My First 21k half marathon - thoughts and what nots

 

Mar 5, 2023… TCS international marathon (clark, pampanga). My very first marathon. 

Funny thing about races, your tummy really gets nervous. I find that like 10 minutes before the start of warm up… my thoughts turn to…. Looking for the porta potty. Another bad side about this run is that my period decided to show up THE DAY BEFORE. I was pretty nervous about it honestly, since it’s pretty hard to think about it and still run comfortably.

We stayed overnight at Widus hotel - the hotel was fine but the rooms were in bad need of refurbishing. The bathtub was chipping and the sink was not draining properly (fast enough). 

Gear check

I brought my own small water container too just in case I didn’t want to stop at any of the initial water stations. The run itself was pretty flat for the first part… near the 8km mark we had an uphill but not as bad as the one in filinvest!!. Managed it without walking and got to the turnaround fine. Took a gel at 45 mins and another one at 1:30 mark.

Nearly at 18-19k was already feeling my legs going heavy and honestly felt super tired. I could not imagine the strength I would need if it was a 42km marathon. MY GOODNESS.

The sun was coming up over the horizon in the last 2km and I really had to pull myself towards the finish line… You really have that internal talk to yourself as you run, trying to motivate and encourage yourself.

Training is no walk in the park. Some days, I really have the lazy spells and just want to go back to sleep. I dread the long runs because they are hard to start… although when you get into a rhythm, you can really enjoy it. Sometimes I think, why am I doing this? 

Hoping I can manage to run the marathon and finish. (April 23)

First half marathon 2:31

Taking up running @50

 If you would have asked me if I was interested in running a marathon 2 years ago, I would have told you straight up… NO WAY!

Running fever started about 12 years ago, and my husband took it up with glee since he was always been a track and field person since high school. I on the other hand is what you call “saling pusa” or someone who just was there to participate and support (if the distance was short like 5k or 10k). The longest I did was 16k and by the end I was screaming bloody murder. (ayoko na! ). 

Honestly, what I was lacking is the commitment to train. I didnt want to wake up early to run. HELLO. I love to sleep. The longer distances like 16k to marathon needed months of constant running to be able to survive and 10 years ago, I wasnt interested enough to put in the work.

So, what changed?

I honestly dont know. I accompanied my husband (which I usually did for years now) to his last international World Marathon in New York and he asked me to join the 5k fun run (it was short and I said, why not and signed up). As a backgrounder, I am the one taking pictures and cheering my husband on his marathons.. I am also the tour planner and guide- hahaha.

So anyway, New york. I can‘t really say when exactly did I think I could try to run but I think it started when I started to sign up for races. At first it was runrio 10k trilogy (a 3 part series where the medals can be clipped together) then, attempting my first 16k in awhile and training for it. The pivot point for me I guess is the amount of technology in the watches and the information available now that was not available 12 years ago. The watch now can give you heart rate, VO2 max, sleep pattern and other info to help you. It even has a coach to coach you to run at whatever race or goal you might have. (a big plus when running when you watch keeps vibrating to tell you to speed up or slow down). I also saw a lot of youtube, instagram posts on running and training which helped me enjoy the run better. 

Running and training doesnt have to mean you have to run at the hardest all the time and at every run. This concept really helped me accept that  progress in whatever sport or skill has to take TIME and PRACTICE. As of today, I have been training for about 2.5 months and improved both my running and my pace. My VO2 max increased from 38 to 40.

Consistency is also a key. Which sometimes I find very hard because as I said, I love to sleep but I still get up and run in whatever capacity I have. Watching disney +, the one called LIMITLESS by Chris Hemsworth also showed me that to live longer and healthier lives, we have to have a combination of endurance fitness, strength training, fasting among other things (suggest you watch that series). This really convinced me to take charge of my health. Running ticks the endurance and strength part (we need to strength train also) the fasting part I haven’t done yet because…. Well… BECAUSE. Hahaha

One other thing is the high you get after sweating before breakfast. I usually have a desk job and get less than 2000 steps a day.. but with training, I have 10k steps even before breakfast or at least complete it on the days I have a run. My pacer app is happy I maintain my 10k steps per day. 

What’s next? 

I will be running my first half marathon in march and my first marathon in April. Currently waist deep in training. Dreading the long runs… and I mean REALLY long. (3 hours plus estimate)

My husband is surprised at my dedication. Maybe I surprise even myself. The one thing I learned - never say never. You might change your mind after all. I am the epitome of the I would never run a marathon person… BUT…..here I am.

Running makes me sleep earlier and better, wake up earlier too ! I can’t party anymore because I am sleepy by 9pm! 

So, onwards~! Ready to put the check✅ beside “run a marathon” bucket list.

Excited to sign up for marathons now.. hahaha. Hubby at one point commented “who are you?” Hahaha

Next would be climbing mountains… and that would be another training round (and blogpost)