Running in Phuket and Singapore

I was blessed to travel to Phuket and Singapore.  I praise and thank God for the time, talent, and treasures He has entrusted to me.

These places are beautiful.  Their culture are fascinating.  I learned a lot.

And of course, I made sure that I will squeeze in even a short run in the cities that hosted me for some time.

Here's my run in Phuket.  It was just a 15 minute uphill/downhill run in the beautiful Westin Siray Bay.  Click here for their website.  Sorry, I forgot to reset my Garmin in my next run, thus connecting this to my run in Singapore (as if I ran from Phuket to Singapore hehehe).  Just try to zoom and pan towards Phuket to see the route.



Here's my run in Singapore.  I woke up late.  I almost missed it.  I had apprehensions going around the city.  I might violate some of their laws I may not be familiar with.  I ran-walked going to the nearby park and around the vicinity of our hotel.



Hope I could log more runs outside the Philippines.  Thanks again Jesus for the opportunities!  Praise God!

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Active Recovery

I am an advocate of active recovery.  I believe that such is an integral aspect in the lifestyle of every individual who engages in sport.  This allows the body to be back to its normal state after a high intensity activity.  Read more about it here.

After my 2011 BDM 102k finish last March (read here and here), I limited myself to walking, to allow my legs to loosen up.  I also had no recourse but to walk  because the blisters on the soles of my feet took 3 weeks to heal completely.

This took a toll in me, as I gained pounds, and felt like I'm gonna be sick soon.  I really need to lace up and hit the road, but I need to do it easy.  

I remember what fellow ultrarunner, Mark Hernandez, shared about active recovery: the number of recovery days should equal the total number of kilometers raced.  This means I could only engage on high-intensity training starting Jun 16, and that's 45 days near Milo Marathon.  Oh well, perhaps, my marathon dream of 5 hours will have to wait.

• I finally ran last April 2 via Hyundai Fun Run.  It took me 1:22:23 to finish 10k.  
• The following day, I ran 5k via AACE's GOOD Run, and finished in 34:42.  
• Two days after, I ran 3.68 kms in BGC in 26:40.  
• Then last night, in Takbo.ph Nightfest in Filinvest Alabang, I ran the hilly 5k in 35:17.

How do you recover?

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PMA (Post-Marathon Activities)

Sharing to you the following activities that are essential to undertake after a marathon episode (and I want to collectively call these as PMA or Post-Marathon Activities). After last Sunday’s Condura Skyway Marathon, I knew that I need to be diligent in undertaking these activities, and listen carefully to my body, to ensure that I get back into the groove (I’m still a newbie, you know?! Hehehe). Good thing, my Galloway training program includes a 3 week recovery period.


Cool-down

Some find redeeming the medal from the booth a bit off-tune, but for me, I looked at it as an opportunity to cool-down. This allows my heart rate to normalize, after the last burst of energy in the homestretch.

And to the homestretch...
Photo by Brando Losario

Takbo.ph Family cooling down under the heat of the sun
Photo by Brando Losario

Stretching

Immediately after getting my medal, I did the usual stretches from head to toe, to loosen and relax my muscles that are starting to tighten.

Image Source: https://www.physique.co.uk/large_catalogue_images/stretching_upper.jpg

Recovery Meal

I learned from Runners’ World that an excellent recovery meal may be as simple as a chocolate drink (concurred by the JazzRunner, Mr. Rene Villarta). Too bad, I wasn’t able to prepare one, and I was too tired to go the nearby convenience store.

Looking at my Suunto HRM, I was told I’ve burned almost 5000 calories. WOW! This gave me the opportunity to eat my favorite comfort food, like 2 piece chicken, large fries, and small Coke in Mc Donald’s, together with my Takbo.ph family (the hell with BLC, I’M HUNGRY!!! Hahaha).

All smiles AFTER eating their recovery meals
Photo by: Later, I forgot hehehe

Sleep

Driving home makes me sleepy. I was almost tempted to pull over and take a nap. Praise God, I was able to hold it a little longer, and arrive home safely. I was too sleepy to take a bath, so I resolved to simply change clothes and reunite with my bed (I didn’t sleep the eve of the race, remember? Nice excuse hehehe).

Image Source: http://www.mrtraffic.com/wake.jpg

I woke up around 6PM, and slept again at 10PM.

Waking up on a Monday after marathon day with more than 8 hours of sleep felt like I still need more sleep. Same story come Tuesday and Wednesday morning. This only validates how drained I was with the race.


Ice Ice Baby

Waking up at 6PM last Sunday made me feel some soreness in my quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and patella. I remembered that I need to ice such sore areas within 24 hours to avoid further inflammation.

Image Source: http://www.runnersworld.com/images/cma/injury_ice2.jpg

Recovery Walks

My Galloway training plan ordered a 45 minute walk last Monday. This gave me the opportunity to roam around the mall and window shop hahaha. Initially, I had a hard time walking, since there's a little degree of soreness left in my quadriceps, however, it soon felt good after 15 mins.

Today’s order was a 30 to 60 minute walk, and walked my way again to the mall to have lunch and (yes!) window shop. Same story will happen on Friday, in case you wanna know.


Massage

Last Monday, after my recovery walk, I proceeded to the neighborhood spa and had my massage. It was soothing and very relaxing, especially in the areas where soreness were present.

I love the Ahhh in the Spa!
Image Source: http://www.delavaraclinic.com/images/MPj03829990000%5B1%5D.jpg

Recovery Runs

Yesterday, my Galloway training plan ordered a 30 minute run/walk session. After office, I did a 4:1 run:walk ratio, and was able to comfortably cover a good 3.46 kilometers (wow, that’s close to my marathon pace). Tomorrow, the plan calls for a 40 minute run/walk.

All these I learned from seasoned runners, and hope I was able to help you enjoy your PMA.

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T minus 24 days, and counting...

It's 24 days to go before my marathon debut in Subic, Zambales. The recent personal and Typhoon Ondoy events are disheartening, but I must not lose focus on my training.

Over-trained? Rest!

I felt like the quality of my recent training runs are declining. Here you will read that I resolved to get back to heart rate monitor (HRM) training. After the ROTARun, I got sick and spent the holiday resting. The following day, I skipped my 8k easy run, and went to the neighborhood spa for some foot spa to treat my blister in my right pinky toe (which I regret, you'll know in a bit) and body massage pampering.


Come Thursday, I really felt strong, and resumed my training by running a 5k tempo. I was like an animal that got out of a cage! Hehehe... However, after the run, I got (not one but) two new blisters, this time at the balls of my feet (one on the left, and another on the right). Julius was right in his reply to my facebook shout. Foot spa removes all the callouses that protect your feet from blisters!

Friday, I learned something new from The Fit Mommy in solving blister problems. So I hurried to Toby's to get my tape and experience its benefits. After office, as I was preparing for my 8k easy run, this guy named Ondoy came and scared the blisters in me. Again, I skipped the run, and went home to rest.

Saturday, me and my buddy Rafa planned to go to Subic to recon the race route and do some ocular in our accommodation, but Ondoy spoiled the day and went all out, flooding Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces. No one was spared. Our house got flooded for the first time, that prompted me to create a small canal from our gate, to allow water to flow out of our place. This made my back and arms sore like hell. Good thing, the New Balance Race the following day got canceled because of the Ondoy aftermath, and I got to rest (again!).

Physical Inventory

With all the things that happened last week, I can't help but do a physical inventory during my rests, of what I have, and what I could still do, to pursue my marathon dream.

Immediately, I went back to the drawing board, and fixed my training plan. With 24 days left, I'm positive that my dream is still feasible. I just have to train wisely with the aid of my HRM, to avoid under or over-training.

My Present Maximum Heart Rate

The simplest formula to defines one's maximum heart rate (MHR) is 220 minus age. Thus, my present MHR should be 188. However, my Suunto HRM had a different formula that yielded a slightly higher MHR of 190 when I plugged in my age.

Actually, there are a lot of schools of thought to determine MHR. But as I've said earlier, I need to be wise and simplify everything. So I'll follow 190 MHR for my training.


Tuesdays and Fridays are strictly for EASY RUNS

Using an HRM, easy runs are defined as training at 65 to 70% of one's maximum heart rate. I need to sacrifice speed at the moment, to allow my body to recover, perfect my running form, and build endurance at the same time. I've learned that running at this pace develops my smaller leg muscle groups that are meant for endurance runs.

Thursdays are for TEMPO or SPEED INTERVALS

Again, with the HRM, tempo is defined as training at 88 to 92% of one's maximum heart rate, while intervals are at 95 to 100%. This would address the speed issue, and allow me to execute the running form I'm practicing during easy runs, at a much faster pace. At this pace, its the turn of my larger leg muscle groups to function and develop.

Sundays are for LONG RUNS

Still with the HRM, long runs are defined as training at 75 to 85% of one's maximum heart rate. These runs will serve as "practice runs" for my marathon race.

NO RUNNING on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays

I need to treat these days "holy" to allow my running muscles rest completely. I will also spend these days training other parts of my body, like the core and upper body.

My Run Today

So how did I fair earlier? Today, my training plan ordered an 8k easy run. Using my uncalibrated foot pod for a perceived distance, I finished my run in 1:10:36. Pace was 8:50 min/km, and average heart rate at 143 bpm. Yep! I missed training inside the easy run zone by 5%. Tsk tsk tsk! How can that be? I'm incredibly slow already!

Well, the only explanation that I could think of is that I'm not well rested. I still need to spend some more time resting (and sleeping), for my heart to fully recover, and lower my heart rate at a faster pace.

I also tested the tape that promises zero blisters. At first, I felt awkward, but soon I get used to it and felt like nothing was there. Yep, (the fit) mommy knows best! No blisters!

That's all folks. Time to rest and get some sleep. Hope I fair well next time, wish me luck! =)

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Recovery in the Drizzle

After 7 weeks of following RW SmartCoach's 16-week training program, I felt like I'm going to hit the wall. I really dread what other runner bloggers are saying about this, and luckily the program prescribes 3 easy runs for the 8th week! Yey!

I was supposed to have my 6.44km recovery/easy run last Tuesday. However, I missed my alarm, and had a recovery sleep instead hahaha. But I guess this is an application of what they call 'listen to your body', coming from last Sunday's long run in Tagaytay, where the route was rolling.

That afternoon, I felt my heart was pounding like crazy. Like it wanted to get active before it normalizes its beat. I walked around Mall of Asia. Still, I can feel that it wanted a little more.

Good thing, running buddies from work, Ann & Tophen, invited me to run with them after office of Wednesday, in preparation for Earth Run on Sunday, May 31, in McKinley Hills, Taguig.

As we change to our running gears, the weather also started to change a bit as if it wanted to dampen our spirits and discourage us from our easy run around MOA Complex (6.9km). But that did not stopped us, and we promised each other that we'll go on even if the rains poured hard.

And so off we go, running in the drizzle. It was like childhood days once again, unmindful of getting wet for as long as you get the fun out of play. Ann was cruising. I think she got excited and got carried away a little bit with her Ipod music. I'm telling her to slow down a bit, but she just went on and on. Tophen and I ended up chasing her, running a tempo instead of an easy one hahaha.

We're all happy after the run. We then headed to Chowking Macapagal to have our recovery meal. While eating, we planned to have another easy run on Friday. Same route, but different recovery meal -- Maty's along Quirino Avenue in Paranaque.

It was raining hard in the afternoon of Friday. We all agreed again that we'll brave the strong rain. Happily, it mellowed a bit, and we ran again in the drizzle. After our run, the rain then poured hard, sparing us from getting too wet.

I believe this week's easy run experiences were providential. God made it possible to just rain a bit, for me to recover. Further, the drizzle was like He's blessing us with His love. I remembered what Mr. Patrick Concepcion said to me about running in the rain, 'it was like cleasing your soul.'

I praise and thank Him for closely watching over me, and affirming me to pursue the desire that He planted into my heart.

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