Becoming a Runner

Sometime ago, after months of being bored to death about my stories about running, my girlfriend eventually decided to also take up the sport. Thus began my dabbling into coaching… (to read previous post, click here).

THE CHANGES

• she can now run 50 minutes straight! When we began, she used to complain and get mad at me when we ran beyond 1 minute… now, we’re up to 50 minutes of continuous running!
• she sprints at the end of our runs… she reasons, “parang bitin kasi yung takbo pag walang sprint sa dulo”…
• she now looks at sporting stuff too… before, when we’d go around the mall and come across a sporting store, she’d ask me… “Aren’t you going to look?” And when we’d go inside, she’d just follow me as I looked around. Now, when she asks me that question and we’d go inside a store, she leaves my side, goes to the female section and starts looking at the clothes and shoes…
• she surfs for running related stuff… aside from the sites she usually visits, she now visits running related sites! Just the other time, she was looking at the Nike website determining what shoes they’re suggesting for her foot type, which she found out in another site…
• she gets disappointed when we don’t get to run…

At present, we’re still in base-building mode, so the plan is to further increase the length of our runs before we incorporate some speed into her training. I’ve been broaching the idea of her joining races in the future but, as of now, it’s not something she’s considering… because she doesn’t want to wake up early just to join a race. Of course that’s what she said also about running, that she’d never take it up… so maybe, there’s still hope she’ll change her mind

Daang Hari

I ran part of this route (though I’m not really sure if it’s Daang Hari, I just followed instructions given by DATC and JunC) yesterday morning. I was only able to reach until the Portofino area since I already had to go back to avoid being late for work

Daang Hari seems to be a very long road… making it an ideal route where to do those long runs. It’s mostly flat and well-paved. If you run early in the morning, you’ll be shielded from the rising sun’s rays by the tall talahibs that line some parts of the road, by the high walls of Ayala Alabang and other subdivisions, and by trees in some areas.

The downside though is that there are a lot of vehicles passing through this road, so you get to suck in some of their fumes when you breathe. The presence of trees hopefully minimizes this though. There are also no sidewalks in some areas, forcing you to run on the road making it a little bit more dangerous. Also, there aren’t any houses near the road so there aren’t places to ask for help when needed.

Daang Hari generally seems to be a nice route to run on. However, I don’t recommend running it when it gets dark, due to the reasons stated above. Hopefully, I’ll get the chance to run it again, maybe going farther and seeing where the road leads to

The QC Red Cross Run: Testing the Nike Limitless

When I heard about this race, I got a little bit excited. If there were no changes in my schedule, I’d be able to squeeze in this run. My last race was during the Manila Half Marathon, and my last 10 km race was almost 3 months ago (the DVA run), so I was really itching to race again. It was also a great opportunity to test out my new shoes during race conditions.

Registration: Since I wasn’t sure about my schedule, I didn’t pre-register for this race. My plan was to register during the race day itself – big mistake. When I arrived at the registration booth, I found out that a lot of people also had the same plan. I was still in line when the dignitary-sponsors of the race were already beginning their pre-race speeches. I finally got my bib number at around 6:10 am (start time was supposed to be 6 am – good thing there were a lot of speeches so the race didn’t start out on time ), and immediately proceeded to the start line.

Route: The race route was as follows: a half loop of the QC Memorial Circle, proceed to Philcoa… enter UP Diliman, then run through University Avenue. Two loops around the Acad Oval followed, then Univeristy Avenue again to exit UP Diliman, then the other half of the QC Memorial Circle to finish.

Distance: 9.1 kilometers

The Race: When I arrived at the start line. I was greeted by the familiar faces of some of the members of Happy Feet After final well-wishing from the organizers, the start gun was fired and though I didn’t have much warm-up… we were off! As in most races, the start was a little bit slow due to the mass start so I had to weave a bit while running to avoid some of the runners as I progressed forward. I wanted to run the start conservatively but because my shoes felt so comfortable, I was lulled into running at a quicker pace. I was just thinking to myself that I hope I won’t pay for this later when I’d get too tired that my pace would slow considerably.

Since I was familiar with the course, I knew that the route would be mostly flat. Had I probably trained properly for this race, I knew that this could have been a PR-breaking race for me. But since I haven’t, I was satisfied to run this race as a training run.

While I was completing my first loop around the Acad Oval, I heard some police sirens blaring behind me. I knew that the front runner was probably fast approaching so I swerved closer to the curb to allow them to pass by… that’s when I saw that it was Eduardo Buenavista leading the race. I decided to try to keep pace with him just so I’d have a feel on how running at that pace felt like. It was a blistering pace, which I only maintained for about 7 seconds. I however got a first-hand look on how graceful he looked running, while mine felt so laborious. His feet also seemed to just touch the ground so briefly and without much impact.

At that blistering pace, I noticed my shoes “react.” As my feet rolled during push-off, I felt the rivulets in the outsole seem to dig deeper into the ground seemingly propelling me quicker. Also, my heels didn’t feel much of an impact as I was running, still because of the comfort and softness of the shoe.

I got to finish the race maintaining my pace at 4:52 min/km. I did do a short sprint at the end but this was cut short by the too-soon appearing finish line. My time was 44:20 for the 9.1 kilometer race. It wasn’t a PR run, but I was still satisfied

At the finish, I got to chat with Mikey, Mayen and Dingdong (RunMD).

It was a relatively well organized race. There were enough marshals directing traffic especially in the high vehicle volume area in Philcoa. My only complaints though are that the race was too short, and that there wasn’t enough water stations especially at the finish (even if they gave Gatorade, we still need water!)

So how was the shoe, it felt great! After the race, I was surprised to find out that I didn’t feel as tired as usual. My legs (especially my knees and thigh muscles) also didn’t have any pain anywhere. I felt like I still had enough energy to run another 10 kilometers! It thus made me wonder… all these just because of a shoe?

Nike: Limitless

I got to join the Nike Lunar test run last Saturday (many thanks to Coach Rio and Nike!). However, I arrived a bit late at the Nike store at BHS, hence, when I was in line to get a Nike Lunar shoe, I was disappointed to find out that they no longer had a pair in my size (of course, it was all my fault!). I had to “settle” for what was available… the Nike Limitless. When I tried the shoe on, my disappointment immediately turned to excitement! As my foot slid into the shoe, it just felt great. The fit was just right, and when I took my 1st step, it was heaven! (sorry for the exaggeration )

After receiving the shoe and singlet, together with the other runners there, we ran a couple of loops around BHS to test our shoes. Though it was just a short run, it provided me a little insight on how the shoe works.

on the go!

What I Liked About the Shoe

• it’s lightweight (very light!)
• the fit.
• it provides ample comfort. The soles provide great cushioning that it seems as if there’s less impact when my feet strike the ground.

What I Didn’t Like About the Shoe

• nothing really…

What OTHER People Might Not Like About the Shoe

• it does not provide adequate stability. The shoe is so responsive that it may enhance problems in your footstrike. If you’re an overpronator, you may tend to overpronate more, if you’re a supinator, you supinate more.
• it has a narrow toe box. The shoe I got was a half size larger than my usual, but it still felt snug. Some people with wider feet may have problems with the fit.

In the afternoon, I got to test the shoe some more when my girlfriend and I did a nice run in their village. Some of her comments:

• when I ran, it seemed my form was better than usual…
• my running seemed effortless…
• every time I took a step, it seemed I was bouncing…
• and the colors reminded her of Royal Tru-Orange

The Shoe:

(I wore the shoe in this morning’s Red Cross Run… more on that on the next post)

Animal Bites

Before working here in RITM, I didn’t know that there were so many people out there being bitten by animals (commonly by dogs and cats). In an ordinary clinic day, we usually get around 50 consults, all because they were bitten by an animal!

Runners as a group are at an increased risk for being getting bitten by dogs (since we see a lot of them just scattered around when we run) – though the good news so far is that I haven’t yet encountered a runner consulting the clinic for a dog bite…

The greatest danger in getting bitten by an animal is the possibility that that animal may be rabid and may transmit the virus to you through its bite. The problem with contracting rabies is that so far, it still is an untreatable disease. Once you have it, once you develop the typical symptoms of rabies (hydrophobia – fear of water, aerophobia – fear of air (because it causes pain when it hits a patient’s skin, or increased salivation) –> you die within 24 hours. And I assure you, it’s not one quiet, peaceful process.

Hence, the mainstay for management is still prevention. First rule, prevent yourself from getting bitten… second rule, get yourself informed…

WHAT TO DO WHEN BITTEN BY A DOG OR CAT

1. DO check if there is bleeding. If there is no bleeding, don’t force it to make it bleed. A bleeding wound is actually more dangerous since it would mean some blood vessels were popped giving the virus an avenue to enter your body.
2. DO clean the wound immediately by vigorous (remember: not too vigorous that it can cause bleeding) washing and flushing with soap and water, for at least 10 minutes.
3. DO apply alcohol or betadine to the wound.
4. DO leash or cage the animal, or ask the dog/cat’s owner to do so, so that it can be observed for 14 days. Have your vet check up on the animal from time to time, especially if it gets sick.
5. DO consult your doctor so you can be advised regarding receiving rabies vaccination.

WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN BITTEN BY A DOG OR CAT

1. do NOT induce bleeding.
2. do NOT apply/rub garlic, papaya, or any agimat (talismans) on the wound – as these may burn the skin and worsen/infect the wound. (From my experience, this is still a very prevalent practice among those getting bitten)
3. do NOT have the wound sucked by your local albularyo (quack doctor) in an effort to “remove the toxins.” You don’t know where that mouth has been and by allowing him to suck the wound, more microbes may be introduced into the wound causing other infections.
4. do NOT cover the wound with gauze or band aid, especially if the wounds are small, and no longer bleeding, it is better to not cover the wound since exposure to air kills the virus.
5. do NOT kill the animal unless needed to do so. Healthy animals need not to be sacrificed.

Important points:

• a history of rabies vaccination in an animal is not always a guarantee that the biting animal is not rabid or will not develop rabies
• for those who deal with animals constantly (vets, pet lovers, kids with pets), ask your doctor about pre-exposure rabies vaccination –> accidents do happen (and believe me, it does happen a lot)
• the rabies virus is transmitted through the animal’s saliva, meaning even a lick can transmit the virus – especially if the part licked has wounds or broken skin
• rats, and other rodents do not harbour the virus
• other mammals (monkeys, bats) can also transmit the virus

Hope this info is helpful!

Alabang Running

Though I’ve been stuck in Alabang this month, I’ve still been able to squeeze in some runs after work. The hospital where I work (RITM) is near a project being developed by the Filinvest corporation. The area is still underdeveloped, but what’s great is that the road system was one of the 1st things they put in place. The roads are well-paved with asphalt and the surrounding areas are covered with greeneries. The area is also a little hilly so giving me ample areas to do my hill running. The only problem is that the area is not well-lighted so my runs have been limited to just a little over 1 hour… I sure don’t want to get stuck in an unfamiliar place when it gets dark…

With the help of my garmin, I’ve been able to measure the distances of my routes so I’ve been able to designate areas where I can do my tempo runs and speed intervals. While doing my tempo run this afternoon, I got to meet (for the 2nd time) and run with two other runners, Gene and Allan – two strong runners who are also frequent visitors of the various blogs. The area is their home base and by running with them, it was a good break  for me from running alone. And since we were running at the same pace, we were able to push each other to continue running at our common pace. The benefits of group running!

Although I’m having a good time running in the hilly, well-paved, fresh-aired areas of Alabang, I still sometimes miss being in Manila especially now that I’ve missed every race that has been held the past few weeks! The only upside to this is that I’m able to rest myself and hopefully be stronger when I do get the chance to race again… keep on running!

No Blog Posts

I haven’t been able to post anything new the past few days… I’ve been banished to the RITM hospital in Alabang, where I’ll be rotating for the whole month of August. And aside from being quite busy, I also don’t have any internet access there… so no blogging…

I’m hoping though that I’ll still be able to sneak in some posts once in awhile. To those who continue to visit this site, even when nothing new is posted… many thanks!