It was 2011 when i truly decided to say "yes" and embrace long distance running. I started running May 2009 and i got hooked and decided to join short distance races mostly 5k. Last quarter of 2010 was a turn around year for me. I joined the 3rd leg of Run United Series which includes the Afroman challenge 32k distance (FYI: 32k distance is specially chosen distance wherein most marathoners encounter the famous "the wall" at that precise point. Running or even conquering the Afroman distance is said to be an ideal training for first time marathoners). But hey, i didn't run the distance hehe.. instead i ran the 15k distance. It was my first to go beyond 10k so I'm a bit excited and nervous that time. In every race, I always pray for an injury free run. Of course you'll never know what's ahead when you're on the road. My personal goal that time is to just finish the race (no more, no less). I will not aim for best time and I will not mind John's pace (running buddy, my niece's bf who also joined the 15k distance) hahaha.. What I'm afraid that time was to be declared as DNF (did not finish). Of course, I really want to finish it and I know for a fact that Runrio is generous with their cut off times. So the problem is with myself :)
After 10k mark, I'm so glad that I'm still alive hehe but John was already few kilometers ahead of me. I took my time and was really happy seeing familiar faces of runners. It felt so good to see people who have same passion with you. I was encouraged and continued my run to the finish line.
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| 15k race route |
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| one more step to finish :) |
Note: I previously blogged this event (Unexpected race kit). I blogged it due to excitement and surprise.. haha..you may check the pictures as well.
After RU2 2010, I decided to sign up for my first half marathon race
Run for Dolphins - Condura Skyway Marathon 2011 scheduled on February 7, 2011
. This is one of my memorable races so far. Memorable because it's my first pikermi run (pikermi is a term coined for half marathon distance). Second, I got injured (triggered due to previous injuries during training). Lastly, I decided to rest for a month or two and start running again like a newbie hehehe.. but i know all of these are part of taking the risk of going beyond my comfort zone. So what i promised is to run the same event after a year. You might want to check these
training tips from my previous post.
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| half mary race route |
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It's so nice to see Tessa Prieto Valdez during the last stretch
photo courtesy of Jpeg Mendoza |
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| 21k is no longer a karat of gold |
I'd like to summarize this entry with a quote from Paul Tergat, a Kenyan professional Marathoner.
"Ask yourself: 'Can I give more?'. The answer is usually: 'Yes'."
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