Mizuno adjusted!

I just did some computations…

If the 1st Mizuno was 15 km, at my pace of 5:26 min/km, I would have finished in 1:21:30.

If this Mizuno Run was 15 km, my pace of 5:11 min/km would have given me a finishing time of 1:17:45. That would have been a 3 min, 15 second improvement!

Just toying around with the numbers

Rush to Mizuno 2: The Perfect Ending?

The Rush to Mizuno Run, the second edition of the Mizuno Run held last March 30, was a very highly anticipated race. More than 2400 participants had registered for the 3 distances, 5 km, 10 km and 15 km. Many of us “repeaters” signed up again to determine whether this race would be better than the 1^st (in other words, there would be a lot of water for everyone!) and to see whether our finishing times would improve. A lot of us (15 km runners) were humbled by the Mckinley Hills – I had walked parts of the hill the last time -, so this repeat performance provided a chance to make up for that. And since the race was organized by Coach Rio, we were very optimistic that this race would be much improved. The day before the race, I looked at the GF data I had from the 1^st run. The data is as follows:

• Total time: 1:19:39
• Distance: 14.66 km
• Average pace: 5:26 min/km

As I further reviewed it, it turns out I had ran the 1^st 5 km rather quickly (45 sec faster) as compared to the final 10 km. I got the following data:

• 5km –> 24:41, pace 4:56 min/km
• 9.66 km –> 54:58, pace 5:41 min/km

After analyzing my data, I formulated a new plan of attack for this race. I cut the race into two segments, a slower 1^st 5 km at my long run pace, then a quicker 10 km. I would run the 1^st 5 km as if it were a warm-up for a 10 km race While running the 1^st 5 km, I had to control the itch to speed up even if other runners were already overtaking me. Adding to the difficulty of controlling my pace was that this part of the course was mostly downhill. Still, I wanted to stick to my plan, so if my pace increased, I’d slow it down, if I slowed down too much, that’s when I picked it up a bit. As I approached 5 km, I was already excitingly counting down the kilometers, I was really itching to crank it up and run at a faster pace. At the 5 km turn around point (tip of Bayani Road), a quick glance at my garmin showed that I had run it at an average pace of 5:23 min/km, giving me a time of 27:04. It was a relatively comfortable run for me up to this point.

After having a quick sip of water at the water station (this I think was already the 3^rd or 4^th station from the start), I increased my pace to 4:50 min/km. I was able to maintain this through the 2.73 km Heritage Park loop (mostly flat). This is the part where I was beginning to gain some ground on the other runners who had overtaken me at the start. Before exiting the park, I was able to grab an ensaymada, which was being handed out, pocketed it and saved it for my after run snack. I ran Heritage Park with a time of 13 min at a pace of 4:46 min/km.

From the exit of Heritage up to exiting Mckinley Hills (mostly uphill), I was able to cover 5.32 km in 27:32, giving me a pace of 5:11 min/km. I was supposed to press the lap button of my garmin upon entering Mckinley but I forgot. Surprisingly, I was able to run the whole length of Mckinley Hills! YIPEE!

Upon re-entering Lawton Ave, I began to feel some micro cramps in my legs. I’d be running then suddenly, a part of my leg muscle would noticeably stiffen, but it would resolve immediately. With my loony logic, instead of slowing down my pace, I reasoned that I had to further pick up the pace so that I’d end the race quicker, so I would be able to rest sooner. This plan worked out nicely until about 184 meters before the finish line, when my left leg fully cramped up! It was really painful so I had no choice but to stop and stretch my left gastrocnemius muscle. I was a bit disappointed since at this point, I was at pace for a <1 hour, 19 minute finish (PR for this race distance). I ran 1.74 km (until I got my cramp) in 27:32, with a pace of 5:16 min/km. It took me 1:15 to cover the final 184 meters. My unofficial time was 1:19:29 (still a PR!) for the 15.32 km race. My average pace was 5:11 min/km. Breaking it down further, I got the following data:

• 5 km –> 27:04, pace 5:23/km
• 10.32 km –> 52:25. pace 5:05 min/km.

I was able to follow my plan to the letter. I was able to do negative splits, by controlling my pace initially, I prevented myself from being burned out early giving me enough energy to run faster in the latter parts of the course The goal now is to improve and train further so that I can decrease my long run pace, eventually giving me better times

What’s great about the race:

1. running weather –> the skies were overcast giving runners great shade from the sun.
2. great route! –> Mizuno should copyright this course so it would be forever known as the Mizuno course! The first half of the race is easier since its mostly downhill and flat. The next half is so much tougher because there are a lot of uphills, highlighted by the Mckinley Hills. However, its not just Mckinley, much of Bayani and Lawton are uphills! Before you enter Mckinley, there is this long stretch of Bayani road where its just an upward incline. It may not have the slope of Mckinley, but it is a long stretch. Its a good energy sapper prior to Mckinley. Even after leaving Mckinley, the uphills don’t end, because Lawton has its own share of tough upward inclines! What I’ve noted though is that I love hills! I’ve observed that running them is becoming one of my strenghts. As other runners slow down at the hills, I’m able to maintain my present pace, or if I slow down, I don’t slow down by much, thus I’m able to catch up other runners.
3. there were a lot of water stations –> I can’t remember how many there were but there were a lot. They were giving away both water and rush fitness water.
4. there were a lot of marshals –> all the intersections had marshals directing the runners. There was just no way you were getting lost. Although familiarity of the course helped

What didn’t work for the race:

1. though there were a lot of water stations, some of them were unprepared –> there were two water stations I had approached and I had to wait a few seconds for them to pour me a cup of water. It would have been ok if there were a lot of runners at the stations but there were just only 5 of us
2. lack of kilometer markers –> each km should have a mark. This would allow runners without garmins/foot pods to monitor their kilometer splits if they wanted to do.
3. 1 chute for all finishers? –> this was the biggest problem the race had. When I was approaching the finish line, I noticed that there was this long line to my left. As it turns out, there was only 1 chute for all the finishers! It was a really long line so I decided to just not line up and just chat with other runners/bloggers near the finish. Though I wouldn’t have an official finish time, I’d still have a finish time based on my watch. After sometime, since I didn’t want a “did not finish” across my name, I entered the chute and submitted my tag. Though I think this matter wouldn’t rattle many of the veteran runners (most have watches), I think this would suck for many of the new runners who were hoping to have their 1st official 5/10/15 km finish runs.

Runners I got to meet:

• JunC –> I saw him before he was going to warm-up at the start
• Marga –> who I met briefly at the baggage counter and at the end of the race
• Joms –> saw him at the starting line
• Levy –> who introduced himself while we were running up Bayani Road
• Prometheus
• DATC
• high altitude –> an Indonesian studying here in the Philippines who came all the way from Silang, Cavite
• BaldRunner –> had a nice chat at the finish with these four guys, about what else… running!
• Bards and Mesh –> met them at BR’s Donate a shoe booth. I got to see their cool Newton’s up close!
• Passion Runner –> he was with some UP Diliman SC members who were involved with Project CHK (the plan to improve the locker rooms of the College of Human Kinetics Gym at UP Dil)
• Taki –> saw him at Mckinley Hills, he didn’t see me though.

All in all, the race was a good one. It would have been great, almost perfectr if it weren’t for that fiasco in the end. I wouldn’t mind running again in future Mizuno races, especially if they’re organized by Coach Rio I’ve checked Coach Rio’s website, my official listed time is 2:11:08. Way off my GF time hehehe

(Coach Rio has already issued an apology through his blog – click here – )

Questions and Answers II

More questions… more answers…

3. What’s the best way to measure body fat percentage?

• Here’s a good site to check out to answer this question… click here.
• As it turns out, the use of bioelectrical impedance analysis (what’s used in the Mercury Drugstore machine) is the least accurate way to get body fat percentage. Too many factors, such as your body’s water content, affect the accuracy of the results. It, however, is easy to use hence its popularity.
• Another means to measure body fat is the use of skin calipers. As described in the article, for the results to be more accurate, the person doing the measuring should be skilled enough to do the procedure. Also, it is advisable that the same person be doing the measuring every time. This is done to minimize tester differences.
• Other more accurate ways to measure body fat are well described in the site.

4. Eating before long runs?

• I agree with the article posted by runaholic (to see post, click here). The brain is one of the major organs that we need to fuel up when we go out running, and the major source of its fuel is glucose. Glucose is stored in the body as glycogen, where the major storage areas are the liver and muscle. The liver can store about 80-100 g of glycogen, while muscles can store 300 g. However, muscle glycogen can only be used by muscles and can not be used by other organs. Hence, it is the liver that supplies the glucose once the blood levels drop.
• So when’s the best time to eat for a run? It depends on the time of your run, the time of your last meal, and the uniqueness of your body. For average runners, when running, the liver can supply the needed blood glucose for approximately 1-1 and a half hours only. So if your planning to run longer than that, a light snack about 30 minutes before you run maybe adequate. I would also suggest having a light snack prior to running, regardless of the planned length of time of running, if your last meal was about 6 hours prior to the start of your run. It also advisable that while running, you have sips of a sports drink to supply a steady source of sugar to the body.
• What to eat for a snack? A snack of 200-300 calories is sufficient. Just make sure that the snack contains 40-60% of carbohydrates, 20-30% of protein, and the rest fat. A sample snack would be a slice of bread (carbohydrates), slathered with peanut butter (protein and fat), and washed down with water.
• However, these are just general guides since each human body is unique. You’ll have to test what works for you during training and apply what’s best during race day

5. Burning fat by running?

• The preferred source of energy by our muscles is fat. Surprising, but true. Its glycogen stores are reserved for those moments when an easier to breakdown source of energy is needed (e.g. tempo and interval running). So at rest, and when we exert effort that raises our heart rate to 60-70% of our target heart rate (THR = 220-age), the major source of its energy is fat. This THR usually corresponds to our easy run pace. So if you want to lose weight by exercising, make sure you attain your THR (not beyond, or else your muscles will be using glycogen rather than fat) and maintaining it for at least 30 mins each workout, 5x a week.
• So why does fat loss seem slower initially, only increasing as our running improves? Possible reasons include: 1) we run less initially; 2) our muscles are not that developed yet –> bigger muscles –> more fat burned

Hope these help!

15 mile run… and sunscreen

The last time I checked the PAGASA website, the weather forecast for the next few days was that of rain. Because of this, I lamented the fact that I’d be stuck running on the treadmill if I wanted to sneak in some training runs for the week. However, when I woke up yesterday, it was a nice surprise to see that it wasn’t raining anymore! Add to that, the sun was beginning to show itself. As the day progressed, there were no longer any hints of rain, and the sun shone brightly.

I rejoiced (since I wouldn’t have to run on the treadmill ) and decided to run outdoors after work. I ran a total of 15 miles, with an average pace of 10:13min/mi, really slowing down the last couple of miles. Since the sun was still up when I started my run, I slathered on sunscreen on my face and the rest of my body.

On the topic of sunscreens, I read this interesting article in the April 2008 issue of Runner’s World. According to the article, studies have shown that runners are at an increased risk in developing skin cancers when compared to non-runners. Reasons cited are the following:

• increased sun exposure due to increasing mileage
• depressed immune system due to the stresses of training
• more prone to sunburns since sweat increases the photosensitivity of the skin.

So what should we do? We can learn from 2004 Olympic Marathon medalist Deena Kastor’s plan:

• slather on sunscreen (make sure to use a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays –> at least spf 15) before a run
• wear sun-protective clothing
• avoid mid day runs.

Deena Kastor was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma in 2001.

Manila Half Marathon: POSTPONED!

The Manila Half Marathon Challenge is postponed! I just got back from the Quirino Grandstand and I was informed by the race officials that due to the weather disturbance, Mayor Lim had called off the run and postponed it to a later date (TBA).

When I woke up this morning, I was hopeful that the race would push through. It wasn’t raining anymore and the streets were actually beginning to dry up. However, there were still episodic gusty winds, some of which were quite forceful. I think this is just the tail end of the typhoon that just hit us, but I guess it was enough cause for the officials to cancel the race.

After posting this, I’m going back to bed

- should have been posted at 5am -

Ok, I wasn’t able to post this entry awhile back because the lights went out… anyways, I’ve just woken up, and when I looked outside my window… it was raining, accompanied by very strong winds! Good call Mayor Lim!

I checked the PAGASA public weather site and from the image, this isn’t just typhoon Frank’s tail end, he’s hit the country head on! The eye of the storm is just 90 km southeast from Manila, its winds are at 120 kph, and its moving at 15 kph northwest. Its signal number 3 here in Manila, and from the forecast, it will be raining for 3 more days!

I guess this means I’ll be stuck running on the treadmill

Since it’s a cold rainy day, I’m slipping under my sheets again and just doze off……

A Day Before the Manila Half Marathon

Its been raining the whole day due to typhoon Frank. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative for running tomorrow.

This will be my 3rd half marathon overall, and 2nd in as many weeks. I joined the 8th DND-AFP half last week where my official time was 1:54:36. Let’s see if I can improve on this time tomorrow To all the participants tomorrow, see you at Luneta, and good luck to all of us!

Questions and Answers I

Here’s my take on some of the questions asked in the previous post:

1. What is the BMI?

• The BMI, or body mass index, is an approximate measure of a person’s degree of “fatness.” It is computed using the formula BMI = weight in kg/height in meters squared. An alternative formula is BMI = (weight in pounds x 703)/height in inches squared
• For asians, the normal BMI is from 18.5-23, overweight is 23-25, obese is more than 25. These are lower than the values for non-asians (normal is 18.5-25, overweight is 25-30, obese is > 30) since asians have leaner, smaller bodies as compared to non-asians.
• A BMI of less than 18.5 would mean a person is underweight and malnourished, making that person prone to certain infections and other illnesses. As the BMI goes over the overweight levels, the risk in developing cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, and diabetes also increases.
• The BMI is however biased against muscular individuals since the BMI may be elevated due to the heavier muscle mass, rather than due to increased fatty deposits.

2. When is the best time to check one’s weight?

• I agree that the best time to get one’s weight is during the morning, upon waking. It is during this time that a person is “driest,” lessening the effect of food and liquid intake. However, the focus shouldn’t just be on the “absolute” weight, it should be noted relative to your BMI, and body fat percentage.

to be continued….