Never Settle [Mizuno Infinity Run 2009]

The Fort, Taguig
June 7, 2009

I woke up this morning remembering the last Mizuno run I participated in last year, and realized…haha! I ran 10KM there and I’m still running the same distance today.

I’ve always believed that when you want to do something…the trick is to always believe. That’s what got me going for awhile now, but this time, I know the sequel to that is: consistency is the key.

Race started at around 6:00am and as usual, I got to open the race kit in the car already, after waking up from a 3-hour nap. Yes, a nap. I usually sleep light before a race…and it’s only usually before a race that I do get to sleep.

 

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Mizuno – Infinity Run Time Trials 2009: 10K Race

 

The killer word: Kalayaan! It never occurred to me that such a liberating word could actually trigger something traumatic from the past. Haha. The first time I joined an event with this route was in Adidas King of The Road in 2008. The words that came out of my mouth after: NEVER AGAIN will I join any race passing through this flyover. Then again, if you’re the type to never check the map online before having yourself registered for a kit…then never say never 😉 Botak was the second for me passing through Kalayaan (some of my so-called-rantings can be found somewhere in this so-called-blog har de har har) and my only reaction: I shook my head and wished I’ve put sunblock on.

So I decided to not complain and just finish the race as soon as I can. I got to the turn-around point at about 00:34– beating my personal time for previous 5K races, but a little after that, I think I had what they call a “side stitch”. Yes, I can feel the hard-boiled egg I swallowed at around 0430H trying to be digested and this was the part I wished I brought a sports drink (being the stubborn and youngest of us and not wanting to carry anything while running). I could have screamed at myself for that — but thought better of it because that took a lot of energy. Besides, I wouldn’t wanna amuse people while they see me doing a “monologue” like what my brother, Bolt, is so good at. Haha!

Then came the Kalayaan Flyover…never have I loved Coppertone. Although, like what I’ve been thinking on the last Botak race, I would prefer putting on a nice tanning lotion next time a 10km route was made this way again. At least, I’d have a nice orangey-brown glow without having to go to the beach 😀

I reached the “3KM left” sign, and I looked at my watch and saw that an hour hasn’t passed yet. I actually convinced myself that if I ran the remaining distance, I could bring my PR to somewhere between 1:10 to 1:20. Okay, so that part was a bit delusional, so I just started walking 😀

There was an aid station after the flyover and I don’t remember myself crossing to the other side to get water. I should make it a habit to be “self-contained” … meaning I should really listen to what my brother tells me to do: that includes SLEEP and TRAIN more (yezzur!) 😛

I was walking and jogging for the rest of the distance left to cover and sprinted near the finish line. The only irritating part was when I got to the tight area where the ropes on each side of the walkway could only occupy one runner at a time (a little after the finish line) was that a guy was pleasantly taking his time (yes the redundancy of the words used in this sentence aims to imply just that) in walking to where the girl (who gets the race tags) is. Wow…seriously? What’s wrong with him?

 

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Starbucks Gift Certificate – Ultimate Coffee Break

 

So by the time I got to the Gatorade station and they had absolutely no bottle to give to us, I was more than infuriated…well, a little. Patience is what I have tons of, but I did not mean to ask the woman in a bit of a raised voice where the water station is, so I apologize for that 😀 Gotta love the free Starbucks treat and of course, the overflowing cups of water! Woohoo!

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Mizuno’s Not-So-Bigger-Than-Life “Wave Creation 9” 😀

 

So I said to myself I’m never gonna progress to anything higher than 10k unless I finish it in less than an hour. Wrong, Bolt said. Endurance comes first before speed so if I want to finish fast and finish strong, I should run more than that. Fine, then. Everybody say it with me: never settle 😉

More pictures of other runners and people at our RockEnRun Flicker Site for Mizuno – Infinity Run Time Trials 2009: 10K Race.

I did not have any music gear this morning cos I thought it was gonna rain but had the song below running through my head! Listen up for all you Coheed and Cambria fans reading this. Enjoy :)

From Mizuno: 1:19:38 (time) and 7:58 (pace)