Sunday, January 31, 2010

Losing my religion

While everyone was on "sabado night" mood, I was busy prepping up for the midnight run at the UP academic oval that Jonel aka bugobugo85 cooked up. Although I was 2 hours late from "gun start", I was hyped up by some familiar faces who were already grinding the miles around the oval.

From the AS parking lot, which also served as our aid station, I started counting the cricket sounds amidst the crisp and chilly air as I pound on the black earth, lamppost by lamppost. The first 2.2 km loop was a bit daunting as the heavy darkness looms and teases me to hit the sheets instead. But after sipping a sports drink, went for another loop, hoping that the endorphins would kill the drowsiness. And it did, although insanity must have sneaked in after seven more loops when my interest in the photosensitive lighting was lost. I am not sure if my sanity also got lost to the eerie full moon creeping up above me or the white sheets over the tents near the sunken garden. But there were ways to keep the sanity intact and my mind occupied for the rest of the loops and I think I was successful. I read and compared the halls and every bit of tarp literature near them. Saw unbelievable photography shots that can take your breath away. Counted the lampposts, the leaves that crumpled underneath my NBs, the buildings that have lights on them and those that have none, the possible unlit areas where you can release all those sipped sports drinks, and the humps along the way. Hell, I even counted the cat’s eyes! And like a broken record, I played 'hit the road jack' for a number of times in my grays while doing this.

For whatever it’s worth, never thought that running around in "ovals" under a full moon and on a chilly early morning can be a true test of patience. And for whatever it’s worth, never thought I could run as much with no sleep nor mileage for a week! Yeah, I guess save for the sanity loss – which is an overstatement - the midnight run was worth more than a "sabado night" fever.

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