Monday, November 21, 2011

Nathan Ridge Run


Distance: 10K
Time: 1 hour and 18 minutes
Date: November 20, 2011
Pace: 7:48 minutes per kilometer

Ridge Run

Running in the scenic Tagaytay Highlands route is very enticing  but with it comes running non stop uphill which makes the run challenging and exciting.  I was hooked on joining this run under the Team Total Fitness banner since I first heard about it not because I'm a glutton of pain but to experience the scenic highlands terrain.  It was a different run and I really had no idea what strategy would I employ in this type of run.  You usually attack a hilly course with a steady pace you can sustain from the foot to the top of the course but what if the climb is more than 3 kilometers at a time?  I had more questions going into this one than a game plan but all I know is that it will be a learning experience from doing something for the first time.

The Route and the Terrain


It starts near the sports center and goes on with more than 3 kilometers uphill climb with about 200 meters of elevation via Belle View Avenue until the Peak Bar and is followed by about 4 kilometers descent back to Belle View Avenue until halfway into Midlands Avenue covering 300 meters of elevation. 2 kilometers of steep inclines covering around 200 meters of elevation is next from Midlands Avenue until Belle view Avenue. Finally,  the last kilometer is a descending terrain worth a 100 meters of elevation back to the area near sports center.

The Race

It starts with an early morning road trip from Manila to Tagaytay Highlands and as we made our descent to the starting line area, we got a peek of what's in store for us and it seemed like a real challenge.  We did try a bit of the hilly route during the warm ups and running uphill proved to be too energy consuming so this will be a test on how deep your energy base is and how well you manage it.

3K Walk - After gunstart, I tried to run a few hundred meters and even at my best effort I can't seem to get a pace better than 8 minutes per kilometer so change of strategy brisk walk along the steep inclines and run on the flats and it proved to be a right move as the inclines went on for 3 more kilometers until the Peak Bar.  A good bonus though even if you are walking uphill is that the view of Taal Volcano in the foggy morning mist was splendid.  This is photography heaven but unfortunately, I'm here running and not taking photos so I'll make do with the panoramic view of the whole highlands in my mind.  The u-turn in the peak bar was refreshing with the white foggy backdrop and the soft morning breeze.

4K Run - Gravity dictates that what goes up must go down.  The second part of the run was an all you can descent from the Peak Bar going 2 kilometers back to Belle View Avenue and another 2 kilometers descent to Midlands Avenue. This was the part when I went all out in a gutsy attempt to catch up on lost time.  It does take real courage to run downhill on a fast pace as your muscles do take a beating and of course, the risk of losing your balance would mean the free fall of gravity in full effect.  It was to my benefit that I was wearing my ON running shoes as the 3d cloudtec sole cushioned most of the strides downhill.  I went full gear and running at 5 to 5:30 minutes per kilometer pace until the 7K mark.  About 500 meters to the u-turn slot, I slowed down as the downhill path become too steep.

2K Crawl - The second uphill climb was too steep and no one was even making an attempt to run at this point.  It was a slow walk as each steps of the killer hill felt punishing and the heat of the morning sun also started to creep in.  Kilometer 8 was the longest kilometer I ever had as the steep incline made it difficult to even walk.  I even tried to walk backwards to make it less stressful.  Kilometer 9 was more tolerable as there were some parts which you can jog already and at this time I am now building up my energy base for a strong finish once I'm done with the climb.

1K Run to the Finish - As  I reached Belle View Avenue again, I wanted to catch up and was so excited to finish the course already so I went on an all out sprint with 4:00-5:00 minute per kilometer run towards the finish line.  I ended up having my last kilometer as my fastest kilometer for a sprint finish.  I ended up finishing 97 out of 300 to 400 runners and as a reward I'm one of the 100 finishers who earned a medal.  A big medal for a big effort though I have high respect towards the difficulty of this course and I guess, every finisher is a winner.

This race felt more like mountain climbing and it was a battle of who had the guts to go all out on the descents.  It was a well organized and unique race brought to you by Nathan.  It also had a green concept of not using plastic cups and instead using hydration bottles which was included in the race kit.  It was well covered by organizers and volunteer photographers and it was definitely a unique experience.

I started the race not knowing what to expect and what strategy to use but I ended up learning a few more things from conquering a ridge run.  My muscles may be a bit sore at this time but those killer uphill climbs will make them stronger.  It was racing redefined and I'm glad I was part of it.

Team Total Fitness Running

This was the first time we were able wear the official race jersey of Team Total Fitness and it was another good performance for the team as Rojan Pajarin and James Orlanda finished 5th and 12th, respectively and me catching up in the top 100 finishers.  It's been a real honor to be running with the team and it does give me additional motivation to train harder as carrying the Total Fitness banner and running with support of sponsors comes the great responsibility of being the best person you can ever be on the race course, the training ground and in life.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

SGV Run for Learning

Distance: 10K
Time: 1 hour and 6 minutes
Date: November 6, 2011
Pace: 6:36 minutes per kilometer

SGV & Co.


It's common knowledge that I started my career at SGV & Co and even up until now, I am still connected as a client of SGV & Co.  SGV Run was the closest thing I have to a Company Run and as early as the time this was just an idea, I already have said that I'll join this run.  Of course, it's also an advantage is that I get my race kit free as a client.  The objective here is just to have fun as it would be nice seeing familiar faces in the run.

Rainy Day Run

This was my second rainy day race for the weekend.  Funny, how even SGVeans was asking me if the run would push through because of the rain.  I guess, I have the image of running without regard to the weather.  The gun start was moved from 5:30 am to 6:00 am to let the rain taper a bit but the trend on runs lately has been GO whether rain or shine.  I really don't mind running in the rain as its free hydration.  As the clock hit 6 am it was now the start of the 10K race since I was in front I went with the leadpack before settling at a more comfortable pace after the first kilometer.  I think my Garmin hates a certain area in MOA as this is the second time it wasn't able to get GPS signal at gun start so just have to make do with using my Garmin just monitoring my pace on a per kilometer basis and not overall time and distance.  After a speedy start, I struggled with some stiffness in my legs in the first half of the race so just went at a 6:30 to 7:00 minute per kilometer pace before hitting the turbo button on the second half of the race.  There was a change in race route taking away the CCP area and in exchange having 2 loops in the area near the chapel until Macapagal boulevard which was a surprise to me as it may have added a few hundred meters to the total route but it's all part of the race.  After my second loop, it was 1 KM away to finish line and also time for my sprint finish.  I'm starting to get the habit of finishing strong and finished at around 1:06. It was far from my PR but I did have fun in this run.

Entourage
 
Having a run held under your former home also means you have the luxury of having an entourage to support you.  Reeah was my instant photographer, Lance was her PA and there's also Kuya Nonoy and Padie and it's also nice to see familiar faces, MFG, Mae, Eric and some former partners in SGV who bought my Total Fitness Magazine.  This was really more of a company fun run than a formal run with PR-obsessed people.  It's nice to race in this environment from time to time.  I do hope they do more of this and maybe time it during the deadline of tax filing season and the finish line being able to file the tax returns.  That would be fun.

Excess: ON Time

I'm starting to get adjusted to my ON Cloud surfer and I'm glad that it hasn't deserted me on rainy days but so sorry to my shoes for being rain drenched for the third straight run. It does give you extra energy for a strong finish.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Energizer Night Race


Distance: 3K (Actual 3.3K)
Time: 17 minutes (Actual 18 minutes)
Date: November 5, 2011
Pace: 5:39 minutes per kilometer (Actual 5:27 minutes per kilometer)
Night Race
This is the 2nd night run in the last 3 weeks and it looks like night runs are here to stay.  The loop around 8th Street in the Fort seems to be a perfect location for night runs. This one was sponsored by Energizer Batteries and its Manila installment of a similar run done in different areas.  The main enticement here is you get to have a Energizer headlight which you have to use during the run.  The headlight will come in handy on my training runs at night.  For the distance, I chose a 3 kilometer distance for a change since I usually do 10K or more and my 3K record was when I started running and was the era where I just walked the course so the goal was to set a respectable personal record for 3K distance.  Also, this would be the first leg of back to back runs with a 10K run scheduled on Sunday.
Light Show & the Rain

It was cool to see everybody wearing headlights in a run as it seemed like a light show.  It was a nice sight and with a turnout of 5,000 runners, that spells a bright night.  It was also a refreshing run as it was raining the whole run.  Nothing beats raindrop hitting your face to freshen you up from all the exhaustion.  The 3K runners were the last to have their gun start after the 5K gun start which had the most runners.    At the 3K gun start, I immediately zoomed to have more space to run and slowed down a bit after catching the tail-end and mid-pack of the 5K runners. Of course, maneuvering your way through thousands of runners is part of the run so just went on and was able to keep a fast yet steady pace without stopping at water stations and just taking several sips in my water bottle.   It was amazing to note that even if I was going at an average of 5:30-5:40 minutes per kilometer, there were kids that was able to run as fast or even faster.  It was frustrating to see two to three runners taking a short cut just half way to the u-turn in 8th Street.
The Finish
As I took my turn on the 11th Street, I went on a sprint finish towards the finish line and in a snap, a 3K run is done and over with.  I did have a sub 6 minutes per kilometer pace and a decent finish.  The course was about 300 meters longer than the 3K distance finishing the 3.3K distance in 18 minutes and hitting 3K at the 17 minute mark.  It was a successful and a well organized run.
And among the perks of being part of the 3K runners and among the first to finish you get no queue in the photo booth and closing up the story of this race is my photo with fellow Team Total Fitness members Rojan and Mario who had a faster finish.