Running Goals
If you have been following my blog for a while, you might have read a post where I wrote that one of my personal goals is to run a full marathon at least once in my life. That was the goal. And to reach that goal, I will need to take baby steps including joining fun runs and try several half-marathons.
Beginning last year until this year, I participated in a few runs in Thailand. The longest one I did was the 10-mile Supersports International Run held in Bangkok. It may be nothing to some people but it was an absolute test of my endurance as I did my best to finish the run.
21KM
And since then, I was inspired to run longer distances including a half-marathon. There is no better place to achieve that than in my home country. So after settling down home on my return, I reached out to my friends who also run if I could join them. I know it would be fun to have friends and people around who enjoy the same hobby as I do.
Luckily, I have a few buddies who love running too. We did a few running sessions together and it was an enjoyable experience until later on that we decided to participate a half-marathon together.
Milo Marathon 2019
Milo marathon was the perfect event to do just that. They have 5KM, 10KM and 21KM. Their 42KM full marathon will be held somewhere in Luzon but you’ll need to qualify for it. To qualify, you must be able to finish 21KM within 2 hours and 30 minutes timeframe. That qualifying criterion alone puts pressure to everyone much more to me. I honestly think I couldn’t run that fast so I just told myself that I’m fine if I go beyond the time and end up not qualifying. As long as I finish the run, I’ll be over the moon.
21KM Milo Training
In total, we had a little more than a month to prepare ourselves before the big day. It was challenging because I and my other two friends are all working with different work schedules. As a result of this, planning for our training wasn’t easy. We only got to run once a week or if we get lucky, two times a week.
We did the best we could in our situation, though. I did the best I could. Even though sometimes, I was tired from work, I still persevered to train to keep my body get used to the activity.
The week before the big Milo event, we went to the area where the run would take place. I woke up at 3 am that day, met with my friends and explored the route. Surprisingly, I finished it but in the last few kilometers, I walked. =)
One night of our training days. I think I went home at around 9 pm after this.
The day before the Milo run
Because the venue was in a city, we opted to book a hotel so we could have enough rest.
On the day before, we drove to our hotel and started carbo-loading. And carbo it is, we ate pizza, pasta, and a huge burger that night. I also started drinking my Gatorade as advised by my friends.
We ate at Pizza Hut and ordered pizza, spaghetti, carbonara and fried chicken.
Everything we planned out and expected was all in place until it wasn’t.
Disqualified for 21KM
Okay, I will be straightforward and say that the reason we were disqualified was entirely our fault. Ha! It’s embarrassing to share in my blog but what the heck, I wanna keep this because it’s also a lesson learned for me and my friends. Hopefully, for my readers too.
One requirement of running the 21KM distance in Milo is a medical certificate. This certificate should mention that the person is fit to run. However, being complacent that we were, thinking that they won’t check it, we didn’t get one. On contrary, my other friend, Mai, who already secured one forgot to bring it. See how supportive we are to each other! =)
In the end, we didn’t make it to 21KM because the staff has a list and our names were therewithout the med cert. It was very disappointing but we couldn’t do anything about it. What they suggested was for us to downgrade to 10KM instead. We did just that so we still could run.
We got out of our hotel prepared for 21 KM but ended running 10 KM.
Thankful for 10KM
Do you believe that everything happens in your life for a reason? For this experience, I do.
Honestly, days before the event, I had doubts because I was thinking that it didn’t feel right for me to run 21km that day. Just the week before the run, we climbed up Mt Matutum where I got injured and had sore muscles for a week. I was not very confident if we proceeded running 21KM.
My other friend, Carlo, also felt the same way. He was feeling off and started feeling pain in his legs. So, in a way, it was a blessing in disguise for us, really.
Top 10- Women
The highlight of this story is the fact that although we were a little heartbroken at first for not running the distance we expected, we received a much better reward from our 10km run. My friend, Mai and I, placed into the top 10 for the female division. She got the 6th place because she is fast like that while I got the 8th place. Ha!
So, we got two medals, not the 21KM finisher one but a better award, winner. (See my post’s profile photo. =) )
Lesson Learned
Comply with the requirements asked from you and follow the policies and regulations of any organizations, company, and events you’re joining in.
However, in the end, we actually felt relieved that we didn’t run the half-marathon. We still went back home happy and proud of ourselves.
I’m thankful for my friends who again, trained and worked out with me. Amazingly, I gained new friends who are all nice and inspiring people. Maybe, it wasn’t just time yet. The 21KM goal is back up in the air but this time we’ll make sure we are ready and prepared with everything. =)
That’s all for my running update. Thanks for reading.
