Adidas King of the Road Half Marathon (Oct 25, 2009) -Post race

Another 21km!

There were no chip timers in this race nor were there any finisher medals. The only thing I got at the finish line was the finisher certificate and two cups of water. Still, for a fee of Php 500, the very nice Adidas singlet more than made up for it. This was my and Per’s first Adidas King of the Road after missing out on it last year. But we heard great reviews from Janine then when she accomplished her first half marathon (she got a runner’s high!).

So when we heard news that there was a King of the Road for 2009, we made sure our schedule was free for that weekend. At the expo, aside from the singlet, we got a free breakfast from KFC. Definitely worth the Php 500 registration fee!

We weren’t the only people who liked the bright yellow singlet as evidenced by 90% of the runners who wore it on the race day, be it the 5km, 10km or 21km category. If Milo races were a sea of green runners, Adidas for this year was a sea of bright yellow runners. I joined the 21km as another part of my long run but with my marathon in just two weeks, I only had to do 26km for the day. Whoopee! Per registered for the 10km with an ambition of going below 1:10, after her disappointing finish last week.

We got to the race venue at 4:45am. I originally wanted to do the 5km before the race so I can finish at the same time as the race itself but the lack of time made me do only 3.2km. At least that was 3.2km that I didn’t have to run anymore! By 5:20am, I was at the starting line where I saw Jason, who had just arrived from his Subic 42km race to do a 21km race here, and Coach Alvin, looking to do an easy run. My sister and brother were also there waiting for their turn at the 10 km race.

My target pace was at 7 minutes/km and by 11 km point, I should increase the pace to 6:30 min/km. I started at 6:30 min/km and maintained that pace with the other runners. Alvin ran with me for a few minutes before increasing his own pace. Fearing that I would burn out should I follow him, I stuck to my pace at 6:30 min/km (I was afraid that even at 6:30, I was running too fast but for some reason, I just couldn’t slow down).

There were a lot of water and Gatorade stations here. I mostly drank water as Gatorade stations get crowded easily and didn’t want to waste time waiting for my cup to be filled here. The nice thing about the Gatorade stations is that they had La Salle Pep Squad members and Cheerleaders cheering the runners and giving positive comments. In a way, it felt like I was doing the Animo Run again. Course took me to Buendia Ave., for the turnaround to Fort Bonfacio where we then head to Lawton Avenue for the final turnaround to the finish line.

Heading back to Fort Bonifacio, my shoulders were aching again and I was tired. My average pace became slower at 6:40 min/km, which meant my speed went down to 7 min/km, a positive split and a big no-no. I was determined not to slow my average pace further than 6:45 min/km and forced myself to keep running to the finish line. But I was exhausted! By the last 2km, Alvin came back for me and pushed me to go faster. I was whining to him the whole time about how tired I was but he wouldn’t hear about it and just said how close I was to the finish line. And so I pushed myself, ignoring the fatigue and shoulder pains. My pace went down to 6:20 min/km for the 20-km mark! Alvin wasn’t content and said that we should go faster! I whined even more (really sorry about that)! As a form of bargaining, I asked if I could run slow for the remaining 2km that I still had to do after finishing the race. He said that I can make it into a cool down run, provided I run at his pace for the last km to the finish line. Easier said than done! I was panting and wheezing and wanted to walk but instead I pushed the negative thoughts at the back of my mind and just kept going faster and faster….overtaking more runners… faster and faster still…. until I finally crossed the finish line. And gave out a big sigh of relief!

I was able to do the last 2km via run-walk as my feet hurt already. After doing the 26km target distance for the day, I checked my Garmin and swore under my breath when I realized we went at 5:36 min/pace for the last km to bring down the pace to 6:36 minute for the Half Marathon Race for a time of 2:18:11, a 10-minute faster time from last week’s QC Half Marathon and 14-minute faster time from Milo Half Marathon two weeks ago.

It’s true what they say that pain is temporary but the feeling afterwards last longer! I was tired, exhausted, and whining during the race but glad that I was still pushed to reach my limit and get the target I didn’t expect to attain. Per, had her own great moment when she beat her target time of 1:10 and finished her race strong at 1:07:55! A new PR for the Mrs.!

Next race will be our first USA race in San Francisco, where we will meet Wilbert and Wayne there. We shall be doing the Half Marathon together and running on and off the Golden Gate Bridge! The week after will be my 2nd Full Marathon in Fresno, California. Hopefully, all my long runs, tempo runs and easy runs pay off for that big day!



Big thanks again to Coach Alvin for pacing for the last 2km of this race (regardless of how much I hated it...hahaha).


See you guys in 3-4 weeks!






Neil nearing the finish line for another 21km achivement!




the running couple in a happy mode





Siblings Janine and Jeanne!

QC Half Marathon (Oct 18, 2009) - post race

Late Again!

And it wasn’t because my alarm didn’t go off or I got lost going to QC Memorial Circle. On the contrary, I was there by 4:30am, 30 minutes ahead of the 21km race. But I had to do a long run for that day. My target distance was at 29km and rather do the remaining 8km after the Half Marathon race when the sun is already out, I decided to do some mileage early in the morning so can finish early too. Unfortunately, I made the wrong guess on the distance and by the time I arrived at the starting line, the 21km race had started some 5 minutes earlier.

Just like last week’s race, I was late again but grateful that similar to last week’s race, this race used a chip timer to show your real time aside from your gun time. I wanted to chase the other runners but decided that that wasn’t a wise thing to do and took this as a blessing in disguise to run at a constant pace. Had I started on time with the other runners, I would most likely have gone a lot faster as will be drawn with the speed of the fast people.

It was scary to be running by myself as I wasn’t familiar in this area and didn’t know the right turns. Good thing, there were adequate marshals to guide me on the course and pretty soon I was able to see a few runners ahead of me. There were also some runners who came in late so it wasn’t that lonely running in this race.

My pace was at a constant 7:20 minutes/km and course took me to the familiar roads of UP (near Sunken Garden) and to the wide roads of Commonwealth Avenue, where the 21km runners were joined by the 10km runners. It was great running on wide streets with no moving vehicles in sight. There were only a handful of Half Marathoners but I didn’t mind. The number of 10km runners more than made up for it. There were ample water stations on the course and the weather was just right. The 10km runners made the U-turn at one point while I had to continue running to Batasan Road for the turning point. At the 11km mark, I heard a patrol car coming by and with his emergency lights blaring. I thought that something went wrong (did a runner collapse mid-way?) only to see that it was the Kenyans coming back already! Wow, that gave me goose bumps to be on the same road as these speedy runners. They went past me (obviously) and I continued my run at a steady pace. I learned later on that they won the marathon at a time of 2:30++. Very impressive!

The route back took a detour through a part of Trinoma Mall and it was here I realized I still have a lot of energy and quickened my pace. My pace went down to 6:35 minutes/km. At the finish line, my average went down to 7:01 minutes/km for a total time of 2:29:21 with a distance of 21.27km. I reached my target of 7 minutes/km and with a negative split at the last 5km. Awesome!

Not much freebies after the race. The Nike shirts that were supposed to be given out did not arrive but I didn’t mind as I got a big finisher medal at the finish line. Per, after finishing her 10km race, got a black Nike Human race bag.

I then went for another 4km to attain my target mileage for the day and we then left early to go to SM Megamall (after showering and a change of clothes of course) to get our Adidas Race kits at the exhibit area. We were there early so no lines yet and got free food here via KFC (perfect as haven’t had breakfast yet).

Some pain on my shoulders (did I run too stiffly?) and heels (do my shoes lack support) but quite happy with my overall performance in today’s run. Ran a total of 29km for a time of 3 hours 28 minutes++. It’s tapering time soon! Can’t wait!

Thanks again to my coach Alvin for teaching me the principle of negative split performance and to Per for patiently waiting for me to finish my long run.

See you in the Adidas race next Sunday!



Half marathon Finisher! Yehey!

10km finisher!

Near the starting area and where we parked our car.

One more finisher medal for my collection! Great!!!

Milo Finals 21k (Oct 11, 2009) - Post Race

I registered for this for two reasons:

1. I needed to do a long run with a total distance of 32km

2. The race I originally registered for: Celebrity Run 21km, moved its race to December 20th. And I still need to look for another race with a 21km distance, hence the Milo 21km.

Per ran out of 10km slots here and rather than registering for the 21km and having a DNF record, we decided instead to run early morning before the start of the 21km. Jason wanted to join as well and at 4:30AM, we've parked at our spot and started our runs. We ran along Roxas Blvd till the 3.5km, then ran back to the starting line.

Unfortunately, before we could reach the starting line, the 21km runners were off. We were so late! Good thing, this was the first time Milo used Chip Timer technology (care of Rio) and still maintained its registration price of Php 150! So, there is no pressure for me to chase after the runners knowing that I can see my results in net time or Gun time.

By the time I've started, there were only a handful of runners on the course. Most were late comers like my friends Rico and Neil and I had a blast hanging out with Rico at the early part of the run.

There were ample Gatorade and water stations and I noticed how long the tables were and that there were appropriate trash cans to throw away your paper cups once you've used them. The weather was perfect and as in previous runs, I liked the flat course in this race.

So far so good!

By 10km of the race, I took out my first GU and finished it. I kept running at a steady pace.

Things were on my side as got the cheap NB 903 shoes that Neil bought for me and the not so cheap compression pants I bought at Runnr store in Fort Bonifacio. Both items never worn before. Both needed for my November 8th Full Marathon. Both used that Sunday as a test run, no pun intended.

Along Buendia, I met the very cheerful people of Rainier and Takbo.ph and their cheers uplifted my spirits and made me smile. I got a cup of oranges and continued my run to the turning point, to which I came back to the aids station and got myself a cup of bananas. Que and Jinoe, good job! You guys deserve a pat on your backs for the efforts you made to make sure each runner feel they could finish their individual races.

I got back to Roxas Blvd., expecting to get tired anytime now. After all, this was what happened to me at the last Milo Half marathon so it's likely to happen again. Anytime now... 4km to go... its coming when you least expect it... 3.5km to go... took my 2nd GU reserve knowing I still had to run an additional 4km after the racce.... 2km to go.... wow, it is so near and I feel strong... I'VE NEVER FELT STRONG RUNNING THIS DISTANCE!....1km to go... I see the place where the race started...500meters... Turning point away from Roxas and heading into Quirino Grandstand... Crossing finish line! Awesome! The tiredness did not come!

My 21km race was my worst time ever at 2:33:40 (with pace of 7:17). Even compared at the last Milo 21km where I burned out and ran-walked the last 3km, this race was even slower than that one. But I didn't care as I have completed 28km and not yet sore or tired. Another 30 minutes went by running the last 4km and for some reason I was still strong. It was my worst 21km performance but my BEST 32km performance and that is the important thing here.

Factors that helped me were of course, the new pants and shoes. I loved the pants. Wearing it the entire time, my socks were dry for the first time (and hence no blisters) and no knee pains at all. Very worth my investments into it. Big thanks also to Alvin for giving me a target pace, letting me have my rest days and for letting me know how valuable a Negative split is. Thanks to Per and Jason for the company pre-race and to Sheerwill for the compny during the race. All of you guys made this my best 32km long run experience so far.

Another bonus - fast race results with my gun time in line with my Garmin and the tons of free photos by Photovendo. I got 40 shots! Wow!!! Also liked the gift packs they gave at the finish line. For Php 150, this is the best race in terms of value of money. Since I started running, I haven't missed a Milo Manila race and looking at keeping that tradition going forward!



Very happy in this race! The opposite to what I felt at the last Milo race.


Fun chatting with Sheerwill

Few meters from the finish line.

Performers at the Milo stage

Neil's first 21km run! Keep on running my friend..

The support of THE Mrs. Even knowing I had to do a long run, she still chose to accompany me at the race and read a book while I finish my task. Thanks Per! That meant a lot to me :)

'till the next race - QC in a few days. See you there!

OctobeRUN 16km (Oct 4, '09) - Post Race

It has been a while since I last joined a race where I targeted a specific pace or time to finish the race. The last was in the Milo Half Marathon last July but I got burned out and walked at the last part. Since that event, races I've done were mostly to enjoy the scenery, to run with Per or to be a part of the weekend's long run.



But then Alvin decided that I should finish this race with a time target of 6:20 min/km and then run 5km more at same pace to complete the 21km distance. I was supposed to do a 32km long run so this was a welcome escape from doing the extra mileage but I didn't know how hard this was going to be for me as well.



I hoped for no rain coming from the terrible attack of the Typhoon a week ago. Good thing the Super typhoon did not hit Metro Manila as was expected and the race was still a GO! Per and I got to the venue by 5:15AM. This was the race where a lot of us merged into one category. The 10km runners had no choice but to do the 16km distance. Same thing with the 21km runners. It was the first time that Nat, Dave, Neil, Per, Stella and myself all started at the same time for the same race distance but all with different goals.



The crowd wasn't as huge as expected but that was just fine with me. Race started on time and I followed the pace of my sister, thinking it is attainable. It's not. After a few km, I slowed down and got left behind. Still, I was able to maintain my target pace and have allowance in case I get tired.

It was a Positive Split (and that's not a good thing) and I had to take a GU at halfway point as getting tired and hungry. That kept me going. Luckily, weather was nice that morning with no rain and sun coming out at a later time. There were ample water stations and I made sure to stop at each one (sometimes even getting two cups).

I crossed the finish line at a time of 1:36:16 with an average pace of 6:20min/km. Unfortunately, distance was short by 800meters with total course at 15.2km. But I was happy I achieved my target pace.

Ran additional 6km with Jason at below 7 min/km pace. It's really hard to run again once you've crossed the finish line but it's something that needs to be done. So now it's back to running long and running fast for this Running FATBOY!

Race pacers for 5 min, 6 min, 7 min and 8 min per km

Copying the balloon

Won the raffle prize. First time for this Running Fat boy. Woohoo!!!

A Matter of Perception

In running, we get frustrated when

1) we did not finish a race
2) our trainings get sidetracked due to sickness or injury
3) we don't get a new PR eventhough we worked hard for it
4) a race is cancelled
5) we aren't getting faster anymore
6) we "hit the wall"
7) we are tired so soon and knowing we still have xxx number of miles to go
8) the race distance is shorter than promised or we don't get the singlet size as promised or when they ran out of finisher medals or water
9) we see a fellow runner cheating in a race

These are very small things in the grand scheme of things. I too, have felt this frustration before. But this is nothing compared to losing your home, your shelter, your FAMILY MEMBER, your money, your savings. That happened to a lot of my friends when just a week ago we were all fine.

Sometimes, it takes a disaster to make us appreciate our lives more. To recognize the blessings that God has given us. To see what is important to us. To be strong in the face of adversity and not lose hope and faith. Let us help and support one another in this trying times. Let us share our blessings.

Below is a letter from Coach Rio (taken from www.takbo.ph website):



Dearest Friends,

Marikina City has been my home for most of my life and it fills me with great sadness to witness and experience first-hand, the tragic events that occurred over the past weekend. In one sweep, many lost their homes and the lives they’ve always known. Some have to deal with the painful loss of friends and loved ones in the midst of the tragedy that struck our beloved city. Now, more than ever, I’ve realized how fleeting and fragile life can be. And despite both of my cars needing major repairs and the first floor of our house looking like a huge mess due to the flood waters that ravaged our subdivision, I am still better off than most of people in our neighborhood. As I stood on top of a rock outside our house surrounded by a raging stream of flood water, seeing the far worse conditions experienced by my neighbors, I remember telling myself that it doesn’t matter anymore if Typhoon Ondoy takes away my Speed Racer and Bubble Bee and suck them completely under water. Losing my precious cars is nothing compared to the suffering that other people went through, some of which I painfully saw with my own eyes. It was truly heart-breaking and I can’t help but be thankful that I am still one of the luckier ones.

In line with the surge of relief operations from kind-hearted and selfless souls all over the Metro, the 2009 Timex Run will be accepting donations in cash and in kind, to aid our displaced brothers and sisters in Marikina City during their time of need. To start the ball rolling, the 2009 Timex Run has decided to allot a portion of the event’s proceeds to the affected Marikina residents. I am also donating 40 sacks of rice and about 700 singlets to several barangays within Marikina City, but more help is needed to reach as many victims as possible. Items such as ready-to-eat food, rice, noodles, potable water, clothes, blankets, beddings, towels, and other basic necessities will go a long way to help our fellow Filipinos get back on their feet. Volunteers are also more than welcome to offer their time and energy to help pack relief goods and distribute them to the different barangay halls and evacuation centers in Marikina.All 2009 Timex Run registration sites will be accepting your generous donations. I am also opening my home at 46 D. Macapagal St. Vista Valley Subdivision, Sto. Nino, Marikina City, if you wish to send them in bulk.

All participants, including friends and family, are invited to the distribution of relief goods on November 15, 2009, 1:00pm, at the different barangay halls and evacuation centers in the hardest hit areas in Marikina. These include:

Industrial Valley
Tumana
Concepcion
Calumpang
Nangka
Sto. Nino
Sta. Elena
Tanong
San Roque

Thank you so much for your willingness to help us reach out to the countless victims plagued by Typhoon Ondoy. May God bless your homes and keep you safe. More power to the running community!

Sincerely,Rio De La CruzTimex Ambassador/ Race Director2009 Timex Run

Run Radio will also accept donations as well as various churches, schools, restaurants, etc.

Random thoughts on Running

1. I hate my long runs. I really do. Anything more than 15km takes an effort to finish. I especially hate it when I am running by myself. With or without music, it's the same thing. I don't mind the first 15km but after that, it felt like I'm running forever and going round and round with no destination. I feel like a mouse on a training wheel.

But then my sister invited me to go for a long run with her. I was surprised that I can go faster and can hold to it. Best of all, we conversed while running and have a brief bonding session. So, it was still at an easy pace as can talk normally but still faster than what I expected. That made me survive my long runs. If my sister's target run is shorter than mine, I will then wake up my wife who will then run with me for the remaining distance. I realize I don't really hate the long runs. I just hate running alone.

2. My marathon is coming in 1.5 months and I'm not training enough for it. I run only three times a week with one required long run at the end of the week. For the past three weeks, I just had a total of three runs and they were all short distanced! I'm not panicking yet but I know I need to build mileage and soon but too fast can make me lose the race without even starting it! I don't want that to happen as paid a lot for that race to push through (accomodations, race entry, flight, car) making it my most expensive race if you add up all these costs. But I have a huge leeway in terms of beating my first full mary. I only have to run consistently and not burn out or "hit the wall". I have advantages in terms of a flat course and cool weather but it may offset my lack of training. I really need to run more - at least add a day. I will do this starting next week and progress to five days a week to get used to running.

3. Starting this Sunday (but really last Sunday as already joined a race) I will be joining a race every weekend as part of my long run requirements. What will be hard won't be finishing the races but knowing that I still have to run more to meet my goals. The hardest of course will be the two 32km long runs I have to finish. One will be on October 4 and for that I will do the OctobeRUN race but that will just be a 16km distance race. I have to run very early before the race to avoid the sun! The next 32km will be on October 18, perfect for the Q.C. Race but caught in-between the half and full marathon. Do I do the half and run the remaining 10km or do the full and run the 32km and walk the last 10km as cooling down? And what about Per? What will she be doing the whole time? She will do the 10km but she said that I shouldn't worry about her as she can keep herself occupied. Saturday afternoon, we will be at Fort Bonifacio with a lot of cash as we will go to a lot of stores (Runnr, Mizuno, Nike, ROX) to register for all the races of October. We are back in the running world. But did we leave at all ?

4. I hate training for a marathon. When you want to lie in bed and just watch a DVD but at the back of your mind, you know you have to get up to run. It feels like cheating yourself and that is one thing you do not want to do or pay for the consequence come race day. I tell Per that this would be my last marathon as training for one drains me out. She doesn't believe me as I said that before when training for my first full mary and now here I am again, training for my second. I laugh at her comment but appreciate her support. In all honesty, I have a feeling she may be right in her observation!

5. I don't care anymore for getting a new 10km, 15km, 21km PR. My only goal is to get a new 42km PR. So I use the races to finish my long runs. Still, I get frustrated that I am slowing down when a few months ago I was speeding to the finish line. But maybe this method is better rather than speeding to the finish line and walking the last 5km that I need to complete due to depletion of energy at the race.

6. I need to buy running clothes for USA. I need long sleeves shirt and pants or I may freeze while there. Heard about compress pants and curious about it. But it just doesn't look good on me. Or I am just not used to it? The high price tag doesn't help! Decisions decisions! A skull cap would be awesome as well.

7. I misplaced my Ipod Shuffle but now, I don't need it. I prefer to be running with the silence. Listening to my thoughts than to music. Hearing my feet shuffle. Conscious about how my arms move and if they are relaxed enough. Seeing the sights around me. Seeing friends and family in races. Talking to my wife, friends or siblings while running is better than listening to music. But that's just me. Or that's just me NOW.

8. I need to do core work, cross training and strength training but now, with no time to even run. I forego all these things. Thinking of going back to the gym next year too. Still interested in reading Runner's World magazines but not excited as I was before. Am I burning out with the sport? Hmmm...

9. Even if I say I hate training for a run and seem to be burning out at times, running still helps me de-stress. It makes me relax afterwards. It clears up my mind and thoughts. It's something I can continue doing. So maybe I really am going to quit on marathon training after this and just do short runs. That way, I can still continue running whenever I want to and not be pressured by the training. I feel that the half marathon is my most comfortable pace anyway. Full is way too long and 10km is way too fast for me....

10. But I still can't escape the drawing power of a full marathon. Especially when you plan your next one. And before you know it, I have on impulse registered for my next non-refundable 42km race again and so begins again the vicious cycle....

RFB Signing Off!

RotaRUN (Sept 20, 2009) -Post Race

DISAPPOINTED!

The RotaRUN was the first race that Per and I joined after having a change in status quo. It was memorable that way but instead of being excited, we were fearful for it. The reason behind this fear is that for the past three weeks we have logged in very little or didn’t do any runs at all (me for the former and Per for the latter). There was just no time what with the moving to a new place, travelling, etc. It was hard to insert a 1-hour or more run in our already tight schedule. Our fitness level most certainly dropped and we will have a hard time running again.

But we didn’t expect this when we registered for said race a month ago. I figured there was always time to do a run as it had become a routine for us. So, I eagerly registered for the half marathon race while Per went for the 15km distance race. The come on for me would be the finisher medal at the end of the race (at that time, it was offered to all categories but was subsequently revised to just the 21km race after a switch of organizers).

Now, come race day, we are faced with fears on whether we would burn out from the long endurance and the very intense route that McKinley Hills is known for. Per’s strategy is to complete the first 10km by running it and if she is tired, she will just walk the remaining 5km. My strategy would be a long slow run at a constant pace. No speeding for the two of us and very cautious in the race pace. Our goals would only be to complete the race strong and not “hit the wall”. “Hitting the wall” has happened as often as achieving the runner’s high and that is one thing that we want to avoid.

Upon checking the takbo.ph website the previous day, I found out that the race start was amended to 5:30AM so on race day, I was very much surprised as to WHY the 21km race started 10 minutes before the already amended race time? They shouldn’t have revised the schedule and just stuck with the 5:15am time if they wouldn’t follow it. Better for us to be there early than to be panicking once we heard the race had started! The parking was horrible when we got there with the long line to the entrance. Good thing my sister found a way to leave the car somewhere and run to the starting line. I still didn’t make it on time due to the earlier than expected starting time but at least I was just off by 2 minutes at the most. Who knows how delayed I would be had we stayed at the line heading into the car park.

Luckily, I had my Garmin with me so even with my late start, I can base my finish time on my watch instead of the official time. My legs felt heavy at the beginning of the race especially with the uphill climb but eventually it got used to running and I was going at a constant pace. I made it a point to stop at every water station and get for myself a cup of water or sports drink. I made sure to go at a slow pace and conserved my energy. Even after the 10km mark , I was still conservative in my pace as “hitting the wall” can happen at any time. I saw Per at her 10km mark and she seemed to be doing okay. So far so good!

Nat gave me a pack of GU gel but I kept it as a last resort as figured the sports drink are already helpful for this race. I was thinking of taking the GU at 16km mark and speeding for the final 5km. And that’s when I saw Jay running back towards Heritage Park. It was clear he was over and doing a long run (in preparation for another marathon maybe?). What I didn’t expect was when he shouted that it’s just 17km. What? Did I hear him right? Is he correct? NO WAY! At that point, I was still saving my strength and checking on my breathing and thinking whether I should go out fast given that I was at 16km already. But I was hoping that it wasn’t true. It was really weird to have this large a discrepancy as organized by a very popular Philippine running website. Unfortunately, it was true. Those who didn’t know of the shorter distance would think they got a new (and a fantastic) half marathon PR. Those sporting Garmins, Polar, Timex, Nike+ watches went back to running to complete the 21km or even go longer as part of their marathon programs.

The organizers delivered on their promise for a finisher medal but when I read that it says “21km Finisher”, it felt like I cheated to get this medal as didn’t run even close to that distance, and so I ran another 4km to reach the quota. I was able to run and find Per and help her finish her race (where she got a new 15km PR). For the remaining 2km I had to do, I just ran-walked at McKinley Hills.

This one big factor made it the worst race for me to date and I really, really hope this will not happen again in the future. If the organizers had already known about the shortened distance, they could have at least mentioned it prior to the start of the race or at least included in their amendments that it is just an 18-km distance race… but I guess they couldn’t do that as they have already made their finisher medals. Had they done this, I would have a better measurement of the right pace and not conserved as much as what I did in this race.

For comparison sake on ratio and proportion, it is like training for a full marathon, finishing it at a very good time but finding afterwards that the distance was just 36km. How would you feel? Will you consider yourself a marathoner and wear your finisher medal proudly or will you feel bad that all that training has gone to waste? Will you run an additional 6km just to complete the distance although time for that additional distance was not recorded?

That was exactly what I felt when I crossed the finish line. A very disappointed race indeed…


Per with her finisher certificate

Me with my ummm "21km" finisher medal.