The bicycle makeover challenge!

Lately I have decided that I want to cross train running with cycling. Two problems though occurred as I made this decision:

1. I don't have a bicycle
2. I don't know how to ride a bicycle

Yes yes, I a am 21 year old man who still doesn't know how to ride a bicycle, but I have a feeling I am not alone!

So, I started talking with my friends and siblings and they suggested that I buy one of those cheap bikes first so that I can practice and later on move to those high-tech shinny ones if I would like. So, that was the plan!

A few days later, my one friend Mr. Youma Shiozawa brought me the body of his old bike. It was a great off-road bike, he told me I can have it and I would just need to bring new life to it.

Challenge accepted!!

 I went straight to the bike shop near our house to find out how much it would cost to go Frankenstein on this bike and well it ranged from about 5k-6k. A little bit of a whopper right? Well, I promise this bike will live again! Check back in a few months, I'll update it with the modifications that I add each time. 

Race Day Sunday at De La Salle Zobel

Feeling good! That's how it was this morning at the 1st Run Green Marathon of De La Salle Santiago Zobel School. I estimated the number of people to be about 300-400. It was quite a small crowd mixed with students, alumni, PNP cadets, and outsiders (like me! haha).

This race was a 5k warm up race for the upcoming Condura run on February 7, since I will be doing my first 10k there. My main goal for this race was just to run it at what ever pace I felt like and just enjoy it, no pressure, no time, no whatever. Just RUN! =)

This race was also quite better cause my brother Rex also joined me for this one. Even though we both ran on different paces it was still good, its just different finishing the race with another person you know. You know?

insert ----> (Vit Water! You know?)

The route of the run went around mostly the major roads of Ayala Alabang. It went from University Ave, to Acacia, then to Madrigal, and went back around. The road was quite tough at time since there were "sneaky" inclines that you didn't really notice until you were there. It was both challenging and still very fun.

My final time are as follows:

My watch: 23:52

Organizer's Stopwatch: 23:48

My Original Finish Line Photo

I had to take another one though cause my sister told me I didn't look "serious" enough haha well soreehh!! I kinda like looking goofy while running lol

Overall it was a really good race, I was a little bothered though by the time. Don't get me wrong I am very happy with my time but the first time I ran a 5k I finished at 29:34 and this time around I finished at the 23 minute mark.. I duno, I just feel like course wasn't a full 5k? I'm really not sure.. Or maybe I already got faster? arrrghhh.. Well whatever, I'm happy both ways

Run Fat Boy, Run!

Run Fat Boy, Run is a story about Dennis Doyle who runs away from his pregnant  fiancé on their wedding day and after 5 years realizes what a mistake he has done. So he tries to win her back from her new boyfriend by running a 42km full marathon to show how much he has changed.

Through out the story he is trained by his friend Gordon and his land lord Mr. Goshdashtidar. His sole inspiration for this run was his 5 year old son Jake, to be able to show him that his father is not a loser and that he can and will achieve what he set his mind to do.

Well, the story line isn't very good and you can practically see whats coming, but the comedy and the enjoyment surrounding the story is what gives it its edge.

Would I say its an inspiring story? Well hmmm.. not really so, but it would be something that a runner should definitely watch! It reminds us of why we run, which I believe is a core element in every runners life.

The Nike Mini Me

This is the Nike Mini me, he hops and jumps and does all kinds of things.. That is if I keep running, once I stop he gets all grumpy lol

My life and running so far

I've began to notice that running has been playing a major role on how my day will most likely go. I am usually in a much better mood on days that I am able to run in the morning, and if not I just get draggy for the rest of the day.

I feel all weak, bored, sad, and just plain out of it. Most of the time I make myself happy by eating on these days and well even though it sometimes compensates, nothing still can replace the feeling of running. It just can't.

 Running is becoming more and more a very important part of my life and well so far lets just keep it that way. So I hope to stay injury free for the rest of the year and to keep run run running for the days to come!

TRAIL RUN!!!!!!

I've always wanted to try a trail run after seeing Ryan Hall do his training on those "dirt road" tracks. It always seemed so cool sice it was closer to nature that way, the clean air, the trees, and all that jazz. Also this time we can really get down and dirty with the MUD!!! oh yeah!!

Well the run I'm planning to take part of is the 11k, I actually wanted a much shorter route like a 5k since I will just be coming off my first 10k race the week before. Oh well, I doesn't really matter since I'm doing this run purely just to enjoy it, no pressure on time, no pressure on pace, no nothing. Just good pure running!

One problem though I came about was that I had no trail shoes! I was initially planning on just doing it with my Nike Lunar Glide, good thing though the peeps at takbo.ph gave me a heads up to use my old shoes instead cause I may end up crying after the race lol






So just a wrap up:
Date: Feb 14, 2009

Location: Nuvali

Start: 5:00 am

See you there!!!!!!!!

The little voice that says stop or go

Have you heard him? I do! I hear him every time , he sometimes tells me to keep going but on most occasions he begs me to stop. All I know is that his always there, trying to control me, to do what he bids. He speaks of laziness, being tired, giving up, and does everything just to make you stop. But I have began to realize that if you don't listen, that is when the greatness of you comes out.

Did you ever here of the saying that most people give up too early not knowing how close they were to achieving their goal? Well here is a simple story I recently went through. I was doing a run (race pace) one morning with a 5k distance. I started out my run pretty good until I hit about the 1.5k mark. From this point my mind kept talking to me, telling me to just stop cause I was too tired and making excuses like my legs hurt and all that but I didn't mind that voice and just went on. Later on he came back at my turn around at the 2.5k mark saying the same damn things, making me want to quit. But, I did it again and made him shut up by drowning him out with other thoughts.

Later again at about only 1k left to go he came back and at this period I just began to laugh inside, since I then realized that if I gave into him and believed him back then in my first 1.5k I wouldn't be where I am now, and so goes the same back at the 2.5k mark. Apparently there is more to me than I thought, and I firmly believe the same goes the same for everyone too.

Everyday we can quit on doing something that seems to hard, quit because you just can't do it anymore, or maybe even quit since its taking too long.. But the thing is, what if we don't quit? What happens then?

Well for me at least, what happen was at the end of the run I actually set a new PR which was 28:38 on a 5k distance, I beat my old record which was 29:43. So well yeah, whats stopping us now?

100 Push Up Goal

I am one of those runners who believe that improvement in running can also be done off the track. One of the key activities I do is support my running with a solid strength program at the gym. I consider this as an integral part not only for improvement but also as a way to keep myself less prone to injury.

Recently I chanced upon a website called "hundredpushups.com". This website gives you a 6 week strength training program specifically for the improvement of your pushups and promises you to be able to do a 100 push ups by the end of the of it all. This website caters to people of different strength levels, from those people who can only belch out 5 push ups to the elite ones who can do a 100 and above. It's basically for everyone!

Right about now though, some of you maybe thinking. A push up? Really? But why I'm a runner, so I only basically use my legs during my runs. I dont need that! Screw you Life Runner!!!

Well my friend I would say  your as wrong as two guys sipping out Coke from the same straw. Running is very much a whole body exercise like any other sport. We use muscles from our shoulders, arms, abdominal, and so forth during our runs. So these are muscles that we also need strengthen, that way they don't fatigue as fast and also so there is more power in them.

And come one how cool will it be to do a 100 push ups? So get up and try it guys! See you in 6 weeks!

Running Goals for 2010

The year has just started and what better way to start it right then by having a list of goals to be achieved before the end of the year. They always did say aim high, so I'm going to try and shoot for the galaxies! =)

1. Log in an accumulated 100 Miles
   
2. Run a 20k or above race
   
3. Finish a 10k race in under 60 minutes
   
4. Finish a 5k race in under 25 minutes
5. Run a 10k Race
6. Run in a destination out of town
7. Run at least one race per month

I'm pretty excited for this, lets go! RUN!!!

"I'm very determined and stubborn. There's a desire in me that makes me want to do more and more, and to do it right. Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it." - Mary Lou Retton