In my constant pursuit of getting faster on my runs, I ran a 10 kilometer tempo run last Sunday around Ateneo. I had this rough 2 kilometer loop around the university and I ran around for 5 times to do roughly 10 kilometers.

“It was a very good day to run”

I told myself like how a Protoss Zealot would and indeed, it was a good day to run. It was around 5-6 pm in the evening. The wind was breezy and the heat from the sun has subsided. After I finally parked my car, I made sure everything was ready. My Nike+ iPod was ready. I put on my shoes. I used my old adiZero LT pair for the run last Sunday. Knowing I had to be fast, I knew I had to wear shoes that felt fast. My feet always felt lighter and faster when I wore that pair. My hydration belt was empty so I ran out to Katipunan avenue to grab some supplies at 711. That was my warm up run. I went back to my car to fill up and I started to run.

I ran at race pace. I completed my first loop in 10 minutes 30 seconds. That meant I was running at an average on 5 minutes per kilometer. That was fast. Faster that what I expected. I was somewhat worried that I went too fast and would lose a lot of steam heading into the final stretch but I kept my composure and just ran. After my first loop, I had a lot of time left to complete 4 more. I tried to maintain the pace I had in the first loop and maintain it I did. Finished my second loop at about the same time I did the first one because when I check the clock, it was at roughly 21 minutes.

The last three loops were the hardest. Fatigue was starting to set in. My legs were starting to get all tight and crampy. There was a point in my fourth loop that I wanted to quit and maybe just try again another day but I stayed strong and ran harder. Running is a mind game too. I’ve ran a lot of races where I almost beat my previous PR’s but I always come up short because I always told myself that there was a next time. I zoned out. I zoned out to block out the pain and fatigue so I can finish my run.

My last loop finally came in and I was exhausted as hell. My calves were really hurting already. I wanted to stop and walk for a minute but the fear of not beating my personal best pushed me to run more. I completed my 5 loops of 2 kilometers each after 58 minutes. Just as Ateneo won over its biggest rival DLSU last Sunday, I won against my biggest rival too. I won against myself. I won against the thought go quitting. I won against the time. I beat the clock.

It was a good day to run. It was a good finish for the past two weeks of training. My 1.5 hour long runs around Ortigas helped. It’s all about endurance. I finally had enough endurance to complete the run yesterday. Congratulate me please? I need affirmation that I did good? Please?

I hope I can perform at the same pace this Saturday in the Kenny Roger’s Urbanite Run. I signed up for the 10 kilometer run. Completing this under 1 hour will finally validate my new found personal best. See you guys at the run.