Haile Gebrselassie: Runner Extraordinaire

After dropping out of the 2010 New York Marathon due to injury, Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie, dubbed as the greatest distance runner of all time, retires.

Muralla, Intramuros.

One dreary afternoon, when it’s about to rain, and when a better judgement would be to stay home and read a good book, I decided to run. I have no route in mind. In fact, I have no plans of running at all. But once the running bug has bitten you, you’ll get this schizophrenic murmurs in your brain that tells you your feet will turn into brick if you get lazy. While my brain was battling whether to run or not, I realize that a journey of a thousand mile does not begin with a single step. It begins by getting out of bed!

Start

My run always starts near CCP. I love the place. There are lots of places where I can do my pre run warmup. But this afternoon, I have to skip some of the stretches because there is an impending downpour, and besides, I was sniffling the night before, so I assumed I’m going to get sick soon.

It was gloomy when I reached Quirino Grandstand

Tired of running the same route, I decided to run in the historical ruins of Intramuros. But first I have to endure the same boring Manila Bay route towards Quirino Grandstand. I came up with a plan to go slow with this run -perhaps stop every now and then to  take some pictures and enjoy the scenery. First stop was Quirino Grandstand. I took some pictures of where the infamous hostage carnage happened. The place looks deserted as tourists and joggers alike shunned the open area since it’s about to rain. I ran towards Manila Hotel and towards Intramuros after I finished taking pictures.

I may sound like I’m not from here, but the thing is, I’m not from HERE. Running within the walls of Intramuros has always been a luxury. If within the the walls you get the feeling that you are in a whole different world, running within the walls gives you a new high – the narrow cobblestones streets, the mossy steps, the walls offer a different experience for a runner. I made sure I take my walking breaks IN the walls of Intramuros. I’m not sure if running is even allowed IN the walls.

Walls

Where streets have no name

The Walls

Ruins

Steps

Ruins too...

Manila Cathedral

Luneta

The rain would spoil everything later. It was 4:00pm when I reached Luneta and it rained. I hobbled towards a tiangge and bought a bottle of water. The tiangge lady didn’t even ask why I’m wet. Perhaps she thought I got rained on.

The Green Lane at CCP

I’m still recovering from and injury but I’m making a great progress. I’ve been running a lot better lately than in the previous month, which means more running in the next few weeks. To motivate my self, I will register for the 3rd Leg of the Runrio series on 21 November 2010 (?). I’m not sure if I’ll go for the half marathon or the 32k long run. Anyway, I’m just as excited to be back on the road again.

Speaking of roads, I know it’s been there for a while but for those who haven’t been to the CCP complex lately, you will notice a green lane on either side of the road which is reserved for the joggers and bikers. This is a welcome development for runners and bikers who frequent the area. Finally we have a lane of our own (or at least a semblance of having a lane), thanks to those who created and supported this project (whoever you are, may the force be with you). I just hope motorists would respect these lanes and I hope other areas create their Green Zones as well.

The Thinker

These thoughts hounded me while I was recovering from a nagging injury. I have eschewed serious running for almost a month and I feel I have lost my fitness since. I have tried to avoid eating too much but the period of inactivity, plus the lack of desire to cross train, made me doubt if I can ever go back into running again.

So I went back into why I started running in the first place. Back to my happy place, a place where tangerine butterflies are edible and marmalade mists rain down my mornings; where words are flying out like endless rain into a paper cup … wait that’s a Beatles song.

I started running because it’s the easiest sport to do – just put one foot in front of the other and repeat until you’re tired. I started running because of the desire to be fit, to be in some place on my own strength and power, to test my own willpower. I started running because the road is always open. I started running because I still can.

Iliotibial Band

I’ve been running less because of a nagging pain in my left leg. It’s very painful it forces me to stop after about 5K of running because the pain is too much to bear. It slows me down to 7-8 mpk. Sometimes I just lay in the sidewalk feeling numb and frustrated.

I checked the internet doctor and it all points to Iliotibial Band Syndrome or ITBS. ITB is part of the leg muscles, the one that extends from the knee to the butt area, the one that connects this to that so this can move and so on…well if something that hard to explain and spell out to begin with, then it must be very painful.

Reading List

I’ve been catching up with my readings lately. I used to finish around 40 books a year, but this year I’ve only read five books because I’ve been a lazy ass. Five books in eight months! No wonder my brains have atrophied. (Part to blame would be my marathon training)

To make up for this laziness, I took advantage of National Bookstore’s book sale and went on a book buying frenzy. I went for the cheapest copy and I didn’t mind if the books are little dilapidated, after all, we shouldn’t judge the book by its cover.

First on the list is JPod by Douglas Coupland. Im a big fan of Coupland’s early work (Generation X, All Families are Psychotic, etc.). Coupland’s work gives me an impression that he’s been living too long in Canada. JPod confirms this. His world is always inhabited by hungry, insatiable, amoral young people. My kind of story.

True North delves into the turn of the century controversy on who discovered the North Pole. “Bruce Henderson has crafted a gripping narrative…” the cover says. Im sold out.

The Poincare Conjecture touches into how the famous mathematical problem that baffled mathematicians for a century was finally solved by the the Russian mathematician Grigory Perelman.

Up Close: Frank Lloyd Wright is a biography written by Jan Adkins on the life and insanity of perhaps the Greatest Architect of the 20th century. Genius is just a functional insanity. Im a fan.

Predictably Irrational

I didn’t run this week. After the Rexona Run 2010, I’ve been having this intermittent knee pain (left knee, lateral side) when I walk. I’ve had this injury since May this year and it used to respond well to wrapping, icing and rest, but this time the pain didn’t go away for three days so I decided to rest it for a full week. So far, it’s working.

It was also a welcome respite since I have more time to read and concentrate on other things – other things are well, work and books.

First on the list is Dan Ariely’s Predictably Irrational. If you’re a Malcolm Gladwell fan then chances are you will like this book. It explores how the human mind is wired and how it is influenced by certain factors. Although many books and studies have been published on these topics, Ariely brings to light fresh insights on things that we often view as naturally occurring.

There is the Cycle of Relativity theory where people tend to compare things with what they can easily be compared with, thus committing a false assumption or a cognitive bias. Ariely also points out the Fallacy of Supply and Demand where he theorizes that the relationship between supply and demand is based on an anchor price rather than its true value.

Predictably Irrational is an interesting read. One that will make you evaluate how you decide on certain things, how your impulse are shaped by the things around you – including how you got his far reading this blog.

Fart, I should stick to running.

Rexona Run Race Bib

My Marathon training started a week ago. And as part of my weekly long run, I’m joining the Rexona Men half Marathon on 1 August at MOA. This is my first Runrio race, so I don’t know what to expect.  Most RunRio events get positive feedback from runners, however, I always make it a point NOT to rely on how good or how prepared a Road Race Organizer is.  My mindset is always ZERO support, so I make it sure to be self sufficient when I run longer distances. That includes packing up mid-race snack, gels, oresol, whatnots and a mental note of  pit stops and 7-11 locations.

Yup, 7-11s. I do stop by 7-11 or Ministop during long runs to the horror of other customers. (Food for thought: You get faster service when you’re perspiring and all. That’s because they want you out of their store quick. )

I wouldn’t even  mind stopping by the bay to watch the sunrise. After all,  when I run, It’s always me versus the elements; its always ME versus the ROAD and nobody watches over my ass.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the road freebies.

Taken from this site: http://www.istockphoto.com

There are three types of runners: those who complain about the rain messing up their training program and head to the treadmill; those who make the rainy days an excuse not to run; and those who welcome the rain with an excitement of an unsupervised five-year old.

Today, my EQ has sunk to a level of a five-year old.

I ran in the rain, and when I came home  I’m sniffling.

But damn! I’m too happy I did it.

Mizuno Running Shoes

I’ve stayed away from running this past few days. I knew sooner or later my feet would itch to run again, but I resisted the urge, veered my mind away from running. Until I saw this pair of Mizunos on sale. I melted. Fuck, I finished a Marathon. I deserve this. I have to reward my self. I made a promise to reward my self every hundred kilometers of running. I have to run again, work my ass off.

So this week, I ran to complete another hundred kilometers…ahhh for a pair of Mizunos. Now, Im starting to realize what a vile  little fuck I have become.