Sunpiology Run

What: Sunpiology 

When: Nov. 24, 2012
Where: McKinley
Category: 12k
Time: Never mind. Ehe. Ok fine - 1:39:48

I was driving along EDSA once when I saw this poster lording over the highway. While Piolo's inviting eyes could lure any woman (and man) to join the Sunpiology run, I was motivated to join because it was organized by Sun Life, which I'm a client of (chos). Plus the fact that I've never experienced running with celebrities yet in the few races I've joined in the past, and I thought it would be fun to run alongside and/or literally chase after TV personalities. The run was also scheduled to be in the afternoon, so I didn't have to wake up so early to be at the starting line on time. I thought afternoon runs would be easier. I thought.

Some of my runner friends warned me about the heat and the inclined roads of McKinley Hill. I thought it wouldn't be so bad until the day of the race itself. I don't think my body was prepared for the late afternoon sun, the steep inclines, and the pollution. 

We gathered at the starting line 30 minutes before gunstart. I met up with my running buddy Jen. Matteo Guidicelli went onstage to greet the runners. Right before we started, Papa P went onstage and gave his spiel. The crowd went wild. I only caught a glimpse of him. I was craning my neck just to see him with everyone else flashing his/her camera in front of me to take his photo. 

There weren't as many runners as I expected, probably because of the higher than average reg. fees. There were a lot of cameramen though. Hehe. 

If you look closely, you'll see Piolo Pascual himself. Yes, he's the one in the middle with a yellow visor on. Harhar. I'm so jologs I just had to take a candid photo of him:

I was excited to run at first. It was my first time to try running at McKinley Hill. And the celebrities around me added to the crowd's hype. At gunstart, I found myself running a few meters away from Matteo G. and Xian Lim, who both had a couple of pacers with them. Xian was wearing distinctively huge earphones to keep himself distracted. At one point, I thought a lady in her forties was wishing me good luck, until I realized she was calling out Xian's name (which sounded like mine) and waving her arms frantically at him. It wasn't long before Matteo and Xian went ahead of me. I realized at the first km that this race was going to be more challenging than the other runs. It was really humid, and breathing was a struggle. After around two kilometers, I developed a side stitch which got worse as I ran faster. I had no choice but to slow down and walk. I walked for several minutes, watching groups of runners sprint past me. It was a painful sight to watch. 

Things got worse when we got out of MicKinley Hill. It was heavily polluted outside. Traffic was terrible. And it was still humid. I was dragging on for half of the race. We went all the way to Heritage Park. I was probably one of the last few ones in the race. At least I saw several celebrities (most of them rising celebs though and unfamiliar to me) run past me after they make the u-turn. I felt pressured as it started to get dark. I forced myself to run faster during the last 3 km just so I wouldn't be at the bottom of the list. 

7 km pa????????

This race was the longest run I've had, and it turned out to be my worst. I ran for almost two hours for only 12 km (sub 60 naman eh. wahaha), mainly because I had to walk most of it. To make things worse, my right foot felt painful after. The pain extended to my right ankle and shin. I had to take meds on the days that followed. That was my first running injury. 

I just felt so relieved when the run was over. When we got back to the starting point, we were greeted by big yellow mascots and endless Gangnam music. I took comfort in the free Gatorade and sandwich. No wonder the registration fee was quite steep (at PhP1,000.00) - there were a lot of freebies. They gave all the 12k runners medals as well. Our running kit also includes a nice water bottle and life insurance effective for one year. 

Jen and me:

Jen and I had a quick dinner at Mom and Tina's after. 

My take home for this race: 

Don't feel complacent/overconfident about your strength/skills. I ran this race at about the same time when I was feeling discouraged about work, and I think God wanted me to learn this lesson then. Constantly train and prepare yourself for the task ahead. Don't think that you can wing it every time. Every race is different and I should've considered the conditions during this race during my training. It would've helped a lot if I tried actually running at McKinley Hill or even at Heartbreak Hill in UP just to familiarize my legs with the inclined roads. 

Don't underestimate the 2k difference. I realized that every kilometer matters. Just because I've ran a 10k doesn't mean I can easily run 12. I have never ran 12k during training and I belatedly realized that I should have. 

Avoid having heavy meals before the race. I had a heavy lunch of pork and rice right before the race. It didn't feel good during the race; I felt I was dragging my heavy body across the pavement. I think I should've taken in more fluids, or at least had a healthy meal before. 

Don't be hard on yourself. I didn't feel so proud of myself after the race. I wasn't even planning on blogging about it because I underperformed and the whole world need not know about it. But I should be thankful that at least I was able to finish it. The conditions weren't perfect, and I know I could've done a lot better had I trained more, but I learned from it and I still had fun. There are a lot of races to look forward to.

Pogi pala si Xian Lim. Bwahaha. But I'd rather see JLC. Or Bernard Palanca (where the heck is he now anyway??)

Until the next Sunpiology race, Papa P. I promise to come prepared next year. :P