1. I did find a quick fix. And its effect or the relief it brought disappeared just as quick. Bwahahahaha.
2. I surrendered to the fact that there maybe no other solution to my hamstring problems except for plain old rest. But after a week, I got tired of resting (what a contradiction!) and was back on the road. I had a week of pain free short runs. Hooorayyyy!!! But when I started to push my speed a bit...I'm pushed back to the reality. Oh well.
3. I found a new freind in "Makisig". Makisig is my new spin bike which I got through my good friend Jake de Guzman. Jake also happens to be the one who introduced me to the punishing and fulfilling world of triathlon. Thanks Jake for both!
Spinning has been a good, pain-free alternative workout. Great also as a recovery workout in between long runs and intervals.
4. Having been too bothered by my hamstrings, I barely even noticed that I've completely recovered from my heel spurs. I think, no, I believe it was all the stretching and weights that did it. So, I'm planning to do the same for my hamstrings. I guess there really are no shortcuts. What am I talking about? I knew that! Tigas ulo lang. Hay naku.
5. I was "re-introduced" by my friend Drew Arellano to NIKE. I've had bad experiences with NIKE shoes (personal horror stories) and as a result have been loyal to other brands such as Mizuno, Adidas, and New Balance.
Drew convinced me to try a particular pair from Nike -- the Zoom Start, a light-weight cushoning shoe. Don't know what compelled me to buy. Perhaps its Drew's salesmanship. Hahaha. I ran with it, OUT-OF-THE-BOX, for 20K and have to admit that I was impressed.
The shoe had a nice, snug, comfortable fit and provided a light and soft ride throughout the long run. No blisters, chafing, dead toe nails, and pain in my feet and knees. Good shoe. Thanks Drew!!!
6. I also did three weeks of long run routines (15 to 20 K) to prepare for the 21K Condura Skyway run. Have had good and bad runs but can say that more have leaned towards the good.
Was relatively pain free nearing race day and have had an average time of 2hrs10. Good enough for me as long as I don't get hurt. But race day turned out to be a BAD run day! I think I ran faster than I should on the 1st half of the race. I clocked 51 mins on the first 10k and felt sudden intense shooting pain in my hamstrings past the 11th. From there, I walked and ran, and walked and jogged my way to the finish line. I was in pain but I was still HAPPY. My time, 2hrs25. Ok na din.
Photo courtesy of Rapa Lopa
7. Also during the Condura, together with 46 other runners, we launched the IamNinoy Runners Movement. I so happy and blessed to have had a chance to meet, run, and band together with a group of such selfless people. Thanks for joining our cause everyone.
Photo courtesy of theBullrunner
More about, IamNinoy Runners in my next post.
