Corregidor International Half Marathon

Distance: 21K
Time: 2 hour and 52 minutes
Date: December 10, 2011
Pace: 8:11 minutes per kilometer
Ridge Run vs Trail Run
I finally got my answer on which is more difficult between a ridge run and a trail run.  The answer is a ridge run and a trail run combined A.K.A. Corregidor International Half Marathon.  CIHM has been known to be an extreme marathon since it has an endless amount of killer hills and slippery trails.  The race would at the same time be a tour around Corregidor wherein you get to see the ruins and structures in Corregidor plus the Ocean View on some parts and an eerie experience of ghostly proportions.
Cabana

We came a day earlier and were housed in a Cabana in the resort side of Corregidor via Sun Cruises.  We were able to get some stops along the island and at the same time had an idea of the upHELL climb awaiting us the day after.  The Cabana was cozy enough for sleep and had a good ocean view.
Course and Elevation

The race starts at the south dock and leads you straight to a dark and eerie Malinta Tunnel then a you continue to climb towards Japanese Garden of Peace at about the 2K Mark.  This is followed by a descent towards the resort side and walking along the trail road just beside the sea and climbing the stairs towards the first u-turn slot.  After the u-turn slot you get to climb back to the Filipino Heroes Memorial and then trek down to the airfields wherein you get to pass a long stretch of grass area between the 5th and 6th kilometer.  Next, you go back to National Heroes Memorial and head back to Malinta Tunnel at around the 9K mark and is followed by more than a kilometer climb to the other side of the island where you get a 5-6 kilometer stretch of trail and road combination passing through the hospital, mile-long barracks and the light house.  From the 16K you get a 3 kilometer descent back to the dock area and kilometer 19 and 20 is the toughest part with a steep climb along the road near the shoreline. Finally, the last kilometer is a descent back to Malinta Tunnel and to the finish line.

At gun start, you immediately go uphill covering a 40 meter of elevation in the first two kilometers followed by a kilometer descending 40 meters of elevation and climbing back again another kilometer. This is followed by two kilometers of slow decent of around 20 meters of elevation to the airfields and climbing back another 2 kilometers of the same elevation. At kilometer 8, you get a kilometer descent to Malinta Tunnel with about 40 meters of elevation.  From there you get to start your climb at kilometer 9 wherein you get to cover 180 meters of elevation over a 7 kilometer stretch of road and trail.  You start your descent of about 3 kilometers with about 180 meters of elevation.  Kilometer 19 and 20 is the toughest part with a 60 meters elevation climb spread out in 2 kilometers.  Finally, you get to descent to the finish line in the last kilometer covering 60 kilometers of elevation.

The Race

Knowing that this was an extreme marathon because of the terrain and the trails, I really didn't know what to expect so I'll just go with the flow and take it slow and easy.

Kilometer 1-9

The first 9K consists of moderate climb and descents so I went slow on the inclines and fast on the descents.  I was able to finish this part at a steady time.  This course also had you past the creepy Malinta Tunnel twice.  The first one at the start of the race and the second one approaching the 9K mark.  It felt scary on my second round as the next runner in front of me was 10-20 meters away so I covered this area faster than my regular pace.

Kilometer 10

Kilometer 10 was the start and the steepest part of the climb.  I walked this part of the race to save energy for other parts of the race given this is a 21K race. It does take so much energy to go for climbs this steep.

Kilometer 11-15

Kilometer 11 to 15 was a combination of an uphill climb and a trail run so I ran the flat portions and slight inclines and brisk walked the steep inclines and the slippery part of the trail.  This was my first trail experience and the rain the day before made some portions of the road slippery but it was also exciting trekking in this trails as it also had some nice views and surprises in between.

Kilometer 16-18

Kilometer 16 was the start of a 3 kilometers downward descents.  Unfortunate for me, this is where I experienced my first cramps on my right calf muscles just I was about to attack the descents.  I thank some fellow runners who assisted me as I fell with the cramp and helped me to stretch and stand up during the portion.  I went for a slow jog from there on and good thing it was the downhill part so less stress on the calf muscles and was able to withstand the distance despite the cramps.

Kilometer 19-20

This was the killer hill portion of the race so I just walked this part and taking bigger stride to cover more ground instead.  It was a tough climb especially coming from cramps but I expected this part of the race so just had to find ways to endure.

Kilometer 21

Entering the last kilometer, I had my second fall with cramps on both calves.  Lucky for me that I landed on grass areas and that a race marshal was nearby.  The race marshal help soften the cramped muscles and help me on my feet again.  I just walked the remaining part of the race except for the creepy Malinta tunnel wherein I started to jog.  It was also a scary idea on what if I cramped again inside Malinta tunnel but fortunately I didn't.  I jogged myself all the way to the finish line.

Conquering Corregidor

I may be banged up big time for this one but I was able to conquer Corregidor and this medal stands out from the rest as I practically had to crawl myself up in getting this one.  It's really not a good feeling cramping up during a run but a finish is a finish and I have set myself a new PR... personal records for most cramps during a  run at 3 (2x on the right calf and one on the left). Oh well, what doesn't kill you can only make you stronger. I'm not yet done licking my wounds but as McArthur once said in Corregidor, I shall return...

Team Total Fitness Running

As always it's been a pleasure running under the Team Total Fitness banner.  Congrats to Rojan for placing 5th and Mascy and Gryf for finishing their first half marathon.

Quezon City International Marathon

Distance: 10K
Time: 1 hour and 3 minutes
Date: December 4, 2011
Pace: 6:12 minutes per kilometer
Quezon City
The unique treat in joining a race in Quezon City is that you get to run at the widest highway in the country, Commonwealth Ave.  I used to shy away from Quezon City based run since I am based in Makati with BGC and MOA being closer locations but this time, it seemed to be a well organized run backed by a strong sponsor, SMDC and Runnex. The different race categories are spaced apart and that would avoid an overcrowded run with 42K taking off at 4:00 am, 21K taking off at 4:30 am, 10K taking off at 5:45 am and 5K taking off at 6 am.
The Route and Elevation

The race course for the 10K category is quite simple.  It starts from the Quezon Memorial Circle in front of Quezon City Hall and goes straight to Commonwealth Avenue and with a U-turn at halfway point which is a little past Amsterdam Avenue in Don Jose Area in Commonwealth and then you take the same road back to Quezon Memorial Circle for the Finish Line.  The advantage of a straight course is you don't get much disruption of momentum because of curves and turns in the course.

Though the course way seem flat the elevation can be tricky with the first 5 kilometer of the race being a slow uphill climb with series of inclines and descents along the way which includes the Tandang Sora Flyover.  After the u-turn you get the course in reverse with slow downhill descent back to Quezon Circle and passing again through several inclines and descents along the way.

The Race

At first I was more worried about the parking than the race being not so geographically familiar with Quezon City.  I was able to get a nice parking space near the Quezon City Hall of Justice.  I did short runs of warmups and the regular stretching routine.  This race was more of a build up for longer runs so my main strategy was to run at a relaxed and steady pace throughout the race and just have fun.

I was not pace-conscious during this race and was more concerned in avoiding so much walking breaks and I was surprised when I saw my pace in Garmin. It was as flat as it can be with the blips just for short stops at the water stations.  I am used to running at a volatile pace sometimes starts strong, fade a little, recover and end strong but I'm happy I got to run at a pace I was able to sustain for the full 10K of the race and it was a decent time and a strong finish and most important of all I had fun.  Since Commonwealth is wide, there was enough room to run and it was a good thing that they did separate the 5K runners u-turn slot to add more running space for 10K, 21K and 42K runners.  It was a bit congested in the finish line but still tolerable since the 21K, 10K and 5K runners almost came at the same time due to the spacing of the gun start.   Hydration was spaced about 2 and a half kilometers apart and it was good I did have my hand held hydration.  It was a good run and the weather was cool for the whole duration of the race though the full marathoners did have a taste of rain.

Team Total Fitness Running

It was nice running with Team Total Fitness again with strong finishes in 10K and 21K categories with Andie and Richie finishing their first half marathon. Congrats to the whole team for another great race and given that we've just survived a very tough "From Tokyo with Love" a few days ago.   It's great running under the Total Fitness banner and being part of a team that trains hard and race harder.

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.

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.

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.

Adidas KOTR 2011

Distance: 21.1K
Time: 2:23 minutes
Date: October 23, 2011
Pace: 6:46 minutes per kilometer

My A-Race

I selected this race to be my A-Race over three months ago and that this would be the race I would transition from a 10K to 15K runner to half a marathoner.  This race was not just 21K, it was 3 months worth of training and hard work on speed sets, hill runs and the weekly long 21K++ runs.  While I wasn't short of preparation, I was really jittery a week before as I felt that I have peaked too soon and may have lost some momentum during the taper week but I guess, being jittery is a normal reaction for someone who wants a major event to be finished successfully and that was my goal to finish with a good time and a decent pace.

Team Total Fitness Debut

This was also the debut race of Team Total Fitness and this is the beginning of a new era as Total Fitness and our sponsors (Oakley, ON Cloudsurfer, Brooks, Polar, Cep, i-pure, Chris Sports, Honey Stinger, Dermplus,  Epic Triathlon and Cycling Wear and Moving Comfort) is entering the running and multisports arena under Coach Andy Leuterio of Alpha Training Systems.  There was no bigger stage to make a debut than Adidas KOTR.  It was double the excitement as not only am I running my first 21K, I am also running as part of Team Total Fitness so it's gonna be a big day for all of us.

The Race

There were over 4,000 runners under the 21K category and this time I positioned myself a bit nearer to the front as I was determined to have a good time for this run.  I usually go for a strong start but having too little of stretching, I wasn't able to accelerate immediately so I changed strategy to go for a steady start until I feel that my legs are a bit warmed up.  I was also surprised by the sudden change in the race maps having so many twist and turns around the Fort area instead of a more straight course as originally planned. Oh well, no matter how much you change the route, it's still 21K. I found my second wind past the Kalayaan Flyover towards the second half of the race so I increased my speed a few seconds from that point and took advantage of the flat and straight course.  I also shifted my rest and run approach, resting only for water breaks and taking energy gels every 30 minutes.

Going past kilometer 15, I know this is a race I can finish and just thinking that this took 3 months to prepare, stopping was never an option.  It also pays running under the Team Total Fitness banner as you're running with more pride.  It was now back to Kalayaan flyover and knowing that the end is near, I was able to run at a steady pace. Kilometer 19 was the final challenge an uphill climb from 5th Street until McKinley Parkway and after that it was a matter of coasting towards the finish line with more flats and downhill inclines.  As I crossed the finished line around 2:23 mark, it was satisfying and all the hard work the  past three months was well worth it.

This was one of the more organized runs I attended.  It was a touch of genius to separate 21K and 16.8K runners on the way back in the Kalayaan Flyover.  Hydration Station was sufficient and even if there were thousands of runners, it didn't feel crowded and you have all the leeway to run.  The route switched from simple to complicated but as I said earlier it's still 21K.  The finisher medal was unique and definitely a must keep memento of the race.  It was a great first 21K experience.

Nike Run Manila

Distance: 10K (Actual 10.4K)
Time: 1:07 minutes
Date: October 15, 2011
Pace: 6:41 minutes per kilometer (Actual: 6:26 minutes per kilometer)

Night Run

 Night runs are as rare as they get and upon seeing that Nike had one in store, I immediately signed up.  It was more of a warm up for my 21K debut next week than an actual run plus a night run should be a real change of circumstances over morning runs.  While you go with fresh of the sleep energy on morning runs, you get to take a night run already perked up and ready to go.  Gun start was 5pm and it was still warm and humid for this run.  The run also offers a different race course concentrating on 8th Ave and International School Area and Triangle Drive area.

8,000++ runners

Upon entering the runners area, I immediately downgraded my expectation and threw all PR aspirations away with more than 8,000 runners running on a single wave and we were packed towards the midpoint until the tail end of the run.  This is gonna be a crowded run.  As the sound of the gun start rang, it took as an additional 2-3 minutes just to get to cross the starting line and right after that, it was 'human traffic'.  You can't really accelerate much as there is not much space to run and you had to swerve from one point to another just to get past all the runners.  It does get tiring trying to overtake continuously and endlessly.  I shifted my strategy to running at a steady pace and just have sudden burst if there would be areas with less runners and just go with the flow on congested areas.

The Race

The race course was congested throughout the whole run and aside from the heat and humidity, it felt suffocating to be surrounded by so many runners but a race is never about counting things going wrong but living past these inconveniences to come up with a decent finish.  I held on to a consistent pace and trying to get past as many people as possible, I just went on and on and on.  I felt tired as early as kilometer 3 but I just kept on going at a moderate pace and just stopping for several water and hydration breaks.  It was also nice that series of kids were so involved in watching the race that they wanted low fives.  At first, I was hesitant since I didn't want to drop form but seeing how the kid appreciate the low fives, I did give them my low fives.

Going for kilometer 7,8 and 9, you now get the full effect of a night run. Though there were some lighting, there were some areas that are real dark especially the last two kilometers at 8th Ave.  This was also the point I started to adding a few seconds to my speed towards the finish line and finished around the 1:07 mark.  It was of course nowhere near my PR. Come to think of it, it wasn't a bad time. Given the circumstances, it was the best I could have given.  Of course, it could have been a better time had I started nearer the starting line as it would have saved me a lot of energy overtaking but you just got to take what you can get.  In another perspective, this could be my PR for 10K obstacle run / walk course.

The race course was unique but it was too small to squeeze in 8,000+ people and there were some congested areas where you had no choice but to walk but I have to give it to the organizers that all the runners were properly hydrated and guided along the race course.  The finisher item was not available on time but the race organizers was humble enough to apologize for such and come up with an alternative solution.  There may also be some mix-up on the d-tags as  I got twitter updates for a different runner.  I hope that this does not mean, some errors in the results when it does come out. On the overall, I think the 8,000 runners had fun and seeing that Nike was able to pull in newbie runners because of its strong brand name would be plus to the running community.



Instant Picnic

We had our instant picnic right after the race with S&R Pizza, Blue Bunny Ice Cream and the World's Best Sports Drink, Coca Cola.  You do need to recover all those lost calories and sugar in your system.  It was fun and different to have a simplified picnic setup compared to the usual restaurants at high street.  And there goes another race and another story but somehow this would be my last run going solo as a new banner would debut next week and I'm really excited for that but let's leave that story for another time.  It'll be a new beginning.