During weekends, people usually get up late and stayed at home to rest. Others go to church and went straight to malls afterwards to take a stroll.
Me? I just got back from a dreadful, tiring but a satisfying weekend.
8 months ago during my first run, I watched in awe on how runners finish up their 21 kilometers run. I watched in astonishment on how they can withstand the pain, heat and the distance to complete such run. I even told myself, not even one person could ever talk me into running that far.
Whoops.
November 21, 2010, I finished a route not all runner could even complete. It was a route that will definitely brings the best out of all runners. It was a distance that will simply push each runner to their limit. It was that run that could determine one’s patience and perseverance.
Hence, it was the 32 Kilometer run.
As I’ve stated before, I was jittery. Even before the run began, I was nervous. I was shaking, evident to the fact that I went to the comfort room thrice in less than 20 minutes. People were warming up, taking short jogs and stretching. Others were taking their pre-runs vitamins like hammer gel, beans, etc while me, I’m just waiting in the starting line, hoping that the short rest is enough to propel me into the finish line.
4:30AM. It was a dark early morning as thousands of runners piled up in an effort to finish the run. Runners with several fashion trends patiently waited for the official start of the race. As the gun start fired, there I know that I’m part of the longest run of that day and it was the perfect time to face my fear.
For the first 19 kilometers, I ran slower compared to normal speed because I know I had to endure a longer distance and I had to conserve my stamina. I was neither even tired nor exhausted during that distance. I even kept telling myself, “Is this it? No challenge at all”. I even took only 3 out of 8 possible water stations.
As I approached the 22nd kilometer, cramps starting to set in. It was in McKinley Hill that my leg started to feel a nagging pain that hindered my run. At first, I tried to brush it off, quoting myself “No Pain, no gain.” As I continue to run towards Heritage Park, the pain of cramps set it off. I tried to keep on running but simply to no avail. It was in the uphill climb of Lawton Avenue that I started to doubt myself whether I could finish the run or not.
On the 26th kilometer, I was so relieved that I finally passed through the dreadful route of Heritage. As I started to run at a slower pace in the Lawton Avenue, my thoughts were very simple. I just need to pass McKinley Hill then I’m back in business. As my route finally started showing signs that I could still complete the route in my desired time, I started to feel confident knowing that it’s just a matter of time before I can see the word “FINISH”.
As I passed through Rizal drive, I saw one signboard that made me smile. It was written in a large font containing text “31K. Turn ->”. It was that time reality starting to set in. It was that time I questioned myself, “Am I really just 6-8 minutes away from completing this run?”
Reality did set in.
On the last turn towards the fort, I finally saw the word that has been eluding me for the past 4 hours.
“FINISH”
Alas, I’m a 32k finisher.
Never in my wildest dreams had I ever imagined completing this run. I never imagined that in my 26 years of existence, running will be my secondary sport behind basketball. Never had I imagined that I could run 32 kilometers for the fact that one year ago, I could not even run one complete fastbreak in basketball.
Everybody can call themselves runners. Everybody can run like 100 meters and call themselves runners. But not everybody has the mantra and the dedication to sacrifice in training and complete long distance runs. If half marathon is not enough, add 11 more kilometers to it as I used to say.
I’ll enjoy this moment for now knowing that I have just done what others deemed as impossible. I’ll let this sink in for a while. I was fortunate enough that God blessed me to have the energy to run despite my cramps. I’ll rest this sore knees of mine, knowing that this might not be the biggest accomplishment in my life when it comes to running.
Dream bigger, as they used to say. Well, it’s never too late to dream of a full marathon isn’t it?
Well folks, I just did. I dreamt and I was rewarded with a reality, a reality with a gold medal and a finisher shirt that says “I survived 32k” :)
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