Race Report - The Bullrunner Dream Marathon 2010

I hadn't been this excited since Ironman a few months ago. Perhaps it's the thought of completing an entirely new distance that fueled this excitement. Contrary to popular belief, I have not run a marathon. Yes, I completed the Ironman, which consisted of a marathon, but barely ran it. In fact, I have only 1 Open Half Marathon (Condura 2009). My longest run race was back in 2008 (New Balance 25k).

After Ironman, I took a few weeks off training, and began putting in some runs in preparation for my first marathon, The Bullrunner Dream Marathon. The weeks flew by, and before I knew it, I was about to tackle my first marathon, with Hannah, Jake, Drew, Levy and many others.

The 2am gunstart created quite a stir when it was announced, but was a welcome change, since it meant not having to deal with much heat. The day began at 12 midnight. After 'breakfast' (more like a midnight snack) and other pre-race rituals, we found ourselves at the starting line all revved up to go.

Drew, Levy & I
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

The gun went off, and so did we...into the darkness. The first few hundred meters were quite awkward. Since it was almost pitch black, we (Levy, Drew & I) did not know where to go. We did the next best thing - follow the motorcycle (whom we assumed was a race marshall). Thank God he was.

The first 24 kilometers went by pretty quickly. After rounding thru Solenad for the first time, Drew, who had to ready himself for his Emcee duties, peeled off. I began the 2nd loop, the final 18km. At that point, I was pretty much on target. I had a decent rhythm going, and despite a queasy stomach, was feeling fine. A few KMs later was the turnoff to the bird sanctuary, a 3+km off road trail in almost complete darkness. The trail was a welcome break from the hard concrete, but traversing it in darkness meant pacing down a bit, or risking injury. As soon as I got out of the trail, I began the steep ascent. In all honesty, I was not ready for this kind of course. It was a 70m vertical ascent in 2km - that's equivalent to a 21 story building.

My pace was deteriorating badly, and so was my body. My quads were on fire, and my calves were beginning to freeze. Slowly but surely, I made it up to the highest point. The race director Neville, surely didn't let us have it that easy, as he situated the major turnaround another 2km below the highest point. This meant after climbing to the highest point, we had to run another 2km downhill, and make that uphill return, before heading to the finish line. My calves were ceasing, and I was looking less and less like a runner, and more and more like a Nordic skier. I was talking to my calves, asking them to cooperate. As soon as one calf relaxed, the other ceased.

I hit the 32km mark at just under 3hrs. At that point, I was not sure if I could break 4hrs, considering the condition I was in. I gutted it out and proceeded with caution. Running with cramp stricken calves is like treading on thin ice - go too fast and they'll lock up.

The final push
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

With less than 4km to go, I passed thru the SecondWind zone. Hec ran alongside me for a few meters, shouting encouraging words. Those last 4km were the longest 4km I ever ran. With 2km to go, Levy strode past me. He was going strong, and I could not hang on. It was only in the last 500m that I started to relish the moment. The live band was playing 'My Hero' by Foo Fighters as I made my way thru the finishing chute. 3:57:02. Not bad. Not bad at all.

My signature headstand
Photo Courtesy of Photovendo

Sub 4!
(with one of my senseis Levy Ang)

One by one, first and 2nd time marathoners crossed the finish line. Each had their own emotion, each, their own story. It was an amazing experience I enjoyed sharing with 200 other first timers. We had done what 99.9% of the human population will never do. We had finished a marathon.

with Hannah, who completed her 2nd mary in 4 months

Props to Jaymie and her team for putting up a spectacular race. Congrats to all the Bullrunner Dream Marathoners. Special mentions to Hannah (for gutting it out), Jake (for popping his cherry) and Levy (for PRing by 10mins).

with Jaymie aka The Bullrunner, and Levy aka Happy Hour

'Don’t the best of them bleed it out
While the rest of them peter out
Truth or consequence, say it aloud
Use that evidence, race it around

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He’s ordinary'
- From 'My Hero' by the Foo Fighters

Race Report - Subic International Triathlon 2010

Honestly, this race almost didn't happen. If not for peer pressure (aka Drew), I would not have participated. Back in February, after my terrible Ironman attempt, I decided I wanted to do a marathon.

I have never run a marathon, and all those kilometers I logged gearing up for Ironman seemed wasted as I practically walked the entire marathon at Ironman. As soon as Jaymie posted The Bullrunner Dream Marathon, I immediately signed up. It was slated for May 22, and Subit was slated on May 2. This meant that the triathlon fell right smack into what would be the biggest run week. If I was to do both, one would have to take a backseat, and I decided the triathlon would.

After taking a break in March, I resumed running in April. I put in a few swims and bike rides here and there, but my main focus was logging in those miles for the marathon. Subit race day came pretty quickly. Before I knew it, I was having the customary beers with Team Super at The Lighthouse. One turned into two, two turned into three...a familiar story. My teammate Jake asked me what my race strategy would be. He caught me off-guard as I myself did not know at that point. I said it would be 'controlled aggression'. As I really did not know what pace my legs could produce, I could not really do much. Controlled aggression for me meant not holding back too much, but also not running myself to the ground.

Race Day

After some hurried setups of T2 then T1, and a few minutes of swim warmup and light stretching, I found myself toeing the startline of our wave. I gained some confidence, and positioned myself towards the front of the line, about 15 people to the left. I figured this would be a good position. The starting gun went off and so did we. I tried to put in some effort in the first 100m, and it paid off. After around 200m, there was no longer any mayhem. At the first turnaround, I found some feet...bubbly feet. When you see bubbles, you know that's a kicker - and you know that only good swimmers can maintain kicking hard for 1500m. I quickly latched onto his feet, trusted his navigation skills, and enjoyed the ride. After the first loop, I checked my watch and it was 12:40 - whoa! I quickly dove in and latched onto the stranger's feet once again. He towed me thru the backmarkers and onto a swim PR. We exited the water in just over 25 mins. Amazingly I was not huffing and puffing. I later realize that he was a UP swimming alumnus - thank you sir! You are my Bubbly Toes!

I jumped on my bike, and finally pulled off a smooth flying transition (shoes on pedals). I began the tricky part of the course, which was the climbs. This was only the 2nd time on my tri bike since IM, and I was testing a brand new position, so I didn't know what to expect. I went on a decent pace on the uphills, and tried to be as aerodynamic as possible on the downhills. As I hit the turnaround, I started to see familiar faces zooming down. This is usually the point wherein the elites start catching me and zooming by. Surprisingly, only a few people caught me on the bike. On the flats, I just maintained my position, and tried to keep a decent cadence. I rolled into T2 at around 1:15 - success!



All my races have quirks, and this one was in T2. I had totally forgotten where my rack was, since it was early and I wasn't really paying attention when I setup T2. It took a while, and a marshall finally helped me find my rack. I slipped on my shoes, race belt, and our (Drew & I) secret weapon - GSP 'Kamikazee' headbands.

Trying to pace with Idol Abe Tayag

I began running at a decent pace. My run strategy was simply to run with what I had, and try to keep pace. Early on, I felt the effects of long running - I had no speed in my legs. I chugged along and made the most of what I had. Early in the 1st lap, uber runner Martin Lorenzo zoomed by, and made me look like I was sunday walking in Luneta. My pace was slowing down every lap (that's why they call me Positive Split), and there wasn't much I could do about it. At around the 3rd lap, Abe Tayag had caught up with me, and I tried to pace with him. 1k later, I had dropped - his pace was just too much for me to bear. I chugged along the remaining laps, and finished the run decently in just over 48mins.

No its not Karate Kid, its GSP!

All in all, I had a pretty good race. 2:30 total, 20th place overall and 6th in my age group. I was able to slash 7 mins off last year, and improve my standing by 2 places - despite being in a sea of elites, former national team members and a Kona Qualifier.

Next stop, my first marathon @ The Bullrunner Dream Marathon.

Team Super Reprezent!

Customary recovery BBZs at The Lighthouse

'When you move like a jellyfish
Rhythm don't mean nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop
' - From 'Bubbly Toes' by Jack Johnson