Barracuda Running: Market!Market Power Miler Run (10 Miles)

After my disastrous 21k run at the Condura last March, haven't done much races, haven't had the heart for it really. But we all have to make our comeback sometimes, and so this is my getting back into the running scene!

Actually, wouldn't really missed this race for senti reason, this was my first race where I really got into running races, so this is sort of my anniversary run :-) And so I registered and made sure I got enough sleep going a few days before. So on race day, I felt strong, well-rested and rarin' to go.

Started slow at 8.0/km pace for the first two kilometer. This has been my strategy last few races, mostly because I almost always come late to the race and haven't have enough time to do warm-up/stretching so I compensate by starting slow and easy. Hay buhay, how things have change for me, it was just last year that I wouldn't be caught dead at rear-end of the race, but nowadays I mostly find myself bringing up the rear with one or two guys and it's all good.

Now, I don't mind bringing up the rear first few kilometers but I also don't want to finish dead last :-) So at 3Km, I gradually build up speed until I caught with the main body. At 10km, I had a breakthrough in my running. Normally, my knees would start to give in at 10th kilometer, I'd get this uncomfortably throbbing ache in my patellar tendon, not painfully so but enough to force me to a walk. But by Jove! I was still running strong at 10th kilometer. Wuhoo! Who's your daddy!?!?

And where do I attribute this newly-found, enhance running performance? Well, last 2 months, I've been slowly incorporating leg exercise in my gym routine. I hit the gym 2-3x a week but before I'd mostly do upper-body workout and skip any lower-body workout, reason being (which I thought sensible at the time) was that my running already serve as lower-body exercise. Hah! sometimes I pakking couldn't believe how I can be so nonsensical about my running. Yeah, well... experience being your best teacher and knowledge being your most powerful tool, I change my routine. So nowadays, I'd alternate between squat/leg extension/leg press before I hit the bench. I swear kumapal ang femoro-patellar tendon ko!

Anyways, for 10 Mile (16K) I clocked a respectable 1:32:43, so that's 5.47/km pace. And those are hilly terrain too, and no walking baby! Wuhoo! Who is your daddy!?!?

===

Runners are social animals and hell is keeping up with other people's pace, except of course when you run with the loveliest people. At km 11, I found myself running with Vener while doing the supportive-and-loving-hubby duty (ie. waterboy, cameraboy, moral-support all rolled into one) and his lovely better-half and marathon-in-training, Ms. Christy. One of the rare times I caught-up with Vener :-)

Overall, great race. Kudos to sponsors and organizers for a well-organized, well-provisioned (water) race. But best yet, I felt strong and pump during and after the race with nary a knee pain... at all.

Wuhoo! It's Bulls on Parade for the Running Barracuda!

Pics at the race: