Days before the 2nd GLLR, I already planned to run it at my comfortable race pace, at 6:30/km, since it is part of my preparation for my first full marathon this coming 4th of July in Manila. At this pace, I will probably finish it at 2:15:00.The night before the race, I told myself to run comfortable the next day, with a goal in mind to finish between 2:18:00 and 2:20:00. Just a few minutes shy of my previous 21k PR of 2:22:16.
As I started my 2nd half-mary, I was able to cross the magnetic field at the start line almost 2 minutes after gun time due to the large volume of participants and only a narrow exit for the runners from the holding pen. I started cold and slow, at 7:00/km, because, as was announced by the organizers a few minutes before gun time, the customary pre-race warm up was cancelled due to time constraint.
Few minutes later, at the 3rd km, as I was calmly treading at my planned pace of 6:30/km, Dr. Kenneth Casquejo, the 2:00:00-2:15:00 PACER, passed me, along with familiar faces pacing with him.
SEXY BUTT-FULL of PACERS ! ! !
All that time, I was still comfortable at 6:15/km to 6:20/km, and the group was still at the same gap in front of me.Well I thought, why not pace with them? At 6:00/km? And I answered myself, Why not?
So pace with the 2:00:00 group I did. Roughly 1km before the Marcelo Fernan bridge, I picked up my pace to 6:05/km, and I was just a few feet behind them. As we started to ascend on the bridge, the group slowed down to 6:50-7:20/km. I already contemplated to do the uphill part at 6:20-6:40. So I passed them midway through the uphill because a 7:00/km pace feels so unnaturally slow for me.
On the descend, I was running at 5:25-5:45 which is my usual speed on a downhill course. However the group has picked up their pace, and they passed me again midway though the downhill. So I tried to maintain a close gap with them. And as I glanced on my GF, I was surprised that it read 4:35/km ! ! and it was telling me to slow down. I surmised, they were probably at 4:10/km on the downhill. That was way too fast for me, And I few hundred meters before the 1st U-turn, we were at 5:40/km ! WHEW ! ! The Pacers were really serious at their target finish of 2:00:00. Dead serious. As we were under the bridge, the group did not stop on the water station. Fortunately, I brought my hydration belt with me. At this stage, I was pacing steadily with the group at 6:00/km-6:05/km. I'm still good, still pacing well. Then I exclaimed loudly in cebuano, " Ma encouraged man sad ta mo sunod sa pacer kay sexy ug mga lubot!" Doc Ken and the rest of the runners in front of me, who all happened to be wearing compression running tights managed to belch out a few laughter ! !
Devoured my energy gel on the second U-turn as we were going uphill again. I also noticed that the group has thinned out to fewer than ten runners. As we started to climb again, I changed my plan to run the uphill at my usual pace of 6:20-6:40/km and to wait for the group's descend.
Instead I decided to pace with the group all throughout the bridge. However, I found the pace we were at to be more tasking, as I have mentioned, unnaturally slow for me. We were at 7:20-7:50/km.
Mr. Sun was already high up and we were starting to feel the heat of an early Lapu-Lapu city summer morning.
BREATHE-TAKING ! ! Literally !
Halfway uphill, we passed by the 10km marker, still at 7:00-7:30/km, still unnaturally slow for me; . . . and then suddenly, that was when I started to feel a little discomfort on my right ribs! ! Uh-oh . . . an early sign of a SIDE-STITCH ! ! Still, I continued to pace with the group. I inhaled and exhaled forcefully several times when we were at the top, relatively flat, level part of the bridge, hoping to exorcise the discomfort. And then as suddenly as the group slowed down uphill, our pacer readily accelerated on the descend to a literally "breathe-taking" 4:40/km ! ! Another whew ! !
MORE THAN I COULD CHEW . .
As our feet LANDED on MACTAN, we were at 5:55/km. At this point, the discomfort on my ribs was replaced by a mild to moderate piercing pain each time I exhale! ! Now a full blown side stitch ! ! Though I was nursing painful exhalations, amazingly, right on time, my SECOND WIND kicked in, which enabled me to keep up with the group. We were almost at the 3rd U-turn, when I noticed that our group was trailing just a few meters from Dr. Porfie Amboang. That was when I concluded that I bit off more than I could chew, that I really was running too fast for my own good. I wasn't expecting that I will be this close to Doc Porfie in a race. Not even in my wildest dreams. He runs 5:50-6:00/km LSD's. Mine at 7:00-7:20/km. By the way, Doc Porfie finished at 1:55 hours! Not bad ! !
DIESEL ENGINES . . .
On a water station at kilometer 12, our pacer took a water and walk break. It was a welcome respite for my ailing intercostals. A few seconds later, we were back running again. It was at this point that I noticed, that each time our pacer took a water break, they readily run back to approximately 5:40-5:50/km. And I thought, AND PRAYED, that they will tend to slow down a little bit as we were nearing the finish. Well, I was wrong, dead wrong ! They were like those 4DR-5 diesel engines, as they traveled longer, they ran faster, and faster ! no signs of letting up.
DON'T LOOSE THOSE BALLOONS ! ! !
After we crossed the corner going to Marcelo Fernan bridge, my side stitch is now on both sides, and they were really ouch ! We were still at 5:500 to 6:00km. It was at this point that I decided to break away from my pace group and decided to slow down a bit to 6:20/km. Hoping and wishing the pain will go away at this pace. Again I was wrong. It did not.
I paced slower still, now at 6:40/km and the pain was now bearable. So I decided to stay on this pace for a few minutes. I noticed that my pace group is now about a hundred meters ahead, and already fewer than six runners. I started to talk to myself to: "go on, continue, believe and survive. You cannot DNF this one." Then told myself, DONT LOOSE THOSE BALLOONS ! ! Those balloons, prominently tied on the pacers' singlets to clearly identify them. If I keep those balloons in sight 'till the end, I will just be a few seconds away from 2:00:00 hours. Again, I was wrong. The "2nd to the last" time that I saw those two white balloons was past km 13, and they were a good 500meters away already.
ROADKILL . . .
Kilometer 15, as I was near the airport runway, I was on a walk-jog-walk-jog mode at 6:10/km-10:20/km. Along these stretch, I was ROADKILL to a lot of runners. Also, at this stretch, I was running with another mentor/Pulmonologist/ International Marathoner, Dr. Albert Santos.
Km 15 to km 17 was one of the longest 2 kilometers I've experienced so far.
More Familiar faces, familiar OBJECTS ! !
Walk-jog-walk-jog was my MODE until km 17.
Halfway through km 18, side stitch gone, I started to pick up the pace, now back to a steady 6:20/km. And as I turned right towards Maribago, I encountered for the last time, those two familiar white balloons and under them, the 2:00:00 pacers, still running strong ! ! !
On these last 2km stretch of the race, I also encountered a few of familiar and prominent local figures of this sport.
To mention a few, there's Atty. Haide "FOODIE" Acuna; Dr. Raymund "REEL RUNNER" Bontol on the sidelines cheering the lady who paced with me from start to finish, miss Aeda Mae Siao.(I bet, 'twas another sub 2:00:00 for REEL.) A few familiar running politicians, and if I'm not mistaken, I saw the Bull Runner, or maybe not. I was dehydrated and hypoglycemic already. I took my last walk break midway through the 19th km. Did a lot of deep breaths as I prepared for the final stretch. Then I started running again, this time, at 6:00/km.
As I turned right going to the Lapu-Lapu shrine, last 500meters or so, I picked up the pace again and Im now running at 5:50/km ! ! Yes, I did it ! Unofficial GF time finish: 2:18:31. Shaved off five mins from my previous PR ! ! Yehey! !
Dr. Humility Igana, ran 21km and her sister Hope who ran 5km with my wify Tine.
Dr. Cecillie Milan, ran 21km who has to report on 24-hrs duty after this race at 9am.
Dr, Harem Dieparine
Dr. Glen Cang
Dr. Eleanor Casquejo
Dr. Rosan Trani, passed me at km 14, and the next time I saw her was at the Lapu2x shrine.
Dr.Kathrina Perez
Kirk Boying Milan, who stayed with Dr. Kenneth almost throughout the race. Broke pace at 19th Km. Not bad for his 1st half-mary. Maybe sub 2 next time 'ying.
Max Limpag of Sunstar
Jermine Germino of RUNNR, ACC, good friend and college classmate
Eric Agaton of NIKE BTC
Dr. Thyam Fookson
Twinkle Ignacio
My personal conclusion for this race:
1) I'm not yet ready for a Sub 2hr half-mary.
2) I need to practice more. Rack up more mileage, do longer tempo runs!
3) More importantly ! ! Stick to my original pre-race plan. Not to change midway thtough the race.
4) Leave my ego back home ! !
2nd GLLR REVIEW: :My reviews are only Limited to 21km run.
1) race kit distribution: kit distribution was smooth, some hitches due to late registrants. But was generally fine.
2) Race route: TWO THUMBS UP ! ! generally flat, But the Marcelo Fernan bridge made the exclamation !! It separated the boys from the MEN ! ! and the girls from the WOMEN. (para dili chauvinist ang dating) hehehe
3) Runners' Safety: Was generally safe. albeit as usual, jeepney n taxi drivers were endangering some of the runners. Well, we cant make everybody to appreciate our passion in running, specially if it hinders their source of income ! They just consider us as a nuisance.
Had more than enough marshals.
4) Water stations: More then enough water all throughout until the finish line, though I feel they were placed abit farther specially right after the bridge. I heard one runner who was with the 2:00:00 pacer saying: "uhaw na". Gatorade, more than what everyone needed ! ! Thanks a LOT !
5) Post race Hydration and food: Great !!....... taas lang ang pila, because there was only one station to claim post race meals ! !
6) PARKING: everyone who brought vehicles wid them had a hard time looking for a parking space.
7) Started very late. not as what was announced. Maybe there were some pre-race hitches that the organizers need to iron out. Who knows ! !
8) PACERS: they were just great ! ! Dead serious! makes you land on your target time. Sadly, I picked the wrong pace to run ! ! over-eager me.
9) Portalets: I don't know if there were available. But did not notice any.
T'WAS A GREAT RACE ! ! !
In my limited experience in foot races, I'll give it an 8/10, compared to 9/10 on my 1st 21k race last January @ the CCM
CONGRATULATIONS AND DAGHANG SALAMAT to the organizers of the 2nd GREAT LAPU LAPU RUN ! for giving us a very good event. It was GREAT indeed, and you guys just made Datu LAPU-LAPU proud ! !
Heads up to future race organizers: Parking lot really matters, specially if layo ang event setting.
Medals for the 21km finishers wud have been very nice ! ! ! but not really necessary ! !
Until our next footrace ! !
