…or would “done for” have been a better way to describe the last few days.

Last year, I was downed by a series of flu like symptoms during my taper period and it cast doubts on my ability to finish, or even run, the Milo Marathon. This year I was feeling good coming into the last 2 weeks with my knee concerns fading into the background when….my place nearly gets burned down! A fire struck the 24th floor of the apartment building I live in and while I was in the office and my family was able to evacuate the premises before they were in any danger, I worried for all my things left behind specially my race bib and running shoes. At almost midnight, when the fire was finally put out, we were allowed to go up to our units to get some things and lock up. However, the elevator was out and I needed to climb 12 flights of flooded stairs to get to my floor. On the way down, I was carrying enough bags for a 1 month stay in Europe. Talk about tapering!

While packing some clothes into our bag, my wife gives me a strange look. “Tatakbo ka pa?” She saw my Nimbus 10, together with my running shirt and shorts. Since I did not know how long we would be out of the house I brought along 1 set of running gear. I planned to wash it after my runs so that I could use it again the next day.

The next day we needed some more things from the house and I had to do my new stair workout all over again, but by last night the service elevator was finally working and we decided to go home. Because there is only one elevator functioning, it takes a while for it to get to my floor when I am going up or down. In which case I don’t hesitate to take the stairs anymore (at least when I’m going down).

Two days after the pain in my knee surfaced, I managed to run a 14 Km tempo run at a 4:55/Km pace. I also discovered that aside from the Russian March drill, sudden turns or u-turns to the right would cause pain to the side of my right knee. So that’s it: just run straight and avoid making any sharp right turns and I would be fine.

Or so I thought. I found myself doing a lot of turning at the Men’s Health All Terrain Race. I had signed up for the 15Km race but planned to do 2 loops to complete my mileage for the day. It was a hot day and it was a tough course. In order to avoid pressure on my knees, I ran at a slower pace and at each right turn I would pivot with my left. I was running in an awkward manner and I was tiring earlier than expected. By the time I finished 15Km, I was exhausted and decided to call it a day.

Usually, I would be satisfied with my week’s training if I could complete the assigned workouts for that period: 1 interval, 1 tempo, and 1 long run. I skipped the easy runs and stair workouts if I did not have the time nor energy to do them. However, I had cut my interval and long run short in my last week of training and I wonder if it would have any impact on my performance. I could only rationalize that had I not cut back dramatically I might not even be able to race which would put all my training to waste.

The last few days, I ran a short tempo, a 12Km at marathon pace, 2 easy runs and a 16km long run. With each step I became more confident that whatever was bothering my knee had somehow resolved itself. Hopefully, the last week of taper will allow it some more healing time.

In the middle of last Tuesday’s intervals, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my right knee. I actually felt pain while doing some drills earlier but since I could still run I passed it off as some kind of soreness. I stopped my workout and waited. I decided to go back home and I managed to run a good 1 Km at easy, tempo and 10 km race pace. During the rest of the day, my knee felt alright and I was moving around normally but there were moments when it would buckle. Coach Rio told me to take 2 days off and to see a doctor.

That same night, I received my Milo marathon race packet and while it was heart warming to receive all the good wishes and blessings of friends, I needed to know if I could run at the soonest possible time.

Would I be good to go?

According to the doctor, I could run because the examination did not yield any sign of injury…BUT I would continue to be under observation until it could be determined if the incident was an isolated case or not.

So tomorrow morning, I WILL RUN.

2009 Milo Marathon 42Km Bib and Singlet

31 May 2009 : IE8

As recovery weeks go, I implemented a more relaxed schedule than usual by cutting my mileage in half. The twinge in my knee a week earlier had not interfered with my training but it had certainly left me with a warning that if I didn’t take my rest seriously, I might pay for it later on. I was supposed to do a 16 Km long run and I had no plans of joining any of the races slated for today. Anything less than 20 Km, I could do on the ULTRA oval which would mean more sleep as I would need less preparation than my usual long runs and I would not have to make a trip to Quezon City as well.

All that changed when Vince of Finishline texted me the night before asking if I wanted to do a long run before the IE8 run. We agreed to meeet at the parking lot at 4:30 a.m. so that we could complete a 10 Km run before his 4 mile race. After, I would just run the remaining 6 Km around the area and cheer the race participants on.

I woke up at 4 a.m. and saw that it was raining outside. I decided to wear my windbreaker to keep me warm and dry while my body brought its temperature up and my Arnuvas which seemed to work well in this type of road condition. Iwas running late and by the time we were ready to run, it was almost 10 minutes to 5. We did a few laps around BHS and we were later joined by Coach Rio who had joined the race. After a while Vince dropped off to look for a friend and after a while, Coach Rio was ready to do his stretching. By this time, I had done 4.3 Km already and somehow managed to convince myself that registering now and continuing my run along the 8 mile route would be fun. Luckily I had some money with me and I managed to get myself signed up quickly.

When I entered the corral, I suddenly felt the need to relieve myself but with the race ( a Rudy B. race at that) about to start any minute, I decided to hold it in until I could locate a men’s room along the way. At the gun start, I found myself running with the hardcores, Jonel and Jay. We agreed to do a 5:20 / Km pace but when we got to the Kalayaan flyover, I speeded up so that I could reach the Petron gas station at the corner of Makati Avenue and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue. My plan was to take a quick bathroom break and get back into the race just as they were passing by. However, locating the men’s room proved to be more time consuming than expected as it was on the second floor of the building. I could see my running buddies pass by as I entered the toilet. When I rejoined the race, I saw my TNF running partner, Mark, and continued on with him.

There is nothing like seeing the frontrunners of a race on the way back to get your competetive juices flowing. As we approached the turn around point just past the railroad tracks on the SLEX, I told Mark that I felt like speeding up. I went up to 4:55/ km which is tempo pace and began chasing down runners all the way to the finish line. Because the sky was overcast and the temperatures were cool, I did not tire as quickly. According to the official results, I crossed the line in 1:06:04. It was a fun race although I did not win the laptop!

Mark, Tiffin, Vince, and Me

7 June 2009 : Mizuno Infinity Time Trials

Since this would be a long run day, I needed to do 30 Km. I had originally planned to do my long run in UP so that I would have trees for shade in case the weather improved. However, my friends prevailed on me to join. I was resigned to running another 10Km – 15 Km after the race in Fort Bonifacio’s treeless avenues.

On the way back from the turnaround, I was running on Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue shaded by tall buildings when I suddenly made a decision to turn around just before the Makati Avenue intersection. This move elicited surprise from several runners who knew me and I could only smile back in reply. When I reached the railroad tracks, I turned around again and finally made my way to the finish line. After 19.4Km I crossed the finish line in 1:48:59 . Since I was so intent on running the remaining 11 Km, I did not bother to read the papers handed to me at the finish line. It was only after I had gotten home and read the blogs that I found out that Mizuno would be using our times for their race on January 10, 2010. Had I known then maybe I would not have run at all since I had no intention of going all out in this race. Still, I finished my 30 Km for the day and for at least that Sunday, everything was alright.

This has been a long week.

Aside from work, I had meetings, dinners, briefings, etc. the past 4 nights. As a result, I missed a run last Wednesday morning. I managed to sleep at 10:30 the night before but when I woke up at 4:30 I just didn’t feel right. At that point, I needed to think fast. If I begin the internal debate on whether to run or not, it may end up with me not running but not falling back asleep and getting the rest I postponed my run for. I managed to follow my first rule which was to get at least 6 hours of sleep. I had a slight sore throat but nothing serious. However, I had an important meeting with a client at 8:00 in the morning and given my goals for the year, I couldn’t blow that meeting if I ended up ragged after the workout. I decided to go back to sleep and wake up 2 hours later. Thankfully, the meeting went well.

I never slack off my training schedule, but I do worry that when I don’t train for some reason or another Iwill end up finding more reasons not to do so in the future. Obviously, I have a hierarchy of priorities : Family, Work, then Running (although there maybe times I have confused the latter 2) and that is the first basis of my decision to run or not. I also check my physical well-being. I won’t run through a cold, because in my experience it results in more training days lost when it becomes aggravated to a full blown flu. I can run with a cough though and maybe some leg pains. There is no hard and fast rule but I do know that 1 missed workout will not negate all my previous weeks of training.

I decided to sign up for the Men’s Health All Terrain Race on June 21 at Sta. Elena in Sta. Rosa Laguna after I saw some of the photos of the route. It will be held on a trail that has never been opened to the public : a virgin trail!

There will be a 5-Km, 10-Km, 15-Km run, and a bike race. Since the 15 Km race will be an out-and-back route,  I will be running the 15 Km race. Because it is my long run day, I will probably just do it at LSD pace and complete 2 loops to complete my 30 Km for the day. I just hope I finish before the bike race so that I don’t get run over by bikers.

This Men’s Health event is organized by Finishline and is sponsored by Keen, Nivea for Men, Cherifer Premium, and Frenzy Condoms. Although if you want to be a father, it’s probably best to skip the Frenzy.

It’s back to the grind as my recovery week ended with the IE8 run (recap to follow).

At the Nike Run Clinic in ULTRA last Tuesday night, a few hardy participants braved the rains and ran their drills. Coach Rio handed me my next 5 weeks of workouts including my taper before the July 5 Milo Marathon Eliminations. I ran 6 x 800m and 3 Km at my 10 Km race pace thru a downpour.  

I woke up at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning to find the weather virtually unchanged. I put on gray colored socks in lieu of the easily muddied white ones. I put on my wet shoes from the previous night since there was no sense in getting another pair wet. I ran 18 Km thru the heavy showers.

I knew what to expect at this morning and I wore the same shoe for the 3rd time. When I left the house the sky was cloudy but the weather seemed to be holding. As I was in the middle of my workout, it finally came. My heart rate went down and I speeded up.  I did a 14 Km tempo run thru the rainstorm.

When I got home from my run, I knew that God was truly just. For the past 2 mornings, I had arrived at the ULTRA oval earlier than the lady guard. Since she was not around, I never gave the ticket I carried in the pocket of my running shorts even after my workout. However, when I got home and I tried to fish for the ticket out of my shorts, I found out that the ticket had become soaked and virtually disintegrated in my fingers.

It’s my blog’s 1 year birthday today.

This was my first post last year: Recovery Run. I think I sounded / wrote differently then, a little more introspective.

Last May 27, 2008, I ran 6.4 km at a 6:23 / km pace with an average heart rate of 127 bpm. This morning I ran 12 km at a 5:18 / km pace with an average heart rate of 142 bpm.

Work was tough then and is still tough today.

It has been an amazing journey since then and I have had a lot of amazing experiences and met plenty of wonderful people both thru this blog and thru my running. I can only be thankful for all of them and to my new and future friends I would like to invite them to keep on running with me. 

April 20, 2008 Big Blue Run

May 4, 2008 Runnex Race in UP

August 3, 2008 My First Milo Marathon

August 31, 2008 Nike Human Race with Jonel and Gigi

October 31, 2008 Adidas KOTR with Marga

November 10, 2008 Drinks with Wayne

November 16, 2008 New Balance with Dindo, Jun, Jaymie and Miguel

December 14, 2008 Ictus with Vince

January 25, 2009 The Happy Run with Bards, Mesh, and Vener

March 10, 2009 Doc Fit with Coach Rio

(To those whose photos I don’t have, you are faster than my camera’s ability to capture you.)