Just Shy Of One Hour

Supposed to be, this event will take place on November 9th, but it was pushed to December 7th due to the potential danger that Super Typhoon Uwan poses not just for the runners, but also for everyone that it even summons the "Storm Chaser", Josh Morgerman in the Philippines. But after a month of delay, it finally happened, and I'm actually glad that it turned out this way. Because if not, my last running event will be this one, with a lot of mismanagement by the organizers.

It's not perfect, but you can see that the organizers this time have put a lot of effort into making sure this event becomes successful, starting with how they deploy more marshals to guide the runners and compensate the lack of lighting in some parts of the route, and how they make sure that runners will have enough warm-up by having a Zumba program before the run. They also gave warm porridge for an after-race meal so that players could restore the energy they used up while running.

Just like my previous runs, I have entered the 10km category, for which my goal is to set a new personal record, and before I forget to mention, the event took place in my hometown, so I am fairly familiar with the route, like it was my backyard. And from the route that was shown to us, I became more confident that I will be able to set a new record, since the route was flat and I don't have to worry for any uphill. But before the race starts, the organizers made a minor change to the route and require us to cross the Flyover, which spans about 0.23km. Cross that twice, and that will be around 0.50 km.

That said, I still finished the run strong within 1:06:00 with a 6:08/km pace, which is by far my fastest run and sets multiple personal records, and if my pace falls to below 6:00/km, I will be able to finish 10km within an hour, or what they call the "Sub 1 hour" milestone. Perhaps I can achieve it if not for the change in the route, and if I did not stop at hydration centers to drink water. But if not for that, I would not be able to have those bananas that I'm holding and take this Epic Shot near the finish line from Neo Elite Runners Sports Photography (Image of me, but image not mine).

Since the event took place in my hometown, I know some of the runners who participated in the event, including some old friends, schoolmates, and even my old boss, whom the last person I would have expected to be here, since the location where the event starts is next to my hometown's municipal hall, where he used to be the mayor. He didn't run last election, but the Mayor sitting right now is technically his political opponent. But I guess it's fine since it's the weekend and held early in the morning, so government operations are at a minimum.

After chatting with them and asking for the photographers to take some photos of us, we finally leave on our own separate ways. I, together with the people with me has decided to stop in the nearby eatery to have our breakfast before we get home.

And that was how my last official run ended. Out of all the events I entered, they had given the biggest medal, which I really appreciate. By the way, all the proceeds of the event will be used to support the education of underprivileged children that they've been running, so I was glad that I was able to help a good initiative. But even with that, they still put a lot of effort into making sure that everyone will have a good time and an unforgettable experience.

But my running journey is just beginning, and my next goal is to participate in Bulacan Half Marathon (definitely not tempted with the free socks😆), which will take place on February 22 next year, this time trying to conquer 21km, and has long been making my preparations to face this new challenge. That is part of the reason why this post got delayed until today, but there is also the holiday season that keeps me from writing.

Anyway, that was it for me. Thank you for reading my post, and see you on the next one.