Ok ka ba tiyan?

Many studies have shown that long distance runners, due to the stresses imposed on the body by training, occasionally have their immune systems weakened, making them prone to develop respiratory and gastrointestinal (GI) infections. Last year, when I first attempted to train for a marathon… my training was hampered by successive colds that I had (of course, I may have been overtraining then, hence increasing my chances of getting sick). And because of those, I totally had to abandon my marathon aspiration.

A couple of months ago, I decided to restart training for the marathon. This time, I was conscious in following my training program to avoid overtraining. In addition, I wanted to find out if there was something I could take that would help boost my immune system. Of course there were the usual vitamins and supplements, but I wondered if there was anything else. So I searched the internet and I came across sites that were advocating the use of probiotics as immune boosters.

Probiotics, simply defined, are “good bacteria” that when ingested, do not cause illness, but instead are beneficial by improving one’s immune system. These probiotics are the bacteria that transform milk to yogurt (hence the health claims of eating yogurt).

In a study done in Finland in 2007, marathon runners who took in Lactobacilli (a good bacteria) for 3 months, did not have any difference in the number of GI/respiratory infections they contracted as compared to runners who just took placebo. However, it was shown that for the probiotic group, they recovered twice as fast as compared to the placebo group. This however was only observed for GI infections, and not for the respiratory infections. Just recently, an Australian study observed that a lesser number of runners developed respiratory infections when they took in probiotics.

Admittedly, these studies are quite limited in scope and fail to really establish the role of probiotics as immune boosters. However, since the studies show that there might be some benefit and that no harmful side effects are to be expected, I’ve decided to include it into my daily regimen (masarap din kasi e . I’ve been drinking 1 Yakult (R) daily and so far and I think it has already started to help me (though it may just be the placebo effect). For one, I haven’t contracted any illnesses yet (this could be due to me not overtraining), so I say that its been effective so far  So for those out there looking for ways to improve your immune system, daily ingestion of probiotics (in the form of yogurt or yogurt drinks) maybe a good alternative/addition in your daily regimen. Keep on running!

16 miles at UP Diliman

As scheduled, I did my long run at UP Diliman last Sunday. Ran (walked at times) 16 miles –> which is the farthest distance I’ve ever traveled on foot! It took me around 2 hours and 50 minutes at an average pace of 10min/mi.

I started out running comfortably at a 9-9:30min/mi pace, maintaining it until I reached 13 miles… when I suddenly “hit the wall!” My legs just felt so heavy and tired at this point… however, I was still able to continue running, albeit at a slower pace of 10-12min/mi with occasional walking breaks. How much slower was I then? Well, I was able to run my first 13 miles at around 2 hours, my next 3… almost an hour! Still, it’s an improvement when compared to my previous long runs. When I ran 12 miles, I hit the wall at 10 miles, last week when I ran 14 miles, I hit it at the 12 mile mark… so hopefully, with further training… I’ll be able to push that wall farther!

Using my Garmin, I measured the ICTUS and GIG routes used last Jan and Feb, respectively. And, the runners were correct… the ICTUS was quite long measuring 12 km, while the GIG was definitely short at just a little over 9.1km (kaya pala ako nag PR nun hehehe

I saw the Runnex Running Club (complete with singlets and race bibs) do what I assumed was a trial run of the Runnex run next Sunday. Nakasalubong ko nga din pala si Passion Runner sa acad oval…

This week will be my recovery week after pushing myself hard this past 4 weeks. Will just be having easy runs of 10 km for Tue and Thurs… which in a way is good since it will allow me to rest and recover in preparation for Runnex on Sunday. See you all on Sunday! Keep on Running!

A busy month of racing in May!

Its summer… and it’s been great so far, especially since there’s a race almost every weekend! Though I was only able to join 1 race in April (the OYM run at the Fort), May will be particularly busy for me. I’ve already registered for a race each Sunday of May!

May sked:

May 4 –> Runnex 10 km at UP Diliman

May 11 –> Champion 10 km at the Marikina River Bank

May 18 –> Pringles 3 mi at the Fort

May 25 –> Takbo Para sa Puso 10 km at UP Diliman

I’m already getting all giddy for all these upcoming races! Keep on running!

marathon training

I’m on my 4th week of my 16 week marathon training program (downloaded from runner’s world’s smart coach). My plan is to be able to join the Milo Marathon elimination on August 3…

My usual weekly sked is as follows

Mon –> rest day

Tue –> easy run of  6-7 miles at 9-9:30 min/mi pace

Wed –> weight training (chest, back and shoulders)

Thu –> tempo (3 miles at 8 min/mi pace) or speed run (3 1 mile intervals at 7min/mi pace)

Fri –> weight training (abs and arms)

Sat –> rest day

Sun –> long run at 9min/mi pace (started at 10 mi, increasing every week by 2 mi) with occasional tempo runs at 8-8:30 min/mi pace when I join a race

 So far my body has been taking the training quite well, my runs have left me tired, but not overly exhausted. I’ve also been following the rest schedules to allow my body to recover after each training run… even if I’m tempted to run everyday… no sense overtraining and burning myself out.

This Sunday, I’ll be doing my long run of 16 miles in UP Diliman… which I think is the best place in the metro to do just that. Diliman has fresh air (with all those trees –> in addition giving lots of shade), mixed terrain of flats, uphills and downhills, asphalt roads, company (since alot of people run there on Sundays), and best of all… it has all that great food (taho, “dirty” ice cream, mixed fried balls, etc… to provide all the needed nutrients after a run. Also, there’s water given free of charge care of the Runnex club around the academic oval! (Many thanks to you guys

I’ll be running the various routes of previous races that were held there (ICTUS, GIG)… since I didn’t have a garmin then, I’m not really sure whether the complaints regarding their distances are true. (The ICTUS was said to be too long, while the GIG a bit short)… keep on running!

where were the celebrities?

I decided to run the draw the line race hoping to see some GMA celebrities, either running the course or as eye candy during the awarding ceremonies. However, I was disappointed there weren’t any around (except I guess for paulo, the host, and his wife suzie)…

Despite that complaint, the draw the line run turned out to be one of my best runs so far. During the race, I felt good and fit, maintaining a fast pace (for me) all through out. I ran less than 5min/km splits from start to finish, and felt comfortable doing it. It seems some things I did for this run worked out nicely for me so I’ll give a run down on how I prepared for this race…

• my speed/tempo trainings are beginning to bear fruit… doing one of these every week has made my body adjust to the rigors of running fast (i may have felt comfortable running last Sunday, but during training days… I feel like a wreck!)
• i slept a good 5 hours!
• had a heavy breakfast of harder to digest food (2 slices of pizza) upon waking at 3 am then had a brick of nestle chocolait (contains easier to digest sugars) before leaving the house at around 4 am – these provided me enough energy which sustained me during the race
• since I was supposed to run 12 miles (~19.2km) for my long run today, i arrived early at the fort and did a 4.5km warm up run (pace 10min/mile) – I never did a warm up run before prior to a race before – which allowed my body to get loose, and because of the slow pace, I didn’t over exert myself expending valuable energy
• at the start of the race, I withheld myself from all the excitement as I didn’t want to burn myself out. A lot of people were really zooming at the start, to think I was already running at a 4:45min/km pace – which surprised me since I don’t really run this fast, but since I felt comfortable, I decided to maintain this pace
• used my new shoes – I’ve finally retired my old fila shoes (I’ll be posting a separate post about them) from racing. It was the first time I used my new shoes in a race (I’ve been using them for training the past few days), an adidas brand (I don’t know what model, all I know is that it’s probably an old one since I bought it really cheap in Baguio). They felt great during the race and provided me with more support making my run more comfortable
• I brought my own water bottle, since I didn’t want to slow down at the water stations – though they offered bottled water which you can just pick up while still running (like a baton during relays). The bottle I used was a refilled propel plastic bottle, which I carry by slipping it in my back with my shorts keeping it in place (I got this from baldrunner when I saw him do this at the DND half marathon). I use propel since it has a nice shape following the groove of my back so it doesn’t bounce much when I run
• I was able to drink while running! – When I started running, I tried drinking while running, and ended up almost killing myself! I almost drowned myself as the water kept on choking me! However, I’ve been practicing doing this during every training run since I realized I was losing a lot of time stopping just so I can have drink. The tactic I use (which I got from runner’s world) is to put the spout at the side of my lips, allowing me to have controlled sips
• I used a sun visor – after the mizuno run (where I developed a mild sunburn on my face), I decided to wear one to help protect my face and eyes from the sun. An additional benefit it provided was that it soaked up some of my sweat decreasing the amount that would’ve flowed into my face, so I didn’t have to keep on wiping sweat from my eyes and face
• I only quickened my pace a bit at the 6km mark – though I couldn’t really run a whole lot faster since most of the uphills were after this mark… the good thing is I didn’t slow down though

My unofficial time was at 45:25, though I only remembered to turn off my watch after receiving my loot bag… still, it was a new PR for me for an almost 10km run (my garmin measured it to be 9.3km) – my previous PR for this distance was at the GIG run where I ran in 49 mins.

After lounging around the finish area (doing a little shopping for shorts, looking for other free stuff), and still not seeing any celebrities, I decided to just run off and to complete my required mileage for the day. Ran through Mckinley Road, then EDSA (which lucky for me wasn’t filled with cars or buses since it was a Sunday morning) until the Magallanes station where I boarded the MRT on my way back to Manila. – I did my stretching at the Taft station

All in all, the race was well organized, the route was ok, not overly challenging, but not too easy, and there was enough water for all the racers. I just wish races would start earlier though… and that distances be measured accurately… ok lang na sumobra, wag lang sanang kulang… kakabitin kasi e

treadmill pictures

here’s how the old treadmill looks like…

a treadmill battered by a lot of users…

the new treadmills…

because of these, i can still train when i wake up late, and even if its just too hot to run outside. keep on running!

Me… a running coach?

It finally happened…

Last Saturday, months after I first asked…  my girlfriend and I went on our first road run together! A few months ago, when I was very new in the sport (and didn’t know anything about how to properly start running), my girlfriend and I ran side by side using treadmills. After about 15-20 minutes of running, she just stopped and complained that she got too tired. A day after, her whole body was in pain… hence, her running career halted to a complete stop…

Fast forward to the present, after a few months of listening to my running stories… the benefits I’ve noted by running (of which I think what most appealed to her is that I’ve managed to remain thin all this time )… she finally asked if she too can start running… of course I said yes! However, since I’m a bit knowledgeable now, I formulated a plan for her to ease into running by following a walk/jog plan (which I adapted from runner’s world). I didn’t want a repeat of the last time where we started out too fast causing an early burn out.

Our plan was for us to have 1 minute jogs in between 1-2 minutes of walking for a total of 30 minutes. We’ll be doing this every Saturday (due to work constraints) until she can jog 30 minutes straight. So how did she feel after our session? She felt great! She was so excited to be able to jog a bit that she’s told me she’s looking forward to the next Saturday when we can go jogging again! Hope that enthusiasm is maintained… keep on running!