It could have been just any other run last Saturday but it wasn’t. It could have been just any other road race last Saturday but it wasn’t. It could have been any other distance last Saturday but it wasn’t. It could have been just any other day but it wasn’t.

I remember telling myself a exactly a year ago that I would run a marathon after a year. It was a crazy idea that just popped into my head when I was just getting back into running. I never actually thought that I would be able to do it in a year but I tried to prepare for it. I trained for it. I ran a lot for it. I joined road races left and right just to force myself to run. Fast forward a year of running and I’ve got countless 10 kilometer runs and a couple of half marathons under my belt. I’ve gone through two pairs of shoes already with just about a measly 600 kilometers of total mileage on my poor poor feet. I’ve gotten a permanent blister on my right foot that just gets bigger and bigger every time I run (It’s a good thing I finally found the right pair of socks for me).

Looking back to last Saturday, running the marathon over SCTEX was the perfect way of capping of a year’s worth of running. A full marathon to put that exclamation point on the phrase ‘I’m a runner’.

I ran the race with Tito Bong, my girlfriend’s father and I couldn’t have done it without him. Tricia was always with me in my big runs and she cheered us on as we rode the bus that will drop us off in the middle of SCTEX.

It was a long bus ride that almost took half an hour. I was scared. I was worried that I would not be able to finish the run. I have never ran more than 21 kilometers in my life and I could not imagine myself running more than that. We arrived at Florida Blanca exit an hour and thirty minutes early. That could very well have been the longest wait of my life. I felt anxious. It was a good thing some of the Takbo.ph guys were already there to somehow ease the agonizing wait.

The run finally started at exactly 4:30 pm. A lot of excited runners blazed through the first two or three kilometers. Tito Bong and I ran easy. We ran slow and steady. We had a long way to go and running out of fuel towards the end because you started too fast wasn’t part of our plan. As I recall, we ran at a very easy pace of 7-8 minutes per kilometer. It wasn’t blazing fast but it wasn’t slow either. It was just right. It was great chatting with Craig and Rico up until around kilometer 15. Rico had his plan of 1 minute walks at every aid station which eventually made us go ahead of him. Craig eventually blazed pass us. He was strong. We were about a kilometer apart. It was an agonizing 10 more kilometers up to kilometer 25. It was a slow steady climb up SCTEX.

I started having trouble at around kilometer 30. I started feeling numbness on my toes which eventually forced me to walk it off. It meant that my heart was having a hard time pumping blood already and I need to take a break. Going up the long climbs towards the exit of SCTEX and into Subic area was the hardest. It was long and slow. Steady pace was what Tito Bong advised as he counted off our cadence. Going down hill at Tipo was a blast. It was a long slide of about 5 or 6 kilometers that really helped me get a lot of rest. Hearing the cheers of the Takbo.ph support group at kilometer 34 made me lose all that tired feeling in me.

I sprinted to the finish.

Tito Bong and I finally reached the bottom of Tipo and we were finally with in two kilometers of the finish line. It was all good from there. As soon as I entered Remy field, I waved to Tricia and with that little strength left in me, I sprinted to the finish clocking in at 5 hours 49 minutes Funny thing was that just as a started to sprint, Tito Bong told me that ‘Let’s do this together’ but I left him. I felt bad but he was happy for me for finishing the race and not quitting on him.

Thank you Tito Bong for running with me. I could not have done this without you! It was a great way to celebrate the eve of your birthday too. The ice cold Pocari Sweat at the finish line felt like an ice cold beer on hot summer day.

At last, I have finished my first marathon. What’s next? More runs of course!

More photos after the jump!

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