Would this be my last Half Marathon before a change in status quo? In any case, it is my last half marathon for the month of June and last half marathon for the 1st Half of 2011. It was also my last race before I turn a year older.
I had hoped that I would get a good time, much like that of Greenfield Run a few weeks back. I thought I was getting better and faster as I run longer now (especially on weekends). Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
Two days before the race day, I ran a few loops around Ultra Oval and had a terrible time. I was walking a lot. I was exhausted and my knees were acting up (is this ITB?). I had hoped it was a fluke and that I would do better on race day but the following day, I was feeling a little under the weather. Still, I was hoping to do well but with what was happening to me, my goal went down to “just to finish” from a previous “2011 PR time” target.
Come race day, I was late again when they started the race a few minutes earlier from gun time. Hmmm, what’s the point of putting the gun time if you don’t really follow it? So no stretching for me and it was off to complete the half marathon distance….and boy, was that hard! At 2km, I was stopping to walk! Wow! What’s happening to me? But I still push through, counting down the kilometers as I tune out to the run and just listen to the music from my MP3 player. There were definitely a lot of walking, a lot of water breaks, a lot of panting, a lot of pain (shoulders, knees, feet), a lot of “vomiting” feelings, a lot of grunting and self complaints, which prompted me to stop running and walk some more. Argh, this was awful and I had a long way to go! I was even tempted to quit my distance and run with the 10km runners back to BGC. It was that hard for me and it came so early in the race! But I pushed on. I didn’t want to quit. With no cut off time, I can just take it as slow as I want. I just can’t wait to finish so I can go home and lie in bed and sleep.
With God’s Grace (I thanked Him as I cross each Km marker), I crossed the finish line. I was tired and exhausted but happy to have succeeded here (and burned 2,032 calories in the process). I immediately went to claim my XL finisher shirt. Too bad it doesn’t fit me but it’s good enough for the wife. There were only a few finisher medals (sigh) as there were problems with its distribution but I was too tired to care. It was also nice to see friends Janine and Jeanne at the finish line and we chatted up a bit so I could recover from the run. Then, it was time to go home as getting hotter already.
For now, it’s rest, rest, rest. But pretty soon, I need to run again for the next 21km happening in July. I hope I am better conditioned by then..
Heading slowly to the finish line in my Brooks singlet, which has become my favorite running attire in these races due to its nice material and color (so can easily spot myself in run photos)..
Race results are also out but these are based on gun time and since I was “late” again, my official time was slower by a few minutes vs. that of my Garmin (2:53:48 with a super slow motion pace of 8:17)! Distance according to Garmin was at 20.98km.
In terms of the race itself, it was a return to Bayani Road and Lawton Avenue after finishing Kalayaan Bridge and Buendia Avenue. It was a nice route for me as it was pretty much straightforward with very little turns. There were a lot of cold water and cold Gatorades (in different flavors) which was awesome and provided a nice relief for tired runners like myself. I also appreciate the fact that the organizers expected that day to be hot by providing trucks that sprayed water and wet (and super cold) sponges.
There was also an ongoing race along Bayani Road for which they had Pocari Sweat as their drink stations (at first I thought it was a bank’s running club who joined Mizuno’s race). I didn’t mind sharing the race route (the more the merrier) as it also adds the number of drink stations that we pass by. Overall, it was a good and hard run. I just hope they deliver (figuratively and literally) on their promise for finisher medals soon (I am now well rested enough TO CARE for it again)...
5 comments:
Hi Running Fatboy. I have been following your blog for sometime now. I am sorry to hear about this race. I think you write very well.
What has been your workout the last 2 weeks? either you are overfatigued - which should require a good weeks rest + massages or your training program is now on "oido" mode -- does not have the science - ie. short/long intervals, tempo runs, long runs, recovery days. are you just racing to put another notch on the belt? might be better to train for a race and insert races in between but in "race-to-train" mode.
my 2 cents. Cheers!
hey Runmanila,
Thanks for visiting my blog. Appreciate your nice comments.
Yup, all rules are out for me. I just run to get the 21km medal. Haha One week's run is usually a short 5.6km run on Tuesday and an easy pace 7-8km on thursday, followed by big race on Sunday. Sometimes I put in biking etc but clearly I haven't been training or eating properly. But all long runs on Sundays I just do using easy pace and not really race pace :)
Hello sir,
I was just wondering how do you prepare for long runs, because like you I am also a big runner (5'10, 195 lbs) A friend tole me that my weight is not advisable for long runs (more than 10k) since "makakasira daw ng tuhod". Is this true? How do you pace yourself? I think my lungs can take it but am worried for my legs/ knees. I'm running my first 21 k kasi. Thanks!
hi medyo..
nope, the theory that "makakasira tuhod" is a complete fallacy. It actually improves your bones as every step you make when you pound the floor through running builds calcium which is good for your bones. To add this, there are a lot of Ultramarathoners and Marathoners who are much much heavier than you but who can run long distances with little or no injury at all. Having said this, it doesn't mean you should just go out and run 21km on the go. You should look for a training program (can google this or look at runnersworld.com) that is applicable for your fitness level right now. On my first 21km, I trained for it for two months before running it. And that's after I have joined a lot of 10km races prior to the "official" training. Proper training is the key to this. You should also know the right shoes that would be applicable for you so you won't get any injuries. Any running store here in the country can also assist you with finding the correct shoes. I hope these small tips can help you in your training program. Good luck!
Thanks a lot!
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