take two.
compare how my preparation went for my first marathon in january & my second one which happened yesterday. my mileage from april to june looks like a recipe for the most disastrous marathon ever but strangely, i was able to finish the first ever kawasan falls marathon under six hours!
i signed up for KFM not looking at the race course. all i know is that it covers the towns of badian, alegria and malabuyoc and that it will have a trail portion towards the finish line. sure, i read about the “rolling hills” part but i was imagining it would only be akin to salinas drive. we can all take on salinas drive even with our eyes closed, right? hell yes, but the KFM route was bitchier and boy, did it bitchslap us to crampsville!
photo credit: gj perral
but the good thing about not completely knowing the race course was that i got to walk to the starting line in high spirits even though i don’t think i slept a wink the night before. six of my TTB bros [one of whom chose to “devirginize” himself that day] were there and so were the rest of the usual suspects in the cebu running community so i knew i was in good company.
photo credit: sydney delos reyes
donna cruz-larrazabal, marathon mom and wife of race organizer dr. yong larrazabal, fired the starting gun at 5AM. around 400 runners for the full marathon distance answered it and went off to experience the most scenic marathon in the visayas region.
the promo for this event wasn’t kidding. the view was spectacular which was truly a refreshing change from the usual city races we have grown accustomed to. locals lined up the streets to cheer for us while kids would give high-fives. the motivations were heartwarming, you couldn’t help but greet everyone and high-five them back.
i maintained a very good pace with my running buddy during the first half. we almost forgot we didn’t have enough mileage in the bank as we were cruising towards malabuyoc and overtaking some runners in the process.
photo credit: james go
see? we had the happiest pair of feet during this part. we were obedient with the run-walk method and we made sure we stayed hydrated. the cool weather was a major factor in keeping us in the zone, too. a couple of local kids even yelled out, “ika-10 nga babae si #75!” i was almost tempted to throw caution to the wind [read: kebs sa akong zero training!] and try a podium finish but nah… i don’t do deathwishes like that :p
you know what they say: what comes up, must come down. and i’m not just talking about the drizzle that upgraded to a full-on downpour which drenched us on the return trip to kawasan. after an exhilarating first half, we had the exact opposite as we made our way back to badian. cramps kept creeping in so we had to walk it off A LOT.
photo credit: manny camacho
so this is what “hitting the wall” feels like, i thought. i didn’t encounter this much feared upon wall during my maiden marathon, but then again i was so primed for that, i could truly say it was painless! however, with this one, my thighs felt like lead already and i just wanted to be airlifted back to my team’s AIRCONDATIONED [hehe, inside joke] room in willy’s resort already and pretend i never signed up for this. i mean, who am i kidding? two half-marathons don’t guarantee a marathon finish, strong or otherwise!
or do they?
i tried to silence my inner demons by looking at my running buddy who was alternately hobbling, walking and slow jogging with me. if this fella finished a tough 65k ultramarathon with only having 30k as his longest run prior, i’m sure I can tackle this non-ultramarathon, too! with that in mind, we got our groove back and managed to haul our asses to the finish line, unscathed.
photo credit: lorebelle joy parcon
respect the distance. this has been reiterated one time too many to runners and i humbly echo its significance. respecting the distance does not only mean completing the course by not cheating. more importantly, it means training properly for it, mentally and physically. i could easily rebuff and say, “i’m not going for a PR anyway. it’s just going to be one long-ass fun run for me!” but truth be told, long-ass runs are no laughing matter. they’re potentially hazardous and may even result to injury for having too much too soon. i’m only fortunate that i didn’t have any problems like side stitches or breathing difficulty so my issue remains with my lower extremities.
as i dragged myself to the airport last night for the last flight out to manila [which was delayed to 11:20 pm, by the way], i assessed my legs. predictably, they were sore. like maybe how a college freshman would feel on her first hazing initiation rite. thank god for the free ice baths [read: kawasan falls!] which served as a soothing water therapy for our punished legs. hopefully, i wouldn’t get an injury with what i just did. the sudden surge in mileage doesn’t paint a pretty picture, if you really think about it.
but looking at my medal and recalling how i was able to pull through it, i can’t help but smile and say, “oh, fuck it. every kilometer was worth it!” i’m sure the rest of the finishers share the same sentiment ;)
age ain’t nothing but a race number :)
my own summer.
being the self-confessed beach whore island girl that i am, it’s simply ironic how this year’s summer never found me setting foot anywhere near the ocean. career got in the way, you see. i was plucked out from cebu as early as the second week of february for a half-year stint here in manila, so naturally, my sendoff party took place at the beach.
02.13.11 | portofino. after my “farewell run” which was the SM 2 SM half-marathon.
it rained that day, by the way.
however, despite the fact that summer has officially closed for the year, i’m determined not to let it pass me by. at least, not on my birth month which is july.
*cue drumroll* enter the kawasan falls marathon.
my second 42k. my shot at summer 2011.
training has been a challenge, what with the hectic schedule that i have and the unfamiliar territory that i’m presently in. but i know i’ll pull through. a quick trip to cebu & a destination full marathon are just what i need as a birthday treat, albeit a delayed one.
in the meantime, let me daydream about crossing the finish line unscathed, stripping down to my bikini and jumping into the cool waters of kawasan with my medal around my neck :)
rainy day fare.
sundays.
a typical sunday would find me bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as early as four in the morning. i’d be downing a peanut butter sandwich with a cup of coffee before driving off to the JP morgan building in i.t. park to meet my running buddies, Team TytsBogdo [TTB] for our weekly mileage requirement.
our long runs would take us anywhere from cebu city to another island [mactan], or it could span three zip codes and three bridges [old mactan bridge + marcelo fernan bridge + cansaga bay bridge]. those 2-3 hours of chi-running [actually, it’s just TTB code for chika-running] would be filled with laughter, pit stops, photo ops, more laughter and finally, a hearty breakfast before we each go on our separate ways to spend the rest of the day with our respective families.
and that’s just the first half of my sunday.
the second half would usually be spent with my mama. sunday is grocery day, but more important than that, it’s my weekly date with my mother.
okay, sometimes megan comes along, too, if we decide to hit somewhere outdoorsy, like paseo arcenas in banawa or i.t. park in lahug. but if not, it’s usually manicures, pedicures, window shopping, caffeine/fro-yo/dessert fix then the supermarket. that used to be my sunday afternoon itinerary.
occasionally, sundays would be spent in the beach somewhere with my co-workers, too.
sun + sand + barbecue + booze + friends = a well-spent sunday in cebu.
for three months, my sundays have changed. instead of the traditional early morning runs with TTB, i’m reluctantly doing laundry. instead of my weekly celebration of mother’s day, i’m either immersed in studying or doing my own groceries on a tight budget. instead of being on a boat somewhere off the coast of mactan island, having beer-soaked conversations with the funniest people ever, i’m on my laptop, finishing my required project papers and, okay, checking out facebook and dailymile and secretly dying of envy at the uploaded photos and workouts.
i cannot wait to have MY sundays back. but for now, i guess i just have to deal with laundry, solo grocery-shopping, stressful paperwork, and the occasional fun run in between.
may 2010, tramp stamp number four: a marriage of my two passions— running & canines. it’s only apt that the footprint & the paw print be fused in a yin-yang symbol. thanks to my go-to artist, ian cabrido, for the flawless execution. i’ve been itching to get my fifth tattoo ever since i finished my first full marathon last january. problem is, i can’t think of a design. oh well, maybe inspiration will hit me come september—after i finish my first ultramarathon.
