Running Blog #58: My first 21K an LSD

One of my wishlist for this season is to be able to do a long distance run.
Obviously a lot of us have difficulty squeezing a run session in the hectic demands of the christmas season....so even if I am keeping my finger cross at the back of mind the conquer corregidor event will be my last run or my last long distance run.
Then allergic pharyngitis hit me just like any other virus would weaken its victim.
After the fun and challenge of Corregidor my weekly mileage wane to an average of 6Km or once a week training =(

Yesterday we went to Panicuason hotspring for an R&R and we discovered that the ascent to Panicuason from San Felipe is fairly simple, easy and perhaps we can do an LSD....so last night we set it a date- LSD in Naga City =)

So this morning we head off at 5:30 AM- it was close to cancellation because I have barely sleep with my nonstop coughing....I am so disturbed by this allergic pharyngitis I feel like am asthmatic.
We did a 10.5K ascent and then go back another 10.5, we started from Bgy San Felipe Zone 6 and headed off to Km 451...I am not sure if it is Panicuason already (I can't wait to download my garmin)- I nearly kissed the kilometer marker as it was so difficult running in a continuous ascent- at km 8 I almost fell to my knees....then at km 10.5 my mantra is...."think positive wag kang aayaw!" yah...good thing I was running with my husband, he keeps me sane and keeps on motivating me to continue and complete the 21K exercise....it would do us good and help find justice in completing my first race for half marathon come February- run for the dolphins.

So on our way back we had pitstop for water. I was wondering why the cough reflex is often turned off while running-maybe next time I'll ask the good doctor how is that possible.
Then at km 18, my husband got hungry - that he bought himself kropek and some more water. Isn't it crazy....I bet the hungry feeling during corregidor race was authentic...it is not side stitch nor hallucination or sort of craving it was pure hunger. I was lucky this morning I was wearing a compression tights my abs even compressed that makes me think that hunger doesn't even come close to my imagination =)
Before we run I only had half banana and some water- the weather is cold so the first 5K was like a walk in the park.....the feeling is too different at km 19 to 21....exhaustion, the sun gets under my skin.

My run today introduce me to the beast of long distance run....I guess they were right as you increase your distance the game is more mental than it is physical. The physical preparedness is given but the mental ability to keep on going and beating the time is different.
I know in 2010 I will be running more distance....I will be more fit but should be more mentally prepared.

Today, I didn't hit the S40's time during the run for whale shark- my magic number should be 2:45 instead I finish roughly 2:49:53....I need to train better. Hello 2010....maybe I am in for more surprise I have 42K left to complete my 700K journey.

Run for the dolphins

Thanks to thebullrunner and Takbo.ph for posting the update of Condura Run 2010.



Last year I was suppose to run for the whale sharks --> but over sleeping is really my problem during race day. I didn't make it.


So far, I have already improved in waking up early- in fact the last few races I had - I was already on time ( I mean not on time for a gunstart but on time to allow some stretching and bladder break).


For details of this exciting event click here for the official site.



To make sure that my 21K debut will earn decent enough finish time- I consulted runners world for the quick 8-week training plan (I used my NB result as baseline).

Good luck to all the runners and Merry Christmas!

Isolation

December is the busiest time of the year....and getting a vacation is uhmmmm blessing.
Yes- for me my one week sick leave is a blessing in disguise. Really? Somehow, because finally I find again time to visit the blogsphere, facebook and other internet friendly sites....get to read again the book I was itching to finish and help make review materials for the kids.

But the sore eyes and sore throat combo is making me freak- of course I don't want my kids gettin the virus- so in the end I am in total isolation and Alcohol and Handsanitizer were my best bud.

The good news is my running doctor (ENT) advised me that I can still run. Well, I even discovered that neck up minor illnesses usually are OKd to run hmmm with exceptions maybe of dental extraction or migraine attacks.
But honestly since my doctor allowed me to run....I haven't done my drills.....ehem ehem because I had hard time sleeping with the bothersome pharyngitis grrrr!....

Tomorrow, I will try again and see if I can manage an easy run. Otherwise, I have to make up with the lost time or suffer on the d day.

Photo Blog #15: Puerto Princesa

On our way back home



Halloween night

Butterfly farm at Sta Monica

Bakers Hill Photo Ops

Crocs from crocodile farm

All photos were taken by my Nokia6300 phone- no edits. Most of the photos were taken by hubby and I'm too lazy to cross post here those that were already posted in FB.

Accommodation: Lola Itang, this is highly recommended- clean and cheap.

Day#1 -Oct 29 we arrived 1120H

Activities: City Tour- of course we don't have a tour guide, we opted to rent a tricycle that would take us to the various points of the city (including the cathedral).

I had a chance to run along the baywalk which totaled 5K- I was a little bored running the 500 m stretch.

We dined at Kalui- a very nice resto (which requires reservation hmmmm good thing were small family- hubby was able to nudge the manager to get us through).

Well the resto is famous for barefoot dining- you have to leave your shoes or slippers at the entrance.
 The food were really great. The wheatgrass with palawan honey is a must try drinks.

Day#2 -Oct 30 we woke up early....hubby and I sealed it with a kiss. Because it was our 11th wedding anniversary.

Spend the day island hopping at the honda bay (this was spelled hunda bay-which is which? am not sure about it). Again, we head off without a tour guide- this is to minimize expense and to get to know the locales better and interact with them. We find our way by commuting through a jeepney ride to Sta Lourdes.

The order of our island hopping visit is Pambato - which is really a fun filled snorkeling area. Then there is Luli -nothing much. But the island is interesting because the island is not visible during high tide (So Luli is for lulubog lilitaw)....reminds me of the famous Ms Universe pageant response on a question how many island does the Philippines have...."High tide or low tide?". Then there is starfish island- the starfish here are with hard shells, rich in calcium carbonate structure compared to the soft starfish we see in the beaches of Batangas. Afterwards we went to the famous snake island were we had our lunch a yummy grilled "Talakitok" and steamed crabs....I didn't know that two adults and two pre-schooler can consume 1.5kg of each viand harharhar....after lunch we had fun snorkeling the fish would go near over a pinch of bread...amazing. Our last stop is the Pandan island- in this place our boatman took us to a snorkeling site where I saw nemo's home the anemone....hmmm the clownfish isn't a funny fish, they were terretorial.

Before we knew it...it was almost four o clock time to go home.

Our way to the hotel was a little exciting- tricycle rent is really expensive so we end up walking the 1 km stretch from Honda bay to the main road hehehe so we can be a regular passenger (no tricycle offering their rental services)....I was telling my hubby if we could run 10K-why can't we walk the 1km? =) sometimes my responses could still be influenced by my running activities- maybe I'm crazy.

It was less than an hour ride to Puerto Princesa main city- so our next stop is the market...we purchased some cheap dried fish and nuts (kasoy!).

Dinner is at Bilao't Palayok- the resto is also good....but I realized we could have had our Anniv dinner instead to Kalui. But anyways, I enjoyed the exclusivity of the place- Kalui is usually jam packed....a lot of people wanted to partake the sumptous food it has to offer.

We were too tired that getting to bed and having a good night sleep was a wonderful luxury.

Day #3- Oct 31-We woke up early because we have in mind a swift run before going back home in Cavite. 8 AM is our supposed check in time.

But then the news of typhoon Santi in Manila glued as to our seat as we started watching tv to get updates....whoa! can't be another Ondoy.

Then the long wait is over- flight cancellation were announced-so we have to stay for another day.

Hubby immediately went to the airport to have our tickets reschedule the following day.

While hubby is away- had my breakfast with the kid....oh no! there were no more plans....I was thinking why not try the underground river. So while hubby is rescheduling our ticket, I was calling him to check out how we can proceed with the underground river.

Unfortunately, hubby was back 9:30AM which is already impossible to go to the underground river.

Sigh! Instead we went to the famous hot spring- we were sure it was good for our aching muscle. I noticed that the owners of hotspring were koreans. We were so early for that hotbath, it was only 2 PM.

Hubby loves hot bath so he and the kids enjoyed it. While I decided to examine the korean garden and the other pools.

At 4 PM we decided to go back to the hostel....but on downtown, we became curios about the vietnamese noodle- hmmm since the vietnamese refugee is not there anymore.....we find this noodle house exciting- they call it Pham Chao Long. Well the bread taste good, the Chao Long is a rice noodle the soup is quite sweet in blend.....hmmm maybe we Bicolanos are comfortable with spicy - my verdict it taste good but still nothing beats my favorite Loglog or Kinalas.

At dinner time we tried chooks to go- it's like Andok's- roasted chicken is their specialty, we took some stroll on the city plaza....oh the singing contest was just concluded....we didn't catch a glimpse of it. Their plaza is well built. Our attention was caught by the long lines of voters registering for the comelec hmmm this reminds us that its the final day to register.

Our Puerto Princesa visit is great! Adventure-filled and most of all value for money hahahaha....the airfare is cheap....everything was just economical- which is our target everytime we took a vacay-less spending.

I came I saw and I conquer Corregidor!

When I first heard about the corregidor 10 mile challenge - It was like hmmmm exciting, my first out of town run. The registration price? Not bad considering its an out of town trip with lunch and well organizing a run doesn't come free.

From day1 after our registration- I have no drive to beat a previous record of 2:01 in a 10 mile challenge. First because the previous 10 mile is short of 1K, second- the corregidor 10 mile challenge will happen a bit sunny already as it will start at 8am, and lastly because the corregidor 10 mile challenge will introduce me to what "Fartlek" really means-I mean beyond words I want my muscle to comprehend what this fartlek is all about.

So my game plan is to consider this my long run, which is part of my training program for my first 21K. And at the end of the run- ask myself if I am now prepared for a half marathon.

The hype of corregidor 10 mi challenge is really heightened. At the office we couldn't help talking about it....we were anticipating it, were excited about it and a little nervous- most of us haven't been to Corregidor, this is an unfamiliar territory for us.

Pre-race went on smoothly. We had our usual pre-race breakfast, egg, milo, sandwich. Then left home by around 4 AM. There were no hustles during parking- we waited our M/V SC. Everything is in accordance to the plan. The place is indeed for the runners alone. While on board the MV SC- the sun cruises staff offered the tour of Corregidor. We have our name listed but apparently we realized that we could be wasted to enjoy the tour so we hold our payment- and of course hubby was a little grumpy because he left his mighty weapon SLR nyahahaha. Before we docked I had one more sandwich and milo energy bar- feeling just enough food for the run.

We went to the baggage area- we were told that you can select from the available area allocated, there were no specific assignments - we were just told that someone is deployed to look after our baggages- we have no choice but to believe....and without a doubt- there were no reported lost baggage among our group and the nearby guys and gals who happens to bring their latest gadget in photograpy(at least within our area, I haven't confirmed in another tent).

We were told that the race will start at 8 AM- getting to Malinta tunnel was a short ride, I actually realized maybe we should have walked to Malinta as warm up instead of having a ride to that oh so cool tranvia buses. Also, there were some runners who weren't able to claim their singlet in Manila- which resulted delays in gun start. I bet it was more than 30 minutes delayed- at lot of us get bored. It was funny that a lot of runners (including myself) were impatient to have the gun start and most of the runners have to device various means like jump shots, photo ops etc to keep us busy some holler and demand that we start na. People were so bored-a lot of us were probably thinking of a terrible sun exposure. Maybe, the organizer could have added the usual stretching rituals to comoflague the late start hehehe.

at the starting line (the other end of malinta tunnel)

At the gunstart- my garmin lost signal. I have no choice, I have to run while trying to get a good signal and I guess I lost 600 m in the process- this is the lacking distance in my garmin....hmmm the downhill immediately turn into a major assault uphill waaaah! I thought I trained- but it was not enough....in less than 2Km I started my walk breaks....I cannot endure running the 45 degree assault because all the muscle group- calf, hams, glutes and abs worked up and I might cramp before the end of the race sigh! I realized that I have not done fartlek in the course of my running life and today- I learned how it felt- how the muscles worked....my mind was busy appreciating both nature, the historical time capsule probably recorded in each tree and on how my body works while uphill and heading downhill....then I also get busy smiling everytime I chance upon runner/photographer. Hmmmm....I guess most runner did not aim for PR- instead wanted to discover the surprise that Corregidor has to offer.
My training is not enough.....I need to find a fartlek training ground before my half marathon, it would make me strong.

Occasionally I would do people watching- I realized there were lots of couples running....hmmmm romantic running huh! With the cool breeze from the sea and some historical significant I am sure it was a nice conversation piece....an element for romance....very conducive for the singles huh! As for me, my husband speed up determine to do sub 2hrs.

Then came km 8- I was feeling the side stitch then I started walking and short running then I regretted having one more sandwich before the ship docked. Could it be the sandwich???

Then at km 10 it dawned upon me that I was actually hungry I drunk all my gatorade and water from my hydration belt and in every station I started grabbing water....waaah! I didn't know you could get hungry while running. Then I started to picture the pack lunch, the granola bar and all the food left in my backpack....waaaah! I felt like an animal running to catch its prey.

So at the final trail run I was running non-stop because I needed food at the finish line...my garmin registered 2:05 but I guess its more than that my guesstimate is 2:10- 2:14 finish time.

After reaching the finishline I hurriedly went to the hydration station- they were giving away water, granola bar from growers, TBR magazine, myra e moisturizer and ph-care. Whew! The taste of the growers granola bar felt so good in my mouth, then hubby picked up our lunch because I was so hungry already. My attention is all to my food and I didn't noticed that the short program ended.

Then the stage was swarmed with photo ops for some 750 runners- catching a nice photo souvenir in this adventure race. Wow! Everyone just needed a photo shot with the stage.

The long wait for the 5:30 departure was agonizing (knowing that we still need to work on the kids assignment at home). Some runners spend it availing the corregidor tour- we opted not to join aside from the fact that I was so wasted and our camera batt is already drained....instead of spending 250 pesos on the tour we bought the commemorative shirt of Conquer Corregidor.

my favorite group shot with the RunAdic

RunAdic tranvia shot courtesy of Edick

group pix at the finish line courtesy of Edick

So we spend the long wait taking a nap, some more walking like were in the park.

The zipline is indeed exciting (we've tried it from another place)? But we decided maybe next time in Corregidor.

thoughts....then before we knew it- 5:00 PM the tranvia started shuttling us back to the dock to board for Manila.

Overall- it was a great adventure from registration to the race. Maybe next time there should be more activities to cope up with the lull moments or an option to be able to go home early say 2:30 PM, I guess it's already enough time to freshen up and complete the photo ops. Whatever reason there is for the long wait to go back home still, I say this is one of the best race I had so far...hubby got his target of sub 2, I completed the race injury-free and so it is for my friends.

Probably this is my last race for the year. I'll just have more training runs left for my first half-marathon and future races for 2010.

Looking back- for this year 2009 my top five races are:

1. Conquer Corregidor
2. Time is Running: Run Rio
3. NB Power Run
4. Adidas King of the Road
5. Milo Manila elimination and the Happy Run

I missed the Mizuno and Condura race- I'll keep up hopefully this coming year I'll be able to join and see what's unique on this races.

Now for final question- am I in for the half-marathon? Yes. And I will train. My heart says yes, but the body has to cope up with the ardous requirement of a half marathon. And I hope to have a strong finish.

post race photo ops