12 minutes late(and gasping for air .. again!) – that was my reaction when I saw the 21k timer at the starting line. I was hoping that I arrived just in time but the queue in the parking area was so long. At that point I was already contemplating on running the 15k race instead.
Fortunately, Ian Alacar (the race director) was very supportive in giving me directions for the 21k race route and off I went to run the 21k race alone.
This was the first time that I ran alone in order to catch up with runners who started way ahead of me. The thing is, I have already sprinted (without any warm up) to the starting line from the parking area ; and here I am again literally sprinting to catch up with the runners.
I was already walking before I reached the first KM. Who was I fooling ? I couldn’t reach them no matter what – or so I thought, after about an hour and after the fast 15k runners went past me, I was able to catch up with the last 20 percent of the 21k runners. It was only at this point that I felt good about myself
This was a well-organized race, I mean if it weren’t for the road signs and the helpful men in uniform, I wouldn’t have been able to catch up with the runners from my race.
The only thing is, I thought that we were still going to run another loop as we returned to the McKinley area – so you could imagine my surprise when we were told that there were only 400 meters left before the finish line.
This would have been a close to perfect race, were it not for the short distance
Knowing how bad the weather would be , I decided to arrive early for this road race. I arrived at around 4:45 am. When I got there, it was announced that the race was moved to 5:30 am due to the rain.
There was a warm-up exercise before the start of the 21k event, I entered the coral as the said exercise was about to end. I saw some runner friends and had a chat with them – and then it happened, the gun was fired and off we went.
For me, this was a well-organized race. There were adequate water and gatorade stations along the route, plus … I was able to run in the Glorietta area even though it was raining very hard
I finsihed the race at 2:24 (unofficial), just a few more minutes and i’ll be able to beat my personal best at 2:18.
It’s timely though, that it was raining during a run dedicated to saving Mother Earth
4:17 AM – This can’t be right, the last thing I remember was hitting the snooze button of my mobile phone’s alarm clock about an hour ago!
So off I hurriedly went to the starting line of Globe’s Run for Home at the NBC tent. I thought that I wouldn’t make it on time because of the long queue towards the parking area behind ROX which was reserved for VIPs. It’s a good thing though that I have already installed the champion chip on my shoe the night before.
The Preparation This part I like the most, like an obedient running student, I did my best to consume a lot of carbs after getting my race packet from BHS last Friday.
I also ate more the night before :
You know, I think that I did this part so well that I have loaded enough carbs for an Ultramarathon. Ha! Hmm … does it say in the manual that I really have to run in order to prepare for a half-marathon ?
Barely Making It
I can still remember running towards the starting line when the voice over the PA system is telling the 21k runners that the race is about to start in 45 seconds.
I was able to make it about 5 seconds before I heard the gun. It was about this time when I started my stretching routine. There were a lot of participants in this race that it really took time to dash from the starting line up to the entrance of the corral. For a minute there, I thought that this was the 5k race
Paligsahan ng Palakasan ng Busina
What can I say ? It’s a race that started on time and the chirps produced by the timing chips were like music to my ears. The route along Ayala Avenue .. fabulous ! I have worked in Makati for such a long time already but I don’t remember being able to run along the said road.
Hydration? There were enough 100 plus drinks to flood the entire city!
As we were running through Paseo De Roxas, I have noticed a lot of drivers who were blowing their horns as if there was a prize for the one with the biggest horn (pun intended). I have noticed that this behavior is so unlike those foreigners which I have encountered in previous races who instead of getting grumpy, would actually get out of their vehicles and cheer on the runners.
Hammer Time!
Nope that was not MC Hammer, that was me reaching for my 2nd Hammer Gel sachet, but alas! I didn’t have it. I have only brought 1 sachet with me for this race. It’s a good thing that I have brought a few bite size Cloud 9 bars with me. Even if it was not as effective as the gel, it helped me get through the race. There were times when I could’ve pushed harder but whenever I felt the onset of cramps, I would slow down … the nail could’ve used a hammer this time.
The Result
“Wow Hi-tech!” – That was my first reaction when I heard that timing chips will be used for this race but up to now, I am still waiting for the results to be published. Since timing chips are new in our country, maybe we should give the organizers time to adapt to this technology. I’m sure we will all be happy once the results come out. I finished my run at around 2:31 in my watch – no improvement compared to my Milo performance.
For me, that phrase equates to what others may deem an ode. Although I missed the cut-off by one minute, it was still one hell of an experience.
For this race, I left my car at home and instead took a cab from my house to Km 0 due to the anticipated traffic and lack of parking space. I was early enough to see the lead pack of the 42k runners along Roxas Boulevard on my way to KM 0. I arrived at the starting area at around 4:45 am.
The atmosphere in the starting area was festive, the kids who I think are joining the 3km race are all over the place, excited as if they are going to be handed out goodies just by joining the event.
The way I see it, the Milo marathon touches every participant’s life, be it the grade school children or the oldest runner. I myself, have always looked forward to joining this event ever since I was a kid. Thanks to the internet and informative sites such as Takbo.ph, I can now easily get information on road races in the Metro with just a click of the mouse.
When I entered the corral, I saw Ian, my officemates and other familiar faces.
After the warm-up the 21k race started on time (what else do you expect from a Rudy Biscocho race ?). There were a lot of water stations , no .. not just water stations but cold Gatorade aid stations! So my excuse of not finishing this race due to dehydration is just simply .. gone
The race went well, the organizers were able to cordon a part of Roxas Boulevard for the safety of the runners.
There were water trucks (I think there were 2) which served as “water spray stations” along the route and I tried my best avoiding them since I don’t want to get blisters. It was really a difficult choice at that point between choosing the blisters or the heat of the sun
When I reached the PSBank turn-around along Buendia, I felt a familiar “sting” in my right calf and before I knew it, I was already suffering from cramps. This had me worried since it is not yet time to consume the second of the 3 sachets of hammer gel that I have. I know that it should be taken 15 minutes before and every 45 minutes thereafter but since I am on a budget, I usually take my first one 1 hour after and every hour after that. That formula has worked for me before but I guess, sometimes , things don’t work out the way you want them to.
I ended up consuming all 3 sachets (I normally consume only 2 when running 21k) but that didn’t help because instead of walk/run, it was limp/run from this point. I knew I should’ve taken the bananas they were handing out near the Pasong Tamo intersection!
When I reached the last aid station, I asked one of the guys manning the station to pour cold water on me, to which he obliged. (thank you very much!) That made me feel really good, I wasn’t worried about blisters anymore since there were only 2 kilometers to go until the KM 0 marker.
As I was about to reach Kalaw, I ran as fast as I could but to my dismay, the finish line was at the Quirino Grandstand, some 500m away from the marker; it was at this point that I decided to walk/jog until I reached the finish line.
Although my 21k results are getting slower with each race, I still feel fulfilled to be able to complete a 21k race even if I don’t have regular training save for the occasional slow runs every Sunday.
When I woke up the next day at 2:00 am (I have a 4:45 flight bound for Cebu), I was barely able to walk, this is the first time I felt excruciating pain on my right knee the day after a race, but in spite of the pain, this is definitely an event I will never forget because this is my first Milo race!
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate my friend Isko Lapira who has completed his first marathon despite being a veteran of BDM 102 and has finshed 9th during the previous week’s botak 100km PAA-Tibayan : “Tol, you’re really bad to the bone!” Nyahaha!
Running is addictive … once you start, you just want to keep on increasing your dose. I remembered running my first race which was a 10k during last year’s VSO held at the fort. After a few 10ks I ran my 1st 15k during Asian Hospital’s Run New and then my 1st half-marathon which was the Condura Race.
I was actually planning back then on making Botak my first full marathon. Lucky for me, I had so many deadlines at work that I had to forego of that plan and instead registered for the half-marathon. Had I been stubborn and pushed through with it, last Sunday’s run would have been a very painful memory.
Me and my friend Ian weren’t expecting PRs for this race as I didn’t have enough time to train (my weekly mileage went down from 38 to 0 after pacing for our friend Isko in BDM 102) and Ian is under the weather. So, we decided to aim for a finish somewhere between 2:15 and 2:30.
We were able to finish it with 2:29:29 on my watch.
Observations :
There was a water truck in the Kalayaan flyover. Sweet!
Excellent singlets. I don’t wear singlets anymore but I have to make an exception in this case.
Lots of Gatorade at the finish line.
There was also an awesome band at the finish line.
The race started late. It started at 6:00 am. Starting a 21k race during the summer months in the Philippines is not cool (literally).
There were not enough water cups in the aid stations ; luckily I brought a disposable hand-held water bottle with me which I conveniently refilled whenever I reach an aid station.
Since this race involves a lot of “turn-arounds”; they should have added road marshals as I was almost side-swiped by a passenger jeep along Kalayaan Avenue on our way to Rockwell.
I know that It is difficult to organize a full marathon so I won’t make a big deal about the inconveniences I experienced in the half-marathon race, instead I would like to encourage Botak to improve their service for their next long distance race.
