Takbo.ph Runfest 2011 on July 24

Planning to join this race after a month-long lay off. Prices for fun runs sure have spiked in the last 5 years. Php 550 for 5K? If I didn't love this sport so much I'd just forget about it (from takbo.ph):

Reg Fee	Inclusion
5K = Php 550	Finishers' Medal, Singlet, RFID timing tag, personalized race bib (for early registrants)
10K = Php 550	Finishers' Medal, Singlet, RFID timing tag, personalized race bib (for early registrants)
16K = Php 650	Finishers' Medal, Singlet, RFID timing tag, personalized race bib (for early registrants)

Early reg is over. Still waiting for regular registration to start. I contacted the email add they provided and received this reply:

Hi Anne,

Thank you for your interest to join the Takbo.ph Runfest.
The regular registration will resume next week. We are targeting to start wednesday [July 13, 2011] next week once the materials arrive to us.
We are still waiting for the singlets to be complete before we start the regular registration.
About 500 slots will be open. If necessary, we will increase to another 500 slots.

See you at Runfest.

- Jinoe

Hopefully they update soon. :)

New Training Cycle for 2011 :)

The Natgeo Earth Day Run last Sunday was...how do I say this, really fun. I believe this must be one of the the biggest races I ever joined, with over 10,000 participants. I was awed by the sheer number of people. I didn't know how great the running community's been doing these past few days. Looks like the trend has really taken off! And well, lots of companies are able to make money out of this by charging us a hell lot more than they did five years ago, when I could register for a race and get a singlet for as low as Php200.

In any case, the run was for our planet, and I guess the Php900++ I paid for the 10K distance is nothing compared to what we've done to harm nature. I've never raced in Bonifacio High Street before, and it was the first time I experienced the "high" part of the street. The route had about four uphill climbs, with the last one being the longest. It was good I came prepared, as I'd integrated hill work in my just-finished training program. I didn't get my goal time of 57 mins. I clocked in at about 59+, which is still okay given that I was still had a cough. It was sort of embarrassing coughing while running, almost as if I might have an asthma attack at any moment. At about kilometer 8, I DID feel like I might have an attack (which hasn't happened to me in years), but I still finished strong. Too bad there were too many people heading for the finish line so I wasn't able to sprint my all. At the end of the race, I felt like I still had something to give.

I was so hungry after finishing! And there weren't many freebies save for the 1,000 pizza slices from Greenwich. I was bumped out of the line so I wasn't able to get a piece. Darn, I wish they'd gotten some food brands for sponsors! :S

Met my officemate, Des, at the race. She ran the 5K. And we took some pics while at the activity area:

Aww, how round naman my cheeks haha :b

Des and I (too bad I changed my shirt already, the singlet was pretty cool)

I'll be taking a break for the rest of April. I think I might have developed an overuse injury on my left foot. There's been this throbbing pain on my forefoot that comes back every time I run. I hope by May it's gone as I'll be starting a new program by then. I hope I can make 24 mins for my next 5K race, and 56 for the 10K!

Running, Racing

Last year, I got it into my head to get back into running. Not that I left it behind somewhere along the way; it was just that I'd treated it more as a recreational activity than an avenue for competition. It's been years since my last big competition, and I was still with the team then. I've always done mid-distance sprints, but last year I thought "why don't a try a full 42K marathon?"

After graduating, I had loads of time for myself. When I wasn't writing, I didn't know what to do with the extra time I had, so I thought, what the heck? Why don't I try? I had a running buddy who was very much into the longer distances anyway, so I was pretty confident that I could do it (till I found out there are really what they call 'endurance monsters' out there).

I started by making a running program for myself. I was like a crazy chef, taking Googled ingredients from here and there. Got hold of the basics first: Intervals, Tempo runs, Easy runs, and of course, the dreaded Long run.

While I was working my way up to doing 3-hour long runs (that was around 4 months into my 5-month long program), I burned out. I was like, "I'm not made for long distance running." I don't know how my running buddy did Camsur in 5 hours, because I felt that it would be impossible for me to even finish that full 42K stretch. Because I didn't have the confidence to join the Quezon City International Marathon's 42K, I settled for half that distance, the 21K. Sadly, I trained for that event, only to be let down by my work, which kept me hanging about in Pasay until 2am for consecutive days prior to the race. I was in no condition to compete, so I just settled for the Grand Fiesta Run's 10K.

This year, I'm not sure if I'll just concentrate on the 5K and 10K distances, which are easier for me to stomach given my busy work sched and the fact that I'm still not used to long-distance running. I usually run really early in the morning. I'm putting my makeshift plan below (not that I always follow it, but at least I kinda have to stick to it since I made it). I excluded a month's worth of running since I already finished those to prepare for the Edsa Run this week.

All this is time-based since I don't have time to go to a track and measure the distances I run. I'll be crossing out/adjusting the workouts as I go along, depending on how I do, and my mood.
Got the races from takbo.ph.

Program
Week	Mon	Tues	Weds	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	Feb 21: Rest	Tempo: 10-10-5	45 min easy	4min x 5	45 min easy	Rest	5K Race: Edsa Run
2	Feb 28: Rest ran 35 mins	Tempo: 15-10-10 Rest	55 min. general aerobic run	5min x 5	45 min easy	Rest	Long Run: 1 hr 45 min
3	Mar 7: Rest XT	45 min 35 min. easy	Tempo: 15-15-10 became 10-10-10, reduced rest to 3 mins per set instead of 5mins	3min hills x 7	45 min easy	Rest	Long Run: 2 hrs
4	Mar 14: Rest	Tempo: 15-15-15	45 min easy	6min x 4	30 min easy	"5K Race? Try Athena Run: March 19, 2011, Sat SM MOA Grounds (Register at Planet Sports, Trinoma)"	45 min easy
5	Feb 28: Rest	Tempo: 15-10-10	45 min easy	5min x 5	45 min easy	Rest	Long Run: 2 hrs 10 min
6	Mar 21: Rest	2min x 12	45 min easy	40 min. Fartlek	1 hr. easy	Rest	Tempo: 20-15-15
7	Mar 28: Rest	5 (hard)-5 (slower tempo)-10 (normal tempo)-5(slower)-5(hard)	30 min easy	4min x 5	30 min easy	Rest	"10K Race: April 3, AACE'S The G.O.O.D Run Bonifacio Global City (Register at Planet Sports, Trinoma)"