With Jaymie, Atty. Raymund, and Vimz (ang pinakaseksing buntis sa balat ng lupa!)
My first cheek-to-cheek meeting with Bards, together with Mariel (soul mate and sole mate of Jun C.)
Finally! I'm so happy I met Rene, the jazzrunner for the first time! Also Noelle, ang pinakaseksing runner in the Century Run (visit her blog http://www.kikayrunner.com/ and you'll surely agree with me). And of course, my dear friend Quennie and soon-to-be Biggest Loser Rico.
Coach Rio hasn't slept a wink because of his most attended "Run of the Century". With him on the table are the lovely couple Jun C. and Mariel, Bards, Kaye, and the takbo.ph founder, Jinoe.Thank you, Coy Caballes for inviting me to the Bloggers' Launch of Globe Run Home. I had a wonderful time meeting new faces and chatting with old friends. The food was yummy and serving was really really generous. It was great knowing what to expect at the Globe Run for Home and the best part of all, we went home carrying our free race kits and more!
Before and After the Race:
Taken a few minutes before the race officially started.
Taken right after I crossed the finish line. Notice how the shape of my mouth and legs differ before and after the race?
MY STORY:
Confident that Makati is nearer to our place than the Fort, we left the house past 4:30 AM.
No hassle along the way. We arrived at Greenbelt at 5:00 AM.
But as soon as we parked the car, a civil war in my stomach suddenly erupted.
I went down to the ground level but the restroom was still closed.
I was getting desperate not knowing where to go. It's good that I asked the security guard and he directed me to the third floor level.
There, the war ended and my stomach achieved peace once again.
We ran to the starting line, wondering where it could be. We just followed the sounds and the direction of the other runners.
By the time I got inside the assembly area, it was announced that the race was about to start. I squeezed myself midway of the pack, and was greeted by Rene, the jazzrunner! And I thought I wouldn't be running alone this time.
I was wrong. After only a few meters, I lost sight of Rene.
And so, there I was, all alone again as in last year's Globe Run for Home.
So I just ran leisurely, just hoping that I don't finish last.
I was shocked that at the 3 km mark, my stopwatch showed 30 minutes! I couldn't believe that I've been running for 10 mins. per km. In my training runs, my slowest was 9 mins. I tried to run faster and at the 10 km mark, my time was 1 hr. 20 mins. So far, so good.
And so I thought.
It was a completely new route for me. When I passed by Lawton Avenue, Bayani Road, Philippine Navy, Heritage Park, the blogs that I read suddenly came into life! It was a nice feeling actually running these routes which I only imagined in the past.
I didn't know that running around the Heritage Park Circle could take forever.
I tried to console myself by looking at the graves, thanking the Lord that I was still fully alive and still running unlike those people buried underneath. I also said a short (which became long) prayer for them.
By the time I made my final exit from Heritage Park, I was so exhausted that I was forcing my legs to continue running.
When I passed by the Sunday Tiange, I wished I had money in my pocket to buy 1 pc. of banana to re energize me. I always bring money in my training runs -- how could I forget to bring now?
When I was about to give up, a young male runner asked me what time it was. I told him 7:35:37.
Then he asked me if we left 5:30 AM. I told him 5:20 AM.
Then in between heavy breaths, he blurted out: "hindi ko na ho kakayanin."
I walked with him and asked him if this was his first 21K. He said yes, though he already finished a lot of 10ks before.
I stayed with him for a while, urging him to just walk/run and he'll surely finish the race.
I told him that there's only 5 km left. It's only half of what he used to run.
Then I said good luck to him and left.
It was a weird feeling running from ROX towards the Kalayaan Flyover when our body's used to do it the other way around.
After descending the Kalayaan Flyover, I saw the "Last Kilometer" sign and like magic, my legs felt so much lighter.
I flew to the finish line and bargained (again!) with God that if I don't do a sub-3 hr, I'll never run again.
The cheering of friends (I was so fast I didn't even catch a glimpse of their faces) helped me to even run faster. Thank you, thank you all who cheered for me. If you're reading this, please tell me.
Masaya na ako. Dami naman akong nalampasan heh heh . . .
With the takbo.ph members, sent to me by Roselle, the Running Diva. If you have our photo at the Bloggers' Launch, please send me too.
With Quennie, whom I missed during the run.
While Coach Rio was being interviewed.
One last pose with Ate Ella before going home.
I will try my best to arrive early at the Earth Run this April 18 to meet more friends. It's gonna be 21k for me again. This is my last race before the TBR Dream Marathon in May 22.
