(WARNING: This is a long post. Kinda give you an idea how badly I love to talk about it.)
Up to this time, “runner’s high” from yesterday’s beautiful, beautiful first 15K race experience hasn’t left me.
What’s more, I did a lot better than I had expected:
I definitely was NOT the last finisher… and I didn’t crawl my way to the finish line. (Hahahaha!) I ran it all throughout, tall and strong.
Hence, this favorite picture of myself from this memorable race:
Running the last 500 meters stretch toward the finish line, my MPG friends came running to meet me and cheer me on. Don’t I look still strong and rather happy here?
Deviating from the Plan
The race experience - especially that it’s an upgrade to new distance category - painted a smile on my face the whole day yesterday. Imagine seeing a person suddenly smiling to herself on odd moments (crazy right?), I was that sort of person yesterday. Hahaha!
This first 15K race has had me feeling troubled the past two weeks. First of all, this is not - I repeat: THIS IS NOT - in my running goals for the year. I was supposed to be ‘perfecting’ my 10K PR (if there is such a thing as perfecting one’s PR, hehe) for the first half of this year.
Then by the second half of the year, that’s when I plan on attempting to do longer-than-10K race distances (I was initially eyeing on Yakult 10-Miler on December to be my debut race). Oh well, things got fast tracked, thanks to my daredevil nature.. and thanks to so many ‘pusher’ running friends! Hahaha!
With my MPG Running Friends. I probably wouldn’t have the guts to do it this soon had I not been assured of their support. Naks, drama! (I should phrase it that way, as these people, all of them (!), ran 5K only and were forced to wait for me for over an hour. Hehehe.)
Pre-Race was Jittery
We arrived in MOA at around 5:25AM. T’was still black dark in the vicinity and we saw just a few runners in the area doing some slow jog. It’s the first time ever that I felt I had enough time to do the needed pre-race rituals - warm-up run of about 1.5K at the vacant the parking lot and some basic stretching.
Every minute, cars would arrive and before we knew it there already was a huge crowd of runners. Five minutes before 6AM, the scheduled race start, we rushed towards the starting line to check-in. Since I was the only one doing 15K among my friends, I had to brave finding my own spot amid the sea of 10K and 15K runners with just my lone self. At this instant, I wanted to move back and stay with my friends while waiting for the gunshot. It’s as if suddenly I felt I partly-hated having desired to get promoted to a new race distance. Hahaha!
With that new worry in mind, I had just wished to hear the gunshot ASAP and get done with this first 15K drama! Hahaha! At around 6:05 AM, the gunshot was fired and off we went running. I started mine slowly, which is not my usual. It took a lot of self-control just to do that. But now, thinking back, I am convinced that the slow, controlled pace at the start paid off.
Efficiency was the Game Plan
This time, I became extra conscious of my pace, my form, and my breathing. It was always on top of my mind that I’d be racing a longer distance so I solely focused on ‘how-to-keep-running-efficiently’. Efficiency was my game plan. Oops, sorry, must be the economist bias in me again.
The farthest we were supposed to reach from the left side of MOA is the CCP area and from the right side, the street behind the Christ the King church. Running toward CCP, I felt stably strong. I stuck with the same pace as I completed two loops of the CCP- Folk Arts Theater – Sofitel circle. I managed to take luxury in doing a bit of sight-seeing while passing by the bayside of CCP. I was simply delighted with the view.. the early morning sight of it proved magical enough to have upped my spirit more.
After the second loop, we were supposed to head back to MOA already and I realized I had passed by four water stations already. Knowing that most race organizers set up water stations on every 2.5th kilometer-point, I took the innocent assumption that I’ve ran a 10K distance already, well, roughly. So imagine my dismay when turning closer to MOA, I saw the first ever kilometer-mark I’ve seen in the entire race route and it said: 8K. Shoot, I felt my spirit suddenly shut down – “darn, afterall I’m just halfway?!!!”
This time, the game plan shifted from plain Efficiency to Patience. Discovering I was just halfway, I told myself, “Cathy, be patient.. you will get there, you will get there..” (Now you know why I love running so much - it also polishes my attitude, hahaha!)
To my mind I had the inkling that the distance ran by 15Kers was actually longer. Okay, I needed to guess because I don’t have a Garmin, hehe. Well, those who have said the race distance for 15Kers was actually 17K. Whew! Now that explains it.
Anyway, running the last 5K stretch was expectedly the more exciting part. I had anticipated more exchange of greetings and encouraging words among accidental pacemates. It’s the time when you’re half- bored and half-exhausted for having spent the past full- hour (more or less) just running .. well, that’s for us who were, sort of, at the middle of the pack.
This time, my accidental pacemates were three male runners who seemed to be friends and have stuck together the entire length of the course. At one point one of them came running weirdly closer to my side, and I later on realized the guy was checking on my race bib. So I just said something like, ‘Yup, I’m doing 15, my first time.’
They became my pacemates for a couple of kilometers and the small talk with them helped divert my attention away from my then numbing legs.
Keeping the ‘Form’ saves
By the 13th kilometer, my legs really had gone numb already that I thought I was just dragging it forward. This was the time I remembered what the coaches at the Nike clinic would shout to us during our speed workouts when exhuastion creeps in and we begin running with a lousy form, while approaching the finish line, “Running form! Running form!”
So I forced my numbing legs to shake up by consciously doing some sort of high-knees running. It did wake up, and I even managed to sprint my way to the finish line.
I should mention that the strong finish I mustered to do after getting inspired to see my MPG friends waiting for me by the corner, 500 meters away from the finish line. They were obviously delighted to see me (what after idly waiting for me for almost an hour, or more); they cheered me on, and ran with me up to the finish line.
One more reason why I so like the first picture above. Ron took it while Cla shouted something like, “O mukha ka pa namang maayos ah.. akala namin lantang gulay ka na, hahaha!” And that was accompanied by a chorus of laughter. So that approaching-the-finish-line picture is a testament that I ran it tall and strong up to the finish line. (And I can’t sound more defensive. HAHAHAHA!)
My trusty little Timex watch says I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:44:48. If the route distance were 15Km, my pace would be somewhere around 6:59 min/km; if it were 17Km, as Garmin users claim, I will be doubly happy to claim that I ran it even faster at 6:09 min/km.
Now don’t you BI the daredevil
My first 15K in Power Race was a beautiful, beautiful run. Now my ‘pusher’ friends start coaxing me to do 21K in Condura. I declare them banned to be within talking distance from me.
Some more posey pics with my MPG buddies:
This is when you say, ‘Naks!’
Staple MPG pic by the Finish line. MPG yes, but finishers still.
Wohooo! 15K conquered!
P.S.
Yes, “coach” E., the hill sessions must have helped. Hehehe. Gracias!
Posted by cathydaza 
Posted by cathydaza 
Posted by cathydaza 
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