RUNNING has never been my passion. In fact, I used to hate the long walks that I had to endure every time I commute and ride the MRT to the office and the way back home because each time, I had to carry with me my more-than-normal body weight. A hundred people could probably attest at how I slowly lost pound after pound when I started to choose healthy living.
It may have started with the RPM classes I had at the gym I was enrolled in. With those classes I gained endurance and stamina, which I thought I could never have given my stout body. As I lost weight and toned some muscles from exercising at the gym, I felt the MRT walks had became a breeze and when I need to beat the time, I ran.
This time I feel in love with running. I don’t know why but running has improved my self-confidence, and it has inspired me to continue my self-proclaimed belief that I can be healthy and physically fit with just using and moving my two legs. My confidence got so that I participated in a marathon one time, which turned out OK for a starter.
And so when I received an invite to participate in Run United Cebu, a marathon organized by Unilab Active Health and RunRio Inc., I confirmed my registration without hesitation. Beyond the health and fitness benefits that I would get from joining the event, it would be an opportunity for me to break my own previous marathon record. I would not race with others to win in Run United Cebu—I still have a lot of training to go through before I can call myself a marathoner—I would race with myself.
On December 18 the Run United Provincial Leg Series held its fifth and final leg in Cebu City. The same event was previously conducted by Unilab and RunRio in Davao, Iloilo, Bacolod and Baguio this year. Run United Cebu also ranks second to Manila in terms of the number of participants at 3,420. The final leg also introduced the the 500-meter dash category for kids in addition to the three-, five-, 10- and 21-kilometer races.
I enlisted myself in the five-kilometer race—a new challenge that I needed to face. Days before the race, I set my mind that I could finish the race in no time, even if I would be last person to cross the finish line. My thoughts were intermittently disrupted by the news of an upcoming tropical storm in Mindanao on December 17 which could affect the weather in the Visayas. I’m not that fond of flying.
On December 17, the Run United participants I met at the airport, composed of bloggers, professional runners and some members of the media, became more tense as news came in about Tropical Storm Sendong already ravaging some places in Mindanao. We arrived in Cebu safe and sound somehow.
Race Day
AFTER a cup of coffee, the group made its way to the race venue. The cold morning brought chills among the participants as we walked toward the start of the race. After getting my singlet, I performed some stretches, which warmed me up good. Others did the same. We were now ready to run.
Fifteen minutes after the 10-kilometer gun was fired, our own gun went off. I missed seeing Bryan, my officemate who was participating in the 10-kilometer race, but thought I could meet him halfway on the road.
I was in the middle of the mass of people, which took me a few seconds to get going. I was surprised at how crowded our race was. The beginning of the race was around the AsiaTown I.T. Park toward a small service road, making the track very tight for the more than a thousand runners. I started off nice and easy, sometimes making poses with the group for the cameras, before heading outside of the park. Because of the bad weather going on in the south, Cebu’s weather was a bit chilly and damp that morning. Despite that, I was surprised to learn that my initial pace was under 10 minutes.
At around 1.5 kilometers or so, I saw other runners and caught up with them. I ran at their pace which was quite good because it slowed me down and allowed me to save some energy. After some time, I ran more quickly and left the other runners.
When I reached the 2.5-kilometer mark, my time was 20 minutes and I was pacing an average of eight minutes. I felt good on the first half and I felt I was doing a good job of keeping myself hydrated at drinking stops.
At the start of the second half, I quickened my pace a bit and started leaving some more runners behind. The second half was pretty hilly and I could feel my throat running dry as well. I managed to maintain my pace without making a full stop to rest, passing more and more runners.
The last few kilometers, however, were tougher than the ones I had passed. I kept myself motivated by thinking of the next drinking stop or cheering stop. I could really need a bottle of Powerade at that moment. I could feel my energy draining and for the first time I felt tired. My foot was hurting badly. When I reached the 3-kilometer mark, my time was under 30 minutes. I might just get to the finish line under 40.
I finally got hydrated and regained my strength when I reached the drinking stop at about 3.5 kilometers. I badly needed that to tackle the rest of the race. It was hard to judge where the last kilometer began, though, because there was no sign. I knew I was getting close; I just need to run and run and run.
I passed one old man in his 60s and one woman who was running in tandem with me in the last couple of kilometers. With the goal of just crossing the finish line, I sprinted more toward the finish until I crossed it.
Tired and breathing heavily, I could only figure a man taking off my time chip from my wrist. He also gave me a plaque and took my picture, but all that became a blur to me.
I had to breathe a few more seconds before I realized I had finished the race and made quite a feat at 45 minutes.
Oh no, that is not a great running time for marathoners, experienced runners and professional athletes. I know. But for me it was my greatest. I broke my own running record, and this was my first time running a five-kilometer race.
Besides, the race brought me an achievement I could seldom feel anywhere else. The joy of running really has its perks and privileges—besides maintaining an active lifestyle, you get to meet people, visit some places, score achievements and, most of all, build the confidence that, yes, you can do it.
