Daily thoughts - My first 10k

I ve been erratically jogging the past few months. But since November 11, Ive been consistently running . Last January 2010 I planned on running a marathon but because of some major emergencies I had to put that off. So I modified my plans into something more attainable. I thought of starting from the bottom then up. I ran a 5k around November 21. Now to celebrate my one month of continuous running, I decided to sign up for a 10k run.

This run is fund raising event to build homes for people who used to reside by the Pasig River. There were other races scheduled this weekend but I chose this one not just because of my preferred distance but because it was for a worthy cause. Supposedly the deadline of the registration was on December 8 2010. I wanted to go to the city and register that day but there was fiesta in Town and the traffic was discouraging. I told myself, Ill just join a different race on January 2011.

marjorettes

band

pandemonium at the town plaza

marjorettes and band players hanging out

As you can see from the photos, the town was flocked with a multitude of people. There was a festive atmosphere and it didnt really ruin my mood though. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. So, while I was in town I decided to get some meat for dinner. I didnt want to waste my trip so I looked around at the wet market. I decided to get some fish instead. I didnt buy the huge one in the photo. I had some bangus and tilapia instead. The big fish was amusing though. The catfish were alive by the way.

huge carpa

carpa and other small fishes

catfish

When I got home I checked my internet for awhile before re opening the store. I had emailed the organizers to confirm whether there was any extension of the deadline. I didnt get any response so I concluded that it probably wasnt meant to be.

The next day however I got the delightful news that they have extended their deadline on Friday December 10 2010.

Impulsively, I just decided to take a trip to the city and register. It takes an hour to go to the city from where I live. It took me 3 hours to get everything done. That includes the trip to and from the city.

excited to try out the singlet

I got the small sized singlet and it was perfect. I called one of my good friends from Medschool and she told me she wanted to run on Saturday too. So we both agreed that Id pick up her singlet the next day and meet up at the mall of asia. Friday night I met up with my friend and we went to her house in Laguna. I wasnt able to sleep well because Im not really used to sleeping over at other people's house. I was able to sleep for a mere 2 hours. From 12 midnight I was already up. We left the house at 4am and we were lucky to make it on assembly time.

We almost didnt make it. We had to drop off a friend somewhere in a place called Zapote and there was a pipe being repaired on the road. We were also surprised that a lot of people were already up at 400 am. My friend is a good driver though and knew the shortcuts. When we got to the Fort (venue of the run), the next problem was where to park. It took us another 15 minutes before we could find a place to park. We were ready at 520 am and by 530 the run started.

520am assembly time

The first 10minutes was already hard for me. Ive been training using my old asics it was very comfortable,but Ive had it for 3 years. I was worried it would fall apart during the race so I decided not to wear it on race day. Big mistake.

The DS trainer is probably the best running shoe I ever had. Its very light, the support on the ankle is just right not too firm and it was decently priced when I bought it in SG, 3 years ago. Yeah I shouldnt even be using it anymore cause I might get injured. But I couldnt give it up because it is just too hard to find another shoe at par with it. I know that normally a shoe should be replaced if it has logged 300-500 miles. my DS trainer was way overdue of a replacement. I did get a replacement however it gave me plantar fascitis. The Asics GT 2140.

This type is just not that great compared to the DS trainers. I used the GT 2140 on a 5k run in Pulau Ubin and the uphill route was very hard with those pair of shoes. The advantage when I used it however was that it was the same pair I used for training. Thats what my other friends told me also today. To use the same pair I use for training, on the race day itself.

Unfortunately, I found that out the hard way. In my years of running, it was kinda stupid of me not to know this basic rule.

Today's run was not easy. The whole time I was running it was like I had weights on my feet. Also, the cotton socks I was wearing was brand new and was very slippery. Imagine running wearing flipflops. Its something like that. Your feet is trying to grip the shoe instead of the shoe just snuggly supporting your feet. So in short, the run was harder than my usual jogs in the neighborhood. When I reached the 30th minute mark, I wanted to stop and start walking. However, I realized this is my first competitive 10k. I would prefer to get a respectable time despite the bad shoe and lack of sleep.I also dedicated my run to my mother in law who was celebrating her birthday.

When I reached the 5k mark, I noticed that a lot of the runners who were ahead of me, were starting to walk. Also, a huge number of them would stop and walk when the path was uphill. I used this to my advantage. Our neighborhood has uphill roads and I ran those path very often during my runs in the afternoon. I reached the 8th km mark at 50 minutes. Damn 2 more kilometers! I was thinking I didnt have any energy left to finish the race. Then I saw an old man and a fat guy running ahead of me. I thought if they could do it, I should be able to do it too (but I realized when I reached the finish line that they ran the 3k not the 10k. hehe). When the finish line was in sight, I felt more confident and a made a mad dash for it. I told myself, F$#%@ this shit, I want it over and done with!

I was exhausted, but happy.

yey finish line!

with the 20k 3rd place winner, Douglas

I did it! I finished my first competitive 10k! The first race I have had in a long time! I received the sms update of my race time from runningmate. Their site also shows the results after you key in your bib number.

I think that site is pretty neat!

My time was 1 hour, 3 minutes and 22 seconds. I am very contented and proud of this feat. It may not be the best time for some but for me it was better than what I have expected. At least I learned some valuable lessons during this particular race. Sleep before the run and wear good shoes (same one used when training) during the run.

To cap off the day, me and my friend had breakfast at Larry's Bar and Cafe. I had this delicious Vigan Longganisa with garlic rice and egg, tomatoes and onion salad and a cup of their freshly brewed coffee. The only downside is the smell of the longganisa lingers for 24 hours even after youve brushed your teeth. Hahaha

err the coffee doesnt look too appealing on this photo after I drank from it=)

some neat design they had at the park

I strolled around a bit at the Fort with my friend then I went home. 2hours commute train, jeepney and tricycle. And when I got home I had 2 huge pan de coco (courtesy of my mom) to celebrate my victory!

I wonder how big the next bread will be since Ill be running a 15km by January =)

What a beautiful day. Time to hibernate now.