It was a day of a lot of firsts. It was my first time to run a 42-k relay. It was my first time to travel to Tarlac just to run. It was also my first time to run back-to-back two days straight.
After the
bull session in Nuvali, Chris, Edward and I headed back to Chris' house in Cavite to rest and to prepare for travel to Tarlac. It was a very long drive but thank god for highways, we got to Hacienda Luisita just a little after 4PM. Honorable Lyle, the director of the race, met us there to bring us to our hotel. He billeted us at L Square Hotel, a posh new place along the highway. I have to say, Hon Lyle really knows how to take care of his guests. He took care of dinner and the accommodations, and even paid for the run's registration fee. Wow! Another free run! (
Salamat Lyle!). After dinner, he showed us the race route: where the forks in the roads would be, the turns, dark scary-looking places. After the tour, we went back to the hotel to rest.
The gun start for the 42k relay was at 4AM. We got to the starting line by the municipal hall a few minutes before the start of the race. Only a few people joined the 42k relay. There were about 10 people at the starting corral including myself. I couldn't help but to feel out-of-place. All of them looked like serious veteran runners. It was clear to me and my relay team that we were just there for the experience and the training. I'm used to running with big crowds. It makes me feel invisible; me and my pace unnoticed. I guess most newbie runners like me are insecure about their pace. This time it was different. I was visible. That was another first.
gopher with the other serious veteran runners
It was still dark when we started running. I told my team, I'll probably finish by 2 hours. They went back to the van to get some more rest. Meanwhile, I was running in the dark. During the first part of the race, I had a motorcycle escort. I overheard them talking that I needed one because I don't have reflectorized gear and might get hit by the few vehicles passing by. My motorcycle escort left me after I crossed the bridge over Tarlac river. The road was more lit by that time. I was pressured by the presence of the escort, instead of my usual 2:1 run-walk pace, I did a 5:1. Haha. By the time the escort left, I changed back to 2:1.
It was a good thing, Hon. Lyle already showed us the route. It made the unfamiliar road less intimidating as I watched out for the landmarks that were pointed out to us the night before. It was also fortunate that I brought my hand-held flashlight. There were areas that were still dark. Midway to the 7km turn, it started to rain. By that time, I could no longer see the other runners. It was scary and lonely running alone in the dark, in the rain and in an unfamiliar place. There were dark areas with clumps of high grass and big trees along the side of the road. I found myself chanting
tabi-tabi po as I went past them. Not sure what I more scared of, coming across supernatural beings or NPA's that were rumored to be occasionally roaming the area. Anyway, I ran on. I needed to go back in two hours for the team. When I reached the turn, I noticed that there were runners behind me. Initially, I thought, "Wow! I'm not the slowest". Only when they ran past me did I realized that they were probably the 2nd runners of the other teams. Oh well.
42k-relay teammates
The sun had already risen when I reached the finish line. I finished 14k in 2 hours and 12 minutes. That's an average of 9 mins and 4 sec per kilometer, a minor improvement still worth celebrating ! Yey! Edward was our second runner and he was off the second I crossed the finish line. Since it took me 2 hours to finish my part of the relay, Edward was already running with the 3rd runners of the other groups. The cut-off time was 4 hours for the relay. Thirty minutes or so after Edward started, Hon. Lyle told Chris to already start running. He allowed this since we were not aiming to win anyway. Edward finished his 14k after 1 hour and 40 mins. By the time Chris came back, the organizers were already finished awarding the winners and were already packing up. Again, it was clear to us that we joined the race just for the experience and what an experience it was! Running on tired legs; running in the the dark while raining in an unfamiliar place; I was not sure how I was able to finish the race. Haha. But I did. It was a test of physical endurance and mental will. This is a run I will not likely to forget. Fun run number ten!
After checking out of the hotel, Hon. Lyle, ever the gracious host, brought as to Monasteryo de Tarlac for sight seeing. A perfect way to end a tiring, challenging but fun weekend. Thanks again Honorable Lyle and congratulations! Hope to run in your event again if there will be one next year :)
ever gracious host, Hon. Lyle, touring us at the Monasteryo de Tarlac
