Daily Archives: April 17th, 2012

Beating your Cut-off

By forefoot on April 17, 2012 | 7 Comments

Regardless of the distance, running to beat a certain cut-off is simply elementary. By elementary, I mean simple.

However there are a few factors that make a run complicated.

the condition of the runner at event date (based on training and overall preparation)
the weather condition
the terrain of the event

Given a good training and good condition on event date, the terrain will not matter that much. What will greatly make the difference is the ever changing weather.

rainy
rainy and cold
sunny
sunny and humid

Again, preparation is a must over any weather condition – but not everyone is always prepared.

Now let’s go back to beating that cut-off.

Simple.

It’s really just all about PACING.

Usually, cut-offs apply to marathons and ultramarathons. Say a 6-hour cut-off on a marathon would require you to have an average pace of 8 minutes and 31 seconds per kilometer. If the route is longer, or shorter, you’d find out the difference after.

Listed below are the average pacing requirement of a particular distance:

07 minutes 06 seconds per kilometer for a 42.195K with a 5-hour cut-off
08 minutes 31 seconds per kilometer for a 42.195K with a 6-hour cut-off
09 minutes 36 seconds per kilometer for a 50K with an 8-hour cut-off
10 minutes 48 seconds per kilometer for a 50K with a 9-hour cut-off
11 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer for an 80K with a 15-hour cut-off
10 minutes 35 seconds per kilometer for a 102K with an 18-hour cut-off
11 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer for a 160K with a 30-hour cut-off

Now that’s just the average.

It’s a lot different when you are a splitter (which I think is a lot better).

Basically, splitters or not, the same cut-off is beaten. However, splitters do it in varying paces. Since I am a negative splitter, I’d rather talk about how I’d run the upcoming 50-milers this weekend (for a more clear example of split running)

The average pacing required for Mayon 360 would be 11 minutes 15 seconds per kilometer. Easy? Doable?

Yes, easy and very much doable when you are well prepared and in good condition. Else, you suffer a lot.

My 1st 10K would be about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Negative splitters like me start slow – but not too slow. Coming from a rest, the legs are very much strong at first. However, you cannot go over and above your easy pace – it’s quite a gamble given the distance. This is how I view it:

a 10K race with a 70K warm-up.

My 2nd and 3rd 10K would be around 1 hour and 30 minutes too but it could go a bit faster to 1 hour and 10 minutes. Normally, I tend to go with the tempo. It’s still early and warm to run though.

My 4th 10K to the 7th 10K would be just near if not exactly about the average pace for the run. The last 10K to the finish line would be the fastest. A strong finish is always desirable. It causes a lot of great big smile around.

As long as your pace is not below the required average pace – you’d definitely make it in time.

Posted in: Simple thoughts

Reebok RealFlex

By forefoot on April 17, 2012 | 1 Comment

I was one of the blessed few invited.

It was a simple event with style.

The program starts with a CrossFit challenge of 5 Burpees, 9 box jumps and 13 double skip ropes, AMRAP (as many reps as possible) for 5 minutes. It was a version of a HIT (high intensity training) without recovery – well, I didn’t see one – except for the participants who really took his time. It’s a killer routine, I think.

After the challenge, the Reebok RealFlex – Reebok’s latest footwear technology engineered with independent multi-directional nodes that promotes natural movement and flexibility.

Such a statement will leave you wondering unless you get to try the shoe…

..and I am so blessed to be given one!

Thanks to Reebok, and the kind invitation of B aka Titanium Runner.

Pictures below are in dark contrast to the background. There’s a reason for that.

the multi-directional nodes

See how the white stands-out over the background?

I’ve been wanting to run with this shoe last Sunday. I was not able to due to the extended hours of errands coming from a mountain run that morning. By the time I was supposed to run, I was too sleepy.

Then I was able to.

"stolen" shot by my daughter

This was just a very short run on a Monday afternoon. I really wanted to get the feel of the shoe.

amazingly soft to the feet
light to walk with
you feel the gentle cushion at every step

Initially, those were the obvious “freebies” of this shoe, aside from it being very Flexible.

I would have done longer but I have other errands to do.

I will then see how this shoe will perform (with my foot strike)(I am a forefoot striker with very high arch), and for how long (until some pain surfaced).

The best answer to that would be a very long run. . .

…but not at this week. It’s race week for Mayon 360 50-miler. I need to rest and run only short distances @ easy. Soon, I will update this posts for distances of :

Why only 21K? That’s simply because cushioning shoes as soft as this one generally would take me at a strong pace up to 21K only. After that, I will assess if I could go farther. Who knows. I just might use it on a 50K race.