A Tale of My First Marathon

What makes this marathon memorable is not the finish time nor the fastest segment I ever ran.. What separates this marathon from all other races I've ran is that I've learned and knew how mentally tough / weak I was.. The marathon is a test of character among others -- You find out, at the toughest of times, about yourself a lot. Are you a winner or a quitter? A survivor or a whiner? Will you tough it out? Or will you just give in to the temptations to give up on your marathon dream? Are your dreams and aspirations unworthy enough for you to quit? Or do you have such a huge belief in yourself to just push through no matter what?

It Ain't Easy.. Or is it?

If you haven't seen my marathon pictures yet.. please do so as this is the tale of the marathon run -- the missing piece on my marathon pictures. This is the story of my first attempt to conquer the Marathon.

As documented on this blog, I have prepared a 42-Day Training Schedule for the Philippine International Marathon (PIM). There were several adjustments made due to unforeseen factors (Race for LIFE moved due to typhoons, yeah typhoons!, injuries and the like). I have logged a total of 244 kilometers on those 42 days in preparation for this marathon.

• 3 - 10x400m Interval Runs
• 6 - Tempo Runs (3k, 11k, 13k, 14k, 18k, 21k)
  
• 2 - Easy Runs
• 4 - Long Runs (21k, 27k, 35k, 26k)
• 2 - 14Km Race Simulation Runs
• 1 - 21Km Race Simulation Runs
  

Except for a few training runs missed and pains on my left foot and knees.. I was physically and mentally prepared for this marathon. How prepared? Let this story speaks for it.

First, My marathon Outfit:

• Running Shoes: Orange Mizuno Wave Ronin 2
• Running Shorts: Black Adidas Climacool Baggy 5" Running Shorts
• Singlet: Blue-Green Izod-made PIM Singlet
• Running Watch: Stainless Steel Casio Analog + Digital Watch (non-running watch, hehe)
• Knee Support: Cho-Pat Dual Action Knee Strap for my aching right knee
• Hydration Belt: Adventure Belt Bag (bananas, water, chocolates, hard-boiled eggs, P70, room keys)
  
• Running Socks: Ordinary
  
• Foot Wrap: Bulls Hand Wraps
  

My morale support crew and I reached Quirino Grandstand by 4:10 AM. I was jogging lightly from where we dropped off from the taxi to the starting line.  There was still a few minutes left before gun start based on the Countdown Timer on top of a security vehicle just in front of the starting line. I continued warming up my legs and stretching my arms and shoulders.

The marathon runners are all excited with their shouting and clapping. This is my marathon dream about to unfold. I gave Nerissa and my parents one final smile just before the marathon starts.

While the sun sleeps and the streets still covered in darkness, the gun fired to signal the start of the marathon. I started relaxed and at a comfortable pace. When mixed with a group marathoners talking and chatting with each other for fun, perhaps knowing the starting line is the easiest part of the marathon, I just smile a little and pass them by quickly. I did not want to be drowned in that atmosphere of ease and slow pace from the start. I wanted to take advantage of the adrenaline rush, the cool early morning breeze and the absence of the sun's heat.

After the first kilometer U-turn at Pedro Gil street, I found a target runner that could just provide the right pace (fast but comfortable) and attitude (focused and dead-locked on running the race) that I wanted to establish from the start - a lady in red. A solitary lady runner in the midst of hundred male marathoners. She easily stood out.

I held on to that fast and comfortable pace, still unaware of the exact pace in minutes per kilometer (min/km) as I don't want to get busy with the calculations yet, until we climb the Del Pan bridge. Slower, shorter and stronger strides - I still remember how to tackle uphills.

The 4th kilometer was on the middle of the bridge with the hydration stations, the Relay Point for the Relay Marathon Race and the energy-boosting dragon dancers with the loud drums. If any runner was still sleepy at the 430AM marathon start, they must have been fully awake by now. I took my first hydration and proceeded with the marathon.

The downhill from the Del Pan bridge was easy. Body Check -- All systems still OK. No Pains. Foot Happy. Knees Fine. There was only one thing that seems problematic, the hydration belt. Somehow it doesn't fit perfectly around my waist. I kept on adjusting it for every 100 meters or so since the starting line. :(

At the 6th kilometer mark, just before we turn left to Padre Burgos street, I took another glass of water. The lady runner in red easily was out of sight after my hydration stop. I wonder what marathon pace she's in. The race marshal at that intersection of the road was doing a great job. He easily instructed the vehicles to stop and let the marathoners have the right of way. Feels good to be a runner eh? Thanks!

At Padre Burgos, I caught up with the lady in red and we, together with a few more runners, packed together for a fast and comfortable pace. She was also supported by bikers giving her advices, directions and stopping vehicles at some road intersections that were not manned by the marshals.

At McArthur bridge, we collectively thought we were lost as we saw runners on the right side below the bridge. There was no marathon markers nor marshals before we go to the direction of the MacArthur bridge so we panicked. Lost at this early stage?

Thankfully, there was a Right Turn Marathon marker just below the bridge. Yey! We're not lost. I breathe deep for a few seconds and then moved on. It's been around 6 kilometers already. I have also learned the name of that lady in red as her biker support shouted "Eileen, turn right ka sa kanto!"

The run on Taft Avenue was awful. There was no marshal nor race markers to separate the runners from the speeding vehicles - not to mention the pollution on the crowded and busy Taft Avenue. A fellow runner said "Sakit aabutin naten dito..". That or we could easily get injured with the unmindful vehicle drivers.

The left turn to P. Casal street and to Claro M. Recto was a lot better. Less traffic, less pollution, runners get to run on the road feeling a lot more comfortable and safer. I was still running fast and still very much comfortable.

Time Check: After the 9.2+ Km mark, it was 39+ minutes on my Casio.
Body Check: All systems OK. No Pains. Foot Happy. Knees Fine.

To the readers of my previous marathon blogs, you can recall my 21-10-8 marathon strategy. My game plan is to finish the first 21 kilometers @4:40 pace and then take a 1 kilometer recovery jog. After around 10 kilometers, I am slightly faster than my target pace, so I started to slow down and pace myself for the rest of the marathon.

So far, so good. I'm enjoying myself and I'm running healthy. The marathon is all set for the taking!


Like the Domino Effect, Everything Starts to Collapse

My poor belt bag was shaking up and down. The water bottle and the bananas inside of it has been going nuts from the get go. I have trained using the belt bag with water bottles but not with bananas and eggs. It does not fit perfectly this time around - what a perfect time to wreak havoc.

A fellow runner from my back told me something is wrong with my belt bag. When I checked, the banana became spoiled due to constant shaking and the chocolates are melting due to the wet banana mixing with them. What a mess! The belt bag looked like it was soaked in pooh. A child's pooh. I felt embarrassed.

As I took the time to clean up the belt bag and threw away the spoiled banana and the melting chocolate, more runners passed me by. I started to jog and bring back my previous running pace.

Then my knee started to complain. The knee strap was not able to contain the knee pains after all. At the 16th kilometer mark my right knee has buckled down. It was 28 kilometers more to go. What to do now?

Jog. In hopes that the pain will somehow go away, I just continued to jog. There was really panic now on my part. Will this run be over sooner than the 42nd km? A possible Did Not Finish (DNF)? It has just completely destroyed my marathon attitude (focused and dead-locked on running the race).

Show Must Go On

After knowing the faults and failures, it's human nature to point fingers on who to blame. I was no exception. I wanted to blame the poor quality of my hydration belt to my Mama. One Saturday evening, I gave her money to buy me a belt bag on her Sunday grocery day. I told her that I needed a belt bag so I could carry water, face towel and money with me on my Sunday long runs.

She did buy me one. She is not a runner though. So it's not for her to know what specific qualities of a good hydration belt are. She just bought what she thought was best for me - a big enough belt bag to carry the things I will need on my runs. The belt bag turned out to be just an ordinary belt bag. Not specifically designed to fit a man running for long distances and not strong enough to withstand the pressure of that long run.

It was my fault. My very own mistake. I had all the time to buy a good hydration belt. I did not. And I would have been a lot better without a problematic bag - the PIM had plenty of hydration supply.

Regarding the knee that is now on the verge of collapse - who's the boss? You are tasked to complete the marathon Mr. Right Knee, by all means you have to do it. Quitting is never an option. The knee had to follow the orders of the mind - regardless of pain.

Besides, I have invited Nerissa, her sister, my parents and Athan, my marathon support at the 35th kilometer, to watch and support me on this marathon adventure. I did not invite them to see me fail, did I? As tough as it is now, the show must go on.

The Drama Unfolds, To Lose Now and Win Tomorrow?

After the little pep talk with my surrendering side, I decided to go on. I know I am slowing down, my belt bag is giving me problems and my knee is about to give up on this race. With every passing second, I am drifting away from the 21-10-8 pacing strategy. If I push on, a knee injury threatens to aggravate and who knows what this injury might turned into if I continued. Should I just lose this race and conquer other marathons when I'm 100% healthy? There is no disgrace in bowing out with an injury - it's part of a runner's life.

Funny enough, a pedicab driver offers a ride. Could I remove my bib and singlet, use the pedicab and ride my way to Mandaluyong, Taguig or Makati? That would have been a huge relief.

Nope. You cannot pursuade a determined will to quit or cheat. I'm hanging on to my marathon dreams. I am not letting the hopes of other people die on me. I am going to push through. If this is my last race, so be it. I'm going all out and going out with my pride in tact.

I am really doing everything to motivate myself to not quit - Ever! And though I'm succeeding a lot mentally, I am physically handicapped. I am limping in pain. Can you run without bending your knee? If I bend my knee, I will feel the pain on my right knee. Will it be pain or a DNF? You already know what I chose.

I appreciate the plentiful hydration supply and the cheering and clapping children on the hydration stations, the dragon dance, the support of the crowd and the race marshals. I also liked the race direction signs and the accuracy of the kilometer markers - down to the hundredths digit. 4.xx kilometers, 6.xx kilometers, 9.xx kilometers, 13.xx kilometers, 16.xx kilometers. Great job by the organizers supporting the needs of the runners on the road (was not perfect at all points, but great job on most parts).

That kilometer marker accuracy also frustrated me at one point though. After speeding up and somehow recovering on the faulty belt bag and right knee, I was desperately looking for a positive note. Something to inspire me more. I was speeding up, have I crossed the 21st kilometer already? My timer reads almost 1:40 hours.

28.75

Yehey! I'm that fast? The 28th kilometer already? I got excited, I am faster than my best predicted marathon performance. Yipee! My support crew would definitely love to see me at the finish line, I speed up even more.

Only to get frustrated. From 100+ meters, it was 28.75 alright. From 20+ meters, it was not a kilometer marker. It was the price per liter of gasoline at Caltex / Petron gas station. What a disappointment. I was suddenly out of gas. And lost speed even more.

Drama Heightens Up, Is it Time to Quit?

When I reached EDSA, I knew I was halfway through the marathon. So that was the positive note I was looking for. The 3:30 finish is still possible. If I could manage a negative split. I was a little pumped up. Why? I took a walk break, slowed down due to a hurting knee and a messed up belt bag.. I could push myself to beat that first half and manage a negative split.

[A negative split means the Time it takes to run the second half of a route is faster than than the Time it takes to cover the first half. First Half - Second Half = Negative. A positive split is the opposite of a negative split. First Half - Second Half = Positive.]

With a more motivated mind, I took the uphill to Guadalupe bridge with much clearer resolve - I can finish as planned.

The uphill curve to Guadalupe was a monster. It was long. It was steep. It ends on the bridge where another uphill road to Ortigas is in sight. My knee totally surrendered. It gave up. I stopped on top of the bridge to rest and eat a banana. Drank the water I had in my belt bag and tried to start jogging again for the uphill climb to Ortigas.

I can't. The knee won't bend. I struggled to walk straight. I felt my tears were about to drop from my eyes. Is this the point where I finally give up? I felt sorry to myself, I was so sad and frustrated seeing people staring at me for barely being able to walk. I took the sidewalk so as to give way to other runners from my back.

I dropped my head and shoulders a little, almost bowing, touched my knees and offered a silent prayer - Please give me the strength to finish this marathon. Just a little more strength to do this. Please.

To be continued...