First Running, Then Pics (Weeks 37 & 38)

I spent nearly all of Week 37 in Subic Bay which afforded me the tremendous opportunity of running on the road and using my GPS. One of the fun features of the Garmin Training Center is that it shows you a map of your run after your done. It's not a very detailed map, and you can see from the picture below that perhaps it's not the most accurate or current map.

I can assure you that even though I was running fast (or so I felt), I was not running on water. Still, with three good runs in Subic (and one in Zamboanga to finish off the week) Week 37 (12-18 September) was an overall good week for running.

My Week 37 totals were:

Total Runs Logged: 4

Total Miles: 29.6

Total Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 41 minutes, 36 seconds

Average Pace: 7:29 (min/mile)

For Week 38 (19-25 September) I was back in Zam, and back to running on a treadmill. There are definitely ups and downs to the treadmill run. It does get fairly repetitive and is not super exciting, but it forces me to keep my pace up even when I'm tired and don't feel like running fast, but know I need to. Interesting? No, but with the week down, I'm even closer to my goal than I was before the week started.

The totals for Week 38 were:

Total Runs Logged: 5

Total Miles: 32.2

Total Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 57 minutes, 0 seconds

Average Pace: 7:21 (min/mile)

With two more weeks of 2011 done, my new totals since 4 July are:

Total Runs Logged: 59

Total Miles: 325.3

Total Time Spent Running: 41 hours, 20 minutes, 07 seconds

Average Pace: 7:37 (min/mile)

My Total Miles in 2011 thus far: 1073.6

Although the past 2 weeks were good for running, they weren't that great for my planned "Two-A-Days." It takes a great bit of effort and motivation to workout twice in one day, and with travel and work sucking up time too, it's easy to come up with an excuse not to workout. Still, I'm feeling good about my overall running, so as long as I getting my miles in each week, I have to be satisfied. My primary goal after all was to run 1200 miles this year...when I get two workouts in a day, that's a bonus.

Pictures coming very soon...stay tuned!

Fun Times in the Philippines (with Pictures!)

Okay, since my last blog was all words (a lot of them), and no pictures, I thought I would add some color to this entry with some fun pictures I've taken over the past month. I use my camera pretty frequently for work, so when I see something that could be considered a "Kodak Moment", I have my camera handy. ENJOY!

This is a Jeepney, an all too common feature of Manila and throughout the rest of the PI. This is the cheap method of transportation in a city with no subway. Although I've never used them, I've been told its easy to hop on and hop off as they go on their designated routes. I'm not sure exactly how they are made, but i think it involves stretching out a vehicle chassis and attaching whatever sheet metal happens to be handy.

Despite the ubiquity of the Jeepney, much like a subway, they can get crowded during the rush hour periods. When that happens, you cram as many as you can into the Jeepney, and the rest just hang on. Notice the Jeepney in front of the other Jeepney with people hanging on it as well.

For those "too fancy" to ride a Jeepney, there are other modes of transports. Fairly common are motor bikes with "side carts" attached to them. Most have been constructed of sheet metal and I've seen as many as 3 in them plus an extra passenger also riding on the motor bike. They must have been short on sheet metal when this one was constructed. Don't worry, the chair is attached to the side with bungees.
When you don't have a vehicle for your necessary operations (say refueling a plane), you do it the old fashioned way, by hand. As I watched this I was SO THANKFUL that when our C-17 rolled in, they actually used a truck to refuel it. Also, although this may look is unsafe, the plane is properly grounded, AND there is an ENORMOUS Fire Truck just out of the picture, that probably would have obliterated the plane if they turned the hose on it.
The last one is of me, just enjoying scenic Subic. It was super bright outside, but the picture still turned out nice (aside from the fact that I have no idea what's up with the bottom of my shirt)
Just a few snapshots of the past few weeks of my life. It's fun being out and about in the Philippines. It's also funny to see that OOG (Only On Guam) Moments also exist elsewhere (I guess they would be OOP moments here). I hope you enjoyed them, there will surely be more to follow.

On the Road Again (and On the Road Again)

With the exception of 2 days in Zamboanga, I've spent the past 2 weeks living out of hotels throughout the Philippines. I can't really complain about 4-star hotels, king size beds with fluffy pillows, and a hotel staff eager to make you stay as pleasant as possible, but it is not an ideal running environment. Eating out 3 times a day is not great for maintaining a slim physique, but it does necessitate finding ways to exercise any way you can.

During the last part Week 35 (29 Aug-4 Sep) I spent three days at the Intercontinental Hotel in Manila. It a great place to stay and the club access offers breakfast, afternoon tea, and happy hour. Essentially from 6 AM to 8 PM there are only 5 hours where you don't have the opportunity to gorge on free food and drinks. Luckily they also have a decent fitness center with multiple treadmills, elliptical machines, and free-weights. On the first day I went there the treadmills were occupied but I figured it would be worthwhile to do some cardio on an elliptical even if I couldn't count it towards my running log. The second time I used their facility I was able to jump on a treadmill and even though it proved challenging converting kilometers to miles, I still got a good workout.

All in all I was slightly off my goal for week 35, but still a good week of running overall:

Total Runs Logged: 4

Total Miles: 22.5

Total Time Spent Running: 2 hours, 41 minutes, 0 seconds
Average Pace: 7:09 (min/mile)

After a day in Angeles City with no running (I swear I was busy working), I was back in Zambo for all of 2 days before hitting the road again (or air since I actually fly to my destinations), this time to Subic Bay. During my 2 days in Zam I actually managed to squeeze in 3 runs, knowing that I would have difficulty in Subic working out.

The Segara Villas is pretty close to luxury resort living (you're staying in a VILLA after all); unfortunately with no fitness center it seems they want you relaxing not sweating. Luckily, what Subic Bay does have plenty of, is uncrowded, level streets...the perfect place to run. So I did just that, and for the first time since coming to the Philippines a month ago, I got off the treadmill, and onto the pavement. To add to the fun, I FINALLY, got to use my Garmin 405CX which was awesome to use.

My totals for Week 36 (5-11 Sep) were:

Total Runs Logged: 5

Total Miles: 28.7

Total Time Spent Running: 3 hours, 25 minutes, 17 seconds

Average Pace: 7:09 (min/mile)

With two of my fast weeks to date, my "as of totals" are:

Total Runs Logged: 50

Total Miles: 263.5

Total Time Spent Running: 33 hours, 41 minutes, 31 seconds

Average Pace: 7:40 (min/mile)

TOTAL MILES TO DATE: 1011.8

REFLECTION TIME: To be honest, I didn't even realize I had broke the 1000 mile mark until I did my calculations a few minutes ago. I know I've still got a ways to go, but nearly 4 months to get there. I shouldn't have any problem getting to 1200, but if I want to reach that 1500 mile mark, I'll have to run an average of 4.5 miles a day, every day for the rest of the year. Is it doable? Absolutely, but I've got some running to do. More than anything, I was excited that when I actually ran on the road, my pace didn't suffer. Without the treadmill to force me to run at a certain speed, I was nervous I would slow down, but over the 7 mile road run during week 36, I averaged a 7:03 pace. That is actually one of my faster times, especially for that distance, leading me to believe that the treadmill certainly didn't hinder my running goals.

New blog coming very soon with exciting pictures from the Philippines