my first KOTR experience

welcome to the 2012 Adidas KOTR

i registered for the 10k event in the Adidas King Of The Road and set my sights to finishing it in less than an hour. however, a week before the race, i did a race simulation run to see how realistic my goal is. the result is not pleasant. i cannot maintain the pace i need in order to hit my target time.

before the race yesterday, i am having the usual pre-race jitters i feel every single race i join. funny how i haven't gotten over this jitters. nonetheless, i am feeling light and strong for the race.

my running buddies are telling me to forget my target time and just run with them to practice the 3minute run 1minute walk interval. i said, ok let's do it! we missed the gun start for the 10k event because we were busy chatting and we decided to start with the 5k runners. however, when we started running, their pace is much slower than what i would like so i decided to run my own pace. i bade them goodbye and started weaving my way through the 5k crowd.

after run bonding with ANR ortigas

i told myself, i will catch up with the 10k runners if i could just keep up my pace. when i reached the first kilometer marker, i looked at my watch and saw that i am running at 6min/km pace. just enough for me to hit my target. so i changed plan again and decided to go for the sub-60 target i originally have.

everytime there is a kilometer marker, i would check my watch to see whether or not i am getting slower or faster. i want to just keep that 6min/km pace for 2 reasons. (1) if i go slower, i will miss my target and (2) if i go faster, i might run out of gas in the latter part of the race. well, my pace was really around 5:50 or so with the spare seconds i use when stopping over hydration stations.

my unofficial time

i finally caught up with many 10k runners when i got around 5k mark and i was feeling great. i was overtaking everyone in the group and it's motivating me to race on. if they're fast enough, i won't catch up with them, anyway. ^_^ i even saw jollibee the mascot along the way and he gave me a high five. i continue to feel great with all the cheers and because of the fact that i am running just at the right speed.

when i got to the 8k mark, however, i started to feel fatigue in my legs. it sends jolt of pain every once in a while. i urge myself not to give in to it. not when i only got 2k to go. when i saw a runner cut a corner, i wanted to give him a kick in the shin but i told myself, it's not me who is fooling myself by cutting my distance. besides, i have a painful leg to deal with.

homestretch. last 200m, i think

i skipped the last hydration station because it is placed in about last 500m of the course. i told myself i will just drink after i crossed the finish line. i am running on pure willpower at this point in the race. i am also feeling a bit dizzy and i am seeing some stars while running. my legs are so tired i was forced to take a 10 second walk break. when i ran again, i wanted to dash but my legs are not up to it anymore. so i just ran as fast as my tired legs would allow and when i crossed the finish line, i looked at my watch to see what my unofficial time is. 59:52. buzzerbeater. barely made it. i only got 7 seconds to spare. hahaha!

my finisher medal

this, so far, gave me the best feeling in my running career. to be able to hit the goal i set for myself. to be able to push myself outside my comfort zone. the best part of it is that, i am only just beginning. ^_^

UPDATE:

the official results for the 2012 adidas king of the road are out. my official time is 59:47. see my race analysis:


- You burned approximately 578.09 calories during your 10K-Men run.
- You finished the race in 00:59:47
- Your rank is 138 out of 981 runners
- Your rank percentile is 85.93%
- You ranked 134 out of 3,417 runners who are the same gender as you. Your rank percentile is 96.08%
- You ranked 38 out of 1,136 runners who are the same age division as you. Your rank percentile is 96.65%
- Your average speed is 10.04 kph
- Your average time per km is 5m 58s


http://race.proactive.ph/runners/adidas-kotr-2012/11494/

first time

i joined the merrell trail run and it will happen this saturday morning in timberland heights in san mateo, rizal. this is the first time i joined a race that is not 10k and this is also my first trail run. it gives me a rare feeling of dreading the day you look forward to.

i am not sure what to expect in a 5k trail run. my running buddy told me that running 5k in a trail is like running 7k on flat road. there could even be a river crossing in the event but i am also told that river crossing is included only beyond 10k in this event. i dunno whether to be happy with that news or not.

i am also thinking what shoes to wear in this event because i do not have a trail shoes. my running shoes lineup is as follows: reebok trinity 5 (my favorite), nike lunarglide 3 and VFF KSO. i am thinking of wearing my VFF but the surface of the road might hurt me more than i signed up for. wearing my reebok or nike is also not my favorite thing to ponder on because they might be trashed by the trail.

anyway, everything is set and ready. i think my preparation for this event is enough to get me through this in one piece. by the way, i like their singlet.

i am still deluded that i am still a medium sized bloke. i got medium singlet and it looked like the stitches of the singlet might burst open when i wear them. poor thing.

trinityrunner's version of don't quit

the original

Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown



trinityrunner's version

Don't Quit

When your legs go stiff, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When your fuel is low and the sun is high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When fatigue is pressing you down a bit,
Walk, if you must, but don't you quit.

Race is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the racer has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when race seem unending that you must not quit.

- trinityrunner

race guide for newbies

casual runners often challenge themselves and one way to do it is to join a race. but joining a race for the first time is not always a pleasant experience especially if a runner failed to finish. failure to finish is not always caused by lack of practice and preparation. sometimes, it is caused by little mistakes committed during the race.

below are some of my personal observations that might be helpful especially for first timers.

1. have enough sleep the night before the race. full rest will give sharper focus and more conditioned body. however, over-resting can make the body feel sluggish so avoid over-resting as well.
2. drink coffee and eat banana before the race if possible and avoid carbonated drinks. banana will help avoiding cramps, coffee is the best legal performance enhancing drinks and carbonated drinks will make stomach go crazy.
3. stretch and warm up before the race. i know it's a cliche but proper warm up and stretching prepares the body for strenuous activities like long runs. that way, injuries can be prevented.
4. don't be ashamed to use the portalets if the need arises. it's hard enough to run so ease off the burden from the bladder.
5. it's fine to look at other runners but don't let it be the primary reason for running. finishing is still the top priority. also, if it can't be avoided, do the flirting at the finish line. it's very embarrassing to flirt and not finish.
6. run your own pace. there'll be faster and slower runners but don't let them dictate your pace. it's you against yourself so just run your own pace.
7. it's not a sin and it certainly is not embarrassing to take a walk break. walking and stopping are different altogether so don't think that walking is equivalent to quitting. walk if it's necessary as long as you finish the race.
8. listen to your body. keep in mind that the severity of injury is usually proportional to the pain it inflicts. so unless you think you're severely injured, just keep on going.
9. eyes on the prize. there's no better high than actually finishing your first race. it's better than to run side by side with your celebrity crush. so, just go and get to the finish line!

always remember that running is a mental sports done by mental people. who in their right mind would run 42 kms? only mental people will do that. but i will tell you a secret. the best people usually are mental!(borrowed from the movie: alice in wonderland)

disclaimer: this is my personal list. your understanding is appreciated if i missed anything.