Slaying old demons, settling unfinished business

February 18, 2011

Hongkong- As I write this, it's 7 o'clock in the morning and it's still 12 degrees outside. The sun has yet to make an appearance, and it looks like he won't be around anytime soon.

This means I would have to chuck the shorty split shorts and run with arm warmers, gloves, a beanie and compression leggings. The past three months I've been preparing my body to run at 34 degrees at high noon - a necessary evil for the BDM. I've never run in anything resembling this Hongkong weather, but the cold is the least of my worries.

When my airport bus passed by the harbor tunnel, at the exact same spot where Chinese speaking marshals picked up and hauled my sorry ass to the DNF (short for did not finish) bus in 2009, a sudden chilling fear from out of nowhere crept up my bones. What if I choke in one of the seven cut-off points along the marathon course? What if I get cramps? What if I do not finish the marathon, again? It was a crisis of confidence and it's as if all the other five (5) marathons and two ultras I finished prior to this did not really matter.

When I first ran Hongkong marathon in 2009, I had absolutely no training, no mileage and no idea what it takes to finish a marathon. I relied merely on the wisdom of someone who knows nothing. The cut-off time then was 5 hours 30 minutes with at least five cut-off points spread throughout the 42K route. The sweeper picked me up between KM 26 and KM 27 for running too slow, and rightly so.

I seldom fail in my pursuits, and DNF'ing my first marathon really stung. This chip on my shoulder made me want to pursue and finish other marathons and even venture into ultras of which I have been successful. But the Hongkong Marathon is like a demon that must be put to rest.

Looking back I realize that I truly deserved that DNF. If I had managed to wing it in 2009 without putting in the work, I wouldn't have the same appreciation for the beauty of the marathon nor would I have the same respect for the distance and the commitment it demands from those who attempt to scale the so-called Mt. Everest of running.

This appreciation and utmost respect for the marathon is where this creeping fear must be coming from. This fear, which should not be confused with self-doubt, puts the runner in the right place. You realize that no matter how many 42 K's or even ultra distances you have tucked under your belt, each full mary is different from all the others.

Joe Henderson, former Runnersworld editor and pioneer of the long slow distance as a marathon training tool says it best - "You can never be sure. That's what makes the marathon both fearsome and fascinating. The deeper you go into the unknown, the more uncertain you become. But then you finish. And you wonder later, 'How did I do that?' This question compels you to keep making the journey from the usual to the magical. "

And so on Sunday, I will be back at the starting line along Natahan Road where my endless pursuit for the marathon distance started. I'm hoping that even as the tempreature dips to 10 degrees and below, the fire in my belly keeps me running all through the finish line finally lay this old demon to rest.

The Lonely Life of a Wannabe Long-Distance Runner

In distance running, “base training” or just “base” is the foundation on which you build the rest of your running. It’s the core strength that allows you to build the ability to go longer and faster. With luck, it also will help prevent injury. – Marathon Woman by Kathryn Switzer

Like a headless chicken the Marathon Foodie was running from one place to another, beating deadlines at work, fulfilling duties at home and squeezing-in an intense first week of training. The Marathon Foodie is on the second of three cycles of 12-week training programs.

The first cycle which started last May and culminated with the Milo 21K in July was relatively easy consisting of 33 to 40 kilometers per week with the Marathon Foodie running only three times a week (one easy run, one tempo run or speed work and one long run on Sundays). The first 12-week cycle was more diagnostic than anything. It was spent correcting my stride and form and gauging how fast I could run at a given distance.

The first 12-week cycle ended with the Marathon Foodie logging a total of 506 kilometers, with a race-day pace of 11 minutes per mile or 6:50 per kilometer. With this pace, the Marathon Foodie is expected to finish a full marathon in 5:00:14.

Coach Precing and I both agreed that the Marathon Foodie is ready to take on a more challenging program and decided to step up the mileage, frequency and pace. From running only three times a week, the Marathon Foodie is now on the road for five days with mileage ranging from a low of 65 kilometers to as much as 90 kilometers per week before tapering.

If I stay focused and stick with the program, the second 12-week cycle will add 877 kilometers or a total of 1,383 kilometers to the Marathon Foodie’s base mileage. That’s like running the island of Cebu from end to end, from the southernmost tip at Santander town to Bogo up north, seven times.

This much increased mileage is to be the cornerstone of my training for the Hong Kong Marathon in 2010. By the time I stand at the starting line on Nathan Road on February 28, 2010, I should have racked up a total of 2,260 kilometers and hopefully finish the HK Marathon in 4:41:00. The cut-off time for HK is 5 hours 30 minutes.

This all looks good on paper, but what does it really take to make my marathon dreams come to fruition?

It means running 11 kilometers four days of each work week, which consequently means sleeping by 8 every night so that the Marathon Foodie can hit the streets for training runs the next day at 4 in the morning and still have enough time to prepare for work at the office or in court. It means long slow runs of 22, 26 and 32 kilometers on Sundays, which means no more Sabado nights with friends, nor long weekends spent in Sta. Fe in Bantayan or Panglao, Bohol. It also means suffering from wounds, blisters and chafing not just on my feet but also on parts of my body that touch the seams of my running gear. Body Glide and petroleum jelly do not seem to work for me. It means no more nails on four of my toes. They died around the time I hit 400 kilometers in my training program.

But the Hong Kong Marathon is still six months away, why work so hard now? For a first time marathoner, that’s just how long it takes. More so for someone like the Marathon Foodie who does not possess an in-born gift for running long distances. There is no short-cut, no magic potion, no cheating your way to it. You just have to earn your miles. I learned this the hard way, also in Hong Kong, but that’s for another blog.

You might ask, why go through all that? Truth to tell, I still don’t fully understand why. I just know that preparing to run a marathon has given me a new sense of direction, commitment and a renewed purpose in life. When I’m running I feel that I can be more, achieve more, give more.

Sometimes I get this crazy idea of taking a really radical sabbatical and just spend a year or two doing nothing else except training and running. Who knows, if I take this new passion as far as I possibly can, maybe I can be really good at it and even run for the Philippines someday. I tell myself that it’s never too late. The champion of the women’s marathon at the Beijing Olympics was a 38 year old Romanian – the oldest gold medalist in Olympic history. But then reality interferes with my running dreams. There are bills to pay, pleadings to write and duties to fulfill.

In the meantime, the Marathon Foodie continues to run no matter how very little time there is to spare, and no matter how difficult and painful it gets. That’s just how it is when you love something or someone. You invest time, put in your heart and soul and learn to have patience that can run for miles and miles and miles.

Photo Credit: Marathon Foodie, directional signs at the Ting Kau Park under the Ting Kau Bridge. The directional signs (toilet, office, fitness station, jogging track) pretty much sum up the Marathon Foodie's life for the next six months.