July 28, 2013, Sunday, MOA grounds, 4,000-21k runners, 2.5
hours cut-off time / 2:10 target time - that’s what it was all about. At the starting line, thinking about if all the trainings I’ve made
was enough to make it to my desired pace, and if my performance would be a bit
better than the crowd (it’s still a race, anyway).
I made it to the staging area 30-minutes ahead of gun start,
I wanted to start right and do my pre-race warm up this time, unlike my
previous, shorter races. I applied the
techniques I learned from our first running clinic, so I guess I’m better
warmed up than I usually am this time.
Gun start exactly at 4:30 a.m., I seem to pass by the
starting line 30-seconds behind it.
Still with a flock of runners, I dodged some of them, but there were
also a lot that passed me.
MILO Marathon runners are very much competitive than most races I ran
First few kilometers felt heavy. I had to take a pit stop by km 4 for a
bladder break - I felt the need to go.
After that, it felt better.
Km 6 to 18 went fine and well-paced under the 6-minute/km
mark. Time was well managed to
accommodate some water stops. At my
previous races, by mid-part, I pass by runners already. But for this run, it was very rare that I
pass on runners, they’re pretty much consistent.
MILO Marathon runners are consistent and fast.
It was after the last water break on km 19, starting from
the last flyover where I felt tired. And
the pain from the blisters under the balls of my feet was biting me. I was heel-striking at one time just to make
time. That and I just felt tired.
There was a fire-truck there that sprayed on water on
us. The splash felt good! And I had that 2nd burst. But running got heavy as my shoes got
heavy. But blisters felt good.
At the exact 21km mark in my Soleus, I was at the 2:06 pace
that I was aiming for. Unfortunately, as
with all the races, the finish line was a bit farther. Distance was 21.6km, and I finished at
2:09:xx (chip and Soleus time) – still got to maintain the 6-min/km pace.
The race, despite the 13,000-5k runners, was
well-organized. I couldn’t imagine the
same finish line for that number. Good
thing that they’re route and finish lines were different from other distances. Hydration stations were plenty - you have a
choice of Gatorade or water. Bananas
were also on route, as with sponges.
Upon finishing, loot bag, banana, medal and certificate of completion
were given outright. I only had to fall
in line for a short while for the water and Gatorade bottles. There were lots of comments in the post-race
discussion that they were not given medals, even if they were only a few
minutes off the cut-off time. Good job,
Considering the very competitive entry-fee, there was
nothing much after the race. There was a
program for a school cheer-leading competition, and some raffles, but I didn’t
stay for it.
Future plans
Now that I finished my first HM, I’m now in the rest and
recovery period. Good thing the running
clinic offers different contents. Just
this Monday, we got to do some cross-fit training. My core muscles are sore now, and it’s the same
with my legs. I might do a short easy
run tomorrow, and a little long on the weekend, just to keep it going, but no
hard work-outs.
September’s the RUPM, and December’s the final leg of the
Milo Marathon. I’ll find it in my heart
to train again, possibly by next week. Between
the two, I find the Milo Marathon to be a better race to participate – both in
costs and quality.
I also plan to get a new pair of cushioned running shoes as
my NB Zero is on its way to its 400-mile usage now. I will try to find a low heel-to-toe ratio
that goes with the cushion. This was
what our coach shared with us that flats are good for racing and speed as its
light, but for long distance, we may need the cushion and support. I will not rush into this, might do a little
more research.
Overall, I’m all in to race 21k again. Will also train for endurance, the wall that
almost hit me on the final kilometers of the race eaten up the allowance I
made. I won’t improve PR if it happens
again.
Official result below
There were a small number of photogs during the event, glad that I have seen pretty much all posts where I was caught.
Updated my run collage as well (getting longer as long as I get caught in camera)
