Running with Annie

My best running buddy is back!  She came home from Singapore to run the Condura Run and to spend time with family.

Would you believe that the first time we saw each other since she got back was on the Skyway during Condura Marathon?  It was shortly before Magallanes when I spotted her a few meters ahead of me. I ran faster and managed to catch up with her; I tapped her on the shoulder and we laughed as if we had never been apart.

This was a rare scene. Annie and I running at the same pace in a road race.  You see, she’s much faster and stronger than I am.  But, crazy and stubborn Annie girl insisted on running Condura 42k despite a nagging injury, which started to bother her even before we hit the turnaround.  Still, she was the same Annie who, despite the pain, was laughing and smiling every now and then and still managed to finish with a respectable time.

– Annie and I were lucky enough to bump into our favorite photographer Ben Chan of Photovendo. Thanks Ben for the photo! –

Today, we met up at our favorite meeting place, the same place where we used to meet every Saturday for our long runs.  So many things had changed.  Annie lost her way.  She now wears earrings, shades, and even wanted to take a hydration belt along.  So different from the purist Annie I used to know!  But, as soon as we started running, everything was the same again.

We talked about Condura. How from the moment we saw each other, we started to compete with each other.  From Magallanes to Bicutan, we were outrunning each other. I would leave her behind only to find her pop out of nowhere in front of me.  And vice versa!  We’re such good friends and we’re alike in so many ways that it’s this kind of healthy competition that sort of binds us together.

– Race Mode on the Skyway. We can be friends again after the finish line hah! –

For the next easy 5kms this morning, we filled the road with laughter talking about anything and everything just like the way we used to.  Aaaw, it’s nice to have crazy, competitive Annie girl back.  Can’t wait to run with her again this Saturday.