My hotel, which was booked with runners of all shapes and sizes, hired a bus that would conveniently take us to Folsom at 5:15 am. Race start was 7:00 am.

- All wrapped up on the bus -

When I stepped out of the bus, I thought I died and went to the North Pole; it was freaking cold. There was no wind (thank-you-Lord!), but with temperature at the low 30s, my Sheddable Shell (tear away wind breaker purchased at NYCM for $10) with a throwaway long sleeve top plus fleece jacket couldn’t keep me warm! I was uncomfortable and I wanted to hide out in the bus until the gun was fired. But, I had to make a quick run for the portalet, check in my bag, and warm up.

- Runners kept warm with throwaways and trash bags -

- A wall of portalets. CIM has 1 portalet for every 26 runners. Pretty cool but there were still lines before the race start -

- Streets were filled with runners scrambling for last minute race preps -

I waited in the cold for less than 15 minutes, then headed off to the assembly area for race start.

- Just a few minutes before race start. Starting line is right behind me  -

THE START

CIM is a relatively small race with 8,000 runners registered. (Post-race results show that only 5,300 showed up and finished). The start isn’t crowded at all and makes for a pleasant experience. Most runners look experienced—slender, fit, and well-geared for the marathon.

Pace teams stood out with their black flags and pace times. The leaders for each pace team were friendly and experienced and would later give practical tips along the run. For newbies targeting a specific time, this type of system would help give them maintain pace. But, in this race, most runners who joined probably hoped to get that extra nudge to achieve their Boston qualifying time. This was one serious crowd of fast runners.

There was no major fanfare except for the Star Spangled Banner being sung. A few seconds after, we were off.

STEADY DOES IT

We ran through the small and peaceful residential neighborhood of Folsom. The sun was out, the run was slowly increasing our body temperature, and the sounds of our footsteps hitting the pavement was almost tranquilizing. We ran an easy downhill then up a minor ascent which warmed us up even more. There were locals—some in their pajamas—who stepped out of their homes early that morning to give us high fives and cheer us on.

The run was steady, but my legs still felt like lead due to the cool weather. My jacket and gloves were still on (I kept the gloves on until the race ended. Yes, that’s how cold it was!) yet I wasn’t breaking a sweat, literally. At one time, I bumped into good friend Lit and we agreed that our legs still weren’t fully warmed up, my nose was runny, and my lips were chapping. Offering him my chapsticks, I yelled: “Do you want my shlapsphtick?” Man, even my mouth was frozen!

I felt fully warmed up at around Km 8 to 10. And, when that happened, I suddenly felt like a well-oiled machine ready to keep on running. I put one foot in front of the other and never looked back. At Km 13, I turned my ipod on and gained extra strength (and inspiration) from my playlist. (Special thanks go out to Adele and Maroon 5.)

When they said CIM is a net downhill course, I feared it was downhill all the way which was no good for a marathon; it would tire our legs to be running the same way the entire time. Fortunately, this course offered gentle rolling hills. There were slight ascents, none harder than our very own Buendia Flyover killer, and the descents were gentle and easy on the knees. The roads were traffic-free, secure, and wide for most of the way. Race organizers did a good job in setting up this race. Truly the best course I have ever run for a marathon.

- All smiles! Gloves were off only after the potty break! haha -

LESSONS LEARNED

How many times have you heard runners say: “Running is a metaphor for life”? Well, marathons are much like life too. As you go along, you learn from your mistakes and successes, pick up a thing or two from those who know better, practice, practice, practice, and, when judgement day comes, you hope to be the better, stronger person you are shaped by your past.

- Fun and fast course! -

In this marathon, I practiced two key things that helped me finish the race:

1. RUN CONSERVATIVE IN THE FIRST HALF. I’ve heard and read this a hundred times before, but being the bullheaded person that I am, I always failed to practice it. After the big mistake at NYCM last month where lack of training due to my neuroma and an aggressive first half left me drained by Km 21, Lit reminded me to apply this principle again. A day before the race, I promised him I’d try thinking that I had nothing left to lose. I ran a conservative 6:20/km during the first Km 21 and found myself reaching Km 32 feeling great.

2. USE YOUR CORE. The day before I left for San Francisco, I ran with Ironman 70.3 2011 Champ and current TBR Magazine cover, Arland Macasieb. He gave me several tips on the Newton technique of running (I’ll post it here within the week) but what stood out was his advise to use my core, not the arms, to push forward. I practiced this during the race and felt like I could go on and on.

LAST FEW KILOMETERS

Much of CIM is run at Fair Oaks Boulevard at Folsom. I knew we entered Sacramento when the street names became letters and numbers. I spotted the street name: 53rd Street and wanted to delete it from memory.

You see, during the talk at the expo, we were forewarned that we should avoid looking at the street names during the last few kilometers. The race would end at 8th Street and counting down street numbers would only scare us about the distance. Well, it sure rattled me. 53rd street to 8th street. Woah boy, we had a long way to go.

Fortunately, this portion was all flat. And, again, the autumn trees did nothing but inspire me to plod on forward. I focused on taking one strong step at a time. Before I knew it, I was at 20th street, then 15th, and closing in on 8th.

RUNNING ALL THE WAY

Among all 7 marathons I’ve run, this was the first and only marathon that I felt strong until the end. For the first time, I had absolutely no long walking breaks; I actually ran all the way until the end!

I finished at 4:41, my second best marathon time after my Condura 2010 PR of 4:24. This was a whopping 40 minute improvement from my NYC Marathon finish exactly a month ago. With so little training due to my neuroma, I wonder about the possibilities of improved performance now that I’m fully recovered.

I crossed that finish alone overwhelmed with joy and beaming with pride. I wore that medal around my neck and met Pinoy friends for a wonderful picnic of free bagels, cookies, and bananas by the Capitol. A perfect way to end a perfect race.

Remember I said I wouldn’t run a marathon twice except for NYC Marathon which I finished in 2010 and 2011?  Okay, I take it back.  I would love to run CIM again…and again…and again.

- Majestic California State Capitol to greet us at the finish -

- with Nica (4:08 PR), JaneJane (4:09 PR), and Lit (4:38 PR) -

- Pinoy finishers of CIM -

- Fast runners of Team Cebu (Nica, Andrew, and JaneJane) with their relatives -

- Runners relaxing after the run on Capital Park grounds -

- Post marathon chatter is the best -

- Free banana, bagels, cookies, water, and beer for marathoners -

- with Nica at our little picnic as I sipped on my Gatorade recovery drink -

- Walking back to my hotel. Couldn’t stop smiling! -

Here’s a photo of fellow Pinoy runners and I at Capitol Park where the race ended. Everyone was happy with their time with most of them hitting their personal records.  I didn’t break my Condura Marathon PR, but  absolutely no worries, I still ran my 2nd best out of 7 marathons and it was 40 minutes faster than New York City Marathon which I ran a month ago. I’m on a high!

Left to right: Sisters Veronica and Jane-Jane Ong (4:08 and 4:09 respectively), myself (4:41, my 2nd best marathon time), and Lit Onrubia (4:38). Not in photo: Andrew Ong and Amale Jopson (the one who persuaded us to run here)

I’ll post a more detailed race report within the week! Just let me enjoy the food and shopping here in Sacramento and San Francisco a wee bit more!

With bigger, grander races to look forward to last year, I felt that adidas KOTR was losing its touch.  Sure it was still a good race, but how could it possibly stand out among other races?  Admittedly, I wasn’t that excited about running KOTR in 2010.  Actually, I missed it.

For this year, I signed up for the race expecting a typical road race despite the hullaballoo over the new 16.8km distance that I couldn’t quite wrap my brain around.  I expected an average race, definitely none of the KOTR magic of the earlier years.  Woah boy, was I pleasantly surprised.

I ran the 21k as a training run in preparation for New York City Marathon.  I ran with fellow NYC Marathoner and TBR Dream Alumni, Rico Manuel and his friend, Angela, for the first few kilometers.  Midway through the race, I bumped into friends, Ton and Angel of Gatorade, and we then spotted Lit.  We then saw Joey Torres of Polo Tri who will also run NYCM.  Joey and Lit ran at a faster clip, while Ton, Angel and I ran easy for the rest of the race.  Throughout the run, I spotted friends along the way, some new acquaintances, others I hadn’t seen for over a year!

- Good times! Running with Joey, Ton, and Lit. Thanks to Spongebob Runner for the image -

Sometimes, a race can be memorable because of our performance.  Other times it can stand out because of the features of the event and great execution of its organizers.  For this race, I found that it was special because it reminded me of the good ol’ days when running in a road race was such a positive, energizing experience because of the people you spotted along the way.  You knew half of the runners on the road and you crossed the finish line welcomed by even more familiar faces.  Sure the races were smaller and less extravagant, but hey they were filled with happy memories.

Thanks to adidas KOTR for making me all sentimental and reminding me of those special times in running.  (Tissue please!)  It’s wonderful to have the old and great adidas King of the Road back!

I woke up to hear the wind howling and the rain hitting our rooftop. While bad weather never stopped our run group from doing our long runs, this Saturday was different. Most, if not all of us, had been sick, were sick, or were going to get sick if we ran under the rain. 21k LSD? Pffttt…cancelled. I hopped back into bed after eating my pre-LSD breakfast. Oh yes, I needed those 300 calories for the intense sleep workout.

[Saturday | 8 am to 4 pm]

My thought every hour or so: Crap, I never miss long runs due to rain. Never.

[Saturday | 5 pm]

I knew I was being bullheaded about this, but hey that’s me! I was hell-bent on running come hell or high water. So, like a soldier preparing for war, I put on my rain gear to keep me from getting sick: Nike rain jacket (last time used: Nike Hood to Coast in Oregon), old pair of KSwiss Kwicky Blade Lights with old Spenco insoles, ipod shuffle wrapped in plastic, and emergency money wrapped in plastic. Then, I set off for war…or more like a great running adventure.

I ran almost 10km alone from 5:30 to 6:30 PM. My pace for the first 4k was 5:20/km. The speed was gratifying. I felt like the past two weeks of training had worked its magic as I didn’t have to work as hard to hit my tempo pace. Then the hills came, then I lost my way, then the rain got so strong I seriously started to doubt my sanity. I slowed down to breathe, let go of all worries, and enjoyed the run with Mother Nature as my highly excitable running buddy.

[28 Aug 2011, Sunday | 4 am]

Once again, I woke up to hear the heavy downpour outside but, as I learned the day before, skipping runs for flimsy reasons (like, uhm, my health) was not very good for my psyche. So, I got up and ready for Earth Run. I was set to do a 5k (since I thought I was running long the day before) and the awarding of finishers for the program.

As I waited in the assembly area with Rico, a TBR Dream finisher who’s training for NYCM as well, I was still figuring out what distance I was gonna run. And, even when the gun was fired, I still had absolutely no clue!

Miraculously, the weather cleared just in time for the race. It was a cloudy day, just perfect for a run. I ran alongside the 21k runners in full speed but wondering all along what the hell I was doing there. I knew I couldn’t cover this distance unless I wanted race organizers to kill me for not showing up for the awarding. So, I just ran, and ran, and ran.

When the 21k runners hit Buendia, I went off course and headed back for the race start. I pulled out my race bib and officially pulled out of the race. I created my own course instead and tried to cover as much distance as I could. I ran for 1 hour and 3 minutes to cover over 11km. My pace was 5:47/km.

- Runners posing for the cam after the race -

- with Joel Andrada of Cherifer Premium, a co-presenter of Earth Run, along with 2nd Avenue -

- Met Babu and her dog who ran 10k (not in pic but she’s by our feet). Photo courtesy of Albert Imperial -

- Cherifer Premium girls. I am so tempted to give them shorts, pull their hair up in pony tails, and get them to start running 3k -

Yesterday, over 400 parents and kids trooped over to Mercato Centrale at Bonifacio High Street for some 3k and 5k running action and to show their support for breastfeeding.  Spotted there were active families and friends…

- Christine and Paco Sandejas and kids -

- Patricia and Vince Hizon and kids -

- breastfeeding advocate, Abbie Yabot, with husband Mike (not in pic) and her family -

Plus mommy friends and their kids…

- Mommy Power!  Gigi (Fit Mommy) and my “twin sis” Jaimie carrying their kids. That’s tougher than a 42k! -

- The Janeo Family: Gab, Mike, and Lola. Missing in pic: Mommy Macel! -

- The Jao Family (Missing in pic: Daddy Jayvee -

Last but not the least, race organizer and my dearest Sis (who really should start running already)…

- Janice, bro-in-law Gary V., and kids -

As for The Bull Runner family, oh, the kids and I were present too even if hubby was off to the beach over the weekend.

The morning started out a bit slow and gloomy for us.  It was quite tough to drag the kiddos out of bed, there was an eerie silence in the car and not the usual chatting and shouting, Li’l Miss Bull Runner got cranky after she complained that I was “taking too many photos of her,” and I was just too exhausted from the 21k in such hot and humid weather the day before.

- To think they were so excited about this race! Check out that fake smile and frown! -

- Could they have been any more irritable? -

Before we could rant any further, the race started.  There were a few who were serious about racing (my friend ultramarathoner, Toto, was keen on winning the 5k…and he did!) but most were out there to just have serious fun.

The Bull Runner family couldn’t have walked any slower. I was contemplating on replacing Bull with Turtles, Snails, or even Sloths when I had another idea. A few meters into the race, I declared to the kids: Finishers of this race gets a new cheap toy later! (Yes, the word cheap found its way in there!) I saw Li’l Miss Bull Runner’s eyes light up. Then, I made a second announcement: Winner of the race gets an extra cheap toy, too! Before I could finish, the two were gone and had charged ahead just like little bulls!

- Ready…Set…Go! -

- Li’l Miss TBR with her cousin -

- They had a blast… -

- …and a tough workout too -

- Bonding time! -

During the race, naughty Li’l Miss Bull Runner would entertain herself by taunting her kuya…

- Caught in the act -

Spin like crazy to make herself dizzy, and…

- Whooopeee! -

…Just like Mommy taught her, Li’l Miss Bull Runner would cool herself down at the water station just like the pros do…

…and again…

Both crossed the finish at the same time. (Thank God because this Mom plays no favorites so they both enjoyed the same reward later in the day!) This was truly a fun and memorable bonding experience for us.

We dropped by Mercato Centrale for Mommy Milkshake’s post race activities and to shop for food of course (brazo de mercedes and cupcakes…yum!), but had to leave before the mommy talks and kiddie activities which we heard were a lot of fun.

Congratulations to Mommy Milkshake Run! Until the next one!

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!

- with serious runners from Sun Cell: Charles Lim, Business Unit head, and Ricky Pena, SVP for Postpaid Marketing -

I was fortunate enough to be invited to join the run this morning.  I ran 5k since I’m also running the NBA Fit 21k tomorrow.  According to my Garmin, I ran 5km at 5.23 min/km finishing at 27 mins 18 seconds.  It was the first time I ran fast after being injured for 2 months…and boy did I love it!

After the race, I made new friends from Sun (and tried to convince two of them to join TBR Dream 2012) and then led the oath taking for the start of Sun’s Sports Fest.  Thanks to Sun for the opportunity to be part of their event!

Overcast skies and a gentle sea breeze made perfect running weather for the Laguna Phuket International Marathon last June 12, 2011.  It was the marathon’s biggest-ever field in its six-year history, with some 5,000 runners from 45 countries signed up for a full marathon, half marathon, 10.5 km run, 5 km Community Charity Walk or a 2 Km Kids’ Run.

The 42km winner for men was Russian Vsevelod Khudyakov who finished 2:33:51.  Would you believe he ran the 42km just 24 hours after arriving in Phuket from Russia to make a last-minute race registration?  Winner of the women’s marathon was Mari Kauri of Finland with a time of 03:30:46.

Spotted in the race were Filipino runners!  (I checked results and there were only 6 male runners in the 42km.  Next year there should be 1 vindictive female, right? Hah!) Here’s a photo sent by the race organizer capturing Pinoys leaving the monks behind…

Rating:

Good Job:
- very attractive and high quality singlet (I vote for the Brooks singlet as the Best Singlet of the Year—so far!)
- good number of participants
- ample water (although this could’ve been colder)
- directional signs for 15k
- post-race booths and activities
- unique medal

Needs Improvement:
- clueless race staff upon redemption of race kit (they didn’t know gun start nor assembly area)
- late gun start. 5:30AM for 15k is late considering the heat. Even worse, race started 15 minutes late at 5:45AM
- no kilometer markers
- no sports drinks
- no ice nor sponges
- lack of marshals
- no mats nor ribbons in the race course. How did organizer ensure that there were no cheaters?

Brooks Run Happy was a relatively small race with 4,000 runners braving the intense heat of the summer sun at Bonifacio Global City. The bright yellow Brooks race singlet brightened up the road and stood out as the best feature of the race. Basic amenities for a race were provided such as water, directional signs, and road closure, but this was not enough for a summer race where organizers should go the extra mile to ensure runners’ safety and comfort. Gun start was a late 5:30AM and, worse, it failed to start on time. On the route, there were no kilometers markers, an obvious lack of marshals to supervise runners, and quite curiously no mats nor ribbons at any point in the course to monitor potential cheaters. In a race under such harsh conditions, the tepid water at hydration stations helped little to cool down runners when ice cold water, sports drinks, sponges or ice could’ve been provided. We hope that next year, Brooks will stage a much “happier” run.

———————————–

PRE-RACE: 7K

32K. Phew.

I had to do 32K today in preparation for Phuket Marathon on June 12. I must’ve told more than a handful of runner friends the past week that I was running my longest run over the weekend. So, you could’ve imagined my shock when Lit, my running buddy and sort-of-coach who has my Phuket Marathon Training Program locked up in his brain, informed me that: No, this was not my longest run because I had to run more next week; 35K to be exact.

Okay, one at a time. I focused on 32K this morning.

Jun, Lit, Ton, and I agreed to meet at 4:15AM in Bonifacio High Street to cover some distance before dawn and before Brooks Run Happy 15K which we all signed up for.  We ran happily throughout Bonifacio Global City along with some easy chit chat to cover almost 7k. Then, we headed for the race.

BROOKS RUN HAPPY: 15.7 K

We stood there in the assembly area drenched in sweat while all the other runners looked clean and fresh in their yellow singlets. When you have to do 32k in this hot weather, every early morning minute counts so you can get the mileage in before it gets excruciatingly hot. When over 10 minutes had passed after the announced gun start, we decided to squeeze some kilometers in and run around the area while waiting. We got 700m in then the race finally started.  Thank God!

The four of us ran side-by-side in the first few kilometers. Lit and Ton agreed early on to practice the Galloway Run-Walk method of 9 min run and 1 min walk. Jun and I first agreed to run at 5:45 min pace, then after a few seconds before heading out to Buendia, I asked Jun: If we go at this pace, don’t you think we might not have anything left to cover the 10k distance after the race. He nodded. And, with that, we slowed to a stop and decided to pace with Ton and Lit. All for one and one for all!

After Buendia Flyover, we found shelter under the shade of the buildings on that road. So, ruining our chances of hitting a PR (as if!), we ran loops along the flat and shaded roads there. Pretty soon, we found ourselves at the end of the 15k runners line. We even spotted Toby Claudio acting as sweeper for the race.  Talk about hands on!

We made a lot of stopovers along the course to wash up, rest, replenish our water bottles, and go on bathroom breaks. We also took detours at our favorite Starbucks branches where they generously provided us with ice.

We crossed the finish line and we didn’t even stop. We went on to run around Bonifacio Global City, straight to the parking lot to our cars where there were ice cold towels, chilled Gatorade, bananas, raisins, and gels waiting for us.

POST RACE: LAST 10K
The sun was beating down on us and it was a mental struggle to plod on forward.  By this time, Ton was off to breakfast, so we were down to three.  Good thing that Jun, Lit, and I find humor in our pain and over all the crazy things we put ourselves through for running.  So, while we were hoping that all the struggling would be over ASAP, we also enjoyed every minute of our long run together.

– Bumped into the Caliraya Runners in the last few meters of our 30k run. Nice meeting you all! Photo courtesy of Timo -

We ran towards any shaded area of BGC. And, we ran those areas over and over and over again. Sadly, around during the last 5k, I started feeling knee pain. I was compelled to alternate between running and walking and stop to stretch a lot. I knew that the right thing to do was to quit and rest it so I wouldn’t aggravate the problem. The boys were kind enough to agree to stop at 30K. We were happy with this. After all, we still have 35K next week!

Rating:

Good job:
- enough marshals
- kilometer and directional signages
- route was safe and traffic free
- attractive and high-quality shirts
- efficient race start
- ample water
- bananas at some stations
- high quality medal
- medical aid throughout the route
- giveaways and booths at the finish

Needs improvement:
- 21k race start was too late at 5:15 am considering the heat. 4 to 4:30 am would’ve been ideal
- 21k route was crowded at the start (1st turnaround)
- no Powerade at last few stations (Rizal Drive and near BHS)
- lack of sponges at some stations, other stations had sponges that were dry!
- water could’ve been colder

Being the 1st leg of the Runrio Series 2011, the Goldilocks Fun Run stood out among the clutter of local races in the country with over 8,000 runners participating. It was well-organized with the route clear of traffic and covered by marshals, ample water at stations, and medics to ensure runners’ safety. However, the organizers may have failed to take the weather into consideration. In this heat, I wish the organizers started the race earlier and came more prepared at the hydration stations. Hoping for a “cooler” race next time for all of us!

———————————————–

GOTTA DO 28K

Aack! I had to do 28k this morning in preparation for Phuket Marathon on June 12. I usually look forward to my long runs, but, in this heat, I was absolutely dreading it. Thankfully, Jun and Lit agreed to run the pre-race mileage with me. We met at 4:15 AM and ran easy around BHS before the gun start. 5KM – CHECK!

ONE HOT RACE

For the race, I decided to run at training pace alone. Well, not exactly, I had my new ipod nano loaded with a thousand new songs to keep me entertained…or shall I say distracted? During the first few kilometers, I weaved through the crowd of runners completely immersed in my music. It was almost relaxing.

By 5k though, the heat started to get to me. Then, I started to panic: Why am I getting tired this early?! Then laziness set in too: This is just too hot. Why don’t I just quit before Buendia? Then, by some stroke of luck, I bumped into an acquaintance, Mike, whom I see at the strangest places (the last time was at the finish of the NYC Marathon!) We agreed to run together with no other goal than to just finish this crazy, hot, dreadful, torturous race. And that’s exactly what we did!

Nearing the finish, after we climbed Buendia flyover, Mike told me to go ahead as he suffered cramps. I plodded forward through the last 3km of the race with my music to keep me inspired again. According to my Garmin, I finished at 2:16 for 21.35km @ 6:24/km. 21K – CHECK!

NOT OVER YET

As soon as I crossed the finish line, Jun was there and he handed me a bottle of water, which was really akin to receiving food after a 100 day fast! Then, I asked him to hold my 21k medal for me so I could cover the balance of my mileage.

I ran alone back and forth through the sidewalks of Serendra on what could have been the longest 2k of my life. I waited patiently for the Garmin to beep on Km 1 and even longer for the heavenly beep of Km 2. Once that was done, it was back to the car for a well-deserved breakfast with friends. I couldn’t believe I survived it!  TOTAL OF 28K – CHECK!