Tag Archives: new balance

Running: PR at NB Power Race

Posted on by dimsumandsiomai
9

Last Sunday’s race was a good way to cap off a very fruitful week. The race was the very much awaited very much postponed New Balance Power Race and it proved to be a great one.

I woke up early that Sunday to prepare for the race. I was already up at around 4 am to do my morning rituals and I was out of the condo by by 4:30. I quickly made a pit stop at Mini-Stop to get some goods. Got My self two bananas and a bunch of Gatorade for my hydration belt. Bananas are working for me lately and it’s great because they’re instant source of energy. I used to have a power sandwich for my breakfast for races and ave now switched to bananas. Looks like the basics really work best.

I got to Fort Bonifacio at around 5 am. I had just enough time to finish my two bananas and fill up my hydration belt. I headed straight to the starting gates and I could feel the sheer excitement in me. I planned on finishing a sub 2:20 in the race and I was already psyching myself up. I managed to bump into the very inconspicuous Takbo.ph peeps and was able to chat with them just before gun start.

It was another 3,2,1 ready set go kind of start and it kind of surprised me but nonetheless, I ran my heart out. The first half of the 21 kilometer route was flat. I managed to complete the first 10 kilometers in 61 minutes. I was able to match by personal best for 10 kilometers at that pace. I could have ran faster but took it a little more conservatively. I didn’t want to run out of steam towards the end of the 21 kilometer route.

Runners made their way down through Lawton road for the other half of the 21 kilometer race. Passing through Lawton meant passing through Bayani Road and the dreaded Mckinley Hills. Having been conservative in the first 10 kilometers really helped. I had just enough strength to get through the dreaded twosome hills of Bayani and Mckinley.

I was out of Mckinley at around 1 hour 50 minutes and I was happy with my pace. I paced faster to get a better time because at that point, I knew I had sub 2:20 in the bag. I pushed. I ran harder. I ran a little bit faster. I could already feel my calves tightening up and I didn’t want to slow down just yet. I could really feel how tired my legs were last Sunday in the final stretch. I was trying to pace faster but my legs felt so heavy.

I finally reached the Bonifacio High Street perimeter and the finish line was in sight. It was a quick 100 meters or so dash to the finish. I made a quick dash to the finish but midway, my shoelaces came undone. In the fear to doing a Jinoe, I tried to manage my stride and not trip on myself. I clocked in at 2 hours 13 minutes 58 seconds.

It was a great run. It was a great cap to a very fruitful weekend. It was brand new PR. Check out stats of my run here at Nike+, just don’t mind the distance, that this is bloody as hell inaccurate.

Here’s me goofing off after the race.

That’s me bloated.

Banana Man!

Thanks Rodel and Carlo for the photos!

Running: Two Weeks Worth of Updates (New Kicks, Urbanite Thoughts, Long Breaks, and that Ultimate Dream)

Posted on by dimsumandsiomai
2

A lot has happened in the past two weeks and I can’t think of any fancy words to start of this entry about the time that has passed so here it is, clear and simple.

New Kicks. I got myself a new pair of shoes. After a brief realization that I was housing my good old running feet with the wrong type of shoes, I became a bit cautious about running in my NB769′s. They were very good stability shoes but if worn with the wrong type of foot, they might end up doing more harm than good. I was a supinator and if my kind wears stability shoes, I would in totality worsen my supination. I would end up rolling out my foot more which could lead to severe injuries. I was sidetracked. I held back on my running. I limited my runs to a maximum of 5 kilometers at a time because of the fear of having the wrong type of shoe. The opportunity to get new shoes came when I went to Shangrila Mall before heading home from work. I passed by the New Balance store which I always did ever since I got back into running. They just release new models and there was one the really caught my attention. I always knew cushioning shoes were on the expensive side. They were shoes meant to correct a very bad type of pronation which mean that more technology had to be put into them which also meant that they would be a little bit more expensive.

God Bless New Balance for coming out with the 758. They were cheap cushioning shoes which I got for a little less than 4000 pesos. They were good and had a really snug fit. The fit on the heel part of my foot was very snug. I didn’t even feel my heel slightly come off when I lifted my foot. I fell in love with them.

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I instantly felt the difference between my 769 and my new 758 pair. I could no longer feel my foot rolling out. I couldn’t even force my foot to roll out when I’m just standing up. I ran 5 kilometers with them the next day and the feel was like eating a hot and fresh Krispy Kreme donut, light and satisfying. I love the fact that me feet doesn’t roll out anymore. I also the fact that I’m now wearing the right type of shoe which means that I am less prone to injuries.

Urbanite thoughts. I wanted to break the 60 minute barrier in my last 10 kilometer run. I tried to do it but failed. I came up a bit short and finished at a very respectable 62 minutes. With my recent attempts at trying to beat my personal best, failing is no stranger to me anymore. To date, I have not broken any of my personal bests. I have sulked about it in the past and I firmly believe sulking is what kept me from beating my limits.

I should learn and improve. I should train more. I should run more. I should do more long runs to improve my endurance.

The 10 kilometer route in the Urbanite race got the best of me. Hills were always my pitfall and I knew I never really trained for them. I have learned my lesson. A day or two after the race, I went back on the road and did some up hill trainings. I now include that hills in the village I run in when I do easy runs. It may make me pant like a dog one a hot summer day but it is all worth it. I should join a 10 kilometer race again soon to see if I’m improving.

Long Breaks. I had a very long 5 day break from running last weekend. The runner in me wanted to run but it was a very warm welcome break for me. I went to Camsur last weekend to cover Cobra 70.3 Ironman Triathlon. Before I got back into running, I was hastily clicking away on my DSLR. Now I got a big chance to show off my photography skills and show them off I did. It was a very long car ride to Naga city but it was well worth the trip. I was able to see Mayon, was able to see a lot a elite athletes strutting their stuff on a 1.9k swim, 90k bike and 21k run and to top it all off, was able to spend some quality time with my girlfriend and her parents.

Expect to see some photos of the event in my blog soon. I just have to process them. Congratulations to all the participants for finishing the race. I extend my deepest condolences to the swimmer who didn’t make it. May your soul rest in peace.

I could never imagine doing such a distance but seeing how easy they make it look brings me to my last thought.

…that Ultimate Dream. I know I’ve been blabbering about completing my first full marathon this year but there is a bigger dream to be waiting to be realized after its completion. I always envied my girlfriend’s dad when he competed in triathlons. I’m a religiously training my endurance so that I’ll be able to complete a triathlon someday. I should get myself a bike first. I should get over the fear or getting water in my ears first too. So many things to conquer and overcome and there will come a time where I will have had surpassed them. By next year, expect to see me in Subic competing in their triathlons. Come 2011, expect to see me back in camsur for the third installment of the Ironman. Oh how ambitious I can get sometimes.