My tender big toenail
A Marathon run brought you a new color
Soon you will be gone
I will miss you my friend,
From deep, deep inside.
So Sad, so Sad…

Five days later and 4 lbs heavier after my debut marathon run last Sunday, I finally was able to do a recovery run this morning at oval track. It was just an easy 7km run and up to this day still reeling from painful toe nail on my right foot. It’s completely red while my other foot’s toe nail has a small red patch on it.

I did a quick search in the internet to know how I got this and here are possible causes:

Tight shoes: I’m not so sure of this as the upper section of my Nike LunarGlide+ has enough room for my toe nails

Downhill running: Big toe is forced against the tip of the running shoe which causes excessive trauma. Same as above, there’s more than half an inch space between tip of my big toe and upper-inner section of my shoes

Toe nails not trimmed properly: Screw me I think this is the reason. After the run, I checked my foot and I noticed an extra 3mm toe nail on both big toes. I initially dismissed this as the cause but after doing more research, I found out that one of the preparations you MUST do before a very long run is to trim your toe nails properly. It doesn’t help when somebody assured me that it will turn black after a week and then falls on its own. It’s funny how much effort I’ve prepared for my marathon only to be greatly affected in a negative way by my toe nails.

Having said that, I’m still proud of it because I consider it as a badge of honor for running a marathon because not anyone can completely finish a marathon here in Philippines dba? Now I’m scratching my head whether I should push through with 21k run on July 19 to join Globe’s Run for Home or just rest..oh well.

This post will detail my preparation for Sunday’s 33rd Milo Marathon Elimination. I hope you guys send any comment and let me know if I got anything wrong here before its too late.

Foods and Drinks before the Race Proper
Official race time for 42km runners will start at 4:30a.m. I plan to wake up at least 3 hours before 4:30am so that means I have to be awake by 1:30a.m already. In doing so, I plan to sleep VERY early like 6:00 pm. I’m not sure if this is doable but according to some blogs I’ve been reading, drinking alcohol will help me fall asleep. I will not do this. I will try instead to take a nice shower, get rid of all the noise and turn on the airconditioner and hope this will help me fall asleep fast. By 1:30am, I shall be eating my pre-race meal which consists of 2 regular size banana and a 2 slices of whole wheat bread coated with peanut butter. I’ve been eating this every morning since Monday and will do so until Saturday to ensure my stomach will get used to it. I will not add anything new to my usual breakfast until marathon day. While I understand that waking up as early as 1:30am may be an inconvenience for first time would-be marathoners, this is very vital. First, it will allow my stomach adequate time for digestion, thus reducing the risk of developing any gastro issues during the race and probably cramps. Secondly and most important, after consuming my pre-race breakfast, my body will release insulin. From what I’ve read from several literatures, insulin inhibits growth hormone release. Because growth hormone improves performance, I plan to minimize growth hormone inhibition by insulin. And finally, elevated levels of insulin before activities results in a faster rate of carbo utilization. Since we all know that carbohydrates are critical component of energy to complete this particular race, I do not want to use them up too quickly. Its been said that it usually takes 2-3 hours after a meal for the insulin levels to return to normal, therefore I plan to eat a small carbohydrate meal (sample above) about 3 hours before the start of the race. By 2:30am, I will start drinking 2 glasses of water to offset any deficit accrued during my night’s sleep. I will drink a glass of water 30 minutes before the start of the race for this will allow water to be entering the circulation as the race begins and improves the ability of my stomach to digest fluids. At the said time, I will visit the bathroom to pee and remove bowels if ever I feel the need to (man I hope there will be a decent portabletoilet there!).

Body Check
I sweat a lot. This offers both an advantage and disadvantage depending on how you look at it. It is an advantage as it will help me know if I’m dehydrated. Once I stop perspiring or my perspiration decreases, I know this will be a good time to start hydrating myself with Pocari or water. Major disadvantage? The dreaded blisters. So afraid of blisters I actually bought two shin/leg compressions at Runnr store just for the purpose of “catching” all perspiration dripping from my upper body before it gets straight to my shoes. I’m still thinking if I should go for this. I also have chafing issues near my armpit and other strategic areas of my legs. I also notice to feel burning sensation near… hhmm..near the area where my bowels come out during and after my run. How I’m going to resolve this? Just before I sleep, I will “pre-lube” those areas. I don’t want to slow down on the latter stage of the race just because my ass*#le is burning mad! After my warm-up exercise come race day, I will apply again petroleum jelly on the said areas (except the area where my bowels come out)

Main Race
Days ago I sent a text message to veteran marathoner Verner and ultramarathoner Luis on what’s the best strategy to use on long run. I did my research too on the internet and came up with this conclusion. Start a consistent but slow run then run faster on the 2nd half. This means negative split is the best to do. As I don’t have a Garmin watch, I will rely on my heart rate monitor watch (which means I’ll have to wear that annoying chest strap again!) to check my pace. Here’s my pace:

1stkm to 25th km : I will run just within my “aerobic zone”, which means I will run somewhere between 70%-80% of my maximum heart rate (MHR). That would be 155-165 beats per minute. Running within my aerobic zone will ensure that my glycogen stores can last 3 or more hours. (quick review: running within anaerobic zone requires a lot more glycogen to produce energy compared to aerobic training which utilizes oxygen and fat for energy and small amounts of glycogen). Comparatively, when running anaerobically at 80% of your MHR you will use up almost all of your glycogen stores in less than two hours, a BIG difference.

25th km to 35th km : I will add just 5 beats (165-170). Take note that at this distance, I should be running in my “anaerobic zone”.

35th to 42nd km: Run 170-185 beat per minute.

The distance from 25th to 35th is most crucial as this will start utilizing all the glycogen stores in my body. Hopefully, the number of spaghetti and bananas (thanks to 711) I devoured for several days will start helping me at this stage. The dreaded “wall” will start creeping on the 30th km and above and so I will make sure I have enough carbs and fluids to help me. My plan is to finish the race within the 5 hour cut-off time.

Nutrition and fluids during the race
As this will be my first marathon race, I plan to consume five Hammer Gels as my source of carbs and combination of either Pocari Sweat, water and Gatorade. As I have this weird habit of feeling sleepy during long runs, two of the 5 hammer gels I bought have 25mg of caffeine hehehehe! This will be my schedule of hammer gel intake:
After 10th km : consume hammer gel
After 20th km: consume hammer gel
After 25th km: consume hammer gel
After 30th km: consume hammer gel with 25mg caffeine
After 35th km: consume hammer gel with 25mg of caffeine

I know Milo race organizer Rudy Biscocho will not screw up on the hydration needs of runners so I plan to drink all available fluids on all hydration station. I will also have my own hydration belt with Gatorade. I heard there will be banana stations available but I may not use it, as I don’t want to run with bloated stomach.

So that’s about it! Good luck to all 42km virgin runners (like me) and to all participants! Kaya Natin To!

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!

I remember the first time I joined a road race (Condura Race), I saw a couple of guys running in front of me with black straps peeking out at the back of their white shirts. I honestly thought these guys probably have man-boobs and they were just wearing a bra*laughs*. It was because my idea of a heart rate monitor is something that you would normally found in hospitals and tread mills. Yeah, that’ how naive I was then.

Five road races later, I decided to buy my own heart rate monitor watch. I wish I could just buy a GF 405, however, I  can’t do this as I’ve just shelled out a huge amount of money after a vehicular accident I encountered as detailed from my previous post. So I bought a heart rate monitor at 50% discount last Saturday with the aim of  testing it for Mizuno Infinity Run 2009. However, the heart rate monitor wasn’t working (..err..that’s why it was being sold for 50%?) when I tested it Saturday night and so I ended up just using the timer on the race day. My wife brought it back yesterday and the Timex guy replaced it with a new working one. I was able to test it this morning at Oval and I’m very happy with it.

How I’m going to use it to improve my performance is probably the next question in newbie runners mind. To use a heart monitor effectively, you will need to determine first your Maximum Heart Rate. I got this formula from Runner’s World website which will help you get an approximation of your maximum heart rate:

Men: 214 – (0.8 x age)
Women: 209 – (0.9 x age)

Now that you know your maximum heart rate (MHR), you can use this on your different training zones. Here’s mine:

Easy Run/Recovery Run (50%-60% of MHR)
Aerobic Training (70%-80% of MHR)
Tempo Training (80%-100% of MHR)

If you want to have a peak on how I’m going to use this on my weekly trainings, here it is:

Monday: Easy Run , ensure that my heart rate doesn’t go below 114
Wednesday: Tempo Run>Easy Run for 15 minutes, Tempo run for 30 minutes-ensure that heart rate doesn’t go below 152 and another easy run for 15 minutes
Friday:Tempo Run> Easy Run for 15 minutes, Tempo run for 30 minutes, ensure that heart rate doesn’t go below 152 and another easy run for 15 minutes
Sunday: Long Run, ensure my heart rate doesn’t go below 114 slowly increasing to 134.

As you can see from above, I’m focusing on Tempo runs after learning that Kenyans do tempo runs twice a week. While I cannot run as fast as them, at least I’ll be able to get the most out of my cheap heart rate monitor. My long run too is also of equal importance, making sure that my long run doesn’t go below 30km.

I hope this helps. Send in your comments and suggestions!

I understand that most of my readers are runners but in my effort to help people to start running as an exercise, I thought I should start a post to help address those people who never run before. If your primary reason to start running is to lose weight and start an active lifestyle, I do believe running is the best course of action. However when you start running competitively, don’t believe those people who still proclaim that running is the cheapest form of exercise. You need to invest on a nice compatible running shoes, running gear, hydration belt, running watch, eye wear and these cost a lot of money. Will probably start a post about this later.

This is an 8 week program that I got from About.com and hopefully help you transition into the sport:

1. Get a green light from your doctor before you ever started.
If you suffer from high-blood or any heart related issues, this is a must. I remember my dad running with me 4 months ago and upon reaching home, his blood pressure shoot up. We had him checked at hospital and was later told by a cardio that running is not for him as it will elevate his blood pressure more. We later found out that he’s got some issues in the right-ventricle of his heart. So folks, running is NOT for everyone.

2. Buy the right running shoes compatible for your foot. This is very important to avoid any long lasting injury. If you live near Makati area, you can try Athelete’s Foot for gait analysis at Glorietta or if you’re near QC, try Second Wind store at Teacher’s village.

Second Wind
88 Maginhawa St., Teachers Village QC
Email: secondwind.proshop@gmail.com
Tel: (632)799-2089

Athelete’s Foot
2nd Level Glorietta 3
Ayala Center, Makati City
Tel: (632) 817-7896

There’s another store opening this 2nd week of June called Runnr Store that has Footprint Scan and High-Speed Video Gait Analysis plus the first to offer Custom Insole Moulding. Got this info from the Bull Runner.

3. It is very important that before you start running, you need to warm up first for 5-10 minutes. You can do this by walking the whole 10 minutes of it OR walk for 8 minutes then jog for 2 minutes. You are properly warmed up when you start perspiring and your heart start pumping a bit faster than usual. If stretching is for you, then do stretching. There are countless debates if streching actually help. Even my favourite running coach Jeff Galloway repeatedly mention that the reason he is able to run injury free at his old age is that he never stretches. He firmly believes that it is harmful to runners and so is doing yoga. He must be a lucky guy but not everyone is as lucky as him. Personally I do stretching after warmups and I never encountered any issues doing so. You may want to follow some of running streches here.

Note: If you have access to an oval track, this is the best place to do this program. You can try oval track at Ultra-Pasig or try Bonifacio Global City (cement road though) considered to be one of the most comfortable and safest place to run.

4. Week one: Walk for 6 minutes, then jog at an easy pace for 1 minute. Repeat 3 times. Aim for three sessions with that same sequence for week one.

5.  Week 2: Walk for 5 minutes, then jog for 2 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Aim to do three sessions in week two.

6. Week 3: Walk for 3 minutes, then jog for 4 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Aim for four sessions in week three.

7. Week 4: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 5 minutes. Repeat 4 times. Shoot for four of those sessions in week four.

8.  Week 5: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 8 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four of those sessions in week five.

9.  Week 6: Walk for 2 minutes, then jog for 9 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Try to do four sessions for week six.

10. Week 7: Walk for 1 minute, then jog for 11 minutes. Repeat 3 times. Do four sessions this week.

11.  Week 8: Try walking for 5 minutes to begin and end the workout, and run for 20 minutes in between. By the end of the week, try to run for 30 minutes without stopping.

If you do this religously, try joining 5k races! Road races you can find here at takbo.ph website.