The CR incident made me think what went wrong as I don’t want this to ever happen again, much less on a marathon race! I have theories why I have to poop during the marathon race:
- I religiously do my poop session every morning when I wake up. This is not a conscious effort but rather my body just got used to it. I wonder if my brain “remembered” this task and forced my body to execute the act.
- Banana. A week before the race day, I’ve been stuffing myself with at least 2 bananas a day (because 711 offers free cappuccino coffee when you buy 2 bananas ) and at least one banana every morning (as detailed from previous post). It was only now I realized after doing some research in the Internet that eating bananas can increase bowel movements. Very nice.
- Hammer Gel. As it was my first time to try this product on the race day itself, I suspect that it might not be compatible with me. Although I did some research and I can’t seem to find any link, maybe trying another brand (GU) will work.
I’m sure most runners have similar experience and I guess this is one for the book! Now I have my own share of my “crap” runner story to tell.
While traversing the 5th avenue, I find it very difficult to continue my momentum. With an empty stomach, I thought of consuming again another hammer but was too afraid I might again poop. I continued my run and noticed that my heart rate dropped to 145-150 (from a race mode of 155-165) and this made me realized I’m running to slow. Somewhere along Lawton Avenue , one of takbo.ph biker support guys, RJ showed up paced with me. Alas muscle cramps would start to creep on both my legs and I have to stop while RJ helps me stretch my feet. I’m really glad RJ was there with me (man if you’re reading this thanks a lot!) during this moment. After a brief stretching session with RJ, I continued my pace and a nice babe offered me her Gatorade. I said I’m OK and soon enough, I was running faster until I realized that I already left RJ from our usual pace and off I ran alone again.
Somewhere along this road I saw PG guys giving Gatorade and another one spraying Salonpas to their runners. As a true blue Boy Scout, I have my own Salonpas but not the “spray” type. It was just a plastic bottle with a small hole on it. I tried applying it on both knees (as this was where the pain in my legs seemed to concentrate) while using both HANDS to evenly distribute it while at the same time applying some compression. It was such a relief feeling the immediate effect of this product….UNTIL I had to wipe perspiration off my face and guess what…some small amounts of Salonpas liquid find its way to my eyes. I blurted out expletives (Tagalog, English and Bisaya) not worthy of blogging here blaming my stupidity. At this point I was thinking of pouring all the contents (Gatorade red) of my hydration bottles but realized its got some amount of sodium it might just dry my eyes and made the condition worst. But honestly, it still amazed me up to this day how I was able to process that there’s sodium content in Gatorade while forgetting there’s a great deal of Salonpas liquid on my hands that I had just used to wipe my face. It was already raining at this point but not enough to help get rid of Salonpas liquid off my eyes. I prayed the most sincere prayer of my life asking the Lord for forgiveness but begging to send a signal 3 storm on that road targeting just my face. Help came in a few seconds and a nice lady gave me her surprisingly cold mineral water after seeing my face. I consumed ALL of it, slowly washing both eyes and just when I was about to say thanks to the lady, she’s gone. G.O.N.E. I don’t want to concentrate too much on this incident but this made me realize that God is indeed so good to me.
The road going down to Bayani road was the place where I felt so hungry. I courageously tried another hammer and 10 minutes later, I was looking for another toilet to release. Oh no not again! As I couldn’t find any public rest rooms in this road (nor I’m aware if there are any public toilets in this road), I have to thicken my face (is this how you translate to English “kapalan ang mukha?” hahahaha!) and asked one of the bystander if I could get inside her house to do my crap duty. She did allow me to use her C.R and while inside, I could hear her and her kids laughing in the background. After my poop session, I also vomited a huge amount of liquids. I got out after 8 minutes and felt very weak. I continued my slow run and reached a Gatorade station along the road serving the sweetest and what I though like concentrated version of Lemon flavored Gatorade. I was really disturbed of the taste and so I asked for water instead. I met Rico, Migz and Biker RJ along the way. They were already on their way up while I was still on my way to reach the end of Heritage road. Several minutes later I was already at the end of heritage road and I stayed there for 7 minutes applying crushed ice I asked from Milo guys. I looked at my watch and realized that with the CR breaks, various stops and walks I just did, there’s no way I can achieve the 5 hour cut-off time. I already submitted to my fate, I was so down I was already wishing a Milo sweeper vehicle to appear somewhere to “sweep” me away from the road. My aim for this race is 4:59 or 5:00, not 5:01 or above. I was so disappointed I thought of just finishing the race, without so much effort on improving my time anymore.
- Doc Roy (Zorro variety) and The Running Ninja. Thanks Patt for the white towel!
On my way up back to Lawton Avenue , I saw Doc Roy and gave him my crushed ice in plastic. Seeing Doc Roy was good, he seemed to enjoy the race as he was all smiles when he saw me. I especially love his attire with his green hat matching the Milo green logo I thought he could give Zorro a run for his money. I ran slower and walk my way up with the intention of Doc Roy catching up with me so we can run and finish the race together. Soon enough Doc Roy and I were together and as we traverse Lawton road, support biker Julius and RJ (or was it Ronald) gave us Pocari Sweat and Banana which doc and I shared together. We were talking as we ran/walked the route and we both resigned to our fate that we cannot finish within the 5 hour cut-off time. As we reached the Fort, Carmen and RJ would paced with us as we ran/walk all the way to the Kalayaan Flyover. Soon enough Aries would be running from behind and overtook both of us. My competitive self wants to run now but thought leaving Doc Roy was a major sin. The road from Ayala all the way to Buendia was a test of our character.
Roy asked me how I felt and I told him that I’m disappointed. To be honest, I thought of myself as a source of discouragement to Doc Roy than encouragement as I kept on saying all possibilities that might happen that day. I asked him what was the sense of finishing the race if Milo already dismantled the Finish Line structure, we would be running like idiots with no structures around hahahaha. I opened up the idea of calling one of our takbo.ph guys to get us out of the mess via their car instead of having Milo sweeper vehicles picked us and then send us back to Finish line. Biker Carmen and RJ were both with us and I’m really grateful they didn’t left us because if they did, I might lose hope. RJ was especially encouraging when he told us that one of our 21k runners even if he wasn’t able to finish cut-off time, he was still allowed to pass through the finish line. Just when I was already considering having somebody to pick us up and submit to our fate that this race would be my first DNF in my running career, I began to think of all the hardships I’ve gone through. I did a quick glance of my life and realized that there were many sections in my life where a “mini” setbacks would crashed me down entirely. I realized that I have total control of my situations, and that allowing life’s wind to just course me through is not right. I told myself this needs to stop. And so together with Doc Roy and biker friends Carmen and RJ, we did a couple of run/walks until we reached Roxas Boulevard . Finishing the race now was my priority and my job now is to make sure Doc Roy will not be alone running the race. Rod and Ronald would soon join us along the way. Ronald was especially helpful for the jokes he would dished every 3 minutes and was especially very encouraging in helping us bypass each P&G runners along the way. The road to finish line was long but upon seeing takbo.ph guys celebrating like as if we were podium finishers I thought of sprinting all the way to the finish line. But no, I decided that I will cross and finish the race with Doc Roy.
Congratulations from fellow takbo.ph peeps followed after we crossed the line. Fewer minutes later, I silently sneaked out of the scene and went to one corner where I placed the white towel Patt gave us earlier…and cried. I cried because I’m so disappointed of my performance, but was happy too because I finish my very first marathon. And as I was typing these sentences, tears are flowing now as I rekindle the moment that helped me realized my weakness, strengths, character and resolve to finish a race.
Although I finished it beyond my target expectation, I’m happy to say the following sentence:
I AM SAM, I AM THE RUNNING NINJA and I FINISHED THE MARATHON WITH MY CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY INTACT.
Milo, we shall meet again in the future…..
 Hahahaha this is me trying to cover my face (embarassing finish or tears of joy hehehehe) |
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Related posts:
jetpaiso
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 3:07 pm:
congratulations sam! you’re truly inspiring. keep running and hope to run with you soon!
wilson
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 3:20 pm:
Three things.
First, very entertaining read. I loved the candor, the honesty and the humor. Truly a unique first marathon account. Unique blog as well. Needless to say this has become one of my favorite blogs in Takbo.ph.
Second. That you stuck with Doc Roy was very commendable indeed.
Third. You still finished, and that is what is important. True, not in the fashion or with the time you wanted, but finished you still did. A lot of people would have given up on the road, but not you. There would be other marathons, and avenues for redemption. You must have lots of couldve’s shouldve’s, but truth here is, lots of people don’t have their first marathons go as planned. Some simply have to learn from doing. So take the positives, learn from the negatives, and KICK ASS in the QCIM. But before all that, for now, celebrate. This is still a victory. Congrats, and I’ll see you in the starting lines.
bards
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 6:48 pm:
you finished and in the company of good friends, thats great. congratulations! and on the flipside a horrible first marathon finish time makes it easier to set the next PR.
admin
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 10:55 pm:
Yeah we shall meet in the future. If you’re running on Globe’s Run For Home race, ill be there
admin
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 10:56 pm:
Hi WIlson,
Thanks for visiting. You’ve been an inspiration everytime I see you your race results. Hope to be as fast as you soon.
admin
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 10:57 pm:
Bards,
With a finish time somewhere between 6:30-7:00, I must admit the time was beyond my human understanding*laughs* Correct, it will be a piece of cake to set the next PR hahahaha.
See you again in the future!
cynthia
on Jul 8th, 2009
@ 11:06 pm:
Congratulations, Sam! All the best to you!
Rod
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 3:20 am:
ang drama mo sam!!! hahahaha
even before i crossed the finish line, i was already planning to go back and look for you and doc roy.
good job, pare!!! we already endured the distance. speed na lang ang kailangan natin.
Alfred / El Kyoshi
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 3:21 am:
A very entertaining post to say the least!
Congratulations for finishing your first marathon. I can relate to some of the disappointments and frustrations recalling all kinds of emotions I felt when I ran my first marathon at Botak on May 10. Being a very sentimental person myself, I cried a lot then and I cried a lot at the Milo marathon, too. Different sets of tears, but tears nonetheless. I’ve learned a lot from the two marathons and I’m sure you have on your first one, too.
Congrats again and I’m looking forward to seeing you at the Run for Home!
jetpaiso
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 3:22 am:
yes bro, will run 21k in globe-ali run for home, but will keep a 7:57 slow pace, training mode na ulit ako eh =)
blueman168
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 3:39 am:
congratulation! and i have the pleasure training with u. see u sa run for home!!!
Carmen
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 4:17 am:
…”I finished the marathon with my character and integrity intact.” Well said, Sam! Again congratulations! Hats off to you (and Doc Roy)..
ricov
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 7:02 am:
I AM SAM, I AM THE RUNNING NINJA and I FINISHED THE MARATHON WITH MY CHARACTER AND INTEGRITY INTACT.
Sam, I like those lines. I was very happy and proud to see you and Doc Roy cross that finish line. Congratulations!
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 1:55 pm:
Thanks Cynthia!
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 1:56 pm:
Thanks Rod for pacing with us at Roxas road. Doc and I really appreciated it.
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 1:57 pm:
Thanks Alfred!
Thanks for the visit. I’m gonna see you at the race on July 19!
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 1:57 pm:
Hi Blueman! Thanks man, hope to train with you someday again.
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 1:58 pm:
Thanks for pacing with us from The fort to Quirino. I’ll return the favour soon on your marathon run. Oct? Hehehehe thanks again!
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 2:01 pm:
Hi Boss rix!
Thanks for organizing a great support team. We owe you alot. Its good we both finished it honestly. Hope to run with you soon again!
Mukhang Guilty
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 2:04 pm:
sam, good job! with one marathon comes another, then another, then another…. train hard, train smart to get better and avoid injury
Luis Arcangel
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 10:27 pm:
Ang emo! Haha. Very nice Sam. We are very proud of the fact that you finished it, you did not quit, and you resisted the temptation to leave Doc Roy. With so many different things going on, quitting would have been the easy way to do. You showed a lot of character and resolve out there, and that would serve you well in future races. The loose bowel issue was probably due to the fact that you had consumed more bananas than your system was used to, and was exacerbated by the anxiety brought about by the race. Congrats man, rest well, recover, and live on to run another day.
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 10:56 pm:
Nice to see you last Sunday. Thanks for the offer of Gatorade, I actually thought I was overhydrated with gatorade drinking 3-4 glass of it every gatorade station hahahaha. Hope to run with you on the next race. Run for Home perhaps? Heheheh
Cheers man!
jazzrunner
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 10:56 pm:
Very nice account, Sam! And an impressive marathon finish!
Well done and Congratulations!
admin
on Jul 9th, 2009
@ 10:57 pm:
Hi Luis
Hahahahaha! Agree, the bananas did it and probably too much liquid in my stomach. Hope to run with you soon and be as fast as you!
Raffy
on Jul 10th, 2009
@ 7:21 am:
About your diarrhea, if the concentration of carbs is too high ,first you will struggle to empty the drink from your stomach,when you eventually do,water is actually pulled into the intestine by the highly concentrated mix.Absorption is impaired and digestive problems such as diarrhea occur.Research suggests that the optimal concentration is between6 and 9 grams of glucose per 4 ounces of product(6 to 9 percent).The gels are somewhat more varied,containing anywhere between 15 and 25 grams per packet. For 20 grams you need to drink about 9 ounces of water with it in order to get the desired 8 percent concentration. (runners world)
admin
on Jul 10th, 2009
@ 2:16 pm:
Hi Sir rene,
Thanks for the visit. Hope to run a marathon with you in the future.
admin
on Jul 10th, 2009
@ 2:18 pm:
Thanks Raff for the research. I think you’re right. I was downing 3-4 cups on all gatorade stations I passed by. I think I was over hydrated plus got too much carbs on my stomach and that did affect my runs. I will plan another breakfast recipee and share it to you guys in the future.thanks for the visit!
run unltd.
on Jul 11th, 2009
@ 12:49 am:
Congratulations. I hope your experience made you a better person. Cheers!
admin
on Jul 11th, 2009
@ 12:06 pm:
thanks sir vener,
Next yr’s Milo hopefully i should be better and well prepared.
argonaut
on Jul 11th, 2009
@ 1:07 pm:
Nice Sam! See you in the next races to come… at least natapos mo! hahaha!
admin
on Jul 11th, 2009
@ 2:27 pm:
thanks Rodel!you’re in the pix!hehehehehe!
bluesman68
on Jul 17th, 2009
@ 8:03 am:
Sam,
People of weaker determination would have ridden a bus just to cross the finish line. Despite the ordeal you had to go through, you still managed to finish the race in one piece. That in itself is already an accomplishment which deserves a big CONGRATULATIONS to you and the rest of the finishers of the Milo Marathon.
I will be running again with the takbo.ph guys after Camsur 70.3. I’m just observing a very strict training regimen for this Half-Ironman ( a dream race for me ) and Sunday’s a major workout day for me.
As for bananas, yes, it can spell some trouble with your stomach. Just make sure you eat it a good hour before leaving the house. I normally have 2 bananas and a peanut butter sandwich during race day, but take it 1 1/2 hour before stepping out of my house just to be sure I won’t be racing to the toilet instead of the road.
See you in the races!
Deo P.
admin
on Jul 17th, 2009
@ 8:40 am:
Thanks Deo!
Goodluck on your camsur race. Wow I hope to someday join that race! See you on Globe Run for Home Race
Cheers!
Sam
Bong Ortiz
on Jul 30th, 2009
@ 2:33 pm:
The best first marathon race report I’ve ever read. I had a smile in my face all the time I was reading your poop incidents, not because I’m heartless but I just find it so amusing and funny in a way. You are one courageous and I may say with a smile again inspirational marathoner, who despite the pains and LBM survived and finished his first marathon. Congratulations, more races to finish, more race recaps, and more enjoyable reading for us.
Gigi
on Aug 2nd, 2009
@ 4:10 pm:
i have to agree with the others- this is one of the most amusing story of a marathon finish. You tell it like it is - you already are a very humble person by being honest and candid. Keep it up and see you on the road!
admin
on Aug 3rd, 2009
@ 4:36 am:
Thanks Bong!
admin
on Aug 3rd, 2009
@ 4:37 am:
Hi Gigi,
Thanks for encouragement. See you in the future!