Tag: Running

Training Journal (25 Nov-01 Dec 2007)

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

25 Nov 2007 (Sunday)—Race Day: 5th Animo Run at Mall of Asia; 10K/6.2 Miles @ 55:31 minutes; pace of 5:33 minutes/kilometer

26 Nov 2007 (Monday)—Long Run with Slight Tempo Runs at Libingan ng mga Bayani; “Heritage” Mile; Lawton Avenue; & at The Fort. Duration of Run: 2 hrs 35 mins 18 secs. Estimated Distance: 23-24 Kms/15 miles.

27 Nov 2007 (Tuesday)—Rest/No Runs; 30-minute “aerobics & taebo” workout @ Home (Music by Barry White, Bob Marley, James Last & Foo Foo Fighters); 5 sets X 20 reps Push-Ups; 5 sets X 25 reps Bend-Knee Sit-Ups & 2 sets X 50 reps Knee Bends.

28 Nov 2007 (Wednesday)—Speed Play/”Fartlek” Runs at the Libingan ng mga Bayani; Time of Run: 8:30-9:50 AM; 6 reps X 800 meters @ 4:00-4:10 minutes, jog 4:00 minutes as recovery run in between reps; 2 reps X “Heritage Mile” @ 8:00 minutes; Duration of Run: 1 hour & 20 minutes; Distance of Run: 13 kilometers/8.125 miles.

29 Nov 2007 (Thursday)—Tempo Run at the Laoag City Oval Track at 5:10 PM; Duration of Run: 25 laps at 53:20 minutes; Average Pace per Lap: 2:05-2:08 minutes; Average Pace: 5:20 minutes per kilometer/8:35 minutes per mile. Total Distance: 6.2 miles/10 Kilometers.

30 Nov 2007 (Friday)—Short Slow Run on the Roads of Barangay Dibua from 4:10PM-5:00PM; Pace of Run: 6:20-6:30 minutes per kilometer/10:20-10:30 minutes per mile; Total Distance: 7 kilometers/4.375 miles.

01 Dec 2007 (Saturday)—Rest, Massage, Watch the Movie “The Kingdom”, and Sleep Early.

Monday Long Run

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

8:15-11:00 AM 26 November 2007 

After my 10K Animo Race yesterday, I planned to have my Monday Long Run to improve my running form and foot-strike on the ground with my new New Balance 902 running shoes.

I started late in the morning as I was expecting more cloudy skies brought about by Typhoon “Mina”. I left my quarters in Fort Bonifacio at 8:15 AM after 15 minutes of stretching. I started slowly on my pacing focusing on my toe-heel footstrike. From the Gate near the Libingan Road, I turned left towards the “Heritage Mile” up to C5 Highway–then back at “Heritage Mile” and then turned left towards the Gate of Libingan ng mga Bayani. I did 2 1/2 rounds around the Libingan grounds taking the outer most roads and then back to the “Heritage Mile” up to C5 Highway. From C5, I passed through the “Heritage Mile” all the way to the Libingan Road up to the Lawton Road going towards The Fort Area.

After passing Essensa, I turned right towards South of the Market & at the back of Serendra taking the road leading to the “Fully Booked” Store at the Bonifacio High Street Mall. I slowly jogged along the stores and establishments that are lined in the said Mall, peeping from one sports store to another. From the western end of the stretch, I turned right towards the MC Home Depot and then turned left towards the first branch of Jollibee at The Fort. I turned left after reaching Jollibee and jogged all the way to McDonald’s, then passing by the front street of Pacific Towers, to Essensa, then to the Main Gate of Fort Bonifacio.

I started to cool down after I entered the Main Gate of Fort Bonifacio and slowly jogged up to my quarters which is about 800-meter distance. My total time for the run is 2 hours, 35 minutes & 18 seconds. I estimate that I was able to run a distance of 23-24 kilometers. For the two hours that I’ve been running, I was having an average pace of 6:00-6:15 minutes per kilometer.

The following target objectives were attained during my long run today: I was able to sustain a continuous ball-heel footstrike for 45 minutes; I was able to continuously sustain my speed at the “Heritage Mile” all the way to the Essensa which I consider as the “Killer Last Two Miles” of the Pasig River Heritage Marathon; improved more on my running form; and develop more endurance & stamina to run for more than two hours.

Slowly, I am improving on my running form with my New Balance 902. I did not feel any pain on my quads, hamstrings, calves, and knees after running for more than two hours. My Nathan “SOB” Water Belt was helpful in this kind of long runs where I made a refill of water in one of the stores at the Bayani Road.

10K Animo Run

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6:00 AM 25 November 2007 (Mall of Asia) 

I wanted to test and evaluate my training so far in preparation for the 2008 Pasig River Heritage Marathon in February 2008 by joining available road races in Metro Manila. It takes one call to my DND-AFP Gintong Pangarap staff to have me registered for the 10K Animo Run and here I am joining the said race. 

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The race started at exactly 6:00 AM and I was initially at the back portion of the starting area. It took me at least 10 seconds before I crossed the starting line.                        

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The race course is flat and I had to run 2x the 5K course to complete the 10K. My split time for the 5K was 27:40 minutes. I finished the 10K at 55:31 minutes with an average pace of 5:33 minutes per kilometer or 8:56 minutes per mile.

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 As predicted, my training program is giving me positive results as I finished the 10K run within the 55-56 minutes range. I need to do more speed runs and tempo runs as well as my long distance runs in the coming weeks. These are the key words for better results in my future road races—strength, speed and endurance.

My ASICS Tiger “Cumulus” running shoes gave me the confidence to be versatile in my leg strides by alternately doing the “shuffle” and short bursts of toe-heel foot strikes on the asphalt road of Mall of Asia. I need to improve more on my running form.

Everything is perfect in the said race, except for one thing, “It’s the smell” of the place!!!For having my training in the mountains of Jamindan, the smell and quality of the air near the Manila Bay and the drainage system of the mall complex brought “shock and awe” to my smelling senses. I had to get out of the place immediately after I finished the race. 

Oval Track Run @ Iloilo

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These pictures were taken during my oval track run at the Iloilo City’s Athletic Grounds in the afternoon of 23 Nov 2007. I completed 32 laps at an average pace of 2:10-2:20 mins per lap. I finished my run with a time of 1 hour & 15 minutes. It was my first time to use my New Balance 902 running shoes. 

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My new running shoes is very light and I need to make some adjustments with the way I run with it. It is comfortable but it has minimal arch support. It has thinner sole than my old New Balance 716. I started to feel some slight pain on my lower leg muscles after 20 laps but it disappeared after slowing my pace. The New Balance 902 will be my trainer shoes from now on.

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

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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

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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!!!

Pictures With My Marathon Kids

On By kingofpotsIn Pictures, Running Heroes1 Comment

I am posting the pictures of my “marathon kids” who had been consistently joining the annual Los Angeles Marathon.

Today is the 28th Birthday of my daughter, Jovelle. This picture was taken after we arrived home from the Finish Line of the 1st City of Angels Half- Marathon held in Los Angeles last 04 December 2006. She is presentlty a Realtor at Prudential Realty Corp. You can visit her blogsite at www.jovellenarcise.com if you are interested in looking for a realty property in the Los Angeles area and knowing more about Los Angeles. He is a member of the LA Roadrunners Club and finished three consecutive LA Marathon Races. She graduated at UC Irvine, AB English in 2001.

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My son is also a passionate marathoner and a basketball player. After three years as a Paralegal in one of the Law Firms in Downtown Los Angeles , he decided to pursue his studies at the College Of Law. Presently, he is a second year student at Chapman University in Orange County. He graduated at UC Los Angeles, AB Political Science in 2000. He turned 29 years old last 31 August. He is a member of the LA Roadrunners Club and finished four consecutive Los Angeles Marathon Races.

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That’s me, standing beside my daughter and son, the Bald Runner!