A TINY FROG'S BLOG: Indian Summer: Waddap! *^.^* I don't know about you guys but I don't have any clue what an Indian Summer is but you know that feeling when y...
HOw do i do this? I just wanted to post a comment. Anyway, an Indian Summer is that time in Spring that knda feels like summer, hotter i suppose, so that it feels like summer already but in reality, not a real summer yet. Haha. That's what i remember.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Nervous Preparation
I always find it difficult to sleep the night before a race. Reason dictates that I should rest my mind and body for the physical and mental challenge ahead, but the anxiety often gets the better of me. I am sure I'm not alone in this. Most runners have the same experience.
Me and my Dagway-Dagan friends initially planned to travel to Alcoy this morning and stay on the beach while waiting for tomorrow's trail run. Instead, it was decided that we will leave early Sunday instead since staying on the beach might not be a good idea since we might end up being too tired to run the next day. It was decided to have the beach party after the run. It actually made sense. So in about an hour I am supposed to meet my friend Rix somewhere in IT park and from there proceed to Southbound Bus Terminal. I have never been to Alcoy and all I know is that the beach there is beautiful. I am excited to see it. I hope we get good photos there that I can post here when I get back.
I saw photos of my friends during there respective events this morning. Art ran in the Xterra trail run and according to him the route was simple. I guess he meant simple compared to the Columbia trail run last February. Columbia Eco-trail Runs really set the benchmark on trail runs here in Cebu. I will post photos from it as the next run gets closer in May.
Here is Art during this morning's Xterra Trail run. From CDO Socialclimbers Facebook photos.
And here is Paul during the Annual Mt. Manunggal Climbathon. It was a 21k event going up the summit of Mt Manunggal where President Magsaysay's plane crashed. I wanted to join this run but didn't sign up for it because of Sunday's race. Paul placed 7th in the event in what he describes as an easy pace. He is conserving energy for tomorrow's trail run segment of the Xterra weekend. He aims to hit 37mins for the 10k run. I wish him goodluck.
Special thanks to Ramon Vidal for granting permission to use his photo.
Here is me during the previous Columbia trail run in Liloan,Cebu.
I dont know what tomorrow's trail will be like. That's actually part of the adventure, not knowing what to expect. I hope it is something as exciting as before. I hope we all have a great time tomorrow. Got to go now. Its almost midnight!
Me and my Dagway-Dagan friends initially planned to travel to Alcoy this morning and stay on the beach while waiting for tomorrow's trail run. Instead, it was decided that we will leave early Sunday instead since staying on the beach might not be a good idea since we might end up being too tired to run the next day. It was decided to have the beach party after the run. It actually made sense. So in about an hour I am supposed to meet my friend Rix somewhere in IT park and from there proceed to Southbound Bus Terminal. I have never been to Alcoy and all I know is that the beach there is beautiful. I am excited to see it. I hope we get good photos there that I can post here when I get back.
I saw photos of my friends during there respective events this morning. Art ran in the Xterra trail run and according to him the route was simple. I guess he meant simple compared to the Columbia trail run last February. Columbia Eco-trail Runs really set the benchmark on trail runs here in Cebu. I will post photos from it as the next run gets closer in May.
Here is Art during this morning's Xterra Trail run. From CDO Socialclimbers Facebook photos.
And here is Paul during the Annual Mt. Manunggal Climbathon. It was a 21k event going up the summit of Mt Manunggal where President Magsaysay's plane crashed. I wanted to join this run but didn't sign up for it because of Sunday's race. Paul placed 7th in the event in what he describes as an easy pace. He is conserving energy for tomorrow's trail run segment of the Xterra weekend. He aims to hit 37mins for the 10k run. I wish him goodluck.
Special thanks to Ramon Vidal for granting permission to use his photo.
Here is me during the previous Columbia trail run in Liloan,Cebu.
I dont know what tomorrow's trail will be like. That's actually part of the adventure, not knowing what to expect. I hope it is something as exciting as before. I hope we all have a great time tomorrow. Got to go now. Its almost midnight!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Trailrunning for Beginners
For runners looking for a good race or funrun to join, it doesnt any better than this weekend. There's the yearly Mt. Manunggal Climbathon on Saturday. The event includes a 21k race to the crash site of Pres. Magsaysay tragic flight. Ultra-trail running Queen Merlita Dunkin stated on Facebook that this run is actually a road race and not a trail run as I expected, otherwise I would have signed up for this event. It would have been nice to have my first 21k finishers medal on a trail run. Ever since I joined the Columbia Eco-trail run in February I have lost interest in road races.
On Sunday is the G.O.O.D Run which is organized by doctors and aims at disease prevention through exercise and fitness. I like the price for this race: 300 for 3k, 6k and 12k. 500 for 21k. Besides it's for a good cause.
I don't like races that have very high registration fees. I think races should have very affordable and reasonable fees so that more runners will be encouraged to join these events, especially newbies like me. This is also the reason why I didnt sign up for the Xterra weekend on March 17-18, 2012 despite some of my friends joining the event. Paul James Zapico and Art Saveron will be there. These two are officemates who influenced me to take up running seriously. Nap dela Torre, an experienced Ultra-trail runner who became my newest running buddy will also be joining but he told me he's only joining because somebody "sponsored" him.
Instead, I will be joining the 2nd Pugalo Trail Run in Alcoy on Sunday. I have invited members from Dagway-Dagan group top join me and its their first time to join a trail run so I thought I should share some tips on trail running. I am no expert yet so I am posting some videos from you tube. This first one is from Scott Jurek, 7 time winner of Western States 100mile and was featured in the book "Born to Run."
Keypoints are: Avoid over-striding. This is the primary difference in trail running and road-racing. Take quick, small steps when running the trails, like 180 to 190 steps per minute.
Another video about trail running: Trail Running Tips from an expert . Embedding has been disabled so it wouldnt play here.
Things to remember when Trail running:
1. Be prepared to run for time, not distance. YOu will be running slower simply because its on trails and not roads. 10k on trails will take so much longer than it would on a road race, and that depends on the difficulty of the terrain. It took me 1hour and 2 mins to finish my first and only 10k road race, and that included a pee-break along the way ( due to nervousness and excitement I think I overhydrated!) but when I joined my first trail run it took me 2 hours 47minutes to run 12k over very technical trail that included a steep climbs, sloping hills, a river, and some very rocky river-bed. I placed 89th out of around 400 participants so it was respectable finish.
2. Take shorter, frequent steps. This cannot be emphasized enough. Running on paved road we tend to focus on moving forward and not pay attention on the road. In trail running you actually have to look and see where you're running. There are roots, branches of plants, and vines that can snag your foot. There might be loose stones or slippery mud that can throw you off balance. It pays to keep your feet directly below your center of mass so that It would be easy to "pull your step" foot in case of a misstep.
3. Bring your own hydration and snacks. Its difficult to set up water and aid stations on the trails. In short routes there might be no water stations at all, except on roads when crossing from one trail head to another. In long distances like Ultra's the water and aid stations can be spaced 10km in between. You might want to bring snacks too. Its easy to get hungry and run out of energy on a long trail run. After running for two hours during the last trail run I could think of nothing else but the food in my bag back at the starting line. My legs refused to run even though I wasnt breathing hard at all. I was simply out of energy.
4. Be ready to run hills. A hill on a road race can be the gentle slope on a bridge. Or roads like that of Salinas Drive from IT Park to JY Square. In trail running hills can mean actual hills or the side of a mountain. Think running from IT park to Mt. View or to Taoist Temple in Lahug.
During the Columbia run I only run for 5mins before I encountered a hill and I had to walk. And that was the easy part.
Of course now that I already know what to expect and had practice running hills I can only look back to this video and laugh. I could probably run this hill all the way, or at least power hike some portions when running becomes impractical. On very steep roads you can actually go faster walking and conserve energy in the process.
5. Be prepared to get wet and dirty. Most trails usually require crossing streams. So wear footwear that can dry up quicker or be ready to take them off before crossing. This can become time-consuming and quite tedious if the trail requires running the actual river course. You can avoid drenching your shoes frequently by hopping between rocks but its often safer to just wade in the water especially if its only ankle deep. When running on muddy ground try to run on drier and firmer portions of it. This would generally be lighter and duller in color while wet mud has a darker and slicker appearance.
6. Wear Trail Shoes. Or as close to trail shoes as you can get. Trail running shoes are especially designed for the demands of trail running. These features include firmer outsole and toe box to protect from rocks and stubbing your toes on rocks and roots, more support on the ankle to protect from rolling when on uneven terrain, lightweight breathable mesh on the upper that promotes draining water when crossing streams, aggressive grip on the soles that provides traction on dirt and rocks.
Depending on your experience and technical expertise you can choose your shoes to be more of a running shoe than a trail shoe. There are numerous models available in the market that has different features depending on your preferences. There are reviews available for most brands and models of these shoes. Popular brands include Salomon, Brooks, Columbia, Merrel and The North Face. These are more on the expensive side. There are also Nike and Adidas trail shoes but not very common here in Cebu.
If you dont have any trail shoe yet, don't fret. Trail runners in the 70's or so didnt have trail shoes that are available now. They used track shoes and did just fine. I think road running shoes can be used in trail running if you're careful. Some say that road racers are not designed for trails and will break down during a trail run. I dont believe this is true. During the last Columbia run I saw runners wearing huaraches which were essentially ordinary slippers with the straps removed and tied with strings or shoe laces. I personally ran using my Umbro futsal shoes which I bought from Toby's in SM for P1,800 buy one take one promo. I got my shoes for P900.00 a pair! I knew they were going to be good for trail running because I played soccer with those shoes on (before I got my soccer spikes), except on rainy days when the pitch was so slippery those shoes served me well.
These are some of the tips I can share to someone who is going for his or her first trail run. I especially wrote this for my friends who will be joining me on their first trail run less than 3 days from now. I gathered these tips from the experts and from my experience from my first trail run. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions below. In closing, this is a video of I took during the last part of the Columbia Eco-trail Run 5th Leg last February 5 in Liloan, Cebu. Enjoy trail running, its supposed to be fun!
I don't like races that have very high registration fees. I think races should have very affordable and reasonable fees so that more runners will be encouraged to join these events, especially newbies like me. This is also the reason why I didnt sign up for the Xterra weekend on March 17-18, 2012 despite some of my friends joining the event. Paul James Zapico and Art Saveron will be there. These two are officemates who influenced me to take up running seriously. Nap dela Torre, an experienced Ultra-trail runner who became my newest running buddy will also be joining but he told me he's only joining because somebody "sponsored" him.
Instead, I will be joining the 2nd Pugalo Trail Run in Alcoy on Sunday. I have invited members from Dagway-Dagan group top join me and its their first time to join a trail run so I thought I should share some tips on trail running. I am no expert yet so I am posting some videos from you tube. This first one is from Scott Jurek, 7 time winner of Western States 100mile and was featured in the book "Born to Run."
Keypoints are: Avoid over-striding. This is the primary difference in trail running and road-racing. Take quick, small steps when running the trails, like 180 to 190 steps per minute.
Another video about trail running: Trail Running Tips from an expert . Embedding has been disabled so it wouldnt play here.
Things to remember when Trail running:
1. Be prepared to run for time, not distance. YOu will be running slower simply because its on trails and not roads. 10k on trails will take so much longer than it would on a road race, and that depends on the difficulty of the terrain. It took me 1hour and 2 mins to finish my first and only 10k road race, and that included a pee-break along the way ( due to nervousness and excitement I think I overhydrated!) but when I joined my first trail run it took me 2 hours 47minutes to run 12k over very technical trail that included a steep climbs, sloping hills, a river, and some very rocky river-bed. I placed 89th out of around 400 participants so it was respectable finish.
2. Take shorter, frequent steps. This cannot be emphasized enough. Running on paved road we tend to focus on moving forward and not pay attention on the road. In trail running you actually have to look and see where you're running. There are roots, branches of plants, and vines that can snag your foot. There might be loose stones or slippery mud that can throw you off balance. It pays to keep your feet directly below your center of mass so that It would be easy to "pull your step" foot in case of a misstep.
3. Bring your own hydration and snacks. Its difficult to set up water and aid stations on the trails. In short routes there might be no water stations at all, except on roads when crossing from one trail head to another. In long distances like Ultra's the water and aid stations can be spaced 10km in between. You might want to bring snacks too. Its easy to get hungry and run out of energy on a long trail run. After running for two hours during the last trail run I could think of nothing else but the food in my bag back at the starting line. My legs refused to run even though I wasnt breathing hard at all. I was simply out of energy.
4. Be ready to run hills. A hill on a road race can be the gentle slope on a bridge. Or roads like that of Salinas Drive from IT Park to JY Square. In trail running hills can mean actual hills or the side of a mountain. Think running from IT park to Mt. View or to Taoist Temple in Lahug.
During the Columbia run I only run for 5mins before I encountered a hill and I had to walk. And that was the easy part.
Of course now that I already know what to expect and had practice running hills I can only look back to this video and laugh. I could probably run this hill all the way, or at least power hike some portions when running becomes impractical. On very steep roads you can actually go faster walking and conserve energy in the process.
5. Be prepared to get wet and dirty. Most trails usually require crossing streams. So wear footwear that can dry up quicker or be ready to take them off before crossing. This can become time-consuming and quite tedious if the trail requires running the actual river course. You can avoid drenching your shoes frequently by hopping between rocks but its often safer to just wade in the water especially if its only ankle deep. When running on muddy ground try to run on drier and firmer portions of it. This would generally be lighter and duller in color while wet mud has a darker and slicker appearance.
6. Wear Trail Shoes. Or as close to trail shoes as you can get. Trail running shoes are especially designed for the demands of trail running. These features include firmer outsole and toe box to protect from rocks and stubbing your toes on rocks and roots, more support on the ankle to protect from rolling when on uneven terrain, lightweight breathable mesh on the upper that promotes draining water when crossing streams, aggressive grip on the soles that provides traction on dirt and rocks.
Depending on your experience and technical expertise you can choose your shoes to be more of a running shoe than a trail shoe. There are numerous models available in the market that has different features depending on your preferences. There are reviews available for most brands and models of these shoes. Popular brands include Salomon, Brooks, Columbia, Merrel and The North Face. These are more on the expensive side. There are also Nike and Adidas trail shoes but not very common here in Cebu.
If you dont have any trail shoe yet, don't fret. Trail runners in the 70's or so didnt have trail shoes that are available now. They used track shoes and did just fine. I think road running shoes can be used in trail running if you're careful. Some say that road racers are not designed for trails and will break down during a trail run. I dont believe this is true. During the last Columbia run I saw runners wearing huaraches which were essentially ordinary slippers with the straps removed and tied with strings or shoe laces. I personally ran using my Umbro futsal shoes which I bought from Toby's in SM for P1,800 buy one take one promo. I got my shoes for P900.00 a pair! I knew they were going to be good for trail running because I played soccer with those shoes on (before I got my soccer spikes), except on rainy days when the pitch was so slippery those shoes served me well.
These are some of the tips I can share to someone who is going for his or her first trail run. I especially wrote this for my friends who will be joining me on their first trail run less than 3 days from now. I gathered these tips from the experts and from my experience from my first trail run. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions below. In closing, this is a video of I took during the last part of the Columbia Eco-trail Run 5th Leg last February 5 in Liloan, Cebu. Enjoy trail running, its supposed to be fun!
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