Back on the road again after a marathon

Running a marathon really beats you up not only on race day but also during training. After the TBR Dream Marathon last May 22, Swthrt and I have decided to take a break from running and give our bodies (especially those legs) the time to heal. I personally felt some back pains for a couple of days after the race which I haven’t felt during my first marathon. Anyway, I’m feeling better now and had our first 10K run after almost two weeks break, last Friday, June 4 at Batangas City. We had to go there for the first death anniversary (which is June 3) of Swthrt’s father. We ran our usual route from Baranggay Tulo to Baranggay San Isidro. We took it easy and ran at a very comfortable pace which allowed us to finish the run in 1 hour and 17 minutes. After which, we had a sumptuous breakfast at Ed’s (Swthrt’s brother) house in Avida San Isidro before getting back at Swthrt’s place.

Heart Rate Monitor used
Our run also gave me the chance to use the Polar Fs1 heart monitor courtesy of my cousin Noel. He’s in the US and upon learning that I’m into running, he decided to send me a heart rate monitor to complement my training. Actually, I really don’t know how to use it effectively to enhance my training. I’m into research now on how to maximize the benefits of using one. As in any other running gadgets, it has its advantages and disadvantages. But for now, I’m really thankful and blessed to have families supporting us in our new found interest. So anyone who want to know my shoe size?

Looking for a workable training program
Since school year was about to start, we are looking for a workable training program that will suit our schedule. Our youngest son’s class is at 6:40am which negate the possibility of a very early morning run during weekdays. The only possible time for us to run is in the afternoon or evening. Hopefully it will not rain as much especially on times we are available to run. Also, the time to check on the kids’ school lessons and attend to their schooling needs would certainly eat up more time. Well, I guess we really have to learn how to squeeze in a quick run from now on. See you guys on the road!

Good Friday 30K Run

We started our run at 5:00am

Our starting point at Baranggay Tulo, Batangas City (taken after we finished the 30.6K)

at Barangay Sampaga, Batangas City

Swthrt at Barangay Sampaga, Batangas City

road going to Lyceum Batangas with Calumpang river at the background

with just 1000m to Star Tollway

Swthrt in front of Honda Cars Batangas, Balagtas Diversion road

run along Balagtas Diversion road

photo op after running 23K

pa-kodak muna ako

Signage going to Batangas Port

Swthrt and Ed having walk breaks

approach of flyover to Batangas Pier at Bolbok, Batangas City

run along P. Burgos St. at Batangas City town proper

still at P. Burgos St.

Swthrt approaching city plaza

Batangas City Hall

vendors in front of Basilica Immaculada

Basilica Immaculada

Simbahan ng Satisima Trinidad at Pallocan West near SM City

uphill road going back to starting point

having walk breaks after running after 27K

finally at the finish of 30.6K run !

Our Post-Christmas Long Run

Since we started running last year, going home to the province has becoming more exciting. It was because aside from visiting our families and relatives there, we can always do a long run. Last December 26 when most people are still asleep after the merry makings on Christmas day, Swthrt and I woke up at around 5am and prepared for the longest run we ever did. Our goal was to run from Baranggay Tulo, Batangas City to Eternal Garden in Alangilan, Batangas. We will be visiting Itay (Swthrt’s father)’s grave since it was our first Christmas without him. We have no idea of the distance we will be running but we are quite sure that it will be longer than our usual route we run every time we visit Batangas. To at least approximate the distance we will be running, I decided to use my nike+ ipod.

At 5:30 am we were ready to run. We started at a slow pace for our warm up. It was very cold. We increased pace to 7min/km as we go along. It was a good run all the way to Stonyhurst School in Baraggay Pallocan where we met Ed (Swthrt’s brother) on his bike. He will be guiding us on our way to Eternal Garden. We will be taking a detour since the Bridge of Promise in Baranggay Gulod is still not passable. It was damaged by typhoon Pepeng. We took the road going to SM City then turned right on the road leading to the town proper. We took a right turn at Prieto St. after crossing a bridge (forgot the name) and turned right again at Rizal Drive. At this point we ran more than 10K. It was here at Rizal Drive where we faced a great challenge of running uphill all the way to the Provincial Capitol. And so before doing it we had our first Kitkat break and conquered the hill. We then proceeded to the main highway going to Eternal Garden. It will be at least 3K more to our destination according to Ed. With 1 kilometer to go, Swthrt felt pain on her chest. We took a walk break and assessed if she can continue to run. She told me she was not feeling dizzy nor she was feeling weak. It was the pricking pain on her chest every time she spoke that bothered her. Our guess was it was an acid reflux attack that she has been experiencing for the fast few days. After a while Swthrt had a burp. She felt better and proceeded with our run. We arrived at Itay’s graveyard after 1hour and 41 minutes of running covering 14.5Kms. We stayed there for at least 8 min and had our second Kitkat break before heading our way back home.

This time, it was a question of can we still do it? And without hesitation, or should I say without any choice, we made our way back home. It was harder this time. The sun was up which made it hotter at this time. There were also more motorists on the road where most of them had no regard to runners and drove faster than they should. And the fumes coming out from the jeeps and tricycles in the city area really made it harder to run. The route going to Baranggay Gulod was no problem. We had short stop and bought a bottle of water to replenish Swthrt’s hydration bottles. Upon reaching Baranggay Pallocan, we begun to have walks break especially after taking on the series of uphill going back to Baranggay Sampaga. With more than 21K ran, we felt the soreness on our legs and the heat of the sun that drained all our energy. It was our longest run ever. We took our last Kitkat bar and finished the whole course running and walking for almost 4 hours covered a total distance of 29Kms. It was a tiring but fulfilling run that we had.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

See you at the starting line on Rizal Day Run!

All Saints Day Long Run

Swthrt and I just finished a 21K long run at Batangas City. We started at Avida Residences San Isidro at around 5:30am. Our destination was at Swthrt's home at Barangay Tulo and back. We were joined by Swthrt's brother Ed who was road testing his new mountain bike. This was the usual course we take every time we visit our relatives in Batangas. It was challenging course with lots of uphills. The run could have been a new PR if it was a race. Actually, Swthrt could have made it to cut-off time of Milo marathons of 2:30 for the half marathon. Our Time was 2:24:50 with an average pace of 6:53min/K. Swthrt expereienced pain on her left knee on our way back but managed to finish the run. We also need some suggestions on how to minimize chafing on her chest due to singlet rubbing.

ATO Run and a weekend with our brothers

Having decided to run the 21K t the New Balance Race this September, Swthrt and I did an August Twenty One run in Fort Bonifacio. Since it was a holiday, we woke up early for a test run of the published route, or at least portions of it, for the coming NB race. We started our run with a one round warm up at the BHS. We then proceeded to Bayani Road C5 which is our first turn around point. On our way back, while running uphill going near the Libingan ng mga Bayani gate, Swthrt suddenly felt pain on her left knee and shin. Since it was still bearable, we continued to run all the way to Lawton Avenue. At this point, Swthrt started to have walk breaks as the pain persisted, especially when we were running uphill. I asked her if she wanted to continue the run and she said she wanted to try and go on. We decided to go to Mckinley Hills instead of going to Gate 3, and took a short stop at the 7-11 store to buy Vitwater to refill our hydration bottles. As we make our way going down to C5 Mckinley, Swthrt made a sign that the pain in her knee became intense that I decided to call it a day for our training. I don’t want her to further injure her knee. We went home and iced her knee and shin and took a rest on weekend.

Dinner with Brad
Our morning run may have not ended the way we want it to be but the day ended with a wonderful dinner with my brother-in-law, Bardley. He came all the way from Hawaii to do a church mission down south of the Philippines. We had a wonderful dinner with him together with my family and parents at the restaurant in the hotel where he was billeted. It was really great to have chatted with him and updated ourselves with what’s going on with him, my sister Liza and their children. Brad was truly a blessing to my sister and our family. Brad flew back to Hawaii last Saturday.

Weekend with Ed
The following day, Saturday, was another day with another brother-in-law. We visited Ed, Swthrt’s brother, in Batangas. He came from a work in Australia. Our children had a great time with their cousins too. We even got a chance to eat BBQs and Isaws with relatives in Batangas. We stayed overnight there and went back to Manila early Sunday morning for church worship service.

Birthday lunch with Louie
The series of happy times with brothers seem not enough; our brother in Christ, Louie celebrated his birthday with the church members after our church service with a sumptuous lunch. Having to dine with family and friends was an intimate way to have a fellowship. Louie was truly a blessing and inspiration to us. God bless you bro!

Half marathon in Batangas

I love travelling and one of our destinations this summer is Batangas… Swthrt’s home province. What made our recent trip to this place very exciting for us running couple was that, we had the opportunity for LSD.

We were actually invited to the house warming of Swthrt’s brother, Ed at Avida Residence in San Isidro, Batangas City. We arrived there Saturday afternoon and stayed overnight. At dawn Sunday, Swthrt and I scheduled a run from Barangay San Isidro to Barangay Tulo (Swthrt’s place) since we will be missing weekend races scheduled on that date. The distance was estimated to be more than 10K (~10.6k). We started at around 5:00am from Avida Residence and we were joined by Ed who also ran with us during the last Christmas break.

at the boundary marker of Barangay San Isidro and Barangay Libjo

Swthrt with Ed running behind

The early part of the course was new to us up until Sitio Gulod. Swthrt felt early a slight pain on her shin but still opted to continue on. We had a comfortable pace as compared to our usual long runs since we have to follow Ed’s rusted pace (his last run was in December).

in front of SM Batangas City

uphill road at Barangay Pallocan

We reached our turn-around point which was Swthrt’s residence in Barangay Tulo in 1:25:00 without any problem. After refilling my hydration bottles, I went on my way back to our starting point. Swthrt and Ed decided to call it a day and went back home with my parents-in-law. This time I decided to pick up my pace but was slowed down from time to time because of the summer heat. I even have to pour water to my head to keep me cool. Upon reaching the Shell station beside SM City Batangas mall, I decide to buy Pocari sweat to refill my bottles. It was good thing I carried some money for contingency measures. It took me 1:10:29 to finish the second half completing my 21K run. It was a fulfilling run, simulating with the 21k runners in Greenfields City Run last Sunday, hehehe.

Prior to this run we had a 6.6K run at UPD last Saturday with our friend Chiqui. It was another fruitful weekend for us in running.

Since my last post

I may have slow down with my blogging but not in my running. After the much celebrated Condura Run, I became busy with work and other personal matters to attend to, one of them is the graduation of our eldest son, JM. I still was able to squeeze in a few runs, like a 5K easy run at our office compound with some of my officemates, weekend back to back 11K runs at UPD (4-5 April), highlighting with our Black Saturday 16K run in Batangas. The latter being significant since it was Swthrt’s longest run. We started in her hometown at Barangay Tulo going to city plaza in Batangas City. It was the same course of rolling hills we ran last December but this time we extended it up to the city proper. Hopefully Swthrt and I will be back to serious training soon in preparation for upcoming major races.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the brave and strong runners of the Bataan 102K Death March Ultramarathon. I salute you for your gallant effort in commemoration of our Bataan heroes. To Sir Jovie, the Baldrunner, Congratulations for a great run !

See you all at the upcoming races!

Holiday Runs!

This was our starting point

The Christmas season is a time for celebrations, parties, reunions and lots of foods. Therefore, we should not forget to shake off all the fats accumulated in our bodies. Just after Christmas, December 26, Swthrt and I accomplished what was planned weeks before the holiday break, to run at Swthrt’s hometown from Brgy. Tulo to Brgy. Gulod in Batangas City. It has a total of 6 kilometers covering three barangays. We were joined by some relatives and was supported by a vehicle back-up for those who might not be able to finish the run. True enough, it was only Swthrt’s brother Ed, and the two of us who were able to complete the whole stretch of rolling hills.

The pictures were taken on a different date. We did not bring a camera during our run.

The course was really good for hill training for runners. We ended at Ed’s home to replenish our hydration bottle and went back home. This time I was the only one who ran on the way back covering a total of 12Km. Swthrt joined me in the last two kilometers completing her 8km run.

one of the challenging part of the route...uphill

In the morning of Dec.30, we did it again. This time it was only Swthrt and I who ran the same route. We had no vehicle support. It was also Swthrt’s longest run covering 12km of 100% running with no pains. We really enjoyed the run. Surely, it will be repeated when we visit Batangas again.

best view of again rolling hills

We also started the New Year with runs last January 2,3 and 4 at UP Diliman. It was nice to see familiar faces there. Swthrt and Bards finally met last Sunday at UP together with Mesh, Dingdong and company.