Unilab 21k - 4 Taps - Key to My Cool Run :-)
by: Ghibz
Nov. 19th Friday evening- mental checklist for the much-awaited 21k Unilab Run - All clear, check!
Nov. 20th Saturday 3:30am woke up natural body clock without alarm aid.
Left 4am with driver to just drop me at run site @ the Fort. Driver has to go to my mom-in-law to help in a food bazaar she is joining that day.
First sign of 'Oh, no not this time, please!' abnormal phenomenon - SLEX almost killed my schedule as traffic piled up along Alabang-Sucat stretch. I arrived barely 15minutes before gun start @ 5:10am! Thanks to Fards for waiting for me to safekeep my totebag in his car! Happy to see Vicboy with officemate-runners in tow as well as Fards eldest son Jay!
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| Just in time before Gun Start! My 2 mentor-idol 83neans Vicboy & Fards! |
Please note in the picture below for putting on a peculiar head sweatband. Why? 'Porma' or Function? If there is a thing that made a big difference in this race, it is this headband that eliminated the usual annoyance of repeatedly wiping off my sweat as it drips through my eyes, nose and cheeks. It works and saved me energy no more hand-wiping hehe!
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| Look, Ma! No more sweat haha! |
Second 'abno phenom' - my Blackberry GPS software Endomondo didn't work at gun start! Tried restarting but no GPS! Only timer works! So had to rely on my sports watch but by the time I tapped it to start lap mode, I think I already covered aroung 3 or 4 minutes lapsed time from gun start.
Focusing now on my run and listening to my MP3 play list - it contains 70s & 80s music I sometimes burst into laughing at myself when random music would play tunes like "A Penny for your Thoughts by Tavares" or "All by Myself by Eric Carmen" haha! That's how you run faster when you hear slow, romantic music!
This was my first crack at 21k! "What a Feeling!" - ika nga ni 80s disco diva Donna Summer haha! Running at dawn with so many runners, fast, avarage, slow, pacing their way through the still sleepy Makati metropolis. You only hear mild sounds of feet tapping the cold asphalt road like the cliche 'poetry in motion'! Those sounds are only broken by the crushing sounds of plastic cups as we approached the first water station. Now I was awakened from my virtual dream by this reality - 19km more to go!
First Hand Tap - Goose Bump Impact!
By 7km going 8th, I already saw a small group of first-wave runners on their way back after U-turn @ 9km mark in Buendia-Paseo intersection. A few minutes more and I saw the face of Jay - Fards eldest son way ahead of us. I gladly wave my left hand to distract him and a second or 2 before we cross each other - we gave each other a strong hand tap! I don't know what energy went inside me but I had a goose bump! Maybe because I'm so happy to see Fards son Jay part of first wave fast runners! I was just so engrossed it energized me!
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| Jay-the-first-wave-runner! |
Second Tap - Same Impact with Fards!
Going 9th, I was eagerly waiting to run towards Fards on his way back! When this moment happened, a greet "Padi" then split-second hand tap we did! Awesome feeling! Goose bump again! I feel electrified!
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| Fard's sexy running form but fast! |
Third Tap - Same Impact with Vicboy!
Past 10km mark, there I was eager and excited to see Vicboy this time! And like a young boy at heart, I tapped Vicboy's hand like a long lost friend! I could've easily bear-hugged him if not for the running mode we're in haha! That's how it feels when you're so pumped up! It's a level of natural high that I felt so ecstatic, running out of breath never came as a threat at all!
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| Post-run greet. Sorry no picture of Vicboy running. He took most of the pictures hehe! |
Fourth Tap - Surprise Tap-Greet with CEO of a Customer!
At past 16km, in an uphill route, I saw in a near distance the still young CEO of a big customer of ours in telecom! Barking a calculated mild roar of "Boss Charles!", he managed to quickly respond with "Oh, Pre good to see you". That feedback charged and pumped me again, relentlessly continued an "assault" uphill run! By 17th km, I had to stop for a while to catch my breath hahaha! Enough of the mental-boosting adrenalin rush!
When Vic took my picture at past 18km, I was just newly hydrated and did several upward knee-jerk walks to stretch my legs. The pounded-knee-pressure alarm was gone!
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| Squirming after "assaulting" an uphill route. |
I went on past 19km and before 20th km mark, I felt a small pinch in my left leg - symptom of a leg cramps! I slowed down and realized I was not hydrating myself well enough! Around 200m before finish line, I became excited I am realizing I will be at last a 21k finisher. But lo! 50m before Finish line, I tried boosting my pace out of excitement but again, cramp symptom kicked in 2 fellow runners beside me flagged me to slow down, which I did no choice or else, I will finish with my left leg being dragged like a dead log into the finish line haha!
There I was - bowing to take the 21k medal for legitimate finishers!!!
Beat of Donna Summer reverberating - "What a feeling!" (baduy, ano mga Padi? haha. Sorry just putting music into my words!)
And there it was - 4 Taps - the Key and real reasons for the cool run!!! No secrets, my dear batchmates and friends.
I realized in running or anything you do, as long as you find the source of your inspiration or motivation, it is no doubt a great source of will power and strength.
And I was lucky I found my sources - from these 4 Taps!
I am 101% sure you will find and experience it too...when you Run!
Thanks and Cheers!
- Noel 'Ghibz' Guevara
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| Picture of a mission-accomplished 21k Run! Next Fun Run, please! hehe |