RUPM: Marathon #5

As I write this blog post (which is almost two weeks after RUPM), I'm still recovering from a race injury. A nightmare which materialized two years ago during the NatGeo Run - a bad case of ankle sprain (left ankle) and has now recurred. This time, it's my other ankle. I was limping for a good number of days, with occasional swelling. The big difference today though is that I already know what to do (a good mefanamic dose, ice, hot compress, elevation). However, I don't have the liberty to rest a lot since there's still work, so times when I have to go to the office and drive, that's when my right ankle gets stressed and swells again.

I'm also undergoing PT sessions at Philippine Orthopedic Institute, which is now speeding up my recovery. However, it's another hiatus for me as far as running is concerned; I'll probably be back training on December, provided my ankle cooperates and recuperates quickly.

After a very busy race schedule for the past months, October 28 came just like that. It was marathon #5 for me (my 2nd full marathon in the Philippines). I just could not afford to miss this pilot full marathon event of Unilab, which I knew would be something big. Announcements were made on how 42k runners will be pampered, with surprises on the finish line.

RUPM 42k Race Route - running in C5 was the best part for me!

I was to pace with my friend and fellow blogger Rolly (Speedy Titan). I told him we will attempt to do a constant 6 min per kilometer pace, which translates to about 4:15 target finish. His only aim is for him to get a new PR, beating his Condura record of 5:14.

Starting the race was rough, as Rolly was not following the agreed pace; he was doing a 5:30 and I am forced to follow his lead, which I knew would affect my performance at the latter part of the race. He had his earphones on and I was shouting whenever he's speeding up too much. I was already anticipating a disastrous result, at least for me. My mindset is that I would be the pacer, not the one to be paced.

The race progressed, and I particularly enjoyed the new part of the race route at C5 (2 lanes allocated for runners and 1 lane for vehicles at the southbound part of C5). And then it was time for the dreaded uphill from Heritage all the way back to BGC via Lawton Avenue.

At KM21, halfway point, I was feeling something wrong with my right ankle. I was shrugging it off though, and I thought I just had to make some adjustments on my foot strikes. I was now consciously trying to do mid-foot strikes, as heel strike would worsen my ankle's condition. At KM25, I even registered a PR for that distance (2:34 versus my 2:36 PR).

Flyover along Roxas boulevard - heading to Luneta

We definitely slowed down our pace on the 2nd half; Rolly was complaining about side stitches and I was already complaining about the pain on my right ankle. There are already times Rolly would go ahead and I'll just catch up with him on the next hydration station.

At KM35, Rolly left me and went on his own. Probably the biggest disappointment for me is that he didn't even inform me - he just went ahead without even looking back. The pain on my ankle was now becoming unbearable, and at the time I most needed company to push me to move on is the time I was left alone.

Runners are now beginning to feel the heat. Since I'm just on my own now, I took a break and bought 'taho' at the Luneta area (saw some runners giving me the look while I'm taking a break at the sidewalk). I walked until KM39, at a slow 11 minute per kilometer pace. I was giving up but I knew there's no way I'll DNF by getting this far on the race.

At KM40, I picked it up a bit. I could still do a sub-5 based on my calculations. The thought of finishing and getting that humongous medal made me forget the pain on my right ankle. I was back on 7 min/km pace.

Almost at the finish line!

I finished the race at the official chip time of 4:55:36.  My PR last Hongkong Marathon is 4:55:22. I missed beating my PR by a few seconds. But I'll take it, and just remember the things I have learned from this race.

That medal!

Horrendous positive split performance!

Runpix Analysis - I don't want to go to the details of this anymore. Bottomline, it sucks! LOL!

Next time I ask someone to pace with me on a full marathon, I'll make sure that runner has a heart to run with me until the finish line. 

Congratulations to Runrio and Unilab Active Health for another great race! Thank you for spreading health awareness through running. 2013 will only bring better race events.

Now back to recovering... 

My Worst Nightmare: Injury during the NatGeo Earth Day Run

It's every runner's nightmare to get injured during a race. I never imagined it happening to me, having been doing a lot of practice runs and gym workouts. But it did. And it hit me bigtime.

There are a number of factors that I consider before joining a particular race event. There's no doubt Runrio-organized ones are the best, so I usually join those. The advocacy behind the event would be another point I'd look at (a good sample of this is running to save the dolphins last Condura Run). And of course, the price of the registration fee. This is probably a wrong conclusion, but I usually equate high fees with high quality races - caused a lot of debate among runners (if you read various blog sites and forums), but it's something I believe in. That's the reason why I joined the National Geographic Earth Day Run, held at the Mall of Asia, over another Earth Day Run which was held at the Fort. Without timing chips or any race freebies, the reg fee was at P700 for the 10k category. This is the most expensive 10k race I've joined in to date. Well, it's National Geographic anyway, and they're giving away "technical shirts", for whatever reason they're called that way I don't want to know.

April 18, 2010 - Race Day. I headed to MoA, sporting my new, green Nike singlet and Mizuno running cap. I didn't wear the race shirt since I'm not comfortable running on sleeved tops. As you can see on the picture below, we have two additions on our running group - Chaniel (leftmost) and Rappiboy (rightmost).

Now familiar with the MoA route, having just joined The Green Miles Run, I upped my race pace. By the 5k halfway-point, I was elated to beat my 5k personal record - 24 minutes, translating to a pace of 4 minutes and 48 seconds per kilometer! I was on my way to a new 10k PR (hint: Sub-Piolo). The photo below was taken by Tey, just before I hit the 5k mark.

The excitement didn't last long though. During the 7k mark, I felt there was something wrong with my left ankle. "This could not be happening to me", I keep telling myself. I slowed down, hoping the pain would subside. I then tried to increase my pace again, but I was not just imagining things. I had no choice but to say goodbye to my new PR dream. I did a 7 minute per kilometer pace on the final few kilometers, with runners overtaking me left and right.

After crossing the finish line, I continued to walk, assessing the feeling on my left ankle. It was still painful and I was already complaining about it to my running companions. But the drama needs to be forgotten for a while, photo opportunities await!

Rap and I saw Gladys while walking around the finish line area. Notice how Gladys covered her race bib on this photo. She didn't want anyone to know she only ran 3k. Oops!

I also met my elementary and high school classmate as well as college roommate Winsley (that's him on the right) and his friend Noel (yes, another Noel). These two are very strong runners.

Finally, we wouldn't miss doing the "superposition". I just couldn't help but laugh whenever I see Chaniel's chicken dance and Rap's armpit scratching. Maybe the superposition takes a lot of practice to perfect.

Mils, Rap, Chrissie, Paolo and I then had a yummy breakfast at Cafe Breton. During that time, I had to do some first-aid, so I was putting on ice to my injured ankle. By 9am, Mils, Rap and I attended Sunday mass at the nearby church. I was just leaning on the church wall throughout the mass, and by communion time, when I attempted to move from my position, I knew I can no longer walk on my own. The pain was already excruciating. I decided it was now time to go to the hospital. Rap had to go home already so only Mils was left to accompany me to Makati Med (Thank you Budeh!).

It was my first wheelchair experience. The nurse asked me my pain level on a scale of 1 to 10; I answered a definite 8! I was given a quick acting pain reliever, my ankle was bandage-wrapped and applied an ice pack. The hospital attendants also did an x-ray on the affected area to make sure I had no bone fractures. Thank God it was only a muscle sprain. I was advised to continue applying ice to my ankle, keep it wrapped in bandage, elevate it during rest, and take the prescribed pain reliever.

With this injury, I was devastated since I had a number of future race events I've already registered in. You'll definitely read more on the developments of this injury on my succeeding blogs.

Oh and by the way, I finished the race in 55 minutes and 49 seconds, still a sub-1, but a shattered new PR goal attempt.