One Month to Go: Run United 2 Preparations

 

The highly-anticipated leg 2 of the Runrio Trilogy is fast approaching! One month to go until another 32km run (I was one of the early bird registrants!). I've been used to running half-marathons but the Afroman 32km distance is still sort of an unpredictable category for me, performance-wise. A great deal of training is needed to get a decent time, and I plan to beat my 2012 32k record (3:25:41) this year, and run with as little walk breaks as possible.

So what do I do to prepare for big races such as this? Three things:

1. Train regularly

2. Run and test gear I plan to wear on race day

3. Eat smart and take my daily supplements

ON TRAINING:

I keep it a point that I join races regularly, as much as possible joining 21k if the category is available. This way, I maintain a good weekly mileage. April was a great month for me, with two of my latest 21k races clocking in a sub-2. Of course I do my maintenance runs on weekdays, either doing short distances on the gym treadmill or doing hill training at McKinley after work.

From RU1 to RU2: Races Galore!

ON GEAR:

The advice that most experienced runners give to newbies: Never run long-distance on new, untested gear. This is very true. I make it a point that when I have something new, I give it a short-distance test run and see how it affects my performance.

Run United 2 has provided a singlet of high-quality. You have to touch and feel the fabric to believe it. I've also been lucky enough to be given a hydration belt, thanks to the generous people of Unilab Active Health. This matches the RU2 singlet well. The hydration belt is aligned with ULAH and Runrio's GREEN race advocacy. For my past few races, I've brought my hydration bottle with me to avoid wasting cups. I've also tried wearing a race belt when I ran the Tokyo Marathon so wearing a hydration belt would just need a minor adjustment for me.

RU2 Planned Gear and the Purple Bib

Dress Rehearsal? Haha! All-geared up for a test run.

By the way, for registered and soon-to-register runners of RU2, you can have your hands on the hydration belt at a very affordable price! Unilab, Unilab Active Health and Enervon Activ is currently holding a hydration belt promo from April 22 to May 26 (or until supplies last), so you just have to go to your nearest RU2 registration center (Riovana BGC, Riovana Katipunan, Toby's Mall of Asia or Toby's The Block SM North) and follow these two easy steps:

1. Present your RU2 2013 race bib (NOTE: one hydration belt per bib only)
2. Purchase 10 pieces of Enervon Activ for 120 pesos and get the hydration belt for a price of 200 pesos.

That's a great deal! Hydration belts are usually priced at 1000 pesos and above so this is quite a bargain. (I posted the promo poster and official promo mechanics at this link.)

ULAH Hydration Belt (Two 180mL bottles included)

ON NUTRITION:

I'm sure a lot of you have already read a number of articles on runners' diet. I'm not that strict on my diet but I try to incorporate as much healthy stuff as possible on my meals - red rice, whole wheat bread and pasta, fruits like banana, apple and pineapple, nuts like almonds and cashews, protein in fish and white chicken meat. There are some cheat days of course, but I don't feel that guilty because I'm going to burn the calories on training anyway.

Another part of my regimen is my intake of vitamins and supplements. During the morning, I take my fiber, take a 500mg of vitamin C and a multi-vitamin capsule. At night before I sleep, I take another 500mg of vitamin C and another capsule of vitamin E. I also take whey protein at days I lift heavy at the gym.

I've tried a number of multi-vitamins but during this month's training for RU2, I'll be taking Enervon Activ. I did some research on the MIMS website, got the data for two of the brands I've tried before (Rogin-E and Pharmaton) and compared them with what Enervon Activ has to offer. Information for Enervon Activ is not yet uploaded in the MIMS website, so I pulled the information for the brand from the official Enervon Activ website.

Comparison Table: Rogin-E, Pharmaton, Enervon Activ

I'm sold to using Enervon Activ because of the following points:
- Ginseng (for energy reserves and increased alertness) and royal jelly (to decrease fatigue) content are higher in Enervon Activ
- Vitamin B1, B2 and B6 content are significantly higher - vitamin B-complex is an essential vitamin for conversion of food to energy
- Antioxidants like vitamin A, C, E and zinc are in comparable amounts with the other two brands - these help repair the immune system's cells
- The PRICE. Rogin-E is priced at P21.50 per capsule, Pharmaton at P24 per capsule, Enervon Activ is priced at P12 per capsule. Half the price for comparable contents! More than enough reason for me to switch!

I purchased 30 capsules of Enervon Activ which I'll take up daily until race day. I'm sure this will help me in achieving my target time for RU2!

1 month to go before RU2. 1 month supply of Enervon Activ!

Day 1: About to take my Enervon Activ

To know more about Enervon Activ, you may visit their website at http://www.enervonactiv.ph/. They're also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/EnervonActiv. Feel free to post on their wall and describe your Enervon Activ experience.


Oh I almost forgot! Today's my birthday! What a long birthday post this turned out to be.

See you guys on RU2!