Mizuno Infinity Run – Part 1

I arrived at the Mizuno Infinity Run at the Fort at around 6:15 am. Just in time to make a quick stop at the portalet (to see poop staring back at me from the hole! Blech!), teach hubby how my Nike kit worked, and do some (but certainly not enough) warm ups and stretching before the race started. In a blink of an eye, we were off.

This was one mad, hungry, chaotic, crowd. (Or have I just been away from races for too long?) I felt somewhat lost and confused in the traffic of 5k runners. Despite this, I stuck to my plan of maintaining a steady (read: boring) pace of 6:30 thereabouts. The hubby had the ipod on (so much for my dreams of marital bonding while running!) and he suffered pain behind his knee at around 2km, so soon after we crossed McKinley we parted ways.

Running alone, I focused on my form: landing on my midfoot, putting more power on my left leg, lifting my knees a bit higher, and tucking my tummy in. Going downhill, I would intentionally slow down to avoid aggravating my runner’s knee. I busied myself watching others—especially the elite who were returning from their 15ks on the opposite side of the road. Awesome! Sure, I wanted to run faster or outpace others, but I had to stick to what I knew was right. Well, I was “good” until the last half kilometer. I increased my pace to a 5 to 5:30 and slowed down again just before hitting the finish line.

According to my Garmin, my time was 33.42 for 5.07km. Ave pace was 6:39/km. Nothing to be proud of, but hey no pain so I’m a happy camper. Hubby came in, tired but happy, a few minutes after. I think I’ve just made a new recruit!

- Guess who dropped by on their motorcycles? My two kuyas! That’s me with Tan, Jude, and Hubby -

- Mark and Charlie.  Mark, did you achieve your secret goal? -

- Taki (2nd fr left) and Bald Runner (2nd fr right) with friends. Bald Runner collected quite a number of old running shoes to donate to other runners. -

- Photographer Ben with his nephew…the youngest Happy Feet member? -

- Happy Feet people: Joms, Abby, and Lucky 777 Marga -

- The Mizuno Elite Team…plus me in high hopes that they’re speed rubs off on me -

Posted on 03.31.08 to 02 Race Reports. Tags: Infinity Run, Mizuno, Races. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 8 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.

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Mizuno Infinity Run – Part 2 »

8 Responses to “Mizuno Infinity Run – Part 1”

1. welcome back jaymie!! sayang didn’t get to see you at the run. also saw baldrunner’s back for the most part, couldn’t keep up with him couldn’t keep up with senator pia either when mizuno said that the infinity run was about testing one’s limits, i guess they weren’t joking buti na lang may dala akong water bottle, even then, i had to go home at once because i was so thirsty at the end. ok na rin i guess to look back at this race and see how runners were able to overcome challenges posed by the summer’s heat and lack of water stations. (not to mention that killer mckinley hill) ang tindi nun…

   Levy said on Mar 31 08 at 2:04 PM Reply
   

2. It was Charlie who saw you first. “Pare, si Bull Runner.” Trying not to be overwhelmed, I approached you then. hehehe I had the same feeling when I approached Bald runner at kilometer 3. More on that later. I was kinda hoping at that time there will be divine intervention and you could somehow influence my wife to starting running too. ; ) She boxes, can do 6 rounds non stop. Great stamina, she’s just not into running though.
   Maybe somebody should come up with an article “How to Get your Better Half to Run with You”. In your case, you’re one step ahead of me now.

   I did achieve my secret goal though it was very short lived. I saw Bald Runner at kilometer 3 and had a small chat. That was a few moments after the water splashing incident he had with this Patrol who cut our path. After that, I just saw his back all the way to the cemetery. On the last turn around, I knew I wasnt too far away. I finished with a time of 1:19 while he finished around 1:16. Well it was supposed to be a secret until Captain Espejo told him about my goal when I came up to them at the booth. He just gamely smiled at me. I complimented him by telling him that he’s really fast. He’s very light with his strides, something I need to work on.

   Even if I didnt achieve my secret goal, I was able to finally meet the 2 pop personalities in the local running blog community. Cheers to that!

   Btw, Miznuno’s run has been renamed by some to Mizunog Run and Mizuno’s Run to Infinity. hahahaha

   markfb said on Mar 31 08 at 3:22 PM Reply
   

3. i dub it “to infinity and beyond!!!” talagang may lucky 777 number pa ah. ano kaya ang itatawag mo sa akin sa pringles run?;)

   marga said on Mar 31 08 at 4:01 PM Reply
   

4. 33 minutes? darn! I missed my one and only chance to beat the bullrunner! too bad i couldn’t join, i had my session with nonoy. I considered running the 5k and proceed to my lessons after but I didn’t want to compromise the quality of my swim either.

   Although the reviews of the race were bad, I found out too that former classmates in college were in the 5k too so I missed a chance at a mini reunion yesterday. It seems more and more people are taking up this “it” sport, hopefully it’s not just a fad but will become a way of life for most of us.

   DATC said on Mar 31 08 at 4:42 PM Reply
   

5. Hey Jaymie!
   yes…yes, so much to be said about the race. I can’t stop hearing all forms of “comments.” Kahit ako, dami ako complaints:). However, this one is memorable…. My husband also joined the 5k race for the first time! And yes, he patiently waited for me to finish the 15. Awwwh..

   see ya!

   Beni Ancheta-Veloso said on Mar 31 08 at 7:28 PM Reply
   

6. Great pics. Good job not hammering the race to keep the knee happy. Is the Bullrunner less bull headed these days:) Haha just teasin, way to enjoy the run and keep things in perspective.

   rick said on Apr 01 08 at 4:03 AM Reply
   

7. Hi Bullrunner,

   I was taking notice of how you’re describing your running form. Is that Chi Running?
   By the way, congratulation on your return to “racing”. I hope you’ll comfortably return to your top speed. It’s nice to see someone doing well on her recovery.
   More power to your blog site. GOD BLESS.

   Nolan said on Apr 01 08 at 9:50 AM Reply
   

8. lucky 777 hahaha. plate number ni romeo jalosjos yan.

   abangan ang pringles uber-lucky number ni marga deona! mwahahahahaha

   marga said on Apr 01 08 at 9:56 PM Reply