Eugene's Road to the 2012 BDM 102

In a couple of days, my good friend Eugene Yasay will run his first Ultramarathon. It's not 43, 44, or 50. No sir. Not even 80 km.

He will be out there this weekend to conquer the BDM 102 KM!

January 2012 : Slowly but Surely

Back to basics.

This what I told myself at the start of the year. I was careless in my 2011 runs. I was so eager to increase my mileage and my speed - which is not bad in itself - but I wasn't training properly like I used to in 2010.

When I was just starting, I liked doing different kinds of training routines, like interval training, hill sprints, some sort of pyramid interval, etc. I even have training solely for my breathing.Then later on I guess I got lazy on doing these rudiments, you know, and I just ran, ran, and ran without regard to form. Some races, I did not even warm-up anymore - so focused on getting that new PR but missing on the important foundations of running.

Anyway, this year, I'm starting slowly again but I'm learning to appreciate little improvements. I get ecstatic even on mere seconds of improvement on a lap, for example. :)

I can relate this nugget of wisdom that was shared to us by one of the leads in the company I'm working at:

Focus on your job - not on your career.

I guess I agree with this statement, basing on the context. I believe that long-term career development is important, mind you, but if you focused too much on where you want to be 10 years from now for example, you missed the important tasks that you need to do right here, right now - and these are the tasks that determine your Career (t₀+10), if you know what on earth I meant with that.

In running, focusing on your target is important - like say a new PR. But that new PR will not be yours just by running from Start to Finish (although that's part of it, of course). I have started and finished a lot of races, but many of these were started and finished lousily.

Preparation is equally important. Proper execution of your training, the form, is just as crucial. Nutrition, hydration, rest - these are factors as well. There's more to running a race than just legs and loot bags. And that's why I love running.

Finishing a race is one of the most spine-tingling accomplishments one can have (especially with a new PR obviously). However, I daresay that the journey to get to that finish line is just as marvelous!

Enjoy every moment of it.

Goal! Discovering My Pace in 2012

It's that time of the year again when many people start setting targets for their next 12 months. I find it amazing how the coming of a new year - that tiny change in the calendar that results to a number of date typo errors - can kindle feelings of renewal or rebirth, just as a little match stick can ignite fireworks that signal the beginning of the festivities with a BANG!

I thank God for my 2011 and the important lessons I learned from that year. This year, if I'll do something different, it would be to sharpen the proverbial saw. Take my time. Reflect. Find my pace. Then reach my goal!

It is very critical for a runner to know his pace, not exclusively, but especially for long-distance races.

• You go out too slow >> you get left behind, you bore yourself senseless, you regret not pushing a little bit more.
• You start out too fast >> you burn out, you faint, you finish lazily (if you finish at all).

These, I must admit, have happened to me more than they should have. Many times I tend to have "Low EQ" in running. When I feel I have energy, I run so hard I have tears in my eyes, but then I get cramps and I have to walk-slow run the rest of the distance (and I am only 1/3 of the way through).

It is important to know what pace you can keep : some runners like maintaining it at constant high-speed (between 4 to 5 min/km, this is high for me), some like it dynamic like run-walk. Whatever your case, you should determine that during training.

I'm slowly building up on my mileage and pace again this year. I figured I could do at least 10K per week, so maybe I'll target 520K for the year. :D It's not as big time as I hoped 2 years ago it would be, but I need to learn to adapt to my current situation (e.g. being ~25 lbs heavier. Why oh why?).

I'm aiming to discover and maintain my pace not only in running but also in other aspects of my well-being. In my career, for example. Am I moving too slowly and missing good opportunities? Or am I going so fast that I stumble on the littlest things and fall hard? How about my relationships? My growth?

Anything. I pray that I'm given an enlightenment on what my pace should be in my life. Fast or slow, it doesn't matter. I'm determined to finish this year with my hands up in the air and a smile across my face.

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Let me share with you some of goals for this 2011...I mean 2012:

1. Get married to the girl of my dreams, obviously. :))
2. Read 32 books
3. Run 520 km (total distance, including training and registered races)
4. Complete at least one 10K and one 21K (registered)
5. Learn one new classical piano piece
6. Lose 10 lbs :)) [current weight: 170 freaking lbs]

This is a declaration. A challenge to myself. Some sort of accountability to you, dear reader. If the Lord wills it, let's all see by the end of the year how well I did on these goals.

Quotable quote of the day: "Run with your friends and pace your peers!" - Earl Royce

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