Adidas KOTR 2011

Distance: 21.1K
Time: 2:23 minutes
Date: October 23, 2011
Pace: 6:46 minutes per kilometer

My A-Race

I selected this race to be my A-Race over three months ago and that this would be the race I would transition from a 10K to 15K runner to half a marathoner.  This race was not just 21K, it was 3 months worth of training and hard work on speed sets, hill runs and the weekly long 21K++ runs.  While I wasn't short of preparation, I was really jittery a week before as I felt that I have peaked too soon and may have lost some momentum during the taper week but I guess, being jittery is a normal reaction for someone who wants a major event to be finished successfully and that was my goal to finish with a good time and a decent pace.

Team Total Fitness Debut

This was also the debut race of Team Total Fitness and this is the beginning of a new era as Total Fitness and our sponsors (Oakley, ON Cloudsurfer, Brooks, Polar, Cep, i-pure, Chris Sports, Honey Stinger, Dermplus,  Epic Triathlon and Cycling Wear and Moving Comfort) is entering the running and multisports arena under Coach Andy Leuterio of Alpha Training Systems.  There was no bigger stage to make a debut than Adidas KOTR.  It was double the excitement as not only am I running my first 21K, I am also running as part of Team Total Fitness so it's gonna be a big day for all of us.

The Race

There were over 4,000 runners under the 21K category and this time I positioned myself a bit nearer to the front as I was determined to have a good time for this run.  I usually go for a strong start but having too little of stretching, I wasn't able to accelerate immediately so I changed strategy to go for a steady start until I feel that my legs are a bit warmed up.  I was also surprised by the sudden change in the race maps having so many twist and turns around the Fort area instead of a more straight course as originally planned. Oh well, no matter how much you change the route, it's still 21K. I found my second wind past the Kalayaan Flyover towards the second half of the race so I increased my speed a few seconds from that point and took advantage of the flat and straight course.  I also shifted my rest and run approach, resting only for water breaks and taking energy gels every 30 minutes.

Going past kilometer 15, I know this is a race I can finish and just thinking that this took 3 months to prepare, stopping was never an option.  It also pays running under the Team Total Fitness banner as you're running with more pride.  It was now back to Kalayaan flyover and knowing that the end is near, I was able to run at a steady pace. Kilometer 19 was the final challenge an uphill climb from 5th Street until McKinley Parkway and after that it was a matter of coasting towards the finish line with more flats and downhill inclines.  As I crossed the finished line around 2:23 mark, it was satisfying and all the hard work the  past three months was well worth it.

This was one of the more organized runs I attended.  It was a touch of genius to separate 21K and 16.8K runners on the way back in the Kalayaan Flyover.  Hydration Station was sufficient and even if there were thousands of runners, it didn't feel crowded and you have all the leeway to run.  The route switched from simple to complicated but as I said earlier it's still 21K.  The finisher medal was unique and definitely a must keep memento of the race.  It was a great first 21K experience.

Nike Run Manila

Distance: 10K (Actual 10.4K)
Time: 1:07 minutes
Date: October 15, 2011
Pace: 6:41 minutes per kilometer (Actual: 6:26 minutes per kilometer)

Night Run

 Night runs are as rare as they get and upon seeing that Nike had one in store, I immediately signed up.  It was more of a warm up for my 21K debut next week than an actual run plus a night run should be a real change of circumstances over morning runs.  While you go with fresh of the sleep energy on morning runs, you get to take a night run already perked up and ready to go.  Gun start was 5pm and it was still warm and humid for this run.  The run also offers a different race course concentrating on 8th Ave and International School Area and Triangle Drive area.

8,000++ runners

Upon entering the runners area, I immediately downgraded my expectation and threw all PR aspirations away with more than 8,000 runners running on a single wave and we were packed towards the midpoint until the tail end of the run.  This is gonna be a crowded run.  As the sound of the gun start rang, it took as an additional 2-3 minutes just to get to cross the starting line and right after that, it was 'human traffic'.  You can't really accelerate much as there is not much space to run and you had to swerve from one point to another just to get past all the runners.  It does get tiring trying to overtake continuously and endlessly.  I shifted my strategy to running at a steady pace and just have sudden burst if there would be areas with less runners and just go with the flow on congested areas.

The Race

The race course was congested throughout the whole run and aside from the heat and humidity, it felt suffocating to be surrounded by so many runners but a race is never about counting things going wrong but living past these inconveniences to come up with a decent finish.  I held on to a consistent pace and trying to get past as many people as possible, I just went on and on and on.  I felt tired as early as kilometer 3 but I just kept on going at a moderate pace and just stopping for several water and hydration breaks.  It was also nice that series of kids were so involved in watching the race that they wanted low fives.  At first, I was hesitant since I didn't want to drop form but seeing how the kid appreciate the low fives, I did give them my low fives.

Going for kilometer 7,8 and 9, you now get the full effect of a night run. Though there were some lighting, there were some areas that are real dark especially the last two kilometers at 8th Ave.  This was also the point I started to adding a few seconds to my speed towards the finish line and finished around the 1:07 mark.  It was of course nowhere near my PR. Come to think of it, it wasn't a bad time. Given the circumstances, it was the best I could have given.  Of course, it could have been a better time had I started nearer the starting line as it would have saved me a lot of energy overtaking but you just got to take what you can get.  In another perspective, this could be my PR for 10K obstacle run / walk course.

The race course was unique but it was too small to squeeze in 8,000+ people and there were some congested areas where you had no choice but to walk but I have to give it to the organizers that all the runners were properly hydrated and guided along the race course.  The finisher item was not available on time but the race organizers was humble enough to apologize for such and come up with an alternative solution.  There may also be some mix-up on the d-tags as  I got twitter updates for a different runner.  I hope that this does not mean, some errors in the results when it does come out. On the overall, I think the 8,000 runners had fun and seeing that Nike was able to pull in newbie runners because of its strong brand name would be plus to the running community.



Instant Picnic

We had our instant picnic right after the race with S&R Pizza, Blue Bunny Ice Cream and the World's Best Sports Drink, Coca Cola.  You do need to recover all those lost calories and sugar in your system.  It was fun and different to have a simplified picnic setup compared to the usual restaurants at high street.  And there goes another race and another story but somehow this would be my last run going solo as a new banner would debut next week and I'm really excited for that but let's leave that story for another time.  It'll be a new beginning.