2012 – A Year of Twist and Turns

It’s been a while since I last wrote a blog entry, with everything going on the past couple of months I’m very hard-press for time to squeeze in one. Well anyway it’s now 2013 and I wanted to start this year by writing a short recap on what happened the past year and a look forward in the coming year!

 

2012 has been a good year for me though at first I thought I really was not expecting anything from it because I typically force myself not to and just mainly focus on what’s happening in front of me. I generally am resistive to sudden and abrupt changes and that’s basically the summary of the year for me…

From being yank out from my comfort zone from my previous project where I’ve been to for the better part of almost 2 years to establishing a team to my current start up project, learning my way from my screw ups and feeling everything out, to now… Being here in Bentonville coordinating and helping out our growing team.

 

One of my mentors/leads before and a good friend told me that anyone who is taken out of their comfort zones will always freak out one way or another it’s human nature she said, but it’s how you deal and adjust to it that makes a difference. It’s an opportunity and I’d be a total idiot to let it pass.

Man 2012 have been one hell of a ride and I manage to reach a couple of milestone and experience a lot firsts on 2012…

-       First time leading a team

-       Establishing a process

-       Breaking my personal record in a half marathon. New PR 2hrs 12mins

-       First time running 32km afroman distance

-       First time running a Full Marathon 42kms

-       First out of the country trip

-       First time spending Christmas and New Year away from home and family

-       First time living alone in an apartment and setting it up from ground up

-       First time cooking, ironing and washing my clothes LOL!!!

-       First time experiencing what it takes to be really independent without the safety net from my family

-       First time to face and talk to the client on a daily basis

-       First time buying things and not feel guilty about it! BOOM! Haha!

-       First time experiencing snow!!!

 Those were some of the experience that I feel are the highlights of my 2012… The adventure, joy and sadness of experiencing them all is quite something and I’m very thankful for everything that has happened, I wouldn’t change anything.

Now 2012 has drawn to a close I’m really excited on what 2013 has in store… Hopefully my 1^st marathon here in the US :p and also an opportunity to run in the Chicago or LA marathons! Hihihi! Yes mababaw but work-life balance has always been a key for me… and my passion for Running would never end :p Well anyway this is where this entry ends..

Happy new year everyone!!! Have a great year ahead!

Run United Philippine Marathon: My 1st Marathon. A Humbling Experiences

When I started running little did I know that I’d really try out and finish a marathon, I’ll be the one who would really dismissed everything about it immediately. Luckily circumstances change and the more I run, the more I got into it. Soon after I was joining races with my friends’ 5k, 10k, 16k, 21k and 32k. Right after my 32k race I suddenly felt the need… Or even have the guts to try out a full marathon and so I registered to it not knowing what to expect.

seeing my bro taking pictures approaching the finish line!

It took me almost 2 years to reach this point that I would even consider joining. I felt like I’m a runner now I’ve run several races with progressing categories and was running consistently and this was a way for me to complete everything and to validate what I’ve done so far. Though I’d be the first to admit that I hadn’t been training as much as I’d like to because of work and my knee injury, heck I was even more prepared when for my 1^st 21k than this haha and it showed on my performance today.

The marathon is so honest that you have to prepare for it. Actually the preparation is part of it and what makes so interesting.  I now understand the difference of running 21k, 32k and 42k. It’s not something to be taking lightly…

During the 1^st half of the run I was at my usual pace and I thought I was managing it pretty well… I was dead wrong! After the 25km mark I struggled with everything and began slowing down a lot of thoughts were running on my mind and doubts if I could finish the race began creeping in… Contrary to popular belief marathon running isn’t just a physical sport it’s also mental as well…

One of my running mentors who also ran a full marathon a couple of months back that the last 5 kms was the toughest and you have to mentally overcome the walls that are stack up against you. It was true! The last 5kms were tough but the remaining 3 km was hell on earth! My feet basically turned to lead and the pain on my right knee is unbearable!

I was negotiating with myself saying “you could do this… it’s a little over 2kms… you can finish this” with the jarring heat and the sun so high up it’s draining my energy and my will. There came a point that I just want it to get over with and throw in the towel and was close to breaking down physically and mentality but luckily I didn’t. I still manage to keep my composure seeing other runners struggle but are still going through it keep me motivated long enough to finish it.

family support!

The last kilometer is where I literally muster up energy that I don’t have for the final push to the finish line and as I approach it my brother suddenly yelled at me! “Kuya!“ I was really surprise! My family told me that they’d consider going and wait for me at the finish line but I just dismissed it because they never done that before so the smile on my face when I saw my brother then taking pictures of me while I’m running towards the finish line is something I really appreciate! Then I saw my mom and dad close to the arc I was so happy that they were all there seeing me finish for the first time!

That was for me the icing on the cake… I didn’t care about the time that I finish (w/c was bloody atrocious) all that matters is that I finish and my family was there to see it and I was able to share the high I have every time I complete a race! I once said… nothing beats the feeling of a runner crossing the finish line… though it still holds true for the most part but earlier I found out something more than that… so let me update the statement “nothing beats the feeling of a runner crossing the finish line and seeing your loved once cheering you on.” I’m really blessed to have a family like ours!

Running a marathon changes us somehow… I think it changes us for the positive and for me it’s a perfect metaphor for life. You’re going to hit rough periods but we all need the strength, the stamina and a positive mental attitude to go through it! There are no shortcuts in this life and you really have to work hard to achieve a goal that you’ve set for yourself.

Sometimes what we do, on the moments that challenge us the most define us. That is one of lessons that the marathon teaches us: is fighting through those walls that you don’t think you could fight through. Running for me is more than a physical exercise; it’s a constant reward for victory.

As it stands this day would be one of the highlights of my life… The sense of pride that I was able to achieve something that not many people is capable of doing. Running has turned out to be one of my greatest passions and I’ll keep on running no matter what and no matter where I’m at… How about you? Have you done something that fundamentally change your outlook in life? That is running did to me and I’m really thankful that I was push in this path and I won’t deviate.

 

So till next time while I’m still riding the high… Keep on running people!

yup it’s worth it…

Frustration

There were really times like this that really frustrates the living hell out of me

Just when you thought there is something worth exploring you then realize given the circumstances that it not going to happen. I ended up kicking myself over it for letting my guard down. It’s really frustrating me because it’s like getting hook onto something that I wasn’t really sure in the first place.

I don’t play around… well maybe I give an impression that I am but I’m not. It’s kinda disappointing seeing people still exploring their option and end up having other people as collateral.

I’m not exempting myself because I also have my fair share of doing the same pfff it’s just really, really frustrating the hell out of me… I know I’ll get over it in a few days time

I just don’t want the distraction especially now where in the next couple of weeks at work is very, very critical. Pff oh well…

Questions

I have a lot of questions lately and it’s really frustrating the hell out of me. I know that it is wrong for me to assume anything at this point and I may have made a couple of mistakes on handling the whole thing. Plus a combo with in what’s happening in work and the possibility of my leaving the country is sucking the living life out of me..

Right now my mind is in disarray about it because it’s very hard to manage ones expectations after that day… And I’m really struggling right now… It’s like i know what to do but my mind can’t handle it. And other work related things keeps on poping and managers and clients breathing down your neck is really taking its toll on my head…

I’ve been in this similar situations before but different circumstances and I still can’t figure out what to do. I may misintepret an action but the more i reach out the more I think the distance grows…

Going out of my comfort zone always is a bane for me and I’ve always resisted change… and everything that is happening to me currently is different combos of change… and I’m struggling to keep up and set the proper expectation… I hate over-thinking.. its exhausting…

The random thougts, the what ifs and what’s happenning? Keeps cycling over and over in my head… Nadadala lang ba ako? Or am I just going crazy tsk

Don’t know if this entry is making any more sense I’m stoping now..

Run United 3 My First 32km Race: A Challenging Preview

So I finally had the chance to right a blog about this after a day or two of rest and not being able to move without feeling any pain on my calves and quads LOL! Leading unto the race I really wasn’t expecting much from it because I haven’t been training as much as I’d like to the past couple of weeks mostly because of work and other commitments. My excitement turned to fear because of it, and I really had to tone down my goal with it and treat it as a learning experience.

 

32km finisher shirt and medal

It had been raining the past couple of days prior to the event and looking into the weather forecast the night before, I mentally prepared myself that it would be a wet race. Well, I’ve been into wet races before so I didn’t mind it much but lo and behold come race day the rains really didn’t let up from start to finish! This was the wettest race that I’ve ever joined! That made it even more challenging because my shoes soak up a lot of water making it heavier.

 

The first 2 and a half hours of the run was alright and I have a consistent pace which surprise me a bit because missing several short runs and 2 long runs I didn’t expect that my body would sustain my usual pace for a 21km run and whispered to myself “Looks like I can do a 3h30-3hr45 run”. Well it didn’t take long to pull the chair beneath me. I was on the 24km mark when suddenly… my left calf CRAMPED!!! And it stop me dead on my tracks. Luckily after a few stretch it went away for the meantime.

 

After that my pace was noticeably slower as I was talking to my legs not to cramp up again because I still have roughly 8kms to go. The longest distance that I ever ran during my training sessions was 26kms so when I got pass that distance it was unchartered territory for me mentally and physically. For the first time in my running life I started praying to give me a little bit more strength and stamina to cross the finish line! Bwahahah! Looking back at it now it really was funny but when your there and you are approaching the limit of what your body could do you tend to ask for help from a higher power :p

 

still smiling even in pain due to cramps!

Sorry I didn’t mean to go religious to those who are reading this blog lol! Well anyway I manage to go pass through the next 7kms albeit still struggling with my pace without any incidents and the finish line was on sight but it did very little to jolt me and squeeze a bit more juice from my body… I was that tired. Then it happened! A few meters away from crossing the finish line my left calf suddenly gave way and cramp the hell out of it! The pain was insurmountable! I literally! LIMPED my way across the freaking finish line!

 

Wow what an ending that was! I have a newfound respect on the long distance runners who can run beyond 25kms and not get wasted after the run! I had the taste of “The Wall” lucky for me 32km mark was the end. This was a great preview on what I could face a month and a half from now where in I’ll join and hopefully run if I’m still here in Manila on my 1^st full Marathon. The Run United Philippine Marathon. If the gap between the 21km category to the 32km category is that big for me.. I’ll have my hands full from the 32km to 42.126km. It’s a very daunting task but I’m still up for it.

 

In the end I finished my first 32km run in 4hrs 13mins! And I’m really happy that I’ve achieved another milestone on my running life! And completed the medal puzzle of RU1, RU2 and RU3 for 21k, 21k and 32km distances respectively! Woot woo! 42km your next! Gulp! :p

Turning Out To Be One Expensive Hobby

When I first started running I thought this was the most inexpensive hobby that I could have, well that holds true for the most part because you just need a decent shoe and a road/route to run! It was not until when I started to really get serious about it that the expenses slowly crept up hehe.

Credit to the owner
my target gadget hahaha a garmin 910 xt,,, and you ask why it’s an expensive hobby haha!

It started on shoes, with the amount of running I do week after week I worn-out my shoes pretty quickly where in every 500kms or 6mos I tend to buy another pair. From my Adizero Ace, Adizero Feather, Adidas climacool to my most expensive pair to date, which I still use as my primary long run shoes my Asics Gel Nimbus 13 and I’ve just recently got into minimalist running, where my vibram fivefingers falls into LOL! For 1.5 years of running that is a lot of shoes hahaha! With the exception of my asics w/c cost me around P8000 the others cost around P5000 and if you do the math I could buy a mid range laptop @_@ now this entry is making me depress lol!

Next are the race expenses, back when I started running I really frown on the idea of joining these types of events. I distinctly remember saying that it was just a waste of money “why would I pay to run? I could run anywhere anyway” LOL oh I love eating my words haha! That was before I joined my first 5km run with a couple of friends and running buddies when I cross the finish line something just clicked and I really got into running and joining races and my mentality back then was suddenly thrown off the window. To date I’m joining atleast 1-2 races a month the average cost of 21k races as of writing this is playing around between 700-1000 pesos haha! If you do the math again.. hays… >_<

Now to running apparels like running shorts, singlets, dri-fit shirts, compression shorts running caps and sunglasses. At first I don’t mind using any shorts that was in my closet but as I put on the miles I suddenly finding my way to these stores and end up buying these things thinking that I would be more comfortable in wearing it when I run and also the illusion of “this might help me improve my pace” haha! Or will keep me cool during my run. Sigh… the things I think of to justify purchases like that haha! Now to the numbers a typical running shorts and shirts from nike and adidas cost 1k-2k haha! Kaboom!

Lastly, being a self confessed gadget geek. Surely technology would make its way here. Well to be fair I haven’t bought yet a gadget specifically for running though I’m planning to but more on that later. So right now I’m using my cellphone with a free app (adidas micoach) to monitor my training progress and analyze my pace after a workout. It basically uses the phones GPS capability to track and calculate the burned calories, time, pace and distance.

It also doubles as my mp3 player when I run which i paired up to adidas sennheisser water and sweat proof headphones(yeah i know another additional expense lol). For me this was the most important piece of “equipment” to have the ability to monitor and analyze your workout gives me concrete data if I’m improving or not and also to try and improve and streamline my training. And because of that I want the whole shebang now! That is why I’m eyeing the Garmin 910xt w/c tracks everything now even the heart rate! It’s also future proof lets say if I wanted to try out biking and swimming this watch could also monitor and record the data! The sad part is it costs a fortune! Like a high end Android phone! Damn! Hahaha!

So despite the expenses and having the option not to buy all of this stuff why do I still go through this knowing it will suck up my money? You may ask… well if I were an ass I would answer this as: “because I can!” LOL! Well that is partially true but for me running is the one thing that I really love and enjoy doing. It’s my passion and anything that would make that experience even more pleasant and that more enjoyable is enough for me to justify the expenses  :)

36th National Marathon Manila Eliminations – Deja Vu

running is fun in the rain hehe!

So it has been a week since the Milo Run and it still raining! Lol! Last year when I ran in the same event it was raining and it is the same story this year, the difference is I only ran 10km category back then and now I’m running my 10th 21km category. Coming off from my superb performance from my last run RU2 where in I broke my PR by 6mins I’ve got to admit I had been a bit lax on my training the past few weeks and especially the weather not cooperating (I know… sounds like excuses huh? :p) leading to the event

I had my expectation toned down a bit but then when I was reading the milo runners handbook I saw the section detailing the cutoff times for each category… saying that no medals will be given after the 2hrs 30min mark! That is when I started to worry haha! My average times was usually 2hrs 20mins and my PR is 2hrs 14mins well below the cutoff time but those runs I really was prepared and trained for it and I had a couple of runs where in I struggled and my times where beyond 2hrs 30mins

Come race day psyche with excitement I barely slept the night before and also saying to myself please let me make it before the cutoff time haha! A light drizzle was falling when all 21k runners were assembled in the starting line reminiscent of last year’s event that was really raining hard but then it stop! Not that I’m complaining I’d prefer the rain than the heat any day hehehe

So lined up with other runners with no game plan what so ever haha! Big mistake! When the gun went off immediately I notice during the 1^st 5kms my pace was faster than the usual pace I have starting a half marathon damn it! I tried to adjust but it was too late! I feel a bit winded after the 10km mark and slowed down my pace even further! Lol

When we reached the Baclaran church I think that was the 12km mark, I saw a friend already running back! I look at my fone for the time and said to myself damn his fast!(in the end he finish a sub 2hr run kainggit! Monster!) When I reached the U turn point for the return trip to the finish line it was starting to rain again and I was struggling with my pace lol! Thoughts like “ayan kasi d nagpractice.. wla ka takbo the entire week tapos tatakbo ka ngaun… makakapasok ka pa kaya sa cutoff time?” started creeping in.

That is when I just told to myself to relax just focus on getting a pace that I could sustain and resided on the fact that I may not get a finishers medal. Slowly but surely, I gained a sustained pace and was slowly having fun!

Having a consistent pace and not worrying too much translated to faster splits and when I was the 20km mark it really rained hard! I was wtf?! Bagyo? Patapos na eh! Then micoach reported my time it was 2hrs 23mins! My eyes widen! Waaa kaya pa!!! I wanted to finish strong and that time an alert is enough to jolt me back even for a few minutes! I dash the last kilometer and pass several 10km and 21km runners! In the end I finished a hair below the cutoff with a 2hr 28mins run! Whew!

Sometimes we are so pump up for a race and trying to bit our PR’s that we almost forgot why we started or joined in the first place… To have fun! Yes medals and finishers shirts are great things to have to prove that you’ve achieve something but for me it would be meaningless if you didn’t had fun :p

In the end the 36^th milo marathon is another successful event as expected from runrio and most of all I had fun and enjoy the entire experience! Hopefully come next year I’d be running the full marathon on this event! Keeping my fingers crossed!

my just reward

Not Your Typical Wedding.

I was really tempted on entitling this entry my best friend’s wedding lol! After giving much thought and coming to a conclusion that it would sound gay hahaha! I changed it to the title now. Well anyway, it has been almost 2 months since the wedding and I finally got the time to write about it and that is besides the fact of waiting our group pictures to be sent so I could use it here haha!

former project mates and officemates! wacky daw!

I’ve attended a lot of weddings before but I’ve never been the best man! So when Rhai asked me a few months back before his wedding to be the best man I was excited and somewhat nervous haha! And he informed me it would be a Christian wedding made it more somewhat daunting because I knew usually the best man gives speeches and I was not let’s just say the best speaker especially in front of a crowd the I hardly know except for a few but more on that later.

The wedding was held on Bataan so other officemates and friends that were invited seen it also as a road trip adventure lol! We were checked in at the same hotel where Sza and Rhai was. Right across the place were the wedding took place. Our group was the 1^st to arrive in bataan and seeing Rhai for the 1^st time stressed out trying to organize everything and accommodating everyone that day poor guy :p

Our friends are trying to calm him down a bit that everything would sort itself out. Can’t blame him though he really wants that day to be perfect especially for his wife. So a few minutes before the wedding I received a text that the second batch of our group was lost! They went to the opposite direction instead of heading towards Bataan in SCTEX they were headed to Tarlac!

We where now at the venue at the time when I informed Rhai of the mishap as expected hinde mapinta muka nya lol! Because the ring bearer was on that car too! I just suggested for the march that we could pull a proxy and hopefully they would arrive in time for the ring part.

So the ceremony started and like I said I’ve been in a lot of weddings mostly catholic before so I really wasn’t expecting much, but then when there where segments on the ceremony when both the groom and the bride have their way of honoring their parents by presenting tokens, the unorthodox presiding of the pastor wherein I felt I was attending a classroom session than a wedding and where would you find the bride and groom sing in the middle of the ceremony?! Got to admit it, that it was pretty darn cool and unique for a wedding! And oh yeah the other batch of our friends and officemates arrived in time for the wedding ring!

So the moment I was dreading finally came when the emcee announced that the maid of honor and the best man would be giving their message to the couple my anxiety level jumped from 1-10! Haha! I know before hand what my speech would revolve around but I didn’t practice it haha! I wanted it to be as spontaneous as possible but if you know me I tend to struggle in doing something spontaneous! So when the time came to speak my message to the couple in front of that many people luckily I kept my composure and delivered my message haha! Though my voice was shaking at first

All in all, the entire wedding was fun and something unique! Plus the after party in our hotel room with our friends was also something I won’t forget in a long time… but that is for another entry bwahaha(see pic below lol!)!!

wasted

And lastly it has been a long time since I felt genuinely happy for other people and seeing both Sza and Rhai having the time of their lives on that day was really site to behold! They are now starting a new chapter in their lives and it was an honor to be part of it. Abang mode na lahat para sa little Sza’s and little Rhai’s… no pressure peeps bwhahaah!

My Run United 2 2012 Experience!

I knew the moment they announced that they’d be having a race expo before the race event that this ain’t going to be the typical run united event! Building up from the expo to the actual day of the race is a stroke of genius! I really couldn’t control my excitement! After all, Run United series has always been the most sought out run in the country.

right at the finishline and breaking my PR

It was raining the entire week and I mentally prepared myself that I’d be running in a wet race and come race day I was right! By 0230am when I arrived at MOA parking lot it was starting to pour really hard plus the wind was strong! I was shivering running towards the shuttle bus to BGC luckily I came prepared! I have my phone wrapped by plastic inside my armband so it wouldn’t get wet. There we were a bunch of runners in BGC trying to seek shelter from the rain and trying to stretch! :p

I really don’t know why but even before the start of the race I really felt good even with the rain. Maybe having a 4hrs sleep was a welcome treat for me, because I never have slept more than 3hrs since I started running 21km the night before. Oh well so when the gun went off it was still raining! I was already half wet waiting at the starting line; the 1^st 6kms went by so fast and my pace was great!!!

The typical Buendia route from Kalayaan flyover still remains by far for me treacherous haha! The uneven roads and the intersection in Makati Ave, Ayala, Edsa and Taft is still freaking me out even though they have ample number of traffic enforces there. I can feel the motorist cursing at us for delaying them bwahaha! But still manage to put up a consistent pace and luckily the rain stop.

When we reached Roxas Blvd, that is when I began to struggle with my pace, I didn’t walk but I was taking my time a bit in the water stations along the route, on the 15km a somewhat famous person in the triathlon and running circle passed me then I thought to myself let me try to match her pace. She was doing 5.5-6min/km pace I was really psyched that I could keep up but then on the 18km hydration station a faltered a bit on my pace or she sped up haha! Naiwanan ako lol!

Well anyway because of that pace when I checked micoach roughly 2kms left before I reached the finishline and my time was 2hrs 3mins! I was ahead on my current PR! I was wtf?! Pwedeeeee! That powered me through the last stage of the run. And finished strong I did!

I was smiling when I saw the finishline and sprint to it! It took me 8 tries to beat my PR since I initially set it on my 1^st 21km race and shatter it I did! Shaved off 5mins 30 seconds as per micoach I finished in 2 hrs 14mis10 secs! Oh yeah! Perfect combo of the cool weather, luck and pacer all contributed in breaking my PR woot! And earned the 2^nd piece medal puzzle in the process. Also loved the material they used on the finishers shirt compared to the older versions

 

This race so far is my favorite this year! This is why I pay almost a thousand pesos for this event and not regret it! I paid premium and expected premium service and runrio for me delivered! From the kit claiming, the race expo, the actual race and finally the festive atmosphere in the active health village after the race. The experience or the feel of the whole thing was short of being perfect! Everything clicked I really enjoyed it!

Until Run United 3 see you!

Greenfield City Run: My 1st out of town Run!

When ARC (Accenture Running Club) emailed the details of the run and when I saw that it would be held on Sta. Rosa Laguna, I hastily replied and confirmed for registration on the event! I was really excited for this run because it’s outside of the metro but it’s close enough to drive from Las Piñas. Plus the possibility in breathing in clean fresh air while on the race and I’ve never joined a race outside the metro so this was the perfect opportunity for me to do so and experience the whole thing for my 8^th 21km run.

21km veteran medal

I was in a bit of a running slump lately, having two races where I performed poorly, mainly because of lack time for training and had to contend with the summer heat. So when I registered for the event I really said to myself that I wouldn’t be complacent in preparing for the race. I made it a point to a lot time for training and manage to reinvigorate my resolve! Haha!

On race day with only 2 hours of sleep because of the overexcitement and the thought I’d be running on a route that I’ve never ran before really got me, call it pre race jitters I know I’m ready but still I was so anxious. I was a bit worried at 1^st having only slept for 2hours but oh well I’ve ran in this kind of situations before so I just put it aside my thought on that.

The gun start for the 21km category was 0430am and I was at Paseo Center by 0330am stretching and warming up and downing ¼ litter of Gatorade (baaaad move Blair! More on that later) I looked up in the sky and saw clear dark skies thank God for the great weather. And it wasn’t as hot unlike the previous two runs I’ve had during the summer season.

So at exactly 0430am or was it? Lol the gun went off and not soon after that I felt something weird! Oooooh nooo!! I thought I emptied my effin bladder before the race started waa! Haha Luckily on the 1^st turn there was a dark “talahiban” bwahahha! Alam na! lol! Whew that got me worried a little bit. Back to the race…

pace and elevation

The first 8kms was a joy to run! The weather was cool and the route was gently sloping downwards as expected the fresh air is a welcome treat during the run. I was averaging a consistent 6min/km pace during that 1^st 8kms heck of a good start! After the U turn I know it would be a slightly uphill going back and I my pace was slower a bit but I was running it consistently so I really didn’t mind it at all apart from the buses that were stuck at the intersection that we were running yeah we were the ones that cause that traffic jam and with buses comes with smoke grr it was almost 2 kms I think before I passed by the last of them and back on fresh air

The 2^nd half of the route esp the 12km onwards a lot of it was consist of false flat roads were a lot of slight uphill and downhill roads, I was now averaging 6mins 35sec/km pace and beginning to feel a bit tired but then at the 16-17 km mark! The sun started to rise and with that the effin heat! Haha! It was hard enough to deal with the false flat roads add up heat to the mix and it was hell! Hahaha!

By kilometer 18 the sun was fully up and there is only ¼ left of Gatorade on my handheld hydration pack luckily one hydration station was giving away bottles of pocary sweat! My eyes lit up and got one! Haha I was drinking while running every few minutes or so the heat was really affecting my pace plus the exhaustion I was now averaging 7min/km.

race route

Hearing the sound system from the finishline did little to boost me up haha I was fast approaching my limit in the 20km mark there was a photographer’s area and a big sign “JUMP SHOT” the photographer queued’ me to jump and strike a pose ahah! Little did I know the moment I jumped my right calf started to cramp up! I was like oh no! Flashbacks in the natgeo earthday run where I cramp and limp my way to the finishline creep up on my head! Haha! Luckily this time after a few seconds I manage to work my way out of the cramp whew! I thought I was dead meat after that haha! Note to self don’t even try to jump especially when you know you’re nearing your limit lol!

The last few meters when I saw the finishline at the corner of my eye and pouring ice cold water in my head and back at the last water station is enough to jolt me and finish strong! In the end micoach clocked me at 2hrs 20min and 20secs! Arg 50seconds over my PR waaa haha! I began to wonder if I hadn’t stop and take a leak could I have beaten my PR?! Bwahha oh well but still I manage get back to my usual times for a half marathon haha! The time and effort really did well for me going out of that running slump!

another medal for my collection earned!

In conclusion the greenfield city route just went up of my list on the favorite places to run! The fresh air! The open fields! What’s not to like?! Kudo’s too to the organizer greentennial run! For organizing such a fun race! This is one prime example of having more bang for your buck! At 500 peso registration fee we got a medal and finishers shirt! Woot till next race! Huha!