If you’re a follower of this blog, you know that I only started running February of this year and just joined my very first road race (Condura) the month after. My aim was really just to lose weight. That was then. After experiencing my very first road race and several races later, I realized how fun it is to run with other like-minder runners, improve my speed and simply exceed my own expectations. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs during races and I made sure I listed them down in this blog to help other newbie runners. And now I’m ready to take the next plunge. Hopefully, my experience will also help other beginner runners dreaming of calling themselves a “marathoner” someday.

When I told people I’m joining marathon, I was met with skeptics and people who offer encouragement. Bakit nakakailang mileage kna ba every week?! You cannot avoid people who will belittle your abilities. In fact you can only treat them as a source of encouragement to push and believe in yourself. I consider this a battle because this will be a test of my physical endurance and determination. In fact I believe I’ve already won 50% of the battle, and that is the courage to join the race. The other 50% is if I make it within the cut-off time.

For my reader’s information, I’ve been working my butt on my trainings (10-15km on Mon-Wed-Fri with 30km-35km long runs on Sundays). I must admit that I didn’t train for six months like what I’ve been reading from marathon related literatures. Where my short-training will carry me is the next big question. Personally, I do believe I can finish this race-but within the cut-off time of five hours, I don’t know. God willing, I will be able to do this and really hoping I’ll call myself a marathoner on that day.

Wish me luck!

One of the selling point of Runnr Store at Bonifacio High Street is that they are the first store to offer Newton Shoes in the Philippines. I finally got hold of Newton Shoes (racer shoes-stability) last week but was only able to road test it just last night at Bonifacio High Street for 10km. However I did use it previously not for running but for walking to “feel” the shoes. First impression? Weird.  While walking, it almost feels like you have a bar under your forefoot, but the awkwardness goes away pretty quickly. Now lets check its vital stats

The first time I used this while walking around the office, my boss asked me where I got my McDonalds shoes!

You will notice that Newton shoes have a negative heel (the forefoot is higher than the heel), this is because of the actuator lugs below the forefoot section of the shoes.

During my road test, I did notice a significant drop in heel striking, but as a mid foot runner, I don’t get much of that anyway. The shoes have a nice roll on the forefoot section which seemed to improve my posture but I also noticed it gave me a sensation of running on slight downhill. I’m not sure if its just my mind but I also noticed increased foot speed and my legs weren’t dragging as much. Having said that, I was able to run 10km faster without ever stopping and felt very good and satisfied at the end of the run even though their website and even blogger runners warn that I might feel some pain on my calves due to an increase usage of calf (which I didn’t experience at all). On the last kilometer of my run, I was able to sprint the entire 700 meters even if I’m only used to do it on the last 300 meters. Was it the shoes? I would attribute a little to them because they helped me maintain my position even when I’m tired as well as keep me on my forefoot to help me stay in my natural sprinter form.

This shoes is very light compared to other shoes I’ve tested. They are very breatheable due to the completely see through mesh that covers the toe box and side walls of the shoes. As I have very sweaty feet (which makes me very susceptible to annoying and running-career-destroying blisters, I’m sure this will keep my wet socks dry faster during runs and help keep odors away.

Obviously, this shoes was inspired by Sir Isaac Newton and his Third Law of Motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Actuator Lugs

The main selling point of this shoes are those four red actuator lugs above. As you land on the ground, those actuator lugs presses against a hollow chambers connected via an elastic membranes that absorb shocks and stores energy. Energy is released back to you as you lever your foot forward. These lugs will thrust out of the midsole chambers with a burst of energy that helps your forward propulsion.

An interesting question that might pop-up is if Newton shoes can be used by any runner. The answer is no. They are designed specifically for people who are already mid-foot/fore-foot runners, or for people who are working on transitioning from a heel-strike stride to a mid-foot/fore-foot stride. I suggest that you head over Newton Website to see a couple of videos and interesting facts about fore-foot running.

Aside from the cost (this shoes cost php 7,400+, the most expensive running shoes I’ve tested), the other draw-back I noticed during my short road-test of this shoes is that the corner of the heel counter section seems to worn out easily. See pictures below:

I don’t know if its the road condition of BHS, my running form (maybe I’m a terrible heel striker after all!) or both but I’m really curious if this just happens on me or others as well. Any Newton runners reading, please send in your comments if you notice the same. Hopefully, its just me.

Yesterday was so much fun. I together with a couple of blogger-runners tested LunarGlide+, Nike’s newest running shoes that offers both superior cushion and stability.

Now lets check its feature:

Men's LunarGlide+

Women's LunarGlide+

What’s the difference between men’s and women’s version? Women’s version has a much softer foam under the hill than men’s version. The women’s Nike LunarGlide+ upper section has a medial-side Arch Strap with Flywire technology to provide better lock-down in the mid-sole. Women runners are more prone to bunions (due to their broader forefeet), thus Nike applied the Dynamic Fit Technology, a stretchy material on the medial side of the women’s Nike LunarGlide+ adjacent to the big toe, which expands to accommodate the varying width of the female forefoot. The hill section in women’s version is different too. Nike did it by framing the heel instead of fully encompassing it, this unique heel counter balances a woman’s distinct needs for comfort, fit and support. General Feature: Main feature of this shoe is the Dynamic Support System. Nike does this by incorporating mid-sole is comprised of a lightweight LunarLite foam core that sits within a firmer foam carriage. The LunarLite foam core is cut to fit into the carriage at an angle creating a deeper cushioned lateral side. The medial side of the Nike LunarGlide+ mid-sole features a rear-foot wedge that has been contoured into the firmer foam carriage which provides stability on an as-needed basis. In theory what this technlogy does is simply combine both stability and cushioning feature of a running shoe while adjusting to the runner’s gait. Rocket Science indeed!

Rubber Outsoles

Check out the shoes outsoles (same as women’s version). The design is simply exceptional, very detailed with black cushioning pillow delivers remarkable look. I haven’t seen any Nike shoes with outsoles as much detailed as this.

Flywire Technology

Nike added Flywire Technology on this shoes, they got this concept from cables on a suspension bridge, the high tensile thread embedded along the upper provides utmost support with less material which aims to drastically reduce the footwear overall weight.

Nike LunarGlide+ Upper section

The no-seam streamlined silhouette looks good on this shoes.

You can attach your Nike+ device in this shoes too

LunarLite foam has proven to provide superior cushioning and significant energy return. Everytime I run, I feel a “bouncing” effect as the energy is returned to my feet which helps me propel forward.

I have four running shoes and I must admit this is the most comfortable shoe I’ve had. They are lightweight and super flexible, and I noticed a definite extra bounce in my runs when I put these on.  In fact, I felt so comfortable that I’ve used this shoes for the past two races I’ve joined and I’m planning to use this on ALL my road races. So comfortable I felt like I could run forever, oks that extreme well maybe not forever…but the LunarGlide+ shoes took my running to the next level.  I can’t wait to use this on my very first Marathon race on July 5th. The 33rd Milo Marathon Elimination round!

LunarGlide+ will be available on the first week of July and will cost Php5900+.  Place your order now.

Nike Park - Bonifacio High Street 856-2586 and 856-2587
Nike Park - Greenbelt3 757.44.91
Nike Park - SM Mall of Asia 556-0789
Nike Park - North Triangle 901-3547

A unique race. The first to use disposable electronic timing chip in the Philippines! Race road here in the Philippines is clearly improving. You must join this race. Other reasons why you should join:

1.  Make running a worthy experience: This is for the benefit of Habitat For Humanity’s on-going construction of houses in “Bayan Ni Juan in Calauan,” a housing relocation site in Brgy. Dayap Calauan, Laguna under the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig Project of ABS-CBN Foundation according to takbo.ph website.
2. Rio organized race.
3. Food Bazaar.
4. Wanna blog on the race day itself? You can do it  here and upload photos as well!

Distance: 3k/5k/10k/21k
Date: July 19
Where: The Fort

And yes, there will be finisher’s medal for 21k. This will be my 2nd 21k after a disastrous performance at Botak Paa-Tibayan. Hope to improve on this race.

Register now

Note: registration fee is a bit expensive. I tried registering for 21k and was charge php791. Maybe because of the electronic timing chip. But for the benefit of homeless people, I’ll go for this!

Last night I suffered from blisters. I started the run pretty strong on the first half of our Tempo run-cum-LSD, even pacing with one of the fastest beast in takbo.ph group named Wilnar during warm ups. However, the other half was a different story. My legs were still strong, able to kick some ass but unable to run faster. Why? Same story even seasoned ultra marathoners suffer at some time in their running careers. B.L.I.S.T.E.R.S. For newbie runners, blisters are caused by abrasion against your skin. To keep that abrasion from causing blisters, you’ll need to apply some sort of lubricant to your skin. Ideally, use one that will last for the entire duration of your run. As I’ve already been applying Petroleum Jelly from my previous race, I reckon that its probably not ideal for my body anymore.

And so I fired a quick shoutout at my facebook wall and asked where I can buy Body Glide which according to runners are better than Petroleum Jelly. Sir Jovie (aka Bald Runner) told me “baka hindi mo alam maglagay ng petro jelly sa paa?”(Translation: Maybe you don’t know how to apply petro jelly on your feet?). Like a grandfather’s advice to his apo, he asked me to check Ultra marathoner Scott Jurek to look at his video for a demo on how to apply petroleum jelly correctly. Visit this link to see the video.

Anyway, I did some research in the internet to educate myself on how to avoid blisters during my run and so I hope these tips will also help you out:

Tip 1: Apply lubricant, liberally. There are several available in the market such as the following:

1. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly
2. Body Glide
3. Sport Shield and Blister Shield
4. Sport Slick
5. Hydropel
6. Squeaky Cheeks Performance Powder
7. Band-Aid Blister Block Stick

The cheapest and easiest to find is petroleum jelly (any brand will do). Again, apply them liberally on the section where your feet lands and between toes.

Tip 2: Wear the proper socks. Socks made of cotton is a big NO. You should look for one made of Cool Max(polyester). These high-tech fabrics wick the sweat away from the foot and help prevent blisters. Or, you can also try Dry Max (albeit more expensive). Dry Max work by moving moisture away from the skin and truly keep your feet dry while Cool max brand simply dries faster.

Tip 3: Buy shoes that fit properly: When you buy new shoes, ensure that it fits your feet properly. Take your time, test the shop’s treadmill using your new shoes or walk around the shop, or even run outside the store to test it on asphalt road. I was told by a runner friend that Mizuno at BHS allows this Additionally, feel the area of the shoes above your toes to ensure they’re not too tight. Press your thumb down on the end of the shoes. There should be a thumb’s width of room between your big toes and the end of the shoes. Also, check the sides along the widest part of your foot, as well as the heels, to make sure they don’t rub your feet.

Tip 4: Remember chafing. This can be just as disabling. Typical areas of chafing include the groin, around the armpits, and under the bra line or straps. Use petroleum jelly on these areas for prevention.

I hope these tips will help us be blister free in the future!