Posts Tagged with: "Pasig Marathon"

Just two more days till Pasig. As the say in the local vernacular, dalawang tulog na lang! It will be a big day for most Filipino runners, especially those who are running the full 42.195 km.

I will not join the race due to the injury. Initially, I was planning to support Annie, my running buddy who I trained with months ago for this marathon, but I decided otherwise for fear that seeing this super strong athlete suffer in the last 10km might cause me to abandon any future marathon dreams. So, as I’ve told Annie, I will be there in spirit for her and all you runners out there.

To Annie, Patrick, Taki, Baldrunner, Totoy (?) and others who are embarking on the exciting journey of this marathon, good luck! Stay strong and enjoy the ride!

Note:  I posted this on the 22nd and was surprised to find it back in my unpublished drafts.  Hmmph…It was bad enough that I couldn’t join the race and now my blog is playing tricks on me!

The Pasig Marathon is over and Annie finished strong with an unofficial time of 4:07!  Patrick and Taki, how did you do?  Read about Bald Runner’s Pasig experience here.

Two running working mothers. One marathon: 24 February 2008.

Training begins NOW.

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Every Friday afternoon, Annie and I exchange the routinary SMS message: “Run tomorrow? Same time, same place?” And, almost always, the other will send a customary reply of “Yes. See ya!”

For the past six months, Annie and I have been enjoying our Saturday runs together. Saturday mornings is reserved exclusively for our long runs; it is the time where we can run without distractions from work or family. Children have no school nor homework. And, at least for me, the hubby is out longer than I am playing golf.

– Training in Alabang with Annie and Coach B (June 2007) –

Ours is a friendship built on running. I met Annie after I invited an acquaintance to join Coach B’s running clinic; that friend took Annie along. When the running clinic ended, it was only Annie and I who found ourselves committed to continue training on our own.

Annie, a mother of two girls, is a Fitness First and stotts pilates instructor. Between the two of us, she is by far the stronger, faster, and more experienced runner. She has been running for over three years and has joined more races than I can count. During our runs, we can talk about a wide range of topics ranging from motherhood to shopping, but our discussion will always, always go back to running. It is what binds us together.

– Adidas KOTR with Annie and her friend (July 2007) –

So, it came as no surprise that when I told Annie about my plans of joining the Pasig Marathon, she instantly decided to join too. When we got over our initial excitement (which lasted for over five minutes), we informally discussed our strategy. She suggested using Hal Higdon’s marathon program while I recommended Jeff Galloway’s (She won here. I’m now using Higdon’s Novice II program while she’s using Intermediate I). We also agreed, quite happily, that we would transform our 10 to 15k Saturday runs into our once-a-week long runs. “Annie,” I begged her, “we seriously have to slow down from now on” because, as I’ve experienced many a times, Annie does not know the meaning of slow or tired. “Yes,” she adds, “we also have to force ourselves to take walking breaks now” something we always fought against in the past.

As I write this, I am building a mental checklist of other things I must discuss with Annie as we try to add more science and strategy to our runs. These have something to do with 1) starting earlier so the sun doesn’t beat down on us, 2) stock piling on power gels since water won’t do for us anymore, and 3) planning the races we intend to join so that they can work seamlessly with our program.

Suddenly, my personal goal has turned into a dream I can share with a friend. While running a marathon is still an individual conquest, I take comfort in knowing that I can share the same hardships and triumphs, pains and joys, and hills and troughs with someone who doesn’t need to stop and ask me “Why must you put yourself through this?” She just gets it. And, should the time come during the marathon that my legs turn to lead and I want to give up at 30 km, I know that Annie will be there pushing and urging me to move forward…just as I will do for her.

Good luck to us Annie!

Ever since I posted about the Subic Marathon I’ve been toying with the idea of going for the full 42, but probably in the Pasig Marathon on Feb 2008. Am I ready? Is it feasible considering I’ve been running for less than a year? Can I really put myself through the rigors of a marathon training program? Am I disciplined enough to run through the chaos and mayhem of the Holiday season?

My mind says Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes. But, of course, being the wise runner that I am (ehem) I decided to consult with the more knowledgeable and experienced runners around. I decided to sign up for a one-on-one trial session with Ige Lopez. In the running/ triathlon/ adventure racing world, Ige is known by many as a passionate athlete and a credible coach. I met him for the first time during the Mizuno Run Club and I was very much impressed with his style of coaching: straight-forward, frank, and aggressive. This guy definitely knows his stuff when it comes to running, so I surmised he could determine my readiness for a marathon.

Ige and I met last Monday at The Fort for a 1-hour session. We started promptly at 4 p.m. with a 30-minute progressive run. It was during the run that he interviewed me about my running experience and goals. I particularly liked the fact that, in between chatting and running, he also observed my form and told me what I was doing wrong and how to correct them. (Boy, did I need a lot of correcting!) Oh, we also bumped into Pastor Emata, one of the members of the First Philippine Mt. Everest Expedition Team, who ran along with us for several minutes.

After the short run, Ige proceeded to torture—er, I mean, teach me how to go about training. He put me through speedwork (I have never been forced to run so fast) and a couple of drills that would help me run faster and make me more flexible. We then ran for another 10 minutes. God, I was out of breath and tired. I definitely felt my age at this point. I wanted to scream “I’m a 31 year old mother of two children for God’s sake! Please have pity on me!” But, the runner in me was enjoying every second of this tough kind of training. First of all, Ige was very generous with his tips. In fact, I wish I had taken a notebook with me to jot down every single word that escaped his mouth! Secondly, I knew this was what I needed to improve; someone to drag me out of my comfort zone and squeeze every ounce of energy in me to make me a more powerful, faster runner.

Before the session ended (time flies when you’re running fast), I asked Ige if he thought I was ready for a marathon. He answered that no one could determine this except me. Rules can be broken. Limits can be exceeded. It was all up to me if I was committed and willing.

So, yes, the marathon is still on my mind. I am, in fact, currently training for it using Jeff Galloway’s basic marathon training program. But, I haven’t fully made up my mind yet. The thought of running 42 km sends shivers up my spine—10% from fear but 90% excitement.