The Good Run: My First 10k

What: Avon "Let's Walk the Talk!", run for breast cancer awareness
Where: SM Mall of Asia
Category: 10k
Time: 1:08:03

Last year, I joined some friends from my old church as we tackled the series on "The Significant Woman." The series was aimed at helping us realize and act on our God-given purpose and serve as a venue for us to encourage each other as we try to reach our goals. In our attempt to stay fit and healthy (which is an important item in our goals list), we all decided to sign up for the Milo Apex Running Clinic last September. Since some of us have joined the 5k group before, we signed up for the 10k category this time. Last Sunday, we joined our first 10k run together at the Avon Walk the Talk breast cancer awareness run. It was my first 10k ever. We picked this one because the singlet's nice. And we want to support the cause against breast cancer. And yes the singlet's nice. :P

I was already wide awake at 4 am, mulling over whether I should get up or not. Then I remembered I had two cupcakes waiting to be devoured - a red velvet cupcake and a chocolate cupcake from my friend's wedding the night before. So I sat up quickly and prepared my things for the race. I have such a healthy pre-race diet :P

I met up with the TSW girls at MOA at past 4:30. We were at the starting line (or so we thought) a little before 5 am. At gunstart, we realized we were with the 5k crowd, and the other 10k participants were steps away from us, in front of a metal divider. (So that was what the divider was for :)) ). We caught up with the group as quickly as we could. We were steadily running together at the beginning but eventually we ran separately at our individual pace.

The run made me realize there is a world of difference between a 5k and a 10k race. 5k runs are generally leisurely - I remember running 5k races alongside kids, families, dogs, camwhoring teens and disgruntled employees who seemed to have been forced to run as part of an office activity. There was little pressure since everyone was in a slow pace. At the 10k run, I saw participants run past me one by one. Most of the runners were focused and determined to finish at the fastest time possible (which is the whole point of a race anyway. Hehe). I wanted to keep up with them, but I knew I had to preserve my energy to last me until the finish line. I stopped at all the water stations to keep me hydrated the entire time. It slowed me down, but I didn't want to risk dehydration. Despite seeing more and more runners get ahead of me, I learned to focus on my own run. I felt encouraged after each kilometer, knowing that every step will lead me closer to the finish line.

At some point in the race, my brain becomes a clutter with random thoughts rushing in, from "I'm tired" to "What is that other runner thinking?" to "Where are we going to have breakfast?" At those times when I feel myself running out of breath, I instinctively prayed and ask God to guide me as I finish. At the last half kilometer, as I was feeling really tired, I turned on my ipod and listened to the best running songs I have in my playlist. It always helps and this time, it allowed me to finish strong. I didn't get to self-time my race this time, but according to the official results, I ran for 1 hour and 8 minutes. I placed 100th in the list.

It might not seem like much, but I consider this as one of my biggest running achievements for the year. I had little confidence in my capacity to finish a race at the start of the year. Even when I was training for 5k, I didn't think I'd be able to run 10k and beyond. I thought I'd be stuck in 5k forever. After every long run, I experienced migraine that lasted for hours and would require me to sleep it through for the rest of the afternoon. I often got side stitches during the run. I noticed I would mostly start fast but get burned out easily, forcing me to walk the last lap. I felt I was doing something wrong. Thankfully, I was able to correct a lot of these during training. I was advised by our coaches in Milo Apex not to go on a full throttle at the start and to keep taking deep breaths. In the event that I do get side stitch, I was taught to hold the painful area and stretch from side to side. I was also told to keep myself hydrated all the time. It's been weeks since I last underwent a post-run migraine. I think it just takes getting used to.

Running has taught me a lot of important lessons about life the past months, but these are some of the most important things I've gathered:

Learn to finish strong. As a beginner (as most beginners are, I believe), I was intent on going for speed. So during runs, I would sprint at the start and end up getting burned out in the end. I learned that before going for speed, I should focus on maintaining proper posture first and building endurance. I've learned to pace myself and estimate how much energy I have to exert at every point of a run to enable me to still run fast at the last few meters.

With proper training, you will improve. I know this is a simple principle, but as you grow old, you tend to adopt the mentality that you're wired a certain way and you're just incapable of improving. At least, that's how I felt about running before. As it turned out, I was able to increase my speed and even get over my migraine episodes. So yes, even if you've been living a sedentary lifestyle for 30 years,

Things are much better when you're with a group of similarly-situated, similarly-minded, awesome people. Hihi. Running with a group definitely beats running on my own. Of course there are still times when I want to run on my own and just listen to music. But it's always more encouraging to be with other runners. My circle has vastly expended through running and it's nice to see diverse people united by a common interest.

Have a mentor or two. And don't be afraid to ask when there are things you don't know. I feel blessed to be surrounded by coaches/expert/professional runners and "mamaws" because there are always people to pressure me (in a good way) and guide me on how to run properly.