GOOD READ to promise, if you care. if not, like na lang, tulog na. haha. QUMAR70KM Official time: 11:32, Finisher 54 out of 84. The Preps: one decent LSD (Shotgun-Timberland), a dozen 1 hour mini runs varying from strides, sprints, & easy sessions. Not enough but it should do. The Game Plan: run the flats, take advantage of the down hills and make as much buffer time as possible in preparation for the wicked climb. 3AM and off we go. I started last as usual, checked my gears, bolts and nuts (pun intended), tested soft landing, mid-foot and heels strikes, flexed quads, glutes, hamstrings, pumped air in, stretching lungs: ALL SYSTEMS GO! Carmela Lim, my running bud, was all business as she was zipping down the road early on. I laughed, too early kid. I trailed for 2–3 km, slowly picking up the pace until we were abreast. Her strides were too small and fast for me. I asked her to match mine but we gave up immediately and we focused on our strides instead. I sidelined my ipod shuffle deliberately. I wanted to be in tune with the melody of nature. We passed the historic Malagonlong Bridge but sadly it was still dark to take pictures. We stayed on course until dawn. By sunrise on a hill top, a 360 degrees panoramic view of vast green canopy and mountains greeted us. The air was crisp, still moist from the dew. We soaked ourselves with the air and the view. It was exhilarating! We were joined, briefly, by a pair of runners from Lucban for some a photo ops. They noted our pace saying it was good, but they were stronger, so we let them go. We jogged on downhill towards the direction of Mauban now with music on, as the cacophony of nocturnal sounds faded by daylight. We reached the u-turn at a little over 4 hours. Nice pace up to this point. We were warned of the long climb ahead and I made mental note that even if we walk, we can make it to the cut-off. And so, we ran, and walked – power walked until the long, arduous climb. We passed a scenic hanging bridge & we couldnt fight the urge we took a few pictures. I forgot all the names of the towns we passed through except SAMPALOC. It will forever be etched in my memory. It was a 20KM (approx), of long punishing, unending steady climb with no down hills to recover from. All energies were sapped out of me. Not long and my mind slowly succumbed to the punishment. I gave up running. I walked, forcing my partner to walk as well. I asked her to leave me. I cannot be a burden to anyone. Off she went. I found a tree shade and sat there in silence appreciating Mt. Banahaw from a distance. It was majestically magnificent! I rested for a good measure, re-stocked, re-hydrated, re-assessed my chances, reflected on a lot of things, past, present & future almost dozing off. But heck, I was in a race and it has to be finished! Truly in solitude and in silence, we are made whole again. I stood, picked up my feet and walked. Walk into jog, Jog into half strides accompanied with butterflies. It was a sight to behold to see so many of them, criss-crossing my path, too close to touch. I caught up with a few runners and Carmela. We paced for a while. I give her credit for her encouragement. Thank you Carms. We found a nice view of Mt. Banahaw and gave in once more. Snaps. It was almost Lucban and the hills were letting up, giving way to down hills. But alas it was noon and the sun got over excited as well, all too eager to shine. We were roasted and there were no water stations in sight. Good grief! Finally Lucban and there were stores. Ironically, there was no Buko Juice for sale in a place where coconut trees are everywhere! Swell. I was running solo now, finding my own rhythm along with my butterflies for real. I trudged on, mimicking my daily steps climbing up & down the MRT stairs. I passed a few runners, some passed me. It was a vicious play of attrition. It didn’t matter anymore. I am just happy I am almost there and I am not alone. I checked my watch. I may have accidentally clicked stopped because it got stuck at 6 hours 22. Darn it. At the final 5km aid station the race was over and done for me. I was in auto pilot mode from that point on. It was hot. Blistered feet, bruised & chaffed down there. It was the longest 5k I ever ran. The last 300m to the finish line at Palaisdaan resort was the biggest joke. It was inclined 45 degrees uphill. Haha. Nice touch Sir Rodel. But at long last, the Finish Line in 11:32 hours something, finisher number 54 out of 84. The sad thing about running solo, you cross the FL without anyone to greet you. But it was warm for the RD to say a few words, in acknowledgement of my presence. Thank you Sir Rodel Mendoza. The good thing about running solo, as you cross the FL, you get to commune with your creator in silence, offering HIM your frustrations, your regrets, why this and that etc. But most of all, you get to offer a prayer of gratitude for yet another passage, for seeing your life in introspect, and the many realizations you don’t normally get during the daily grind. Running indeed is a celebration of life. I stretched tired limbs and muscles, congratulated a few who I shared the last 10Km with, though I didn’t get their names. I had some pictures taken, took a bath and took my post race meal, my mind already back in Manila and the many things that need my attention both at work and my private affairs. I shared a few small talks with running friends and we were off to Lucena Grand terminal with my running bud. It was cramped above normal and we had to queue for a good 1 hour before we got our bus. Good thing we had some ice cream to cool us down. We got our seats, re-evaluated our run, came into some conclusions, training adjustments and soon I was fast asleep in no time, oblivious to Carmela talking and to the heavy traffic going back, the memory of QUMAR70K lingering at the back of my mind, leaving a trace of smile as I drifted into dreamland. I’ll be back next year with a vengeance. Congratulations to Sir Rodell Mendoza & RunnActive for yet another successful event. I wish I could have joined all of your runs. I cannot describe the technicality of the route other than it was complete with flats, super long steady climb, rolling hills and the scenic view of Mt. Banahaw & the countryside offering nothing but its rustic, laid back & simplistic beauty. To run it under different pretense or occasion would be pure insanity. The major aid stations were well stocked: arroz caldo, egg, banana, bread, sweet potato & water, biscuits, candies, apples & oranges, softdrinks etc. The minor aid stations were ok, with water, softdrinks, biscuits, candies and fruits. The roving water stations were hard to come by though. In passing, the expression on the faces of the locals was a spectrum of awe, curiosity and incredulity. One local in a remote barrio of Sampaloc, got over excited and engaged me into long talk about his running during his younger days saying 70k is still short compared to his. Seriously? He went ahead and invited me in his hut as we were passing it through, just to show me his pictures. I politely refused as I was trying to catch up with my fellow runners. Funny guy, but thank you Manong for the pep talk. Thank u to #teamsoleus Jano Nd Reggie Cruz, Ces Yuson for the instant support at some important points of the race, #Kerwin Ng sir, sorry nakabawas pa sa stocks nyo. Hehe. Congrats Sir. Congratulations as well to Roselle Abadia Abajo for bagging it, again. Proud bro here. To family, friends, office mates and love ones, to my constant, for your prayer Mang, thank you, this one’s for you all. This old timer made it through yet again with a lot of help from the thoughts of you. Raise your glasses, cheers! And so, with blisters and chaffed body parts still painful, muscles and joints still cramped and sore, I close the chapter that was QUMAR70K with gratitude and a smile. Until then…
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:38:12 +0000
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