A little over a month a go, I thought of something that would be a fitting start for my formal training for BDM 102. Then came 2nd Michelle Estuar's Fund Racing, 3rd Corregidor International Half Marathon ang the 4th Tagaytay to Nasugbu Ultramarathon. With no hesitation, I registered for these events.
So there we were, on a great December 2 morning. 13 runners (Me, Chona, Roxanne, Riz, Goldy, Joyce, Joy, Jonard, Dennis, JC, Sir Tony, Sir Ted and Tope) and 8 support crew (Elvin, Rhea, Ralph, Joseph, Rose, Daniel, Jinevee and Aquiz) went to Tagaytay for the 4th T2N. For most of the runners, it would be the first time they will run an Ultramarathon, only Tope (who was seeking for revenge) and I (who was happy just to run there) were the ones that had already run and Ultra.
As to expect, there were pre race jitters. Not only was the air full of anticipation but also, you can feel that everyone was nervous.
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| Everyone was busy preparing themselves |
Once everybody was ready, we proceeded to the starting area, made more photo ops and more chit chat.
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| The cast of runners |
Then, Sir Jovie (The Bald Runner) gathered all of the runners at the starting area, said some words of encouragement and some reminders then counted us off.
3,2,1.... the run started... said a short silent prayer which I normally do, passed through the starting arch, then off we went.
Now for this edition of the T2N run, I decided to be a pacer to Chona. With the last leg of our weekend Trilogy, I was certain that I would not be at my best. The plan was I would pace her for a whole marathon then I will let her run on her own.
Km 1 - 5 (Warming Up)
The run was 50km long. There were plenty of time to speed up. I made sure for this part of the run that we would not run too fast as to burn ourselves in the latter part of the run. In this part we would often leapfrog other team mates then they would lepfrog us back again. It was just the start, we have a long way to go.
Km 6 - 30 (The Rundown)
After the 1st pitstop. Our legs were ready for some racing. Our mantra in our minds was P#+@#6!#@ uunahan kita!! Hence the title of the blog. This part of the race was the smoothest. We were pacing just right, rolling the downhills and walking the uphills. We were stopping at the pitstops then running again. There were even times when we would run the whole 5km segment, stopping just to hydrate at the pit stops. Things were going great.
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| Pit Stop |
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| Airborn!!! |
Km 31 - 35 (It's all Downhill From Here)
By the 32nd kilometer, things begin to change. It was always the second half of a Marathon that gets you. Chona was having some mild pain in her hamstrings. We had to walk to shake off the pain. Well, I think that was my mistake, we stayed too long at the pit stops, the lactic acids may have built up. Added the fact that she was also having stomach problems. I suggested that she have some massage and painkillers at the 35th km.
After passing the 35th kilometer. The pain in Chona's hamstring started to worsen. The pain killer did not help. So we started walking. At this point, she would frequently ask how much time has gone and if she would make it to the cutoff time of 9 hours. Everytime she asked me this, I assured her that even if we walked all the way, at that pace, we would make the cut-off. This was also the part where Roxanne (who was just warming up), JC, Joy, Jonard, Joyce caught up and went ahead of us.
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| Jumpshot at km 40 |
Upon arriving the pitstop, Tope also caught up with us. It was also at this point, I decided to drink my energy booster.
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| My Energy booster |
Km 41 - Finish
After the last pitstop. Chona and I decided to part ways. with my legs still fresh, I ran at my normal pace. To tell the truth this was the part of the route that burned me in the 3rd edition. I still remember that run, it took me 2hrs to run 8km. This time, I was fresh, I zoomed through the last kilometers. This part suddenly became a blur to me, I managed to run that damn last 8km in under an hour. I had so much juice left in me. Then there it was, the finish line. I have just concluded my 3rd Ultramarathon race of the year.
After finishing, I got my medal, shirt, food then went to the area where the others were waiting. Then one by one the last runners of the team arrived. |
| Just before the finish |
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| Do I look tired |
It was a glorious day for Team Rock and Road, every body finished, Goldy, Sir Ted, Rox, Sir Tony, Dennis, Riz, JC, Me, Joy, Jonard, Tope, Joyce and Chona all crossed the finish line and made the cut-off.
Yes, a 50k Ultramarathon is what they call "An Entry Level Ultramarathon," but 50k is 50k, no shortcuts, no easy way, no nothing. You have to dig deep to find the strength to run or walk or even crawl that last 8km.
I was also glad because I finally got my revenge on that last 8km. But if you have known me fo a while, I was not fully satisfied, I wan't to have revenge on the whole route. My revenge is not yet complete. So I'm marking my calendar, on May 1, I will run again, this time, it will just be me vs the route.
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