It took me 1 1/2 hours to get to Ultra.
I was one hour early.
But I was happy.
Waiting seemed to be a bliss.
When you're attending a Nike Running Clinic."
That was how I felt last night when I attended my second Nike Running Clinic under the impressive coaching of Coach Rio Dela Cruz. I wasn't able to participate at the BHS leg last Friday so I made sure that I was running last night, and no rain or traffic would stop me.
I got at the Ultra at 6:00 p.m., an hour early for the start of the session. Ben Chan ( Photographer on the Run ), Vener ( Run Unlimited ) and Coah Rio ( www.runrio.com ) were already there. I was excited to be there and more excited at what we were going to do, no matter what it was.
I ran 4 laps at the Ultra track before we were called in for the stretching. I had dead legs due to my bike training a day earlier ( Monday ) and was hoping I'd have enough legs to last me the workouts.
Drills followed and although I've been through almost the same drills when I was playing varsity basketball, it all seemed new to me. Everything about this clinic seem new, and I like it that way.
After stretching, the participants were divided into groups, based on our time trial results a week earlier. I ran well last Tuesday, so well that I was grouped with the "strongest" runners, which to me was either a good or a bad thing as I didn't have the slightest idea on what we were going to do.
"Okay, you guys are going to do 5 x 800s in 3:45..."
I needed to ask someone else about the 3:45 thing as I thought I misheard it. Upon confirming it was 3:45, I raised an almost inaudible protest...that's too fast for me! I have DEAD legs!
"Okay, one group will do the 3:45, while another group do a 4:00..."
Instinctively, I joined the 4:00 minutes group.
We were asked to line up for the run. As soon as we started, the 3:45 guys blazed on the track, and pulled me with them. I finished the first 800 meters in 3:32. Jeeesshhhh, what was I doing! I knew I wouldn't be able to sustain a 3:32 pace in the next 4 laps, not even a 3:45! But there I was sprinting it out with the pack!
I tried so hard not to get sucked in with the speed of my groupmates and looked somewhere else when we started our second 800 meters to avoid being pressured to keep up with them. I finished at 3:41, still too fast for me.
On the 3rd lap, I ran with someone from the group who couldn't keep up with the pack as well, and we just ran at a 4:20-4:30 pace so that we finish within 3:50-3:55. It worked well!
After clocking in at 3:58 on the 4th lap, I was about to give up and not run the 5th 800 meters anymore. I was afraid I'd push myself over the limit and suffer from dizziness due to lack of oxygen. But decided to continue.
I ran the 5th lap solo. I didn't want to slow down someone with me and asked my pace partner to go ahead and not pace with me as I intended to run at a pace which would enable me to complete my last lap.
5th lap: Exactly 4 minutes.
I was thankful to have completed the 5X800 meters. Running at such a pace at such distance ( 4kms ) was new to me, and if I had Gene Simmons' tongue, it would have probably spilled out of my mouth on to my chest. As we cooled down to a walk, I was asking Richard ( the american I met in last week's session ) to check if he could see my lungs in my mouth. Man I was exhausted!
We cooled down with a 2-km tempo run which I finished in 12:30 rather than the 11 minutes Coach Rio wanted. I had no legs anymore.
I learned my lesson well last night : DON'T DO HARD TRAININGS ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS!
When I got home, my mountain and road bikes seemed to stare at me in the face as if asking me to ride them even just for a few minutes.
"Enough sweat for me tonight boys....I'll see you tomorrow..." I said in response...
Deo P.
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