TIMEX Run: My First Half Mary

“It’s now or never!” I dwelt on these words as I got ready for the Timex 2009 Run yesterday. It’s my first 21km run and I knew I wasn’t ready after the incident at the Philippine International Marathon (PIM: Run for Pasig) – where I blacked out and had to be taken to the hospital. The corral was not sardines-packed as in last Sunday’s run and I recognized some of the seasoned runners in the bunch. At 5am, Filipino actor Piolo Pascual said a prayer for everyone and Manny Pacquiao, who threw combinations against a ‘dancing’ Miguel Cotto that afternoon at MGM. After that, a video of the route was shown, which never really registered on me as I was busy listening to the cacophony of anxious and excited voices around me – or was it my anxious and excited subconscious?...

And then, just suddenly, it was gun-off already – no countdown, just the gun shot which gave us all a start. “This is it!” Placing my finish time’s fate on the Coach, who kept his peace all throughout the run even if I couldn’t keep the pace at times. Kept pounding on the road en route to the Jaguar showroom where I went on a few seconds walk break as the coach grabbed two cups of hydration for me. I was breathing heavily already after that first aid station and was afraid that there will be a blackout part 2 – which I dreaded. Coach Isko told me to avoid the negative thoughts and informed me that we were on the right track. Earlier he said that we will keep a 7min/km pace all throughout the 10km and then a mixture of jog/walk after that, then he assured me that I will finish this race no matter what. We reached the 9km marker at 1.07 on my Timex watch – the first time I looked at it. Looks like I’m doing better than my 10km race - where my best time was 1.15. We reached the McKinley Hill where I felt numbness on my fingers. The gameplan changed here to ‘walks’ on uphills and ‘jogs’ on downhills – which of course, was amenable for me.

At the camp’s entrance, we ran into the trailblazers who were already going back and finishing off at an hour and a half – someday guys…

When we reached the end of Bayani Road, turning left to Heritage, I felt like I was already slogging into unknown territory and everything I learned on training day was conquered by psychological musings of “tap out now”, “you can’t do this,” “your eyes are getting heavy, you are getting weary…” and so forth. Coach Isko, who also took the liberty to be my ‘support’ for the day – handing me chocolates, 100plus and water all throughout the race, would every now and then take me out of the hypnosis and send me back to reality by pushing me further with, “just a little bit more,” “yes, you reached your farthest mark, just 8 more kilometers!”...and I’m still breathing heavily…

With all of my energy (and spirit) waning on the way back, Coach didn’t stop pressing on the positive. Every aid station became a shower station and I welcomed the cold and wet water against my nape and over my head. Somehow it washed away the negative thoughts until we reached the 18km marker. I don’t know what happened but the thought of the finish line at an arm’s reach made me think of slumping at the pavement with a Maynilad hose drumming water against my back, pigging out on a bucket of Haagen Dazs, sleeping right there and then. But Isko was more persistent, persuading me to get the cup of cold water from his hand as he ran off meter by meter until we reached the last two kilometers.

The last kilometer was the hardest. I was panting, my legs were heavy, my arms were not swaying aggressively – man, I don’t even remember if they were still swaying at all! My shoulders seemed like somebody dropped 10 tons of cement on them. With the Coach constantly talking to me, “do you believe in yourself?!” “you’ve gone this far, don’t stop now,” “motivate yourself!” I looked at my left and tried to understand why there was a crane there – they must be fixing the road or the sidewalk or something; at my right – nothing interesting there; and thought of anything that will keep me off the pain and the exhaustion. Motivate myself……check!......this is my first 21k……20 meters……happy thoughts……15 meters……couldn’t read the timer above……10 meters……why is there a ‘blonde’ lady shouting in front of me?......5 meters……chip mat!...yes!

Crossing the finish line at 2.51 tops a Maynilad water shower and beats a bucket of Haagen Dazs. And receiving the finisher’s medal was just pure bliss.

SIM: Behind the Heels

It all started in BDM. When Isko requested a support team for his take on the 102km challenge that was the Bataan Death March in April of this year, I got hooked to the 'support the runner' idea. Thus, on Oct 24, when the boys needed support for the 42km Subic International Marathon, I immediately geared up into planning mode.

October 24, 4:30 pm. Our white support van inched its way after other support vehicles as soon as the runners took off. Like a huge python snaking to the left lane to Subic, the road warriors sped off to beat the setting sun. One by one, I recognized some of the runners who were both ecstatic and excited to hit the SCTEX asphalt for the first time. It was just contagious. If I was not in the support vehicle, I could have been one of them too. Nah, maybe next year ;)

However, the ecstasy lost its vigor when we noticed waterless aid stations. It didn't bother us (of course, it won’t bother us – we’re not running! Duh!) until we got to the next station. Still no agua!…poor runners! With 16 more kilometers to Subic, how does one survive? Ask the lovely ladies in the white van if they can spare water. And that was how our support vehicle was converted to a mobile water station for the next or so kilometers. And like the drug, the frenzy that started at Floridablanca turned into a nightmare when darkness overwhelmed SCTEX. One by one, runners come up to us for water and we have to offer what we can and what we have – water, bananas, Gatorade, eggs, wheat bread, chocolates…until our very own supplies ran out. With only 7 kilometers left to the finish line, the runners had to accept any hydration that was being offered – refilled Gatorade, half of another runner’s bottled water, oxygenated water (?). It was here that I wished we had brought more water than the two 6 liters of water that we had. At 5 hours and 10 minutes, Ian and Isko crossed the finish line dehydrated, exhausted but triumphant. Eugene came in 24 minutes later. Jeff and Gene – who were both BDM veterans – finished under 4 hours. It was late and I was also tired – supporting this race was, in fact, more tiring than during BDM in April. Maybe it was the fact that we had to provide supplies, not only to our runners, but to everyone who asked for it. At least, my fatigue slowly shook off when I saw the runners crossing the finish line while the boys were still having their own proud (mary) moment…



ADIDAS KOTR: Up on my Heels

The thought that I will claim another PR at KOTR dwindled away when we left Subic at midnight. Without enough sleep and rest, I bet that I will only be walking the whole 10k stretch. Still, with the addiction gradually controlling me at every race, I got ready at 4am, downed half of a hotdog, took my vitamins, and stretched.

At the 6am gun start, I was unbelievably up on my heels and eating everybody’s dust. Ian, who became my constant pacer from the starting line, albeit his weak state, made sure I was not inching away from the 7min/km mark and breathing like a cadet. Eugene would keep the stories coming and then break away every once in a while whenever he feels leg pain from the 42k run they had 9 hours before.

It was remarkable that I kept on running until the aid station after the Buendia flyover – where I walked and counted 10 seconds while waiting for Ian to get me a cup of Gatorade. I ran off again until after Makati Avenue where I had to take another walk break - at 20 seconds this time. This went on until I reached the Buendia flyover back to the Fort. I crossed the finish line at 1:15:30 - 2 minutes and 30 seconds better than my last one and 30 seconds earlier than my best one. Whew!!!

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.

Happy Thoughts

While I was huffing and puffing on the way up to the Philippine Army HQ during my training at Mckinley last week, coach kept on saying, “Think happy thoughts…inhale, exhale, happy thoughts lang. Humps lang sa atin yan…” A cacophony of images ran through my head. It was difficult to point on just one happy thought when you’re breathing hard and propelling harder. I had to focus on the uphill attack – fast and furious! And then I have to think happy thoughts???!!!

How can two extreme emotions be happening at the same time? I know it happens in another set of exercise which is equivalent to one flight of stairs but while running???!!! With pain and a happy thought mixed together, all I could think of is a burst of energy – then, I guess, it really works.

So, this time I went through my desktop and captured every “happy” image I could browse through. I have more but this will do for another week of training…

Green Revenge

Everything I learned from Isko’s training program, I applied at today’s Milo race. And I’m so glad I did. After the gun-off at 6am, I told myself that I will maintain a 7min/km pace – in order for me to beat my former Milo 10km finish time last July.

As soon as I heard the ‘chip’ squeaked, I pressed start on my Timex watch and ran off. The first kilometer read 7:13 on my watch. Crap. 13 seconds too late. Bid Grace goodbye and went off. Propelled harder on the second kilometer and timed faster – 6:45. Yeah! I maintained the 7 min pace for the next 5 kilometers, all the while making math computations in my brain. As an English major, you must understand how difficult that is for me.

Unfortunately, I trickled off to an 8 min pace at km 8 and was already huffing. “Push! Wag mo pansinin sakit sa katawan. Sa finish line ka na mag-reklamo…konti na lang!” Sprinted off at the last 500 meters and finished at 1:16 on my watch. Sweet! Got my revenge against my last Milo 10km of 1:27! (And a 4 minute improvement against my last 10km) Yeah!


the coach after his 42km

Run that by me again?

Registered for KOTR yesterday and the first question I asked was, “available na ba ang race kit?” (is the race kit available?). The guy behind the counter explained that it can be claimed during the Adidas Running Expo on October 17 or 18 at Megatrade Hall. Ok. Cool, a running expo – now, that’s new.

"Sample singlet lang po ang nasa amin” (we only have the sample singlets) Ok. Tried them on, nice fabric, bright yellow. Extra small size – check (wow, running is helping me shed off pounds). While he entertained the guy in front of me who also registered, I read through the registration details. It turned out that there is a particular time slot when you can claim your kits, 21k from 10am to 1pm, 10k from 1 to 4pm, and 5k from 4-7pm. Great. I have to go through the Megamall weekend traffic (both vehicular and pedestrian) and then I have to make sure I am there on my timeslot. I have to do this on the 17th since there’s another race the next day....oops, I haven't registered for that one yet. Crap. Imagine the longest claim area from the Hall down to EDSA come Oct 17. Now, that’s a box-office hit!

This is the first time I registered for KOTR. To be honest, I just want to have one of those singlets (loser! haha!) that they’re giving away and be part of this year’s Adidas run.



The reason I registered early is to avoid what happened last year – they ran out (pun intended) of race kits. It seems that I have to avoid registering in races – it’s getting a bit of a habit, right? Nah, taking on the road all by myself is half as much fun as joining the others on the asphalt. Takbo na!

Road marks to Baler

view of sabang beach from ermita hill

Flashback
When I was asked to accompany my colleague to Baler, Aurora, I did not hesitate - even if we're going back to Manila one day before Rotarun. It has been years since I set foot on my mother’s hometown and I was wondering when I can visit again. I was, in fact, more than excited and was itching to get a chance to run the Surfing City of the North, or hike up the numerous mountain trails, or surf at Sabang Beach. I haven’t tried surfing yet though and didn’t have much time to trek, so I MUST run instead.

Ran around BHS Thursday night and went home around 11pm, which gave me only less than 4 hours of sleep before I headed off to Marcos Highway to meet the crew for our 6am call time.

Odometer Set
The runner in me had to ask the driver to reset the odometer when we reached EDSA so I have an idea how far it is from EDSA to Alfonso, Castaneda, Nueva Vizcaya (our first stop), then from there to Baler. It’s a 7 hour drive to Baler from Manila, roughing out the very narrow roads of Pantabangan. Then on to the winding roads of the Sierra Madre. Before we reached Nueva Ecija, we coursed through SCTEX and I was reminded of the SIM on October 24, where some runner friends will be joining. I opted to support them though - as I still don't have the guts (nor the stamina) to run the whole 42k stretch.







Alfonso, Castaneda, Nueva Vizcaya
By 11a.m., we were already parking at Alfonso, Castaneda. 3 hours after our meeting, we head off to Maria Aurora, Baler. I was told that it’s only 7kms from Alfonso to Baler…hmmm…I can be there in less than an hour. Not wanting to get lost along the way though (or be kidnapped by NPAs - ulk!), I decided to run the next morning instead.



3 hours after, we were gorging on ginataang alimango at a cottage near Sabang Beach. Checked in at Bahia de Baler for the night and promised myself to run early the next morning. Got the chance as early as 4am (because we need to leave by 7am) but only got as far as the loop in front of the resort - the beachfront was too dark :(

Even so, it was a good thing I got the chance to leave the desk and smell the flowers. Next stop? My father's hometown - Ilocos Norte!




caught some runners before we left,i swear to come back for this

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!