hmmm. how and what should i write about this? the most i remember about
this event was that it was soooooooo humid, and that i suffered. yes, i suffered. and i did not have that feeling that i could go another mile after the finish. i finished it, but there's this 'BUT' feeling. i'm not looking for any excuses, i just wanted to do it again to redeem myself from this 'BUT' feeling.
this was the biggest event i've ever joined, so far. from their website, there were close to 20,000 participants, with 16,336 finishers. this was a very well organized event, from the pre-race packet pick up and expo, to the post-race festivities. there were fluid stations every ~1.5mi, and plenty of bands and cheering squads (it's a rock-n-roll run isn't it?, so note to self - run without the shuffle next time).
i had everything ready before the race, from the shirt with the bib on, to the shoes with the chrono timetracker on, the night before. the forecast was mild on the day of the event. i knew i was well prepared for this (or so i thought :)). my 'support crew' and i walked to the start area from the place we stayed in. it was a good mile-and-a-half walk, but they did not complain. they settled in at a location with a good view of the start, and off i went to my designated corral (corral #6). the race uses a 'wave start', with the wheelchair participants go first, followed by the elite women, then by the elite men, and then each corral every minute or so. i hit the start mat 7+ minutes after the gun. i started a bit fast (which added to my suffering in the end). at mile 3 (this is where i noticed the high humidity), i was already sweating hard, and before mile 6, i was literally soaking wet, shirt, shorts, socks and all (i never experienced this in my previous events). my feet started to bother me because of that squishy feeling every stride i made. after i hit the mat on the 10k mark, i stopped and walked (YES, I WALKED! - another first). i just felt so heavy. after about a 2min walk-break, i started again, but this time i've started to lose my stride. by 15k mark, i was just jogging with so heavy feet. and i stopped and walked again. and then, that bridge! it felt like going over a mountain with a full camping gear on your back going over that bridge. and i stopped and started to walk again. a woman passed by, tapped me on my shoulder and encouraged me to go on. thanks - i needed that. and off i went again with that slow and heavy pace. fast forward to the end, because there's really nothing exciting to tell anymore unless you wanted to hear more of my suffering...
i hit the mat at 2:13:05, with a chip time of 2:05:38. it's a decent time, but way off my target. maybe i aimed so high that it frustrated me to not even be close to it. or maybe if i did not stopped and walked, i would have hit under 2 hrs. or maybe if i just took my 'soaking wet shirt' off and not worry about my bib not showing while i run. now you understand the 'BUT' feeling?
my crew saw me at the finish. i was still in the runners' area. got my commemorative medal, cold towel, post-ride drinks and snacks, and a good foot massage. race over, time to hit the beach. yes, it was a memorable run.
- #6287
- mizuno wave creation 8
- garmin forerunner 305
- shuffle with arriva earphones
hmmm. how and what should i write about this? the most i remember about this event was that it was soooooooo humid, and that i suffered. yes, i suffered. and i did not have that feeling that i could go another mile after the finish. i finished it, but there's this 'BUT' feeling. i'm not looking for any excuses, i just wanted to do it again to redeem myself from this 'BUT' feeling.
this was the biggest event i've ever joined, so far. from their website, there were close to 20,000 participants, with 16,336 finishers. this was a very well organized event, from the pre-race packet pick up and expo, to the post-race festivities. there were fluid stations every ~1.5mi, and plenty of bands and cheering squads (it's a rock-n-roll run isn't it?, so note to self - run without the shuffle next time).
i had everything ready before the race, from the shirt with the bib on, to the shoes with the chrono timetracker on, the night before. the forecast was mild on the day of the event. i knew i was well prepared for this (or so i thought :)). my 'support crew' and i walked to the start area from the place we stayed in. it was a good mile-and-a-half walk, but they did not complain. they settled in at a location with a good view of the start, and off i went to my designated corral (corral #6). the race uses a 'wave start', with the wheelchair participants go first, followed by the elite women, then by the elite men, and then each corral every minute or so. i hit the start mat 7+ minutes after the gun. i started a bit fast (which added to my suffering in the end). at mile 3 (this is where i noticed the high humidity), i was already sweating hard, and before mile 6, i was literally soaking wet, shirt, shorts, socks and all (i never experienced this in my previous events). my feet started to bother me because of that squishy feeling every stride i made. after i hit the mat on the 10k mark, i stopped and walked (YES, I WALKED! - another first). i just felt so heavy. after about a 2min walk-break, i started again, but this time i've started to lose my stride. by 15k mark, i was just jogging with so heavy feet. and i stopped and walked again. and then, that bridge! it felt like going over a mountain with a full camping gear on your back going over that bridge. and i stopped and started to walk again. a woman passed by, tapped me on my shoulder and encouraged me to go on. thanks - i needed that. and off i went again with that slow and heavy pace. fast forward to the end, because there's really nothing exciting to tell anymore unless you wanted to hear more of my suffering...
i hit the mat at 2:13:05, with a chip time of 2:05:38. it's a decent time, but way off my target. maybe i aimed so high that it frustrated me to not even be close to it. or maybe if i did not stopped and walked, i would have hit under 2 hrs. or maybe if i just took my 'soaking wet shirt' off and not worry about my bib not showing while i run. now you understand the 'BUT' feeling?
my crew saw me at the finish. i was still in the runners' area. got my commemorative medal, cold towel, post-ride drinks and snacks, and a good foot massage. race over, time to hit the beach. yes, it was a memorable run.
No comments:
Post a Comment