Category Archives: Running + Triathlon

Not many people know that I’m an introvert and loner, but I am. So, running alone and practicing social distancing, as required during these Coronavirus times, is nothing new for me. I love my solo runs. If you’re struggling with running alone and missing your run buddies, here are some tips while we’re waiting for all this to blow over (and, yes, we will get through this!):

*Start early. If you’re working or studying from home, it’s easy to lose all track of time. Get your run done first thing in the morning.  Don’t even think about it. Just do it.  It also sets you up for the rest of the day.

*Mix it up. Don’t just run 5ks or 10ks at the same pace throughout the week. Include fartleks (alternate fast and slow runs), short tempo and easy runs. I don’t recommend you push too hard this time because we’re not aiming to break record.  Priority is to stay healthy.

*Cross train. Running daily can feel like a chore, even to me. Add strength or body-weight exercises, yoga, biking, or other activities into your routine.

*Listen to music, audiobooks or podcasts. I listen to music during fast runs. Nowadays, to manage the anxiety and stress during these times, I’ve been listening to more positive and enlightening podcasts.  I believe it’s important to filter the information that goes through your ears because it truly influences your way of thinking.

*Set virtual group runs.  We used to this back in the day with blogger friends across the globe.  We’d set a date, time and distance  convenient for all and run together… virtually.  Once you agree to this, you can’t skip it!

*Set goals. Now that there are no group runs or friends to motivate you to run, you have to be accountable to yourself. Set clear goals at the start of each week. Write it down as if it were an important meeting and follow through.

Note: The assumption is made that your government allows for going outdoors and that you are not currently experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms or illness.

If you have any questions about your safety while running during COVID-19, here’s an informative article by Runner’s World:
https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a31439358/running-during-coronavirus/

Photo: April Angco’s Facebook 

I haven’t met April, but I do know she registered for Batch 2018 of TBR Sun Life Dream Marathon.  Her friend emailed me this morning that April told her how excited she was about the race.  She described the race to her friend as a very emotional run and that most participants overcome tough challenges in life, and families come together to support the runners.

April then left for Cebu for a short vacation.  Little did she know she would go through a tough challenge herself.

April got into an accident while touring in Bantayan, Cebu.  She is in a coma right now and the family needs support.

If you would like to help a fellow runner and hopefully have her still reach her marathon dream, click below:

https://www.simplygiving.com/Appeal/april-angco-s-medical-expenses

Hope to see you up and running again, April.  Looking forward to still seeing you cross that finish line.

I still remember how I struggled to learn how to wear cleats, drink while riding, hold on to the aerobars, and uhm scratch an itch with one hand when I was a beginner learning to ride my tri bike.  At least, nowadays, you have organized classes like this to teach you all you need to know when it comes to riding!  Join now!

For the longest time now, I’ve been wanting to get into trail running.  I’ve joined trail runs in the past and I have always loved it.  For someone busy like me and with kids to spend time with on weekends though, I can’t seem to bring myself to take off for half a day to run outside of the city.  I guess I’ll have to wait until the little ones are a bit older.  If you’re one of the lucky ones who can escape to the mountains to run in the great outdoors, here’s a trail running camp you can join:

Pilipinas Trail Running Camp provides an experience that helps ignite one’s passion for trail running or running off-road. It’s a series of trail-running learning weekends that aims to introduce new and aspiring runners to the sport and also for the seasoned veterans to get equipped in their approach to training and preparing for races, local and international. Runners will learn from and run with the trail champions and veterans together with sports experts and specialists. It’s a five-month program which includes two stay-in weekends of training and a culminating intimate race. It’s the perfect time to take advantage learning from the best and the brightest in the community – trail running techniques, uphill/downhill running, nutrition, training plans, heat/hydration management, yoga, etc. (more…)

I’m 3 weeks away from Florence Marathon and I’ve missed more runs than I ever have in any other marathon training program I’ve done the past decade.  To say that I’m worried about how I’ll fare in the marathon is an understatement.

Why did I miss them? My training program got attacked by the common cold.  Yup, such an evil menace that cold!  I had the sniffles last month, lost my voice and had fever a couple of weeks ago, and I have sore throat and congestion again now.  I have never been sick as often as this in the entire past decade of my running life! (more…)