Training Log - Week 1

Week 1 went ok. I was able to do what was set out in my training plan. (BTW, my week starts on a Monday.)

For my range 1 - walk, I set the treadmill to 3 - 4Kph. For range 2 - run, I set it to 4.5-5Kph. There's no range 3 yet on week 1.

After my Monday set, I felt pain on my right knee, so I iced it for two days. I was a little bit concerned because my right knee already got operated on in Sept. 2007 because of a torn ACL due to basketball and badminton.

So, I did a lot of research on the Internet on how to prevent injuries while running. A couple of the interesting stuff that I read where:

• Use the proper running shoes for your foot type. I actually am using a cross-trainer, not running shoes.
• Mid-foot strike. Whoa! I was taught before, that the proper way to run is to land on your heel and roll to the toes for push off.

I spent a lot of time reading on this mid-foot strike school of thought and there's a lot out there on the Internet - Chi Running, Pose Method, Evolution and even barefoot running. Just google these and the articles, forum posts and debates are endless.

I decided it made some sense so I tried it out on my succeeding training days and guess what, my knees didn't ache after the run. On the weekend, when I shopped for "proper" running shoes, I came across a mid-foot strike shoe, the New Balance 800. It looked nice, was very light, they had my size (13, very rare!) and since I was doing this mid-foot strike thing, I bought it. I used it on my weekend run and it felt ok. Nothing hurt afterwards. It just felt weird initially because it had this sort of slot for the balls of your foot and you really get to feel the pavement with the balls of your feet, but I got used to it after a while.

Another major change I did is that I went outdoors. My major complaint with the treadmill is that it is so boring. My initial plan was to use the treadmill until I can run continously and then I will run outdoors.

I did my last run for the week at the academic oval of the University of the Philippines, Diliman. It is a good place to run, especially for beginners because it is mostly flat, cool because of the shade from the trees and safe because a portion of the road is closed for runners and bikers. On Sundays, the whole academic oval is closed to traffic.

If runners haven't done so, we should give UP a plaque of appreciation (or other form of showing our appreciation) for providing runners a great place to run.

It is definitely more interesting there than running on a treadmill because there are a lot of runners and walkers of different shapes and sizes and of all ages, and of all levels of fitness. It is also my Alma Mater, so I can reminisce a little while I run. I think I'll regularly go there instead of using the treadmill.

According to my wife and son, who were with me at UP, I run slow and have very short strides. It was probably more like shuffling rather than running, but hey, it felt as hard and tiring like running. Maybe I took the stuff I read about mid-foot strike running, that I should have shorter strides, a little bit too seriously. Anyway, whether it was shuffling, jogging or running, with my current state of fitness and body shape, I couldn't go any faster without collapsing afterwards.

A difficulty I'm having with my training plan is its interval nature. It is so hard to keep track of the minutes and whether I need to start or stop walking or running. I don't want to keep on looking at my watch and it is hard to remember where I am in the run-walk session. I'll be researching on this.