My Foot Type?

I wrote something about runners who are pronator, supinator and neutral in one of my previous blogs and a friend of mine still admitted being unable to totally comprehend the whole concept.

Then I got to read about this once again in The Complete Running Manual and learned a more practical way of finding out if you are a pronator, supinator or neutral.

Go to your bathroom, wet your feet and then leave an imprint on your bathmat. I have a bathmat which has the fabric of a bath towel just like those that you find in five-star hotels. Don't think I bought it for a fortune at Rustan's though or somewhere like Bed, Bath and Beyond. I bought these inexpensive bathmats from Puregold for less than P150. Anyway, before I get sidetracked, let me get back to the foot imprint. With your wet feet, leave an imprint on your bathmat and check from the images above which one resembles your imprint the most. The one on the extreme left is a pronator. The one in the middle is a neutral and the one on the extreme right is a supinator. Easy does it!

Now, let me get back to Puregold... my friend recently told me that they sell sports drinks there in packs at a discount. So you might want to drop by that big store one of these days. I have to stop making all these Puregold endorsements though before I get tagged as a discountrunner. But just between us, I don't mind being branded as one. The only thing that you can't make me buy is a P900 Nike-imitation at Greenhills. I am telling you, you may save a lot from that running shoes but getting an injury because of improper footwear will cost you more in rehabilitation or surgery.

The Ultramarathon Man

My husband and I went to R.O.X. Tuesday night to register for the UNICEF Walk on the Child's Side 2008. For the first time, we also registered other family members like my 8-year old daughter, my mother-in-law, my aunt and her son for the 2-km Walk. When I went to the Backpacker's area, I once again saw the book The Ultramarathon Man and urged my husband that we pass by Fully Booked to look for this particular book. We were to leave for Cagayan de Oro for a business meeting the next day and I wanted to have a reading material which will occupy me during the plane ride.

Fortunately, I found one copy of this book at Fully Booked. It was a such a lucky find. This is a one-of-a-kind book on running and will really inspire you to do more than what you are doing now. It opens your mind to your vast possibilities and potentials. It is just amazing. The one and a half plane ride passed by so quickly as I was caught up by the adventures of ultramarathonman Dean Karnazes. When we landed in CDO, I spent the short rest time in the hotel covering some more of the pages of this funny, heart-stopping and very inspiring book. After lunch, the business meeting 'interfered' with my reading and I was only able to pick up the book again to cover the final few pages after midnight when our hosts drove us back to the hotel. I still had a couple of minutes left while waiting for my turn to use the bathroom. What I missed in running, being unable to run for these past 3 days, I completely made up for with reading. I was able to finish the 292-paged book in just a few hours which I think, makes me an ultramarathon reader.

One of my favorite part in the book was when Dean participated in the California State Long-Distance Championship in junior high and won the race. When his coach-mentor asked him 'How'd it feel?' and he answered, 'going out hard was the right thing to do. It felt pretty good.' The reply of the coach-mentor was a simple, 'If it felt good, you didn't push hard enough. It's supposed to hurt like hell.' When I read out this part to my husband, he commented, "Sounds more like a tormentor than a mentor to me." ha, ha, ha. I just love the book! Now, my next book stop is the Complete Running Manual by Marielle Renssen. Expect to get some running nuggets from this reference in the next coming days.

How I Have Transformed from a Non-Runner to a Runner

The Isuzu Fun Run last night was one of a kind. Though it was drizzling at the beginning, the skies cleared up to accommodate the racers who were in costumes. It was fun running with angels, fairies, cows and chicken. I just got confused with the number of rounds that I had to do to complete the race. I thought I still needed to do another round and was pleasantly surprised to be informed that I have already completed the race. Though we ran for the 5-km event, my husband told me that the actual distance that we covered with our four rounds was actually 6.4 km. At least that explained in part why my time was much longer compared to that of the Octoberun Fest last Sunday.

I can't help but reminisce and look back on that day when I decided that I will take on running. That was 11 weeks ago. From a non-runner who was only able to run 200 meters of that 10-km Miracle Run event and walked the remaining distance, I can now run a 5-km event without stopping for a drink or a walk. There is something about such an experience that only someone who underwent what I have gone through would understand. I have the Podrunner Interval 1st Day to 5-km program to thank for. Just being patient with myself and closely following the weekly program saw me through the graduation mixes after 9 weeks of training.

When I saw this book, the Ultramarathon Man: The Confessions of an All-Night Runner and read its first two chapters, I realized that a huge transformation has happened in me these past weeks. It was unbelievable that I can now relate to the inner life of a runner. Indeed there are subtle differences between a jogger, a racer and a runner. I am not a jogger because I do not look at running as a form of exercise or a way to lose weight. I am simply a running addict. I race not to win but to evaluate my performance. It is something that breaks the routine of running and a device that helps me plan my next training program. Now I shall start with the Gateway to 8-km and delve more on different training programs to improve ones performance.

Running teaches you not to be satisfied with what you have accomplished but to continue on searching for challenges and overcome your weaknesses. It will teach you to celebrate your personal victories and unravel your potentials. Running is to the human spirit as fire is to gold. It serves to purify and strengthen. It exposes and reveals. In the end, it pushes you to soar beyond your limits. I am no longer quoting from some books I have read because you see, running has unlocked the writer in me.

Preparing for a Race

I am excited about the Octoberun Fest this Sunday because a lot of our friends will be joining the race and it will be their first time to join.

This blog entry is for all novices in racing, including me (this is just my 3rd race to date but I will be running the 5-km event for the first time).

Here are the General Racing Tips from Running for Ftness:

1) Enter in advance. I guess many have done this already since Octoberun Fest does not have an on-site registration.

2) Plan what to bring. Here is a checklist of the things which you need to prepare the night before the race. I have modified the list to suit a Filipino racer:

• race clothes
• running shoes
  
• running watch
• clean dry clothes, including t-shirt, underwear, socks
• change of shoes
• toilet roll
• money
• banana
  
• recovery drink
• safety pins
• race number

The following stuff are my personal recommendations which you might also want to bring:

• sunblock - it was scorching hot during the King of the Road race and this Sunday's event might bring on the same heat
• cap - highly recommended
• sunshades/ eyewear - if you don't want to end up squinting during your last few kilometers
• i-pod/ headset - for the first time runner, it can get lonely out there when your friends have gone ahead of you or have fallen behind you
  

3) Arrive early. Preferably arrive 30 minutes before the race time to go to the toilet, warm-up, stretch and familiarize yourself with the route.

4) Start slowly. Running too fast too soon is a big mistake. It will cause the build-up of lactic acid in your muscle which will make you tire easily. What is suggested is that you maintain a comfortable pace and chat with your co-runners then in the last 2 km, pick up your speed if you are able to and get ahead of those who ran ahead too soon. If only I read this sooner, I would not have allowed myself to be swept off by the runners during the KOTR race.

5) Don't weave. Believe me, you will be tempted to especially if there are many participants in the race and you just wanted to get ahead of everyone. It is said that trying to overtake runners at the start will make you lose energy in the end.

6) Finish looking good. When you see the finish line, pick up your speed to gain composure. Some local networks might be covering the event. Better to be looking good when people see you at the primetime news. However, the past two races I have participated in, the media were actively covering the beginning of the race and not the end.

7) Enjoy it. I will not paraphrase this sentence. This is so true. "Your first race is very special, and you will remember it for years to come."

Read my blog entry on Warming up and Warming down because you need to do this during the race.

Glycemic Index

What is glycemic index?

According to my reference, The Complete Guide to Endurance Training, "it measures how much glucose levels rise in the blood after eating carbohydrates".

The following are the given values to classify food:

1) High glycemic food have values greater than 85. Examples given from Running for Fitness are as follows: Glucose, cornflakes, weetabix, brown rice, white rice, bagel, baguette, parsnip, baked potato, raisins, and Mars bar.

2) Moderate glycemic foods rate from 60-85. Examples: All Bran, muesli, buckwheat, basmati rice, spaghetti, muffin, carrots, peas, baked beans, banana, and orange.

3) Low glycemic foods rate below 60. Examples: Chick peas, green lentils, red lentils, soya beans, kidney beans, apples, pears. plums, peanuts, milk and yoghurt.

What is your guide for intake?

Before long work-outs, you must eat foods with low to moderate glycemic index. During long work-outs and for recovery, you must eat high glycemic foods. On ordinary days, you must consume more low glycemic index foods so that your blood sugar level is maintained at a stable level and you also maintain your weight, emotion and good immune system.

Am I Ready for a Marathon?

Perhaps most of you who have hurdled the 10-km event now feels that the next goal to go for is the half-marathon or the marathon.

I do not have much details regarding the half-marathon for now, but for the marathon, it is recommended that you have a running history of at least a year with the frequency of three times a week. That is according to the Running for Fitness book. That makes me ineligible until August 2009. Though my husband thinks we should set our goal towards the half-marathon by middle of next year. This morning I ordered some books from Amazon.com which covers this topic but I will not get my hand on these precious treasures until December, when my sister-in law comes home from the US.

Anyway, for now, let me use the Complete Guide for Endurance Training as reference. According to this book, there are different periods for training: 1) Base training which is the preparatory building phase and the most essential foundation of the training which covers aound 8-12 weeks; 2) Speed training which is when you push your body to prepare it for the demands of the event which covers your next 4-8 weeks and finally, 3) Taper and Peaking which gradually reduces your training in 2-14 days.

So for the base training, the rule of thumb is to run slow for long distances. The goal is to build your endurance. You can start shedding unwanted weight at this stage. The speed training will initially deal more with training intensity rather than duration. So you decrease the length of time you run but you increase the speed. However, you should mix this with intervals of slow, long runs in order to maintain your endurance. Then towards the end of your speed training, you do the overtraining. This part is when you push your body to the limit but this should be done only during the third or second week before the competition. The most important part about the overtraining is that it should immediately be followed by the taper because it is during the taper when the adaptation occurs. Without the taper, the body will not be able to recover and this can lead to serious injuries or overtraining.

This kind of training can also be adapted for shorter races but this is more important for long races. A lot of people may get away with doing a 10-km without much training (that's me!) but the marathon is entirely a different thing altogether and should be planned carefully. That can mean looking at the Takbo.ph calendar and looking at the possible races for 2009 so that you can carefully lay out your training program.

How to warm up and warm down

I have this mistaken notion that warming up is only for those who will be running the marathon. That is defined as a long distance run of 26 miles, 385 yards, or 42.195 km. How greatly mistaken I am. On the contrary, warming up is actually geared more for those who will be running short distances than for the marathoners. Surprise!

You see, the purpose of warming up is to actually prepare your body for that sudden burst of energy. It increases your muscle temperature so it can do its function better , which is contraction and relaxation. It also increases blood flow so that blood can continue to bring oxygen to the different parts of your body especially where it is needed the most,....our muscles for running. Have you ever experienced muscle cramps? Well, it is not just due to lack of stretching, but mainly it is due to production of lactic acid, a toxic waste product of anaerobic metabolism. Sounds like a lot of hype?! I would not want to delve into biochemistry here. Let us keep this simple. You just have to know that lactic acid can cause you fatigue and muscle cramps.

If you are running less than half a marathon (21 km), then you SHOULD warm up 20-30 minutes before the race. Why? Because it will take time for your body to get well-oiled for that short run and the sudden burst of energy will cause the body to shift to anaerobic metabolism which will in turn lead to easy fatigue. How intense should be your warm up? Start with a slow jog and gradually increase pace just up to that intensity where you can still do the Talk Test. Then stretch for 5-10 minutes then continue with running at an easy pace until 5 minutes before the race starts.

For those who are doing longer runs, however, you do not need to do as much warm up because what you want to avoid is the depletion of your glycogen stores. Meaning you want to conserve as much energy as you can for that long hurdle. You may just want to do a light jog, nothing of great intensity, for a shorter duration.

What about warming down? I guess a lot of you out there are guilty of not doing a warm down. After approaching the finish line, you just want to be with your friends, drink your sports drink and exchange anecdotes. But a warm down is just as essential as a warm-up for those who ran distances less than the half-marathon. Again, another surprise!

The purpose of a warm down is to eliminate the toxic wastes from your body. So you need to keep moving in a slow pace (jog or brisk walk) for 10-15 minutes and allow the blood to wash off the metabolic wastes that were produced during your heavy exertion. This will help your body recover faster, otherwise, the sudden halt will also bring down your metabolic rate abruptly and this will cause the waste products to remain in your system. The warm down also prevents the dizziness from occuring because it will keep the blood from pooling into your legs which can make you wobbly. As for the marathoners, warming down may just consist of continuous movement for a while since only a few would still have that energy left to do a jog or a brisk walk.