Alternate Routes

After my experience at the Condura Skyway Marathon last February - cramps on my left calf and right thigh from Km 31 onwards - I resolved to store more miles in my legs and devote my Sundays to long runs.  Nowadays, I do most of my weekday runs on the tartan track of the ULTRA oval (kinder to the knees), and I head out for the road only on Sundays.  I'm hoping that the mileage build-up (and the speedwork!) will prepare me for the marathons that I plan to join this year, and, ultimately, my first stab at an ultramarathon. 

Fortunately for me, since Condura, a half-mary has been held every other week. 21 February gave us the Century Tuna Run, 7 March had the Unilab Run, and 21 March served up the Globe Run.  Race Sundays are my "problem-free" Sundays - those Sundays when I don't have to worry about where to run.  The tricky part are those days when I'm not signed up for any race.  Unlike before when a few loops around BHS or an easy 10k around Bonifacio Global City would do, I am now constrained to explore other alternative running routes in order to attain my desired distance.  So far, my efforts have yielded two of my better long Sunday runs.

The first was the 20k run I did on 14 March, a week after the Unilab Run.  I started my run in front of Tiendesitas at the Frontera Verde complex.  From there, I proceeded to C-5 and headed for Katipunan Avenue.  My turnaround point was the Manila Water complex near Balara.  On my way back, I decided to take the White Plains-Temple Drive-Ortigas Avenue route, and ended my run right outside the entrance to our village.  The highlight of the run was the stretch inside my old stomping ground - the Ateneo campus - and the trips up and down the Katipunan flyover.  Good thing there were no MMDA boys around, or else I would've been booked for jaywalking hahaha. It was a very challenging run.  The course was filled with uphills, and I wouldn't recommend running on the Katipunan flyover to the faint-hearted.  Including stops at convenience stores for hydration, I finished my 20k run in 2:22:59.  Here's my Pasig-Katipunan-Pasig route:

Check out the details of my run here.

The second run, which I did last Sunday, was somewhat inspired by the Globe route and spanned 25 kms.  I started my run in front of Forbeswood Heights along 3rd Avenue in Bonifacio Global City.  From there, I headed towards McKinley Road.  I then crossed EDSA via the footbridge and went onto Ayala Avenue and all the way to the Makati Med area.  I then "toured" the Legaspi and Salcedo sides of Makati before heading back to BGC again via Ayala and McKinley Road.  From there, I went down Lawton Avenue and headed towards McKinley Hill.  My turnaround point was the C5 Service Road.  On my way back to 3rd Avenue, I made a detour towards the American Cemetery complex.  The highlight of this route was the stretch inside Makati CBD.  It's amazing how the the Makati financial district turns into a runner's haven on Sundays - hardly any cars, well-paved asphalt roads, a convenience store in almost every corner, and that unmistakeable urban feel.  I finished my 25k run in 3:00:20.  My plan was originally to head towards Heritage Park and extend my run to 30k, but I had to cut my run short because wifey and I still had to go grocery shopping.  Here's my BGC-Makati CBD-BGC route:

Details of my run here.

My next race will be on April 11 (Mizuno), and it will only be a 15k run.  Looks like it's time to get busy and explore alternate routes once again - on foot.