It was another great running session at the Ultra. I can’t really say it was more difficult although the activities were definitely more than the previous sessions.

The warm-up routine was longer: 2K (5-laps around the oval) followed by stretching exercises, butt kicks still included with new routines added.

The main activity (for our group) was 3 sets of 3x 200M run with 200M walking rest in between (a set consists of running 200M followed by walking 200M as rest, done 3 times in a row).   In between the sets was walking 1-lap around the oval (400M).

Core strengthening exercises was introduced after the main activity.  This includes exercises you normally do inside a gym for your core (abs, the obliques, and the back) so it of course included lying on your back and even lying on your front!  The “pavement” where these routines are done are similar to that of the track itself so it’s a bit soft (it’s rubberized I think) although it still is a bit dusty, but it’s basically “clean” and won’t kill you.  I even brought home some of these dirt that I didn’t notice were still on my knees.

Closing the session was the final stretching.  To summarize, all future sessions would be composed of warming-up, stretching, the main activity, core strengthening exercises, and final stretching.  From this point on the Tuesday and Friday sessions are going to be different so you MUST attend it both to get the best out of the program.  The level of difficulty is gradually increasing with each session so you’d miss a lot if you skip one.  And as usual Coach Rio was hyper and hands on; he really took care of everyone and I can also say the same for all our coaches who really guided us if we’re doing a routine wrong and correct us along the way.

The race bibs that were given on the first day were indeed used as IDs but it’s not required to participate, although it’s best that you wear it so that the coaches can easily identify you.  The attendance sheets were still weird (name, contact number, birth date, and email) and still open for everyone to see, and for legal purposes perhaps waivers were asked to be signed.

One tip I could give to everyone for future sessions is to bring sports (not energy) drinks.  Usually a 500mL bottle of sports drink is enough for me in my 10K runs but since the clinic involved sprinting I’d suggest bringing two (2) bottles, or bring a bottle of sports drink and another bottle of mineral (not distilled) water.  Based on what I picked up from the orientation it’s best to have a sports drink with a maximum of 6% Carbohydrates of your caloric needs for optimal absorption (look at the nutrition facts) but be cautious of this as some sports drinks try to “cheat” by making the serving size per bottle to 2 to halve the calories.

Overall I really enjoy these sessions and even though it’s tiring it’s really fun and gives us runners more time to socialize with each other.  I’m gradually meeting other runners that I normally only meet on forums and actual races.  Even if I’m buried under tons of work I really make an effort to attend a session even if I always arrive a bit late (it’s not easy to walk/run from Ortigas to Ultra, sidewalks seem to be optional around these areas).  And you feel you’re in good hands thanks to the coaches that made these sessions fun and safe for all of us.  Kudos to all the coaches!

I look forward to the next session on Friday, hope to see and meet you there!

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