the 36th milo marathon

so i'm on the week leading to the milo run. for some reason though, i don't feel comfortable because almost all week last week, i wasn't able to do any workout or practice run. practice builds my confidence and workout is my new comfort zone.

when i can't practice on the road, i still do some cardio exercises at the comfort of my home. i think it is safe to say that i have found something i could be passionate about. which is why i do my exercises diligently. it makes me feel better about myself.

but to be honest, i feel that i can outdo myself this time. i will have a time way better than my first 21k which is clocked at 2:37 something. being with positive people does help a lot, i believe.

so, milo marathon runners, whatever distance you're running, whatever your goal is, good luck! let's do this!

don't ask me why i run

ask yourself why you don't.

with my back against the wall

i would like to open this blog by saying this:

if you did something stupid and get yourself out of that stupid situation you have put yourself in, you have done amazing.

i joined an LSD (long slow distance) practice run yesterday and i put myself in a situation where i cannot be left behind because 1) i don't know the place, 2) i stashed my phone in a bag of a companion and 3) the route is mostly hills, which is more demanding on leg strength and conditioning. the worst part of it is, they all run faster and longer than i can.

what i did amazing?

my biggest problem in long distance running is endurance. i cannot run long without taking a walk break and the longer i run, i take more and longer walk breaks. i cannot do that in this particular run because i cannot afford to be left behind by the party.

in my desperate efforts to keep up with the party, i have developed what i have always wanted to develop. rhythmic breathing. with this, i was able to keep up with them throughout the run.
what went wrong?

well, almost. i hit the wall when my right leg cramped. this is because of dehydration. i used up my gatorade and water (which i bought along the way) and there was a stretch where there no store to buy hydration from. this is where my leg cramped.

when we saw a store, my coach told me to drink up not water but soda. i needed sugar that time so i gulped down a bottle of coke then i stretched. i was able to recover at the last kilometer to finish running.

what i started appreciating?

throughout the run, sweat run down from my head down to my face. when sweat get to my eyes, my eyes hurt a lot and my focus is distracted. i don't wanna wear my headband because i think it looks gay. yes, i have my own stereotype. XD but having gone through all the pain and sweat in my eyes, i think i will start wearing my headband in my next run. to hell with my stereotype. hahaha!

i am winding down my training since milo marathon is just 2 weeks away. my target this time is sub-2 hour performance. it won't be easy so i would need your support and prayers. cheers!

note: photo is not mine. no patent infringement intended. credit goes to the owner.

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!