From Ultra to Bora

Runner’s World Half-Marathon Training Plan Week 3: Tuesday – 3km easy, Thursday – 6.5km easy, Sunday – 8km LSD (long slow distance), rest or cross training in between

My Workouts:

• Tuesday, 11/20 – 3.5km @ 29:33 (Average pace: 8:20/km)

On Tuesday afternoon, the Runner’s World team trooped to the Ultra track oval in Pasig for our cover shoot. We couldn’t have been more excited to meet our cover guy—a popular celebrity and marathoner who’s had a really inspiring journey (but more on that in the January-March 2013 issue!).

After the shoot, I did my 3.5 km easy run-walk around the oval with Roland. After the run, we went up the bleachers to do some stretching exercises while admiring the view.

Footwear: Saucony Kinvara 3
I wore these shoes the whole day, from the office to the track. Unfortunately, I went for fashion over comfort—I wore a pair of black ankle socks which kept sliding down to my heel so I ended up having blisters at the back of both feet! The shoes itself are very light and comfortable, although the upper part of the shoes are a bit narrow. I will probably just be using these shoes for drills and short runs (with the proper socks next time!).

• Thursday, 11/22 – 6.6km at 54:04 (Average pace 8:11/km)
On Thursday I was up extra early because I had a meeting all the way in Tagaytay. Luckily, I was able to take a nap on the way back to Manila, which means I had enough energy to do my run as scheduled.

Footwear: Newton Distance Trainers

• Sunday, 11/25 – 0km
My Thai friends Neuy and Gift arrived on Saturday and today we flew to Boracay! I had hoped to do my long run here but I was too tired from the trip. We did walk all the way to the end of Station 1 (from our hotel near Station 2) so that’s got to count for something, right? :p

Total Weekly Mileage: 10.1km

Listen to Your Body

Runner’s World Half-Marathon Training Plan Week 2: Tuesday – 3km easy, Thursday – 5km easy, Sunday – 8km LSD (long slow distance), rest or cross training in between

My Workouts:

• Tuesday, 11/13 – approx. 3km of drills at the RW Running Clinic at Mercato Centrale

• Wednesday, 11/14– approx. 3km of drills at the Nike+ Media Trial Session

I had a chance to road test the new Nike LunarGlide+4 Shield at their event in SM Mall of Asia last Wednesday. I also tried the Nike+ Running app on my iPhone which was pretty cool. First, we ran about half a kilometer by the bay area. Then, Coach Rio dela Cruz and his team proceeded to lead us through a set of running drills.

Though the pair I tested was a half size bigger than what I’d normally wear, the shoes felt comfortable as I ran and performed the drills. However, the upper part of the shoe is quite narrow, which can pose a problem on long runs since my feet are wider than normal. I love the bright orange accents though!

After drills by Coach Rio’s team, another group of coaches headed by Chappy Callanta of 360 Fitness Club led us through a more challenging set of exercises—burpees, mountain climbers, planks, push ups, the works! Though the workout was short, it really had me huffing and puffing. Then, another half-kilometer run by the bay. My Nike+ app recorded a total distance of about 0.9km (including the earlier run). All in all, it was a great session. My muscles felt sore the next day, which is a sure sign that my body was pushed to the limit.

• Friday, 11/16 – 3km run @ 27:31 (Average pace: 09:07/km)

I opted to rest on Thursday and tried to do my planned 5km run on Friday. However, I was already feeling very tired and heavy from the start, and my right hamstring felt sore (I’m guessing I pulled a muscle at Wednesday’s training). So in the end, I decided to listen to my body and cut the run short at 3km before the soreness could escalate into a full-blown injury!

Other factors that may have contributed to my lethargy: I had my period, I lacked sleep, and I had just started my South Beach Diet again. Perhaps my body was still adjusting to the lesser food intake.

• Sunday, 11/18 – 8km LSD @ 1:07:32 (Average pace: 08:26/km)

Cutting my Friday run short and getting a good long rest paid off because by the time I did my long run today, I was feeling really good. My average pace for this run was a little faster than last Sunday’s. I was feeling lighter (I lost a few pounds since I started dieting) and more energetic, plus the pain in my right hamstring was gone. This time, I had my running buddy and soon-to-be-hubby Roland with me, which made the time pass a little more easily. 🙂

Total Weekly Mileage: 17km

So basically, this was a good training week—one that taught me the importance of listening to my body and paying attention to the little things in training. Perhaps two consecutive “running drill days” also isn’t advisable, particularly if the workouts are intense. On to week 3! —A

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I attended the second Runner’s World running clinic with triathlon coach, Jojo Macalintal (who also happens to be the coach of celebrities like Piolo Pascual and Jennylyn Mercado!). This time it was held in Mercato Centrale, Bonifacio Global City. As what happened in Ultra last week, the session started with a short lecture on proper form and the importance of training to strengthen running muscles and prevent injury. This was then followed by ladder drills and other practical exercises.

At the end of the session, I took note of two important things:

1. According to Coach Jojo, it’s better to do planks and other core exercises before your run as this helps condition the core and improve form. Plus, you’d probably be too tired to do them after running. — I can totally relate to this. I usually do core work (if at all) after running. Next time, I’ll try to do it before running so I won’t get too lazy to do it after!

2. During training, we usually do “long slow distance” runs. Coach Jojo discourages this because he says we shouldn’t train our body to run slow. When running long and slow, the tendency is that we’ll get so tired that our form suffers. Of course, he’s not saying we should go all-out all the time; we can always run at a moderate pace (or walk even)—just don’t run too slow. (If you must, check your form!)

It was definitely a great clinic and I highly encourage all runners to attend the next few sessions. Coach Jojo has a way of making training fun (cracking jokes every now and then), and he is very approachable and willing to answer all your questions. There’s a lot you can learn, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned runner. Best of all, it’s free!

Check out the schedules below:

Back to Basics

Runner’s World Half-Marathon Training Plan Week 1: Tuesday – 3km easy, Thursday – 5km easy, Sunday – 6km LSD (long slow distance), rest or cross training in between

My Workouts:

• Tuesday, 11/6 – approx. 3km of drills

So the first week of my half-marathon training officially began last Tuesday, November 6. (I had just gotten back from Hong Kong so I was even more motivated to burn off the calories I consumed there. Hehe!) And what better way to kick off training than by participating in a Runner’s World running clinic at the Ultra track oval? The clinic was headed by renowned triathlon coach, Jojo Macalintal. He gave a short lecture on proper form and then led us through a series of drills to strengthen our leg muscles.

We must have done a solid hour of drills that included everything from ladder exercises to kangaroo jumps. Some of them I had done before, but others were pretty new to me. After drills, we ran 2 rounds (800m) around the track. It was definitely a great way to jump-start my training.

Footwear: Newton Distance trainers. The actuator lugs on the mid-foot made it a bit difficult to do some of the drills. Next time, I should probably wear a different pair.

• Wednesday, 11/7 – Zumba class

Women’s Health magazine and Gatorade sponsored a Zumba class with Sharon Yu at the office. It was such an enjoyable session! As Sharon emphasized, it was one big par-tay! I had forgotten how much fun dancing could be as a workout (even if I couldn’t follow half the steps). And there were definitely a lot of moves that resembled running drills. I was so tired that I finished one and a half bottles of low carb Gatorade. Plus, we got some freebies, like this shirt and headgear, which perfectly matched my new Saucony Kinvara 3 shoes.

• Friday, 11/9 – 5km run @ 41:10 (Average pace: 08:12/km)

I wasn’t able to run on Thursday according to plan since I had an important meeting scheduled so I opted to run on Friday instead.

Footwear: Merrell Bare Access Arc. I felt a bit of a hotspot below my right big toe. I should apply Body Glide next time to avoid blisters.

• Sunday, 11/11 – 7km LSD @ 1:02:30 (Average pace: 08:56/km)

I was psyched to do my long run today. I made sure my Garmin watch and Bluetooth headset were charged, and I updated my Running Playlist. I normally don’t listen to music since running in silence allows me to think about a lot of things, but this time my goal was to just enjoy the long run. The sun had just begun to set as I headed out the door and I couldn’t resist stopping to admire the view.

My first 3km averaged about 08:30/km, but I got slower in the last 4 kilometers. For all my runs, I usually do Galloway’s RUN-WALK-RUN™ method. Since it’s been awhile since my last long run, I followed a run-walk ratio of 3:1 (3 minutes running followed by 1 minute running—although the walking became a little longer towards the end).

Footwear: Newton Distance trainers. All good except in the last two kilometers when my right toe started to hurt. It might be because as I got tired, I consciously tried to land on my mid-foot to avoid heel striking. Maybe I landed on my toes instead?

Total Weekly Mileage: 15km

All in all, I’d say it was a successful training week. I’m pumped to be running regularly again. I hope I can keep this up till the end of the year! —A