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This was a welcome change. Billeted at the Holiday Inn, which was a stone’s throw away from the assembly area of the Clark marathon, all I had to do was do my usual 5-10 minute brisk walk/light jog warm up and I already found myself right smack in front of the starting grid as early as 5:15 a.m.

The scene was less populated than I initially expected but obviously I was among serious runners (like those who were willing to travel for a race instead of joining the more convenient Ictus Race at UP).

I had high expectations for this international race. Organizers announced early on that foreigners signified their participation at Clark. (I was eager to get a glimpse of them Kenyan ultra-fast runners.) The race packet also provided strict rules and regulations that were uncommon in other local races I joined, such as water stations every 2km and aid stations on the course that would provide water sponges (cool!). I was certainly looking forward to this.

At the same time, however, I had my worries. I felt no knee pain at that point, but for the past two weeks, running as little as 5k would leave me sore either on my left knee, right knee, or right shin. So, veering away from my usual pre-race thoughts of PR, PR and PR, I found myself fretting over one thought: Will I finish?

The race started on time. Actually, in my watch, the gun for 10k runners was fired at 5:51 a.m. In a snap, we were off. I bid Marga, a fellow Happy Feet runner, good luck as we parted ways among the sea of runners running against a beautiful dawn backdrop.

The start of the course was quite enjoyable; it was downhill! As much as I would’ve wanted to espouse the rule of negative splits, I quickly allowed gravity to pull me towards a fast pace of 4:45 thereabouts. As for conserving energy for the expected uphill climb heading back to the finish, I thought, I would just uhm cross that bridge when I got there.

My first 5k came swiftly for me. I ran it at race pace averaging below 5 and I was pleasantly surprised to find my legs holding up with that speed. I knew I could sustain this, but seriously worried if my legs felt the same way.

Then came the first water station, which was not at 2km as organizers promised, but at the 5k turnaround. I made the big mistake of slowing down to a walk to drink, which based on experience from my long runs is when the pain attacks from nowhere. I suddenly felt slight pain on my right knee.

Needless to say, the race was pretty much over for me then. At 5k to 7k, I slightly slowed down but managed to keep my pace at around 5 to 5:30 while worrying about the pain. But, after 8k, it was troublesome and tiring. I slowed to a 6 (my training pace!) and only hoped that I would still be able to finish. Er, those cold water sponges would have helped, by the way, but I saw none.

Thankfully, I finished with a respectable time of 52.26 minutes. Not my best time but, considering what I went through, I was just glad I made it to the end without crawling.

– Me with a small group of Happy Feet runners. Others opted to join the Ictus run at U.P. –

I stayed until close to the end of the awarding—something I rarely do since I am always rushing to get home—and I’m glad I did. With a sad limp whenever I walked, I felt utterly depressed about not being able to “race” due to the injury. What a waste, I thought, since I couldn’t even run my best due to the knee.

However, after seeing other runners, like Jho-an Banayag placing first for females at 42k and Leo Oracion finishing his first marathon at around 3:30, my spirits were lifted. It was just awe inspiring to see these super athletes cross the finish line with so much passion in their eyes knowing all the pain they just went through. How could I even complain about my little knee then?

I’m home now. In a few hours, I shall pay my therapist a visit for more strengthening and stretching exercises on my legs. As for my next race, let’s not even go there. Let me fix these broken knees first.

– Top male finishers for 10k –

– Top female finishers 10k –

CLARK RESULTS:

MALE (42K)
1st: Hillary Lagat from Kenya 2:26:29
2nd: Cresenciano Sabal 2:26:48
3rd: Juniel Languido 2:29:05

FEMALE (42K)
1st: Jho-An Banayag 3:02.51
2nd: Cristabel Martes 3:07.36
3rd: Flordeliza Carreon 3:10:12

A lot of runners are into biking too.  So, in case you’re interested…

The 7th BIKE FOR HOPE, Bicol Region, will be held on February 2, 2008, Saturday.  This is an advocacy ride for health and the environment to be led by Sen. Pia Cayetano.

Bike Route: Naga City to Legazpi City

Starting Point: Naga City, Shell Station Magsaysay Avenue

Finish Line: Astrodome, Legazpi City

Registration Starts: 4:30 a.m.

Bike Ride Starts: 6:00 a.m.

Registration Fee: P300.00

You can register here or email bikeforhope@yahoo.com for inquiries.

* There will be drinking stations along the bike route and lunch will be served at the culminating event at the Astrodome, Legazpi City.
** The first 350 registrants will be entitled to a free jersey.

This will be quick because I am just too overjoyed to sit still.

Are you ready?

Wait, will you take a deep breath and let out a loud “Yipeeee!” for me please?

I came from another doctor yesterday (Dr. Canlas) to get a 2nd opinion on my meniscus problem and to have my right shin checked and he basically told me this:

1) My knee and shin pain are common running injuries. I only need to strengthen and stretch my leg muscles to avoid them.
2) I never had a meniscus problem. (Can you believe it?!)
3) I can continue running all I want.

Woooah, I was definitely not ready to receive such great news! I was resigned to running with my broken knee and getting arthroscopic surgery in the long run. Lo and behold, I won’t even need it after all.

Dr. Canlas put me on 3x a week rehab (which started today) for two weeks and hopefully things will be better for me.

For now, this is all I can say: Hi ho, Hi ho, it’s off to Clark I go. See you there!

It was a Saturday so I was all set for my long run, 22km to be exact. Things were going smoothly—quite perfectly in fact—as I kept a steady pace below 6:30 and maintained my heart rate in Zone 3. The cool weather gave me an extra reason to smile (and a good excuse to keep on wearing my favorite mizuno leggings). Yup, I could definitely cover the distance on my own (Annie passed this week)—and I was going to enjoy it. Had you been there, you would’ve witnessed me rolling down the roads of Ayala Alabang singing “The hills are alive…” sans the little apron, of course.

A little after 5 km, I felt a slight pain below my right knee (different from my other meniscus problem on the left knee). This had been troubling me for the past weeks after my runs, but never had it attacked during the actual run. Ouch. I plodded on. Ouch again. I shifted to brisk walking. After a few minutes, I tried running again only to feel the pain return instantly. After a few more futile attempts at running, I gave up. Crap, I was over 4 km away from my car.

What followed was—without any ounce of exaggeration—the longest 20 minutes of my entire running life. Walking back that distance was like dying a slow death…in slow motion. Groups of cyclists were passing me by every so often and I contemplated on grabbing one cyclist from behind and hopping over on his bike to ride back home. Since they were all burly men, I decided against it. The whole walking thing was making me sleepy…and worse, it didn’t make me sweat!

I made good use of that time though: soul searching, evaluating of the year that passed, and planning for the year ahead. Then, I did a couple of memory enhancing exercises, recited the alphabet backwards followed by all prime numbers under 1,000 and many many more. I even thought of new inventions for runners that I’ll tell you more about in a future post.

Then, as always, I started worrying. What is this? Can I run again on Monday? God, not another major injury, pleeeease.

As soon as I got home, I covered my injury with ice and elevated it. Then, I repeated my plea with more fervor: God, not another major injury, please!

My guess is that the little devil is this: Anterior Compartment Syndrome (another way of saying shin splints that make you sound awfully smart). How do I know? Well, that’s what my inner doctor told me after a few minutes of meditating. And yeah, I also looked up my symptoms on the web.

Just to be sure though, I’ll visit a new doctor this week. Time to get a second opinion on my meniscus (left knee) and have my shin problem (right leg) checked. What a great way to start the New Year, don’t you think?

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THIS YEAR, I resolve to:

… run easy when it is an “easy run.”

… incorporate more hill runs into my training.

… find a “softer” running route away from the concrete roads of Alabang. (Aaaw, I’ll miss my playground terribly.)

… listen to the beeping of my HRM—like when I breach Zone 4 on a long, slow run. I’m bad.

… master laughing and running simultaneously. Many a times I’ve had to pause in the middle of a run when Annie and I share a good chuckle. Such a waste of precious time! There must be a technique for one to enjoy both.

… rest when I feel pain or soreness. Denial didn’t seem to help last year.

… sacrifice a race for a long run. I can’t have my banana and eat it too.

… practice proper warm up before a race. (Thanks Ben for always reminding me about this.)

… go to the gym 2x a week for cross training and weights. Disclaimer: this resolution is effective only upon enrollment in a gym.

… cut back on mentos and choc-nut

… eat more veggies. I’m a good girl already when it comes to my fruits quota.

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2008 GOALS:

1) Run a marathon

2) Learn more about swimming and cycling (need I tell you where I am headed with this?)

3) Subtly try to convince hubby to run with me

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