This race is the opening salvo for runners this year. Late
November last year, the 16K and 21K slots were already sold out. It was a good thing that we decided to
register for 16K as soon as we were able to survive our Milo 10K run.
Why the 16K and not the 21K?
Well, I didn’t want to rush things. I am the type of person who sticks
to the plan. I am already training for 21K and based on the schedule, I’m
supposed to run around 15-18K this week.
So, just to add spice to the training, we decided to sign up. Other motivations are, of course, the
give-aways, like the finisher’s shirt and the medal (aside from the singlet, of
course).
SO how did it go?
We were at the site at around 4:30 AM. The gun time was at
5:20, so we still have time to do some warm ups and other prep stuff. I thought running the new distance was going
to be a grueling task so I had some muesli and a half-glass of milk for early
breakfast.
The gun start was not the usual. It was a bell, like the one
they use at the PSE trading hall. At
5:15, the 21K runners sped off, shortly followed by us, the 16K runners.
As mentioned by last year’s participants, hydration was a
problem. So, I made sure to bring my own drink (water with some Gatorade). Indeed, it was a good move. The first hydration
stop, though, was at 500m. Can you
believe that? Who gets thirsty after
running just 500 meters? Anyway, at 3K
there was no hydration. I even overheard somebody complaining about it. Hydration came at around 5K and after that
though, there was a continuous supply at regular intervals so I didn’t hear any
more complaints. There was also a supply of Pocari sweat, which turns out to be
nice drink, and I had it for a couple of times.
The refreshing experience I had was with the water shower. Too
bad, though, that the singlet seemed to be not so dri fit, since I was dripping
wet (especially on my tummy part).
The first 10K was smooth, and it wasn’t really that
hard. In fact, I even broke my personal record
in the Milo 10K run. But, when I approached
the Kalayaan flyover, it was really a struggle. I was able to run the first
pass. But coming back, I did feel the
drain of energy. My feet were so heavy
it was really difficult to run. So, I
walked going up the flyover. It was
bliss going down; however, the last 3K was done using the walk-and-run
strategy. The flyover had really zapped a
lot of my energy.
I finished the 16K at 2 hours, 12 minutes and 42 seconds. I bested 242 runners (being ranked 426 out of 668, not so bad! LOL)
It was really exhilarating crossing the
finish line. I even lingered at the shower area for a while.
Then I gulped an iced can of Pocari sweat. So sweet!
