QCIM: Pulled it off until the sandman came.

The game plan was NOT to do a PR on Sunday’s run and just to take it easy and enjoy my first time to run the wide Commonwealth road – which I only traverse while in a vehicle. Although I am a morning person, having zero sleep for two consecutive days left me so tired and weary when I landed at Quezon City Hall. The cool weather and the early morning darkness - as I came in before 5 am - didn’t help either that I had to rob forty winks before the 10k gun off.

After the 42k warriors were sent off, I swept through the crowd and was tapped by Pat, who was a pacer for 21k, met with Mina and Perry, who were also running the 10k, and sized up the mood. It was festive and upbeat. Save for the sleepy policemen behind the stage, everyone was up and ready to hit the road.

The bluish atmosphere sent a chill through my spine after the gun off, along with the thought that I will be running through a car-free Commonwealth. And it was not hard to miss the bands and the cheerers near PNB, UP, and Tandang Sora. I expected the first 3 kilometers to go through the academic oval in UP – as indicated in the map, but alas, I was a bit disappointed to learn early on that the route is just the whole stretch of Commonwealth from Philcoa. After the first kilometer, I noticed that the kilometer markers for the 10k were in blue background…hmmm, looks like they’re color-coded – nice touch. The aid stations on Km2 were posted on two lanes – which provided enough hydration for runners plying the 8 lane road. Every now and then, I get remarks from my left and right which I acknowledge despite the trickles of sweat and the panting. To “ayan, malapit na tayo sa paakyat – good luck sa atin!” I would reply “yessir!” “jog lang, lapit na turnaround” – a smile. “hi!” “hello!” “dito ako, para may inspiration” – a smile again. And these kept me going until I reached the horde of 5k and 3k runners on my way back to the elliptical road.

Going back was not as grand as I had to bump into some walkers along the way, good thing my ‘christmas shopping skills’ worked overtime. I half expected to see the finish line at the same jump-off area near the city hall grounds, and was relieved to find that we were turning left smack into the heart of QC circle, where the activity area was – the same venue where the CLP was held Friday night. A band was there to greet the finishers when I clocked in at 1:18 on my watch, along with a number of long queues of runners lining up for freebies. Satisfied with how the race turned out, from the aid station to the marshals to the kilometer markers, and to the route, I rehydrated with a bottle of 100plus. Contented, I waited for a couple more hours at Max’s and recharged with a combo meal and halo-halo. When I got home, took a refreshingly hot shower and my much needed (and wanted) ZZZZ’s.