists. They “leap-frogged” from one place to another along the route. There was also this runner who was asking some water from my personal water jug every kilometer that we ran. It really annoyed me while I was at the Makati area.

7) I have observed that most of the “first time” marathoners/runners were wearing belts with small pockets holding small plastic cannisters. Well, I assumed that they were carrying water or energy drinks on their waists. Later, I found out in a Nike Store that this belt is called “Hydration Belt”. I was smiling and wondering why these runners are carrying extra weight on their bodies while most of the experienced runners are trying to be light as possible by buying the lightest running shoes and the lightest running apparel/shorts & singlets..and running socks! These “hydration belts & camelbaks” are highly recommended for long distance practice runs. The weight of the water strengthens the leg muscles and provides immediate replenishment of water loss from the body during practice.

8) I started to have “muscle cramps” on my calves on both legs when I reached the 25 Km marker. I had to walk and jog, alternately from the Guadalupe Bridge going up to EDSA up to Crossing Shaw Boulevard. I reached my “wall” at the 30 Km marker and it was a fight between finishing the race against DNF which I could not accept. From the Bridge along C5 (at the intersection of Shaw & C5) up to the Finish Line at The Fort was the “longest” five kilometers of my life. It took me more than one hour to walk & jog & stretch my leg muscles to finish the last five kilometers of the course. The C5 stretch was the hardest as the heat of the sun was so hot to the skin and body and it was 9:00 AM already. I was glad that I had some members of my staff who provided me with the much needed water to drink and cold shower for my body along this last few kilometers of the course. My dark skin was burned because of the heat of the sun. I should had used and applied a Sun Block before the race.

9) I had to pray, chant, maintain my breathing rythym, think positively that I could finish the marathon, curse the organizers, curse myself for not training so hard and prepared properly as I had done when I was younger, I remember missing my altitude training in Baguio City, thinking of trying to pick up some runners ahead of me whom I could plan as targets to overtake, sometimes think why am I running the marathon…what’s the point?, why am I punishing myself.

10)  I could not remember if I was given a Finisher’s Medal after crossing the finish line. I finished and survived the race in 5 hours & 10 mins +. I was short of getting my goal of running the event in less than five hours but I was able to finish the race and to recover so fast that I could have my practice runs again after two days of rest. I had no injuries and body pains after the race. My collegue finished the race thirty minutes ahead of me.

11) This was my first experience to run and finish the Pasig River Heritage Marathon and because of the bad experiences and observations, I promised myself not to run the next edition of the race. So, for the 2007 Edition, instead of running the marathon, I ran the 10K race just to observe and see the top finishers of the Marathon.

12) I recommend that a professional and prestigious race event organizer should manage and administer the Marathon.

I just hope that for next year’s edition of the Pasig River Heritage Marathon, the overall conduct of the race will improve for the best.