"1,000-Km Club"

I came up with this program when I was still a Major in the Philippine Army. It was a motivational tool for my officers and men under my command to involve themselves in jogging/running. Each personnel had to run a total of 1,000 kilometers without any time table or required duration for its completion. For every increment of 100 kilometers that they finished, I had to give them an inexpensive "gift" which was needed in their running. For finishing 1,000 kms, I had to give them a brand-new running shoes.

Ultimately, our office formed a running group and we joined weekly/monthly races in Metro Manila and even conducted long runs along major highways towards nearby towns and provinces. It was a successful program where my officers and men improved their endurance and faster times in road races.

After finishing the Pasig River Heritage Marathon last February 2007, I introduced this "tool" in my blog and explained the history and mechanics of the program. I suggested each runner who would undergo this program to have a brand-new running shoes as their "gift" for themselves for completing the required number of kilometers (1,000 kms) and donate their "old/used" running shoes for my Project Donate A Shoe.

Each finisher of this program is given a "Finisher's T-Shirt" as a symbol of acceptance for being a member of the "1,000-Km Club". Most of the runner-bloggers in the Philippines have accepted this program by creating a separate page or placing a distance/mileage indicator in their blogsite.

So far, since March 2007, there are at least 12 runners whom I awarded the "Finisher's T-Shirt". This program became a success among novice and intermediate runners where they were able to increase their weekly mileage and improve their endurance base.