Saturday, October 11, 2008

Adidas KOTR Race - First 21K

It another weekend of blockbuster race at the Metro. Half Marathon... CHECK! 21K is the new 10K!

First, some of the challenges:
Woke up early and did my pre-run stretch and warm-ups. Since it's the weekend and still early in the morning and race starts at 5:30am, I thought I'd head out at exactly five... bad idea :-( By the time I got at the Fort it was already 5:15am, should still be plenty of time but parking was horrendous. Once parked, I did quick sprint to the starting area which is good 200m away, was bit winded when I got there. I then tried to slide in unobtrusively at the back... only to find out that this is 10K category and that the 21K has already been off a few minutes ago! Watta! Did the race just started ahead of time?

At the Race:
So off I ran after the main group, all that well-thought off strategies just went haywire. Prior to the race, my elaborate master plan was to run my usual pace, slow and easy until Finish Line is within sight then make a break for it. But life happens so you just make the best of it. It was a good 14 minutes before I caught up with the main body. After that I settled into my running rhythm. At Buendia avenue, it was steady as she goes. Also at Buendia, there was traffic congestions at various intersections, drivers honking impatiently. Tried to alleviate their frustration by cheerily waving at all the honky drivers.

The grueling climb at Buendia flyover (twice) wasn't so bad, I even sprint at the 26th ave, what killed me was the inclined at the Bayani/Heritage route. My training runs has mostly been on even pavement, so by the time I reached Heritage I was trying not to die. At the final turnaround I had stop at water station, my will is strong but finally had to give in to the voice. After my pit stop, I had to walk-rest for a few kilometers, 1 hour and 30 minutes is the longest I've run and was about to call it quits. But after getting back my breathing, and in a more proper frame of mind, I tried to soldiered on and just concentrate on my steps and breathing. And before I knew it, it was light at the end of the tunnel. Hallelujah! I've finished my 21k. <THE CROWD GOES WILD, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP>

Things that could have improved my run:
- For long distance running, a Garmin is a necessity, you need to gauge your distance. For most part of the race, I was pretty much guessing my distance so couldn't really make the appropriate adjustment in my pace. On the way back from Buendia and climbing the EDSA flyover, I thought the finish line was just a 'few' kilometers away so went into my strong-run-finishing-mode, only to sputter and choke at the 5th avenue when race marshals directed 21k runner to turn right going to Heritage. Moral? If you don't have garmin, check the next best thing... a race map.

- Prior to the race, I was debating if I need to get a water/fuel belt for 21K, but in the end decided against it. I was concerned with changing my game mid-stride (even as slight as carrying additional water belt) than getting dehydrated.

Sayang Moments:
- I was looking forward to meeting some of the runner bloggers, but didn't get the chance to meet one :-( I was especially keen to meet Nora and the lady blogger na may pinakamatibay na sapatos sa balat ng lupa! Next time, I guess :-)

So I just did the next best thing... head back to the nearby gym for a long hot shower, chat with fellow runners and swap stories of our running adventures. There's something understatedly kick-ass about sharing anecdotes with other runners and someone asking "Hey, what distance did you run?" and in your most modest, humblest self... "Oh, I did 21K". Rock-on beybe!

Pet Peeve:
- So many super chicks (and this is 21k) with killer legs (as in steady legs all through out hehe) at the race! I was pacing with one (with 30X bib) before she pulled ahead at the final turn-around. Caught up with her at the last kilometer but then this dude with Chihuahua dog pulled up and run interference ahead, cutting off my line of sight. Was gonna say hello at the finish line until this same dude pulled off his kung-fu boyfriend-move. Dude, crashing in on 21k race is uncool (and I'm not just saying that because I didn't get the chance to chat with your significant other and ask her number).

To wrap things up:
The route for the KOTR was pretty good (it was my first time to race beyond the Fort and UP). And as with Milo and other races, this race was a blast and I had rockin good time. Kudos to Adidas King of the Road and Mr. Biscocho for bringing out another kickass and well-organized race! As Borat would say, Beri Nice! Next stop 25K New Balance Power Race.

By my watch I clocked in 2:08:14 for my first 21k run. Timex Ironman, my beloved and trusty old watch of many years, you've served me well... but it's time to get you a GPS buddy. A well-deserved Garmin!

And now for some obligatory pics,





Post-race Addendum: 21K must have taken me a lot of energy more than what I've bargain on. When I got back home, I promptly slept for 2 hours and then had a early night at 9pm. And I have been on a food binge on my last 4 meals. But I did woke up feeling like a champ :-)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Gene, you and all the finishers in the 5K, 10K and 21K are champs! Congratulations. It wasn't easy but you turned what could have been a negative into a positive. As always, great post and photos.

Let me know when you're going to get the Garmin! Take care and I'll see you soon.

Anonymous said...

Uy Garmin. Congrats on the run and yep, you deserve a Garmin. :D

Anonymous said...

Gene, congrats on the run and nice recap! Yes, the run started about 5 minutes early, which happened also in the last Rudy Biscocho race I joined in Clark.

I'd definitely recommend the Garmin. Shop around for the best price, it's quite expensive here, better to get it abroad or order it online.

Anonymous said...

Nice run, Gene! Congratulations! And yeah, get yourself a GPS watch. I have a 405. Only bad thing I can say about it is that it doesn't like running in the rain... When the bezel gets wet, it will keep working but there's no way of navigating through the display until you bring it somewhere nice and dry. A brat of a watch. Perhaps something I clearly deserve. :-)

Gene Ordanza said...

Hey Wayne, thanks! yeah, I'm glad I got over that mind-thing Impossible Is Nothing hurdle at the race :-)

Hey Jinoe, thanks man! Yeah, I've been waiting to reward myself with garmin, any running milestone should be deserving of a reward.

Hi Datc, I was bummed about it, my first race and I thought I was late. But it was such a great race that I didn't mind.

I was checking the prices of Garmin 405, they're too darn expensive. Any garmin for me will have to be my advance birthday/Christmas to myself.

Gene Ordanza said...

Ironshoes thanks! Did you order yours online or did you find it locally? 405 is ridiculously expensive if I get one it'll have to be the most basic model.

Btw, while on the run, can you 'easily' alternate the display from GPS/Pace/Distance to current time and then back? I've been asked for 'time' a couple of times while running.

Nora, the golden girl said...

YOU are a CHAMP, Gene! Congrats for that awesome 21k run (Na late pa yan ha...)
Akala ko talaga, maabutan ko ang alis ng 21k. (Kung ikaw ngang tatakbo ng 21k, hindi umabot heh heh ...)
Are you joining the OctobeRun? Hmm... probably not kasi hanggang 10k lang yon. Sayang, the probability of us meeting in a race is now slimmer because you're already a 21k runner and I'm still stuck at 5k. I'm training for 10k though. Paminsan minsan, mag 10k ka naman, Gene, para magkita tayo!
I hope to run 10k before the year ends.

Congratulations again, Gene. Legs pala ang weakness mo ha. Wait till you see mine hah hah ...

Anonymous said...

Gene, I ordered my 405 online but i had it delivered to a friend in the US. I get most of my toys that way. :-) You can customize the displays so it shows you the data you like (3 at a time). You can also specify the scroll speed. Or you can tap bezel and it will rollover. If you get the one without the HRM it is less expensive. The POLAR RS200sd with footpod is consistent too...if you stick to one shoe. It gets taranta when you keep moving the footpod to other shoes. ;-)

Gene Ordanza said...

Thanks Nora! I still run on 10k races but probably not the next one though (OctobeRun) Pero di bale, your preparing naman for the NB Power Race 10K, I'll see you there! Haha, Nora very naughty ka pala :-)

the meek runner said...

Congrats, Gene! that was a great first! you really deserve garmin as a reward to that accomplishment! i love your post... i look forward to meeting you soon...happy running...

Gene Ordanza said...

Thanks meekrunner! Yeah, I love that run! Hehe, I've been eyeing those darn garmins since I started running :-)

Nora, the golden girl said...

Gene, Jinoe has the all the details about NB Power Race in www.takbo.ph including the hotel partners in Clark, complete with descsription, rates,etc.

Kakayanin ko kaya ang 10k by Nov. 16, Gene, after running 5k Nov. 9? Hmm... let's see. Nagregister na ako sa VOS Run to have a chance to meet Wayne. Imagine, all the way from SF! Buti ka, magkikita na kayo ng Nov. 8 kasi ikaw ang susundo sa kanya.

Anonymous said...

Congrats! Your first 21k, wow! Before we know it, you'd be running your first full marathon na rin :-)

Happy running!

Gene Ordanza said...

Nora, oo nga baka naman ma-over train nyan, hinay-hinay lang sa mga races and remember to taper off before the 10k. Hehe, two of your biggest fans are going to be there, kya dapat andun ka rin :-)

Gene Ordanza said...

Thanks MJ! I hope to be ready for marathon early next year. I normally run 3x a week, so I hope to build up enough mileage by then.

Anonymous said...

I love the Timex Ironman! Don't replace it :-)

Nora, the golden girl said...

Kaya nga nagregister ako ng 5k sa VOS, to run with Wayne. Mas malapit kasi ang the Fort kaysa Clark hehehe ... If you're not running this Nov. 9, hope you'll be around to cheer for Wayne and me (and the other runner bloggers). Pero siempre, mas masaya kung mag 5k ka din para sabay-sabay tayo. Sa Clark naman, 25k ka di ba?

Register ka na 5k sa VOS, Gene!

Gene Ordanza said...

Nora, sure! pero kailangan we should all go to after-race-breakfast pagkatapos :-)