Run United Recovery Run 2015

Pacer Duties Done

• Distance: 10K
• Date: December 12, 2015
• Venue: Filinvest

Recovery is the name of the game at Run United Recovery Run.  When you race to Exceed Yourself, your body also accumulates a lot of wear and tear.  Recovery is one step backward and thousands of fast strides forward.  It was a chance to enjoy the run at an easier pace. This gives your body and muscles a chance to recover while remaining active in preparation for your future athletic goals.

Enervon HP Recovery Run

Run United Recovery Run Pacers

I started my pacer duties for the Run United series at Recovery Run last year.   Being a pacer was both a challenging and inspiring job.  It’s always a challenge to keep a consistent pace for the duration of the run but it’s also inspiring as you get to interact, push and share experiences with runners who share the same passion.  We all have different reasons to run but whether we run fast or slow, we adopt a very healthy lifestyle.  I always look forward to my pacer’s duties with Unilab as it’s a good way to promote the lifestyle and interact with the runners.   The easier pace at this time of the year is also perfect with the lighter mood of the season.  It’s my game plan this year to join races this month just to make sure that despite the busy and festive mood of the season, I still get a chance to burn those calories.  Recovery is part of the program so enjoy the season yet still keep those muscle active.  Once the rigors of training resumes, you’ll feel fresh and rejuvenated to aim for an even better goal.

Race Route

Race Route powered by Suunto Ambit 3 Sports and Movescount

Race starts at Promenade Street and heads to an out and back loop at Spectrum for the first 2 kilometers of the race.  The race shifts to a double out and back loop at Filinvest for the next 3 kilometers of the race.   The race then heads to Laguna Drive and Corporate Woods and back for some hills climbing and the descent in the next 3 kilometers of the race.  Finally, the race goes to the other end of Filinvest Avenue for another out and back loop before going back to Promenade for the Finish.

The Race

With Ms. Zen of Active Health Before the Race.

I was part of the pace group for 1:30 10K finish time or about an easy 9 minutes per kilometer.  We had Coach Ani De Leon-Brown, who was with her baby Amaya, Unilab Elite Team Ben Rana and Blogger Sherdon Barcia as co-pacers for the 1:30 group.  It was cool that we had the cutest pacer in Baby Amaya as she was on a stroller with Coach Ani as we navigated the route.  The mood at Filinvest was really relaxed and we had a good stretch of dynamic warm up before the start of the race.  The 9 minute pace is an easy jog or a run walk pace.  The race started exactly at 6:00 am with each pace group, (1:10, 1:20, 1:30. 1:40 and 1:50) having their own set of runners.

Coach Ani led the pace with an easy jog as we started the race.  The out and back loop is really perfect for this type of event as you get to see the different pace groups through most part of the race.  It was nice to see the runners enjoying the easy paced run everytime we saw them on the other side of the course.   It was a steady jog for the first 2 kilometers of the race and we noticed that we’re about a minute ahead of our pace goal.  We started to add some walks in the 3rd kilometer to ensure that we’re at our target pace. Since it was an easy pace, I got a chance to talk with some runners.  Some of our group were preparing for Condura Skyway Marathon and some were preparing TBR Dream Marathon.  Being a veteran of those two marathons, I was glad to share some tips with them.

It was a great day to run. – Photo by Team Arunkada

The weather was perfect for the run as it was not too hot nor not too cool either.  We kept our pace until the 5th kilometer at Filinvest. I shifted to a run walk set since I was having difficulty maintaining a jog pace cadence. I guess it gets difficult when you have forefoot lugs in your shoes that pushes you of forward.  I would run and then walk but keep the same pace with the group.  Kilometer 6 was a bit of challenge since it was a long but moderate climb at Laguna Heights.  We slowed our paced at this part until the end of the climb and went on to speed up on the descent.

The next kilometer was from the bottom of Laguna Drive to Corporate Woods Avenue and back to Laguna Drive.   I am enjoying the route not only since you get to meet runners but the elevation is a mix of flats and climbs.  That’s a good way to work on both the quad and calf muscles.  I took my carbgel at the water station at kilometer 7 before the climb back to Laguna Drive to have fresh energy for the race.  I did a 30 seconds run: 30 seconds walk effort as I did the climb and went on the group to cruise the remaining descent at Laguna Drive before entering Filinvest Avenue again.

We were about 2 minutes above our target time so we had a chance to slow down and just chat while running and walking at an easy pace with the group.  The last two kilometers was a double out and back loop at the other end of Filinvest which had its share of ascents and descents.  We did a balanced effort on the climbs and cruised on the descents. Since we were still ahead of time, we took it easy on our way back to the finish line at Promenade.  Arrived in front of the finish line a minute earlier so we gathered our group in front of the finish line and made our own countdown.  As the clocked hit 1:30, we crossed the finish line together as a group. Run United Recovery Run Mission Accomplished!!!

Recovery Village

Run United Recovery Recovery Run also had the Recovery Village where you get to see various methods of faster recovery like an ice pool or doing self myotherapy. There were also talks on the importance of recovery.   Recovery is part of the training process.  Recovery Run was a great way to cap of your race year and get the body, the muscles  and the mind ready to exceed yourself even more in 2016.

Outfit of The Race

• Top: Run United Recovery Run Race Shirt
• Shorts and Visor: Under Armour
• Shoes: Newton Distance IV
• GPS Watch: Suunto Ambit 3 Sports
• Socks: Nike