Back on the Road

After almost three weeks of physical therapy and absolute abstinence from running, the Marathon Foodie showed up at the 09-09-09 edition of the annual Don Sergio Osmena Sr. run.

The DSOS is supposed to be the oldest and longest-running local racing event in Cebu City held in commemoration of the birth anniversary of Cebu’s grand old man.

The DSOS is also a very competitive race designed only for those who have the appetite for racing on 10.22 kilometers of asphalt and concrete roads.

It is no place for first-time racers, or runners recovering from an injured foot looking to run only 3K or 5K. It is 10K or none at all.

The Marathon Foodie was ready to be humbled. I had no expectations of making it in the top 10, nor was I expecting to break my PR of 1:01. Just the same, I showed up one hour before the start of the race and warmed up and stretched, this time more meticulously than ever. All I wanted was to run pain and injury free.

Prior to the race, I reviewed and ran the race course over and over in mind, plotting the parts where I would run fast (Imus, Gen. Maxilom Ave. and Osmena Blvd.), battle with difficult inclines (U.P. Cebu to eskina Sudlon all the way to J.Y. Square and Maxwell Hotel along Escario St.), including walk breaks if I have to (UP Cebu and Maxwell Hotel).

As the starting gun went off, Vangelis’ “Chariots of Fire” was playing in my MP3. I had only three songs playing on a loop for this particular race – the two others were “Gonna Fly Now” from the Rocky soundtrack and “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah. Chariots of Fire makes me see in my mind’s eye the correct running form I should maintain throughout the course, Gonna Fly Now inspires me to beat all the odds, and Hallelujh is for summoning strength that is more than physical.

For the first time, I ran not with abandon but with caution – making sure that my right foot had the correct form and not hiwi (askew) when it landed on the ground. It felt strange running with studied motion after recovering from an injury. The cocky rookie runner with the wisdom of someone who knows nothing was replaced by the studied precision of someone who’s been hurt.

I waited for the pain to strike my plantar fascia. There was none. I waited for the sharp pain on my right metatarsals. It did not recur. I got lucky at the DSOS. The Marathon Foodie finished the race in 1:06:14 or just a little over five minutes slower than my PR. Not bad, all things considered.

I’m happy and thankful -- thankful for being lucky enough to have recovered quickly and happy that I could run again, free from pain. But I know too that one wrong move (like a haphazard warm-up and stretching session or a lazy running form) and the pain will be back.

My feet still have more work to do and I still need those expensive orthotics to address my biomechanical issues for good. When it’s for keeps you just can’t give up because you got hurt. You find ways to get healed and start running again.


Doing the Math

Just because the Marathon Foodie had a great run, doesn’t mean the she’s willing to let slide the DSOS Run organizers’ major slight during the race.

You would think that after organizing the DSOS since the 80’s that the organizers would have perfected their hydration system for runners. The Marathon Foodie was sorely disappointed to find that the organizers did a sloppy sloppy job of providing water for the participants. There was no water from 2.5 KM onwards!

I know that real runners should be able to run well, with or without efficient water stations, which the Marathon Foodie did, but that’s not the point. The point is, when organizers collect registration fees, then they are obligated to provide the basic requirements of a road race – hydration that is enough for EVERYONE, correct distance measurement and marshalling.

Where did our registration fee go?

If there were 400 registered runners at the DSOS then they were able to collect P60,000.00. Surely, there should have been more than enough money to buy water and water cups for ALL the runners.

I wish to point out that since the race is sponsored by the City Sports Commission, the City Government of Cebu must have foot the expenses for the prizes, medals, trophies and singlets.

Plus, the organizers used left-over plastic cups from a Milo-sponsored event and the race bibs looked like it was recycled from another running event. How does the Marathon Foodie know? First, the race bib does not bear the event name. Second, the dimension of the bib is wrong and obviously not proportional to the font size of the race number printed on it. If you look closely at the race bib, the top portion of the bib was obviously cut.

Am I being OC and overly demanding? Maybe I am, but only when I feel that runners should have been provided what is rightfully due them in a race.

Photo credit: Thanks to Abby Ponce for the wonderful poster!