It's the homestretch now, and more pledges are coming in. Thanks to the following who have supported my run for GK/ANCOP.
Rok and Mila Evangelista
Sami Rizkalla
Victor Mandapat
Bob Borden
Tasnim Hassan
With these new home partners, my goal of raising enough for two houses is becoming more possible! Thank you again, friends- your support will keep me going during the marathon!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Breaking in
Ok, so I got the new Asics Gel Kayano 12 last Thursday. I ordered it the previous Sunday, but it took several days to arrive. I finally got to test it last Sunday. Jeff and I ran 7.4 miles at Umstead, our old Graylyn to Reedy Creek and back. The Reedy Creek to Graylyn is the actual 4 miles through Umstead that we will run in the actual marathon, so I thought we should conquer it one more time.
And conquer it we did. We did 10/1 at 10 min/mile pace. We went faster downhill, while conserving energy going uphill. We did the 7.4 miles in 1 hour 19 min. Remember, with Tony, Ed A., and Efren, we were doing this route in 2 hours a few weeks ago. My heart rate went up to 170 bpm, but it averaged 153 bpm. I really need to turn off the beeping sound of my Polar though. Otherwise, it may be beeping the whole time during the marathon!
The shoes were great. It was definitely more cushioning than the old Asics. The wider shoe (2E) was also better for my right foot, but I also felt that the shoes were not as smooth as the narrower model. It felt like I was slapping the ground and losing some kinetic energy. I'll try to tie it tighter the next time.
I figure I need a fe wmore miles on the new shoes. If I feel any problems, I'll go back to the old pair.
And conquer it we did. We did 10/1 at 10 min/mile pace. We went faster downhill, while conserving energy going uphill. We did the 7.4 miles in 1 hour 19 min. Remember, with Tony, Ed A., and Efren, we were doing this route in 2 hours a few weeks ago. My heart rate went up to 170 bpm, but it averaged 153 bpm. I really need to turn off the beeping sound of my Polar though. Otherwise, it may be beeping the whole time during the marathon!
The shoes were great. It was definitely more cushioning than the old Asics. The wider shoe (2E) was also better for my right foot, but I also felt that the shoes were not as smooth as the narrower model. It felt like I was slapping the ground and losing some kinetic energy. I'll try to tie it tighter the next time.
I figure I need a fe wmore miles on the new shoes. If I feel any problems, I'll go back to the old pair.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
The waiting begins
Two more weeks to go before the big day, and I am getting antsy. Have I prepared enough? Will my knees hold for 26.2 miles? Do I need new shoes? I haven't run during the week because of a trip to San Diego. Am I behind?
Part of that was answered this weekend. Yesterday, Jeff and I ran at the treadmills at our gym. This is a new Lifetime Fitness gyn- it just opened early his year. I showed him around, and he liked the facilities. We decided to do the treadmills with the individual slats. A couple of college football games were on, so it was fine. I decided to do mile repeats, at a high enough pace to keep my heart rate at 165 bpm. This meant 6 mph for the first two miles, then slowly lowering to 5.9, then 5.8, then finally 5.5 mph at the 7th mile. I took walk breaks after each mile, long enough to lower by HR to 128 bpm. It probably took 2 minutes for my HR to go from 170 to 128 bpm. Anyway, by mile 7, I decided to do 5 min run/1 min walk. I was starting to feel it in my legs, and I didn't want to strain anything. Remember, this was tapering off, right?
It felt good to be running slightly faster. But I don't think I shaved off a lot of time compared to a regular 5 min run/1 min walk at 11 to 12 min pace. Plus, I felt a little tired after only 8 miles. So, definitely, I should stick to 5/1. My strategy on race day is looking like this- 5/1 until mile 23, then if I feel strong, do 10/1 after that.
I also decided I needed new shoes. My feet were more banged up than usual, and this is a treadmill! I dread the asphalt and concrete on race day. I looked up shoes on the web, and some people say that the Asics Gel-Kayano 12 (2006 model) had more cushioning than the Gel-Kayano 13s I have now. So I found a size 11 on the web, and 2E width (I have 2 black toes on my right foot) for about $99 including shipping. I thought it was a good deal- we'll see in a few days.
I have to watch it- i've read books that say runners become crazy during the taper period and start buying all kinds of stuff! I have been thinking of new knee bands and the Mizuno Wave Inspire shoes...
Part of that was answered this weekend. Yesterday, Jeff and I ran at the treadmills at our gym. This is a new Lifetime Fitness gyn- it just opened early his year. I showed him around, and he liked the facilities. We decided to do the treadmills with the individual slats. A couple of college football games were on, so it was fine. I decided to do mile repeats, at a high enough pace to keep my heart rate at 165 bpm. This meant 6 mph for the first two miles, then slowly lowering to 5.9, then 5.8, then finally 5.5 mph at the 7th mile. I took walk breaks after each mile, long enough to lower by HR to 128 bpm. It probably took 2 minutes for my HR to go from 170 to 128 bpm. Anyway, by mile 7, I decided to do 5 min run/1 min walk. I was starting to feel it in my legs, and I didn't want to strain anything. Remember, this was tapering off, right?
It felt good to be running slightly faster. But I don't think I shaved off a lot of time compared to a regular 5 min run/1 min walk at 11 to 12 min pace. Plus, I felt a little tired after only 8 miles. So, definitely, I should stick to 5/1. My strategy on race day is looking like this- 5/1 until mile 23, then if I feel strong, do 10/1 after that.
I also decided I needed new shoes. My feet were more banged up than usual, and this is a treadmill! I dread the asphalt and concrete on race day. I looked up shoes on the web, and some people say that the Asics Gel-Kayano 12 (2006 model) had more cushioning than the Gel-Kayano 13s I have now. So I found a size 11 on the web, and 2E width (I have 2 black toes on my right foot) for about $99 including shipping. I thought it was a good deal- we'll see in a few days.
I have to watch it- i've read books that say runners become crazy during the taper period and start buying all kinds of stuff! I have been thinking of new knee bands and the Mizuno Wave Inspire shoes...
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Big thank yous!
While the training has been hard, but fulfilling, the real reason for the GK Hero's Run is raising awareness and funds for Gawad Kalinga- ANCOP (Answering the Cry of the Poor). It has been truly humbling to have friends and family support my run for GK. All funds go toward building houses for the poorest of the poor in the Philippines. I would like to say "THANK YOU", "Maraming Salamat!" to the following friends - now GK Home partners-who have sent in their support for my run:
Bryn David
Dan and Monica Oerther
Perry and Estela Peralta
Ed Nelson
Pilar and Jim Villacorta
Angel de Guzman
Mia Torres-Tigas
Lut Raskin
Bessie Paterno
Florence and Alvin Lim
From these friends and family, I have already received more than $1612 in pledges! This is enough for one house for one family! I am now hoping to raise enough funds for another house. I am truly humbled by the support, and will remember them as go through each excruciating mile (esp. miles 20 - 26!).
Thanks again!
Bryn David
Dan and Monica Oerther
Perry and Estela Peralta
Ed Nelson
Pilar and Jim Villacorta
Angel de Guzman
Mia Torres-Tigas
Lut Raskin
Bessie Paterno
Florence and Alvin Lim
From these friends and family, I have already received more than $1612 in pledges! This is enough for one house for one family! I am now hoping to raise enough funds for another house. I am truly humbled by the support, and will remember them as go through each excruciating mile (esp. miles 20 - 26!).
Thanks again!
23 miles on a new trail
So Oct. 13 was 3 weeks before the marathon- our final long run. We are supposed to taper off after this, and try to recover and avoid injury before the race.
After some consultaton, we decided to try the American Tobacco Trail in Wake County, instead of Umstead. This was because Umstead had the punishing hills, and the goal was to go for distance. The plan was for the half-marathoners to go to 13 miles, and the fulls to 23-26 miles. My personal goal was 23 miles, since my longest run ever 2 weeks prior was 20.8 miles. The route was 6.5 miles one way, then back to the parking lot. The fulls would then continue for another 10-12 miles.
We met at 7 AM at the New Hill-Olive Chapel Rd entrance. The team was Victoria, Efren, Eddie, Jeff, and me. The first 6.5 miles were flat- the trail was beautiful; no real hills. It goes under US 64, and intersects a few major roads. One of the things we noticed was that the trail surface (compacted gravel/sand) was harder than at Umstead. You don't feel that at first, but by 13 miles, you could definitely tell that we were hurting more than usual. The first 13 miles was covered in 2:40, for a decent 12 min/mile clip. After a break, and a short meeting, Jeff and I went for a scond round. Eddie's knee was hurting, so the smart thing to do was to avoid injury. He had run 23 miles before, so we knew he could do the distance.
Feeling refreshed, Jeff and I then decided to do the next 5 miles using 10/1 (10 min run/1 min walk). We covered the next 5 miles in 1 hour. My knees started hurting at mile 15, and my quads started hurting after that. My ankles also started to hurt, and also my right big toe. But we had no choice but to get back, so the final 5 miles we decided to do using 5 min/1 min. We finished the last 5 miles in 1 hour 10 min.
Some thoughts- the hardest portion for me was miles 18-22. My legs were tired- quads burning and knees starting to buckle up. Getting started after walking was very tough, and I learned to start slowly after the walk break. It sometimes felt that running continuously and not taking a walk break was easier. But with a few more miles to go, I wasn't sure my legs would hold up without the walk breaks. Jeff pretty much towed me the last few miles. I knew that in many ways, it was more mental than physical, but the brain was screaming for my body to stop. On the other hand, my brain was saying - go on, you've got to finish this. At the back of it all was the thought of injuring my knees or ankles.
This is what I would have to expect at the actual marathon- conflicting messages from your brain. At least, at the marathon, it won't matter if I get an injury that will show up later :). Anyway, by mile 23, it was all mind pushing the body. My legs were jelly and in pain. I got to the end, but had to stretch and rest for a good 30 minutes before getting in the van and driving home. I couldn't believe Jeff went on for 2 more miles, alone.
The rest of that Saturday was spent in bed, lying down, feeling my legs burn. I could walk, but not straight. I took some ibuprofen (forgot to take some before the run), and slept for a while. The order of pain was something like this: right ankle, left knee, right knee, left ankle, both calves, and both quads. I felt hot the whole day, and thought I had a slight fever, but did not want to take any medicine. I knew my body was trying to recover from all that hurting. By Sunday morning, I was feeling better and walking straight. I thought I recovered nicely, only to have a long, tiring trip to San Diego and not getting enough sleep on the trip.
Anyway, that's it- 23 miles- the longest I have ever run, and the longest run before the actual 26.2 on marathon day. I don't know where I will get the energy for the extra 3.2miles. Everyone says it will be emotion, the crowds, adrenaline, etc. I do know I need all of that on race day. I feel proud to have done 23 miles, but also anxious- do I still have more to give? We'll see...
After some consultaton, we decided to try the American Tobacco Trail in Wake County, instead of Umstead. This was because Umstead had the punishing hills, and the goal was to go for distance. The plan was for the half-marathoners to go to 13 miles, and the fulls to 23-26 miles. My personal goal was 23 miles, since my longest run ever 2 weeks prior was 20.8 miles. The route was 6.5 miles one way, then back to the parking lot. The fulls would then continue for another 10-12 miles.
We met at 7 AM at the New Hill-Olive Chapel Rd entrance. The team was Victoria, Efren, Eddie, Jeff, and me. The first 6.5 miles were flat- the trail was beautiful; no real hills. It goes under US 64, and intersects a few major roads. One of the things we noticed was that the trail surface (compacted gravel/sand) was harder than at Umstead. You don't feel that at first, but by 13 miles, you could definitely tell that we were hurting more than usual. The first 13 miles was covered in 2:40, for a decent 12 min/mile clip. After a break, and a short meeting, Jeff and I went for a scond round. Eddie's knee was hurting, so the smart thing to do was to avoid injury. He had run 23 miles before, so we knew he could do the distance.
Feeling refreshed, Jeff and I then decided to do the next 5 miles using 10/1 (10 min run/1 min walk). We covered the next 5 miles in 1 hour. My knees started hurting at mile 15, and my quads started hurting after that. My ankles also started to hurt, and also my right big toe. But we had no choice but to get back, so the final 5 miles we decided to do using 5 min/1 min. We finished the last 5 miles in 1 hour 10 min.
Some thoughts- the hardest portion for me was miles 18-22. My legs were tired- quads burning and knees starting to buckle up. Getting started after walking was very tough, and I learned to start slowly after the walk break. It sometimes felt that running continuously and not taking a walk break was easier. But with a few more miles to go, I wasn't sure my legs would hold up without the walk breaks. Jeff pretty much towed me the last few miles. I knew that in many ways, it was more mental than physical, but the brain was screaming for my body to stop. On the other hand, my brain was saying - go on, you've got to finish this. At the back of it all was the thought of injuring my knees or ankles.
This is what I would have to expect at the actual marathon- conflicting messages from your brain. At least, at the marathon, it won't matter if I get an injury that will show up later :). Anyway, by mile 23, it was all mind pushing the body. My legs were jelly and in pain. I got to the end, but had to stretch and rest for a good 30 minutes before getting in the van and driving home. I couldn't believe Jeff went on for 2 more miles, alone.
The rest of that Saturday was spent in bed, lying down, feeling my legs burn. I could walk, but not straight. I took some ibuprofen (forgot to take some before the run), and slept for a while. The order of pain was something like this: right ankle, left knee, right knee, left ankle, both calves, and both quads. I felt hot the whole day, and thought I had a slight fever, but did not want to take any medicine. I knew my body was trying to recover from all that hurting. By Sunday morning, I was feeling better and walking straight. I thought I recovered nicely, only to have a long, tiring trip to San Diego and not getting enough sleep on the trip.
Anyway, that's it- 23 miles- the longest I have ever run, and the longest run before the actual 26.2 on marathon day. I don't know where I will get the energy for the extra 3.2miles. Everyone says it will be emotion, the crowds, adrenaline, etc. I do know I need all of that on race day. I feel proud to have done 23 miles, but also anxious- do I still have more to give? We'll see...
Running updates- 23 miles!
I'm way behind on posts- it's just been one hectic week after another. So to play catch-up, here's the quick rundown...
Week of Oct. 8, I got in 2 runs of 3 miles and 3.5 miles respectively, straight runs on the treadmill at 5.3 mph. Ave. heart rate was 155-160 bpm.
Then, on Oct. 13, the GK Hero's Run team went to the American Tobacco Trail. Efren, Victoria, and Eddie V. ran 13 miles, then Jeff and I ran 23 miles, then Jeff put in another 2 miles. The ATT was quite flat and beautiful. This was an old railroad line that was converted to trail fro hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. I will try to describe the 23 mile run in more detail in a separate post.
Then, this week (week of Oct. 15), I was in San Diego, CA for a conference, and couldn't put in any runs. The trip was also tiring, and I didn't get enough slep. So here it is, Oct. 20, and I am planning to do 10 miles on the treadmill. It's not all bad, though- lots of good news to share!
Week of Oct. 8, I got in 2 runs of 3 miles and 3.5 miles respectively, straight runs on the treadmill at 5.3 mph. Ave. heart rate was 155-160 bpm.
Then, on Oct. 13, the GK Hero's Run team went to the American Tobacco Trail. Efren, Victoria, and Eddie V. ran 13 miles, then Jeff and I ran 23 miles, then Jeff put in another 2 miles. The ATT was quite flat and beautiful. This was an old railroad line that was converted to trail fro hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. I will try to describe the 23 mile run in more detail in a separate post.
Then, this week (week of Oct. 15), I was in San Diego, CA for a conference, and couldn't put in any runs. The trip was also tiring, and I didn't get enough slep. So here it is, Oct. 20, and I am planning to do 10 miles on the treadmill. It's not all bad, though- lots of good news to share!
Sunday, October 7, 2007
"That's commitment!" and the broken arm
Some weeks are just crazy. The past week, I couldn't find time to run. After last Sunday's 20-miler, I was hoping to do two 4-milers during the week. But between classes, making exams, meeting research sponsors, and sumitting a research proposal, I didn't have the time or energy to go for a run.
So I hoped the long run planned for Saturday was going to be ok. Jeff and I did 7 miles at Umstead, at an easy pace. We did it in 1 hour 30 min, at almost 13 min/mile. Everything went well, except for the increase in my steady-state heart rate. My HR probably aeraged 165, a little too high for that pace. So I did lose some cardiovascular fitness, and I have to make sure I do my short runs this week to prepare for next weekend's 24-miler. Hopefully, it won't be as hectic as last week.
The title of this post has to do with the comments of runners meeting us on the trail. Jeff still has the cast on his arm on, and people would say- "Did you break your arm? That's commitment!" or "That's dedication!". I told Jeff he should milk it some more and show it to people to convince them to support his run for GK :). It does seem like Jeff will have a small cast until the marathon. In the meantime, I am the guy running with the really dedicated runner - maybe I should get a fake cast too :-). then we'd be the runners with the broken arms :-)
So I hoped the long run planned for Saturday was going to be ok. Jeff and I did 7 miles at Umstead, at an easy pace. We did it in 1 hour 30 min, at almost 13 min/mile. Everything went well, except for the increase in my steady-state heart rate. My HR probably aeraged 165, a little too high for that pace. So I did lose some cardiovascular fitness, and I have to make sure I do my short runs this week to prepare for next weekend's 24-miler. Hopefully, it won't be as hectic as last week.
The title of this post has to do with the comments of runners meeting us on the trail. Jeff still has the cast on his arm on, and people would say- "Did you break your arm? That's commitment!" or "That's dedication!". I told Jeff he should milk it some more and show it to people to convince them to support his run for GK :). It does seem like Jeff will have a small cast until the marathon. In the meantime, I am the guy running with the really dedicated runner - maybe I should get a fake cast too :-). then we'd be the runners with the broken arms :-)
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