My New Fitness Gadgets

I recently bought myself 2 new fitness gadgets to help me get on my way to recovering from my knee injury.

On the way to the Hot Air Balloon Festival at Clark last Feb. 14, I found a Nike Fitness Band being sold in Robinsons Starmills for P400. To be honest, the workout from the the fitness band is quite good. It's low impact, handy and easy to use. This I combine with body weight exercises such as push ups and squats.

Then, just last week, I bought a foam roller for around P1,200 from Second Wind. It was pricey but I thought it would really help with my knee. So I started massaging my legs with it and so far, my leg muscles feel relaxed after using it.

Anyway, with these new gadgets, I'm doing a lot more strength training combined with stretching and massage. I really hope this works so I can start running and building up the miles again. I hope that I feel strong enough to try an easy run soon to see if it works. I really hope this works.

Back to Resting Again

Last Sunday, I woke up at 5AM and it was cool and drizzling ever so slightly. Great weather for running I thought, so I packed up my gear and rushed to UP. I did 4 rounds around UP and as I did, I could feel a very slight pain on the side of my knee build up. After 4 rounds, I decided to stop for my knee's sake. The pain wasn't really bad, but with Condura coming up, I didn't want to risk it.

When I got home, I made myself a big glass of milk and took a shower right after. By the time I was to crash back into bed to rest, I felt it again - the sinister beginnings of an allergic reaction, similar to what I felt last Friday. This is getting bad. My immune system must really be down.

If you guys read my facebook account, I put down on my post "needs to cut down on running for awhile." I just want to get back to fighting form. Last year, I felt invincible all the way up to December. If resting is the fastest way to get back to running, so be it.

Down and Out

I've learned that my immune system is down when I become really sensitive and susceptible to allergic reactions. That was the case last week when I would have reactions almost every other day. Sometimes, I would take antihistamines to control it but only when it would get very bad. By the latter half of the week, my cough had gotten worse and my nose had started running. It got really bad last Saturday so I knew it was about time I paid more attention to my health. It's been more than a week since I last ran so I really want to get better and get back to my training. So here's to lots of rest, liquids, vitamins and medicines. May they do the trick and get me back on the road fast.

January 3, 2010, My First Long Run for the Year

I was quite excited to be well enough to run again last Sunday. I usually set a regular goal and a stretch goal for every run. Last Sunday, I made it my goal to run 6 rounds around the UP Academic Oval (around 13.2K) and a stretch goal of running 7 rounds.

I got up late though and got to UP at 7am. When I got there, I noticed that there were already many people going around the oval. Many of them were familiar faces. I guessed that many of these were trying to burn off the weight they gained during the holiday season. I decided to run with the new water bottle my wife gave me. It was actually quite easy to carry.

By the 3rd round, I felt tired and a bit disappointed. I thought I was supposed to be stronger than that. Anyway, I brushed away thoughts of just doing one more round and held on to my goal of 6 to 7 rounds. On my 6th round, I felt a bit better so I decided to try and speed it up a bit.

I finished 6 rounds with a time of 1:32:19, which translates to a speed of 7 minutes per km. It wasn't very fast but I still do feel it was a good workout. I did, however, feel a pain on the side of my knee about an hour after the run. The pain subsided the day after the run, but then I decided to move my next run to Wednesday, January 6 just to be give my legs it time to rest.

The Last Run for 2009

I just ran what I think will be the last run for 2009 with my wife. I ran 6.6K (3 rounds in UP) in 39:05. Not as fast as I was hoping, but I think it was the best workout I've had in quite a long time. It was a very challenging run because I was able to push both my heart and my legs. And given the circumstances, I think this was a fitting run to end the year.

As I look back at 2009, I can see that I've made a lot of headway in running this year. In 2010, I'll be paying a lot of attention to my weekly distance. I hope to increase it to around 70K by the latter part of the year to prepare myself for a full marathon by the end of the year. To accomplish this, I intend to follow a program so I'm looking around for one that will match my work and family schedules. Let me know if you can help me out with the program. I'd really appreciate it.

Anyway, 2010 looks exciting. I'm looking forward to bigger and better races, new PRs and new running friends. Happy New Year Everybody!

The Christmas Season Cough

Back in grade school, I would usually be absent for a week at the start of the school year (around June) and in December due to asthma. It was explained to me that the changing weather triggered my asthma attacks. 20 years later, after supposedly outgrowing my asthma, I find myself wheezing and coughing again. As the this season is also a time of reunions and some drinking, I've delayed taking any medicine for it to allow myself to indulge and enjoy.

The only thing that got me taking my meds and abstaining from alcohol is my running. That's because I'm just so itching to run again that I'm now willing to do almost anything to go back to waking up early in the morning to run in the dark where one can see a glowing sky and feel the cool wind against the face.

New Balance Power Race 2009

This was one tough race. I should have known that any race passing through McKinley Hill would be really challenging. One thing I did differently in this race is that I brought a bottle of Gatorade with me. Because of this, I was able to run through the first two water stations. But then, in the end, I ended up struggling through McKinley Hill. I had to take it slow on the hilly portions to keep myself from getting cramps and injuring my knees. Anyway, I finished with a time of 2:14:54.

I went to the race with a friend, but we weren't able to take any pictures because I left my camera. We tried to line up for the free race pictures but the line was so long and we weren't able to stand the heat of the then bright sun. In the end, we decided to leave the place to look for breakfast.

Anyway, all I can really say about this race was that it was one really tough one. I think it was my toughest one so far. But then, I finished it and it felt great!