1. I joined this race to test if losing weight will help me run faster. FYI, I lost a total of 19lbs in 42 days, eventually winning 3rd place in the Biggest Loser Competition-takbo.ph edition. My official weight during the final weight-in is 133.4lbs. I remember being 184lbs, just February this year. Losing more than 50lbs in less than a year is something I’ve never imagined.

2. I actually tried something “new” for this race. For the first time, I didn’t carry hammer gels to fuel me along the 21km route. Just me and my legs against the road.

3. Race started late. 15 minutes late if my memory served me right. The weather cooperated with us-light rain greeted us, almost like a de-ja-vu when I ran Eco-Dash many months ago. FYI, it was the Eco-Dash 21km run where I started my quest for a sub 2.

4. I joined fellow Kanto Boys UltraMan Patt, GingerBreadMan Luis, Mark and Jix. I’ve always believe that if you want to run faster, join faster runners! These are the guys who already hit the sub-2 mark. Join them, try to stick with them and you’ll surely improved!

5. I consider myself not a very strong hill runner. So during the first km of the race, I asked Patt how we would tackle Kalayaan Flyover. He said something like “atakihin nten” (translation: lets attack it!). True enough, we remain constant with our pace until we passed Kalayaan Flyover. And as expected, I slowed down after passing that road to get my heart rate back to normal. Patt and Luis continued with their pace. I promise myself to get even with them next year. Hehehehe!

6. I noticed that my downhill run is a lot faster than before. Probably the result of losing much weight? However I noticed that my quads are more wasak this time. And I still haven’t done any recovery run two days after the race.

7. There were enough water stations along the 21km route. Some water stations served cups with water while some have bottled water. However, being a “charity” run, I could not help but compare this to the previous charity run (Race and Shine Race) I joined. They served cold Vitwater along the 15km route and with more Vitwater after the race that you could easily just picked up from containers after the race.  There’s also free breakfast. If my memory served me right, I was told there would be sports beans after 10km mark. I didn’t see any sports beans there. Oh well…

8. Through out the race, I only walked once for 15 meters. That was near the 711 section of McKinley hills going up back to Lawton Avenue. It was also the first time where I practiced doing “surges” or running a constant fast pace by counting 1-100 inside my head then proceed with a “normal” run then “surge” again after identifying a target. Its actually fun, it removes boredom and gives you some sense of achievement as you run. Given this strategy, I thought a sub 2 was finally doable.

9. I checked my watch as I entered the Fort area but was disappointed when my watch informs me I’m about to pass 2 hours mark. So disappointed I just “jogged” the last 500 meters when I realized I couldn’t do a sub 2. As I crossed the finish line, Luis informed me that the route was 1.2km longer. You should have seen my reaction when he told me that!

10. Finished a 22.2km run in 2h:01m:35s according to my watch. With an extra kilometer and 200 meters, I probably passed the real 21km mark within 1:56-1:57 range if my average pace (5:30min/km) is to be considered. My target for my next 21km then should be a sub 1:55! So help me God.

This only proves that shedding extra lbs will help you run faster. Plus, you could still achieve your target time even with out power gels. See you all on Rizal Day 32km run!

Related posts:

1. Eco Dash 21Km Race – a Surprise
2. New Balance Power Race – Thoughts and Others
3. Subic International Marathon – Battle for Survival (First Part)
4. Rizal Day Run 32km -My Last Race for year 2009

Tags: PhilStar Celebrity Run