I did it! It’s done. This 42 year old female ran 42 kilometers and 195 meters. I’m ecstatic because not only did I finish my marathon injury-free, I finished it ahead of my predicted race time of somewhere between 6:17-6:30. My gun time was 05:52:23.687.

And no, I’m not raring to sign up for another race, thank you. Gonna savor my sweet time off from months of running.

This was how the day went down.

The bright full moon was still up during the early hours of March 12, Sunday when 42km runners gathered at the starting line of the 8th annual Clark Animo Marathon.

I asked another runner to snap my customary pre-race photo. “You’re by yourself?” He asked quite surprised. I said yes. And mentally added “as usual.”

A race briefing was held a few minutes before gun start. And at exactly 2:30 A.M. we were off.

“I’m going to stick to my own pace” I kept telling myself as runners passed me by. Still, I knew I was running a bit faster than I’m used to.

My Nike app announced the 1k mark and my pace. Seven something kilometers per hour. Whoa! I needed to slow down. It should’ve been 8’30″/km. But I knew the course well and this bit was a bit of a downhill. I decided that I should take advantage of it. Besides, I knew that I couldn’t be this fast the second time around. The route was two loops on a 21km course around the Clark Freeport Zone.

At the 7km point, I see a girl running barefoot. Oh how I wished I could run barefoot. Years ago, I tried running wearing a pair of those shoes that supposedly mimicked the barefoot experience. I got Achilles tendonitis.

I smiled and asked her as I passed her if she was running barefoot all the way. She said she had a pair of flipflops with her for emergency use.

I check my watch. 45 minutes into the race. It’s time to eat my banana.

At 10km, I was still going faster than my normal pace. And the pain that occurs just below my knees which usually happens to me at around 21k made its presence felt.

“See. I told you to slow down.” I scolded myself. Besides, coach Sage (on YouTube) emphasized the importance of an even, sustainable pace.

An older runner passed me. He was tall and looked like a seasoned marathoner. He had that built. We greeted each other a good morning.

At about 14km, I passed him. He gave me a thumbs up and said “You’re pretty strong!” I said “Yeah I’m expecting to crash later.” Self-deprecating mode on.

The course made a right turn, I saw the Air Force City welcome sign. I sang “Paradise City” in my head. Earphones and other such devices were not allowed by the race organizers because only a section of the roads were closed off for runners. Too bad, I prepared a killer marathon playlist. But I was also relieved. I could focus 100% on my running and be in the present moment.

At 16km, I needed to pee. The course took us through the airport grounds and so I dashed to the bathroom. Better a real bathroom than a port-a-potty (which I haven’t yet spotted along the race course.)

I reached the half-way point. Hey, 21km! I believe I have achieved a PR: 2:39:42. I was expecting a 3 hour time. Wow.

Time for another “snack.” Just like in my training, I included real foods in addition to an energy chew and gel. It was pretzels time for some quick energy and some extra salt.

I was on my second loop. I still felt pretty good. But I relaxed a bit since the fear of not making it to the 3:30 half-marathon cut off no longer worried me. I now readjusted to my normal pace.

The 21km-32Km range was what I called the desert area. If I conserved energy and rehydrated properly, I’d have a better chance of finishing the marathon strong. This was also the part of the race where I started swearing to myself. I took a 10 minute walk break here as well. My leg muscles were very tight and the top of my right thigh felt like it was getting hacked. Here, a fellow runner reminded me to keep my head up so I don’t get dizzy. I thanked him for his advice. It’s just that sometimes if I looked at the horizon and see how far the road still stretched, it zaps my motivation and energy.

After I felt better, I pushed myself to run again. I found it very hard to gather enough energy to run again so I made a mental note to keep walking breaks to a minimum. I did it again though at 35km because I started feeling the onset of a stomach cramp. Luckily, it came and went.

I check the time. I told my husband and my nine year old brother (who ran in the 2.5K fun run) to expect me at the finish line at about 8:30 AM or so, which is about 6 hours from gun start.

I think I had about 45 minutes left till 8:30. I thought to myself I should just keep going and if 8:30 came and I still wasn’t at the finish line, I’d just relax and walk.

Luckily the last 2km of the course was a slight slope so I was even able to pick up my pace from 10’34” to 8’13”, passing a few runners this late in the game. Woohoo. I felt good. A fellow lady runner cheered and shouted “Go, go, go” while another guy also told me “You’re tough!”

When I made the right turn towards the finish line and saw that the clock hadn’t reached 6 hours just yet, I made a go for it. I wasn’t totally expecting a PR but there it was. I finished with an 8’06” pace and about 8 minutes ahead of my time goal.

What a day! Although I’m not in the fast runner category (my data showed 65% were ahead of me and there were 81 runners behind me), I really thought this was a great run. I pushed myself hard, respected the distance and did my training.

It’s my 12th week which means it’s taper week. I’ve got two days to go till Marathon Day. I’ve only got one run left which is just a short 3K day before D-Day. Of course, I’m freaking’ out. I’m starting to get worried.

But I’m trying to seize this fear and use this energy into getting everything ready both for race day and post-recovery.

Race day fuel – check.
Race kit – check.
Post-run recovery food and liquids – check.

I’ve also familiarized myself with all the right things to do days following this epic run. Stretches, how to rest, what to eat – the whole deal.

Because we don’t have a bathtub in the house and I really want that ice bath after the race, I got an inflatable pool which will serve this purpose.

To do an ice bath, according to RunnersConnect, fill the tub with ice and cold water and submerge your lower body for 15 minutes. Some sites suggest going for a maximum of 10 minutes. You don’t need the water too cold, 55 degrees is optimal, but anything colder than 65 degrees will do.

And here’s the theory behind this cold therapy according to Active.com: “The general theory behind this cold therapy is that the exposure to cold helps to combat the microtrauma (small tears) in muscle fibers and resultant soreness caused by intense or repetitive exercise. The ice bath is thought to constrict blood vessels, flush waste products and reduce swelling and tissue breakdown. Subsequently, as the tissue warms and the increased blood flow speeds circulation, the healing process is jump-started. The advantage of an ice bath submersion is that a large area of intertwined musculature can be treated, rather than limiting the cold therapy to a concentrated area with a localized ice pack.”

Meanwhile, I came across a very apt quote from no less than Martin Luther King Jr. While below quote has a deeper meaning in terms of pursuing justice and the civil rights movement, I’m going to think of it on a more literal way come Sunday.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

     AFTER SUCCESSFULLY conducting the fifth edition of its flagship event to an overflow attendance last January, Color Manila Run braces for a fitting follow up with the holding of the Color Manila Challenge Run on March 19 at the Clark Special Economic Zone Parade Grounds in Pampanga. This time, participants will have to negotiate a series of obstacles while being dusted with powders of various colors.

Distance categories are at 10, five and three kilometers.  There will only be one registration fee of PHP 650.00 for all distances but runners may opt to upgrade their Deluxe Kit to the Trooper Kit for only PHP 1,050.00.

The Deluxe Kit consists of a race singlet and bib, sunglasses and a packet of colored powder while the Trooper Kit contains everything in the Deluxe Kit plus a bandana and drawstring bag.  All finishers will be rewarded with a medal upon crossing the finish line.

Online registration is now ongoing at www.colormanilarun.com.  Those without credit cards may purchase prepaid cards at selected branches of Runnr, Toby’s Sports and at all branches of SM Tickets nationwide.

“We had over 6,000 runners compete in our Color Manila Night Run last December at Clark with runners coming not only Pampanga but also from Metro Manila and other distant provinces plus a good number of foreign tourists,” said Color Manila Vice President Justine Cordero. “We hope to use this event to do our share in helping promote tourism in the area.”

If one survived the Fifth Color Manila Run, it’s time to take the game to the next level and take up the Color Manila Challenge. There are no obstacles that are too tough to overcome so sign up now!