Back when I was a struggling 5 km runner (sorry Brian, really have to borrow this line hehehehe)….

I was stucked in 183lbs body made of flesh and bone.

Me at 183lbs. First race- Condura 2009 5km
Me at 183lbs. First race- Condura 2009 5km

I was a clueless runner then. I have no watch to time myself, was using wrong shoes, wrong apparel and wrong source of electrolyte for my runs. I was using those “colored beans”. And it left a nasty color on my tongue.

Some electrolyte beans on my mouth-eeww
Some electrolyte beans on my mouth-eeww

I realized then that I should have used Gatorade, because nothing quenches your thirst more than Gatorade.

Gatorade-Thirst Aid for that deep down body thirst
Gatorade-Thirst Aid for that deep down body thirst

As I started joining more races, I noticed an incredible change on my body. I’ve lost a lot of weight plus more gwapo pa. I then started joining Mizuno Run Clinic to improve my running form.

Mizuno Run Clinic with Jai
Mizuno Run Clinic with Jai

But more importantly, I noticed I’ve become faster as a runner. With no watch available to measure my improvement, I’ve just relied on my feeling, but still I was getting faster! Maybe I’m just lucky? I don’t know. So I decided to “replace luck” and try to shop around for Suunto Watch and ask fellow runner bloggers about their own Suunto watch.

Suunto - Replacing Luck
Suunto – Replacing Luck

But then, I was invited to attend press conference for Mizuno Infinity Run 2010 and as luck would have it, my name popped-up during the raffle and I won for myself a Suunto T1c. I will soon make a detailed review on this watch but based from my readings from the user guide, its got a nice real-time calorie consumption tracker and shows real-time and average heart rate. According to Jet, their heart rate monitor feature is superb. I will try to compare this with my other HR watch and check which one is really better.

Suunto t1c
Suunto t1c
Two lucky souls that day just won Suunto t1c
Two lucky souls that day just won Suunto t1c

Now that I’m properly informed of the right electrolyte to take during my runs and use my Suunto watch to help me during my easy and hard runs, the next thing I need to help me improve and beat my own time is shoes! I have nine shoes in my shoe rack but I use only few of them during races and training. These are:

Mizuno Inspire 4
Mizuno Inspire 4

Mizuno Inspire 4, for a detailed review click here. I use Mizuno Inspire 4 specifically for my long runs from Dasmariñas City to Tagaytay (25km). With its soft and bouncy feel, it helps me improve my aerobic fitness and help be a better runner. There’s Inspire 6 already available in the market, will try it as soon as I get hold of it.

Mizuno Ascend
Mizuno Ascend

Mizuno Ascend. I bought shoes this last year in preparation for several trail races I will join this year. Currently, I use it as my “recovery shoes”. A day or two after a Sunday race, I normally don’t jump to oval track or asphalt road right-away to start training. I would normally run within the grassy/softer ground section of the oval track as it’s a lot easier on my legs. I would only do it for 20 minutes though, followed by core strengthening and that’s it. So far its working as it helps me recover fast from a race and even from injuries faster! Just how important to sometimes hit the grass instead of track or road? Just check this article from Runner’s World.

“when you run on grass your cardiovascular system works harder than it does when you run on a track. Yes, this means that intervals run on grass will be slower than those run on a track. But it also means you’ll get stronger from running an occasional workout on grass, as you force your body to work harder to overcome the slower surface.” – Runner’s World

hint: latest version of Mizuno Wave Ascend will arrive soon! Check this blog out for latest news about it.

Mizuno Wave Aero 8
Mizuno Wave Aero 8

Mizuno Wave Aero 8, for a detailed review click here. It’s the lightest shoes I got so as I expected, I only use this when doing my intervals in the oval track. I still remember what Milo Finalist/BDM classmate Jay Nacino told me what his secret was to achieve that 3.30+ marathon finish time during 33th Milo Elimination…do a lot of intervals! I’m not going to discuss about interval training, go and google it yourself to see the benefits and how it can improve your time. As for me, I hope its going to be a fruitful relationship between this shoes and me to Beat My Time and finally be able achieve my dream sub 4 hour finish time.

And if you’re one of those guys planning to venture to the dark-side, the fight-club of the running world community, I’m sure you will love this Mizuno shirt I bought with SPF 15. I used this during the Bataan Death March Ultramarathon 102km race. I just hope they can come up with long sleeves and higher SPF levels next time.

Ultramarathoner Ninja well protected during the race
Ultramarathoner Ninja well protected during the race- from http://fitandrun.info

Remembering the very first race I joined (5km race) and finally venturing into ultramarathon (102km) exactly a year later, I thought I was lucky I have the privilege to experience it here in the Philippines. From being a former fat man to an ultramarathoner, it took a lot of guts from my part but most importantly a lot of help and encouragement from the running community as well. So for the very first time, I will join a 15km on April 11 Mizuno Infinity Run 2010 Beat Your Own Time not as a runner gunning for another P.R but as a pacer. I will help runners beat their own time and hopefully, help them as well transform and transcend themselves to a better person after this race. I do believe there are races that changes people’s lives, I hope this is one of them and I want to be part of it.

If you’re looking to improve your 15km time, I will be there targeting 1 hour and 30 minutes. Be there and beat your own time!

Mizuno Infinity Race 2010 Beat Your Own Time
Mizuno Infinity Race 2010 Beat Your Own Time

The Mizuno Infinity Run is one of the most anticipated races in the metro. Since 2008, about 10,000 runners have alrady showcased their grits as their adrenalines left their footprints all-over Fort Bonifacio. To add to the excitement, Mizuno unveiled its twist by announcing the June 2009 Mizuno Infinity Race as a time trial. This makes the upcoming infinity race day 2010 as the THE VERY FIRST-EVER RACE TO BANNER THE “BEAT YOUR OWN TIME” CHALLENGE.

1. Distance: 15km, 10km and 5 km

2. When: Sunday, April 11, 2010
4:00 am – Check In
5:30 am – Start of 15km
5:45 am -  Start of 10km and 5km
6:00 – 9:30 am Raffle
8:30am – 10:00am awarding

3. Where: Global City, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City

4. Starting Point: Federacion Drive (Near NBC Drive and The Fort Strip)

5: Fees: php450 for 15km and php400 for 10km and 5km

Presenting Partners:
Gatorade | Oakley

Major Sponsors:
Mail More | NutriBar | Suunto | Manila Water | For Victoria

Media Partners:
RunnerSpeal | Philstar.com | Men’s Health | Women’s Health

Other Partners:
Doctor J | Beeline | BMG Solar | JoePepperoni | CITGO

Race Organizer: Rudy Biscocho RACE