Here I thought, being a part of the support van was as easy as … handing out the bottles in succession, or whenever they need it. Giving them GU when they need it already, and taking videos and pictures of them while listening to feel-good music and resting my back on the rows of seats in the support van (haven’t had enough decent sleep rushing projects just to be able to come through for my brother). Yeah, THAT part was easy. Stopping every how-many-minutes was very tiring! Waiting for them if they needed anything more was stressful! I’m just glad Kuya Eugene and Kuya Ian aka Seabiskwit were able to finish their first marathon together! Woohoo!
During the early part of the race: The three guys, whom I will label as the “Tres Hermanos”, Kuya Isko aka Super Pinoy, Kuya Ian aka Seabiskwit, and Kuya Eugene
Kuya Jeff Abenina on the lead, president of Camanava Runners. Woohoo! Go Kuya Jeff!!
Tried to get a shot of runners halfway through the race, even if water in almost four aid stations have run out!
Was trying to get a shot of the Tres Hermanos under this supposed good lighting spot we found along the road where we parked and saw the Running Ninja instead. Go Sam!
With the van support backing them up, I sorta checked up on how they were doing on the road while asking if they needed anything.
This part of the highway was too dark so Kuya Isko had to use a headlamp to help them be guided.
As I look back, I remember the first time I asked my sister to register me for a race. I eventually didn’t participate in the said 10k event because I was too lazy to wake up at 4am so that I could simply run. I quipped ”Why should I change my routine?”. I usually wake up at around 6:00am and do my 2.1km jog around The Fort area and more recently, around MOA. I even remember a female colleague telling me this: “Ano ba yan, papahirapan mo nalang sarili mo, magbabayad ka pa!”
I eventually joined my first race (which covered a distance of 10km) wearing my very old Nike cross trainers (the shoe’s sole had been replaced with locally available soles since the original air sole has already leaked).
… and here I am, 11 months and 3 running shoes after –> running my first ever full 42KM marathon.
What can I say? I didn’t even plan joining this event until 5 weeks ago. I was undertrained .
Thanks to the effort of ultra runner friend Isko who patiently trained me in such a short time, I was able to complete this run together with another running friend, Ian.
The concept of running SCTEX at night was very appealing to most of the people who participated in this event, after all, you can’t run along this route on a regular night (pun intended).
This could’ve been a next to perfect race except for the following:
• No water for four consecutive water stations – I think that the water stations were more than 2.5kms apart, so you could imagine how thirsty the other runners were when they came to our support vehicle (the white van with the team hardcore tarpaulin) asking if we had excess water /Gatorade/bananas/ hard-boiled eggs. We were able to help some of the runners since we have packed a little more than what we needed but our supplies were spread so thin that even we ran out of supplies and had to go thirsty and hungry ourselves. There were even times when some runners would approach me and ask me if they can have some of the contents of the Gatorade bottle I was carrying, I sympathized with them and gave them half of what I had – I really can’t stop expressing my disappointment on this aspect of the race. Where do they expect the runners to buy water in the middle of the SCTEX ?
• Lights – Although I came prepared because I have brought a headlamp with me – I experienced running through the darker parts of SCTEX since we returned the head lamp to the support vehicle after the Dinalupihan exit, not knowing that it was pitch black after that. We had to rely on the headlights used by the other support vehicles in order to find our way through the darkness.
In summary, I will never forget this race as this was my baptism of fire with a time of 5 hours, 34 minutes and 10 seconds. Too bad though that I and a lot of runners suffered from dehydration.
After the race, resident birthday boy and eponymous honorary member of NandN runners, Ian – treated us to a sumptuous feast at Aristocrat’s Restaurant.
We left Subic a little after midnight and arrived at BHS at around 2:30 am and slept in the parking area so that we can participate in the Adidas King Of The Road run which would start at 5:30 am. I participated in the 10k event (21k sounds tempting but I might injure myself in the process) – less than 9 hours after I finished my first marathon.
After what I have done, I hope I still have the stamina to join the Philippine International Marathon 42km 2 weeks from now
Adidas KOTR Finish Line
Jonel Mendoza and Jeff Abenina
Before The Run
GU .. Check! Shoe Laces .. Check
I'm getting ready getting ready .. oh boy what a day ...
And so it has come to this…just a day before it begins: Bolt’s first official marathon! His friends will be bringing a van and I’m hitching! We’re cooking food tonight and bringing stuff for support every 3KMs. If you’re in need of anything and if we can provide, just say the magic word: HOLLA!
After that, Adidas King of the Road! See you all and have fun for those running the Subic International Marathon tomorrow! Woohoo!
The time it took for me to finish a 10KM trail run is faster than what it took me to finish the QCIM-10km run. It would have been easier if I had enough sleep (my trouble with getting a decent rest before a run is starting to sound really monotonous). People say, “you always have to make time to train”… a daytime job, three projects, and a couple more coming in from the west makes me want to “run in place” and build on that stamina! Well, if only my imagination were strong enough to make my body believe that it’s training while working. Good luck with that.
Carbo-Loading slash Quezon City International Marathon Press Conference
On a not-so-hectic day for me after work, I had to run to Salcedo to give my strawberry cheesecake gift to a friend who will be celebrating her birthday that night (but one I couldn’t attend) because of a baby shower I had to go to in Shaw.
I ended up dropping by Quezon City circle for the Carbo-Loading get-together where Kenyans participating in the race were present.
Pacers were also presented: Jonel of Team Hardcore, Isko Lapira, Abet of Camanava Runners, some of whom I got introduced to that night.
Koyah Iskoh
Pacers!
Pacers Onstage!
Flapjacks for dinner! Yaaayy!
Below are vids from the get-together and advise these Kenyan runners provided
Quezon City International Marathon – Interview on Kenyan Runners
Run. Walk. Run. Ambushed. Run.
Got there at 4am, waited for Bolt to start on the marathon AND went to one of the benches to get some shuteye.
We were told the 10KM’s gun off was gonna be at 5:45am so I got up at 5:20 and walked to the starting line to stretch but found myself looking up on the stage as the sound of a gun signaled the race to begin. Ugh.
The band helped encourage, and I hope there were more along the road for the marathon runners.
Two words: negative split. No need to further explain that. However, I did try what I’ve been told to do. Make your arms swing back and forth and it will make you go faster because they will act as propellers. Uh-huh, I think I was able to outrun several runners who out-walk-ed me (my heart was “screaming” at me to stop) haha. Can you say “no training” a million times?
Pacers I saw
I got hollered by RunnerSpeak and this is how the interview went with Manny Paksiw…woohoo!! On second thought…it sounds a lot funnier when watched, so stay tuned!
Sonny Belmonte and his entourage near the finish line.
5KM “Runner” Hehe!
On The Lead!
What I Liked
I have no sense of direction. I can prove that by getting lost in a straight line, or losing my way in a strip. Haha, and please don’t try to prove me wrong because nobody can Thank God for color-coded markers!!!! My heart skips a beat when I get to approach one, but sinks down again when they aren’t blue (10KM…yes, gotta keep remembering that…blue. BLUE!!)
What I Hated
About 4KM left, I saw a Kenyan runner on the other half of the road trying to make his way to the water aid station but a guy was on the way (and he couldn’t stop) so he continued on. I saw that there were a couple of guys farther up the road: the first one holding two plastic bottles of water, the one on his left holding two bottles of Gatorade. As the Kenyan runner got near, the guy with the Gatorade bottles stepped back a little and the guy with the water bottles handed out one to a girl drinking water in front of him. The Kenyan had no choice but to snatch it from the guy’s hand because he wasn’t looking out on a runner who needed it the most. The worst part was the runner got pointed and sorta-scowled at by the water aid guy. I was on the “other side” of the road so there’s a chance that I might have misinterpreted the guy’s action but water aids should be handing out power drinks or water with their hand out at the road so it can be grabbed anytime. If you think this is wrong, then I just don’t know what else to say.
Going Home
Yes, I had to wait for my brother…ate breakfast at Max’s (woohooo thank you!), walked to Philcoa, rode a jeep, walked to the MRT and pretty much took the public transportation going home. That’s 10KM plus for the day, right before I crashed on the bed (having only 2 hours of sleep the night before).
I should have gone to bed already for the 10km run for the Milo Finals the next day…BUT since I ate a lot for dinner, by request of BUTTERFLY, I had to stay up for a little longer while drinking a lot of hot water to help me digest (“crazygrace logic” kicked in). Carbo-Loading (although not applicable for everyone) is usually done the day or the night before a run BUT I think I’ve had more of iron and protein from what I ate than carbs!!!! Just WRONG! Went straight to Kopiroti to consume tea (no Coffee Bean and Teal Leaf this time cos I’m cutting down on expenses haha).
October 11, 2009: Milo Finals
This was the first 10KM run I was able to fully participate in since my “vacation” and I actually got a bit nauseated by the thousands of runners around me. Here I was at it again: no training, and well…there was a bit of sleep, tho…but not much of what I needed, but yes, I just had to proceed. It took awhile before the 10KM run actually started, and I saw one of my professors from Benilde hosting the event (Mr. Jag Garcia). I did not try getting his attention anymore, but hollered on his facebook wall later that day instead…and so the race started.
At The Starting Line!
I couldn’t really remember much as I was more focused on breathing in and out deeply, and that if I had taken my proper dose of inhaler for my asthma half an hour before the race started (as prescribed by the doctor– running/slight consistent panting that’s a probable effect of running can trigger an asthma attack, from what I understood). First Gatorade tent, I stopped to get a cup and waited for about a minute before I was able to get one, half-filled. About another minute waiting for them to fill it up to the top (yes, I knew the time because I was singing a song in my head to calm me down). The girl did not fill it up, which I find illogical. The other runners would drink up the half-filled cups and ask for the same cups to be [half]filled-up again, equating to one small cup (or even more, as I have seen). Here I was, saving the girl some energy, by pointing to my cup, and she just wouldn’t fill it up to the top. Imagine that.
Never look back. I actually noticed that turning my head to see how many runners are eating my dirt (hahaha please don’t kill me for that) takes about the same amount of energy I would put out to run 100 meters in full effort. Yeah, well that’s still “crazygrace-logic” doing its job right there. Anyway, I got to the turnaround point at around 38:48:something-seconds, and since I take longer at finishing the second half (which I think is called negative split), I finished the run at [insert number here] … yes, I’m not saying it! BUT I’m proud of it in a sense that I was able to finish without training and without the much-needed sleep I was supposed to be banking on.
At the finish line, I later sat on the bleachers and saw Jerry barefooted walking towards us to greet us! I know it’s rude to stare (haha) but (!!) finishing a race like that was just legendary!
Waiting for Bolt to finish his first 32-kilometer run with Kuya Isko took about a couple of hours and did not occur to me as the most dreadful part of my life…at first! When I saw members of Team Hardcore and Camanava crossing the finish line without my brother, I almost screamed in panic. What the heck was I gonna tell my parents when I get home and asked where my BIG brother was!? Of course, I tried calling him several times. Panic is not usually my initial reaction, so I tried (really hard and with 100% effort) to calmly ask about Bolt. Haha. Here’s a picture of them before the turn-around point (I think).
Thanks to Decipher for the photo
Jonel of Team Hardcore looking out while my brother struggles (haha) to get to the finish line!
Talkin’ Talk!
The uh…half-marathon finisher slash marathon did-not-finisher-er? Congrats! Woohoo!
When I first thought of registering for this year’s Milo finals, I had the simple intention of improving my 21k PR
However, since I haven’t been able to train lately due to the bad weather brought about by the deluge as well as my very hectic work schedule, I still registered for the half marathon event but decided to run the last 32k of the marathon as a bandit.
I haven’t joined a race before as a bandit. Registering for the run made me feel less guilty (a half-bandit if you must, hehehe).
Isko told me that I must peak at around 30k to 35k before running the entire 42km, with that, I agreed to meet him at the corner of Buendia and Roxas Boulevard along with his running group, the CAMANAVA runners (Jeff and Albert).
They were able to reach the said location at around 5:45 am. I ran with them at a pace of around 6:30 to 7. At the corner of Pasong Tamo, the people from the takbo.ph booth were very generous – they gave us bananas, oranges and some even offered petroleum jelly; nothing really beats a booth manned by runners themselves.
I was also introduced to the Runner for Christ as we cruised along Buendia. We were running as a group until we reached the Fort area – it was really easy to spot us, we were among the many groups running the 42k while wearing different category race bibs.
We went our separate ways when we reached Bayani road on our return trip to the Quirino grandstand, I personally, couldn’t keep up with the stronger CAMANAVA runners who decided to run a bit faster than their current pace (or is it because I slowed down ?)
At around 8:30 AM, the Kalayaan flyover was opened to vehicular traffic, I think 8:30 was the cut-off time. I was still in the middle of the flyover at this time. It was ok as I was already about 1 km from descending the flyover, a MAPSA patrol car escorted me at first but left at around the last 500 meters.
When I reached Paseo De Roxas, I decided to run/walk on the sidewalk as it was difficult running along the asphalted road as I might be sideswiped by vehicular traffic.
As I approached the Washington area, I decided to walk again until I reached Taft Avenue since the elevated side walks along this area made it very difficult for me to run.
Seeing the LRT along Taft Avenue made the entire run more difficult since I was only two train stations away from home; but I told myself that no matter how tired I get or no matter how hot it gets, I will definitely end this race at the finish line at the Quirino grandstand.
As I passed by Taft Avenue, I have noticed that the lane dividers were still there, so I decided to run with my already “hardened” leg muscles in the temporary “runner’s lane”. I was surprised though as I was about to cross Leveriza St., there were about two jeepneys behind me ( in the runner’s lane) honking their horns! – oh well!
From this point, it was run/jog until Ceaser overtook me along the vicinity of the U.S. Embassy.
When I crossed the finish line, everybody was there to congratulate me on my first 32km – so that’s how it feels. Sweet!
Last year’s Fort Strider’s race was supposed to be the first road race that I was going to participate in. I registered for the 10km but due to my hectic work schedule, I wasn’t able to join.
As I have said before, there are two important things for me in a road race : safety and hydration. The distance- well as long as it doesn’t exceed a kilometer then I’m a bit ok with it. I said a bit – sabi nga nila, di baleng sobra, wag lang kulang.
I was able to finish 15++ Km (instead of 10 miles) in 1:38.
Congratulations to the Fort Strider’s for a well organized race.
At The Starting Line!
Thanks to Decipher for the photo
Jonel of Team Hardcore looking out while my brother struggles (haha) to get to the finish line!
Talkin’ Talk!
The uh…half-marathon finisher slash marathon did-not-finisher-er? 
Yes, we love cameras 
