Blessing in disguise

In order to make my Sunday long runs a bit exciting, I registered to almost all the Sunday races available, in preparation for my marathon debut. Yesterday, I joined the ROTARun 21k, and planned to run an additional 5k to complete the prescripted 26k distance for the day.

Before going to bed, I treated my blister in my right pinky toe with soap and running water, alcohol and medicated plastic strips. I easily fell asleep around 10PM, but I found myself waking up at 12 midnight, and every hour thereafter. Aside from my blister, I knew that something's wrong with my internal system that I just couldn't figure out at that moment.

I finally got up at 3AM for my morning rituals. I had coffee and two peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast. My bathroom scenario was terrible, and I immediately shrugged it off, trying to focus on my scheduled run.

I met Rod at Mc Donald's Kabihasnan at around 4AM, and proceeded to Mc Kinley like everything's ok. Then I was burping and burping like I was so full of gas. We arrived in Mc Kinley around 4:30AM and joined some Takbo.ph guys for warm up and chat.

Inside the 21k corral, I'm starting to lose focus due to the blister that I have. I'm feeling like I wouldn't be able to add 5k after, worst, I thought I wouldn't be able to finish the run.

The gun was fired at 5:30 AM, and I focused on running inside my aerobic zone. However, I noticed that my pace was unusually slow for my heart rate in the 1st 3k of the run, and kept on burping and burping and burping. I thought it must be the hills, but no improvement from there 'til 8k where the terrain was flat. At this point, I'm already exhausted and my blister hurts like hell, and have already toyed the idea of a DNF (did not finish).

I immediately switched to plan B, which is the run-walk strategy. I alternately ran for 5 minutes and walked for 2 minutes. It was also in this phase that I started doing my running prayer rituals. When I finished the Heritage Park leg, I resolved to walk my way all the way to the finish line. I also noticed that I'm no longer perspiring, despite drinking a cup from every water station available, and from the flasks of my hydration belt.

When I reached Bayani Road, I saw Bards running again towards Heritage, and was advised that I'm almost near the finish line. I didn't understand her completely, perhaps due to exhaustion, on whether she meant that it's only 18k or that I was in 18k when we met.

And then I met Rod again, who after finishing his 21k run, came back and walked with me towards the finish.

Reaching Mc Kinley, Rod pushed me to run the last few meters, and finished in 2:44 (unofficial). I was really surprised and knew that something's wrong with the distance.

A few minutes after, the organizer announced an apology, that a part of Heritage Park was closed, causing the 3k++ difference in the half-marathon route.

Together with the Takbo.ph gang, we went to Mc Donald's Forbes Town/Net One for our post-race meal. Here, I felt complete exhaustion, after doing toilet duties twice.

When I reached home, I immediately fell asleep, and woke up around 2PM with a fever. I spent the rest of the day sleeping. I treated myself with water, bananas, pancit, and paracetamol.

As I write this entry, I praise and thank God for saving me from possible embarrassment and that nothing serious happened to me along the way.

The medal that I got from yesterday's ROTARun was not for finishing the 21k. It was for the perseverance, courage, determination, and faith that I summoned from start to finish.

Photo courtesy of Venice Bayongan