In the book, a running journal that serves as memoir, Murakami writes about his runs, including his preparation for the 2005 New York Marathon, his 100-kilometer ultra-marathon and his running, in reverse, of the original marathon route—from Athens to Marathon. The book provides details only hardcore runners and Murakami die-hard fans would appreciate.

TRAINING JOURNALS help you keep track of your progress and guard against doing too much, too soon in training. (Photo above was taken last year, that's why the journal is for 2010) CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

Not everyone can have his or her running journal published as a book, even in today’s do-it-yourself publishing and digital formats. Not all runners keep track of training minutiae or obsess over time, distance and pace. But all regular runners, however, should take the effort to record their runs and keep a running journal.

Running journals help people keep track of their training progress to guard against a common cause of injury: doing too much too soon. Many running experts advise people to increase either their mileage or intensity by not more than 10 percent a week. If your total mileage last week was 30 kilometers, you should do no more than 33 kilometers this week.

That advice, however, is followed more in the breach, ask runners you know.

But a running journal would warn you if you are doing “too much” too much. You cannot run 10 kilometers last week, 60 kilometers this week and 150 kilometers next week then repeat that insane cycle for months and still hope to be running a decade later.

Running journals can also help you stay motivated especially if (unlike me) you see progress in your speed, endurance or weight loss.

There are many free website services and software that can serve as your digital running journal. If you use a Garmin global positioning system (GPS) watch, you should sign up with its Garmin Connect web portal at http://connect.garmin.com.

Garmin Connect is the best web-based running journal today. It’s so easy to use—you just connect your Garmin GPS watch to your computer and upload the data and you’ll have a visual representation of data on your run. Garmin Connect will allow you to replay your run (you are represented by a map place marker) and at any time you’d know your speed, pace, elevation or even heart rate.

Another good web-based journal is Dailymile.com, which processes fewer data than Garmin Connect but makes up for it by providing a social networking layer. Dailymile is Facebook for runners, cyclists and triathletes. It provides a leaderboard that compares your weekly mileage with that of your contacts, providing a competitive kick to your training.

Social networks help people meet their goals. Dominican University of California psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews found that “people who wrote down their goals, shared this information with a friend, and sent weekly updates to that friend were on average 33 percent more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely formulated goals.” Dailymile, and Facebook for the general populace, can do that for you.

But for many people, nothing beats paper running journals. It isn’t just being traditionalist, its backed by research: writing by hand trains the brain and you learn more effectively writing than typing. Writing, some say, also works more effectively in helping you keep track of your goals.

RUNNER’S WORLD. This training journal by Runner’s World includes tips and motivational quotations.

One good paper running journal is that sold by Runner’s World. A week of entries occupy a whole spread that also contains training tips and motivational quotes. The journal, which you can buy in Amazon.com, also helps you keep track of so-called rave runs, those that stand out and are memorable. Moleskine pocket calendars can also serve as good (albeit expensive) running journals. If you’re a coffee addict, the free planners offered by Starbucks can also serve as a good running journal.

STOP SMOKING, START RUNNING. Running is one of the best ways to help you quit smoking.

Organizers are inviting non-runners, newbies, seasoned runners and smokers who’ve long wanted to quit the habit to attend the event, which is free and open to everyone.

The event is organized by the Ungo Runners, a group that runs every Friday night on the streets of Cebu City.

Businessman and runner Richard Ho is scheduled to talk about his personal experience in kicking a smoking habit and starting and keeping a running habit. Dr. John Clifford Aranas, an ultra-marathoner, will talk about the clinical aspect of smoking.

After their talk, the group will walk and run five kilometers inside the Cebu Business Park and finish at the Asiatown IT Park.

The Ungo Friday Night Run is open to the public. Those who want to join can just go to The Active Zone in Ayala Center Cebu at 9 p.m. tomorrow.

The Active Zone in Ayala Center Cebu is a center that caters to the needs of people engaged in an active lifetstyle. It has served as a venue of sporting events since its grand opening in January 2010. The Active Zone is also the most popular registration site for running events in Cebu.

Badwater is the world’s toughest race. The ultramarathon passes through Highway 190, which might as well be the Highway to Hell. The road gets so hot runners have to stay on the white stripe to prevent their shoes’ soles from melting.

SCOTT JUREK with Tarahumara runner Arnulfo Quimare in a race chronicled in the book "Born to Run." Jurek won the 2005 Badwater Ultramarathon despite collapsing on Mile 60. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (FROM THE FLICKR PHOTO PAGE OF WOLF GANG)

On mile 60 in that year’s race, Jurek collapsed, vomiting and shaky, after chasing the early leaders. Yet his wife and his friends, who served as his crew, let him be. They didn’t try to help him get up. “They knew there was no voice in the world more persuasive than the one inside Scott’s own mind,” Christopher McDougall said in Born To Run.

The book then documented Jurek’s internal dialogue:

“There’s no way, Scott told himself. You’re done. You’d have to do something totally sick to win this thing now.

Sick like what?

Like starting all over again. Like pretending you just woke up from a great night’s sleep and the race hasn’t even started yet. You’d have to run that next 80 miles as fast as you’ve ever run 80 miles in your life.”

After 10 minutes of lying on the road “like a corpse,” Jurek got up and won Badwater, setting a new record by finishing in 24 hours and 36 minutes.

The mind, ultra-runner Jonel Mendoza said in his talk to Cebu runners earlier this year, is a powerful thing. If you think it, you can probably do it.

Never mind the heart or the lungs (just yet). These two organs are generally able to immediately adapt to the added stress of running. Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy associate professor Miriam Nelson says your body immediately adapts to the stress and makes your organs and muscles fitter.

When starting out to run, don’t dwell too much on pace or finish times just yet.

Instead, strengthen your mind.

Before even lacing up your shoes, prepare your mind. Tell yourself, “Tomorrow, I will run. I know I will be groggy as I reach for the alarm clock but I will force myself out my bed, change into my running gear, get out the door and run!”
And when you run, push yourself to your mental limits. Will yourself to continue running.

It’s a trick even the top runners resort. Top American long-distance runner Kara Goucher says that she does “a lot of dreaming” when she runs.

“I can’t tell you how many state championships I won in my mind back in high school, how many NCAA titles I won in my fantasies at the University of Colorado, and how many Olympic medals and major marathons I’ve won in my head in the past few years,” she said.

It’s also something the head coach of Team Running USA drills into his athletes.

“Act as if you already are,” Terence Mahon is quoted as saying by the Runner’s World, “This is one of the many mantras that we employ when it comes time to go after a goal that is beyond what has already been accomplished.”

“Breaking new ground physically requires you to first break that mental barrier so that it can come into being.”

Jonel is right. The mind, indeed, is a powerful thing.

“I want to run to stay fit but I’m too busy with work. I barely even have time for my family,” an acquaintance told me a couple of months ago when our conversation inevitably turned to the fastest growing sport in the country.

GO OUT THE DOOR AND RUN! “Consistency requires discipline,” Bob Glover and Shelly–Lynn Florence Glover say in The Competitive Runner’s Handbook, “Force yourself out the door.” (FROM THE FLICKR ACCOUNT OF INDUSTRY IS VIRTUE)

Bob Glover and Shelly–Lynn Florence Glover have an emphatic advice in The Competitive Runner’s Handbook, “Consistency requires discipline. Force yourself out the door.”

Dr. Raymund “Reel Runner” Bontol is more blunt, “MAKE TIME!”

Cebu Maternity Hospital obstetrics resident Dr. Cecillie Milan goes on a 24-hour duty every three days.

Yet she makes it a point to run at least an hour three times a week.

She ran 21 kilometers in The Great Lapu-Lapu Run and in the Mandaue City race earlier this month before reporting for 24-hour hospital duty.

Dr. Milan says running helps her deal with work stress and at the same time “shed a few pounds each week so I’m not complaining.”

“Plus, it’s a good way to show our patients that we do practice what we preach. We’re setting good examples to our patients to adopt a healthy lifestyle,” she said in an interview.

Teletech Holdings, Inc. language trainer Jareliese Prescillas Mauro also makes it a point to make time for running.

But, she admitted, she used to think the sport was boring.

“But I figured that I was just hanging out with couch potatoes way too long,” she said.

Now, Mauro is a regular runner in the weekly Friday night run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the Banilad Town Center and IT Park.

Mauro said running, which never made it in her life’s initial to-do-list, has made her a better employee.

Conventional wisdom has it that it takes only 21 days or three weeks to start a habit.

Three weeks, I kept telling myself in the first few days when all the cells of my body screamed for me to stop running and return to smoking cigarettes, and I’ll be a Zen master at running.

Three weeks later, I still wasn’t a Zen master but I found running tolerable.

A year later, and I now share Dr. Milan’s sentiment, “I can’t imagine life without running.”

It’s easy to feel that you have better things to do than run. Work demands time. The family needs your time.

But Dr. Bontol is right. MAKE TIME.

It’s the best investment for your physical well-being.

New York City Marathon founder Fred Lebow is also right. He said, “When you run in the morning, you gain time in a sense. It’s like stretching 24 hours into 25. You may need to sleep less and get up earlier, but if you can get by that, running early seems to expand the day.”

The girl ran about 11 kilometers in what seemed to be her first 10K.

In the absence of a local certification body, you just take organizers’ word that their race routes really are the distances that they announce these to be.

MEASURING ROUTES WITH GOOGLE MAPS. Google Maps allows you to draw a line on its street, satellite and terrain maps to measure distances. CLICK ON PHOTO ABOVE TO VIEW LARGER IMAGE.

In most cases, they are, at least to within the margin of error of a few meters. But in some races, the distance is way off the chart you’d wonder whether the organizers actually measured the route in the first place.

To accurately measure a route, the best tool to use is a global position system (GPS) device. Many runners now use GPS watches to measure runs as well as determine such things as pace and even heart rate.

A popular GPS brand is the Garmin Forerunner line. Garmin is, in my opinion, the best GPS watch brand because it offers consumers a top-of-its-class device and an equally stellar after-sales support—the Garmin Connect website that not only serves as an exercise logbook that stores all of your runs but a repository of all the data related to each workout. With Garmin Connect, you can replay all your runs—a placeholder moves with your exact coordinates on a map and at any given point, you’d know your coordinates, distance and elevation.

If you’re really serious on your running, you’d do well investing on a GPS watch. It allows you to accurately measure your progress.

But if you don’t have a GPS watch, how can you measure your running route?

Race organizers drive through their routes and measure these using their car’s odometer. Some use bicycles. That method has varying degrees of success. I know of certain routes measured that way that came up short.

The easiest way to measure running routes is to do it online.

In the middle of this decade, Google gave rise to web mapping services when it started Google Maps, probably the best mapping application on the Internet.

For runners, Google Maps is almost heaven-sent. The website allows you to draw lines on street, satellite and terrain maps and measure points. That way, you can accurately measure distances.

To measure distances, go to maps.google.com and sign in with your Google account. If you still don’t have a Google account, sign up with the company’s popular free e-mail service Gmail to get one.

Once you’re in, go to the My Maps section and click on Browse Directory. Look for the Distance Measurement Tool and click on the Add it to Maps button under it.

To start measuring routes, just zoom into the area in the map where you want to run then click on My Maps and then click on Distance Measurement Tool. You can choose whether to use the Metric or English system.

Click on the point in the map where you want to start running. Continue clicking on areas where you want to run and the system will add it to the line. At the left portion of the screen, you will see the total distance of the route.

DAILYMILE. The social network for runners, triathletes and bikers offers a tool to plan and measure running routes. CLICK ON IMAGE ABOVE TO VIEW LARGER PHOTO

Another way to measure routes is to do it through DailyMile. DailyMile is a social network for runners and triathletes. It’s a community logbook for your runs and exercise sessions.

The site has a route planner section. In that section you can draw lines on a map and the system gives you a running total of the distance and even renders kilometer markers.

With the ease by which distances can be measured using online tools, there aren’t any excuses for organizers to make a mistake in the distance of their race routes.

“Mamatay ta ani ug sayo,” he told runners in the Sun.Star Cebu newsroom last night.

He started playing basketball until he injured one of his fingers. That spurred him to take up another sport—running.

RUNNING COUPLE. Max Limpag (left) briefs runners on the route of the 10th Friday Night Run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the BTC and IT Park. At right are running couple Dr. Yong Larrazabal and Donna Cruz-Larrazabal. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN D. LIMPAG)

Since then, the doctor has run 11 full marathons or 42-kilometer races and countless races in shorter distances. He has run a full marathon monthly since December.

Larrazabal also helped spur the current running boom in Cebu with his annual University Run and monthly Run for Sight series, which he organized when there were still very few running events in Cebu. For that, he was awarded by the Sportswriters’ Association of Cebu.

Larrazabal was the speaker in last night’s ungo run, a weekly Friday night run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the Banilad Town Center and the IT Park.

In his talk last night, Larrazabal advised runners to:

• Be realistic on goals

If you have an inactive lifestyle, don’t expect to immediately be able to run long distances. Expect to feel aches and pains. Ease yourself into the sport gradually, he said.

• Get proper nutrition
• Give your body time to heal and relax

Larrazabal said he used to run every day, which he described as a mistake. He said runners should give their muscles time to relax, their bodies time to recover. He said last night that he had colds because he ramped up his mileage. He said he knew he was overdoing it.

• Know your limits

Larrazabal said he won’t go beyond the marathon because he has a lifetime goal of running 33 marathons. He said that personally, he feels that going beyond 42 kilometers exposes a runner to a great risk of injuries.

OFFICIAL BOTTLED WATER. (From left) Charlie Berberio, Dr. Andrei Yu, Dr. Peter Mancao, Max Limpag, Dr. Yong Larrazabal hold bottles of St. James mineral water, which was donated by marathoner James Abilla. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN D. LIMPAG)

Larrazabal also advised runners to encourage their partners to also take up the sport. He said running together has strengthened his bond with his wife, singer and runner Donna Cruz-Larrazabal.

He said that before Donna started running, she couldn’t understand why he would spend a lot of time for the sport, even traveling to other places just to run.

But ever since Donna got hooked on running, the two found something else in common to share. He said their relationship as a husband and wife has been strengthened by their common love for running.

(Blogger’s note: Photos of the run are available in the CebuRunning Facebook page.)

Dailymile is a website that serves as training log for runners, cyclists and triathletes. What differentiates it from sites like Garmin Connect is that it has a social networking component. It allows you to connect with other runners, cyclists or triathletes. You can view your workouts as well as that of your contacts and people near your location in a Twitter-like stream of entries.

MY DAILYMILE PROFILE PAGE. Dailymile is a cool social training log for runners, cyclists and triathletes. It now supports both Nike+ and Garmin devices. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

I used the site for a while in July but stopped visiting it when I discovered Garmin Connect. The site supported Nike+ but didn’t work with the Garmin Forerunner. Since I use a Forerunner 305 to track my runs, I had to manually enter records in dailymile and it was tedious. Without Garmin support, I didn’t have the incentive to continue maintaining my dailymile account. But for so long, the site indicated that Garmin support was “coming soon” so I didn’t delete my account.

Garmin Connect, on the other hand, imported everything from the device—total distance, GPS points, pace, elevation, heartbeat monitor data etc. The site also has a very useful and well-implemented feature to replay your runs.

When I checked back my dailymile account early this morning to approve a friend request, I found a notification for the beta testing of Garmin support. I registered my Garmin Forerunner 305 and was prompted to enter my Garmin Connect account.

KEEPING TRACK. Dailymile allows you to keep track of your runs—your fastest, longest and most intense. The site said my fastest run was during the Quota Club 12K classic, when I ran at an average pace of 5:27 per kilometer. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

Dailymile supports Garmin devices through the Communicator plugin that users install to make their devices work with the Garmin Connect website. I had already installed the plugin in my computer so I was ready to import my runs. If you still haven’t installed the plugin, get it from the Garmin website.

To make your Garmin device work with dailymile, just enter your Garmin Connect username and password by clicking on the settings link at the top right portion of the screen and then clicking on devices link in the left menu.

Importing data from the Garmin Forerunner 305 took just a few minutes. At first, it seemed that the Google Chrome browser froze but when I checked my account, I found that dailymile had successfully imported data that were still in the device.

There were a few kinks, though, when I added details to the records.

Dailymile wasn’t able to render the map for my unplanned marathon last March 2 so I had to manually plot the run again. It also wasn’t able to render a map for my Cebu City Marathon 21K run and my Condura Run 21K. I also ended up entering the brands and types of shoes I used twice because the site didn’t prompt me that the data was already entered—the window that popped up kept showing a loading indicator.

The hours that I spent trying out dailymile today was a very pleasant experience. The site is more than just an excellent online logbook for your training and races, it is also a great community that will allow you to meet other runners and athletes. Dailymile even allows you to setup virtual races or challenges.

Dailymile was able to keep track of 42 of my runs totaling 517.39 kilometers. For all that running, I only managed to lose 10 pounds but the site said I burned an equivalent of 201 donuts and expended energy enough to power 56.33 television sets. It also said I earned 62 cheeseburgers, which I have no plans of ever collecting , and that I covered just .01 of the world.

While Garmin Connect will still serve as primary record of my runs, I see myself using dailymile more frequently to track my kilometers and be in contact with other runners. Are you in dailymile? Add me as a contact. Here’s the link to my profile page.

DAILYMILE lists your workouts in a stream of updates similar to what you see in social networks. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE

The clinic is sponsored by Newton Running, Runnr Academy and Ayala Center Cebu.

Macasieb is an exercise physiologist and holds a masters degree on exercise sciences from the Montclair State University. He was the Philippine National Triathlon chapion in 2001, 2005 and 2006. He is also a 6-time Ironman finisher.

The topics in the seminar include:

• Common running errors among recreational runners
• Attributes of elite runners
• Running posture
• Running tools, drills and skills
• Formula for speed

Nicole Limon, Toby’s Sports and Runnr marketing supervisor, said the clinic will be held in two days: March 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and March 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

In an interview with Cebu journalists and bloggers last year, Runnr founder Toby Claudio said running is an advocacy for his company and he wants to encourage more people to take up the sport. Claudio also said he would be scheduling clinics to guide runners on such things as improving their form and technique and staying away from injuries.

Google Wave is e-mail, instant messaging, wiki and collaboration platform combined. It’s been described as what e-mail would have looked like if it were invented today.

Google has since invited more than a million users to the system but the service continues to be invitation-only. If you want to be invited, be a fan of CebuRunning in Facebook and request for an account there.

ORGANIZING A RUN. Google Wave is an excellent platform to use in organizing road runs. CLICK TO ENLARGE.

Much has been said and written about Google Wave but this much is clear—it is indeed a great communication and collaboration tool. And because of that, it is an excellent tool for organizing runs.

I’m currently organizing the first group run of the recently-organized Sun.Star Cebu running club and decided to try using Google Wave for the task. Three Wave gadgets immediately come to mind: Yes/No/Maybe for confirmation, Google Maps and AccuWeather.

The Yes/No/Maybe gadget allows people to RSVP for events, in this case, the Sunday long run. The gadget then lists the people who are either attending, not attending or still unsure of joining the run.

The Google Maps gadget allows you to plot your running route and use placeholders to mark turning points, areas for water breaks, among other things. The placeholders also allow people to leave comments on the suggested route.

The only thing lacking in the maps gadget is a distance calculator. I did not have a problem without it because I had already calculated the distance of the route I had in mind using Google Maps (I wrote about how to do it in this earlier blog post).

DIFFERENT GADGETS. Three gadgets useful for organizing groups runs in Google Wave are Yes/No/Maybe for confirmation, Google Maps and AccuWeather gadgets.

The AccuWeather.com gadget, meanwhile, allows you to display the weather forecast for race day. The proposed date for the Sun.Star Cebu running club’s first group run is still weeks away so the forecast isn’t that accurate. But since the gadget is already set to display the forecast for a certain date, it should update the data as race day approaches.

Google Wave excels at collaboration work and with its gadgets, it is an excellent tool for runners to plan a road run.

It’s easy. Use Google Maps.

PLANNING, MEASURING LONG RUN ROUTE. Google Maps allows you to plan ahead and measure your running routes. Above is the route I planned for our two-city long run this Sunday, Nov. 1. Click on photo to view larger image.

Google Maps offers two tools that allow you to trace a route on a map, satellite image or a composite of the two, and then measure its distance. To use the tool, log into Google Maps using your GMail account and then click on My Maps and then choose Browse Directory.

You will then be presented with several add-ons to your Google Maps account. You can either pick Distance Measurement Tool or Area and Distance Calculator. I’ve long been using Area and Distance Calculator but I recently tested Distance Measurement Tool and found it to be better. Click on the Add it to Maps button below the tool area.

After adding the tool, just load a map and start tracing your route. The panel on the left side will keep updating you on the total distance of the route you are tracing on the map.

Is it accurate?

In my experience, yes. I plan out Marlen’s and my Sunday long runs using Google Maps and then use a Garmin 205 for the actual run. The variances in distance are negligible.