In the beginning...
September 2009 was the first time I joined an organized Fun Run. It was the Crocs Prepair to Run event held in Mall of Asia. It was actually my wife who initially registered and I thought I'd go ahead and accompany her. I never had any love for running especially during my HS Varsity Basketball years. I hated road work and would skip it if I had a chance. My pace was slow, I didn't have the endurance and it felt so much like a chore (unlike the actual basketball practice which was a game!).
It was a a fairly small event, no more than 2,000 participants across all age groups (didn't know that there was an age grouping that time). Running was not yet a craze that time and entry fees were definitely more budget friendly. It remember buying my first running shoes a couple of weeks before the event . It was the perfect excuse to buy another pair of kicks. I also bought that slim Nike watch that measures your steps thinking it would be more than enough to measure my runs (I didn't know about Garmin watches hat time). I probably did a couple of short runs before the event. I was thinking my weekly basketball pick up games should get me through this. In short I wasn't really prepared to run 3 km (yes, 3 km!).
Event day finally arrived and we got there 30 minute before the gun start. I clearly remember it was drizzling and I was having a hard time warming up. First lesson learned, I need to be in these events way earlier than 30 mins before the start. The gun start finally sounded and I was off to my very first organized 3k run. I think I started faster than what I was capable of because even before I even got to the 1 km mark I was already huffing and puffing (clearly those Sunday pick up games wasn't enough). The light drizzle became a downpour. As much as I hate wet socks and shoes, the rain became a blessing as it helped me cool down my body temperature and gave that refreshing feeling of being hydrated. I was suddenly overtaking a couple of runners and the feeling of boredom and fatigue has left my mind. It was a different experience doing a run event under the rain (very different from showering in the rain when I was a kid) and it was also a challenge when you have to run against the wind. I went on to finish the 3 km race in a little over 16 mins. To this date I think that is my fastest 3 km time (unfortunately I don't have it saved anywhere).
More than setting my 3k PR, that first running event was the start of many more runs that my wife and I will join. We were chomped (not just bit) by the Run Bug! We joined 3k races almost every weekend. We also sign up for a couple of 5k events (Globe and Mizuno runs) and tried a couple of 10k events (Condura and Nike We Run). We even went to Subic and other near by areas to join running events. My outlook on Road Work has definitely changed. This time I prepared for events by logging training runs (BGC was a great training ground during those times -- less cars and a dedicated lane for runners). I also became more conscious about my diet and how it affects my body and my running. You can say that it was a turning point for me (and my wife).
It was also during this time that I told myself that I wanted to bring it up a notch and finish a Triathlon (I was already running and I know how to swim and ride a bike...how hard can it be)?!
It was a a fairly small event, no more than 2,000 participants across all age groups (didn't know that there was an age grouping that time). Running was not yet a craze that time and entry fees were definitely more budget friendly. It remember buying my first running shoes a couple of weeks before the event . It was the perfect excuse to buy another pair of kicks. I also bought that slim Nike watch that measures your steps thinking it would be more than enough to measure my runs (I didn't know about Garmin watches hat time). I probably did a couple of short runs before the event. I was thinking my weekly basketball pick up games should get me through this. In short I wasn't really prepared to run 3 km (yes, 3 km!).
Event day finally arrived and we got there 30 minute before the gun start. I clearly remember it was drizzling and I was having a hard time warming up. First lesson learned, I need to be in these events way earlier than 30 mins before the start. The gun start finally sounded and I was off to my very first organized 3k run. I think I started faster than what I was capable of because even before I even got to the 1 km mark I was already huffing and puffing (clearly those Sunday pick up games wasn't enough). The light drizzle became a downpour. As much as I hate wet socks and shoes, the rain became a blessing as it helped me cool down my body temperature and gave that refreshing feeling of being hydrated. I was suddenly overtaking a couple of runners and the feeling of boredom and fatigue has left my mind. It was a different experience doing a run event under the rain (very different from showering in the rain when I was a kid) and it was also a challenge when you have to run against the wind. I went on to finish the 3 km race in a little over 16 mins. To this date I think that is my fastest 3 km time (unfortunately I don't have it saved anywhere).
More than setting my 3k PR, that first running event was the start of many more runs that my wife and I will join. We were chomped (not just bit) by the Run Bug! We joined 3k races almost every weekend. We also sign up for a couple of 5k events (Globe and Mizuno runs) and tried a couple of 10k events (Condura and Nike We Run). We even went to Subic and other near by areas to join running events. My outlook on Road Work has definitely changed. This time I prepared for events by logging training runs (BGC was a great training ground during those times -- less cars and a dedicated lane for runners). I also became more conscious about my diet and how it affects my body and my running. You can say that it was a turning point for me (and my wife).
It was also during this time that I told myself that I wanted to bring it up a notch and finish a Triathlon (I was already running and I know how to swim and ride a bike...how hard can it be)?!
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