Three Things I Loved about NBA Fit Run

The rains didn’t stop me from running at the NBA Fit Run this morning and it turns out neither did it stop all 6,000 runners that showed up.  Organized by Runrio, the NBA Fit Run was another well-organized race event where everything from the course to marshals and hydration stations were provided.

This was definitely a memorable race for me for three reasons:

(1) First 21k after injury. It was the first time I reached 21k again after my injury last May 22.  Woohoo!  I still have a long way to go to get back into tiptop shape, but I’m quite satisfied with my performance.  After all, my goal was just to finish without pain!  According to my Garmin, my time was 2:20 for 21.3 km at a pace of 6:35/km.  Easy does it. Speed will come in time.

(2) Start of training. This was the first run which officially started my training for New York City Marathon.  If I just wasn’t stingy, I would’ve treated my friends for breakfast just because of this.  Too bad, I am. Hah!

Last but not the least…

(3) I met Coach Spo! I kid you not. I am Coach Erik Spoelstra‘s biggest fan.  And, any woman who contests this will  be challenged to a road race!  This isn’t a silly highschool crush.  I truly admire Coach Spo for his work ethic on the court and his efforts to go back to his Filipino roots and give back.  He inspires you to be a better person, a better Filipino.

After our 21k, Jun and I wasted no time in heading over to the awarding to just catch a glimpse of Coach Spo from afar.  I told Jun I’d be happy to just see him if it was too crowded. Sigh.

When we got to the stage, by some stroke of luck—and a lot of good connections (Thank you Coach Rio, Angel, and Ton of Gatorade!)—I got called up onstage.  It was a scene that made me want to burst out in laughter.  There I was, little ol’ me, squeezing my way into the awarding with the heads of NBA Fit, Coach Rio, Air 21, and Coach Spo. I bet the world was wondering what the hell I was doing there, but hey I didn’t mind: I was there to meet Coach Spo and if he didn’t come down from the stage to see me then I would go up!

With a huge grin on his face, Coach Rio introduced us. The rain stopped, clouds parted to let the sun shine in on us, and then Coach Spo and I shook hands.  After some quick chitchat, I left the stage feeling like I had won the race!  Who cares about pace and personal records when you’ve got Spo?!

Okay, I have to admit.  When we shook hands, I was screaming like a highschool girl in my mind!