Skyathon Surf and Beach Run: Pacer Duty!

I will never forget this race event because there were a lot of "firsts" for me.

1. first time to travel to Boracay alone.
2. first time to miss my flight.
3. first time to arrive in Boracay at night.
4. first time to run on the beach.
5. first time to pace someone.

It would've been nice to also include: "my first podium finish". But alas, it really wasn't my intention to actually race. I just wanted to run. Since it was my first time to run on the beach ever, I just wanted to take it slow and soak it all up.

My future sis-in-law was asked to grace the event. She also runs on the treadmill every time she goes to the gym so I knew she could totally do the 5K run. I was very insistent, determined to make her sign up. Almost held her at gun-point even. Ok that's not true.



Anyway, she finally gave in, just a few minutes before gun start. We got picked up from our resort (Boracay Regency Lagoon) and was dropped off at Guilly's, where the start line was. The host from TRAP was already giving instructions. It was all basic stuff anyway. There were just a few participants. And for a while there, I felt I was tempted to forget about the "soaking it all in" plan and just really race. But pacing Cherie was more fun, I have to say.

Last few reminders

So, fast forward to our run. It was basically run/walk/talk. Hehe! We were just enjoying the beauty of Boracay in the morning. We would run a couple of meters at a pace of 6:30, then would do walk and talk breaks. :p I looked at the other runners who already made a U-turn and noticed that there weren't any females yet. I had a feeling I would see Noelle first. And a few minutes later, I did! I cheered her on as she sped past us. Go Noelle!

Spotted: Cherie and I on a walk break

I'm glad we decided to wear shoes as per the advice of Coach Ani de Leon (had to ask her through email). I decided to wear my Nike Free Shoes which was perfect for the beach. On the other hand, I wouldn't wear them when running on pavement. Or else, hello injury!

When we were nearing the finish line, I ran ahead so I could take a pic of Cherie crossing the finish line. And so I did. I saw Noelle, cheering me on and the others who have already finished, clapping and cheering, "Go Julie!" BUT...The emcee, on the microphone for all to hear, jokingly asked me, "hey what happened? Did you just walk?" , then he laughs.

I have to be totally honest. That injured my ego a bit. I wanted to challenge him right there and then to a 5K race, just me and him! Ugh! But ok, he didn't know I was a real runner and I didn't have a sign on me that said I was on pacer duty. K Fine. Let it go. Haha! =p

As Cherie crossed the finish line, everyone had their cameras out. I was a proud pacer! We didn't care about our time. I just wanted her to actually start and finish her very first race ever. And she did! Like Markhernz said on his tweet to me, "Walang PR sa Boracay (No PR in Boracay)". My very first pacer job, DONE. And I'm glad it was for my sistah, Cherie.

5K the Cherie way: Crossing the finish line!

The 5K finisher and pacer

I wanted to run some more, so I did another 5K on my own at my own pace this time. When I was near the finish line, some of the runners were already picking up trash (as part of the beach clean up after the race). One participant saw me and said, "O, may naiwan pa pala." I wanted to scream at him and say, "Kanina pa ako tapos ok?! I'm just doing another 5K!" Ugh! Some people.

Didn't know I was so sensitive in the morning. Hahaha! =p

My ego is a little bruised but my heart is happy. This is one race event I will never forget. Fo sho!

MY RACE REVIEW:

I only had to pay PHP300 since I signed up early (between March 1-April 4, 2010).

Likes:

• fantastic location for beach running
• enough water stations
  
• giveaways: fan, bag, shampoo and conditioner sachets, Centrum samples
  
• breakfast
• singlet AND finisher's shirt
• medals for winners
  
• event party at night w/ free drinks (The Bar and Tequila)
  
  

My suggestions for next year:

• better prizes for category winners
• energy drinks included at hydration stations
  

Not bad at all considering this is the very first run event they (Sky Cable and Keep Me Posted) organized. Oh and I should include: "gained fab new friends" to the list as well. Can't wait for next year's skyathon!

JR, Cherie, Preston, Thons, and moi

Event: Skyathon Bora Surf and Beach Run
Date: April 24, 2010, 6am
Venue: Beachfront of Guilly's Island, Station 1 ,Boracay, Aklan
Distance: 5K

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Earth Day Run 2010: Sub-2:30 Baby!

Three seems to be the right number of times to attempt a sub-2:30 time for a Pikermi. Two isn't enough. Four is too many.

I don't know what I was thinking when I asked Carina and Tere to be my pacers for the Earth Run. To be totally honest, I wasn't hoping for a sub-2:30. I just wanted to do a little better than my last 21K (2:36) and finish at a humble 2:32. Yes, I was pretty contented with that time.

I do not own a Garmin (yet!), so I really had to rely on Carina (who does) to set the pace for me and tell me when to run or take a walk break (we did a 5:1 Galloway). However, Carina wasn't able to wear her Garmin! Good thing Carlo was there! So he was officially our time-keeper.

Our "blocking": Carina & Carlo always in front of me to lead while Tere ran along side of me

During the first half of the race, I remember to be okay. Conversing a bit, keeping a steady pace of 6:30-ish. Half way through Heritage Park, I felt my energy slowly waning. As always, when kilometer 13 approaches, my energy drops. I remember the last time, when I attempted to pace with Carina, I fell back at 13K. I simply couldn't keep up with them anymore. Surprisingly, at kilometer 15, I was still going and going and going. Struggling yes, but I wasn't about to quit and be left behind again. Well, actually this time, they had no choice but to wait for me since they were my pacers. Hahaha!

The route was pretty much the same as last month's Globe Run. So to keep me going, I would try recall my state before at certain areas in the race. Like I remembered Heritage Park to be really hot and humid during the last race, but that day, it was cloudy with a little breeze. When we entered Bayani Rd., last time, this was the point where I slowed down and let Carina and the others go ahead. But this time, I was still with them! These thoughts kept me going. I guess, it was my way of motivating myself.

21K course map

As we approached the exit of Heritage Park, Tere assured me that there were just a few more kilometers left after we exit Heritage Park. On Bayani Road I asked her if she was just BS-ing me coz it felt like it was never gonna end. Uh-oh...at Lawton Ave., I felt like collapsing already.

And then Carlo says, "Last 3 Kilometers, Julie! You can do it!"

I wanted to scream and jump for joy! But even before I could manage a smile,
Carina says, "Ok, Fartlek!"

I thought I heard wrong. "Fartlek? Now? You guys serious?", I asked.

"Kaya mo yan! 3K nalang eh (You can do it! It's just 3K left)", Carina encouraged.

So Carina called out the points (green signage, 2nd stop light, etc.) while Carlo timed the walk breaks. We did this until we turned the corner of 26th street. And then they said to just jog at an easy pace since we were less than a kilometer away.

Or at least we thought so.

And just like Globe Run, instead of immediately turning left on 28th St. from 11th St. They made us go all the way down to the very end of 11th St. to make a U-turn. Time check: 2:25.

As we approached the corner of 28th St. I told them, "Guys, I have to walk. I need to walk. I promise to sprint to the finish line once we reach the corner of 28th." Thank goodness, they allowed me to walk. Hehe!

True enough, near the corner I was already gathering every ounce of strength I had left and willing my mind and my body to finish strong. I put on my visor and shades (which I was holding in my hand for most of the time). Even jokingly asked for a "re-touch" if a make-up artist was around. Hehe! I could hear Carina, Carlo and Tere simultaneously saying, "Here we go, Julie!", "Are you ready?" , "You can do it, Jules!"

I let out one big sigh. And then I was off! My pacers sprinted with me up to a certain point while cheering me on. "Go Julie!"..."Woohoo!"..."2:27!!!" People who were hanging out near the finish looked at me. Probably wondering who's this person they're cheering for.

Just a few meters from the finish line, I saw the clock. 2:27:57! I increased my speed and let out one loud monster of a scream! I looked up at the time as I reached the end of my 3rd half mary, and it showed, 2:28:00 exactly.

I felt like crying. But I think I was too dehydrated to do so. I never thought I would achieve a sub 2:30 that day. I didn't pre-plan it that way. I only had control over my body and my mind but everything else were in the hands of my pacers (and God!). I blindly followed every instruction they threw at me. Normally, my O.C. self wouldn't be able to handle that because like everything else in my life, it has to be carefully planned. I felt I wasn't ready and capable of doing a sub-2:30 just yet. But I'm glad my pacers, my guardian angels for that day, thought otherwise.

Thank you Carina, Tere, and Carlo for staying with me, for motivating me, and for believing I could do it when I felt like giving up. I will forever be grateful!

Me w/ my pacers (L-R): Carina, Carlo and Tere

And thank you God for answering my prayers. You see, the night before, I only had 2 hours of sleep. So I prayed/pleaded to God the morning of the race, to help me through it and I promised Him, I'd go straight to church immediately after, no matter how sore or tired I was.

If there's anything I learned from this race, it would be to believe in myself more. I need to get into the habit of talking myself out of self-defeating behavior when I'm getting exhausted. Achieving goals is almost impossible when one doesn't believe in oneself. I was lucky enough to be surrounded with friends this time to give me confidence.

So, will I do even better in my next 21K? The answer is a resounding, YES, I CAN!

Well at least, not yet! =)
*image from www.zazzle.com

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Mizuno Infinity Run 2010

This was my first ever Mizuno Race. That said, I wasn't pressured to beat any previous time from last year. It was also my first time to join a 15K distance run.

However, I still set goals for myself that day. And those were:

1. To run continuously. No walk breaks whatsoever!
2. To keep a 6:50k-ish pace.
3. To finish strong!

I am proud to say, GOALS ACHIEVED! The farthest I've ever ran without stopping or brisk walking was 12K. So this is a big deal for me. But to be completely honest, there were times my body felt like giving up. But my mind was stronger and it willed this mid-thirties body to keep going. I remember thinking of the words and phrases such as "Push" and "I love hills". These I got from my friend/coach/adviser, Carina. They really work wonders when said repeatedly.

From 11th Avenue, I increased my pace a bit coz it was just one more corner and it was finally the finish line. Alas, the race marshal screamed, "10K turn here, 15K go straight." I was like, "WHAAAAT?!" Darn it, I thought it was almost over. We were told to go straight on 11th ave., and make a u-turn near the end before turning to Lane O where the finish line was. I didn't expect that. Nonetheless, as I reached the corner of Lane O, I sprinted towards the finish line.

Official 15K Finish Time:

*Bow*

I was happy with my time! I think it also helped that I stopped only once to grab a cup of cold gatorade in one of the hydration stations. First time for me to also just do this and rely solely on my two small hydration bottles.

Which now leads to my only not-so-good comment for this race. There was a long line to get a cup of water after crossing the finish line. I wanted to faint, but it's ok. Patience. It's summer. A lot of people are more thristy now. 5 minutes into slowly inching ourselves to the water station, we heard some sighs and people saying, "wala nang tubig (no more water)."

I have already heard this kind of complaint before from other runners in other races. Personally, it has never happened to me back then but I did feel for them. Particularly those who ran the longest distance for that race! Can you imagine how thirsty they must've been? Now, I am exactly in their shoes, so I can now totally relate. Don't get me wrong, at the course there were a lot of hydration stations. I especially appreciated the 1 cold cup of Gatorade that I got. But I just want to point out that it is equally important to have an adequate amount of drinks at the finish line. Considering the summer season now.

Also, there was another long line for the finisher's shirt. I don't mind this too but it would be nice to be able to get the right size after standing in line that long. There was no more extra small or small size for me. Just medium. Great. But it's ok. Will just give it to my fiance.

True, I do not join these races for the water or for the shirt and other freebies. These constructive comments (and the comments of other runners) are meant to help improve our races and runs here in our country. I've heard how impressive these events are in other countries like Singapore and the U.S. And I believe we can reach that level as well.

I guess, in a way, I can liken this race to myself and my performance. We both still have a lot of room for improvement. But I'm glad I was able to achieve the goals I set for myself that day. And I know Mizuno was able to make a lot of runners happy too. Particularly those who won the raffle. I heard they gave away Suunto watches and Oakleys among other things! Props to Mizuno for that!

I trust and expect that next year I will perform better and beat my previous time. And from Mizuno, a new and improved awesome event that will be better than this year's.

As their caption says..."NEVER SETTLE."

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I Am Half Way There!

...Half way to being a member of Bald Runner's 1,000KM Club and getting that much-coveted shirt too!

Bald Runner awarding Argonaut his shirt after reaching 1,000KM
(photo courtesy of http://argonautquest.wordpress.com/)

After my 4K run tonight, I was surprised to see that I already logged in 500 kilometers since I started running last year (November 1, to be exact)! Yes, exactly 500K today! My goal is to reach 1,000KM by August, my birth month. Wooh! I can do this!


I think the whole concept of this club is a great motivation for all newbie runners out there. Read more about Bald Runner's 1,000KM Club here. See who's already in it and be inspired!

How many kilometers have you logged in since you started running? ♥.•:*¨*:•.♥

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