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