ULTRA training

[singlepic=302,120,90,,left]ULTRA, the name of this place is very apt. ULTRA is defined as going beyond what is usual or ordinary; excessive; extreme. The people who train here definitely push themselves to go beyond their limits, breaking personal records, and preparing themselves for future competitions or just to stay fit and healthy.

[singlepic=301,120,90,,right]There is also another quote posted along the track oval which says, “Mens Sana In Corpore Sano”, translated means, A healthy Mind in A Healthy Body. This reminds everyone that staying fit is not only good for the body but for the mind as well. I can attest to this as running has become my outlet from all the stress that accumulates from studying and doing other things. It gives me peace of mind and actually energizes me.

After yesterday’s 10k easy run, it was ULTRA training for me in every sense of the phrase. Did my usual 2k warmup, followed by drills, then after missing it for over a month, I was back to the stairs. 10 reps for the bleachers, then 7 reps for the regular steps. It was definitely exhausting! This was followed by 4×100m sprints. Before I started the sprints, my legs were twitching from fatigue that’s what I couldn’t give 100% for the sprints.

My time for the 4×100m were:
1 – 15.90
2 – 15.47
3 – 17.05
4 – 16.03

No penalty today

No penalty for today as I was able to do my 10k run in my village. I wanted to do it in UP, together with Mikey, Lito and the other Happy Feet members but I had to go home. I need to save time since I got a midterm coming up this Thursday and I need all the time I can spare studying (haha! I shouldn’t even be wasting time posting).

When I got home at around 5:30pm, I had an awful headache. Mikey texted me and asked if I was running in UP, but I said I had already gone home… and that I was just waiting for my headache to subside. When it went away, I decided to do my 10k run. No way I was going to be penalized (though self-imposed) P500 for not running! Haha!

My time? Well, Coach said easy run at 6:30 pace. I did 10k in 59:14.90, with my first lap at 29:33.26 and my return lap at 29.41.64. Not bad. It was faster than I was supposed to do, but it was at an easy and comfortable pace. The only thing I didn’t like was that my new shorts made me chafe. Arrgh! Hassle.

After my run, I did the usual core exercises. Crunches, then side crunches, plank, side plank, then bridge. Tiring, definitely, but energizing.

My recovery meal consisted of grilled chicken with a dry steak rub or various herbs and spices, foccacia bread and quash soup. I guess I sweat all the fluids in my body out since I drank over 2 liters of water immediately after my workout. CRAZY!

I’m looking forward to my workout tom. Coach, what are we doing? Bring it on! Hehe

Serious training…

I have 2 DNFs under my belt and one poor performance. I think I have to rethink my strategy and get serious about training again. My two DNFs are One La Salle run (bandit, haha!) and The North Face 100 (I did 10k instead of 20k… shhhh!). My dismal performance was at TikTakBo wherein I walked the last lap.

Maybe I’m overexerting myself or I am not yet mentally prepared for anything over 10k. One La Salle was 16k (I did 5k), TNF100 was 20k (I did 10k), and TikTakBo was supposedly 18k which turned out to be 14k. It could be that I don’t like doing loops or repeating the same route all over again. It could also be that I let my mind get the better of me. It could also be a lack of training? I’ve been doing speed work but no recovery or long runs… maybe that’s it.

Starting this week, I’m getting serious about my training. I’m penalizing myself P500 for every missed run. Hopefully, that will be enough motivation for me.

The North Face 100

[Pictures courtesy of TNF100.com]

We had just come back from one helluva race… THE NORTH FACE 100. It was a trail run only for those who had the guts to dare 100km of rugged terrain, to be completed within 30 hours. Take a look at pictures of the course.

The event was held in Nasugbu Batangas, within the premises of Evercrest, Golf and Country Club. There were also 10, 20, and a 2×50k relay event. Coach Ruel Ano did the 2×50k relay event and they won first place! Coach Jan (current 800m Philippine record holder won 5th place for 20k and Coach Rio got 6th place).

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[Thanks to Coach Rio's for the pictures]

The Biggest Loser Australia – Season 3

Ok, here I am again obsessing over weight-loss. I mean, I’ve already gone a long way from being a size 38 to a size 31 and dropping from 215lbs to 175lbs. I still can’t content myself with where I am right now. I still have my eyes set on getting those visible abdominal muscles. I’m not wishing for rock hard or washboard abs. All I’m after is a set of abs that are visible, without needing to flex your ab muscles.

So, in order to inspire me once more, I’ve downloaded the Biggest Loser Australia – Season 3 series. Hopefully, this will get me motivated to getting ripped. Hehe

Speed Work at Moro Lorenzo

Yesterday, I was able to do some speed work at Moro Lorenzo indoor track oval. I wasn’t able to train at ULTRA since I had an 8am class. The indoor track oval measures 200m, half the size of the regular track oval at ULTRA. I’m not sure what the flooring is made of but I think it’s rubber. The only thing that I find difficult about running in Moro is that the turns are too sharp and it’s somewhat difficult to make speedy turns without straining your hips/thighs. Other than that, it’s ok

I did 4 sets of 4×200m. with 2-minute rest periods in between laps and 5-minute rest in between sets. These were my times:

	SET 1	SET 2	SET 3	SET 4
LAP 1	42.67	44.17	49.9	47.27
LAP 2	45.64	44.14	45.77	48.15
LAP 3	43.44	46.17	46.01	47.31
LAP 4	43.64	45.72	43.31	44.04
Ave.	43.85	45.05	46.25	46.69

Delinquent

I’ve been delinquent with my training AGAIN. I wasn’t able to do my Tuesday and Thursday recovery runs. Last Tuesday, I was supposed to do my 10k easy run but I got home too late already. Yesterday, on the other hand, it was raining really hard at around 7pm onwards. The rain stopped at around 10pm already. As much as I wanted to run, I still had a lot of reading I needed to finish for today.

Well, at least I’ll be doing my speed work today. This is one part of my training that I haven’t been delinquent with. Hopefully, next week, it won’t be a repeat.