Gremlins Unleashed!

As soon as the 10k starting gun was fired off, a crazy lot of runners took off under a heavy downpour. At the turn to 32nd St., the downpour got heavier and it was here that I noticed the runners have suddenly multiplied and were frolicking on both sides! There was even this one boy who would tap the water puddles off each cement dividers along the street up to the intersection, where the 3k turnaround was! He was having so much fun that I couldn’t help but smile.


Gizmo – the cute and cuddly Gremlin (that is, before you pour water over him)*

Others were still complaining of the cold, while some were kidding around about forgetting their ‘kapotes’ and umbrellas, and still others would be stepping on every puddle on the road and making sure it splashes right back at them. Everyone was caught up in the rain frenzy and it was just the right diversion I was looking for to keep me from concentrating too much on how my arms were swinging, on my stride and pace, and on my breathing. I managed to reach the Kalayaan flyover but I had to slow down when I reached the uphill. After less than a minute, I picked up the pace, this time focusing on the road ahead and once in a while acknowledging some of the 21k runners who were already on their way to the Fort. I wanted to stop at the end of the flyover towards Buendia, but this sign made me think twice…


ROGER THAT!

And so I kept on running, albeit at a slower pace, until I reached Paseo drive. At this point, there were runners in front of me who were already turning left to Paseo a few meters before the intersection. Hmm…that doesn't seem right. Not wanting to cheat on myself, I continued on until the intersection, where a marshall was standing, and waited because the traffic enforcer already waved the motorists to cross. As soon as the enforcer stopped them, I moved on. However, I had to slow down again because the middle finger on my right hand was numb already. Took two sips of Gatorade and shook off the numbness – which eventually wore off before I reached Ayala Avenue. This part of the course was exhilirating as this was my first time to run on this road - and on wet shoes at that! Fast forward and en route back to the flyover, where I did a mixture of run, walk, and jog while keeping tabs of targets. I managed a good finish of 1:16 (unofficial) – better than my last 10k finish of 1:27 (at Mckinley) and my last 10k finish of 1:24 (at the Kalayaan flyover). Yes! *dance of joy*!

*Now that they have been set free, it's no wonder why there will be thousands more runners in the races to come…rain or shine!