Pocari Fun Run and a 3-Man Pack

The Night Before Race Day
(Di Makatulog sa Gabi sa Kaiisip)

Friday night, a few hours before Pocari's Saturday morning race, I was busy thinking about my small talk to be delivered in front of my fellow company employees. Come April, we will have a company outing in Pangasinan and I will have to talk about my running and marathon experience. What exactly would I be talking about that would interest my colleagues?

I spent a lot of hours thinking about my possible topics.

Behind the Scenes of my Marathon Run. I would be sharing how the concept of family pushed and inspired me to finish my marathon. I would not be talking much about how I run it (for it might bore them to death.. I mean the excitement and thrills of the marathon are best experienced on the road and actually running it). I would be talking about five persons who carried me to the finish line - my parents, Nerissa, her sister and Athan. I would want to relate how family bonds (a family isn't necessarily about blood and DNA links, it's more of the ones you love and loves you in return) ignited a sense of responsibility in me. And how that responsibility propelled me to the finish line.

For several hours, I was talking to myself and conceptualizing how to deliver this train of thoughts. Family, responsibility, marathon. What did my parents say when I finished the marathon limping in pains and barely able to walk? What was my mother and father doing while I was away running for hours? How Nerissa was so worried when it was 3:30 hours after gun start and I was still nowhere near the finish line (I told her I'd be aiming for a 3 and a half hour finish). What was her sister thinking of the race? How did these non-runners find running and road racing? How Athan spent some of his rest day hours just to help me run the last few kilometers of the marathon. I was talking to myself about relationships and my thought processes knowing these people were all there waiting, cheering and supporting me.

I would like to finish my talk by relating my family experience and support during the marathon to our being a family in the company. How each one of us could inspire, motivate and support each other. And how that sense of having a family support could translate into a feeling of responsibility and want to deliver.

Needless to say, I stayed awake until about 11 in the evening when I was suppose to get a decent amount of sleep hours to prepare for the next day's race.

About 4:20 AM, I was up but still sleepy. And still sleepy even after a quick shower and a quick run to the bakery for a few pieces of hot pandesal and a bottle of Minute Maid orange juice. And I was still sleepy even after Athan and I rode a taxi cab to The Fort for our scheduled 5:30 AM gun start.

Late Start 
(Bakit Ngayon ka lang?)

We reached the venue at about 5AM. After I dropped my backpack (with water, T-shirt, Diatabs, Salonpas, etc.) at the baggage counter, I left Athan who was waiting for Jir, our colleague who will run a 5K race for a new PR. I wanted to shake off my sleepy feeling and get warmed up.

An elite runner from Team Bald Runner approached us and asked if we could exchange bibs. He wanted to run the 10K instead of the 5K and said he would compete and try to win in the 10K category. We had to respectfully refuse the offer. We are training for the upcoming Globe 10K race and I was also hoping to land in the Top 10 of the 10K race.

I jogged for about ten minutes and got back near the stage with Athan and did some stretching drills. Minutes later, Jir arrived. While I was sleepy, Jir overslept and would have missed the race had Athan not called him by phone.

By 5:20 AM, I invited Athan to join the runners at the starting line. It's just a few minutes before the scheduled 5:30AM 10K gun start.

There were only about a thousand runners on this Pocari "Ready, Get Sweat, Go" Fun Run. I thought it would not be too hard to control and organize this crowd not like the Century Superbods Run where less than 12 thousand runners participated. I was also hopeful to finish this one a lot better than my 27:04 5K Finish at the Superbods Run. The Pocari 10K Run would be two loops of the same 5K race route used at the Superbods Run (where I got lost and ran about 6.5 kilometers).

The Century Superbods 5K Race Route

By 5:30AM, when the emcees climbed up the stage.. I thought it was about to start as scheduled. But then it was not.

The emcees did what they do best - talk. To the dismay of a few 10K runners who were witnessing and fearing the possible effects of the approaching sunrise. For about thirty minutes, we waited for gun start. After a lot of talks, a prayer, a national anthem and a warm up led by three dance instructors on the stage.. The gun was fired by about 6:00 AM and we were ready to rumble.

Racing with a Competitive Pack of Runners
(Hinihingal ka lang, kahit parang ang layo pa.. habol.)
(At 'wag na 'wag kang lalayo..)

This should be lots of fun. That's what I was thinking as the gun started and the Pocari van, the race motorcycles and the elite runners led the all the 10K runners. Woohoo.. Here we go!

With about 10++ races joined and started over a span of a year and a few months, I am now able to control the adrenaline rush and the excitements and thrills of the sound of a race gun start. (That or I was still a bit sleepy.. Hehehe)

I took control of my speed and let the more eager runners dash ahead. My 10K race strategy is a simplified extension of my 5K strategy.

For my 5K races (Goal: sub20):

• First 2K at a controlled 4:01 min/km
• Next K at a fast pace of 3:55 min/km
• Next K at a breather pace of 4:03 min/km
• Last K at a fast pace of 3:50 - 3:55 min/km

For my 10K races (Goal: sub40):

• First 3K at a controlled 4:01 min/km
• Next K at a fast pace of 3:55 min/km
• Next K at a breather pace of 4:03 min/km
• Next K at a fast pace of 3:55 min/km
• Next 2K at a breather pace of 4:03 min/km
• Last 2K at a fast pace of 3:55 min/km

After the corner at Lawton Avenue, I was fully in control of my speed and I was not breathing as hard as I was at the 5K Superbods Run. That was mission accomplished in terms of speed control.

As I look at my competition, I found 4 elite runners leading us all at about 100meters ahead, and then 6 runners just in front of me. This is looking good, I thought. I can give a good fight against the 6 runners just in front.

At Lawton Avenue going into the Old Lawton Avenue and into the Rotonda at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, I kept my fast and steady strides. It is so much easy to control a fast pace on my training runs at Velazquez Park. At the uphills of Lawton Avenue, I felt running slower than my usual controlled fast pace. I just kept on battling and going up the hilly Lawton Avenue.

I was at 11th place and I was able to keep steadily fast at the uphills and remain strong going into the Memorial park. Just before I reached the Rotonda, my steady fast pace was able to overtake four runners. I was now at 7th place. More importantly, I was still running at a controlled fast pace.

At about 40meters ahead, the 5th and 6th place runners were within my running pace. With my 10K race strategy, I could launch an attack when the three of us got back to Lawton Avenue and then at the more friendly flat roads of the 5th Avenue.

The two of them came closer and closer until I joined them in 3-man pack. I waited for the uphills to end before I make my move to break away from the pack and reach my sub-40 goal if possible. It was lots of fun. I was so excited. I was really enjoying the thrills and the demands of running with a fast paced pack of runners. This was the first time I have ran with a very competitive pack. We were literally shoulders-to-shoulders at one point in the race.

A tall runner with a "Beep Beep" imprinted on the back of his running shorts was leading the three of us. An older and shorter runner run behinds him and I was chasing them from behind. When the uphills ended and I still have a strong set of legs under me, I tried to attack the next runner in front of me.

To my thrill, he did not allow it. He tried to run side-by-side and cover my move. He was there to compete. And so I was more eager to run faster and sustain my attack. As we battle for the 6th place, we found ourselves overtaking Beep Beep. And then I still tried to eke out the lead and run ahead solo. Just before the right turn at the 32nd street, I succeeded and gained the solo 5th place.

Then I took my breather. I stopped to grab a plastic of cold water, drank it and enjoyed the cold feeling of pouring it over my head. I was back at 7th place. Hehehe. But I know I was having tremendous amounts of fun. I began to run back to my controlled fast pace.

The joy of it all began to wane when my Superbods experience started to haunt me. Where in this 32nd Street do we make a right turn to be back at the starting line? It was supposed to be at the 7th Avenue but noone turned right at that corner. So I just followed all the runners still going straight ahead at the 32nd Street. The confusion got magnified when Beep Beep and the 5th place runner still run straight ahead at the corner of the 11th Avenue. Oh no! We're drifting away from the race route, I thought.

At that point, I gambled. I turned right and some other runners also turned right with me. After a few hundred meters, I saw the Pocari van up ahead. I made the right turn! Yehey!! But where are the race marshals?

Slowing Down
(Let's take it slow.. so slow.)

When I was running with the 3-man pack, I was running like a horse. Going back to my first 5K loop and alone, I started to feel the fatigue and my legs felt heavier. I was slowing down. And feeling lonely. I reached the 5K mark in 21:20 minutes on my Nike Triax Fury.

Running back to Lawton Avenue and the uphills, my fatigue rised exponentially and I slowed down more and more until I reached the Rotonda at the Manila American Memorial. At the U-turn, I saw Beep Beep and the other fast runner about 50meters behind me and going into the U-turn part of the race. It reenergized my heavy legs and my desire to defend the 5th place.

Going back to the rolling hills of Lawton Avenue, I was excited, thrilled and a little pressured to keep the lead. I know they had to run a few more meters because they were lost at the 32nd street. I reminded myself that even though they are running fast to catch up, they must be a little more tired than I am. And because I have that advantage, I should use it and create a lot more distance between us. I should be running fast again and I should be keeping close to my sub-40 goal.

Even it was uphills, I ran fast. When it was the flat roads of the 5th Avenue, I ran even faster. At the 32nd Avenue, I felt them moving closer and closer but I just kept on going. I did not stop at the hydration stations, it's just about a little more than a kilometer more and I know I can do this. I kept on running fast.

Looking back at the pack scenarios, I wished I was running more with a competitive pack of runners in my future races. They really pushed me to keep the pace and to keep within the pack. Like a pack of wolves attacking their prey, they are much more deadly. The competitive spirit that drives the members of the pack to keep running together makes the race distance a lot shorter than it really is. When I joined the pack from the 2.5 kilometer up to the 4th kilometer, I was running as fresh as the race started and it felt like I was have just ran a few hundred meters.

I believe it has something to do with the focus and concentration that I had when I was running with them. Every stride counts and you really feel like you have to step up to keep up else the pack leaves you behind. I was locked in and I wanted to run with the pack for as long as I could. It motivated me to be at the top of my game.

At the Finish Line
(I don't care how you get here, just get here if you can.)

At the 11th Avenue, I was tired again. I was so tired I was wishing so hard I would see the finish line already.

And when I saw a Pocari banner at about 300meters ahead, I sprinted and ran much faster. At about 200meters away from the banner, I sprinted faster. And so much faster when it was just about 100meters away from me. When I reached the banner, the Finish Line is not in sight. What???

It cannot be. I am so near my limits and was about to give up running. My cardio vascular tank was almost empty. My desire to keep running fast and finish strong was fading. Just where the heck is the Finish Line? I was running and looking everywhere to find the finish line. There was no race arc nor signs nor anything. The race turned into a maze. Oh no!

Thankfully, after a few more meters of running I found blue tents with the Pocari word on them. I unlocked the maze. And I found it hard to sprint again, I was so tired already.

I was about to get my second loop cord and proceed to the finish line. Unfortunately, the lady holding a bunch of loop cords refused to give one and said I can proceed.. I already have one cord loop that I got on my first 5K loop. I wasted a few seconds on trying to secure a second loop cord. I can't believe I'm losing such important times when I am so near the finish line.

The 6th placer overtook me at about a hundred meters away from the finish line. I tried to fight back.

But a lady 5K runner blocked my path. I waited for her to cross first before I get to challenge the 10K runner who overtook me. At about twenty meters away from the finish line, he was all empty and just plodding his way to cross the finish. I happily retook the 5th spot by sprinting mad. I was fifth! I was fifth!

Soaked in sweat all over my body, Jir asked for my finish time. Not fully understanding the query, I raised my hand and signaled the number 5. I was fifth! I was fifth!

He repeated the question and only then was I able to understand him. I looked at my Nike Triax Fury and said "43:58".

When the race officials listed me at the 13th place. I could not believe it. It could not be, I thought. I told Jir I was fifth, I told him how I saw the race unfolded and how I knew I was supposed to be fifth. Not 13th.

Then I felt thirsty. Yeah.. I was suppose to be rehydrating.

Unfortunately, the distribution of Pocari Sweat drinks was disorganized. Only much of the finishers of the 3K and 5K races were able to get their drinks after finishing their races. Most runners or even non-runners employed the "singit-system" at the queue and some got about 4 or more bottles for themselves. I was so tired to be angry. But hey.. Can't runners think of their fellow runners who will be in need of those drinks after finishing their races? Can't we think beyond ourselves? And for the race organizers, Can't we ensure that we meet each participant's need for hydration after their own respective finishes? Or signing wavers enough for the organizers to turn their back on each and every runner's basic need?

Fortunately for me, I did bring a bottle of water on my back pack. And to Pocari's credit, lots of Pocari Sweat drinks were provided after several minutes passed by when Jir and I were waiting for Athan to finish his 10K race. But again, it was still so disorganizedly provided. And some runners attacked the booth and got away with 4 or more bottles.

Jir finished his 5K in 28 minutes. Athan duplicated his 10K best time of 1:03 hours. When the awarding ceremony started, I requested for them to stay. If I was 13th, maybe 3 of those were women and so I would be able to finish at the Men's Top 10. Just maybe.

Awarding Ceremony
(And we are the Champions my friend.. And we'll keep on fighting till the end..Coz we are the Champions.. We are the Champions!)

P150,000 was raised by this race event for the benefit of the crippled and support for some of our national athletes. The beneficiaries of the event were personally given with the huge check. A few runners stayed to witness the awarding ceremony for the fastest runners that day.

10 Males and 10 Females were called to the stage for each race category (3/5/10K). A Pocari Sweat squirt drinking bottle was awarded to the Top 10s and cash prizes awaited for the Top 3s.

Beep Beep finished 8th and right when he received his award (a plastic squirt drinking bottle), I knew I made it to the Top 10. At the heat of the rising sun, I was so happy to present my race bib #1378 when I was called to the stage for my 6th place finish. The runner from the highly respected Team Bald Runner won the 10K event.

We then went back to our office in Makati to eat our breakfast consisting of pizza and palabok left overs. Later that day, I went home in Cavite and told Nerissa of this enjoyable race. I did not get my sub-40 goal but I did get a lovely hug for my decent finish. At the end of the day, her hug and affirmation summed up all I really ever wanted.

Till next race buddies!

 I left my blue Pocari Sweat singlet in Cavite.. I used this blue Rota Run singlet as replacement.

 I finished the Pocari Sweat 10K Race in 6th place and won a blue plastic squirt drinking bottle.