I got up at 4am to eat a bit. I ate a banana and a KFC brownie and drank a bottle of vitwater (blue) and half a bottle of Gatorade. I made sure I put bandaid on the places on my feet that tend to blister and then got my bag, which I had prepared the night before. I left at around 4:50am and got to The Fort at 5:15am.
There was a long line at the nearer parking areas so I decided to park at the back of Pancake House at BHS so I could spend some time warming up and stretching. Then I headed for the race area where I met Carlo and his friend Francis who were both also running the 15K. It was actually Carlo who convinced me to run the 15K instead of the 5K. I figured that I might as well make the most out of the weekend.
I didn't notice the portalets so I had to go back to the BHS comfort room, which was much better anyway. It was a quick jog so it also served as a warm up as well.
During the Race
It was my first 15K race so I knew I had to start slow. I started my stopwatch as soon as the race started so I would be synchronized with the official time of the race. Upon reaching the first kilometer, I checked my watch to check my pace. 7 minutes. It was a good pace since I didn't feel any pain and my breathing was just right. I continued this pace until the first U-turn before entering the Heritage Park.
Even if I had slightly increased my pace, I was sightseeing at the Heritage Park. Everything was still and the view was great. There was a group there playing some music and I thought it was wonderful. Even the native dances were entertaining. But it was in Heritage Park that I started to feel a bit of a strain on my legs. I was getting a bit tired, especially because of the incline on the latter part of that leg of the race.
Moving out of the park, we made our way back to Lawton. I heard that Mckinley Hill was part of the route so I decided to conserve my energy and maintain my pace. On my way back to Lawton I noticed that the water station at the corner of Lawton and Bayani Road had run out of plastic cups and was giving away 1 Liter Bottles of Hidden Spring instead. I considered taking one but I though carrying a liter was too heavy.
The descent upon entering Mckinley Hill was quite steep. I worried a bit about my knees because running down too fast would definitely hurt them so I took small steps downward. As I made my way up to the next U-turn I could feel the strain again on my legs. This was one tough route! I slowed down again trying to get out of Mckinley Hill. Upon reaching Lawton, I felt exhausted from the climb so I took some time t catch my breath.
When I reached Essensa, I decided that it was time to go all out. I quickened my pace for a strong finish. At the finish line, Carlo and Lara were at the sidelines. Lara took a picture as I ran into the finisher's chute. My official time was 1:34:52 and my average pace was 6:19/km.
After the Race
It was quite festive after the race. There were a number of booths giving away items. All in all, I took home a free haircut stub from Grupo Barbero, a banana, Enervon C samples, and a Timex discount coupon. I was not able to get the Men's Health magazine because they ran of copies by the time I finished and I chose not to have my blood sugar tested. In the end, I can say that this was a good run. Personally, I felt good about my first 15K and how I performed.
I am also starting to think that I should choose my races well. One big factor from now on will be to check if the race will be organized by Rio dela Cruz.
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