Running: Back to Training

I will go to training hell for deviating from my training plan. Training for the last five days didn’t go as planned but I was still able to put in some great workouts.

  • Thursday: Interval repeats of 200 meter hills at 5k race pace. I was actually able to suit up for this. I was good and ready to go last week for this but as soon as I started my warm up, my shins started acting up. My shin splints were back. At the risk of getting injured, I called it a night and rested up.
  • Friday: It was another night of interval repeats of 200 meter hills at 5k race pace. I really actually planned to do this. After I dressed up, I realized that I left my hydration belt at home. I wouldn’t have a place to keep my phone and my keys in while I run. The big tamaditis virus hit me because running with stuff in my hands were a big problem for me. It was a good thing I was still able to bike. I was able to do 40 kilometers of spinning that night and I really focused on uniform high speed cadence. I also got glimpses of Bryan and Noelle at high street too but I wasn’t able to say hello for fear of falling flat on my face from my bike.
  • Saturday: It was a rest day for me as planned and rest I did but I sneaked in some swim time to practice for the aquathlon the next day. It wasn’t much though because the pool at the condominium was mighty small.
  • Sunday: A 17 kilometer long run at 6 minute pace was up in the plan. I wasn’t really able to do this because it was race day at the Ateneo Aquathlon. It was a great race. I would definitely do more of those things. I just need to improve my swimming form more.
  • Monday: Another planned rest but instead of resting, I made up for the planned training I missed the day before. I ran 17 kilometers at 6 minute pace.

Running the 17 kilometers at 6 minute pace was not easy but it was doable. I’ve found that most of what’s in the plan is very very hard and taxing on myself but they are very doable.

17k

17k route

It wasn’t a really long long run and I didn’t really need to run it at a very fast pace but it was hard. But it was doable. I felt really sluggish going down Mckinley Hill. It must have been because of all the smoke and pollution I sniffed up along Lawton. I wasn’t really able to track my speed and pace. I was stupid to not remeber any key points in my map to that I could check my time against the distance that I’ve already ran. Good thing that I was able to remember that kilometer 12 was at Bonifacio High Street. If I ran at a 6 minute pace, that would mean that I would need to be in BHS at around 72 minutes. I just kept on running. I remember looking at my stopwatch when I was around the Mckinley intersection and the time was around 55-60 minutes. Not only did I just run a sub60 10k but I was also within my target. Making it to BHS in 72 minutes was in the horizon.

I got to BHS at 64:57 minutes. I was surprised to be able to make it there with much time to spare. I wanted to take it easy because that meant I had over 30 minutes to complete the last 5 kilometers. I was jogging at an easy pace around BHS and I wanted to keep it at an easy pace but there was this other runner that was racing with me. Part of me didn’t want to be left behind and part of me just wanted to keep and run my own pace. I ended up running along side him for four more rounds around BHS. I was a fast last 5 kilometers because I finished the whole 17 kilometers at 1 hour 33 minutes. It was a good training run last night. If I ran that same pace at my 21k race in Globe, I’m sure I’d be able to break the 2 hour limit. I just need to muster up enough endurance and I just need to really really want it. I was feeling sluggish and tired in my last loop around BHS. I were to run another 4 kilometers after that, I sure would have slowed down a bit.

I may still need to deviate from my plan today. I need to rest up. My body is really hating me right now. Some spinning for me tonight if I don’t get too lazy! The sub2 21k at Globe Run for Home 2010 isn’t looking to far off from my run last night.

Running: 21k at the Globe Run for Home

I remember running the Globe Run for Home last year like it was just last night. I was heavy into trying to beat my humble 2 hours 28 minutes personal record for the 21 kilometer distance. It was my third attempt at trying to best it but I still came short. I remember that the Globe Run for Home race was the first to have chipped races. I remember raving about the results. It was a great race. The race probably set the bar for all other races to come that year.

Come 2010, Globe is at it again and they are taking it to a whole new level. I’ll be running 21 kilometers and I’ll be trying to best my personal record on the distance yet again. Let’s try to break the sub 2 barrier this time.

Last Monday, Globe launched the 2010 Globe-Ayala Run for Home and they are yet again setting the bar high.

Here’s the press release

What is it that makes running such a desirable pastime? It started out as a solitary sport reserved only for serious athletes.  Lean, gaunt runners rose at dawn, guzzled electrolyte drinks, and braved the elements to ply deserted race ovals or rain-drenched streets. Then a few years ago, people started to see running as a gym alternative: Easy to start, with no complex routines, expensive gear or even much time needed.  Its popularity soared when excited gymgoers persuaded workout buddies to join the fun, and soon scores of converts were racing to sign up for the sport christened “the new badminton”.

No longer just a solo pursuit nor a trendy pastime, running is now a mainstream physical activity with a unique social character, with thousands turning up at the frequent runs held around the metro. It is fun, healthy and a great way to meet new folks as well as cement friendships you already value.  And there is nothing like the mind-blowing feeling of crossing your first finish line with your buddies in close stride, sharing that adrenalin high.  High fives abound, and everyone rushes to Tweet success or shout out “Just finished my first 5k!” on Facebook®.  You’ll even develop a newfound respect for your friend who runs a 21k in under two hours and barely breaks a sweat.

This year you and your pals can share your proud day at Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010. On March 21, 2010, runners of every ilk — serious athletes, health buffs and weekend warriors alike — will converge at Makati City’s Ayala Triangle Garden to join one of the biggest urban runs of the year.  With a route winding through the premium Makati Central Business District, casual runners can cruise the 3k or 5k routes, while the more competitive can test their mettle with the 10k or 15k.  As for the hardcore runners, they can get their game on with a 21k half-marathon.

Last year’s Run for Home event, held at the Bonifacio Global City, was one of the first races to breach the 6000-runner mark. And that day in 2009 was peppered with personalities, many of whom were already good friends, such as business scions Fernando Zobel De Ayala and Lance Gokongwei, political powerhouse Senator Pia Cayetano, celebrities Christine Reyes and Samboy Lim, and power couples like  Anton and Nina Huang,  Paco Sandejas and Christine Jacob, and Anthony Pangilinan and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.

This year, Globe lets you bring along your whole brood by offering special packages for group registration. In 2010, Run for Home will give out discounts of up to P 1000 for groups who register for the shorter runs, while groups who sign up for the longer distances can get up to P 2000 off their registration fees.

If you’ve got well-wishing non-runners in your party, they can wait for you at the Ayala Triangle Garden, noshing on finger foods and drinks, or getting online via Wi-Fi to tweet news and post live Facebook ® updates.

In a unique bonus, race kits come with the first-ever environmentally-friendly singlet made from recycled PET bottles.  And when you cross that finish line, your success will automatically be posted on your Facebook page, thanks to the electronic timing chip provided by Run for Home, which tracks your progress to the second. In the days following the run, you can check your race photos and post-run results and analysis on Globe’s website, so you can see how you and your pals did and relive the moment you powered past that finish line.

Add in the very worthy cause of providing Filipinos with affordable housing, with Globe and Ayala Land donating a portion of the race proceeds to Habitat for Humanity, and Globe adding an additional P 200 for every Globe Platinum subscriber who joins the run, and Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 is now this year’s top human race.

Globe Chief Marketing Officer Menchi Orlina explains, “Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 is all about bringing people together to share that sense of achievement and the enjoyment of doing something they love, and then using that collective passion to make a difference in the lives of others.  With the support of our Ayala family and the goodwill of our subscribers, we can do great things. Now, being Globe-connected is more than just being able to call, text and surf affordably and conveniently; it also means celebrating the bonds that keep us together, and using our shared strength to be a force for positive change.”

Registration for Globe-Ayala Land Run for Home 2010 opens on February 14 and continues till March 5 at participating Globe Stores; runners can also register online at globe.com.ph/run.

I bet you didn’t even read a single word? Well, to cut things short, Globe is offering very much the same thing as they did last year but with a very big difference. Remember chip timed races? Globe still has it but this time, you can add a Facebook application so that your friends can see realtime updates on your run. Your stats will be publish as your status as you run. Amazing isn’t it? Another first from Globe and Coach Rio.

See you at the 21k race guys! Don’t miss it because if you do, you’re surely going to miss out on a lot of things.

1. RUN AROUND MAKATI CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
Be one of the first ever to run around the Makati Central Business District. Run For Home 2010 will be the first run to use this route. It will start and end at the Ayala Triangle Garden. Imagine running through the beautiful Makati cityscape on a Sunday morning!

2. LIVE FACEBOOK ALERTS
You know what else is awesome? If last year’s RUN FOR HOME was the first to use the ChampionChip, automatically and accurately tracking every runner’s race time, this year promises to be better as this chip can also post Facebook updates automatically. Another first!

3. 15 KM CATEGORY
If 10KM is too easy for you but 21K too challenging, then the 15K route is perfect for you.

4. FLIPPISH.COM LIVESTREAM
The event will be broadcast live on the Run for Home website!

5. HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
And of course, the best thing about Run for Home is that it’s not just a run. Every step you take is a step to a better world as RUN FOR HOME 2010 is for the benefit of Habitat for Humanity Philippines, a nonprofit housing ministry that works to eliminate poverty housing.

Globe – Run for Home Race Results

After 4 days of waiting, the results from the Globe – Run for Home fun run are finally out. Check here for my race report.

results1

Out of the 931 runners that finished, I placed 691. In my age group, I placed 98th. I am in desperate need of improvement. There are so many areas to improve. I was doing positive splits all through out; meaning, I was getting slower as I was getting closer to the finish line. I need to do more long runs so that I can maintain my pace more. I need to build up more mileage.

results2 I’ve ran 4 21 kilometer races already and I have been constantly finishing at around 2 hours 30 minutes area. Consistent if you must say but needs a lot of imporvement. Runners from my age group and runners older than me finished way ahead of me. I need to train more. If you want to check out your own results, go to http://www.runpix.info/mna09/ge.php and search for your name or your bib number.

run for home

Photo courtesy of www.photovendo.ph