Seeing a lot of newbies and pioneers wearing Takbo.ph singlet was pretty unusual.  Usually during road races, you would only see a few runners donning the official singlet. Today was different, majority were wearing the race official singlet! The not-so-newbie would wear their orange singlets, frosh people would wear their blue singlets(although some of them are  really old members that simply don’t have the black one) and the pioneers the black one. It was a sight to behold.

The program formally started with Running Diva singing the National Anthem, some words from takbo.ph main man Jinoe followed by some stretching exercises by Noelle. I remember the guys around me were having fun doing those stretching moves…and while they were watching Noelle in awe

Race started at exactly 6am. My plan for this race was not to gun for PR/PB but to test my body. If you’ve read my previous blogpost, I did suffer from internal bleeding. So I took this race to “test the water” and see if I can still run at race pace. Thankfully, my body didn’t fail me (though I’m pissed I lose steam on the last 800 meters). The route was exciting, unlike the usual Lawton-Bayani route and back to starting line route, it was also relatively flat, a nice route if you’re gunning for a PR/PB. While I was not really aiming for a PR (unofficial finish time of 53:53 for 10km), I’m satisfied with my time (I’ll go race mode at RunToRead). Hydration courtesy of Powerade,  they were plenty of them no one will complain about lack of them! Marshalls courtesy of Team Boring including those cheerers were the best (we really don’t need those “bouncers” like in other races, we just need people who know how to do their job well). You could feel their sincerity in helping runners because after all, these volunteers are runners too!

And guess what, for the first time, I attended a race program, from start to the end! I usually don’t because its usually ALWAYS boring. But the organizers made this one really fun, starting with a dance program from Alabang Runners, followed by sexy guy runners spelling Takbo.ph with their butts, a mini fashion show down for the girls and lots of games. There were many crowds watching the event so it was really fun.

Congrats to LeadPack for a well organized race. I was telling them after the race program that they could give other race organizers a real run for their money! So guys, PANALO to, remember the team, LeadPack. Congrats to all finishers and many thanks to the sponsors for helping this race an unforgettable experience.

Photos taken from takbo.ph Facebook account.

Class Picture

Some of the pioneers

Related posts:

1. 20.78km LSD Run with Takbo.ph

So I went to DLSU-D oval and ran three kilometers in the first lap. My split was:
1st km : 5min:42 sec
2nd km:  5min: 29 sec
3rd km: 4min: 22sec

I was able to complete 3 km for 15 minutes and 33 seconds. That was supposetedly a warm-up run gone berseck. This was followed by core exercises. I got bored with those core exercises so I followed it with 10x 150meters all out sprint with 1 minute walk/jog in between. I then proceed with core exercises again and some stretching I learned from Cris Sabal. I love to repeat this again but this time, I will increase my “warm-up” run by 3 km until I reach 12km by Thursday. What do I intend to gain from this? Get back my fitness level fast! I just hope I will have enough discipline to maintain it.

I checked my weight in my naked glory and noticed that I now tipped the scale at 148lbs! Then I remember this blog post I made about me being interviewed by Men’s Health Magazine, I remember I was already 138lbs back then…now I’m now 148lbs. Take note that I was 133lbs when I won 3rd place during Takbo.ph 1st Biggest Loser competition.  Somebody told me that at least I’m “improving” on something. Duh!

Related posts:

1. My customized Lydiard training schedule
2. Arthur Lydiard’s Training Method: A Review
3. Bad Training Days

I will run this race on August 15. For details, please visit their website at http://run4change.com/runtoread/

This one will be organized by Mr. Eric Pasion. I’ve never ran any of his races before. This should be interesting. I hope this will be a good one, because I’m going to race this one. Yup, target sub 50 minutes. Abangan….

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Sa mga panahong ito alam nyo na siguro ang mga nangyari sa 34th edition ng Milo. Marami kayong nabasa tungkol sa tagumpay, mga bagong PR na napagwagian, mga birhen na dina birhen, sa larangan ng marathon ang ibig ko sabihin. Ang nakakalungkot, may mga nandaya at may namatay. Pero sa mga nakakita sa akin nung Milo, marami din nagtatanong sa akin “hoy Sam, ano nangyari syo, bigla kang nawala na parang…NINJA!”

Ano Ang Nangyari
Well ayos na sana ang lahat eh. Ang ganda ng pace ko hanggang 8th km, chillax pace nga mga pare koy. Nsa 5:55-6:05min/km ang average pace. Ka pace ko sila Noelle at Prince pero nauuna ako ng konti. Kse ang evil plan ko eh sige sabay lang ako sa kanila, pero pag dating ng last 5 kilometer, babanat ako ng malupit na parang yun na ang huling takbo ng buhay ko. Alas, ako ang nabanatan..ng malupit! Pag dating ng 8th kilometer, malapit sa Uniwide, biglang kumirot yung sa banding kidney ko at ilang parte ng tsan ko. Alam nyo mga pare, bago pa man akong tumakbo, may sakit nko sa kidney. Masakit, ang magkasakit sa kidney. Parang may kumukurot sa kalamlam mo. Ganun nararamdaman ko, kaya bumagal ako. Hanggang ang mga kasabay ko sa pace ay unti-unting napag-iiwanan ako. Mula 8th kilometer jog at lakad na lang ako dahil sobrang sakit talaga, ang plano ko ay maghanap ng marshall o pumara sa ambulance dahil….nung umihi ako may lumabas na dugo. Nasusuka na rin ako along the way at may kasama ding dugo. Kinabahan ako, dahil pag may dugo, masama daw ang lagay. So sa mga nagtanong sken nung araw na yon, at ang lagi kong sagot ay “Pare, dinugo ako” yan ang dahilan..at hindi dahil dalaga nko.

Wala akong nakitang marshall na pwede mapagtanungan ngunit pag lagpas ng takbo.ph support station, may nakita akong matabang marshall at sinabi ko na mag DNF ako at pilit kong binibigay sa kanya yung race bib ko.Ang sabi nya lang  “Ay wag sa akin, ayun si Rudy Distrito, bigay mo sa kanya race bib mo”. Pinaghalong tawa at awa ang naramdaman ko, una ano ginagawang ng dating professional basketball player na si Rudy Distrito sa takbuhan, at awa dahil sa kanya ko ibibigay race bib ko…shy type ako eh. Yun pala ang ibig sabihin nya ay Rudy Biscocho, ayun lumapit ako kay Mr.Rudy at sinabi ko na di ko na tatapusin ang takbuhan, at out of the blue, hiningi na ni matabang marshall yung race bib ko. So ayun, kumaliwa nko at naglakad patungo sa parking lot.

Ang Paglalakad
Habang naglalakad patungo sa parking lot, sa kaliwa ko may mga nakatambay facing Manila Bay. May mga pamilya, may mga joggers, mga nagkwekwentuhan..ang saya. Nagmuni muni at nag senti-mode ako nung mga oras nayun, umupo muna ako sa isang bench habang pinagmamasdan ang aking paligid. Nung mga oras nayun, may mga boat rowers at nakakatuwang pagmasdan ang sabay sabay nilang pag-paddle habang may nagbibilang upang mag-guide sa pace nila. Nakakatuwang pagmasda din ang mga pamilya na sama samang nagkwekwentuhan at nagtatawanan. Sa kabilang bench naman ay magsing-irog na naka PDA (public-display of affection) mode. Nagulat ako dahil malapit lang sa aking kinauupuan, may mga nagbebenta pala ng mga isda mula sa kalakal ng mga mangingisda sa tabing dagat. Sa aking kinauupuan, nag-isip isip ako ano nangyari sa akin. Nag-isip din ako kung san patutungo ang kasalukuyan kong condition. Kse sa totoo lang, feeling ko nsa mid-life crisis ako. 30 yrs ako pero feeling ko tumatanda ako na konti plang nagagawa ko. O siguro dala na din nang DNF yun at feeling drama ever ako that day. Hindi nakatulong nang may magpatugtog ng isang kanta sa tabi ko ng kanta ni Carole King na may ganitong linya:

When you’re down and troubled
and you need a helping hand
and nothing, oh nothing is going right,

Feeling ko nababasa nya nsa isip ko at trip nyang asarin ako, pero nirespeto ko ang music nya. Ika nga nila, walang basagan ng trip. Tinuloy ko na ang aking paglalakad at nasalubong ko mga ibang runners ng ibang distance. 10km at 5km yata mga iyon. Nasa sidewalk ako naglalakad pero marami din tumatakbo sa area nayun dahil puno na yung main-road ng mga runners. Sobrang dami nila. Nasalubong ko nga si Gerard Anderson na tumakbo ng 5km, ewan ko ba at bakit feeling close ako bigla akong napataas ng kamay at sumigaw “Go Gerard”. Nakakatuwang pagmasdan ang crowd ng mga oras nayun, puro bata, siguro mga estudyante mga ito. Sabay sabay silang tumatakbo habang nagtatawanan. May isa sumigaw pa “hoy holdaper, balik mo bag ko” habang lahat  sila nagtatawanan. Ako din natatawa kse parang dapat ganun ang takbuhan. Napansin ko kse sa mga races, puro seryoso mga tao, puro PR ang hanap, parang nawala yung collective happiness, puro pan-sarili lang. Wala nman masama dun kung feeling mo mag-sarili pag tumatakbo ka, pero nakakamiss din yung tumatakbo ka kasama mga kaibigan mo, at nagkwekwentuhan at nagtatawanan. Yun ang namiss ko, siguro babalik ako sa mga shorter distance para maramdaman ko uli iyon.

Ang Paghihintay
After 45minutes ng paglalakad, naabutan ko din ang kotse ko at dun na din ako nagbihis kse semi-tinted din naman yung car ko. Dumeretso ako sa area mga 100 meters away from the finish line kse gusto ko abangan sino ang mauuna matapos sa 42km. Medyo mga 20 minutes akong naghintay at nakita ko na nman si Gerard Anderson at sigaw naman ako “Go Gerald!”, again basic instinct yan, di tlaga ako fan ni Gerard. Sabay respond nman sya ng “yeah!”. Gerald Anderson, pare kung nababasa mo to, gusto ko makasabay kita sa 10km run sa RunFest ng Takbo.ph, or sa Run To Read race ni pareng Eric Pasion. Yayain mo na din si Kim Chiu para enjoy! Sabay tayo ah (kahit dina holding hands!) Unang nakatapos sa 42km ay isang Kenyan, sumunod ang isa pang Kenyan at saka lamang pumasok ang Pinoy. Nageexpect ako si pareng Cris Sabal ang babanat ng 42km yun pla napagsabihan ako na nagpace lang daw sila.

Pagkatapos nun, di ko na hinintay ang mga kaibigan ko, dumeretso nko sa kotse ko at umuwi na. Mahirap umuwi dahil sarado lahat ng road. Mga 500 meters akong nagdrive on same road kung nsan tumatakbo mga runner kse yun lang ang available na road. Obcourse, ginawa ko to na may pahintulot ng mamang pulis. Na-meet ko din si Rudy B. na ng mga oras na yun ay mukhang worried, but still, pinasalamatan ko sya dahil mukhang maganda nman ang nangyari at daming nag-enjoy.

Ang mga sumusunod na pangyayari ay wala na kinalaman sa takbuhan, ngunit dinagdag ko pa rin kse ito ay nangyari on same day kung kelan ginanap ang Milo, at parehong “madugo” ang pangyayaring ito. So kung bored ka, at trip mo pa din magbasa ng boring na blog post na to, read on!

Pangamba at Kamatayan
Habang nagdrive ako, may natanggap ako ng text mula sa aking itay (kinarir ko na ang pag Tagalog ah!). Eto text na hanggang ngayon nakasave pa sa cellphone ko “Sam punta ka emergency room, andito kami ng nanay mo”. Nag-alala ako ng malupit, ang alam ko lang is diabetic nanay ko at ang tatay ko may problema sa puso. Hindi ko maisip na tatay ko ang may problema dahil nagawa nya pa mag-text so alam ko na nanay ko ang nsa emergency room. Dretso ako sa E.R ng De La Salle Medical Center and there nakita ko nanay ko, hinang hina. Nag-alala lang sya dahil pakiramdam nya daw sobrang hina nya, hinala ko her blood sugar went abnormally low. So ayun, habang naguusap kmi ng nanay ko, may dumating na isang pasyente na nakahiga na sa stretcher. Duguan sya at nasabi sken ng guwardiya binaril daw sa likod.

Nilagay sya malapit lang sa puwesto nmen na kung saan isa lamang kurtina nagseseparate sa amin. Nag-iiyakan ang mga kamag-anak habang ang doctor or attending medical personnel were doing CPR. Tatlo o mahigit pa yata nila ginawa yun ngunit dina din kinaya ng pasyente. Malupit na iyakan ang nangyari sa tabi namin samantalang unti unti nkong nanghihina dahil sa dami ng dugo sa floor na nakikita ko. Sa totoo lang, nakikita ko lang ang mga ganitong eksena sa isang palabas sa E.R series pero first time ko lang nakakita ng ganun kaya pinaghalong takot, kaba at paghanga sa mga doctor na nagasikaso ang naramdaman ko.

Unti unting nagdatingan ang mga malalapit sa puso ng pasyente simula sa asawa. Alam nyo akala ko di totoo yung mga linyang “mahal, bat mo kmi iniwan” pero yun ang unang linyang narinig ko sa naiwan nya. Sumunod na dumating ang mga anak, dalawang dalagita na nagfrefreak out at napansin ko may isa pa syang anak na lalaki na ayaw pumasok ngunit nagstay lang sa labas at duon iyak ng iyak. Hindi ko nakita ano mga nangyayari pero naririnig ko ang mga usapan. Ngunit ang nakakalungkot eh nang dumating na ang nanay. Ang hirap yata para sa isang inay na makita mong “mauna” pa sa iyo ang sariling mong anak. Minsan kung isa kang magulang,nanaisin mo pang sana ikaw na lang kaysa sa anak mo ang “mauna” kung bibigyan ka ng pagkakataon. Mahina magsalita yung nanay pero rinig ko at nakakaiyak ang mga sinabi nya. Lumabas nko ng emergency room kse dyahe at baka makita ako ng magulang ko na naluluha nko. I tried to compose myself outside for few minutes and went back. Ayun, naluluha din pala mga magulang ko.

Sabi na lang ng tatay ko “Ganyan tlaga ang takbo ng buhay, minsan maganda minsan hindi, pero mahusay na kung lagi kang prepared sa lahat ng bagay”. Ang unang pumasok sa isip ko eh si Kuya Kim…ang buhay ay weather weather lang! (pana-panahon)

Kaligtasan
Hinatid ko pauwi ang magulang ko sa bahay nila at pagkatapos, umuwi na din ako para magpahinga. It was Sunday and being a good boy (hehehehe) I attended the service at our church. Being first Sunday of the month, merong Holy Communion. The pastor was explaining the significance of the bread and wine which Jesus offered to his disciples (although in the church, they use grape juice coz it’s cheaper). So as I was meditating what happened that day, the pastor reminded us that the bread symbolizes Christ body and the wine as the “blood” of Christ. I partake in communion, after which I was reminded that life is too short, that I need to take it easy and there are more things more important in life.

So there you go, medyo madugo ang buong araw na iyon.

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I have no idea how Batman came into picture.  Originally, it was “bahala na“, derived from “Bathala na” or “leave all to God”. I guess our fascination with heroes allowed most Pinoys to associate with them in times of trouble. But honestly, if I’ll have it my way, I wish “Bahala na si MacGyver” became more popular.

As I’ve said previously, I’ll be running the marathon distance on July 4. I was really surprised when I was told that the route will include 3 loops. Bad trip. I’m really bad when running races with loops. Last time I ran a race with loops (Philippine Independence Half Marathon) I got bored and just ran 2x instead of 3 loops, ok partly blaim clueless marshalls but really, one of my weaknesses during races is boredom. This Type A guy easily gets bored when doing things repeatedly. And running 13km 3x? Hello??!! To make things more complicated, I think I’ve also gained. Like 6 lbs. OK that Eat-All-Chicken-You-Can is partly to blaim for this! So if you guys see a fat ass running with bored, hindi maidrawing na face come marathon day, please wake me up. Add to that lack of mileage. I read somewhere that its better to be undertrained than overtrained. If thats true, dude this one’s super dooper undertrained. As if that will make me feel better.

My plan then is, force myself to enjoy a boring route, maintain a consistent pace (probably a 7:30-8 min/kim;I know its ridiculously slow) and cheer for familiar faces aspiring to join the finals. Make myself uselful you know?

See you guys on July 4. As for me, bahala na si Batman!!!

No related posts.

So I’ll be running 42km on July 4 (I initially thought July 6), for the 34th Milo Marathon here in Manila. Am I prepared? Hell no. My one month running hiatus just destroyed my preparation. To date, the only “long” run I’ve ever done was that poorly organized race called Philippine Independence Day Half Marathon held two weeks ago. No I didn’t fall for that “run-this-race-if-you’re-a-patriot” marketing hype. I ran it because I need mileage and best of all, registration fee was cheap. When was the last time you run 21km for only php350? Many runners consider it one of the worst race this year. Heck I didn’t even run the entire 21km route, the race marshalls were so incompetent beyond words that several runners got lost (including yours thank you) and by sheer frustration mixed with confusion, ended up running just 18km. This race got buried in my vault of oblivion, hence there’s no blog needed for this one.

Going back to Milo. I can’t miss this event. My first marathon was a Milo event and I thought it would be a mortal sin to miss this one. Running my first marathon brings me back those memories, like where I took a crap twice, the first instance at Shell station near Kalayaan Flyover and second instance somewhere in Bayani Road. Wow moments. I was able to finish it albeit no Milo medal because I finished it way beyond cut-off time (takbo.ph gang gave me a customized Milo medal though-even better!). I just hope I’ll be able to finish this one decently. Anyway, this will be my fifth marathon and I’ll be royally pissed if I don’t even get to finish this below their 6 hour cut-off time.

Wish me luck, I need a lot of that!

Related posts:

1. 33rd Milo Marathon Finals- the day I became the “petroleum jelly guy” and observations
2. 33rd Milo Marathon – The Battle I’ve Been Waiting For
3. Milo 34th Edition – Isang Madugong Araw

Several years later,  I would still try my luck to “practice” my art. I decided to join Nature’s Valley run on the last minute and I thought I could still get a bib if I ask around. And so a night BEFORE the actual race, I managed to announce over my FB that I would need a 21km race bib, got several leads but as fate would have it, I was not lucky this time. For the first time, I woud be running a race with no race bib and as such, I would be labeled as a “bandit”. For noob runners out there, running as a bandit means you’re joining a race with no race bib (you’re not registered). As I was not registered for this race, I’ve made just one rule for myself, I will NEVER compete with runners for their hyrdation. Hence, I did brought my hydration belt and a handcarry bottle as source of my hydration. It was a bad idea really, the last time I’ve used my hydration belt was several months ago when my waist line was 34″, and without any yabang added, my waist line now is 30 and I expected the hydration belt would fell several times during the course.  And it did, three times!

As I have no PR to beat, I just promised myself to just keep on running until my hydration goes empty….and run with Donna Cruz Lardizabal. God knows I kept on singing “Kapag tumibok ang puso, wala kna magagawa kundi sundin to” on my brain I thought I was suffering the worst LSS (last song syndrome) of my life. Unfortunately, I stopped near the Kalayaan Bridge at Jolibee on my way to The Fort. Hydration went poof and I thought it was over. After a brief chat with the bossing of Team CB (Chelly Bautista), I proceeded to the starting line and, Brian gave me his ice cream instead.  Hows that running with a celebrity, as a bandit..and going home with an ice-cream. Priceless!oh and some photo-ops!!!

It was a bad idea to wear that green thing on my head! One of the race marshall there forced me eh hehehehe

PS: I do not promote bandit…really!

No related posts.

His usual training ground was closed that day (DLSU-D Campus/Oval track), he was prepared to run on the road…together with joggers, jeepneys, truck and what have you.  As he was running cautiously and slowly, he noticed a couple of jeepney passengers staring at him. At one point, somebody shouted “Hoy Ninja!” which caught his attention big time. Sam feels like an elephant in a dog show, easily noticeable, easy target by bystanders and the likes. As he was running, he can’t  help but noticed that his city (Dasmarinas Cavite) has not yet embraced the running fever, for he was the only guy running ALONE that day.

After a kilometer of running slowly, he got bored and decided to push his luck and run at 80%-90% effort for two kilometers. Alas, he was able to run 2km in 8 minutes, he said to himself “That was bad ass and I won’t do this again ever!”. He went back on the same road for another 2km but he was too tired, too burned out to continue anymore. Finally realizing that his 4 hours run plan is all messed up after committing a newbie mistake, he decided to jog…and went straight home. He took a shower and as the cold water continuously poured down to his tired and weary body, he thought of Milo’s 3hours and 45 minutes cut-off time for 42km. He has been waiting and preparing for that running event and he thought there was a lesson that day he could apply for that race. He won’t be “racing” in the first 5 kilometers, he probably would just go between 5:45-6minute/km pace and slowly increase his pace every 5km or so.

Lesson for the day:
You get burned out in the first kilometers of the race, you’re finished, extinct…a dinosaur. Sounds cute isn’t?

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I’ve been “out of the loop”  for almost a month. I was advised by my doctor to “lie low” while I undergo some treatment and medical procedure. For almost a month I did nothing but forgot about running. I didn’t read running blogs, I didn’t check my facebook account to update myself about fellow runners happenings,nothing nada. Worst, I gained some weight  and felt like my fitness level is next to nothing. Every single day was a struggle, sometimes I would walk around BHS after work and I would grin with envy at runners doing their usual jogging session. Darn I hate the feeling of being helpless. Thank God the doctor found nothing unusual on my lungs and I was given a go signal to run. I was dying to run too soon so much so the following morning I did a Yasso 800 and registered an average of 3minutes:45seconds. So I could finish a 42km in less than 4 hours after a month of running hiatus?

Four days before the race I went to ROX and got my 15km race kit. Man I was like a boy who just received a new toy. The thought of finally joining a race and be “one of them” is so enticing. Saturday night came and I couldn’t sleep properly. I was like a newbie about to join his very first race. Lying on my bed already wearing my running singlet, shorts and socks (di ba obvious na excited?) , I tried hard to sleep but I couldn’t. For some reason, I kept on looking at my watch and kept telling myself “tagal nman mag 4am..“. Alas 4am came, I had a short breakfast consisting of a banana coated with chocolate, drank my coffee, then I  washed my face with very cold water and did the usual thing I normally do hours before the race.

After parking my car near Imax building, I head straight to the starting line to meet other runners. First familiar face I saw was Rod followed by Fafa Jet , apparently they were there to marshall the race. Then I saw Cris Sabal (guys you got to check Front Runner Magazine!) followed by Aileen Tolentino and sister Ellen. I did my warm up run with Cris, and I was surprised when he told me that he won the race a day before, beating a Kenyan. Eventually, I told him there’s no way in hell he will win this race as his legs are still tired, plus I saw a Kenyan around. He just said he would try 2nd or 3rd place finish (and the guy eventually won 2nd place after the race!!!). Ellen would soon join us and would sadly inform us that she wasn’t able to secure a race bib. Aileen would suggest Ellen to help me with my pace which she readily agreed.  With an elite runner as a pacer, I thought I would definitely die sooner before I could even reach the finish line but she informed me “Sam, don’t worry,jogging lang tayo, dikitan lang kita“.

The race started on time and soon enough, I found myself running…very fast. Ellen would inform me that we were running quite fast and would silently tell me from time to time the distance between the Kenyan runner and us. In my mind, I was telling her I have no intention to run after that Kenyan. With my sudden burst of speed, and with lack of training for this race, I found myself slowing down on the 6th km. I was perspiring big time that Ellen would run ahead of me upon reaching water stations and she would pick 3 water cups; one for her and two for me. This would happen several times, I felt like a pampered newbie runner.

My apparent lack of fitness (plus the heat factor) was too obvious that after 7km, I was already slowing down (6-6:30km/hour).  Checking my time, I knew I would not be able to beat my PB for this distance (1:20 Run for Autism) but I’m glad my finish time (1h:26m:51s) is still decent.

Upon crossing the finish line, I was so tired but was so glad I got my joy back. I may not be as fast as I used to be (on my own standards), but I hope I’ll be back with some improvement. Kudos to Ian,Jinoe and Doc Lydon for a well-organized race. The festive mood after the race, the free coffee,magazine,lootbags and many giveaways were all good, I didn’t regret I choose this race as my comeback race.

Nah, I won’t let this one pass hehehehe. I haven’t updated this blog for almost a month so I was surprised when takbo.ph main man Jinoe skyped just to inform me that May issue of Women’s Magazine shows that..

I’m not going to make any drama about it, but I’m glad that my blog is still relevant. Hehehehe! See you all in future races!

No related posts.

Later on, I told him that I’m working on strengthening my core. I do the “usual” core strengthening I know like full crunch, leg raises and the likes. He suggested that the best way to strengthen and stabilize the core should not consist of bending my spine like what I’ve been doing, but focus more on plank exercises. He asked me to do the following for 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest in between:

image source from abs-exercise-advice.com

I thought it was a piece of cake until he had me do the same set of exercise only this time, I have to raise my left leg or right leg for 20 seconds for the elbow bridge and back bridge exercise. It was a bit harder this time; I find my legs suddenly felt nangingig. When I did the side plank, this time raising my right leg(with my other leg touching the ground) followed by my left leg, I only lasted for 8 seconds. Cris informed me that I need to work on strengthening that part of my body, raising his suspicion that weak muscles on this part of my body caused the pain in my right knee due to muscle imbalance. I was hurt when he told me that, my ego was crashed but I do believe him. After all, he’s an assistant trainer for Coach Jim Saret’s Speed, Agility & Quickness Camp in Ateneo.

My plan now is to do these exercises Mon-Fri just after a 20 minute warm-up run. Hopefully, before the Milo Elims, you would see me brandishing my six abs! Did I hear somebody say “dream on??!!”

Related posts:

1. On Gaining Weight and Getting Back to Training