a tale of two medals

a year ago today, i became a marathoner.


a lot of things happened from last year up until yesterday.

well for one, for last year's marathon, there were a lot of organized group runs for all those joining the 1st condura skyway marathon. the bunch of takbo.ph members who were leveling up that time joined almost all the races that will help them prepare both physically, emotionally and financially for the condura marathon. for most of the first-time marathoners then joined the Rizal Day Run.  what i enjoyed the most then was the camaraderie that happens after big races such as this. For example, the boodle fight we had right after the Rizal Day Run. 

last year, i was able to train with the same people from which i enjoyed our post-run get-together even to the point of watching Lola Ganush right after a race. Preparations for 2010 Condura Marathon was, you can say, a unified project for all involved.

for this year's  marathon, things were different. a lot have been venturing into other things, others were into multisports, for some into other sports (such as frisbee, etc), while others ultramarathons (or training for such).

the family of takbo.ph that i knew then was becoming more and more distant from each other, mainly due to the difference in objectives. others were able to "merge" their concepts with other "teams" while others seemed to have put 'premium' in their new found groups. it was like a real family, when one finds "the one" they would still be part of the original family but will still have to divide and equally manage their time from the respective groups now, be it in multi-sports, purely running team, an ultramarathon team, or even a mixture of both.

preparation for 2011's Condura Skyway Marathon was a lot different from the 2010. Last year's goal was to finish within the cut-off. This year, it was to finish. alive. pain-free. injury-free. why? because i was not able to train unlike the previous year. this  year's (lack of) preparation made me just want to run with all my heart, just to finish another "fun run".

last year it was OVERtrained. this year it was UNDERtrained.
kayano then, k-ona now. last year it was tights, this year, it was back to shorts.

despite all these changes in the past year, there was one thing which made me smile at the end of the day.

that no matter what, there will always be your family (be it your running group/ team or literal family) to back you up and support you.

with this, i would like to thank the people behind the success of my condura run 2011 namely : ferds (for pacing me for most of the time), carina (for fetching me from the foot of the skyway until the takbo.ph aid station); ronnie (for the fresh out of the skyway oven photos) ; takbo.ph support crew (pepsi, jinoe, z, ross, penn, at lahat ng taong nandun na hindi ko nabanggit, sorry!), tracy (for the gatorade, tiger and the kwentos) ; rico (for the additional bike kwento support along kalayaan) ; noelle (for the chit chat pace towards the finish) to the men and women of the takbo.ph subgroups who were there towards the finish line (both egging, cheering and jeering each and every runner who passes by).your presence by the finish line was an indication that the family i belonged to is still there. nag palit lang ng singlet (pero sila pa rin yung mga black ninjas na kasama ko from the start).

Thanks to Team CB, Team Endure, Team Boring, Team UP ANR.

ayot? APIR!

(photos from the FB albums of wesley orana, jimmy ong & tracy carpena)

Blue Review

Katipunan Flyover was not that hard to traverse naman pala eh.

This was one of the realizations I had after a nice training run with coach Al Neri at the Big Blue Run 2. Since I am preparing for my revenge for Condura Full Mary, all of my races now are training runs, all Sundays are Long Runs Sundays.

I've been a practicing a concept mentioned by Coach Ige Lopez during our Mizuno Run Clinics way back last year that we should have a good night's rest 2 nights before a major race (in our case, Friday night) to ensure a well-rested athlete come race day.

Last Friday, I was not able to do that as I attended a college barkada reunion of some sort, AND I still have to go to work the following Saturday, I am so sure I wouldn't have enough rest for the race on Sunday. In my mind, I was doomed!

The previous week, I also joined a fun run (take note! races below 42K are not marathons, they are FUN RUNS, or Training Runs, or for some Fartleks hahaha), and with this race, I've had enough rest Friday AND Saturday, my 10K time was 1 hour and 12 minutes!

Saturday was a dragging day at the office too, and having little time to rest that night, I made a mental note to ensure that I hydrate properly (I actually consumed 1.5L of gatorade in almost one sitting!) Sobrang doomed, I said to myself. The previous week, I almost had another ITBS attack when I was running along Heritage, so I said to myself not to rush into things, and that this race is a TRAINING LONG RUN (i intend to add a few more rounds after the race, FYI, baka sabihin nyo, 10K is not a long run hahaha).

So, ok na diba. i went to bed (or should i say sofa?) around 10pm to give me enough time to sleep. Coach Al and I had decided to meet at 430am to start with the warm up rounds inside the campus before the race starts at 530am but lo and behold, I woke up past 4am na (despite my alarm clock's texts and missed calls, di ako nagising ng 330 to prepare my stuff for the race).

so ayun. i know malapit lang, and that it's not going to be as crowded as Fort or MOA, so ok lang. I met up with coach Al near the starting line to get my bib and did a little warm up (things i've learned from Day 1 of the Adination in UP) and waited for the gun start. Knowing that this is a training run, mentally noted that my pace would, ideally be 7ish lang. lo and behold, as we were traversing the stretch of Katipunan, we reached a peak pace of 550ish. so much for a long run pace huh.

the weather actually contributed a lot to my improved performance from last week. yesterday's atmosphere was actually very cool. you can already feel that Christmas is near! it took me some time to start perspiring pa nga eh, hahaha. the whole time we were running, it was cloudy. no need for shades, pero for a cap/visor, needed para sa pawis and iwas itim-batok.

towards the last u-turn going back to katipunan, i felt that i was already running a suka-pace. (i have this weird tendency to pinpoint how "fast" i am without the use of a garmin by my breathing, or if i can still chat with my fellow pacemates, or worse, if i feel im going at a "puking-anytime-soon" pace. since this was considered a long run, i decided to slow down a bit and let my pace mates go ahead (at that point i think we were already at the 5:50ish pace).

to cut the story short, I enjoyed the race.

BLUE POINTS
- konting tao (kasi most were either in MOA or Fort)
- homecoming (I'm a True-Blue, you know)
- good weather (not that the organizer can do anything about it, maganda lang talaga ung weather)
- enough hydration (ice cold water or 100 Plus) very good
- route was secured by QC police (may nagalit pa ngang babae eh, eh it was super aga pa, nag iinit na ulo agad)
- mostly flat, with a little rolling plains and Katipunan Flyover
- no Kenyans

GREEN POINTS
- route was short (9.3K as per people with garmin)
- loot bag was only 1 oatmeal cookie from Banapple (pero yummy)
- no Kenyans, but there were a few elites who ran this race (sayang kasi if you're one of the "non-pro" runners, and wanted to run super fast and try to win it, sorry ka, may elites eh)

also, this race was the break-in run for my K-ona  (and Coach Al's Inspire 6). No prior runs to this race. all the while i thought the good reviews from those who have a pair of K-onas were just all marketing ploy, it was not. the shoe was light but not too thin sa forefoot. Enough cushioning all through out the race, and most specially during the post race additional mileage. medial support was just right. it was not pushing against my arches, sakto lang. sarap sha gamitin.

choosing between YELLOW or BLUE. eventually went for my first love.

they said don't use anything new on race day. this one is an exception :)

timmy wanted to TRI

last weekend,  some of my friends had their animo sprint simulation. i thought to myself, since i know how to swim, i know how to run, and fairly able to ride the bike in a way, i decided to join them too! :)
the last time i swam was 2 years ago, i decided to take things easily and just go with the flow. if i can perform better, then go. if my body tells me to chillax and take things slowly, then so be it :)

since medyo tinatamad akong mag sulat, here are some of the images from the event ;)

my borrowed MTB from RJ (thanks RJ!) my helmet, and my mizuno wave elixirs

 

 before the simulation started, everyone was still smiling

ang lamig! :) 

feeling the water first before seriously trying to swim again :)

then things got more serious. everyone became a tubig-mamaw

 the "newbie" swimmer taking a break from all the seriousness everyone was in.

(pero seriously, i tried not to stop)

in the middle of the serious swims, others were able to make funny moments while training

from originally being a kenkoy runner...

 transitioning to ....

a kenkoy biker! :)

sabi nila, maling direction daw ako 

(feeling ko ito ung part na  i got lost, sumobra ata sa atat mag bike!)

kenkoy biker gets serious ha :)

everything was going smoothly until we learned that raff had an accident

check out the damage to the gwapo bike :(

after finding out that raff was ok, we all went back to our regular programming (swim galore!)

langoy pa rin kahit umuulan! :)

next stop...

Ellen's Bike Shopping! :)

got beat at my own game

the mizuno infinity run 2010 has been one of the races i looked forward to this year. other than being an avid mizuno user, my fastest 15K race was made at last year's edition. but as compared to last year, i wasn't able to train as much. unlike last year, there was no Mizuno Run Club clinic that ended on the Thursday before Sunday's Infinity Run.

add to the fact that i've been encountering slight ITBS pains during runs longer than 10K.

so instead of me beating my old time,  what happened was i increased it pa by 6 mins :(

at the start, i was on target for a 1:28 finish, but right after kalayaan flyover, the mysterious on-off, Gary V-ish ITBS pain started to show up but eventually it disappeared. with that in mind, i thought i was still going to make it just in time, even just to beat a 2 minute improvement sana. unfortunately, ITBS pain showed up just before kalayaan flyover. all of a sudden, out of the blue, Roselle showed up and maybe she saw me grimacing in discomfort so she shouted out words of encouragement which helped me not think of the pain as much.

upon turning right, i saw a group of takbo.ph runners, namely Rod, Jet, Ziggy pacing Marga on the last stretch. in my mind, i was thinking, Marga's faster than me now??? i must be super slow na! shocked with this somekinda realization, i had to suck the pain up, and run just run to the finish line.

 picture pace time! i had to get ahead their group to have a nice shot too

buti na lang the pain was not that evident sa face

at some point though, i felt that i had to walk the pain out so i decided to walk for a while before i reached the last stretch fronting Fullybooked and Market-Market.  upon reaching the marshals, i learned that the 15K runners had to run a little more. by this time i was so sure i wasn't able to beat my own time.

upon reaching the last stretch towards the chute, i saw marga. again in said to my mind, i have to go faster.  as soon as i got nearer the marshals, i found out that marga was running 10k only. hahaha :) either way, i still started to sprint towards the finish line.  that mad dash to the finish was accompanied by constant shouts of "sorry" and "excuse me" so as not to offend the other runners who were already cooling down towards the finish line chute. i also shouted at marga to push harder towards the finish line, as if i'm making a come-from-behind win from her. eventually, she saw me and made a mad-dash for herself too.  at the finish line, we congratulated each other for a fine finish.

marga & me chillaxing after finishing the race

eventually, i was able to still able to finish strong, but not as i would have wanted to.

 finished strong, but not that fast (ITBS again winning)

the post race events had raffles, games, and the announcement of the winners of the Best Blog Awards for the Infinity Run Bloggers Contest.

for takbo.ph, it has been a celebration of some sorts too :)

jairuz winning the first place in his age category 10K :)

carly winning 4th place most improved in her age category too

do yo still remember these guys?

The Takbo.ph #1 Boys won well actually, swept the Mizuno Infinity Runner -Bloggers' Contest.

Most Informative (3rd place)

Most Creative (2nd Place)

 Best Blog (1st Place)

and here are some of the prizes included in the package:

next year, i'll be back with a vengeance! :D

but for now, i'll just enjoy these sweet prizes from mizuno :) 

*photos courtesy of Jairuz, Doc Marvs, & Aaron.  (thanks guys!)

i hate traffic

after condura, the next big race lined up was the century tuna superbods run which, is also the first leg of the most-awaited run rio trilogy. given that this race had been promoted endlessly by no other than derek ramsey and coach rio, this race was definitely doomed to be jampacked. not only that this was rio's race, but also the throngs of female runners, both newbies and non-newbies, were all ogling to see a topless derek running. (too bad, these girls weren't able to to see derek topless).

this race had been such a hit to those who weren't even running or even racing regularly, the demand for registration forms, singlets and even bibs were already scarce. (i didn't even have a singlet for myself!) and given this scenario, i knew it would be chaotic, so i decided to go to the venue earlier than usual.

but wait. let me backtrack on why i decided to run this race.

since this was a timex-sponsored event, my gf decided to get her running shoes out of the closet and join this race. given that she was not running that regularly, i knew i had to be there to pace her, and to make sure that she would finish her first-ever 10K. she even started to run for a few times before sunday's big race. unfortunately, she got sick a few days before the race, and was advised not to run anymore for the century superbods race. (boooo!)

because of this i decided to take this run and try to official break into a sub60 10K.

since i got to the venue early, i decided to hung out with fellow 10K runners from takbo.ph.

 

(L-R) Florence, Z,  the KenkoyRunner, the Kikay Runner, Run, Kick, Smash

as we were there early, we decided to hang out for a while and waited for the gun start. while chatting, we saw that the countdown started already for the 21K. we even joked that that was already the 21K's gunstart. (little did we know that we were right, and that the race started way earlier than what was originally stated).  while waiting for the other 10K runners from our group, we decided to have some pictures taken before.

with the happy couple (mike & julie), Z, noelle, timmy,

florence, sid,  & julie's friend

 

carina joining the group

little did these runners know that their race started already while they were taking pictures and were on petiks mode. while waiting, we heard the PA system calling out the 5K and 3K runners. 

where the heck were the other 10K runners? the race started without our group (and for sure a lot more other 10K runners) that our race started already! we then hurriedly swam literally across the field full of 5K runners doing some "stretching" while we were literally trying to catch up and try to salvage our PR attempts for this race.

before the race started, i asked noelle if i can pace with her as i attempted to finally and officially break my sub60 goal. knowing that she's a halimaw in the making (or diwata or dyosa for that matter), sticking with her would definitely help me with my goal. true enough, as soon as we freed ourselves from all the sea of 5K runners, she blasted off like a crazy dog running after the mailman! :)  i was amazed at sid who, after a few more meters, he was still sticking with noelle's pace which, according to her newly acquired garmin, they registered a 3something pace at one point.  (good thing i didn't stick with this pace group as for sure, i would not be able to finish the race in one piece, hahaha).

as i decided to take this race more seriously, and based on what i know and how i know how my body functions, i started to slow down a bit and tried to maneuver my way around these sea of 10K runners and 5K runners.

the race route was unique as it was my first race that explored the other run roads inside fort bonifacio, namely those behind st.lukes, MC Home Depot (tama ba?) and the dreaded last 3K of the condura full marathon. all the while, i just kept on running and running.  so focused, that i was not even able to notice jinoe & Q as we turned from market market not until they both called me from behind. 

ayon, the race route was something new nga for me, which was nice, kasi this means its not going to be boring from the usual 10K routes held in Fort.  everything went fine until i got near S&R na. i believe that after this stretch, the finish line is near na. but no, as soon as i got there, there were literally a sea of 5& 3K runners all over the place! not to mention the other 10K runners/walkers, blocking each  and every possible opening to reach the finish line the fastest possible time. as i looked at my watch, i saw that i could still make it, so instead of slowing down and being one with these walkers, i decided to exert more effort instead. i had to literally squeeze my way out from the crowd to make sure that i get  my sub60 10K goal. at the back of my mind, i told myself that its about time to get myself a sub60. I didn't even feel that my right knee was starting to show some discomfort. i just focused on running for my 10K.

ayon. finally i reached the finish line. no frills. no freebie much upon the finish line itself. instead, you have to go line up for your certificate and loot bag and free breakfast, etc. sobrang traffic even there. and its was a hassle.

despite these traffic backlogs, i just focused on the good things that happened that day. 

i was able to finally and officially nail a sub60 10K,   

 

 

hang out with my takbo friends 

the usual post-race breakfast, 

and dedicated my race to my gf :) 

ten happy thoughts indeed.

 

pero  i still hate traffic.

virgin no more

people say that it's painful when you do it for the first time.

a lot of my friends have done it way ahead before me.  people have been telling since mid-2009 that i should already try to do it.  i've always thought of doing this when i feel I'm ready for it, to commit to it.  I didn't want to do something I would eventually regret.

doing this entails responsibility, and commitment, and would be really time-consuming.

 

let's begin with the end

when i started seriously running at last year's Condura Run, I never imagined thinking of ever running a full marathon in the near future. after that condura run, i started training for 10K races, then slowly leveling up to having LSDs and 15K and 10milers, and eventually had my first half marathon at Botak Paatibayan in May 2009. during that race, i witnessed how a not so "well-organized" full marathon that packed up everything way before the "cut-off" when the race didn't even have a cut-off to start with. with that in mind, if ever i decide to have my first full marathon, i would make sure that my first full marathon would have enough water supplies.

this idea started when Condura Run race organizers announced that they will be having a full marathon when i finally said to myself that's it about time.

training occurred, and eventually i was ready.

after running 32K rizal day run and having another 37K simulation run, i believed i was ready.

here are some images i had during my first full marathon.

 

"panatang makabayan..."   sumpa ng mananakbo?

picture taken at the takbo.ph aid station (early part of the race)

picture taken by mcoy lontoc

support banners created for first time marathoners

thank you guys & gals

photo by quennie (ata?)

this support was first seen in Subic International Marathon and was continued for all first timers 

(for full marathon and half-marathoners)

my view of the skyway (taken by my cellphone)

on my way back from the turn around point at the end of skyway bicutan exit

 

 kenkoyrunner on the skyway

(para may proof akong i was there sa skyway)

condura skyway hill # 2: i wasn't able to take a picture of the first part of the condura skyway"hills"

the first flyover was the 'end part' of the 'second' condura skyway hill, the floor i was on was the connected with the u-turn near terminal 3. but that's not the end of it ;) 

deo, kenkoyrunner, raymund, doc art at the skyway nearing KM.30

photo taken by quennie

on my way back, i encountered some of my other runner-friends, others had cramps, recurrence of ITBS, or blisters.

marie & timmy

i was able to meet up with the editor-in-chief of Runner's World Philippines towards Buendia exit

 

 

here are some pics from the Takbo.ph/ Reinier Pacific Aid Station

halata bang takam na takam ako sa saging ng Aid Station? when i was still with the other guys I told them that i wanted to have a banana, and so when i got there, sa station, i had my saging :) hehehe

from the aid station, i started my run again. i decided to continue with the run-walk strategy that i initially intended to do to finish the condura run. upon reaching the kalayaan flyover, i knew it would be supposedly around 5K to go. i never thought that it would be the longest 5K of my short running life.
 
i thought that was the most difficult part of this race. i was wrong.

as soon as i went down from the kalayaan flyover, i thought it was going to be an easy breeze, thinking that i've had raced that part a couple of times in the past but it felt a whole lot different when it was already the last 3KM of my first ever full marathon.

as we turned left opposite Market-Market, I've seen a lot of fellow runners telling me that "malapit na" the turning point. at this point, i was checking the time and no matter how "slow" i was, i would still be able to make it to the cut off time of 6 hours, so no worries. I was already walking with Team Papi (Neil, Pojie, Jet) and when we got the corner of Market- Market, we saw Rico, waiting for us. from the airport, he went to the race venue to help pace us first timers (thanks rix!)  another pusher at that point was Noelle's cheer towards the end of run.

despite the heat, and exhaustion, i was still looking towards reaching the end, to the finish line. before reaching the last turn, i was surprised to see tina, and tracy waiting at the corner. it was nice for tracy to come back for me (as what we say, no one gets behind).

upon seeing the finish line, it energized me. it somewhat pushed me to run towards the end for a strong finish.

here are some images taken by brando. thanks bro!

see the smile? i was just happy to finish my first full mary within the 6 hour cut off

the push til the end

at the finish line there were friends who were waiting for me, friends who were there supporting me from the start and til the finish.

 

and at the end of the finish line, other than the finisher's medal, 

i was rewarded by my girlfriend being there to see me finish my first full marathon. 

sa uulitin :)