"on a shoestring"

Finally, the Camsur International Marathon race results are out now!

CamSur International Marathon Race Results:

Download here (42K, 21K, 10K & top winners)

Now I have a new marathon PR of 04:39:54, finishing 102th place out of 322 42K finishers.

If you haven’t read yet, here’s my Race Review for CamSur International Marathon:

6 Things I Love about CamSur Marathon 2011

Pounding bass speakers. Fireworks. Excited Runners. This is what you can see at the starting line of the most attended race event in the Philippines outside Manila.

Tweet: “3minutes before gunstart. Fireworks to light the sky of CWC.”

Here’s what makes my CAMSUR Marathon experience worth it.

C- Cheering Locals. Those high-fives with kids especially in small towns are like free sports gels, the only difference is that it makes your spirit stronger. I love it when townsfolk get outside of there houses just to see what’s happening. Very much encouraging.

A- Amazing Scenery. The majestic Mt. Isarog and ricefields on my left and right are always there (okay some creepy scarecrows too). I really love the scene as it feels I’m close home as my training ground is usually IRRI and mt. Makiling.

Tweet: “So dark, so peaceful running along ricefields, 8.5k ”

Tweet: “20k at 2:15, Mt. Isarog is on the right and the locals are doing high fives. Still strong”

M- Medal. I got a sili medal! This is my second “sili” medal as I already got a 21K medal a year ago. It was also the time that I promised to go back and run full.

S- Supportive Staff. The organizing staff can make or break any race but if its RunRio, you are sure that everything will be right. Thanks for the cold (Summit) water and fresh bananas, and the sports gel at KM.36 is very helpful.

U- Unselfish Cause. 10 trees for each runner made this run so worth it. I just hope that “EL VERDE Movement” would plant more and more trees. I also wish that I can plant a tree myself like what we did before in Norzagaray with Nature Valley.

R- Refreshing & Breathable Air. I’m no fan of air pollution, that is why I really don’t join Marathons in Manila, sorry. I love my lungs than the 42K finisher’s medal. So, CamSur Marathon is really a breath of fresh air.

At the finish line, thanks for the photo Katie B.

Tweet: “DONE! Sub 4:40″

My target time is 4:30, I was late 10 minutes but that is just fine because I really lack long runs. I’ve got to train more and run more.

Congrats to every finisher! Kudos to Gov. L-Ray Villafuerte and Coach Rio for staging another successful event.

I’m no expert and definitely not a running coach. I’m just applying what I’ve learned through the years of experience. Coach Jim Lafferty’s marathon program for beginners was also a big help for me. I also tried incorporating some things I learned from Hal Higdon. Tried to tweek my training according to my schedule.

I’m sharing this with you and I hope it would be helpful.

Speed work at Teacher's Camp, Baguio City

Notes:

Race Pace: 5:00-5:15/km (for 10K); ~6:00/km (for 21K)

Easy Run: 6:15-6:45/km

Tempo Run: Starts with 6:10/km until 5:15/km

Speed Work-out: 800m at ~4:00 with 200m walking break

LSD (Long Slow Distance): 6:15-8:00/km

You should have at least a mileage base of 10-15K. It means that you can run 10-15K in any given day, still strong after the run.

Yesterday, I did my longest run of 33.5K with super heat training. I started at around 7:00am and finished around 11:30am. I know I can still run atleast 10K after that. Therefore, I’m now ready for CAMSUR Marathon come the 25th.

I just hope I can beat my Marathon time of 5:00:03.

It’s more than a year since I had my first marathon. If only my legs and feet can talk, they would say that they ready for action- ready for training and ready to conquer another 42.195 kilometers.

My mind seems to agree with my lower extremities and my heart is longing to run the roads of CamSur. And I’m excited to try Wakeboarding again before that grueling marathon.

Then came the Bloggers Launch last week, I guess its really time to do another training. I have barely 2 months to prepare and I’m excited to cross that finish line at CWC.

Here are the important details regarding CAMSUR International Marathon.

Race Date: September 25, 2011

Race Venue: CamSur WaterSports Complex (CWC)

Race Categories: 3km (Php 400) / 5km (Php 400) / 10km (Php 500) / 21km (Local, Php850 and International, Php2,000)- / 42km (Local, Php850 and International, Php2,500)

Registration is now open:

Other Important Notes:

I tell you, the local cheering and support is crazy out there!

So my good boss is happy with the accomplishment I just did when I got back from CamSur. He also loves running and wants to know How I got a new PR? So here’s some of our chat during our bonding time (Yes, I have a good boss. He always allows me to take a leave just to run).

Boss: How’s your CamSur 21K run?
James: It’s great Sir! I got a new PR!

Boss: PR?
James: It’s short for Personal Record or Personal Best Time (WR for World Record and OR for Olympic Record)

Boss: Wow! Congrats! So, what’s your time?
James: It’s 2:00:44. Just 45 seconds short of a sub-2 21K.

Boss: Wait, sub-2 21K?
James: Yes, sub-2 or below 2hours of running the 21K distance.

Boss: I see. Is that fast?
James: Not that fast considering that the WR for 21K is 58:23. But good enough!

Boss: What are the things you did in order to get that?
James: (Discusses to the boss like he knows running very well. I even thought of using a Powerpoint Presentation.)

1. I continuously trained. Although I don’t race every week or every month I make it a habit to continuously train so I will be ready in case there’s a race coming.
2. I hydrated properly. A week before the race, I have been drinking Gatorade to store electrolytes that my body needs come race day.
3. I experimented on my diet. I ate mostly carbs (pasta, bread, rice, etc) from Sunday to Thursday before the race. Then more on protein 2 days before the big day.
4. I slept well. This is the reason why sometimes I come late in the office. I actually slept for 10 hours 2 days before the race because I know that the night before the race, its either you get excited or get worried of not waking up in time for the gunstart.

Boss: Okay. I’m okay with you being late, as long as you always beat your PR.
James: Thanks boss! There’s more:

1. During the race, I took it easy on Km.1-8. Maintained a somewhat comfortable pace from Km.9-16 (a running buddy helped me here). And then I tried building up speed from Km.17 onwards. This is where I overtook a lot of runners. At the last kilometer, I ran like hell. Gave all I got when at the last 100meters (I think I overtook about 10 runners  here).
2. I didn’t stop at the 1^st, 2^nd and last water stations. The 1^st and 2^nd water stations are where the runners traffic build up, and I will not be needing the water at the last station because its very much near to the finish line.
3. I listened to my body. No iPod or MP3 player. I just want to be in harmony with my body and the nature around me.
4. I didn’t over-train. I ran less and ran faster. My last long run was 12K, a week before the race day.
   

   The night before the big day

5. I prepared my running stuff the night before to avoid unnecessary glitches on the morning of race day.I tried to relax and enjoy the route. I learned that being stiff wastes energy. I also got boosts from the cheers of the towns folk (you should see that next time boss).Over-all, I ran my own race. I didn’t care if others were over-taking me at the first kilometers. I told myself, “I’m competing with myself, my PR.” And “I don’t want to waste my trainings, I will give my best.”

Boss: Congrats James! I’m proud of you. Let me know if you have out-of-town race. I want to give my full support! Let’s run sometime!
James: Sure boss. Thanks to you too!

RUN YOUR OWN RACE. BEAT YOUR PR and BEAT IT AGAIN!

Disclaimer: This dialogue did not happen. I was just dreaming of a boss like that. If there is one, I would like to work for him. I just wanted to share some tips on how to break your PR.