Nike Running Clinic – Day 5

Roxyfoxy26 (bib# 991)and Dewi (bib# 989) joined me last night at ULTRA. Parisianinpinas wasn’t able to make it as he’s playing it safe and was trying to recover from the Pinatubo hike last Sunday.

After the 1mile warm-up run, we had our drills. One of the coaches upped the ante by adding a new drill where we had to lift our one of our legs to meet the opposite arm. We had to keep on doing it until we reach the other end of the lane. It felt like we were dancing and the ladies all had fun. Am sure the boys were embarrassed. Teehee. 

We were then grouped based on speed. I was with the beginners. The night’s schedule session was to do a 3 x (3×200m) with a 100m walk recovery between rep and 400m walk recovery between set. It was TIRING! Argh! And it didn’t end there. The core exercises were very challenging for me and the cooldown was really pushing me beyond my limits. Was I glad it when it all ended. Whew!

There was supposed to be another photo of Roxyfoxy26 and Dewi. But as fate woud have it, I accidentally deleted it from the card. Eew! Sorry guys I know the photo above is bad. You all look like ghosts with shining eyes. I’ll make it up to you next time.

See you next time.

Nike Running Clinic – Day 4

Due to last Tuesday’s traffic hassle, Parisianinpinas and I decided to leave the house earlier than usual to beat the Friday frenzy. We made it 15 minutes before time only to realize that we left our bib numbers. Argh! Good thing Coach Rio was cool about it and said that as long as we remember our numbers, all is good. Last night’s workout schedule was a 2 km warm-up, stretching and drills then a 5-km tempo run. I was surprised to see Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet joining us in our drills. All the participants were asked to do the 5 km tempo run at our own pace which is a difficult for me as I always have this pressure to run faster whenever somebody is ahead of me. We were all timed and I clocked much better than usual. Either my bad leg is getting stronger now or I feel less tense than usual. Parisianinpinas, unfortunately had a grueling experience especially on the last stretch. He felt some pain on his left knee which Coach Ariel attibuted to his football (!) shoes. Ah, these Europeans! They always think its the World Cup. (hehe) Anyway, he was advised to get a better pair of running shoes that offers good sole cushioning. Hmm. Note to self: Drag him to the Nike Warehouse Sale at Pasay. I am looking forward to next Tuesday’s session at ULTRA. Roxyfoxy26 and Dewi will join us. Yay! More familiar faces.

That’s all for now as I need to pack my bag. I’m off for Pinatubo tomorrow. Woohoo. Crater swimming! Mucho fun

 

 

 

Frustration Killers

I have been hopping from one running blog to another to check road races as a way to eliminate the frustration I felt upon learning that the Quezon City Marathon was moved from February 2009 to October 18, 2009.

Here are some of the races I found online:

1. 25th Runnex Executive Classic 5k/10k. December 7, 2008 at UP Diliman. Registration is now open and will end on December 6, 2008. Fee is Php500. Click here for registration details.

2. 10th Anniversary Sunset Run. For those who love running outside of the metro, this race may just entice you. To be held at Nasugbu, Batangas this promises a challenging terrain while enjoying the magnificent sunset. Registration fee is steeper than average costing Php 500 for members and Php 650 for others. Race will be on December 13, 2008 and will commence at 5:30pm. Race map below:

Registration details here:

3. Thrill of the Trail. Sponsored by TNF, this  one is really, really tempting.

thrill of the trail 2009

Must. Convince. Running. Partner. Soon.

4.  Philippine Marathon 2009. With the help of the ABS-CBN foundation, this popular race is finally all-go. Slated on February 22, 2009, this running event is one of the most awaited as it is a certified Boston Marathon qualifier should one wish to participate in the latter.

Okay, I feel much better now. Tomorrow, I leave early for the Nike Running Clinic. Tempo runs! Eew.

Nike Running Clinic – Week 2

No, this is not an entry to list down my excuses. But man! Going to the clinic is a pain. I am from QC and having to commute to ULTRA on a worknight is just a test of patience and I have a very short fuse to begin with. While the MRT is a big help to move from Kamuning to Shaw Blvd., the queue in EDSA Central is hell. Taking a taxi cab is of no use, too as the roads in Pasig were all congested with overloaded jeepneys, loud motorcycles and undisciplined passengers who think that they can wait for their ride in the middle of the road. And I thought the King of the Road race was over.

Anyway, I was not able to make it last night because of all the things I listed above. I did my best (but I guess my best was not good enough). I was annoyed, frustrated and ended up running on my own. Argh!

Will I go to this Friday’s clinic at the Fort? I want to. But with this horrible traffic, I guess I need to leave much, much earlier to make it on time. Sigh.

The Nike running clinic is an effing brilliant idea but allow me to pitch in some suggestions:

1. Schedule the clinic on a weekend. I know that most road races fall on the same day of the week, but I guess it will be beneficial for most participants if they go to the clinic stress-free and not on the verge of murdering someone.
2. Have a clinic location somewhere in the north (eg. QC area). The UP Acad Oval is a good place to run and its so easy to get there – less traffic and friendly to runners especially now that they have dedicated a lane for runners.

There. I’m done venting.

Post NB Power Race Thoughts

All smiles after finishing the New Balance Power Race. I was able to shave 9 minutes off my Adidas King Of The Road record and Parisianinpinas improved his personal time (12 minutes better than his last race – congratulations ). We’ll just wait for the official time from the organizers so we can determine how much we’ve improved.

I’m so used to running with the buses on EDSA with the angry drivers honking behind and the dark colored belch of jeepneys greeting me so you can just imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I ran in Clark where the road was blocked to commuters for four hours. It was a good experience and the weather made it much better – there was practically no sun and the runners were treated with a little drizzle here and there to cool us down. The route was relatively easy – flat on the first 2 kilometers then some hills spread on the rest of the trail.

The organizers did a really good job. Water stations every 2.5 kilometers, portalets along the way for those who need to go and mobile patrol to make sure all runners are safe. And for the first time, RFID timing chip was used to ensure proper time keeping. Though it was just provided for the 25km runners, I’m very happy to see the running community in the country keep up with the world’s standards. Maybe in the future, they will provide those chips to all runners.

All finishers received a medal. Yay! There were bananas, more water and sports drink for everybody. Fitness First was also there to administer the stretching exercises.

I’m looking forward to next year’s NB Power Race. Hope you can join next time.
More photos here.

Raring for Clark

Tomorrow will be a test on endurance. My training for the New Balance Power race was at best, moderate. Running had to come second best with all of the chores that I need to attend to. And since the race is at Clark, it also feels like a test of comfort level, too. It’ll be my first time to run on an unfamiliar territory since all of the road races I had before was in and around the metro.

Add those to the fact that I wasn’t able to book a hotel room to dump my things which means that I’ll have to wake up before 3am to make it to the 530 race at Clark. Ah. C’est la vie.

I’m exhausted. In all forms possible. But enough of that. Time to pack my bag and carbo load. Yay!

5809

Parisianinpinas and I are officially in.
Yay! I’ll be proudly donning my bib roughly two weeks from now for this year’s Adidas King of the Road (KOTR).
No personal records to make here as this race will be my first after having my arthroscopy.
All I want is to finish without passing out.
And a good weather, too.
See you all at the starting line

Back on Track

Sidelined by almost a year due to some injury on the left knee (mostly my fault), I am so happy to say that I am back, BACK, B-A-C-K! To be honest, I do miss the adrenaline rush, the runner’s high. Call me a pain junkie, but I need the feel of burning rubber under my soles. Think Michael Corleone uttering “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in.”

I’m currently training with Parisianinpinas for the NB run this November at Clark. Hope to see you at the starting line.