if all you’ve got is a hammer,everything looks like a nail.

you got races to run,so run them.back to back if that’s the case.

after tnf , i went back to the usual sunday races.so far, i nailed the ie8 8 mile run, the mizuno infinity 15k run and this weekend’s back to back-all terra 10k trail run and the 1st ptaa 10km run at u.p in succession.good therapy these runs i tell you.

not much really especially that the 1st 2 races(ie8-1:09 +, mizuno15-1:16 +) were characterized by heavy legs.perhaps it is the ultramarathon leg memory that was still in play.for whatever reason,i finished them no matter how slow i was a running or how bad i felt.runner’s blues is what i think they call it.in fact ,i ran mizuno so bad at least 5 runners overtook me from the kalayaan flyover on the way back.and no matter how much i willed my legs to go faster,nada.i’d say that mizuno was my worst performance next to tnf.

however,this weekend was kinda different.i finally completed my 1st trail run (1:01:10) however puny in distance.and as a dessert, i did the 10k yesterday in u.p.(48:38). the diliman route holds a special place in my heart as this is where i first went sub-50 last december 2008 at the ictus run with rio as organizer as it was yesterday.

well, the trail certainly lured much less in terms of runners but the sights and sounds and terrain were something else.it was worth all the trip to timberland. looking back,i wish i took more time to savor the view.all i could do was to take quick glances at the metropolis(smoggy) and the area around the route.at least,i was able to put to good use all the trail stuff i got for tnf.better battered and muddied than inhabited by cockroaches and dusting away.not to mention the lessons learned from tnf. i was glad that my mind and body were in complete  sync this time.wherever i said “go”, my legs just blasted away. needless to say,i would be happy to come back next year.

as for u.p., i was prepared to tackle the new route as presented in the race packet but at the last minute,the route was reverted to the same old route.a friend later told me that residents along the initial route requested the diversion.it was a box office hit in terms of attendance.but honestly,i was there hoping to win the raffle prizes more than anything else.nonetheless, it was a good 10k tempo run.and recovery run of sorts from the trail run  last saturday.boy were my legs heavy from the start.but as in timberland, mind and body were in tune again.

i think i am getting back into the groove.

keep hammering!