RIM transition to road-biking

(This is a late post)

So after months of thinking and reading (and asking my wife for permission), I finally landed a bike – a Raleigh Revenio 2.0 – bought February 1, 2014; it is an entry bike:

 So what made me want a bike? 

• Basically running has been redundant.  I still could not find the push I need to start training for longer than 21k/25k.  Usually it’s the races that make me go for it.
• The registration procedures by race organizers now are complicated and I don’t have that much patience to go through with it.

What’s the plan with the bike?

• Basically as an add-on, to complement for running.  The plan is to still continue running my weekday and Saturday morning runs, and have cross-training on Sundays.
• Eventually do brick training and see how it goes
• Do a multi-sport
• And of course enjoy the bike rides and its social aspect.

So far it’s been a great first month with the bike.  Great expenses, too!  Well, it’s the essentials, really need these:

1. Helmet – Rudy Project Snuggy – 1,700 (?)
2. Giyo Bike Pump GP-41S – 380
3. Kenda Tube 700c x 18/23 - 200
4. 6-in-1 Tool set – 270
5. Zefal Patch set – 80
6. Evolution Anatomic Cycling Shorts - 550

And the not-so-essentials:

1. Cateye Micro-wireless CCMC100W – 950
2. Zefal pedals with toe-clips – 550

 

But lucky to have a set of hand-me-downs and freebies:

1. Tire changer
2. Extra presta covers
3. 3M safety goggles (from paps-Erwin)
4. Nike gloves (used to be my gym gear)
5. Belt-bag/bike-kit (current running gear)
6. Excellent service from Betokbicycles J

So far I had a good set of weekend rides this February.  I’m now comfortable in the 40km distance and had been doing some tempo rides.  I might move into high-intensity on the coming months.  By the way I joined the Alaska Cycle Philippines event on May 18 and it’s a 40km race event at BGC.  Too bad it coincided with the SBR Duaman Duathlon event, if I can’t sell it, I’ll keep it.  Anyway there’s another SBR event some time November, its double the mileage.

Generally, bikers are nice and have been lucky to meet and join groups of ‘em during my weekend ride - that makes it safe and secure so I’m planning on finding a permanent group.  It’s a huge difference from my running where I’m alone (well, alone doesn’t necessary mean lonely, and it’s “me” time).

Goodbye 2013! Challenge 2014

Good year, good year…

It was a good year for running - improved quite a lot with lesser injuries, and I achieved a 2-hour HM.

But this isn’t a year-end review if that actually sums it all up. Let’s start off with the races participated last 2013:

RACE	Chip-time / Distance	GPS-time / Distance
Yakult (Mar)	1:35:31 / 16k	1:34:52 16.02k
Petron (June)	58:38 / 10k	No time
RUPM ( June)	1:00:58 / 10k	1:01.04 / 10.37k
38th Milo (July)	2:09:31 / 21k	2:09:38 / 21.62k
RSC F&F (Aug)	1:22 / 10k	No time
NB (Nov)	2:36:11 / 25k	2:36:12 / 25.77k
Domination (Nov)	1:59:40 / 21k	1:59:43 / 21.35k

Some race pics, the best so far is with Domination Run!

Key points –

• Huge improvement from 2012 - I have managed to run at an average pace of 6:00/km on training runs.  This has been my easy-run pace upon ending the year.  I can still remember how this used to be my race-pace in targeting sub-1 10k, and now I managed to hit sub-2 HM!

• Peak performance – I am inclined to think that the latest performance may be my maximum already.  Training to improve distance just takes too much time and effort.  I just don’t see myself doing it.  Improve time?  This is more likely.

• Will not put too much effort on race registrations– it seems the new trend in registering for a race includes online registration using prepaid cards and race kit pick-ups on fixed days.  And it is this kind of setup that makes me don’t want to race anymore.  It just seems too complicated and time consuming.

• Running boom – yes, running is still hot.  I’ve been seeing a lot of people running lately.  Though it is good for them that they’re starting, but they might need to learn the progressive way to do it. (I know I will suffer from this statement).  Not to be an ass, but races are becoming too crowded now, and most really do not respect the distance.  So we end up cluttering the route with all those selfie and group shots on every corner.  Although to each his own, and for me, its about conquering myself to push my limits, so please bear with me with my opinion.

• Too redundant – training and races have been redundant.  A race at a different setting may be an option, or cross-training with a bike.

New Gears –

• April – Ultimate Direction Hydration bottle (hand-held) – Summer of 2013 was hot, sooo hot that I had to upgrade my hydration

• September – Saucony Virrata - My first HM time was affected by blisters.  I realized that I can go with zero-drop, but cushion is also important

• December – Garmin FR10 - My Soleus' strap snapped!  Garmin FR10 looks better, but battery-life not so good.

• December - Injinji Running socks & 2 pairs Nike shorts - well, good price on sale!

  

So, having ran a 10k-sub-1 last 2012, I managed to run a 21k-sub-2 this 2013.  I guess it’s a very good measure of my improvement.  Off-season training for short to mid distances has been great!  Although I have no race plans as of now, I think my level of fitness is manageable and race-ready with at least a month of preparation.

For 2014 – I really have no plans yet if I’ll go at a higher distance or to go for a faster finish.  I’m doing short, frequent runs at a mid to high intensity.  I don’t know where that would take me, but I’m hoping that it would give me better time.  I'll stick to running (with a few biking), maybe lay low on races (but possibly try duathlon), but will continue to be active for wellness.  :)

Really can't get a decent pic on every RU event

1st run without GPS and turned out just fine!

1st HM with the Milo Marathon

Longest run so far

PS:  Took me a month to finish this post-year writeup.  Will have to do this more often.

Happy Christmas!

Its quite a bore coming to work after Christmas.  It seems like it just too soon.  The best Holiday of they year just spent for a day, just like say a Sunday but merrier?!  Well, I’m here in the office… early… quiet… will be sleepy in a while… with tired legs… Zzzz…

Anyway, yes, tired legs – have been running this week, after a zero run the previous week.  So far I managed to wake up this morning (though late) with the thought that I will run.  So the runner in me is focused on getting back on track.  This December might have affected my fitness level seriously than I thought:

• Having some foot pains now – (from a 5k-10k-5k run at 6min pace)
• Felt my body’s a bit heavier on runs

Now I have mentioned in the previous blog that December really was a toxic month.  It took away the rest, the food and made me dehydrated at times.  Those contributed to the current level I’m now at.

Realization

Good health is a continuous process.  We can’t just say that I’ve been good this month so I’ll take this week off.  Well, you can probably have 1 cheat day, but really not a long time.

The good thing is that I have come to realize that while still early.  And I started to go back on track this week.  Plus, there will be quite a long holiday after the 27^th.  So there’ll be more time to run, yey!

Speaking of long holiday, 2013 will be over soon.  Might have to do the year-end blog to get a good look at what I accomplished, to cap things off and to create a new running goal for 2014.  Let’s do this!

Happy Holidays!  More miles this 2014!

A lot to make up for and a mid-life - transition?

Ok, so I haven’t been blogging enough for about 3 months now, and this month have been laying low in mileage as well.  But that doesn’t mean that I’m about to give up running!

The “ber” months are the crucial times for retail, which in my case have been the most important months since I started working.  It is the time of the year where plans are executed and there really are a lot of those plans in place.  We even opened around 11 stores from November until December, 8 of those within 3 weeks of December.

Although I have managed to receive a free trip to Spain last October 20 to 29 with the boss, and even though Spain is not really on my choice of places to visit, it turned out just fine.  I have managed to run the cold and windy beach of San Sebastian, and got to circle around Retiro Park.  I also got to experience my first – first run on a treadmill!

There is a blog about the Spain trip, I’m surely gonna finish it before Christmas! I sure had a lot of good and not-so-good experiences there that I would like to document. Hehe!

Now this blog mentions about Mid Life… Transition.  Suddenly came out upon noticing that I have been missing on some “things” that I used to enjoy – basically socializing.  I came to realize that I have been prioritizing heavily on 3 things – family, running and work; all others come very far from these 3.  Cases in point:

1. Due time from work to commute on the way home with the wife to get some playtime with my daughter
2. Can’t afford to go late night for a group drinking session as I will run in the morning
3. Make sure to free up the weekend for the following activities:
1. Morning long runs
2. House chores
3. Playtime
4. Trip to the mall
4. Being (unreasonably) uptight in work area to meet deadlines

Have been a bit depressed for 2 days from this, yes just 2 days and I’m now fine that quickly.  Realization – avoid being an @$$ in work, and there’s always time to run and to interact.  Well, family time is still the same, I won’t sacrifice that.

So does this mean I’m gonna take time off running?  Nope!  Just time management; I don’t have to train hard, but instead train smart (whatever this means, I’ll have to find out) well I guess I really don’t have to rush into being fast and running far.

So does this also mean that I’ll be softer at work?  A bit, yes – realized that I have to be human every once in a while.

So its really a transition, not a crisis.  This was an eye-opener, to change for the better.  Cheers to a new Runner In Me! 

Sante Barley Domination Run 2013

Another successful running event to end my 2013 race season (yeah, I do have a race season so I won’t burn out) thanks to Sante Barley.

This caps of my 3-21k (including a 25k NB Run) for the year.  And what a very fitting end as I got a PB of 2 hours!  Okay, let’s summarize:

RACE	Distance/Chip-time	Distance/Soleus-time
Milo HM	21k/2:09:31 (9.76km/h)	21.62k/2:09:38 (10.0km/h)
New Balance – 25k	25k/2:36:11 (9.61km/h)	25.77k/2:36:12 (9.9km/h)
Sante Barley HM	21k/1:59:40 (10.61km/h)	21.35k/1:59:43 (10.7km/h)

Coming from a 2:10 HM to a 2:00 HM is a huge improvement.  Thinking about it I have come to a couple of theories:

1. Milo HM probably was a case of the jitters plus blisters
2. NB 25k adjusted the shoes but the Buendia overpass was too much for me
3. Sante Barley’s route was relatively flat with very few turns; plus the 2 previous experiences helped

For now I’m just happy with the result.  As I think aside from the reasons above, my trainings really did it for me.

Going back to the race, was a bit irritated even before the race began as (1) traffic at Pier area due to trucks and this was 3am!  Almost didn’t make it here; (2) 30 minutes late gun start, although I made it just in time, plus the wait due to the delay.

The route was mostly flat with a few minor inclines.  I felt it on the 7^th or 8^th kilometer mark as we approach the end of coastal hi-way on the way to Cavitex.  After that it was a straight, relatively flat Cavitex road, then back.

There’s nothing much to say about the race though as I made an even pace all through out.  Except that I think after the first 8k I began taking water at almost every stop.  I don’t do that on practice runs but for this race I felt the need to.  It didn’t affect my time that much though.

I knew I was doing great after the 10k where my time was around 57-ish minutes.  It was there that I focused on my pace and form and not to get too excited.  Although I felt the need to slow down coming in to the 20km, but upon seeing the clock at 2:00:xx gave me my second wind.  I got a strong finish (along with a strong facial expression)

As for the way the race was organized, my comments below:

1. Late gun start – this is a big negative for me. 
2. Dark portion on some part of the route
3. No energy drinks on station – although there was plenty water
4. Late-finishers complained about dried-up water stations (wouldn’t know)
5. Heavy investment on photographers – plus plus points!
6. New addition – late result posting!  Its been more than a week now! (update – released after 8 days!)

What a way to end my running season!  I’m really happy with my performance. 

So what’s next for me?  I’ll take running easy now (or at least I plan to).  Not much pressure in running xx distance at xx time – just to enjoy running.  Unfortunately, last weekend run was a 1:33:xx 10-miler – still a competitive time for me.  Oh well, I guess I’ll just run it as I feel it.

If the next few weeks I’m still up to running “competitively”, I might just move on to the longer 32k.  Hmm, still having some “boring” issues during long runs, might need to work on that first.