March 2012, I ran my first marathon in The Bull Runner Dream Marathon. It was indeed a life-changing experience. Dec 2, same year, I ran my first official ultramarathon in the 4th Philippine Association of Ultrarunners (PAU) Tagaytay to Nasugbu (T2N) 50k Ultra Marathon organized by the Bald Runner, Sir Jovie Narcise.
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| JC, Joy, Dennis, Riz, Joyce, Chona Sir Ted, Sir Jovie, me, Jonard, Rox, Sir Tony, Allan and Tope |
It was like a flash back to when Allan, Elvin and Tope did their first ultramarathon in the 3rd PAU T2N. I was one of the support crew. And now on 4th PAU T2N, I challenged myself and here I am on the starting line.
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| Girl Power! |
All runners gathered at the
starting line as Sir Jovie spoke with some words of encouragement and
race rules. After that, we were off.
It was a 50km run. Our pit stop was positioned every 5km so it required us to do some strategies. I wore a hydration belt for me to have a hydration whenever I needed it.
Warm Up.
I treated the first 5 kms as my warm up. I didn't stop on the first pit stop since I had enough hydration with me.
Chika Pace.
The next 10 kms turned into an easy run. In fact, it was a chatting time with Sir Tony. We talked about how we can conserve our energy to finish strong while we enjoyed the views and the cool weather. We didn't even notice that we're done with the first 15km.
Letting go.
Upon reaching the 3rd pit stop, I let go of my hydration belt since it brought me some discomfort while running from the very start. Instead, I settled with a bottle of Pocari Sweat. Then, I continued running with Sir Tony as my pacer.
Running Alone.
Under the sun.
It was a 50km run. Our pit stop was positioned every 5km so it required us to do some strategies. I wore a hydration belt for me to have a hydration whenever I needed it.
Warm Up.
I treated the first 5 kms as my warm up. I didn't stop on the first pit stop since I had enough hydration with me.
Chika Pace.
The next 10 kms turned into an easy run. In fact, it was a chatting time with Sir Tony. We talked about how we can conserve our energy to finish strong while we enjoyed the views and the cool weather. We didn't even notice that we're done with the first 15km.
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| -Chika pace with Sir Tony- (photo by Caliraya Runners |
Letting go.
Upon reaching the 3rd pit stop, I let go of my hydration belt since it brought me some discomfort while running from the very start. Instead, I settled with a bottle of Pocari Sweat. Then, I continued running with Sir Tony as my pacer.
Running Alone.
At the 4th pit stop (km 20), Aquiz got the Pocari bottle from me and gave a Nathan handheld which was full of ice cold water. That was better than just carrying an ordinary bottle. After refueling, I continued running. This time, I was alone because Sir Tony experienced knee pain. It made him stop and reached for some help from our support crew.
I found myself running alone at a good pace. I speed up during downhills while conserved energy going uphills. I walked if I needed to. I hydrate and took some chocolates to regain energy. I stopped at our pit stops and refill my hydration. I enjoyed sight-seeing and meeting new friends along the way. I paced with other runners that I just knew that day.
There's no wall at 32!
There's no wall at 32!
During marathons, I usually close to the wall at around the 32nd km. To my surprise, I was better and stronger when I reached it.
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Running under the scorching heat of the sun had never been easy. I walked for some time. I easily got dehydrated. I ran out of hydration since I used some water to pour over my head to cool my body.
I pushed myself up to the km35 which was supposedly the next pit stop. But due to unavoidable instances, our support crew were still not around. I looked for other support team or sari-sari store to grab some water but unfortunately, there was none. So I continued to run-walk until my support team catch up with me at km 36. I quickly hydrate and changed my shirt. That time, I also felt like I need to pee but since we didn't find any place for me, it was gone. Haha. And I'm ready to go again.
At km41, the call of nature was back so I humbly knocked at the nearest house and asked if I could use their comfort room. Thank God that Batanguenos were so generous. They allowed me to use it without a second thought.
Marathon then Walkathon.
I crossed the marathon distance and I find myself running at a steady pace which if I maintained up to the last kms will bring me to a sub6 finish.
But as time goes by, my legs were tired. At around km45, I experienced a sudden cramps which stopped me. I applied katinko but it was still painful. Thanks to our support crew to the rescue. I got a massage which lessen the pain.
After some refreshments, I get back on the road and tried to run again. The last part was composed of rolling hills and some flat and rocky terrains. The pain was still there so it was like I'm doing more walk than run. It hurts but DNF is not an option. Eventhough it would be a walkathon, I will finish.
The Quest for Petron.
The finish line was positioned in Petron so the last kilometer turned into a quest for Petron. When my GPS watch registered 50+kms, I still didn't saw any sign of finish line. I started whining until I saw a sign post that says "Petron - 500m". It made me smile and run again.
Run. Walk. Run. I thought it's only 500m but as time goes by, it seems so far. That was the longest 500m in my life.
Finally! After running for about 6hrs and 28mins, I crossed the finish line. I am an ultra marathoner now!
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The experience was all worthwhile. I had the best support team in the world, it's none other than the Team Rock and Road. Thank you teammates! Thanks also to Ate Annaly, Jose, Team Soleus and to other support group who helped me along the road.
Once again, Congratulations to all the finishers!
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
At km41, the call of nature was back so I humbly knocked at the nearest house and asked if I could use their comfort room. Thank God that Batanguenos were so generous. They allowed me to use it without a second thought.
Marathon then Walkathon.
I crossed the marathon distance and I find myself running at a steady pace which if I maintained up to the last kms will bring me to a sub6 finish.
But as time goes by, my legs were tired. At around km45, I experienced a sudden cramps which stopped me. I applied katinko but it was still painful. Thanks to our support crew to the rescue. I got a massage which lessen the pain.
After some refreshments, I get back on the road and tried to run again. The last part was composed of rolling hills and some flat and rocky terrains. The pain was still there so it was like I'm doing more walk than run. It hurts but DNF is not an option. Eventhough it would be a walkathon, I will finish.
The Quest for Petron.
The finish line was positioned in Petron so the last kilometer turned into a quest for Petron. When my GPS watch registered 50+kms, I still didn't saw any sign of finish line. I started whining until I saw a sign post that says "Petron - 500m". It made me smile and run again.
Run. Walk. Run. I thought it's only 500m but as time goes by, it seems so far. That was the longest 500m in my life.
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| (Photo by Kit Elma) |
________________________________
The experience was all worthwhile. I had the best support team in the world, it's none other than the Team Rock and Road. Thank you teammates! Thanks also to Ate Annaly, Jose, Team Soleus and to other support group who helped me along the road.
Once again, Congratulations to all the finishers!
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| -Finisher #105 with Sir Jovie- (photo by Aquiz) |
“Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.”
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