my run on 21-may-2009

i was to claim my free massage from the bull runner last thursday, but i didn't catch her.

luckily, i have my running gear with me so off i went to ff-boni. i managed a few rounds around boni high street and felt my the soles of my feet warming up. the ground was still a bit hot from the afternoon sun. that really affirmed my liking to running during early morning.

running: on half-marathon training

since i mentioned earlier that i'm gonna share relevant running information to the readers of this blog, lemme start today.

below is a Q&A with coach jay from the nike plus blog, inside nike running. it's really relevant for me since i'm starting to increase my mileage, and ultimately (and hopefully) run a half-marathon before the 2009 ends.

see below.

Hello Coach,

I just ran the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville in a time of 1:55. I didn’t really train besides running 10 to 13 miles three to four times a week. I really want to improve my time. When and what training do I need to do so I can be ready for next year’s half marathon?

Thanks Coach,

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Wow, what an interesting email. My first thought? You need to be particular about your running routes and make sure they are truly 10 and 13 miles. You can obviously use Nike+ to do this or you can use some type of mapping software. Regardless, you should go back and map out your runs. If you’re off by even a half-mile on a 10+ mile run, it will significantly impact your pace.

Second, if you complete three runs per week at the distances you listed below that’s FANTASTIC work. You just have to work a little smarter and harder. You ran at about an 8:45 mile pace for the half marathon. That makes the ‘track math’ for a faster race as easy as an 8:00 minute pace. That’s simply 2:00 per lap (400m) or 1:00 per half lap (200m). So, find a local track to start and end your workout from. You can do a 10 mile run on local roads near the track, running easy for 3 miles, then running the next 3 miles at a pace that is comfortable but not easy, and ending at a local track. Once you’re at the track, do this succession: run 4 laps at 2:00 a lap for an 8:00 minute mile, jog 400m SLOWLY, run another mile in 8:00 minutes, jog 400m slowly, run a final mile in 8:00 minutes and then finally jog 800m-1,600m as your cool down. This will help you get a feel for the 8:00 minute pace, which is just under 1:45 for a half marathon. It will also help you learn how to run a little faster in training, even when you’re tired.

Finally, consider adding a longer long run in each week. 15 or 16 miles is not unrealistic for someone with your running background. Also, you can see if you can make the last 20-30 minutes of the run your goal half marathon pace.

The number of quality days you have are fine and you don’t need to change that, but you do need to do some running at your goal half marathon pace, even if it’s in your 10 to 13 mile training runs.

Good luck Kevin and thanks for the intriguing question.

my run on 14-may-2009

i'm officially making a comeback!!!

ran a good 9.8kms according to my nike+ counter, which i honestly think isn't accurate. i just enjoyed my run. started at don bosco pasay road, all the way up to edsa. at edsa, took a left to hotel dusit thani to ayala. ayala to makati ave, then circled around the streets of salcedo village.

i manage to run for a good 35mins, then changed my song to All American Rejects' 20-minute speed workout. i had 8-speed one-minute speed bursts and a half-minute recovery. i think i would have been better running on a track for that kind of training.

download your AAR workout music here.

oh, an update. my shins don't hurt much anymore. i think it has something to do with the lacing of my shoes as well. i also do a forefoot strike/landing so my quads and calves get the action.

and starting now. i'm gonna share what i'm learning from the net.

my run on 05-may-2009

after almost two months of avoiding runs, i ran this morning!

a good 5K revved up the running machine in me! i'm really concentrating on landing on my forefoot to avoid stress on my shins, which i think worked! i wasn't experiencing any shin pain earlier. but i have to honestly say that i popped an advil before my run just in case. boohoo..

but still, i ran this morning. and i'm really happy that i did it!

and oh, i got my Nike+ Milestone today too! i logged in a total of 250K ever since i started using it. but of course, i ran more than 250K than this record. i'm just happy to have this achievement though.

wanna see my certificate? click this link.

yay!

my run on 13-apr-2009

after the loooooooong hiatus due to the pain in my right shin, i was able to run this morning! yey!

i took muscle relaxants (myonal) as prescribed by a doc last week. this was because two saturdays ago, my right shin was in great pain after running a few KMs in my usual roxas boulevard route. i didn't know why. there are a lot of reasons to it, and it must be because i pushed myself hard during the condura run 2009.

although there's still pain, i was able to run a good 6KM++ this morning. thank GOD!

i'm looking forward to Sunday's Greenfield run.