We arrived at the Collesium after stuffing ourselves with Boiling Crab from Roy’s birthday dinner 3 hours earlier. Definitely NOT the best meal before a 10k. -_- There were thousands of people, and there was a buzz of excitement in the air.  Tim and I were slightly nervous considering we had not run a full 6 miles before the big day. Nevertheless, the energy around us was infectious and made running it a lot easier than I expected. It was fun seeing a crowd of red surrounding us as we ran with the world.

Funny tidbit: Tim started to struggle after the 4th mile. Wilson and I ended up ahead of him in the last 1.5ish miles. He told us that he was definitely sprinting the rest after the 6 mile mark. We didn’t believe him. After we past the 6 mile mark, we see this random red streak  flash by us. “WHO IS THAT PERSON RUNNING LIKE A MANIAC?” Remember that episode of Friends where Phoebe embarrasses Rachel with her running technique?  Yep, that was Tim.

Final time? 1 hr 8 minutes.

Somehow, October flew by. When did time start moving so quickly?

Quick recap: Two weddings with Nicole from Serenity Events. Jeff’s birthday. Roy’s birthday. CLS & Outlaw events. Nike Human Race. Skidazzle. Halloween.

Longer entry to follow: Wedding #2 with Nicole, Nike Human Race, and Halloween.

Also, Juliet Young was kind enough to build me a website. She’s finished with her part, but I’m still trying to find the time to get through the content and pictures I want on there. Website will be up soon.

I love life.

Subic International Marathon was a unique event that it spans two days and was two races in one—aside from the main SIM events the Nike Human Race were also simultaneously held.

Day 01: Marathon and Nike Human Race

SIM distinct itself from other events by featuring a sundown race for its main event and Nike Human Race also inherited this trait, both of which were held on Day 01.  Here was my partake on the events that transpired during the main event.

Day 02: Side Events

The main event during the first day of SIM served as a precursor for the following day during the side events.  The second day was another higgledy-piggledy event—despite the very narrow confines of the track and the number of runners, the organizers still decided on a mass start! Thankfully there was no stampede.

The assembly area, 5:23AM

Before gun time, the crowd at the staring area…

…going all the way to the back of the track

Because of the huge number of combined runners from all side categories (3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K) being funneled through the narrow tracks it took a very long time before all runners were able to get out of the area.  In fact the winners of the 3K event already crossed the finish line and the starting area was yet to be cleared!

Not only was starting congested, finishing was as well.  Eventually the huge crowd of runners arrived at the finish line and with that the people manning the line was overwhelmed!  This caused a very long line of runners waiting to finish.

The long line to the finish…

…extends way beyond the arch

Can you spot the 21K winner? This was how crowded it was when he crossed the finish.

Subic International Marathon (SIM) dubs itself as “The most prestigious marathon in the Philippines.”   Many of you may have an idea on the events that transpired, and this is the story of my partake on its “prestige.”

Dawn

It was very early Saturday morning when we left Manila for Subic.  Yet again it was another adventure for the weekend warriors.  This would be the second International Marathon in the country for the month of October, and given the excellent event we had with QCIM we of course were expecting a great race.   After all it is an international marathon, “the most prestigious” one as advertised.

Sunrise as viewed from a rear window reflection during our stop at a gas station along NLEX

Pre-race

After settling in our pad for a few hours the moment we 42K runners were waiting for had arrived.  It would be my first sundown marathon, and saying I’m excited would be an understatement.   It was particularly special for a few of my friends as they attempt their marathon debut with this event.  At around 1PM we were off to the starting line, not just the 42K and 10K (Nike Human Race) runners but also our other friends who lovingly went with us for support.  Indeed despite being out of town we had a lot of supporters around us—an enviable trait that not many running groups enjoy.

Are we there yet?

From our pad we drove all the way to Floridablanca Exit where the starting line was, and it was a very long drive.   Knowing that the route we were taking would actually be our course it was exciting, but considering the time it took us while driving it, it was also very daunting.  I never realized that a 42K route would be that long had it not been a loop course!

Warning

Literally just a few hours before the race we saw that the water stations were few and haven’t received their water rations.  We had no idea how much water each one had—all we know was that there was too few for comfort.  At that stage I was more excited than alarmed, although the idea of a “dry” marathon was at the back of my mind.

Takbo.ph at the starting line of SIM, courtesy Timmy (Kenkoy Runner)

Checking in

There were quite a lot of marathon runners that day so SIM could proudly say that they were the most attended international marathon to date.  Of course our guest runners from Kenya are surely going to make a world-class race and how Filipinos would fare were still in question.  Not before long runners were called to check in and to our surprise we were asked to dip our right index finger in ink! I kind of had a feeling that we were being used for some political act.

Prepping up for the race

Some of the marathoners: Gab, Mar, Doc Topher, Carmel, James, Me, and Ian

The starting area (there was no line or any markers whatsoever)

Our dirty fingers, and no we didn’t vote already, we just checked in

Start

After all the subtle ceremonies, at 4:20PM the race started.  As a “tourist runner” I fondly brought out my trusty camera and snapped along shots as the race unfolded.  It was a very easy, relaxed, and happy run for me as I chat with fellow runner friends, some of whom I’ve not seen in a while.  Runners do have their reunions on races! As the race gradually progresses the crowd slowly disperses and the road starts to get wider.

The start of SIM 2009

Shutterbug

To those that aren’t running, they view running as something similar to what Usain Bolt does during his sprints, or when a thief runs when being chased by cops, so when they see us running leisurely they see us as walking.   I think this was the remark I got from one of the marshals when he saw me taking pictures while “running.”  I didn’t really process it at the time as I was busy taking pictures, but when I realize his point I checked my GF405 to confirm if I was walking—seven minute per kilometer—I don’t think I can “walk” that fast.

Anyhow I’ll let these pictures do the talking for me:

Off to a great start...

...while enjoying the sceneries...

...passing under bridges...

...cutting through mountains...

...wonderful sunset...

...gradually the sceneries are being taken away by darkness...

...with the sun finally setting...

...until the last decent picture I was able to take before total darkness

To be continued

I am fascinated with running the way teenage girls are obsessed with becoming a cheerleader. I think about it all the time, daydream about running like a Kenyan, and I even find myself staring at runners as I drive by local parks or running tracks. I read a bunch of running and marathon books and I even watch high school track meets on television. Then why is it that, with such deep admiration I have for the sport, I still have difficulty putting on a pair of Asics and hitting the pavement? Perhaps it’s the “idea” of running that I am in love with, and not the actual, physical aspect of the sport. Or maybe it’s just pure laziness (oh my gosh, had I turned into one of those annoyingly gluttonous sports fans who scream at the TV screen while sitting around on the couch with a bucket of hot wings?). Whatever the reason, it is about to change!

I made a commitment to finally turn my running life around by sticking to a regular training program to ready myself for the Los Angeles Marathon in March. This time, it’s for real. No more lame excuses on why I can’t get my lazy butt off the couch. I’m going to do this, and I’ve decided to cherish the journey along the way. I suppose I’m one of the few people who does this in reverse. While people make the commitment first and train for the marathon, I completed the marathon and made a commitment. I think running the marathon in Portland earlier this month made me respect the race even more, and made me fall in love like I never thought I could.

The training I selected is based on the book, The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer, written by three coaches who teach a highly successful 16-week marathon class at University of Northern Iowa. I’ve had this book for a while and after sampling other books and marathon programs for beginners, I found this to be the most appropriate for my physical level. The book is a little text heavy but it contains valuable information about training your mind and body for the 26.2-mile run.

To kick-start my new found commitment, I participated in Nike Human 10K Race last weekend, running around the USC campus at midnight with thousands of other insane runners in Los Angeles. The race was particularly enjoyable because I got to run with 20 or so of my sister’s running friends who were very kind, welcoming and full of endorphin-charged energy! I had a strong 6.2-mile run and afterward, a group of us went out for a very late supper at Hodori, an all-night Korean diner on Olympic and Vermont, to celebrate our recent accomplishments.

It has been more than a decade since my crazy days of partying until a crack of dawn and dashing to Fred’s or Canter’s to recover from excess drinking, but sitting at a diner at 3:00 a.m. surrounded by a bunch of boys and girls reminded me of the good of days as a wee 20-something. I think it’ll be another 10 years until I would be out this late again, but it certainly made me feel a little young at heart!

Who needs a cup of coffee to keep you awake when you have spicy plates of banchan to provide some kick?

Dumplings and Rice Cakes in Beef Broth for me … delicious

Yook Gae Jiang — a fire-ry soup!

Spicy Soft Tofu — like chicken soup for a tired (and sleepy) body!

If nothing else, delicious food after a run should motivate me to commit to running. My new motto in life should be, “I eat, therefore, I run.”

Hodori Korean Restaurant
1001 S. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, CA
★★★☆☆

I feel bad for having neglected my blog. I have an idea for a revamp but i’m just too busy to do it. Hardly have anytime for anything. I intend to make images a feature for my next blog layout. The background is going to be white. It’s tough when my  css/ps knowledge is almost zero. How to personalise like that?

Last saturday Lena Leeyin and Qingting went with me to Nike Human Race. D gave us a lift to the Flyer, starting point of the race was at the f1 pit. He was so sweet, cos we had to wake at 5 plus in order to reach there in time. I saw so many familiar faces there, and those were not all. I realised some friends went but i did not manage to see them. It’s understandable given that there were about 10000 people there participating in the run? Oh well, i managed to clock a little below 1.5hours. I know the timing is terrible but at least i shaved 15 minutes off from last year’s 10km run. Also, i walked like 2km.. *sheepish*

After the run, we went  looking for lunch. Talked alot and finally told them some stuff i been keeping to myself since like secondary school. I know they suspect and have an inkling since they’ve been my besties for like forever, but i couldn’t bring myself to let them in on it last time. Since it’s now just things of the past, why not let them know right? Who better to tell? =) we spoke about peer influence, how we hung out with the montfortians and eventually dated some of them.. mine was definitely 95% peer influence, kian wasn’t even my type of guy.. Don’t get me wrong, he’s really nice but just not on the same frequency. Well, he’s done well though, going on to higher education, deejaying and all. Even won some prestigous DJ comp here in local shores… All the stories of the past kind of colour our personalities a bit huh? We learnt some, we hurt a bit, become happier… But they all led to the present, so well, learn not to regret…

Went home by bus with Lena and then watched 3 episodes of gossip girl season 3, then napped for an hour before we got ready to meet again, with the same  peeps who went for the run plus everyone else in our clique at 15 minutes, this restaurant at Laselle for dinner and birthday celebration. Had alio oglio with prawns, serving was small.. Later went to buy cake and then to Marina Barrage for picnic in the night. Chatted till 2am and headed for home.. What a longggg day.. 

Ah i’m rambling.. Will try to finally get back to blogging regularly and include more pics..

I’m eyeing a watch. Char went to see it with me yesterday but i only found the small face one. I want to look for the large faced one. okay, ciaoo. be back for more.

Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, was “the day the world runs”, and I took part in the New York event, a 10k race in Prospect Park in Brooklyn.  I jumped at the chance to run this race, because, I enjoy running in Prospect Park and rarely do.  Only chance I really have has been at the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which I’ve done on and off over the years.  This 10k race was also the perfect taper event for 8 days before the New York City Marathon.

Weather was potentially a factor, but luckily, it held out and there was no rain.  Rained hard overnight, but stopped early in the morning.  By racetime, only remnants were the wet roads and the humid air.  It was actually quite humid, but luckily not too hot at about 60 degrees.  Showers started to kick in after the race, but thankfully the race itself was dry.

Start was at 8am, so 5:30 alarm, 6:15 out the door, and arrived at the park around 7:15.  Plenty of time to get the pre-race stuff done (change of clothes, bathroom run, bag check) in a leisurely fashion.  Had the bag checked by 7:40 and lined myself up with the 8 minute per mile people.

I’m so used to running NYRR races in New York City, I had to keep reminding myself that this was not an NYRR event.  The start was very professional, and well staged with enough port-o-potties, an organized start line by pace time, and buses to transport our bag the half mile from start to finish, and keep them dry in case of rain!  But I did a double take when the announcer guy was none other than Ian Brooks, who has announced at many NYRR events over the years.  Lately I’ve heard someone else doing the race announcements for NYRR, so nice to see that Ian is still out there, with his awesome British accent.  Although (sorry for the mini-rant here as I am a stickler for logistics and details), he incorrectly referred to us having the D-Tag chip rather than the ChampionChip.  First of all, D-Tag is not a ‘chip’, it is a ‘tag’!  The confusion is because NYRR has started using D-Tag, although at the Staten Island Half, the announcer there kept referring incorrectly to the ChampionChip.  Cmon people, let’s get it right!

Anyway, back to the point! Shortly after 8am, the horn sounded, and we were off!  I could tell right away that I was going too fast.  I almost started hyperventilating early and could feel myself breathing heavy.  I tried to back off a bit but keep a hard pace.  My 10k PR, set in early 2007, is 52:43, and I was thinking that if I could keep my pace around 8:45, I would have a chance to PR.  Then, the bad news started to surface.  In the first mile, I could feel my shin acting up.  I’ve had my fair share of shin issues lately and was praying it would hold off and allow me to run through it.  The advantage to running in the park is that there are a lot of uphills (and downhills), but in particular, the uphills are good to loosen up the shin and sometimes make the pain go away before having to stop and walk.  The big hill is in mile 2, so I felt I just needed to hold up to that point.  Even with slowing down, and taking a water stop before mile 1, I crossed mile 1 in 8:15, which is way too fast.  I have a feeling that marker was not quite accurate, but hard to tell.  Anyway, dialed the pace back a notch, hoping it would help, and worked up the big hill in the northeast corner of the park.  Crested it, and started working down the other side, but shin was still tight.  Very tight. 

Made it as far as the water stop just after mile 3, and decided on a walk break.  Walked about a quarter mile, trying to stretch it out, etc.  Then started back into run mode.  Shin pain was still there, but starting to abate, so just pressed along.  Very soon we completed the first loop and started the second time around.  This time, finally, in mile 4, as I worked up the hill for the second time, the shin pain subsided significantly.  Was then able to safely push hard the last 2 miles into the finish.  My biggest complaint about the race occurred here, namely the 5 mile marker placement.  The placement was highly suspect, as you will see by my splits below.  I am a very consistent runner, and miles 5 and 6 were run at a similar hard pace, yet you’ll see the major difference in time.  Finish was actually on a nice downhill, so cruised in very fast.  Finished in 58:29, which is not bad at all, but several minutes slower than I thought I could do if my shin didn’t act up.  After finishing, I went out to the last straightaway and cheered many more runners into the finish.

Overall, this race was great.  Water was plentiful and there were many stops with lots of tables.  The post race spread was great, although the grounds were completely muddy.  Hope they run this again next year, and again in Prospect.  If so, I will be there!

And to top it all off, ended with a fantastic brunch in Park Slope with great company, namely 5 new friends met over the last year on DailyMile and Twitter.  Great food and great conversation.  Then off to the rest of my weekend!

• Mile 1 – 8:15
• Mile 2 – 9:48
• Mile 3 – 10:20
• Mile 4 – 9:41
• Mile 5 – 10:54 (I DONT THINK SO!)
• Mile 6 – 7:44 (I WISH)
• Mile 6.2 – 1:42

Ooza ooza oozaaaa
You guyzz have been great !
Next year again guyzzz ! we be togetha gethaa gethaaaaarrrzzzxxx!!!!!
Ai ni men.

Esther participated in the Nike Human Race in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, a 10k run held all over the world on the same day.

It was one of the only times Esther had ever run the distance, and she finished in the time she had set as her goal.

Esther promises even better performance in the future, though: “Next time, I’ll kick butt!”

We’re sure you will, Esther. We’re sure you will!

Well, I cracked it. I finally ran more than double figures without stopping! Admittedly I hadn’t originally intended to this weekend (I was pretty exhausted after doing 8 miles last Sunday) so I didn’t think a 10 miler this weekend would be the way to go. But given I did 9 miles with the double pushchair on Wednesday, I figured.. why not?

My first mistake was to drink half a bottle of wine the night before. I am sure that had an effect on my times as my heart rate was a lot higher than I was expecting! I don’t really think I made any other mistakes though.

Today was also the Nike+ Human Race, where anybody can run 10K anywhere, and the time is recorded by the Nike+ sensor (which I have.. although I’d given up on Nike+ in favour of my far, far, far superior Garmin) and then you can see how fast you are compared to hundreds of thousands of others. So I was aiming for a reasonably good 10K time.

Here’s the mile splits:

Split times over 10 miles

As you can see, I did the first 10K pretty fast but flagged not long after that.. partly because there wasn’t a hurry any more, it was all about completing the mileage. I was particularly pleased to do a sub 9 minute mile on the second mile out, first time I’ve managed a sub 9 minute mile at all I *think*, and certainly good to do it in the middle of a run. Alas, there was no negative split (where the second half of the race is faster than the first half) even with the 10K alone simply because I went out too fast.

My first 5K I did in 28:38, and the second 5K was 29:48, over a minute slower! The total 10K time was 58:24, around 30 seconds slower than the 10K I did as part of that 8 miler on Sunday. When I compared charts for the two, I quite clearly started out faster with today’s run, but around 4.5 miles things swapped around and it is true to say I really felt like I was flagging for the final quarter of the 10K today. Interestingly my average heart rate was a good few bpm faster today, so that means more effort I guess. The maximum was a good 3bpm higher. So whether I was slower today because of exhaustion or the wine, I have no idea!

As for the 10 miles? Well, once I hit the magic 6.22 miles (10K) I no longer needed to worry about pace so I really let it drop. Within a mile I’d dropped it by a minute a mile, and the final mile my feet were really aching. Not blisters, just soreness, as if I’d been out shopping for hours! That final mile was one of the slowest I’ve done without the pushchair in a long time. It’s safe to say by the time I got home I could not have gone any further. Guess I am not quite ready for a half marathon yet.. well, not at the sort of pace I would like (ideally my 10K pace over the whole distance!) but I reckon if I did manage one in the next couple of weeks it would probably be in around 2 hours 10 minutes. I was running today for 1 hour 39 minutes without stopping.

Injuries? Well, knee is very slightly sore, but so much less sore than it’s been with other long runs. I expect it to be a little sore after a new distance but this barely registers. However I have developed a tiny blister on one of my toes where I think a toenail was rubbing against it from another toe, and it seems my bra has started chafing which is rather sore. I didn’t notice until the shower afterwards though. These are all things I will have to find ways around for the big one next year – hopefully the long runs I will have done in preparation will find me the right combination of things to do. The shoes are not bothering me right now which is great!

As for my results in the big Nike+ 10K? Goodness only knows, the site keeps crashing or randomly updating Facebook for me in a rather alarming fashion. All the results will be in tomorrow so I’ll see if I can get something conclusive together then. The official Nike time was nearly a minute over my Garmin time due to the calibration being out of date and the time taken to stick the thing in my Camelbak before I left! Ah well, it’s still under the hour which is all I care about.

Interestingly in the space of a week I have run 27 miles in total. That’s a marathon distance! The trick is to do it all in one day at one time..

Nike+ Human Race 2009

09.85km (Official: 10km)

1hr 15m 08s (1hr 15m 52s: new PB)

07:37 min/km

7.87 km/hr

Mapmyrun: http://www.mapmyrun.com/route/sg/singapore/745125635433243718

SportyPal: http://www.sportypal.com/Workouts/Details/77801

Notes:

I think I just equaled my personal best timing although this was supposed to be an EZ run.

I saw the famous Running Mom from the neighbouring country up north!

More updates coming soon.

My goal for this run is to treat it as an EZ run.

Take it slow, enjoy the views on display and soak in the atmosphere.

And not forgetting to keep a look-out for Running Mom and ask for her autograph.

Although I’ve planned to come early and do sufficient warm-up, it didn’t materialise.

I arrived at the F1 Pit Building at 7.00am while the Start Time was 7.10am for the first wave.

Quickly went to deposit my bag and glad to report that it was fast and efficient.

By the time I walked towards the main F1 track, the first half of the track was already full.

I inched my way forward until I nearly reached the main stage.

The countdown was officiated by the indie band from Malaysia, Estranged and thus my run had officially begun.

The initial first kilometre pace was under 7min and it was too fast for me and I did not want to suffer later on in the run.

As I plodded along the winding road, I noticed a lady with a black headdress which looked suspiciously familiar.

Lo and behold, it was the Running Mom in action.

She was running at quite a fast pace, so all I could do was just to follow her from behind.

Suddenly the Running Mom halted and later I realised she was snapping away the actions on her camera.

So I passed her but a few minutes later, she overtook me.

I wanted to say hi but she was having her earphones on and she looked real focused.

So I chickened out and continued on my run.

The rest of my run was uneventful and tried to keep my pace steady and under 8min/km.

At the finishing line, I was surprised to find a variety of freebies on offer.

Yogurt, ice-cream, Starbucks coffee and a myriad of fruits to be give away.

Due to the tiredness, I only took a banana and was lazy to queue for the rest.

It was really a great and fun experience and to beat my personal best was a bonus given that I was really aiming for it.

Woohoo!

Pictures:

The Finisher Bracelet. I think it looks kind of cool. Different from the normal finisher medal.

The backside view.

Tomorrow is the day!  I want everyone to go out, and run this for my birthday!  This would be my birthday present from you to me.  For those locally (Louisville, KY), let me know if you want to meet up and run together.  I have a 10K course downtown that takes us across the bridge to Indiana and back.

I was working on getting a shirt from my team captain, Sarah Kay of the Pied Pipers, but I don’t have it yet.  If I have it by tomorrow, I’ll be wearing it during my run (of course I’ll get pictures). ***update – received the shirt today!

So let me know if you’re doing the same.

Blusa do Kit

É galera, domingão tá chegando e teremos a segunda edição da Nike Human Race e a primeira acontecendo no Rio de Janeiro. Vou postar aí abaixo a programação completa da prova para que você possa se programar. Abs e boa prova.

SÁBADO – 24/10
10h às 22h: Retirada de kits no Hotel Intercontinental
Endereço: Av. Aquarela do Brasil, 75 – São Conrado, RJ
Para retirar o kit, pedimos que os corredores levem o comprovante de confirmação de inscrição recebido por e-mail e também um documento original (RG ou CPF) com foto. É possível retirar o kit para terceiros, desde que sejam levados o comprovante de inscrição e uma cópia destes documentos.

DOMINGO – 25/10
A largada acontece às 8h da manhã na Av. Min. Ivan Lins, esquina com Rua Armando Coelho de Freitas. A atração musical da largada é o DJ Nepal, que toca das 7h às 8h30. Próximo ao Jardim de Alah, já no começo de Ipanema, acontece a chegada da prova. Às 8h15, temos o primeiro show com a banda Laranja Mecânica, que toca até às 9h. Depois do show, também às 9h, começa a premiação da prova. O show de encerramento será feito pela Orquestra Voadora, das 9h45 em diante.

MEDALHA DE FINISHER
Todos os finishers da prova, aqueles que concluírem os 10K, receberão uma medalha de participação. Os três primeiros colocados na categoria masculina e as três primeiras colocadas na categoria feminina receberão brindes em produtos. Lembramos que não haverá premiação em dinheiro e não serão entregues medalhas para as pessoas que, mesmo inscritas, não participaram da prova.

Falta pouco! Nos vemos em Ipanema…

Really wish I had more time for posting here.  So much to tell, and no time to sit and write it down.  In a nutshell, things are OK.  Not perfect, but still very much OK.

I’ve had a mixed go of it in my long runs.  The good news is that my best long runs have been my races – awesome job at the Tune Up 18 mile race and the SI Half Marathon.  My other long runs have been OK, but less than spectacular, and then my last long run, this past Sunday, was cut down to 13 miles, from a planned 21, due to the cold and windy weather, but also because of my not so fresh legs.

My legs are a bit of a concern.  In the last few weeks, I’ve had issue with a shin split on the right side.  Been manageable, but it is ‘there’ and I have to pay attention to it.  I do not fear it giving me a hard time in the marathon, since uphills always loosen it up, especially at the start of a run, and, the New York City Marathon has one long hill to start the race!  But also, I’ve had problems with my groin.  I’ve had nagging groin issue for probably almost a year now, but it had not been a problem at all when running.  However, last week, I somehow tweaked the right side playing softball, and it has been much worse in the last week.  I’ve been resting quite a bit, working it out in the gym, icing, stretching, etc, and I seem to have it under control.  Did a hard 4.6 mile run last night with no ill effects. Not so much worried about it, but a little concerned about what it will do when I’m 20 miles into the race and ready to push hard in the last miles to get myself under 4:30.

All in all, I’m in really high spirits, and very excited about marathon week.  Hoping to join in on some Tweetups, or DailyMile meetups, etc, and meet some of the great people in person that I’ve met online in the last year.  I’m also really going to try to savor the week and race, as I do not intend to run this marathon for at least 5 years.  This will be my 7th in New York City, and I will start running fall marathons in other states next year, so I can add to my state collection – which stands right now at 4 – and maybe hit 50 states sometime around when I turn 65!

Anyway, good luck to everyone out there preparing for the big race, and I’ll try to be better about posting updates here.  Looking forward to the Nike Human Race on Saturday in Prospect Park, despite the rainy forecast.

Nike Human Race 2009

Nike Human Race

10KM

October 24, 2009

Remy Field, Subic

There will be a Nike Human Race in the Philippines after all.  And it will be held as a side event in the Subic International Marathon (SIM) on October 24, 2009. 

Interested on other races? Get the updated list on the race calendar for running events in the Philippines at Takbo.ph.

Well … the money goes to charity and not to you but isn’t that even better!

Straight from the Inbox: Here is an excerpt from the Nike Press release …

“This year’s run is elevated to a greater cause as it partners with Gawad Kalinga’s ‘Walang Iwanan’ program that will provide relief and clean-up work for the nine GK sites ravaged by typhoon Ketsana. Nike Philippines will be donating 10 PHP for every kilometer ran by a Nike+ Sportband user who joins the Nike+ Human Race Ambassadors Challenge at NikeRunning.com. On October 24, every finisher of the Nike+ Human Race 10K in the Subic International Marathon will automatically convert their run to a PHP 100 donation.

If you haven’t registered yet for the Nike Human Race Ambassadors Challenge, click here and register now. 

Team Bananarunning! We raised Php18,787.90 already for charity! Let’s keep racking up the miles. Eek! I’m supposed to be tapering but this is for a good cause! Will run later!

저절로 포스트가 뒤로 뒤로 가게 놔두려고 했는데 어쩔 수 없이 포스팅 몇 개의 visibility를 수정했다.  잘 잊어버리는 중인데, 스패머들이 예전 포스트에 비아그라를 사라고 댓글을 달면, 무슨 글에 어떤 댓글이 달렸다며 – 때로는 moderation이 필요하다고 - 메일이 와서, 자꾸 기억을 상기시킨다.  그런데 선뜻 지우지도 못하겠다.  예전에 했던 생각 때문에 이곳을 어려워하고 싶지는 않다.  그 글들이 지금 보기에 뭐 좀 안스러운거지 또 싫은 것과는 거리가 멀고. 

5년 짜리가 지난 5월에 만료되었더군.  여권 사진을 찍고 가족 사진 몇 장을 인화했다.  (자하리 바하로프♥ 사진도 한 장 같이 뽑아서 책상 앞에 붙여 놓았다.)  저녁 때는 로욜라까지 가서 친구 이름으로 절판된 책을 대출했다.  아 이런 레어 아이템을 간택하시다니 다음에 내가 책 고를 땐 완전 나한테만 있는 걸로 골라버려…  이번 주에는 오랜만에 독서 모임 가는데 그나마 나이키 휴먼 레이스와 겹쳐서 한 시간 정도만 하다가 뛰러 가야한다.  그리고…  10km면 100m가 100번이다.

한양대역 플랫폼은 한동안 잊지 못할 듯하다.  앉아서 별의별 생각을 다 했다.  누가 그렇게 나보고 갑자기 와달라 한 적은 여태 몇 번 없지만, 앞으로 그런 일이 생기면 나도 꼭 가서 데려다주고 싶다.  일단은 폐 끼쳐서 죄송한 마음이지만 그보다는 더 고마운 마음.  오늘도 하루 종일 입으로 숨을 쉬었다.  어제 약 먹고 종일 잤는데도 몸이 별로.  10km 뛰고나면 괜찮아질까?  나 왜 신청했을까…  미쳤어 ♪

On your mark… get set… GO!

Last year, Nike hosted the largest running event the world has ever seen.  780,000+ participants joined together around the globe to celebrate their sport.  This year, The Nike Human Race is back.  So, I ask you… where will you be on October 24, 2009?  I hope you’ll be at the starting line at Avenida Juna Manso in Puerto Madero.

Why run the Nike Human Race?

Nike is hosting organized runs in over 30 cities around the globe, and with the technology of Nike+, every city and road can be part of this special occasion.  We are lucky that Buenos Aires will be taking part in this monumental event, so register here and join the thousands on race day.

If you are a runner, this race is a celebration of your sport.  If you are a competitive person or athlete, or if like many others, you enjoy the true nature of the human spirit in its natural setting, this race is for you. It’s a 10K … and I know you can do it!  If you need a little more motivation, do it for the shirt.

More information is available on the Nike website, both in English and Spanish.

See you at the finish line!

No último sábado (17/10), aconteceu neste belo cartão postal do Rio, um treino organizado pela Nike para a Human Race 2009 que acontecerá no dia 25/10/2009.

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas (7,5 km)

A inscrição para o treino foi através de um email de divulgação que foi enviado no dia 13/10/09 aos inscritos na corrida. Os 100 primeiros que respondessem o email seriam os escolhidos. Eu, assim que vi meu email no dia 14 pela manhã, respondi e fiquei torcendo para ser selecionado.

No dia 15/10, veio a confirmação por email informando o local e o horário do treino.

Convite para o Treino Especial da Human Race 2009

O Treino

Chegando na Academia Estação do Corpo, fomos recepcionados pela Equipe da Nike e pelo treinador João Montenegro da Runners Club, que iria coordenar o treino. Depois, recebemos uma camiseta (dri-fit) bem bacana para o treino e quem quisesse podia escolher um tênis Nike para testar durante o treino (como eu estava com o meu Vomero+3, acabei não esperimentando outro modelo já que este é o modelo indicado para o meu porte e tipo de pisada).

O treino em si, contou com 4 etapas: Treino Educativo (dicas de postura durante a corrida e alguns testes de coordenação motora); Treino Técnico Intervalado (separado em três grupos 5min/km, 5:30min/km e 6min/km); Café da Manhã reforçado e Sessão de Massagens.

Achei bem interessante o treino educativo e das várias dicas que foram passadas, uma que estarei adotando para minhas corridas será prestar mais atenção no movimento do braço, utilizando-o como alavanca (vejam mais dicas nesse link).

Já no treino técnico, resolvi participar do grupo que iria dar a volta na Lagoa no ritmo de 5:30min/km já que tinha treinado vários dias durante a semana e também iria treinar no domingo (12km). Preferi não forçar mesmo sabendo que minha meta para a Human Race será correr abaixo de 50min (5min/km).

Durante a volta na Lagoa, o treinador João Montenegro que acompanhou o segundo grupo, controlava o ritmo do pessoal de maneira que forçávamos os primeiros 500m de cada km (2′30”) e depois diminuíamos um pouco o ritmo nos 500m finais (3′00”). Nos últimos 500m, teve um sprint final e assim finalizamos num tempo entre 41min e 42min (praticamente 5:30min/km).

Meu desempenho no treino...

Obs: Não entendi ainda porque no site do Nike Plus as parciais dos km aparecem com uma diferença enquanto que no site Runner+ (que faz o dowload dos dados direto do Nike Plus) as parciais estão mais coerentes com o ritmo dos treinos…

Após a volta na Lagoa, os três grupos foram se refrescar e tomar um café-da-manhã bem servido. Quem quisesse também podia relaxar com uma sessão de massagem.

Pós Treino

Enquanto estávamos tomando o café-da-manhã, foi ótimo trocar idéias e conhecer outros corredores.

Um dos corredores que conversei bastante, foi o grande Jorge Ultramaratonista (vejam o excelente relato dele aqui). Fazia tempo que queria conhecê-lo pessoalmente já que tínhamos trocado várias mensagens via Blog. O cara está se preparando para uma corrida de 24h de duração (este treino não deve nem ter feito cosquinha no pé dele…rsrsrs). Foi um prazer te conhecer. Sucesso nos treinos para a sua próxima Ultramaratona…

Eu e o Jorge...

Foi só conversar um pouco com o Jorge que você já ia conhecendo todo mundo. O cara é famoso mesmo… Conheci também o Moraes, a Marystela, e vários outros corredores… Bons treinos a todos e nos vemos na Human Race…

Abaixo algumas fotos que foram tiradas pelo Jorge e que ele me enviou (valeu mais uma vez Jorge!!!).

Fotos do treino...

Clique aqui para ver as fotos tiradas pela Nike…

Agradeço a Nike e a Runners Club pelo treino realizado onde tudo estava perfeito e assim foi bem descontraído e proveitoso.

Domingo que vem tem mais festa, só que num visual mellhor ainda!!!

Nos vemos lá!!!