Mark Torre, Marathon Foodie and Joel CortelAs my alarm clock went off at exactly 3AM on Sunday 5th of July, I had no second thoughts about getting up. It was a big day for breaking personal records and there was no time to lose.
I did my usual pre-run rituals -- trip to the bathroom, a quick breakfast of 3 wheat pan de sal with butter, cheese and peanut butter, hydrate, change clothes, put petroleum jelly on the toes and on the seams of the sports bra, wear shoes, wear MP3, lock the house and run from the village gate to the venue.
It was chilly outside as it had rained all night. At 4:05 AM I started my pre-race warm-up -- an easy run from Convergys (Banawa) to Cebu City Sports Center. By the time I reached Osmena Blvd. near CNU, I could hear Milo commercial jingles playing on a loop, which made my eyes misty. They were from commercials I grew up with. Although I was a Sustagen kid, I always liked the Milo commercials with athletes (Bea Lucero) beating all odds to the tune of “I’m getting ready, getting ready. Oh what a day it’s gonna be. I won’t give up, gotta get going. I need the energy Olympic energy. I need my Milo today, Milo everyday.” Hard sell, yes, but to a kid (and now a thirty-something runner wannabe) it's totally inspiring and motivational as opposed to two mascots Susie and Geno dancing “Sustagen with 23 resistensya builders!”
At 4:30 AM I strolled to the finish line. Except for the technical crew, it was practically deserted. Pretending it was the Olympic stadium I visualized myself sprinting on the CCSC oval and victoriously crossing the green finish line.
I checked in at the 21K corral outside CNU where I met the 21K runners – a happy and cheerful bunch of competitive runners, weekend warriors, marathon veterans, newbies and a handful of celebrities all running for a variety of reasons. Although I did not know all of their names, they all looked familiar to me as I've met them all before on the road, on the track and at the start/finish line of the occasional 10K events. You see, runners may not exactly call each other by name, but when they meet each other on the road on early morning runs, they acknowledge each other with a smile or a wave of the hand as if to say they’re looking out for each other. That's why, even when you're on the road running as early as 4AM you know you'll be safe.
At the starting area, I met two guys – one in his twenties and the other in his fifties- who asked me what my goal time was. I told them that based on my pace and fitness level Coach Precing Capangpangan had set a goal finish of 2:25.
The starting gun went off at 5:25 AM and off we went. The first ten kilometers went by fast and easy. The two guys I met at the starting area, ran with me and we paced each other. Our pack included heart surgeon Dr. Peter Mancao – a finisher of the NY and Big Sur marathons so I thought we were in good company.
It was an uphill run towards the first turnaround near the Pardo Police station (around 500 meters farther than the original turnaround). It was 58 minutes from the start of the race, we were in good form and on schedule. However, by the time our pack reached Salazar Institute, I saw Dr. Peter move ahead from the pack and saw several runners from the back overtaking us. I knew then we were slowing down and getting tired. Still our group plodded on.
At this point, Jeson Guardo of the Atan Guardo runners group joined my pack. Jeson had an amazing crew of running coach and water/Gatorade staff. Jeson’s coach would give our pack instructions when to slow down and when to pick up, when to swing our arms and when to drop the arms and relax; while the water crew would give us bottles of ice-cold Gatorade from an SUV turned hydration wagon. It didn’t matter that we just met on the road and were not even on the same running team, the Guardo team shared their resources so generously without any hesitation.
By the time we reached Hipodromo, Jeson’s group moved on ahead. I could not keep up as I felt my thighs stiffening a bit. I was still running with the fifty-something guy whom I called Tatay and the twenty-something guy whom I called Bai. We would exchange encouragements and wait up for each other. We laughed occasionally and made comments about the celebs who were running like Donna Cruz and Sen. Pia Cayetano. Except for two three steps of walking every five kilometers, no one in our group really stopped running. Deep inside I was really tired and wanted to stop to rest for a bit, but I didn’t want to let my “running mates” down. I don’t know if they felt the same way. It was just ironic that although we were running thick as thieves, I still did not know their names!
At last we reached the second turnaround at Inno Data at the border separating Cebu City and Mandaue City. An hour and 50 minutes had already elapsed and I knew we were going to make it before cut-off, but I didn’t know if we would make the 2:25 target as the last four kilometers seemed to go on forever. When our pack reached Sikatuna, I knew I was slowing down both Bai and Tatay so I told them to just go ahead, but when you’ve been running the race together for the last 19 kilometers wala nang iwanan.
At one point during the last 4 kilometers a guy with a backpack on a bicycle was handing out ice-cold water and told us to pour it on our heads to cool us down. I didn’t know from where he came from and why he was being so kind to us, but his water really helped us get through the last mile of the race.
As we crossed the last intersection of P. Del Rosario and Osmena Blvd., I knew then that not only would we make it before cut-off, we would also finish the race earlier than our goal time of 2:25.
As we entered the oval, I was crying from a heady mix of exhaustion and overwhelming sense of achievement and not least of all gratitude for all the three months of hard work, training and lonely long runs finally paying off.
We crossed the finish line at 2:24 or a minute faster than our original goal of 2:25. I thanked my teammates and only then did I learn their names. The twenty-something guy is Mark Torre while the fifty-something gentlemen is Joey Cortel. To them I will forever be grateful.
Before today, my best time for a 21K was 2:40:39 set last March at the Condura Run in Manila. This means that after three months of hard work, I broke my PR by sixteen minutes! At the Sinulog half marathon in January this year, I ran 21K in 2:55, which means that in just six months, I improved by 31 minutes!
Running has been defined as an individual sport. Its lonely nature is what truly attracted me to it in the first place as I hate team sports and anything that required a playmate or partner (such as badminton, tennis or squash). But today I learned that while a runner’s achievement may be singular, it is the kindness of others, such as the nameless guy on a bike with water; the generosity of fellow runners such as Jeson Guardo and his crew; and the unwavering support and encouragement from friends you get to meet on the road like Mark and Joel that will carry you to the finish line. As runner and city councilor Ed Labella once told me – run alone and you will run fast, run with friends and you will run far.
Of course, excellent coaching, mileage and hard work played a really big role in achieving my running goals. I don’t think I would improve as dramatically as I did without the mentoring of Coach Precing and Raffy Uytiepo. But today I learned that running a race is not just about breaking PR’s. It is also about going the extra mile, both literally and figuratively, not just for yourself but also for the runner beside you.
Today, not only did I become a better runner, I’ve also learned how to become a better human being.
I did my usual pre-run rituals -- trip to the bathroom, a quick breakfast of 3 wheat pan de sal with butter, cheese and peanut butter, hydrate, change clothes, put petroleum jelly on the toes and on the seams of the sports bra, wear shoes, wear MP3, lock the house and run from the village gate to the venue.
It was chilly outside as it had rained all night. At 4:05 AM I started my pre-race warm-up -- an easy run from Convergys (Banawa) to Cebu City Sports Center. By the time I reached Osmena Blvd. near CNU, I could hear Milo commercial jingles playing on a loop, which made my eyes misty. They were from commercials I grew up with. Although I was a Sustagen kid, I always liked the Milo commercials with athletes (Bea Lucero) beating all odds to the tune of “I’m getting ready, getting ready. Oh what a day it’s gonna be. I won’t give up, gotta get going. I need the energy Olympic energy. I need my Milo today, Milo everyday.” Hard sell, yes, but to a kid (and now a thirty-something runner wannabe) it's totally inspiring and motivational as opposed to two mascots Susie and Geno dancing “Sustagen with 23 resistensya builders!”
At 4:30 AM I strolled to the finish line. Except for the technical crew, it was practically deserted. Pretending it was the Olympic stadium I visualized myself sprinting on the CCSC oval and victoriously crossing the green finish line.
I checked in at the 21K corral outside CNU where I met the 21K runners – a happy and cheerful bunch of competitive runners, weekend warriors, marathon veterans, newbies and a handful of celebrities all running for a variety of reasons. Although I did not know all of their names, they all looked familiar to me as I've met them all before on the road, on the track and at the start/finish line of the occasional 10K events. You see, runners may not exactly call each other by name, but when they meet each other on the road on early morning runs, they acknowledge each other with a smile or a wave of the hand as if to say they’re looking out for each other. That's why, even when you're on the road running as early as 4AM you know you'll be safe.
At the starting area, I met two guys – one in his twenties and the other in his fifties- who asked me what my goal time was. I told them that based on my pace and fitness level Coach Precing Capangpangan had set a goal finish of 2:25.
The starting gun went off at 5:25 AM and off we went. The first ten kilometers went by fast and easy. The two guys I met at the starting area, ran with me and we paced each other. Our pack included heart surgeon Dr. Peter Mancao – a finisher of the NY and Big Sur marathons so I thought we were in good company.
It was an uphill run towards the first turnaround near the Pardo Police station (around 500 meters farther than the original turnaround). It was 58 minutes from the start of the race, we were in good form and on schedule. However, by the time our pack reached Salazar Institute, I saw Dr. Peter move ahead from the pack and saw several runners from the back overtaking us. I knew then we were slowing down and getting tired. Still our group plodded on.
At this point, Jeson Guardo of the Atan Guardo runners group joined my pack. Jeson had an amazing crew of running coach and water/Gatorade staff. Jeson’s coach would give our pack instructions when to slow down and when to pick up, when to swing our arms and when to drop the arms and relax; while the water crew would give us bottles of ice-cold Gatorade from an SUV turned hydration wagon. It didn’t matter that we just met on the road and were not even on the same running team, the Guardo team shared their resources so generously without any hesitation.
By the time we reached Hipodromo, Jeson’s group moved on ahead. I could not keep up as I felt my thighs stiffening a bit. I was still running with the fifty-something guy whom I called Tatay and the twenty-something guy whom I called Bai. We would exchange encouragements and wait up for each other. We laughed occasionally and made comments about the celebs who were running like Donna Cruz and Sen. Pia Cayetano. Except for two three steps of walking every five kilometers, no one in our group really stopped running. Deep inside I was really tired and wanted to stop to rest for a bit, but I didn’t want to let my “running mates” down. I don’t know if they felt the same way. It was just ironic that although we were running thick as thieves, I still did not know their names!
At last we reached the second turnaround at Inno Data at the border separating Cebu City and Mandaue City. An hour and 50 minutes had already elapsed and I knew we were going to make it before cut-off, but I didn’t know if we would make the 2:25 target as the last four kilometers seemed to go on forever. When our pack reached Sikatuna, I knew I was slowing down both Bai and Tatay so I told them to just go ahead, but when you’ve been running the race together for the last 19 kilometers wala nang iwanan.
At one point during the last 4 kilometers a guy with a backpack on a bicycle was handing out ice-cold water and told us to pour it on our heads to cool us down. I didn’t know from where he came from and why he was being so kind to us, but his water really helped us get through the last mile of the race.
As we crossed the last intersection of P. Del Rosario and Osmena Blvd., I knew then that not only would we make it before cut-off, we would also finish the race earlier than our goal time of 2:25.
As we entered the oval, I was crying from a heady mix of exhaustion and overwhelming sense of achievement and not least of all gratitude for all the three months of hard work, training and lonely long runs finally paying off.
We crossed the finish line at 2:24 or a minute faster than our original goal of 2:25. I thanked my teammates and only then did I learn their names. The twenty-something guy is Mark Torre while the fifty-something gentlemen is Joey Cortel. To them I will forever be grateful.
Before today, my best time for a 21K was 2:40:39 set last March at the Condura Run in Manila. This means that after three months of hard work, I broke my PR by sixteen minutes! At the Sinulog half marathon in January this year, I ran 21K in 2:55, which means that in just six months, I improved by 31 minutes!
Running has been defined as an individual sport. Its lonely nature is what truly attracted me to it in the first place as I hate team sports and anything that required a playmate or partner (such as badminton, tennis or squash). But today I learned that while a runner’s achievement may be singular, it is the kindness of others, such as the nameless guy on a bike with water; the generosity of fellow runners such as Jeson Guardo and his crew; and the unwavering support and encouragement from friends you get to meet on the road like Mark and Joel that will carry you to the finish line. As runner and city councilor Ed Labella once told me – run alone and you will run fast, run with friends and you will run far.
Of course, excellent coaching, mileage and hard work played a really big role in achieving my running goals. I don’t think I would improve as dramatically as I did without the mentoring of Coach Precing and Raffy Uytiepo. But today I learned that running a race is not just about breaking PR’s. It is also about going the extra mile, both literally and figuratively, not just for yourself but also for the runner beside you.
Today, not only did I become a better runner, I’ve also learned how to become a better human being.
4 comments:
what a beautiful story...i totally agree with runners being the kindest ever. i once read that this breed is the milk of human kindness. how true! i know that when i run in races, i could always depend on the others to help out with a word of encouragement, or a sip of water or just a smile. i have never experience being turned down gyud. its a collective thing, you chose to do this grueling,intense together and become close in the process. there's nothing more beautiful than finishing a race with a stranger and then with them coming up later to thank you. this happened to me last sunday too. this guy just came up and thanked me for letting me run with him from calamba up to the finish line. i never got his name though.happy running.
Hello Abby!
Thank you for visiting the blog. It's a mighty long post, I'm glad you like it. The guy who ran with you probably broke his PR because you were running so fast! =)
Congratulations again! See you on the road and stay injury free.
Hello Abby!
Thank you for visiting the blog. It's a mighty long post, I'm glad you like it. The guy who ran with you probably broke his PR because you were running so fast! =)
Congratulations again! See you on the road and stay injury free.
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