Category: Running
The Doctor Has Spoken
I had a running-related injury during my last long run before my participation to the 2011 MIWOK 100 Trail Run last April 2011. There was pain on my left knee and it did not improve until the race day. Since that time, I was in denial that I am injured and caused my lesser time to do my daily runs and easy long runs. Instead, I opted to take some rests, do some brisk walking and until I thought of joining the last year’s RIZAL DAY Run, 2012 CONDURA Skyway Marathon, and the 1st Mt Ugo Trail Marathon in Kayapa, Nueva Vizcaya. On my way to Mt Ugo for a recon run weeks before the race day, I started an alternative activity which is peak bagging and the rest is history.
You might be wondering why I was able to finish the Rizal Day 32K, Condura Skyway Marathon, Mt Ugo Trail Marathon and Adventure Run along the Circumferential Road of Guimaras Island (110K) and did more peak bagging activities despite my left knee pain and injury. The explanation will be provided in detail in another blogpost.
Pain management had contributed much in my ability to run and continue on my running in races and peak bagging activities. But there is a need for medical attention as I am no longer young like the other runners out there.
Yearly, I always make it a habit to go to the United States to visit my family, recharge and rest, do some chores in the house, and buy some books about running. But my main reason of going to the US is to have my yearly medical check-up! Last year, I passed all the medical tests to include my uric acid level, prostate test condition, and others but I did not include some tests/exams for my knee pains.
This year, my medical tests included an examination on my two knees through X-Ray. During my initial consultation with our family doctor who happens to be a former marathon runner and also a Pinoy, he said that the symptom on my knee pain is an indication that I should stop running. Like him, he stopped running and joining marathon races after he started feeling some pains on his knees. He warned me that if I force myself to continue running, there will come a time in the near future that I will be walking with the aid of a cane or walking stick and the pain on my knee will be unbearable that I need to take some big dose of pain-killer medications.
I felt like I was going to have a heart attack/stroke when I heard the doctor’s advice! So, I said to myself, this is it, this could be the end of the Bald Runner!
But having that kind of a fighting spirit in me of being a warrior, I mean, an old warrior, I asked the doctor if there are alternative means where I can still be active and maybe, one day I could go back again to serious running. I asked him if I can bike and he said that I could not bike because the knees are the main source of force in such endeavour. I asked the doctor if I can hike and brisk walk and he said yes. Later during the consultation, I asked him again if I can do some swimming and he said yes. Swimming is the best sports that I could do to relieve the pain from my knees.
On that consultation, the doctor took some of my blood for my medical exams to include a test for my prostate and he advised me to have an X-Ray session with my two legs and chest to another clinic. On this consultation meeting with my doctor, I registered 110/70 blood pressure; weight of 145 pounds; and a Heart Rate of 50 BPM. If my computation is correct, I might register a BMI of 21.5.
On the next day, I went to an X-Ray Clinic and I had relaxing moments with the secretary and technician because the Clinic is being manned by Pinoys. After I finished with my chest x-ray, the technician commented that my lungs and heart are very healthy and powerful for my age! Of course, it is a given and not surprised with the comment of the technician. I usually have that same comment when I was still in the active military service. However, the knee X-Ray took so much time as there are 3 positions needed for each knee! In all, six positions! And to top it all, the technician had to repeat my right leg X-Ray shots! So, I did 9 shots for my two knees!
After a week, I got the results. First, the bad news! My cholesterol is High (too much Pork/Chicken Adobo, Bulalo, and Lechon!). My sugar is also High (too much Starbucks Coffee, Krispy Creme donuts, cakes, Magnum, and Coke/Sprite) and I am about to be a candidate for Diabetes. My Knee X-Rays showed that I have Bone Spurs on my both knees! The good news is that the prostate is A-OK and my uric acid is at a manageable level. My immune system is strong and healthy!
I said to myself, what the fuck are bone spurs? The Internet provided me with the answer to my question and I did not want to hear again the advise from our family doctor because I knew I will be hearing the same shit! So, all my activities right now are geared towards the solution to get rid of these bone spurs!
Surgery? No way! I pity a young officer whom I’ve met lately at the Philippine Army Swimming Pool who was having his water exercise therapy after undergoing a surgery due to bone spurs on the bones of his feet. He was walking with a cane and he is in his late 30s or early 40s! I also know of a senior officer (retired already) who had a knee surgery and he is still swearing/complaining up to this date that he made a wrong decision to have undergone such surgery.
Medical injections of steroids or any “thing” that will lessen or temporarily remove the growth of this bone spurs or prevent the rubbing of these spurs to my ligaments and tendons? I have yet to see and find out about this solution and decide to try this treatment. However, I know of some people younger than me who have undergone this kind of treatment and they are still running well.
At this time, I am administering the old-fashion rest, ice and hot treatment, deep-tissue massage, fish oil/Vitamin D & B-Complex supplements, some “voodoo”/organic herbal drinks and cross training regimen. I hope I will not be bored with my home-made solutions to my bone spurs! Patience and Consistency are the factors that are neded for this kind of treatment .
So, if you see me out there hiking, or maybe running, stair climbing, or doing some cross training activities, you know that I am trying my best to get back into my best shape as a consistent runner!
Sand Dunes Running
“Marathon Des Sable” In Ilocos Norte/April 10, 2012
The Sand Dunes in Ilocos Norte had become a tourist attraction since the early 80s with the construction of the Fort Ilocandia Resort Hotel and for being a popular site for movie shooting location of so many local as well as foreign films in the past. The complex had been planned to be the location of a world-class tourist destination; a sports haven; an entertainment and gambling paradise; and an export processing for industrial and manufacturing firms. But due to political developments, everything (all the plans) had to be buried in the sand with only the Fort Ilocandia Resort Complex; a Golf Course; an International Airport; and some road systems opened and paved as projects that had been realized as part of the grand plan for the place.
The Sand Dunes of Ilocos Norte remain to be untouched except for the endless tracts of 4 X 4 all-terrain vehicles. I thought that if all-terrain vehicles could navigate and create paths on these desert and sand dunes formations, runners and pedestrian adventure seekers are not far behind to experience what it is like to have fun in running and hiking on the sand dunes of Ilocos Norte.
So, a plan had been hatched to run, jog, and walk along the said sand dunes and relive the history of the place.
I visited the tomb/grave of my mother in Laoag City and offered a prayer on her supposed to be 87th Birthday last April 7, 2012 but I made my trip on April 9. On the following day, I was scheduled to run along the Sand Dunes of Laoag City up to Paoay, Ilocos Norte and if time permits, I could extend my run up to the Currimao Beach. The plan was to come up with a route along the Sand Dunes which can cover a distance of a Marathon (42.195 kilometers).
Dr. Chester Puno of Bad Circle/Team KIMAT and Running High Specialty Running Store of Laoag City, Rogelio Alcaraz Alejandro Jr of Team KIMAT, and my nephew Duckie joined me in this recon run. The run started at the City Hall of Laoag City at about 6:15 AM and our direction was to reach Barangay Gabu as we passed along the Laoag Bridge by going South and then to the West. Short conversations while we were running made our run effortless as we maintained a steady easy pace.
We had a brief stop as soon as we reached Barangay Gabu where we met familiar faces as residents of the place. We had also some photo-ops with the mouth of Laoag River as it exits on the South China Sea. After a short run from the populated area of the Barangay, we reached the entry of the Sand Dunes of Laoag City which is considered as the northernmost portion of the area.
Looking as far as the eyes can see, I can see the tip of the southernmost part of the Sand Dunes which happens to be called, Culili Point, a small hill which is already a part of the next town, Paoay. I told to the group that after running for almost 9 kilometers from Laoag City, we have to reach the said Culili Point and find out if we could run along the beach up to the next town, Currimao. But I told them that we had to make a pit stop at the eateries along the beach of the Fort Ilocandia Resort for our breakfast.
So, we continued our run along the beach and the sun was about to be seen on the eastern horizon. Running on the sand dunes with the heat of the sun in Ilocos Norte could rival with the heat which I experienced when I visited Badwater, California in 2009. It was so hard to run as our feet would land on the loose ground and have our leg muscles exert some more force to lift them for the next step. Running would later become slower into jogging and ends to brisk walking.
After more than one hour of jogging along the sand dunes, we reached the area of the Fort Ilocandia Resort Complex and it was time to have our breakfast in one of the eateries along the beach. We ordered breakfast meal with fried eggs and corned beef and we were surprised that our meal had the native rice as part of the breakfast order. We were really hungry and enjoyed our meal. We also replenished our water supply on our hydration system and had a brief rest after our meal.
Culili Point was always on our sight as our destination before proceeding to the beach of Currimao. From the Fort Ilocandia Complex, the heat of the sun was already taking its toll on us as we continued our run-jog-walk along the beach. There are group of fishermen who were pulling their fishing nets from the sea and some of them were resting in temporary makeshift. It was nice to talk to these people as they were surprised that they saw us to be running along the beach at a time when the sun was already almost on top of us.
We rested on this makeshift as we unlaced our running shoes to remove the sands that were inside our shoes. The longer we ran on the sand, our shoes became heavier as the finer sands would enter on the mesh of the upper part of our shoes and from our ankles. Nobody from us were using gaiters and there was no way we can prevent the sands from entering our shoes. Later, it became a ritual to have brief stops along the route in order to remove the sand from our shoes.
Our conversation with the fishermen led us to know that there are water wells on the sand dunes where we can re-supply our water supply. We looked for the water well and it was refreshing to pour more water to our heads and bodies for the needed cooling effect to bring down the heat of our bodies. From this water well, our target destination was within our grasps.
But sometimes the heat of the sun would play on us. We thought the distance to the Culili Point would be estimated to be one kilometer from us but in reality it took us forever to reach its foot. It took us almost 30 minutes to cover the last kilometer up to the peak of the hill. My companions took a pit stop at its foot while I just went directly to its peak without resting.
The all-around view from the peak of Culili Point was beautiful! The Currimao Beach was on my sight in the south, the South China Sea on my west and the Sand Dunes on the north and east directions. After some photo-ops with my companios on top of the Culili Point, I decided to end the run and find a route that goes back to the highway that would lead us to Paoay.
We had been running for the past 6 hours and we have yet to reach the highway. Our run towards the highway was very challenging as there were uphill climbs and soaring heat of the sun. After almost 3 kilometers, we reached a populated area where we stopped for more water to douse our hot bodies. We have to hydrate ourselves and take some of our power bars just to fight fatigue to our bodies.
I am glad one of our companion’s friend fetched us on the said barangay aboard a car and it was a great feeling to be sitting in a car with the air coming from the shaded portions of the road. If not for the car that fetched us, we had another 3 kilometers to run and jog just to be able to reach the paved road leading to the town of Paoay.
To replenish ourselves with a lunch, we were treated with hot bulalo meal and other ilocano recipes in one of the eateries in Paoay. The lunch and the ice-cooled soda drinks were enough reward for our sand dunes adventure run.
The recon run registered a distance of 25 kilometers which took us almost seven (7) hours of fun and adventure. I promised myself to be back and extend my run up to the beach of Currimao and if possible, come up with an ultra running event in this place.
See you at the Starting Line!
100K & 100-Mile Training Programs
The following is another training plan for 100K event which emphasizes time, instead of the distance.
http://ultrarunning.co.nz/content/100km-training-programme
On the other hand, I would like also to share the following training plan from Nancy Shura, the Race Director of the Bulldog 50K in Calabasas/Malibu, California for the 100-mile distance. I could still remember that Nancy is the ultra coach of my friend, Benjamin Gaetos.
http://www.trailrunevents.com/ul/schedule-100m.asp
Good luck and train well.
Ultra Training Plan #1
Training Plan For Races Of 40 Miles To 100K On 50 Miles Per Week
| Thurs Speed | |||||||||
| Week | Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | Total | Work Duration |
| 1 | Rest | 6 | 5 | 6 | Rest | 12 | 5 | 34 | No speed work |
| 2 | Rest | 6 | 5 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 5 | 36 | No speed work |
| 3 | Rest | 6 | 5 | 6 | Rest | 16 | 5 | 38 | No speed work |
| 4 | Rest | 5 | 3 | 5 | Rest | 14 | 5 | 32 | No speed work |
| 5 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 16 | 5 | 40 | 12-15 mins |
| 6 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 18 | 5 | 42 | 12-15 mins |
| 7 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 18 | 5 | 42 | 15-18 mins |
| 8 | Rest | 6 | 4 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 5 | 35 | 12-15 mins |
| 9 | Rest | 10 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 20 | 5 | 47 | 15-18 mins |
| 10 | Rest | 10 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 12 | 10 | 44 | 15-18 mins |
| 11 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 22 | 5 | 46 | No speed work |
| 12 | Rest | 6 | 4 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 5 | 35 | 18-20 mins |
| 13 | Rest | 9 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 24 | 5 | 50 | 20-25 mins |
| 14 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 18 | 10 | 47 | 20-25 mins |
| 15 | Rest | 6 | 4 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 10 | 40 | 20-25 mins |
| 16 | Rest | 10 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 24 | 5 | 51 | 15-18 mins |
| 17 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 18 | 10 | 47 | 20-25 mins |
| 18 | Rest | 6 | 4 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 10 | 40 | 20-25 mins |
| 19 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 3 | Rest | 31 | Rest | 46 | No speed work |
| 20 | Rest | 6 | 4 | 6 | Rest | 14 | 5 | 35 | 10-15 mins |
| 21 | Rest | 7 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 25 | 5 | 49 | 20-25 mins |
| 22 | Rest | 5 | 5 | 7 | Rest | 18 | Rest | 35 | 18-20 mins |
| 23 | Rest | 5 | Rest | 7 | Rest | 10 | 5 | 27 | 12-15 mins |
| 24 | 4 | Rest | 3 | Rest | 2 | 50 | Rest | 59 | No speed work |
***Bold indicates a Recovery or Taper Week
Everything is in MILES.
The above training plan was taken from the book, Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide To Running Ultramarathons by Bryon Powell. Chapter 5, page 94.
(Source: Relentless Forward Progress: A Guide To Running Ultramarathons by Bryon Powell)
Next: Training Plan For Races of 40 Miles to 100K on 70 Miles Per Week.
2013 BDM 102 Update: List Of Invited Runners
The list of invited runner for the 2013 Bataan Death March 102K Ultramarathon Race is now listed in my blog’s 2013 BDM 102 Page above or click on the link below.
https://baldrunner.com/2013-bdm-102/
Please read the “NOTE” I posted below the list. We will make sure that you will have your exact size for your Finisher’s T-Shirt. Also, we will be strict on the deadline of payment for the registration fee. Late Payments after July 31, 2012 will have a penalty of additional P 500.00 and the Last Day of Payment will be on August 30, 2012.
Good luck and train well.
Quote For The Week
This is an excerpt taken from the newly published book by Scott Jurek entitled, “Eat & Run: My Unlikely Journey To Ultramarathon Greatness”.
“MAKING PROGRESS
Regular running is satisfying in itself. If you’re the competitive type, even greater satisfaction lies in running faster and longer, in challenging yourself. Progress can be a great motivator and a great incentive to keep exercising.
If you want to improve as a runner, you can (and should) do supplemental training, which involves strengthening, flexibility, and technique work. But the simplest way to improve is to run faster. And the way to do that is to train yourself to run harder, the way I did during my long climbs to Mount Si.
Here’s how: After you’ve been running for 30 to 45 minutes at least three times a week for six to eight weeks, you’re ready to start running occasionally at 85 to 90 percent of your physical capacity, or the point where lactate is building up in your muscles but your body is still able to clear and process it. Build to where you can maintain that lactate threshold level for 5 minutes. Then take 1 minute of easy running to give the body time to recover, then repeat. As you progress, increase the number of the intervals and their length while maintaining a 5:1 ratio between work and rest. So you would do 10-minute intervals of hard running followed by 2-minute breaks; or 15 minutes of hard running followed by 3 minutes of rest, and so on.
After four to six weeks, you’ll be able to maintain this effort level for 45 to 50 minutes. And you’ll be faster.”
(Note: Taken from Chapter 10: Dangerous Tune, pages 88-89)
Pinoy Ultrarunners’ Pride
Three days before the conduct of the 2012 Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run, I made a post on this blog explaining about the significance of the said event to all the runners, specifically to ultrarunners. I specifically mentioned that we have a local Pinoy ultrarunner for the first time to participate in this event, Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale, whom I mentioned his past significant ultrarunning accomplishments on the following link.
https://baldrunner.com/2012/06/20/the-big-dance/
With all the drama and the suspense along the 100-mile route, Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale and his pacer, Rick Gaston finished the race in 29:50:33 hours, barely 10 minutes before the cut-off time of 30 hours. Another Filipino living in California, Jose San Gabriel, sealed the list of Official Finishers as the last runner with barely 2 minutes before the race was closed.
I will let Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale and Rick Gaston write and tell their own story about their 2012 WS 100 experiences in their respective blogs. You can click Ultrarunning & Beyond and 365 Ultra on my Blogroll for their blogs and hoping that they will post their respective story in the next few days.
With a request posted at Facebook for anybody who could relay the good news to the media, Maria Arnie Sheila Garde, came up with a news article on the Internet which is hopefully to be printed in the local daily news. The following is the link:
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2012/06/25/filipino-finishes-international-ultra-race-228626
Another Pinoy Ultrarunner and writer to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Haide Acuna, promised me that she will make also another news story for the said daily newspaper. This is her news story:
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/218609/pinoy-runner-conquers-western-state-100
2012 Western States 100 will forever be remembered in the history of the event as well among ultrarunner in the world due to the following:
1. This the second coldest edition of the event. The coldest edition was in 1991.
2. The Course Record established by Geoff Roes in 2010 edition with a time of 15:07:04 was broken by the two top finishers—Timothy Olson in 14:46:46 hours and Ryan Sandes in 15:03:56 hours.
3. The Ladies’ Course Record of Ann Trason established in the 1994 edition with a time of 17:37:51 hours was broken by Ellie Greenwood with a Finish Time of 16:47:19 hours.
4. Dave Mackey, 42 years old, broke the Masters Course Record set by Tsuyoshi Kaburaki of Japan in last year’s edition (16:07:04 hours) with an impressive time of 15:53:36 hours. He finished fourth (4th) Overall in this year’s edition.
5. Six (6) runners finished below 16 hours. 316 finished; 66 runners DNFed with 382 starters. 148 Finishers got the Silver Buckle Award for finishing sub-24 hours.
6. Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale is the FIRST Local Pinoy Ultrarunner to Finish the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run.
I will not be surprised if Atty Jonnifer Lacanlale will attempt to improve his finish time in the next WS 100 editions to come. His feat inspires us to fight to the end up to the last drop of our strength and will power. A character that is truly Pinoy in nature!
Mabuhay Ang Pinoy!
1st Marcos-Kennon 50-Mile Ultra Road Classic
This is the first official ultra marathon road race that traces the route from Rosario, La Union via the Marcos Highway to Baguio City and then go back to the starting area via Kennon Road. The route covers a distance of 50 miles or 80 kilometers. This is considered as an ultra mountain running event. The route is very popular among cyclists and it is always a part of a yearly professional cycling event in the country.
Now, ultrarunners will have to experience what it takes to travel on that route on foot!
I personally ran the route for two days—starting at 3:30 PM at the Saitan Junction and proceeded to the Marcos Highway, all the way to Baguio City and in the following day, continued my run along Kennon Road and got back to where I started. The details and pictures are described in the following posts:
https://baldrunner.com/2012/04/09/birth-of-another-ultra-route/
For those who are interested to experience the run, they could join this event. This road run will kick-off the monthly ultra events that will prepare the 2013 BDM 102 and 160 participants to build-up their mileage in preparation for the “Big Dance” on the first weekend of March next year! Or shall we say the “Biggest Ultra Road Party” in the country! Last year, it was the Fort Magsaysay To Dingalan, Aurora 60K Ultra Road Race that started the “road to the 2012 BDM 102/160” to those who successfully finished the races.
If you ask those runners who finished the upper 50% of the field who joined the BDM Races this year about their training, they will tell you that they have joined the monthly ultra races before the D-Day, whether they were organized by me, Jonel of FrontRunner Magazine or by the ultrarunners in Visayas and Mindanao. What matters most is that you build-up those mileages for your foundation of endurance and at the same time assess the condition of your body.
Aside from these reasons, you could also start to find out the best apparel (shoes, shirt, shorts, socks, compression attire or not and others) for your ultra runs. Make sure to test them if they give you chafing, blisters or pain on your legs and joints (for the shoes). It is also in these runs that you test what is best for you in terms of your hydration and nutritional needs. Plus the need to find out how to deal with the heat of the sun during the run. For sure, after these monthly ultra runs you should have been able to adapt to the challenges for the BDM Races. This is where your running accessories, like headlamps/flashlights and reflectorized vest, will be tested.
Having said the importance of this run, the following are the details/rules and regulation of the ultra event:
1. A runner has the option to be self-supported or supported by a vehicle with support crew. Only four-wheeled vehicles are allowed as support vehicles. A support vehicle can support a maximum of four (4) runners.
2. No bandits will be allowed in the race.
3. Runners should position themselves ALWAYS at the left side of the road, facing the incoming traffic. Always be on Alert on the traffic infront and on your back. Runners should ALWAYS be on SINGLE FILE on the left side of the road.
4. The use of Ipods, MP3s and earphones are allowed as long as runners could still hear his surroundings and the sound of the incoming traffic. Always stay alert while running or walking.
5. Support Vehicle should stop always on the farthest RIGHT side of the road with the Warning Lights ON. As compared with Marcos Highway, Kennon Road is very narrow that your Support Vehicle needs an ample space to park in order not to impede the flow of traffic on the highway. In addition, most of the runners will hit this road on midnight up to the following early morning.
6. Support Vehicles are strictly NOT ALLOWED to “shadow” their respective runners. This is a ground for disqualification of runners. All support Vehicles should “leap frog” their runner depending on the instruction and capability of the runner.
7. Be extra careful, for the support crew and runner, in crossing the highway before and after “pit stops”.
8. All runners should have headlamp/flashlight and reflective vest or reflectorized tapes on their running apparel during the night run.
9. All runners must also bring with them First Aid Kit and Hydration system. Trekking Poles are allowed.
10. Start and Finish Area will be at the Municipal Plaza of Rosario, La Union. Assembly Time is at 2:00 PM of Saturday, July 14, 2012. The race will start at 3:00 PM.
11. The race has a cut-off time of 18 hours. The race closes at 9:00 AM of Sunday, July 15, 2012. There will be checkpoints along the route but there will be NO imposed cut-off times on them.
12. Registration Centers: ARC Manila c/o Perkins Briones and/or Deposit Registration Fee at BPI Savings Account #0296-0673-22 in the name of Jovenal Narcise. If payment will be made through BPI account, runner should send the scanned copy of the deposit slip to jovie75@hotmail.com and bring it to the starting area on race day. Registration fee is P 2,000.00. The registration fee is non-refundable and non-transferable.
13. To cater to the ultrarunners coming from the North and nearby provinces, we will ALLOW On Site Registration provided they arrive at the Assembly Area earlier than the stated assembly time.
14. There will be NO Cash Prizes. Podium Finishers (1-2-3 for Men & Women) will receive trophies. Each finisher will receive Special Commemorative Finisher’s Medal and Finisher’s T-Shirt. Ranking based from the Official Result will earn points for the 2012 PAU Runner of the Year Award. (Note: Certificate of Finish will be given on later date)
15. Pacers are not allowed.
Good luck and see you at the Starting Line!
Bald Runner
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