RUNNING is tough enough for most people, but to return to road racing after a long layoff is an uphill climb that tests one’s capability to rebound into the right form that it used to endure.
This was the situation I was in entering Saturday’s 38th Milo Marathon National Finals, the third time I competed in the Milo Marathon’s 5-kilometer race since October 2011.
Against thousands of other runners, I knew it was a tough challenge, but nonetheless took it on in order to motivate myself to get back into shape and prove to myself that I am still up to the challenge of running on the road.
But, in the end, taking on the challenge was all worth it as I finished second to a former broadcaster in the Men’s Media Race with a time of 30 minutes flat to gain some confidence that I still have the capability to challenge for a spot on the podium.
Since sending my intent to join the media race, I understood that my body was not the same wiry thin piece of mass that once competed in during my high-school days competing for the long-distance gold in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Since then, my body metamorphosed into a mixture of muscle and body mass gained during the years I switched events to hurdles, and then the years of dormancy after ending my competitive athletics stint in 2008.
Despite keeping an active lifestyle through basketball and cycling to work, my metabolism slowed down significantly, resulting to as much as 40 pounds of weight gained in recent months.
During the weeks leading to the race, I tried to acclimate myself to race conditions by waking up early and pacing myself with regular runs in order to be ready by the initial set race day on December 7.
However, a sudden postponement due to Typhoon Ruby affected my plans for the race—as well as thousands others who prepared for the day’s big run.
On race day, the weather shifted moods almost by the minute—from dry and humid to damp and cold—as the 5:30 a.m. gun start quickly approached and the clouds slowly lifted from the distance.
Together with fellow sportswriters Mark Escarlote and Mei-Lin Lozada, we sifted our way through the thick crowd and made it to the third wave of runners and managed to start in front of the pack. But as the gun was fired, my long-dormant racing instincts instantly kicked in and quickly left both of them behind with the rest.
At the first curve, I had to navigate the “walkers” from the previous wave of runners, which partially killed my forward momentum after zigzagging and adding more stress to my body that has not experienced a full-on race in a long time.
Just when I was able to get the groove of running the race, my legs started to give way at the first 1.5-km mark as age started to manifest through a throbbing sensation on my right Achilles heel and a winded feeling, compounded by a sudden shower that made the Diokno Boulevard stretch of the circuit slippery.
But with a little self-motivation and push, I managed to pull myself forward despite having to run at a slower pace in the next 3.5 kilometers in order to reach the final stretch.
With the finish line within reach, my body started to respond with a powerful second wind that resulted in a sprint finish with both arms in the air, as if I was the first finisher in the entire race.
In between the time that I breasted the tape and the race results and winners were announced, it didn’t matter to me anymore whether or not I got a place on the podium and felt that I already succeeded by completing the course.
Image credits: Roy Domingo