Back To The Starting Line

At the 2009 Globe Run For Home race, an entertaining instance happened as we watched the stream of 10K runners getting out of the starting chute. Toward the tail end of the group, as the last maybe 50 runners were leaving the chute, the emcees were alerting the 5K and 3K runners to get ready to file into the road section marked for the starting area fenced in with sturdy steel barriers.

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As this was announced, I spotted a small group of friends among the 10K runners making their jolly way out of the starting gate. I don't know, maybe four or five of them who were wearing race bibs with the same color theme as mine -- yellow numbers on red background which was designated for the 5K category! Yet they started with the 10K group. They were obviously unaware of their predicament as they were chattering excitedly with each other.

But upon hearing the announcement they slowly realized they had started with the wrong run group and, with a collective confused look on their faces, they looked at each other, causing a minor traffic jam among the 10K runners behind them while they slowed down to a stop right in front of us. Their faces have turned red with embarassment just before I heard them utter these words,

UY, TEKA!! DI BA SA 5K TAYO ?!? BALIK! BALIK!

Poor Vision Saves Ego

At the Globe Run For Home event on July 19 '09, while I was clutching my knees trying to recover near the finish line from my relatively successful 5K walk-jog-run, I was waiting for my wife to finish her own 5K when a mom with her little boy and little girl crossed the finish line just about 30 seconds behind me, each child happily clinging to each of their mom's hands. The mom said quite excitedly, "Great job you guys!", then I thought, man, they aren't even sweating or catching their breaths. Amazing.

Thank God I didn't notice in what color scheme their race bibs were printed! Ha? Ano koneksyon non?!?

That way I can't tell if they were part of the 5K group. Hehe. I'll just say they raced in the 3K category and save me the bruised ego. Maybe they didn't even have race numbers, who knows.

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Uncooperative Face

At the races, there's the occasional little kid of about 8-10 years of age who just happens to manage to run just ahead of me throughout the event where I can conveniently spot him/her. In fact, a boy of about 10 years finished with his Dad immediately right before us at the Robinson's Buddy Run last week. They hovered around us, in front of us, just a bit behind us, and just plainly within earshot of us throughout five kilometers of fun and self-torture. I can just imagine what he might have been thinking.

Dad, tignan mo yung isang lalaki o. Parang di nya yata kayang tumakbo, pero bakit sumali pa rin sya, Dad?

Well, I really did want to join the race and my mind was made up. It's just that my body and my face did not want to cooperate with my brain that time.

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Second Wind?

What I've noticed about myself during the last two of three races I've joined, is that the first 2 to 3 kilometers were the hardest for me. My breathing becomes more labored soon as I hit the 500 meter mark. Hula lang yung distance pero ganun na din yun. Then when I complete the first 2 or 3 kilometers, the rest of the way to the finish is evidently less difficult for me.

My guess is that through the initial two kilometers my body attempts to adjust to the effort, and as it does, I feel somewhat stronger throughout the rest of the 5K race. A lot of runners probably know this already, but it's a new and significant discovery for this newbie runner.

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Inspiring

In the three 5K races I've participated in so far, it hasn't failed to motivate me to run just a little bit longer and just a little bit faster when I see someone pass me who is either older than me, heavier than me, both, or all of the above plus she's a woman. Nakaka-inspire. Like Tito Scap says, "Kung kaya nila, kaya ko din." That's why I think I'm beginning to prefer joining races more than just jogging for leisure.

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Fast Racers Up Front, Recreational Racers Behind

At the recent 2009 Globe Run For Home run-for-charity event one guy stood out at the starting line as we watched the countdown to the 10K race. In my humble opinion, he could not be a "runner" runner for he was wearing a pair of basketball shorts. A sure dead giveaway. I've heard it said that as part of racing etiquette, slower recreational runners must stay behind the fast and technical runners at the front.

So my thought was, "What's this guy doing at the front of the pack?!?"

He was all fired up and raring to go, wearing a grin from ear to ear and bouncing happily in his front-row spot as the emcees counted down for the 10K race to take off. Then, as the emcees announced the final countdown, he moved his arm in a semi-sweeping motion to a woman with a video camera for her to move to the sideline as the race was about to start.

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5-4-3-2-1-go! He took off like he was on a cocktail of Red Bull and Cobra. With his basketball shorts flapping around his legs, he launched himself across the viewing area of the camera his gal buddy was operating. I thought, ahh, so he must be some sort of tourist, an Am-boy most likely. At least that was the impression I got.

If my guess was close, then he was probably feeling quite the intense opposites of gleeful, happy, and energetic during and after ten long kilometers of running. Ah, may pagka-psychic ka din pala? Well, I could be wrong, of course. Judging by his choice of running apparel, he might play a lot of basketball and could be suitably fit for the race.

Race Singlets and Odd Sizes

As mentioned in another blog entry here, singlets are one of my favorite things about running events. The ATC Southern Race organizers didn't provide one, but the Robinson's Supermarket Fit and Fun Run and the Globe Run For Home organizers both did.

The singlets both came in XXL sizes, too. Unfortunately, typical of apparel to be found in stores, they're not what I would call standard sizes because they were more like size L since they fit me like a second skin. Literally. A bit of alteration by Manong, a local tailor near the BF church, was necessary to make them more comfortable for my use. Luckily, the fabrics are commonly available and easy for Manong to find. (**Update: this was true for the Buddy Run singlet but not for the Globe singlet, for which he used a kind of fabric that I suspect is used for high school and grade school polo barongs. Not a good choice for athletic apparel. Ano ba naman yan, Manong! Good thing I only had him add a few inches to the breadth of the jersey along the left and right side seams. Click on the photo and see for yourself.)

Ever been to the Greenhills tiangge or to the 168 Mall? I sometimes see the odd sizes XXXL or XXXXL! You'd think they're made for Shaq-sized people but they actually don't look that big at all. In fact, I bought a couple of windbreaker jackets from the Cuenca Bazaar sometime back that are labeled 4XL. But believe me, they're only XL-sized. Wherever those were made, they sure have really small people there for fit models.