Falling in Love (Part 3)

I could not tell the exact moment it happened, but I felt love slowly working its magic on me. It was a series of small steps and nudges. Crossing the bridge was symbolic - I was walking away from a path characterized by measured distance, defined pace, regimented training plan and determined quest to reach particular numbers. On the other side of the creek was freedom, adventure and the thrill of discovery.

In the first few strides, I began to notice the halloween trappings. I appreciated the colors, creativity and the effort of the residents to have fun for themselves and others. As I ran further I noticed the househelps' merry banter as they swept fallen leaves and washed vehicles. I watched young children played soccer. I turned and ran where my heart led me. At times I felt I was lost, but that only added to the excitement I was feeling. I would encounter random cyclists, and a man walking with a beautiful yellow lab. The man shyly greeted me, but I was lost in my own thoughts to reciprocate the greeting. I realised my lapse as I made my turn, but privately I promised to be more attuned to my surroundings as I run.

Under the shade of trees I realised I was running at my relaxed and steady pace. At this pace, my heart, lungs and legs quietly hum and do their job, while my mind is free to wonder. I was running and loving it. I was in love and that love is pure. The feeling was so good I did not want to stop. I wanted to prolong the euphoria and etch it forever in my memory. It was during those precious minutes of pure bliss that I composed in my mind what would become a three-part series.

I saw a Great Dane and my mind chuckled at memory of clipping a customer Dane's huge nails, with his humongous head and drooling mouth inches away from my face. Underneath that scary size is a goofy and gentle dog. I saw a merry mixed-breed loudly barking at me through the steel gates and I pleasantly wondered if it was a Spitz-Lab mix. I saw bikes hanging up-side-down from the ceiling and I pondered if this was the proper way to store them. I saw antiques being delivered, swimming pools behind fences, kids coming out to play and men casually talking. I saw many things and I reacted positively toward them.

I was reminded of my upcoming 25K race in Clark and I said to myself this is how I want to run that race. I wanted it to be 25 kilometers of bliss, of fond memories and cheerful thoughts. For the most part, running is a solitary activity, but in races runners come together bound by a common love. On the 25km of hot, cemented roads of Clark, I want to be part of a human race. From the wellspring of that common love I would drink the fluid that will sustain me. I shall draw strength from every runner. If for any reason I lag behind and my will power wanes, I will look back to that Saturday morning run in a secluded village when I fell in love with running. I love running for its simplicity. I love her for her power to lead me to roads less travelled and her ability to teleport me into faraway places, even the coves and lagoons of my memory. I love her for the pure sport that she is and for the transformative power that she represents.

As I wind down to have a drink and change of shirt, a guard greeted me and I greeted back enthusiatically. A passerby then smiled sheepishly at me and for a moment I wondered. I did not think that kind of person would smile to a stranger like me. Then it dawned on me: throughout the last minutes of my run, I must have been smiling genuinely. I was sincerely happy. I have found love and I do a bad job of hiding it.

Falling in Love (Part 2)

I spent Friday night desolate. Running and I have cooled off, split. Truth is I do not know what we have and what I want the relationship to be. My muscles ached and my spirit was beaten. I spent the night tossing in bed, certain only that the following morning I shall settle things with her - on the roads where I first met her and began to know her.

I arrive 8:30 am in our meeting place in the village. Meeting time was 7am and I was late again. She didn't speak a word. Fifty meters into our run it drizzled. I scurried into my vehicle while she disappeared into the rain. Fate seemed to conspire against us. Reluctantly, I left our meeting place.

I didn't want the relationship to end just like that. I thought of going to a nearby gym where I can run on the treadmill. The treadmill had been my wingman who made me know running better. Treadmill had been the friend who prepared me for my races. The last two weeks I made treadmill my tormentor. Mad for speed, I kept my eyes on its screen, constantly awaiting the signal for me to run faster and anxiously monitoring distances covered. I used to love that screen for it gave me encouragement as I slowly progressed. Now I hate the screen for it reminds me of my inadequacies. Running used to be fun; I turned her into obligation.

God must have seen my anguish for He made the rain stop as I was about to reach the gym. I hurriedly went back to the village. I was not sure how long the clouds will hold back the rain so I opted to park in a quiet part of the village. There I can make small, quiet rounds with running. We need to talk and sort things out.

The initial encounter was awkward. I didn't know how to start. Suddenly I was that teenage boy again holding the hand of a girl I like, but not knowing what to say. Unsure of ourselves, we walked along the park. With youthful spontaneity, we made a left turn, crossed a wooden bridge, traversed the linear park, and found ourselves in a street we haven't trodden. The mood seemed to pick up from there. I found myself slowly jogging. Since I went out with running again in August, I haven't felt this excited.

Falling In Love (Part 1)

I have commitment issues. With running.

As a kid, I was never enamored with running. I ran only when playing games, being chased by a stray dog, or escaping the wrath of a neighbor whose fruit tree I raided. As an adult, I have been a fair-weather friend to running. Running is my special friend only when I need to lose weight. We would go on dates at the gym or on the road. That was all the commitment I could give. It was conditional love - the depth and length of which depended on pounds lost and time it took to lose and regain them. She was there for me when I needed her. Always. I have lost pounds and won bets because of her.

I am now in my third cycle of weight loss. Running remains a reliable partner who helped we win my latest bet. With her I reach familiar heights of endorphin-induced euphoria. She calmed me down and made me feel and look better. Then one day I began to demand more: I lusted after speed. I spent more time with her expecting I can run faster. In the blog world where everyone brandish their personal records, I was a crazed lover risking health and limb for a shot at greatness. Two weeks of this madness and my faithful partner that is running deserted me. She loved me that much to know when to hold back and throw the towel at me. We broke up. She kept her distance. She needs to know if I love her as she loves me unconditionally. I need to know if I really love her, why I love her.

25K Dilemma

One month before the 2008 New Balance Powerrace, I got this crazy idea to enter the 25K. This distance is a dragon I have always wanted to slay, and crazy me thinks I better get this done now and be over it. Truth is, I have done the NB 25K twice - in 2003 and 2004, and twice I was half-beaten. Yes, I finished it - in 3:30 and 3:45, respectively, but in both instances, I failed to make it within cut-off time.

First attempt: I was not aware of the correct cut-off time the first time. I stupidly thought it was 4 hours and that my slow run pace of 7-8kph could hack it. This was mistake 1. Mistake 2 was thinking that all it takes was sheer will. After my debacle in my first race ever (2003 5K Milo Run in Baguio) ,where the cramping me finished by sheer will, I thought I was invincible. I progressed from 5K to 16K in 1.5 months, simply by running my leisurely pace of 7-8kph. I thought it was simply a matter of running longer. The 25K should be just a simple as that. Mistake number 3 was that I was about 30 minutes late and I tried to catch up with the others without the benefit of warm-up. I cramped at probably 15K. The only thing I was right about is that by sheer will I did make it to the finish line, even if the organizers have already started packing up.

Second attempt: I got the correct cut-off time the next attempt, but the stubborn I committed mistakes 2 and 3 again. My run pace was still slow and I started severely late again.

Third attempt: This is my third attempt and I am hoping that third time is a charm. I know I am risking a lot by attempting again so soon, considering that I just went back to running in August 2008 and I still have excess pounds to lose. But you and I know by now that I am stubborn. Besides, the next (2009) NB Powerrace should be a breeze for me already (if training goes as planned). Now where is the thrill in that? Some people thrive on challenges; I suppose I am one of them. There is a thrill in chasing after the seemingly unattainable. Achieving it gives one a chance to be immortal.

Dilemma: Training is my dilemma now. Do I pick up speed first before trying for greater distance? Or do I log in more kms first and go for speed later. One week has already passed where I tried to rev up my speed to 9kph - that's 8kph to 9kph in one week and I could already feel the stress on my body. I intend to avoid injury at all costs, but I needed longer recovery time with this speed thing I am chasing. Ideally, my relaxed pace should at least be 10kph, supposedly my year-end goal, but if I chase after 10 now, I will be a trainwreck come Nov 16 race time. If I prioritize distance now, I can probably count on some weight loss that can aid me in picking-up speed later, but I may not even have sufficient time for that. There is still tapering to consider. My God, how do I peak and taper within a month? If sheer will fails, there is still divine intervention. So help me God.

Running with a Stuffy Nose

Stuffy nose. This is how I remember my Takbong May Yabang. I was planning on running the 10K for this Alabang race. Three 3 days before the race, a nasty virus I picked up in the office beginning of the week finally got the better of me. Bowing to severe headache and colds, I went on one-day sick leave. Once back in the office, I told my running officemates that I will be them race morning, colds notwithstanding. I had to downgrade though to 5K on account of my sickness.

My intention was to run a steady, relaxed pace, and that was what I did. I knew the race course was hilly through most of Country Club Drive, but this was something I was yearning to try, especially since I intend to do the full sprint triathlon in AAV next year. Mentally, the hills haven't really worried me. I have done steep flyovers and so long as I kept a slow, steady pace, the ascent never really dampened my spirits. What bothered me was my stifled breathing. My nostrils were almost clogged (thank God it was not runny), and I was breathing mostly through my mouth. Naturally, my mouth got dry very quickly. I praised the organizers for having plenty of water stations with clean, filtered water. To distract myself from my labored breathing, I simply watched the runners ahead of me. I try to guess who I can outrun. If I fail to outrun them, I just amused myself by trying to imagine what kind of people they are. People watching - something we are all guilty of when we have nothing better to do. After 31:42 minutes of labored breathing and people watching, I crossed the finish line. A litter size bottle of mineral water and appreciative friends greeted me at finish line.

My Third Triathlon: Speedo NAGT Oct 2008

I was not supposed to be in this triathlon. I was supposed to be resting a day after my 10K Adidas KOTR. But crazy man that I am, I called up the TRAP office the afternoon before the race to register. I would do the mini-sprint again, to redeem myself. I felt good completing the Animo Sprint (well, mini for me) last September, which was supposed to be a fun event for my group of friends, but minutes after crossing the finish line I was already castigating myself for taking the legs too lightly and not aiming for better times. Surely I could have done better.

And so there I was in AAV setting up my stuff inside the transition area at 5:30am while my fellow try-hard athlete friends are still on their beds. It was a bummer for me that on the rare occasion that I was early, my wave had to start the last at 7:30 am. I had to wait for 2 hrs! Of the 40 or so males in the mini-sprint, there are probably just 5 people I recognise from previous ANIMO sprint. There seem to be a lot of newcomers or new faces, something which I actually welcome as I still am a newbie myself.

Swim.
I may be a leisure swimmer, but I still fancy myself as a water baby and I badly wanted to improve my swim time. I promised myself I would be more aggressive, but apparently the others are more determined than I am. Everyone it seemed sprinted from the time the race signal was given. I thought I was already good at swimming through tight spaces, but it was real challenge to go past the swarm, especially with the kids (13-15) and the breaststrokers swimming alongside. I thought the swarm will end after 2 laps, but I had to fight my way through 5 laps. At least 3 times I had to stop or slow down; otherwise, I will hit other people or some breaststroker will kick me in the face. In my mind I was screaming, "Can you please make me pass through and not hog the whole lane!!!" Despite the struggle, I finished with a decent 10:55, partly carried away by the fast ones some of whom finished the swim within 7 minutes.

Transition 1: I learned my lesson and brought my slippers near the pool for the walk/run back into transition area. I saw one put shoes near the pool site, an idea I may copy next time (unless I consider using bike cleats instead, err, I may be getting too far ahead on this idea).

Bike
My weekly practices seemed to have helped. I have had enough of the scenery during practices that I did not look at dogs and houses this time around. I was amazed myself, but I did overtake at least 2-3 people during the bike leg. In true triathlon tradition I tried to greet or encourage these people, my simple way of paying it forward for encouragements I have received in the past. I got cheap thrills from the occasional overtakes, but later in the run one of the persons I overtook confided to me that it was his first time to ride a road bike and that he was not familiar with the gears. Bummer. Overall it was a good ride and I managed to pare down my time by 8 minutes including the transition.

Run
Transition 2 was quick and uneventful. I felt good coming from the bike ride, but I fared below expectations during the run. To start with, my legs are not yet fully recovered from my Adidas run the previous day. Worse, I brought the wrong pair of running shoes. I should have brought the pair with more cushioning as my legs are already beat up by the third leg. So my legs were like bricks for almost the whole run duration. It was a bit disheartening to see 2-3 people overtaking me this time. To add to my misery, the race course was slightly altered with the last part being an uphill-downhill trip along University Avenue. My time was about 3 minutes more than my last mini-sprint.

Overall, it was an 12 minute improvement from my last race. It was not bad considering I had a 10K run the previous day. I believe other triathletes did the same double-race booking. We are addicts all. The best part for me is the shirt. I like what it says in the back. When I finish my first real sprint, I will wear it with pride.

I am late again (for the Adidas KOTR)

Late comers catching up.
Rico: Where the hell are the other 10K runners?
(photo courtesy of King del Rosario)

I love the feeling of having finished a race. The thing I hate about running though is that I have to wake-up really early. I am not a morning person, and I am slow starter when it comes to running. This morning for the my 10K Adidas KOTR race, I was late again - not because I failed to hear the alarm, but because I stupidly thought the 10K race was set for 6:30am, not the 6 am it was meant to be. I took my sweet time again, even reading for inspiration an article about how 76-year old Oscar Lopez scaled Mt. Pulag.

So the thing that I always dread, but which happens to me every now and then, happened again. I had to start running without the benefit of warm-up, I am pressured to catch up with on-time runners, and in process, I risk developing cramps, side stitches and sprains. This situation seems to happen to me whenever a race involves crossing that fort boni-to-makati flyover. I remember vividly my painful experiences in the two 25K New Balance races I have joined before. I managed to finish both races, but I was cramping for the last quarter of the race. All because I was late. Stupid me!

Though around 8-10 minutes late, I proceeded to catch up with the others. I was very careful in controlling my pace. I intently listened to my body for any sign of cramp or side stitch. I was anxious about this till the beginning of the flyover ascent bound for Makati. At this juncture, I began seeing the fast 21K runners heading back for Fort Boni. I always love watching these elite runners - somehow, by merely watching them I draw power from them. From hereon, I became less anxious, more excited and thrilled, and I began to enjoy running. During the long stretch from the flyover until the U-turn in Reposo, I was drawing inspiration from runners on the opposite direction. I saw former rowing mates and SFC friends as well as smattering of familiar faces. Eventually, I saw my friend with whom I was supposed to run astride, especially on the dreaded uphill climb back over the flyover. Understandably, my friend was already minutes ahead of me.

This Adidas 10k was my first 10K in probably 4 years of absence from road races. I was hoping to beat my personal best of 1hr 17 min. Yeah, I know I am slow, but I did overtake a lot of people on my way back. I hate myself for letting my official time to be pathetic again because of my lateness, but I am still glad I clocked 1hr 11min in my own timepiece. For now, that is already good given the circumstances. I hope within the year I can go sub-hour for a 10K. If only I can come early.

Running has its Rewards

I am finally reaping the benefits of subjecting my overweight body to those regular runs. I am slimming down!!!! Since August 1, I have lost around 17 lbs. The continuous weight loss seem to temporarily plateau for now, but I continue to lose inches from my waist, torso and thighs. I am now able to wear clothes I last wore about 2 years ago. From XL, I am now able to get away with some old, medium-sized shirts. My waistline is getting closer to 34 inches. My goal is 160 lbs, 32-in waist line and medium shirt size. I hope to achieve all that before I binge this Christmas. The most encouraging and flattering results are the feedback I get from friends and officemates. Officemates who see me regularly notice the weight difference. Friends whom I do not see as often are startled. It is a great boost to one's ego when pretty acquaintances walk up to you in a gathering and give you a "looking good lately" remark. Nothing beats that. Wipes away all the body aches. :-)

Training for Speed

It has been two weeks since I decided to seriously aim for speed - to swim, bike and run faster. Since I was starting from a very low (rather, slow) base, I figured my initial improvements should be dramatic. Well, I did improve but I am not sure it was dramatic.

Swim. My benchmark for the swim is my personal best of 12 minutes for a 350m distance. Another is my 32min time for a 1K swim. The third parameter is the 19 strokes per 25m lap. So far, I have managed to swim 350m in 9min, 54sec. I also managed to swim 25m in 29 seconds! According to a swimmer friend who used to compete in inter-school races, their swim team always aimed for less than a minute per 50m, so I guess my 29-second 25m lap should be good enough. I haven't tried measuring up to the other parameters.

I have several observations though about this swimming for speed. First, swimming to relax is way more fun, although beating target times gives one a nice jolt of personal accomplishment. Second, I improved my time considerably by turning up for air less often. Third, I realised that my left arm is a bit weaker when I go all-out in stroking the water. I should remedy that with weight training. Fourth, I tire more easily and huff heavily after each lap, simply because I have to always push myself to my limits everytime. This is the only way for me to wake-up whatever fast-twitch muscles I was born with and train my body for high-intensity, anaerobic sprints. Eventually, I hope my slow-twitch, aerobic body will soon elevate its tolerance for this anaerobic workout and I will tire and huff less. Only then can I enjoy swimming again. Or maybe I can learn to like the occasional anaerobic sprints.

Bike. This is my waterloo, I admit, although I believe this is one area where I can make the most improvement. I started with the goal of beating my time of 40min for a 12k bike through the hilly terrain of AAV. The first thing I have to overcome is my fear of accidents. Slowly I hiked my saddle up to the point where my toes are barely touching the ground when I'm seated on the bike. I did numerous practices doing downhills in our village, and would congratulate myself everytime for surviving each round. A week of this and I did the 12K bike again. On my first round I did 35min, 31sec. The second round, I was a measly 5 seconds faster! Well, the 5 minute overall improvement should be good enough for that period. A few days after (during the Feast of Ramadan hours after the stormy skies cleared), I tried it again. On damp roads I managed 33min, 22sec. Yehey! And then it rained again. Sigh. I am hopeful that the road bike I will soon get will vastly improve my time.

Run. This another area of difficulty. Although I have ran in at least a dozen road races and finished long distances of up to 25K, I am far from being an efficient runner. Being overweight, I have short strides and I am pitifully slow. On a treadmill, my average speed is probably 7.5km/hr. The fast few days I have managed to elevate that pace to as high a 9.5km/hr. My goal is to comfortably run at 10km/hr. Only then can I reasonably and seriously dream of enlisting for a full-blown marathon. I feel that my bike training help my running tremendously. I have stronger quads and glutes which allow me to have longer strides. On hindsight, I think I have been relying too much on my calves to do the running for me. Lately, I have been focusing on making the bigger muscles (glutes and quads) do some of the work while running. Hopefully I am doing things right.