4:54 PM 01 January 2009 @ Rizal High School (Pasig) Oval Track

The sky was still overcast when I started my run in the afternoon of the first day of the year 2009. Upon my arrival at the Rizal High School Oval Track, the elite runners of the Team Bald Runner had just arrived at the place a few minutes ahead of me. I could see that our elite runners of Team Bald Runner are seriously preparing for the March 8 Philippine Marathon for Pasig River. According to Captain Espejo, he updated me with a report that our marathon runners of Team Bald Runner are on their right track and training for them to qualify on the Olympic Marathon finish time of 2:18 hours.

After a warm-up run of 4 laps with an average pace of 6:15 mins/km, I did my stretching and speed drills. I told Captain Espejo that I will be doing a one-hour long run at my 80%-85% (5:45 mins/km pace). He suggested that I should increase my pace for the last 30 minutes of my run. For the first 30 minutes of my run, my average pace was 5:25 mins/km, running on a counter-clockwise direction on the oval track. For the last 30 minutes of my run, I changed my direction on a clockwise along the oval track and I was able to register an average pace of 4:45 mins/km. After one hour of continuous run, I slowly jogged for another lap and then walked for another half lap. To include my warm-up run, I was able to run a distance of 14.4 kilometers with an average pace of 5:11 mins/km.

My workout terminated with a full stretching routine assisted by Coach Espejo. Coach Espejo gave me a positive feedback where he made a comment that I was able to correct the defect on my strides and footstrike. Thanks, Coach Ferdie!

Finally, allow me to make a comment about the Flagcounter that I newly displayed on my blog last 31st December 2008. I am amazed and surprised with the results I am seeing right now with the Flagcounter. After almost two days, I could see that there are readers from 30+ countries around the world visiting this blog. Assuming that the readers are Filipinos, we could just imagine how the Filipinos are located entire the world. On the other hand, if these readers/visitors are really permanent residents in these countries, this proves that running is a “universal” sports and it makes the Philippines also known to them through this running blog.

To my readers/visitors from all over the world, even if you are unable to leave a comment in this blog, thanks for the visits.

After running 20+K last Sunday, I decided to continue my training the following day for a recovery run. The best place to have my recovery run was at the oval track because the track is more forgiving to my tired legs than the cemented/asphalted roads. Plus, for the simple reason that there are more runners at the oval tract.

I started my run at 5:50 PM yesterday and I was surprised to see a lot of runners and walkers. After a brief stretching, my run started as slow one with an Average Pace of 5:37 mins/km and I was able to finish 5 laps. I really didn’t know what made me decide to run the next 2 laps at a faster pace and finished it in 3:38 minutes ( average pace of 4:13 mins/km). Every 2 laps was followed with one lap recovery run. I ended doing another 3 sets of 800-meter runs whose times were: 3:50 mins; 4:11 mins; and 3:55 mins. After my last recovery lap, I ran another 8 1/2 laps with an average pace of 5:49 mins/km. I was able to run a total distance of 10.6 kilometers. I went to bed at 9:00 PM.

This morning, I woke up at 5:10 AM and I prepared for another run at the oval track with the plan to run up and down the cemented bleachers at ULTRA. I wore my TNF Arnuva BOA trail/paved road running shoes and my TNF hydration pack (camelbak version) for this morning’s run. At 5:41 AM, I was already at the oval track running with my hydration pack for 4 laps before going up and down the bleachers. My running drill at the bleacher which simulates hill training lasted for almost 39 minutes and continued more of my workout along the oval track. After 4 laps, I removed my hydration pack from my back and did 2 reps of 400-meter run with a recovery run of one lap in between repetition. My GF 305 registered 1:33 mins for the 1st lap and 1:36 mins for the 2nd lap. I finished my workout with another 2 laps before Coach John volunteered to give me my post-stretching routine which I greatly appreciated. I was able to run a distance of 10.35 kilometers this morning.

The rain briefly stopped when I decided to have my oval track run at ULTRA. But when I approached the premises of the PSC/DECS compound, it started to rain and it got stronger when I reached the Grandstand of the Oval Track. I was surprised to see a lot of runners doing their workout while it was raining. After a short stretching and warm-up exercises, I joined the group of runners at the track.

I was able to run a distance of 13.19 kilometers in 1:07:50 hours while it was raining.

On the early part during the administration of US President John F Kennedy in the early ’60s, he revived the challenge of past President Theodore Roosevelt for the US Marines Officers and US Armed Forces to run and hike a distance of 50 miles (80 kilometers) in 20 hours carrying with them their individual provisions (food and water). Soon, this was adopted as part of the Physical Fitness Program for all the Officers and Enlisted Men of the US Armed Forces and was conducted throughout the United States. There was a team competition of this “JFK 50-Mile Challenge” then where a team was composed of 10 officers or enlisted men and the five (5) lowest/fastest time were cumulated to represent the team’s finish time. The lowest/fastest cumulated time for a team won the much-coveted “Kennedy Cup”. This Hike-Run Challenge was open to the public but it maintained its reputation as a military event.

The JFK 50 Challenge in Washington County, Maryland started in the spring of 1963, however, after JFK was assassinated in November 1963, all the other 50-Mile Challenge races in other parts of the country were discontinued except for the hike-run conducted in Maryland. This year’s rendition of the JFK 50 will be the 46th Annual Race which will be held on November 22, 2008. This ultramarathon trail race is one of the prestigious ultra trail events in the US where almost 2,000 ultra runners participate. At this time, the race organizers had stopped accepting applicants to the said race for this year.

It was only when I was spending my vacation in California last July-August that I got to know about this ultra trail event for the US military and the public. Had I known about this when I was still in the AFP, I could had applied this to my officers and men in my Command. I wonder if the present crop of trainors and leaders in the AFP know about this and willing to apply and direct their officers and men to undergo such kind of challenge. By the way, I got some information that JFK and his brother Robert were able to have finished and passed the JFK 50-Mile Challenge within the cut-off time.

As I went to bed early last Sunday evening, I thought of running at ULTRA Oval Track on the morning of Monday as my recovery run from the trail run that I had last Sunday. I arrived at the ULTRA/DECS gate at 6:00AM and jogged all the way to the Oval Track. After a short stretching exercises, I did 4 laps along the outer lanes (1.75 kms) with a time of 8:41 minutes; average pace of 4:57 mins/km & average/maximum HR of 154/161 bpm. I had 2 laps as recovery run before starting another 4-lap run which I was timed at 8:25 mins; average pace of 4:48 mins/km & ave/max HR of 158/163 bpm. After another 2 laps of recovery run and “jumping” exercises, I did a 5-lap run (2.14 kms) with a time of 10:27 mins; average pace of 4:52 mins/km; and an ave/max HR of 155/161 bpm.

My run at the Oval Track terminated with another 2-lap recovery/cool-down run before I did my post-stretching exercises. I was able to run a total distance of 8.04 kilometers.

These pictures were taken during my oval track run at the Iloilo City’s Athletic Grounds in the afternoon of 23 Nov 2007. I completed 32 laps at an average pace of 2:10-2:20 mins per lap. I finished my run with a time of 1 hour & 15 minutes. It was my first time to use my New Balance 902 running shoes. 

My new running shoes is very light and I need to make some adjustments with the way I run with it. It is comfortable but it has minimal arch support. It has thinner sole than my old New Balance 716. I started to feel some slight pain on my lower leg muscles after 20 laps but it disappeared after slowing my pace. The New Balance 902 will be my trainer shoes from now on.