tko 250 continues and this weekend was the most difficult stage without a question, this sim 42(saturday,4:30 pm and adidas 21(sunday,5:30 am).
as it is, tko 250 is now 63 kilometers less with 103 kilometers more to go.it helps that the next race on deck is 2 sundays away even if it is another 42.that would be the team’s 4th full in less than a month starting from milo last october 11.
in my mind and i had to remind myself every so often in the most trying times during both races(subic 42 and adidas 21) that as soon as these races were done, the remaining 103k would be a breeze so to speak.
the subic international marathon 42 was a one-way run that started at the floridablanca exit at sctex .adi delos reyes,the event organizer,was gracious enough to provide the team with car passes to allow our vehicles access to the restricted parts of the freeway to provide support for the team and others.
at the starting line, i saw the takbo.ph peeps,team logan,t2’s mesh, sir sammy and lemuel narcise and a host of other familiar running faces whose names escape me at the moment,all prep up to battle sctex.
the race started after a brief program hosted by bill velasco and sir jovie’s oath of sportsmanship.i was hoping no one had a violet mind this time.
the kenyans would dominate.took pictures with them and told them to look out for our team.well, just in case we had the luck, you know and who knows?there is always hope as long as we keep running.
as in all races, some eager beaver dudes sprinted out at gunstart as if there were no more kilometers left.compared to last week’s qcim 42(where i did 4:52), i felt much better this time having done the wiser thing to ease up on running the days before sim 42.
with no pace duties this time,i dictated and started in my own leisurely pace which i based on “feel”. running a 100kph freeway on your own dictated speed and with killer views to boot was just a blast.the road surface itself was easier compared to commonwealth.made things easier really.the seemingly endless and long straight road ahead was a challenge and i had to look on the ground if only to ease the chore of knowing how far the road was.and the intermittent inclines was another challenge altogether.here lay the chance to overtake the walking runners.it really pays to do charge the uphills while training.things get easier during d-day.
the promised water stations were there alright.but unfortunately especially for the unsupported runners, abandoned and waterless stations were the sorry sights even before the 20 kilometer mark. water stations with supplies dotted the latter half of the race somewhat and irregularly,well not really good enough and it was a pity for the others.
along the way, i would encounter more walking and cramping runners. i encouraged most of them and told my support team to do what they were there for.
i had such an easy pace that i had time to chat with jeff abenina of camanava runners for about 10 kilometers of the way.at some point, i even took time to chat with william tan and iah isip as well.most of all, the pace afforded me the chance to view sctex and its sweeping environs with gusto.the sunset and the strong winds that blew past my face provided for a big lift and relief i tell you.
night fell and darkness took over.the oncoming cars were both welcome and unwanted.their lights blinded me sometimes.the white and broken lines on the road were my guide at the dark areas.and would i hear voices too! good thing these were shouts of encouragement from friends in cars that passed me by.thank you kathy and miguel.and of course, ms. ting joson,who on 2 occassions,provided me with hydration supllies when i couldn’t locate mine in the dark.
the 1st kilometer marker i encountered was the overhead signage that said dinalupihan 9 and subic 31.the sun was still up then.long way to go but soon after,the lights at the dinalupihan interchange was most welcome.i could see more runners.but the struggle in the dark continued after.and repeatedly, i would encounter and overtake some more runners.
rod villanueva of the organizing group was apologetic for the lack of water as he drove past me.well, water supply was indeed a telling shortcoming of the organizers.not in this kind of a race my friends.water at the very least should be abundant for all and must especially be made available up to the very last runner.hope this sticks to your mind.
the next reminder of the distance was the end of the sctex at the tipo exit.the signage indicated subic 12.at least that is what i remember.it was at this point that emergency roadside lights were available.still,it was far in between.
for most,this segment of a marathon(30k up) is where the wall supposedly appears.and as if to make things harder,2 difficult uphills and a killer downhill loomed ahead.but what to do? the saving grace was knowing that the race end was nearing its life.
with enough energy left,i tackled the kilometers leading to the tipo tollgate and in no time headed down and up the longest incline which seemed endless.it was like being in a procession with walking runners as guests.it was a struggle for most.the absence of the enough emergency lights to guide us on the dark roads compounded our misery.and then again, waterless and abandoned stations.lucky if there were some apologetic marshals to somewhat offer excuses.but the empty tables, you would just want to kick them.and cursing ,there were lots.
the pi water provided in some parts was a welcome relief.it had a come-on line from those who offered them,extra oxygen!just what i needed at this point, pi water it is.thank you people.
and after the longest incline came the longest downhill.and this was my waterloo.the quads were shouting and much as i wanted to run faster and make up for time(i was at tipo tollgate after running 3:35),my quads said otherwise.for fear of injury, i deemed it wise to take it easy with joms paras.with stories exchanged and minding the the remaining distance in his garmin, remy field was in sight with all its bright lights and uplifting cheers heard from almost half a kilometer away.
i ran the outside of the tartan track of remy field in a futile effort to add more kilometers but in the end the course measured 41.40 on the garmin.blame it on lost signals and the inclines,that is supposed to be the excuse for the short distance.
signalling 3 fingers for my 3rd consecutive full, i crossed the line in 4:26:32.i was satisfied knowing i had enough left for adidas 21 on sunday whch was barely 8 1/2 hours away in manila no less.friends like junrox(thank you for joining us in the 1st 3 fulls) were on hand to welcome me and so was mari and lester.
but there was no extra time to spare.i took a quick shower and after a token dinner of jolibee palabok,i headed back to manila with lester trying my darndest best to squeeze sleep.but you know how hard it is to do this especially coming from a long run and in a car no less.
mercifully, we were back in manila and in bed at around 12:30 am. taking myself to sleep became a a chore.i finally went to dreamland at 2:00 am.no sooner the alarm went off at 4:15 am and with mouth wide open,lester had no choice but to rise and join me for adidas 21.
half-asleep and mummy-like,i got myself to the starting line of adidas at 5:15 am.the place was a sea of bright yellow.familiar faces.team hc’s doc joe,jay,charlie,isko,jeff ,margaret,enrico,dess,kevin were there,sheila and jonas,ting and many more.
and for the very 1st time in my running life, i did not bother at all to do a warm up nor even stretch.and no target time.the goal and only goal was to finish the race even if i have to walk or worse, crawl.the commitment to tko and the donors stands at any cost.
i stood at the back of the pack and as soon as the the gun went off, i was glad i was even up on my feet.kalayaan flyover came and so did buendia.i was still in paseo when the kenyan dude was running back.then there was rio running 4th with his afro hair wildly swinging away.isko and i could count the number of runners in our backs as we made through the turnaround near the train tracks near south superhighway(now osmena highway).but i really did not mind.all i wanted was to finish this race on my feet.
then it was bhs again but not after the the ayala and makati avenue intersections where honking cars and irate motorists provided for a good wake up call.and so was at the intersection of cats fort and mcdonald’s.i even saw 2 motorists off their cars and arguing with the marshals and looking angrily at us.what i did was to put my finger in front of my lips to tell them to shut up and in mockery of their stupid deed.whatever discomfort they were having was nothing compared to the pain all the runners were going through in the heat of the moment.i had my way, they shut up and went back to the their car.duh.i had enough energy left had they push the issue with me, isko and ric cabusao.hahaha.
as the 10k runners proceeded to the finish line, i went right on to the essensa area all the way to bayani for the turnaround.at hyundai,i met mari and soon br.how i wish i was nearing the finish myself.chat and run and walk and totally walk from the 16k mark, isko,ric and i did.there, with almost no one left behind us, we worked our way to the finish line.one by one,we got chicked like hell.but we had a good time exchanging once again our bataan experiences.that was the best part of adidas 21.
the last 50 meters to the finish line was were we put up a gallant stand.aching legs and all,we sort of ran and made it together in 3:06:29.a consolation is the fact that i would not have a hard time finding my name in the finishers list.i would be way down there in the top 10 from the last place.
in a span of 17 hours, we did 63 kilometers without a talong act.it was done on our feet.subic 42 and adidas 21 is history.the worst of tko 250 was finally over.you should have seen the joy in our faces!
to my friend arthur,congratulations for nailing your 1st ever full marathon.and to sir jovie whom i acknowledge to be the team’s father so to speak, thank you for continuing to inspire us to do some more and beyond our perceived limits.and for all those who joined us in the 1st 5 races of the tko series,thank you as well.
good thing we have a 2-week break until the philippine international 42 on november 8.
with all the races and distances by then, the team would be well prepared for piolo come timex 21 on november 15.it would be nice to race him,don’t you think so?
r and r time. recover and run team.
see you at the starting line.
