run breathe run

last night, i did intervals training. well, i attempted to do so. however, i wasn't able to finish the drill because i had side stitch while running. what is side stitch?

today, researchers refer to this nagging abdominal pain by the much more technical and scientific term, "exercise-related transient abdominal pain" (etap). regardless of what you call it, the pain is often enough to stop runners and swimmers in their tracks and hold their sides in agony.

so, i asked my coach why it happened. he told me that it has something to do with my breathing. he asked about my breathing rhythm and i told him that i inhale when my left foot strikes the ground and exhales the next time my left foot strikes the ground. i was told that i should've breathed differently according to my speed and effort. the slower i go, the slower i should breathe, he said.

well, i did some research and found out that he's right (more on that later) and it makes me feel proud and relieved that my coach actually know his thing. not that i doubt him but knowing he's no fluke makes my breathing easier. hehehe.

though the cause of side stitch is still unknown, there are some theories regarding its causes. they are as follows:

1. too much food intake before running
2. improper pacing
3. quick and shallow breathing
4. lack of warm-up

so, knowing the causes of side stitch, it is now easier to avoid it. so how do we avoid it, exactly? here's the list:

1. eat mildly pre-run
2. regulate your breathing
3. invest in a solid warmup

hmm, so what if i get side stitch during a run? there's a solution too! here's what you have to do:

as with any muscle cramp, the best immediate treatment is to try to stretch the cramping muscle as much as possible. how do you get to the diaphragm on the inside of your body?, try altering your breathing pattern. take a deep breath in as quickly as you can, to force the diaphragm down. hold the breath for a couple of seconds and then forcibly exhale through pursed lips to restrict the outward air flow. you may also find that bending forward can help you expel as much air as possible.

with all these new knowledge, i hope to get a better breathing rhythm in my runs and i hope to preven side stitch that stops me on my tracks during runs. i hope i helped you somehow, too!

happy running!

references:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/injuries/a/aa053100a.htm
http://askcoachjenny.runnersworld.com/2012/05/four-ways-to-stop-the-dreaded-side-stitch.html
http://www.bodyresults.com/e2sidestitches.asp

forever young

who doesn't want to be forever young? to have a body that doesn't deteriorate? to be forever able to play the game of your passion?

hey, have you asked me? hahaha! to be honest, being forever young is tempting but i still prefer to grow old and grow up.

if you would notice, mental and physical growth are inversely proportional. you sacrifice your youth, strength and energy to gain knowledge and wisdom. as your body gets spent, your mind continues to grow and get a lot stronger.

jump and celebrate life

life is like a race. at the start of the race, you start a little slower. this is to get your body warmed up. as you pick up your pace, you use your strength to go faster. as the race ends, with your body getting tired, you use your knowledge to gauge your own body and how much more beating it can take to take it to the finish line in the least time possible.

well, all i really wanna say is you gotta age gracefully and take what life has to give head on. cheers, everyone! ^_^

Run United 2: when i conquered my first half-marathon

i am having a runner's knee at the moment so i really cannot think of anything smart to say. blame it on my lack of preparation. i didn't practice long distance running that much. as a result, my left leg and knee gave up on me on the 15K mark. i had to drag myself to finish since then.

my gun time was over 2:44 but we're more or less 15 minutes late off the gun so my time is still pretty good at around 2:29 for a first timer. it was 20 minutes off target but i am satisfied nonetheless. i think i am gonna share the experience when i am feeling less pain on my left knee.

here are the pictures, by the way:

my running buddies at the start line

my singlet, running ID and bib

covered the distance very well

finisher shirt and medal

we with our medal

until next race, everyone! please pray for my speedy recovery. ^_^

when i run

i love running. i am not exactly sure why but when i run, everybody and everything around me gets blurry. it's just me alone in my space, in my own pace.

when i run, whether in a race or during practice, i do not care who runs faster or slower than i am. it doesn't matter whether i look good or not. i couldn't care less how long i have been running but for as long as my legs and lungs would allow me, i will run.

i run not to join the runners' bandwagon. running is in my veins, if you ask me. my dad was a marathoner and my younger brother was a sprinter. i can't run as long as my dad nor as fast as my brother but i just run. but maybe someday, who knows if get better than the best they had.

when i run, my head is cleared of its problems. the stress i have for the day or week gets left behind on the road i run on and i know why. at the start of my run, i think of all sorts of things. professional problems, emotional stress, financial woes but all of them are forgotten the moment i started tiring out. my brain need to concentrate on distributing oxygen on my body and telling me to stop or slow down. in turn, my lungs will start grasping for more air as i go along. simultaneously, my legs would scream at me for abusing them while my mouth will demand for water. with all these going on, i cannot think of other things aside from running and finishing.

yes, i forget my real-life problems if only for a while but it's a good respite for me from the dog eat dog world we live in. and i don't even need alcohol nor drugs to make me forget. running is demanding enough for me to get that "high". so until i found other activities that can give me the same high and respite from the real world, i will run.

that's me walking, not running. LOL!

ability, motivation and attitude

credit goes to pinoyfitness

my merell adventure run experience

so it was all done and the runners crossed the finish line. some are wounded, some are smiling, some are dead tired but all are muddy and dirty. there was an open shower just beyond the final hydro station where everyone tried to wash away the dirt and mud and in some cases, blood.

i thought the race event was going to be canceled because of the non-stop rain the night before it. actually, it was still drizzling as we made our way to the venue. the trail just got more challenging, i thought. i just don't know whether to be happy or not with that in mind.

we gathered at the start/finish line and the countdown for the gun start began. i looked around to gauge how the other runners are feeling. most of them are wearing their game face while i shiver in the combination of drizzle and fear. this is my first trail run and i am just seconds away from doing it. no turning back now.

and the gun fired. they were all blitzing away while i try to find my comfort zone. the first part of the trail was just fine but in 30 seconds, my running buddies were far ahead. i got stuck in traffic. i'll just meet them at our pre-arranged place after the race. we were running at a low impact hill and everyone was full of energy and they were running like finish line is just around the corner. i just tried my best not to lag far behind. i still have the top 50 finish in mind.

alas, the trail turned to a beaten path and the surface is dirt and mud. balance and leg strength came to test the runners. the beaten path has only one lane and to overtake, one has to run on grass. this is where i had my advantage. modesty aside, my leg is powerful on bursts and spurts. i overtook many runners as everyone was having a hard time staying on their feet and avoiding falling on their behind. there was even someone who got mad at me because i slipped a bit while trying to overtake. she said that i shouldn't overtake given the slippery nature of the surface we're running on. i held back on sarcastically reminding her that we were in a race and not an excursion. i just left her behind and went on with my business of finishing as fast as i can.

the next challenge i faced was when i reached a turn where the trail was wide with no trees on both sides and was a steep and long downhill. i abused my legs as i try to go fast while doing everything i can to balance and brake without the help of the trees. this is where i felt that i might get injured anytime if i am not careful enough. my fear heightened when a runner in front of me fell hard on her behind because she lost control of her movement. it didn't slow me down but it got me going extra careful. i felt sorry for not helping the fallen runner but i was in a race and i am sure she's gonna be ok.

then there was this part where we had to go through a concrete barrel half immersed in puddle of mud. good thing i never bring any gadget with me whenever i run otherwise, it will spell disaster.

next, a long and steep uphill climb. if i didn't have to stop to go through that concrete barrel, i would've carried my momentum and run uphill albeit slowly. i was forced to walk my way up but i was able to summon enough energy to jog half of the way. when we reached the top, there was the mud pit. it was literally a pit and it was literally muddy. i was ignoring my loose laces for the longest time before this mud pit and i thought my shoes are going to fall off because of the mud. fortunately for me, it didn't.

for most of the race, my shoe kept collecting mud and dirt and every step i take makes my shoe heavier. i just took it as a challenge for my legs but my legs didn't like it. there was a stretch of about 500 meters where my legs feel all rubbery and they just won't listen to me. it was my hardest stretch of the race. my legs got back to its working condition when i saw the marker last 1km. however, i still wasn't able to go all out because we were back at a beaten path that is all muddy and slippery. i was just taking small but sure steps to prevent injury.

at last, i saw the wide trail where we started and someone shouted, last 500 meters! i was like, whoa! the stretch i just went through after that last 1km marker was the longest 500 meters of my life. well, at least, i am already in homestretch. however, i still wasn't able to sprint the last 500 meters because of fatigue. i crossed the finish line and a marshal gave me a medal. i made it! i was one of the top 50!

would you forgive me if i take pride in my medal even if it's just for 5km? would it be ok if i pat my back and tell myself "not too shabby for a first time, buddy?" would you hold it against me if i celebrate the accomplishment even if it's not much? to be honest with you, even if it's just for 5km, i feel like shouting and jumping for joy.

so anyway, here are the souvenirs i got from the run:

grass scratches on my arms

my shoes that were almost trashed

finisher shirt and medal

my official time by the way is as follows:

gun time - 43:07

bib time - 43:00