run unltd.: Yellow Long Run: 25 February 2012

I went on a solo long run last Saturday to once again feel how it is to run the hardcore way, as my friends say. It took me more than five hours to navigate the route. I started at 5:00am and finished under the sweltering heat of the sun. I could still recall those times when my ultra running friends run the different roads of Metro Manila as part of their ultramarathon training, they scour the smoggy length of EDSA, the PUV-filled stretch of Marcos Highway and many more. During my ultramarathon training a couple of years back I also did try these routes, usually running alone and sometimes with fellow BDM aspirants.

To add some base and endurance in my running fitness I once again embarked on doing such journeys. The plan is to have back-to-back long run training on weekends (as much as I could) as I prepare myself for ultramarathon distances in the future. I started by joining full marathon races in December and treated them as primer for my endurance runs. There are also plans of doing long runs in the province (road and trail) during the summer.

Here is my route (and some photos) that took me to the cities of Marikina, Pasig and Mandaluyong before heading back to my place in Quezon City. Warning: this route is not good for weak-lunged individuals (you know what I mean).