It's lame, I know. But lately I find it hard to wake up early in the morning to do my usual run with buddy Shiela. Most of the time, I either don't hear my alarm clock ringing or click it to stop and wake up around 7 to 8:00 in the morning -- too late for a morning run.

So for the past few weeks, me and Mike would run at night. At times, it would be as "early" as 6:00 in the evening or as late as 9 or 10 p.m. It's a bit difficult to adjust, especially because one has more stored energy in the morning and, running in the evening, would of course means that I came from a whole day's work. 

And while I still prefer the morning run, I'm getting used to running in the evening. Here are some noted benefits:

1. There's no sun! 

Yes, that's a big deal. My mom has been constantly complaining about my relatively darker skin complexion since I started running. Though I don't think it has something to do with my new hubby but because my day job as a journalist demands that I would have to stay under the sun during a coverage. But to give my mom that peace of mind surely is a good thing. And that goes to other runners who are particular to their skin complexion -- running at night would leave you no excuses!

2. Cooler breeze

I'm not sure if this is primarily because of the rainy season we have but it's relatively cooler to run in the evening. And it's not just because you're concerned with the sweat and all. But because it helps your muscle to run more efficiently. 

3. Better sleep

A good evening run equates to a good night of sleep. In fact, I would almost always have long, "dreamless" nights every time I run in the evening. Not sure about you guys!

But, again, I'd still prefer to run in the morning. There are more benefits and the three I listed above would not stand a chance, I tell you. I'm just praying and hoping I can overcome whatever laziness I am feeling for the past few weeks. Haha. 

All I'm saying is that there are no reasons not run. 

I never paid too much attention on how I breathe whenever I am running. It was just as simple as breathing in and breathing out, just as I would do every second, every minute of my day. But my good 'ol friend Joy pointed it out to me this afternoon. I gave her the privilege of running with Project Tikgirl. Chos.

So, how should I do it? Here are reminders from Runner's World:

Open your mouth.
Your mouth is larger than your nostrils, so it's more effective at taking in oxygen. Also, keeping your mouth open keeps your face more relaxed, which makes it easier to breathe deeply.

(I take deep breaths through my nostrils. The moment I open my mouth, either to talk or to breathe, I'm afraid that I would only end up gasping for air.)

Breathe in Patterns
Coordinating your inhales and exhales with your footfalls develops diaphragmatic strength. Start with a 2-2 pattern-breathe in while stepping left, right; breathe out while stepping left, right. Advance to 3-3 (breathe in, step left, right, left; breathe out, step right, left, right), and then a 4-4 pattern.

(I have yet to try this.)

Breath Enhancers
Cross-training exercises that reduce huffing and puffing

These three Pilates moves strengthen the diaphragm, stretch tight muscles, and improve posture-all of which help you run longer with less effort. Practice each exercise two or three times a week before you run.

(This one too.)

As a general rule, Runner's World suggested that we take deep and full breaths to maximize our strength. A strong lungs can help us achieve our goal, whether to run faster or longer or even both. 

Finally got my hands on the result of the Adidas King of the Road 2013. I am, naturally, disappointed with how I fared. But it wasn't that surprising, really. I have nothing else to do but to train harder if I want to proceed and increase my running distance to 21K by October.

Here are the fast facts as posted in Pro-active's website:

You burned approximately 1044.29 calories during your 168k run.

You finished the race in 02:42:21

Your rank is 0 out of 3,617 runners in this category. Your rank percentile is 100%

Your rank is 6,852 out of 7,098 runners in this event. Your rank percentile is 3.47%

You ranked 2,246 out of 2,366 runners who are the same gender as you. Your rank percentile is 5.07%

Your average speed is 6.21 kph

Your average time per km is 9m 39s

My running buddy Shiela finished her 16.8K with 2 hours and 5 minutes. But I couldn't find Mike's. Task compeleted.

And so... I conquered 16.8 kilometers. And that is all there is to say.

Adidas King of the Road 2013 was a good run. Some would say Adidas was making up for the mishap it caused runners during the distribution of the singlet. Sorry guys but I can't say that I share your pain since it was my running buddy who picked up our singlet. Maybe I should ask her! Nope, I didn't have to ask her because she complained about it from morning til dusk! Lol.

Anyhow -- whether that was the reason or not -- I find this year's KOTR as one of the best runs I have ever had. The weather was good, the trail was perfect and challenging at the same time. (YES! I didn't know that Kalayaan Flyover was THAT long and steep!)

Hydration was okay too. But they could have provided more trash cans. BDO Race for Life did and I noticed that most runners during that run really made an effort to shoot their plastic cups in the bins.

But most of all, I really loved how they handled the security. They were awesome! I felt safe while running, even while crossing big intersections along Ayala. I am proud to say that I was obedient to the marshals, especially when they would ask us to stop for 10 seconds or so to give way to passing cars. I didn't mind. Others did, however. And I found it too selfish and stupid.

Sorry, but I'd rather lose my momentum for a while than get into a vehicular accident. Period.

I'm still waiting for the official result of the run. But I finished the run roughly at 2 hours and 42 minutes. One proud Tikgirl here. Cheers to my longest run so far!

I woke up early today to run with my buddy Shiela. And the first thing that greeted me in my Twitter homepage is a news brief on the explosion that hit the Boston Marathon. The idea didn't sink into me immediately. But while running -- I thought to myself -- did I get that right? Was there really a bombing at THE Boston Marathon?

As soon as we got home, Shiela and I googled it and found this video. We were shocked. And I'm sure many people around the globe felt the same way.



As of this writing, three are reported dead while about 144 were wounded. This is definitely a sad, sad day, especially for many running enthusiasts. I hope that authorities would conduct a thorough investigation and ensure that justice would be served to the family and friends of the victims.

The US government said they will treat this incident as an act of terrorism, though investigation is still going on. In this light, aside from the bombing in the Boston Marathon, I also pray for the victims of bombings and drone strikes in various countries around the world. It is so infuriating. All these greed must come to an end.

Task completed.