28 Kilometers

28 Kilometers into the run and I am about to let go of the three who I hung on to since the Nagtahan bridge. They were much stronger, more in shape, looked older, and definitely runners. They kept a conversation going while i struggled to catch my breath and stumble from time to time while trying to keep pace. They had caught up with me 8 kilometers into the run where i was running alone. I decided to stick it out with them for a while and picked up my pace. I am running at a speed i knew for a fact would tire me sooner. But in a draft like this, changing pacers keep the group running further and faster. As the kilometers wound down, i realized how much help a running group can do. I gave up the chase when two of them signalled they were going to pick up the pace. After a few minutes, the third guy eventually realized i was slowing him down and signalled he was going ahead as well. Or maybe it was just that short glance from him that gave me the idea.

Now i'm on my own. But i will not give up now. I am 14 short kilometers away from the people who said they would wait for me at the finish line. 14 kilometers away from a goal i have been preparing for for the past five months. Besides, my time now was better than i had expected. The morning sun was cooperating and stayed low behind the clouds. I am alone again. My training runs only lasted up to this distance.

I have now collected 13 colorful bands, distributed on strategic locations along the route to ensure we're on the right track. Or that no short cuts are taken. The amci support people who are on bikes were visible. But now, there is only one. The others have gone back to the slower AMCI runners needing more of their assistance.

This C5 stretch of the course is where i have always had trouble. In my past marathons, the morning sun had was already up and blazing hot. This time it is still low enough for it to be a sweet pleasant morning. I have to get through this stretch before the heat turns up and becomes unbearable.

I don’t like running. I like biking, trekking, swimming, skin diving, scuba diving, table tennis, photography, darts, billiards, travel and even collecting stamps better. But then, i would rather run than play badminton. What i like about running though, are the results; I can do all the other activities with ease. It’s also a fun way to "leave all your troubles behind".

Anyway, four kilometers to go and Vicky is at one of the water stations handing out cups of water to participants. I gave her a little shower from the cup she handed out to me. We were all in an excited mood now. A short while later two other friends on bikes, tintin and jaycee come to heckle me on finishing. They were unprepared to do the marathon this year so settled for the 10k run earlier.

Runners, who join a marathon for the first time, aim at just completing and coming out alive. Of course, this is talking through my experience. After the first race, me and some friends slept the whole afternoon at Miguel's place after some noodle soup. I was aching all over but glad i survived.

The next race, i had a timed goal. It wasn't just to finish but to do it in less than four hours. I was prepared then, and almost missed it by a couple of seconds. Seconds, no kidding!!!

After a couple 10k races, you should become more familiar with your personal pace and running techniques. At this point, you should be able to approximate within a couple of minutes how long a race would take you. There is now no sense in joining a race unprepared and without a time goal.

What i do: I set a time goal to finish the race and train for it.

85. That’s the numerical order i come in among the 42k runners. I am 4 minutes short of my goal. Oh well, so much for that. There's always next year...