Did you see me from behind?
Making the jump from 15K to 21K is no joke, as I learned from yesterday’s Condura Run.
A Good Beginning
I arrived at Fort just as the marathoners started their race. “That’ll be me in several months’ time,” I thought as I saw them race by. The moon, in its last quarter, was still out and the stars were still twinkling overhead when I checked in at the starting line. Saw a few of the Pace Partners jostling to get a good position for themselves. Since I was running alone, I was able to sidle almost all the way up to the first five rows of people. (I didn’t want to put myself right in front beside Coach Rio — I might get trampled!)
Fifteen seconds before gunstart, fireworks shot up into the sky, illuminating the darkness and giving an adrenaline jolt to us. “This is it!” I said. And off we went.
On the (Sky)Way
I thought it’d be a smooth course, but forgot to psych myself up for the two “hills” I’d have to conquer: Kalayaan and the Skyway. Going over Kalayaan was fine, except that it was pitch black due to no lights and I was paranoid on every step, afraid that my feet would go through a hole. I was unprepared going up the Skyway ramp, no matter how much I’d been warned about its steepness.
Once atop the Skyway, however, I found a good pace and really enjoyed having a rooftop view of Metro Manila. I would have taken photos, but I was on a roll and didn’t want to slow down. Wearing my hydration belt kept me running slower than my usual 4:47/km pace (my speed at 10K distances), which was fine because I didn’t want to burn out. In the belt, I had jellybeans and one bottle containing an energy drink to boost me on my last few kilometers.
It was almost too dark to read other people’s personalized bibs, but I amused myself by reading those of people I was at pace with, or was overtaking. “Prometheus” gave me my first laugh along Buendia, when I ran up beside him and said, “O Prometheus, give us fire!” He laughed.
At one point, a runner came up right beside me, looked intently at my face, then grinned and ran on ahead. Later on, I found out he was a Takbo.ph buddy who was checking to see if it was really me with the KIKAYRUNNER.com personalized bib. Γ
I was trying to keep runner “Marky” in my vicinity; he would speed up and overtake me, and then slow down, so at my constant speed I would then overtake him. He passed the turnaround point earlier than I did, but on our way back I felt my legs picking up speed until I finally overtook him and kept him behind me.
So there I was, crossing high over EDSA, when this huge rush of euphoria hit me. Hello, runner’s high! Better than drugs. (not that I’ve ever taken any…) It kept me going as we finally exited the Skyway and got back on Buendia.
Friends of Good Cheer
Then I encountered the Takbo.ph – Reinier Pacific aid station. From being alone, I suddenly was caught up in a parade-like atmosphere. Volunteers were waving bananas at me, the marching band was twirling flags and making noise, cameras were flashing — and then I heard someone say, “Go Noelle!”
Joel joined me at the 13K mark (photo by Amado Castro, Jr.)
I looked to my right and saw Joel running beside me. He had been waiting at the station for 10 minutes, since we’d agreed he’d pace me to the finish. Boy, was I glad he was there to help set the pace. My legs and mind were slowing down due to fatigue, and Joel was quick to offer tips and conversation to help keep my mind from wandering.
Finishing Strong
We discussed strategy for overtaking this female runner who had overtaken us; sure, she was fast, but her legs were wobbly, she was bouncing upwards more than she was going forward. We would make our attack after the Kalayaan flyover climb. And so we did; I saw her Newtons on the pavement in front of me, then beside me, then finally behind me — and I was in 12th place!
Joel made me chug down my energy drink bottle as we came down the flyover. Then we started to push harder to beat the clock. I wanted to do the distance under two hours, but had given myself an allowance, since it was my first 21K anyway. Joel broke into a sprint on the last 50 meters; my legs were screaming “Bloody half-Mary!” as we turned the corner and saw the clock ticking 2:00:18 as we crossed the finish line.
So really, it was a surprise to me when I saw the official results and found I’d finished with a time of 1:59:37. Sub-2 finish by 23 seconds! Haha.
I collected a finisher’s medal and a loot bag right after the finish chute, which made me a pretty happy KikayRunner.
Spot the Takbo.ph Runners
After coming back from breakfast with Joel and the SMR, I stuck around to watch some of the marathoners finish. It was then I saw Sam the Running Ninja, DocT, and Abby cross the line some time after the 5-hour mark. Luis and Rodel had finished about an hour earlier.
I didn’t spot Julie at the race, but apparently she (and other girls also dressed in pink) saw me at the start. I later found out Vicky had finished her marathon in under 5 hours. Vicky, with no long-run training and only her determination. Vicky, who was definitely also wearing the same pink singlet as me!
As I was driving out of BHS, I saw a group of runners coming out of University Parkway. They were Timmy, Jet, Neil, and Rico who had come from the airport straight to pace with them to the finish. I rolled down my window and gave them a holler and a smile. They were still under the 6-hour cutoff.
Hey, if they can do it, I can too! Eventually…
Race in Review
- Route: This was a toughie, with two ramps to climb up going either way. But still, come on: it’s the Skyway!
- Hydration: Plenty of water stations, with very efficient cup-handling. If only they started offering the energy drinks during my outbound run, instead of when I was already inbound. It’s harder to replenish depleted glycogen in the muscles, rather than just having a steady stream of blood sugar to burn.
- Package & Freebies: It was definitely a memorable experience being on the Skyway and getting a (heavy) medal for all my troubles. There were also a lot of freebies post-race, if I were so inclined to go around the booths collecting them. (I wasn’t.)I have one caveat: for the price I paid, I expected the race bibs to have the barcodes already printed on them (instead of me having to write my bib number on the stubs). At that price I was also expecting a timing chip. At least the organizer made up for it by publishing official results quickly for the 10K, 21K, and 42K. Still, I think a chip would have removed a majority of the complaints about having to queue at the finish chute for the officials to collect bib stubs.
By the way, if you’re a 21K and 42K finisher and were not able to collect your medal, Condura has an announcement about what happened, and how to claim the medal due you.
Good race overall, despite a few snags. I give this race FOUR KIKAY PINKIE FINGERS out of FIVE. Γ
Wow you're really fast! π Great run! I hope to run the Condura next year also to beat my time LOL (sub 3 for my 21k) :pOverall I enjoyed my first 21k. Wow, I never knew there were some 21/42k finishers who didn't get a medal…Hmm..I don't know if other runners will get mad on what I think but I think that 21/42k runners are the only ones who should have medals. π I mean..like what if one just walked most of his/her 5k and still got a medal…I just thought of it out of respect to those who really consider the Condura run as more than just leisure fun. π
huwaw! sub2 for your 1st half mary, CONGRATULATIONS!i'm sure, you'll do good in your 1st full marathon soon.nice with the rating: four pinkie fingers hahaha
Hi Maki, a sub-3 hour finish is a respectable one! I do kind of feel weird about medals for the shorter categories, but it's a good incentive for people to sign up for races. Not everyone can do 21K's, and even I will return to 10K races in the next few months (it's my favorite distance!). It was a treat seeing little kids happy with their 3K medals. πJet, thanks! Am planning to do my marathon during the cooler months of the year, on a relatively flat route. *wink*
wow andito na sa wakas ang recap mo. congrats on your sub-2-hour finish. good thing you're feeling well already.so what's your plan sa susunod? back to 10k or puro 21k na?
noelle, grats ur fast.. i think you can do a sub 4 in FM.. go noelle..
Calvin, I'm planning to do a one-time big-time marathon by year's end, so I still have some time to have fun with my 10K's. I miss finishing a race under an hour. πPat vVinceth, thanks! It really depends on strategy, I suppose… Conservatively, if I can keep a 7:00/km pace, I can finish under 5 hours. I'll have to do a few long runs to see if I can tolerate a faster pace for a sub-4 hour finish.
..and we have the same armband too. haha, i love it! congrats noelle! you really rocked your very first half mary! pink girls rock =)
We were definitely wearing the same singlet!:D Condura is definitely on my list of best races. I'm one happy marathoner. See you at the Century Superbods run! I'm only doing 10k there with friends.:)
Congratulations (girl in Wowowee style) Noelle~ so was it an easy run like you planned sa CLP or the adrenaline rush hit you? Nice one! :D-Sid
Julie, really? Did your armband give you friction burn? Mine did. I must remember to use petroleum jelly or BodyGlide next time I run 21K. π Normally I get really self-conscious when I end up wearing the same thing as other people, but I am honored to be one of the rockin' pink ladies at Condura!Hi Vicky! Hopefully I get to take my pink singlet out on a full marathon by the end of the year, like you. π I'm going back to 10K as well.Sid, I found out that for me, there's no such thing as an "easy run" on race day: I'm too damn competitive! Thanks.
Hi Atsi! The aftermath of the 21k'er didn't show in today's meeting.You even offered to walk back to Mega Mall from podium which I would not allow of course =) Any advice for recovery?Mike
Hello Noelle!Again, kudos for the time. I hope I can run the 21K next year. That's my goal. :)I would love to track my speed and general pace while I run.What would you recommend for a relative new runner like myself? :p
Hello Noelle!Congrats on your 1st 21k race (wow, a sub-2hr finish)!Onwards to your next conquest.See you on the road!Ray Abenojar
Instant mamaw…parang instant mami! π Congrats on sub-2 in your 1st HM!
Congratulations!!!…i will not be surprise if all lady takbo.ph members will also wear pink on every race :-p..btw did Mr. F. run as a bandit last sunday?:-)
Hi Mike! I'll write a blog post soon about recovery. πBenj, if you're going for cheap, nothing beats a digital watch with a stopwatch so you can just check on your time elapsed. But if you're really looking for a training tool that can tell you exactly how fast you're running at that moment in time and how far you've run, people recommend you invest in a Garmin Forerunner. That's one of my financial projects this year.Ray, thanks!Hi Bryan, congratulations on your first full mary — and a strong finish, too!Jay, Mr. F was registered for 21K. He got injured after our Assumption Run, so he said he was just going to run the 3K. Come race day, he ran 10K and put himself out of commission for the next month! I wonder if F stands for foolish. π
Congrats Noelle! You are a natural halimaw doing a sub-2 on your first HM. Nice seeing you on the Market Market turn. Yep, we managed to beat the 6hr cut-off, puro kasi kwentuhan sa last 3kms eh.
While browsing over and looking at posts of Blogger (slash) Runners, I am dumbfounded and found myself at the tip (or shall I say on the starting line while all of you guys are already on the FINISH).Even though I have already run 11 5Ks, I felt like a newbie who just ran 3Ks with your stories… and your SPEED.Anyhow, if you were telling yourself that you can run the full mary too eventually, I believe I can also murmur that.. But I know you will be doing that ahead of me.Congratulations on a sub-120 half mary!BTW, I agree with your review that they should have used timing chips. As much as I want to rejoice that they had released the race result that quick, still, the result were not accurate =(
congratulations on your first 21K – and a sub 2:00:00 at that! π and advanced Happy Valentine's for finishing 143rd out of the 1,000 21Kers π
Neil, thank you! Great job also on your marathon. :)Hi MinnieMadz. ELEVEN 5K's? Maybe you should think about ramping up to the next longest distance. *wink*Thanks Paul! Not to brag, but I was actually 143rd out of 1,500 (faster than 90% of all 21K runners).
nice one noelle π you're not only a kikay runner, but a fast one at that! (maybe you've read what happened to vicky before her condura run? very inspiring noh, "ate"? hahaha)anyways, thanks again for the push! π see you around halimaw! π
insanely fast finish. Congrats on your sub2. inggit ako! nakaka-inspire.i will get a sub2 this year because of you!
Hey hey Timmy, congrats on your marathon finish! Count yourself part of that 0.01% who do. π I'm always glad to give people a little push.Gerard, you certainly will get your sub-2 because you want it!
Still can't believe the unusual mix-up of being a kikay and a runner. But this is a great blog!ped
hahaha not to brag but I finished 1136th out of 1,500 runners that means there's 75.73% who are faster than me π toinkz! seriously, it's my first HM and first time I get to pace somebody from beginning to pace – it's a different feeling – I felt like I could run another 10K after – I think pacing somebody just distracts you to the point that you actually do enjoy your run … π
Hello Ped! Weird combination ba? Hehehe. Thanks for reading!Pageman Paul, I've never had the experience of pacing anyone yet. I probably should, to balance out my competitive tendencies. π