UP ICTUS Centennial Run

I was quite cautious not to put my goal of running a sub 1-hour 10k race for the UP ICTUS Centennial Run because I was afraid I would not make it. Nonetheless, it was the setting of the goal that kept me going even when I felt like I had run out of steam.

I think I was able to prepare for the race pretty well having been able to do some speed exercises this last three weeks. I was able to have a good breakfast and I got there early enough to warm up a bit.

I think the last minute change in the race course caught me off guard because I got a bit disoriented not being able to tell how much farther to go so I picked up my pace too soon and ended up having to take a couple of walk breaks. Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed the race. For the first 6km, I felt strong and relaxed. I also noticed that the middle group of this race had taken up a relatively fast pace.

So, congratulations again to the race organizers for another great race. Thank you for the free Finisher's Singlet, Rush Sports Drink and Hidden Spring Mineral Water, Mens Health Magazine, Krispy Kreme Donut and Photovendo On-the-spot Picture.

My official time was 59 minutes and 50 seconds, a personal record! Imagine what it could have been had I not taken those walk breaks.

Loved: Running through the cool air of the UP Diliman campus.
Hated: The smoke belchers driving through the campus ruining the air as they pass.

Pictures of the event below!

The Last Race for the Year: The UP ICTUS Centennial Run

This is our next race: The UP ICTUS Centennial Run on Sunday, December 14 at 6AM. I heard about ICTUS in college and about how they help kids do better in school by tutoring them. They also teach kids about God through Catechism and by spending time with them. When I was in college, I also joined an org that did something similar so I can say that I do understand this org's mission and I want to do what I can to support them. I also have many friends who were ICTUSians so when I read about this race, I was quite sure I was joining. With each new race, there is the desire to do much better than the last. I should do better in this race since it'll be held in familiar territory and this will be the fourth time for me to run a 10k race. My main problem is that I have difficulty waking up early to run especially when my son sleeps late. My goal is to have one tempo run on Tuesday and one interval run on Thursday. If I can still cut it, I might be able to put in an easy run on Wednesday and Friday.

Seeing that the week would be quite busy for me, I asked my 2 running mates, Jen and Meng to fill out the forms so I could register for them. I registered last Saturday just to be sure that we would have slots since the poster said the race will be limited to only a thousand participants. I hope they are just as excited about this race as I am. Too bad the lady at the registration table at ROX didn't have the singlets available. She said we could get them on raceday.

Carlo said he and Lara were joining as well. I was hoping my wife could also join especially since she was a member of ICTUS in her college days. Maybe, I'll get to see some JVP and even ACIL friends at the race since these orgs have common networks.

Here's the race map: If you'd like more details, please visit www.runrio.com.