Getting in the zone

There comes a time when the sport that lets you breathe kills you, but it’s up to you to turn the table around and change that to what you really want.

class picture before we go to war

What is it all about? For what? Do I consider myself an athlete? Why am I doing this? What is the medal for? What will I gain from all of this stupidity? Can I make it despite this extreme pain? What am I trying to prove?

Ultra CB adiks! (Yan, Prince, Marvs, Doday, Jimmy, Cris and Ellen)

And in the middle part of it, you’ll find the answers
This is not about the race, its about me. Because I haven’t reach my limitation. Damn right I am one! The longer the distance, the longer freedom I get. I made it!. Prove myself I’m wrong. Pain is temporary. Through all this adversities, my friends and loved ones don’t want me to quit! They want me to cross that line and not to let them down…Hell I’m gonna finish what I started!!

Barney, Super Hero and Terrestrial

These are some of the questions that lingered from KM 30-50 of PAU Western Pangasinan 65K Ultra Marathon. For those 20 kilometers of pain, it is what I consider as “a masterpiece”, why? because the thing that hit me feels like an impossible journey from where what Dr. Sherwin Botabora dubbed as Achilles Tendonitis. At first I tried to brush it off but the sharp pain instinctively put on a show and held me captive for a nasty 20KMs.

we are the sweepers! pano na?

So much for arguing with oneself, with the help of my teammates, miraculously, I was able to lift my feet thinking I have to move past this pain that its all in the mind, I tried to walk in a limping fashion and thinking I still have 35KMs with less than 7 hours plus the scorching heat that awaits from 10am-3pm which seems so freakin’ impossible. Doing the math, it’s still possible but with less breaks (stops that is). This is the time i decided to have my own support crew leave and take care of my 2 other team mates who are already ahead by 2-3KMs. Needless to say that some sacrifices are worthy, being a monkey on their backs will eventually takes its toll on the support itself.

Lolo Earl providing the ultimate motivation (right heel on ice).. Do Not Quit session

I owe this race to Jimmy, Doc Sherwin, Eric and Ellen for sticking with me. This was the toughest race on a ruined plan to finish with a decent time. I only managed to find the right rhythm after we reached the 50th KM of this race. Heavy downpour at KM 51, Jim and I found a shelter, rested for a while and waited for the rain to stop while watching the rest of the sweepers outrun the downpour. It was like a restart, after the rain we tried running, Surprising as it is, the pain on my right heel slowly disappeared. Tried to test it during downhills for a kilometer or two and eventually faded.

still able to post a shoutout.. thank you friends for the support

Saw a Tucson, my support crew from the opposite lane approaching! wohooo its Yogi to the rescue!!! last 2 stops. Grabbed my phone and still managed to twit and open my FB while walking on the long white paved lane of Sual, kids must not do, even for adults while driving. I received a couple of wild loud horns from those buses, very dangerous! (pasaway mode)

Fortunate enough that the last 4 or 5 KMs are most part zigzag downhills. Locals cheering which keeps the motivation on a high tide! Keep running!!! Bumped into Yanyan and paced for a couple. Giving it all I’ve got, reached the final 3 corners before heading the finishline. I can see my friends cheering! It is definitely for them!

not for the target time.. just finish the race and survive for them!

All the answers will be a 20/20 once you see and cross that finishline arc. Now the ultimate question of why I run with this insane distance and my life on the line? simple… I can be the happiest idiotic human being for days once i cross that line.. Im in the ZONE with my friends and loved ones

Heaviest finisher medal+ HQ Adidas sleeveless para sa mga adik!

Thank you Sir Jovie Narcise for the unbelievable route, NFFs,Team USB, Team Intensity, Team Boring, Team Ungas, Heartbreak’ers, Hangout Buddies, Doc Arturo Virata, ultra idols. My graditude to my Team CB Family, PRince and Marvs for the early pace. Earl, Rona, Bave and the rest of Team KTT for the motivation and insisting that I finish the race despite the pain. Jimmy, Doc Sherwin, Eric and Ellen for hanging with me during the dreadful afternoon. To Brandy for unexpectedly showing up on the dying KMs, salamat paps! The undying support is just overwhelming. Thank you thank you

Lastly to Doc Apple Ticsay .. you know the reason why

dinner at Dencio's Luisita with friends (NFFs and Team Boring crew)

Sa susunod na pagkikita mga adik!

pics courtesy of Yan, Irene, Team USB and Bave

Third Time’s The Charm

It took 392 days, 2 injuries, 3 full marathons and 2 ultramarathons to hug everything in perspective. I overshot my target, last Dec 2010 at QCIM with my maiden marathon, unconscious of how things went into fast forward mode and checked how this grueling sport offers.

But the dream is not suppose to stop right there. After a year of exposure into this sport, I still thirst for more. Some 20++ years ago, Nestle always try to air this event during the commercial breaks of the popular kids show Batibot which didn’t make any sense to me in the first place and just joking to myself by a long shot that someday ill cross that finishline, sort of a dream. Well those were the days back then not knowing that I’ll eat my own words 23 years later hahaha!

Last year I blogged the 34th edition me doing an epic fail hurting my right shin after my 10K attempt but sadly it happened again during the December Finals joining the 21K category when I stupidly harbored an
injury called ITBS that made me regret things that resulted into a great depression. While carrying a monkey on my back with this freakin injury, I swiftly utter that this is my bad nut or vice versa. Now I’m
writing this in full like the 42.195 KMs that is! Out comes the 35th National Milo Marathon- Manila Eliminations, “sa tigas ng ulo ko” I registered for this event for my dream to be a reality, but this time
I am indeed careful. I didn’t peg any PR but rather just reach the cut off of 6 hours to get the finisher’s medal.

walk break before heading Buendia Ave. with idol Mark Rodica

This event traditionally takes place right at KM 0 in Rizal Park but was moved to SM Mall of Asia this year as organizing this event was handed over Runrio from Rudy Biscocho. First of and foremost, I don’t like the singlet, I mean I like it but the arm holes really sucks.
Breaking-in the Milo singlet is like a chaffing machine, which eventually making it as a pambahay shirt. Runrio or Nestle had this rule to wear the official singlet that led me wearing the 2010 version
and again that rule sucks. When i head home, tried to raise the famous white 42K bib and said to myself (eto nay un Wes!) with Gregorian Chant sound effects! I was like a schizo for a minute there then smirked. Yeah this is like no ordinary marathon, this is THE Milo Marathon! Tanga tanga ko I didn’t notice the B-Tag was attached when I almost ripped the envelope trying to find the D-Tag that was scrapped by Runrio. Bwahahaha!

d2 tayo sa daang matuwid... sa The Fort

On to race day, Wow its downpour, it wasn’t a surprise either because it’s been raining the whole week with typhoon Juaning’s tail picking the right place at the wrong time, 2nd Nike shoes to have a cold bath
I assumed. Rendezvous with Team CB and head over to the starting grid, by this time the rain didn’t matter coz its even giving any signs of slowing down either! Greeted fellow runners/friends from various
groups few minutes before gunstart, this is the usual atmosphere I always love. Wishing everyone for a safe and injury free run.

Gunstart! Kaboom! The usual “asaran” warm up for the first 2 KMs, everybody having a great time enjoying the cold weather, slight rain topped with a military line up of male runners taking a piss on the first hundred meters (di kinaya ang lamig nyahaha!). Runners went into their comfort zones before reaching the end of Macapagal Blvd. This eventually lead to bigger drops of rain until turning to Buendia Ave. for the first half of the race. Heavy puddles on both flyovers of Buendia and Baclaran, it’s just unbelievable and inevitable for an early shoe bath.

Target setting: to at least work from a 6-7min pace barrier, have a couple of walk breaks up until KM 21 and just meet the 6 hour cut off, but the rain served as a sweet coolant and helped me push until KM 25. It feels great when you get to greet friends from side to side and back, doing the low 5’s that serves as motivation. I started to struggle after the Kalayaan flyover, feet starting to hurt after being subdued multiple times on the early part. Runners passed and I tried to stab a KM or two but cramping starts to linger before I could reach the last U-Turn at McKinley Hill, power walk will do. Thanks to Perkins of ARC Manila for lending me an almost empty Bodivance, helps a lot Coach Argo passed by an assessed my situation, but im A OK hehehe.

the part where Gigs took off her singlet and became a moving KM marker =P

I can still manage to run, checked Garmin if I can still make it up to KM32 for the 5 hour cut off, glad that I have an hour and 45 before the threshold. Met and paced with Gigay, she’s also starting to feel the pain on both calves, the “tisay” can still clamp an 8min pace, told her to go ahead but shes trying to battle it out. Its stretching time! Just to loosen up a bit. We reached final checkpoint an hour and 9 mins before the 5th hour. We did it! oh yeah!! Gigay can still do a couple of hundred meters for the whole stretch of Buendia but eventually slows down.

with Gigay... lingering cramps with all smiles

For the last remaining 10KMs it was 90% power walk and 10% walk. Pretty neat that this technique from Doc Art is a deadly weapon, very helpful indeed! I was able to teach her how to effectively nail it reaching a max of 8:30/KM without getting sluggish versus the normal “wasak walk”. The mighty sun did show up on the final 3KMs.. more power walks and short stabs hahaha!

high risk with high reward... were on a high

After reaching the final turn to Seaside Blvd., we started to give it all we’ve got, background music getting louder, yellow finishline arc is visible, people cheering and paced on a 7min margin!
I could still recognize everybody (still in my sanity hahaha), familiar faces, friends, photogs aiming and the runner’s high is back! Clocked at 5hours 41mins! IT FELT SO DAMN GREAT! Finishing the race, the nicely engraved 42.195KM Finisher Medal I longed for 20+ years now hanging around my neck! OH F*CKIN YEAH!!!!

sharing the moment with Cebu TTB Group's Doc Cecillie and Prince

The boyhood dream is mission accomplished! Wohoooo!! Happy as well to be able to help a friend/ fellow runner all the way to the finish and grabbed a new PR! Selflessness still prevails, Congrats GIGS!!

this one surpassed Condura's. engraved & embossed to perfection:)

All my gratitude to the idols KB, Meljohn, David Buban, Doc Toto, Brian Pacia, Mark Rodica, Raymund Canta, Coach Argo, Perkins, Rod Runner, Doc T, Junrox, Beeps, Jixee, Dodayishi and Prince.

with Team CB Family and sister team Team Boring

Runners Link, CRB, Takbo.ph, HOB, Snail Runners, ARC Manila, Heartbreak’ers, Team KTT, Team Boring, aNR- Ortigas Pearl, Team Kamote, NFFs and my Team CB family. Thank You Thank You po. This race means a lot to me Thank you lord for the good health and an injury free race, the jinx is over.

On a runner’s perspective, redemption always keep us motivated and set our personal goals to the roof. I’ll do my best on the 36th to stamp a better time, race pace that is..

Lesson learned: “Always weather the storm”