My First Half-Marathon
Winter Series Race 4: The Half Marathon
[posted on facebook, 05 December 2008]
What a generic title for something that was more than just a mere half-marathon to me. This morning's race goes down in my running history as an event I will never forget. Many runs of the Muscat Road Runners in the past have won my heart, but none of them made me feel the way this run did. And so, I will set aside some time to talk about this memorable day.
The race would start at 6:30 AM with registration opening at 6 so I had to wake up early. Before leaving the house, I had banana and peanut butter, a piece of toast and a small cup of coffee. It was still dark when my dad and I arrived at the race's start and finish site at The Wave/Seeb. And extremely cold! I had never been out at that time during the month so the temperature caught me off guard. I came out of the car with jogging pants and a sleeveless zip-up top on top of my running vest and shorts (listening to songs from the Yes, Virginia album of the Dresden Dolls because I had been watching Dresden Doll videos the night before). I felt even more cold after removing my jogging pants! But the sea looked gorgeous under the blue sky and I stood in front of the calm waves for a few moments before proceeding to safety-pin my number onto the front of my running vest (or had I already put on my number? it doesn't matter now). From that time, I remember talking to my co-runner Tim about not being prepared for the race and not thinking I'd be able to make it. Before I knew it, we were already having our group photographs, which meant the race would start soon.
Before we gathered to start walking together to the spot where we would start running, I noticed the other runners, Eli and Chris, with their earphones and I suddenly got worried I didn't have any music to keep me company during the 21-km route. I asked them what music they were going to listen to and I got some amusing replies. Next thing I knew, I was starting the race with a speed of approximately 7 minutes per km. It was so early in the morning and I hadn't been running at such a time, it felt like I was running 6 minutes per km. I stayed with Catherine, my usual running buddy, during the first 11 kilometres of the race. We ran a slow, steady pace and I kept making some ratty, pessimistic remarks as we went on. Catherine noticed and even went, "enough with this pessimism already!" She said something even more funny along the way. As we passed a marshaled turn where we got our first bottles of water, I tossed my bottle aside a few moments after Catherine tossed hers and she said, "I thought you were going to sprint. I've seen you. You always sprint when blokes are passing by." Later on, I did speed up after some car passed by or something and she said, "see, you always speed up when blokes pass by. I don't blame you. I only wish I could do it myself." All this was happening while we were running on what seemed like an endless stretch of road next to the beautiful sea. As the minutes passed, the sea was only illuminated by the slowly appearing light of the sun.
While we were running together, I kept asking Catherine how many kilometres we had already run. I wanted to pace myself. I had planned that I would run extremely slow during the first half and that if I felt like it, I would speed up during the second half. Some moments after the 11-km mark, Catherine stopped a few paces to retrieve her cellular telephone which fell out of her shorts. I looked back and thought, "I have no more time for this. It's been past 11 kilometres now. I better get moving!" Soon after, I was whipping out my packet of energy gel which was sticking out from the inner pocket of my short running shorts. I had been waiting for the right time to start consuming it and I thought I would need it during the second half of the race.
To my pleasant surprise, the energy gel seemed to give me the boost I needed and I was suddenly running faster. The gel happened to have latte flavour so I amused myself with the thought it was like I was running with coffee. I ran through the village then through some more roads with that packet of energy gel in my left hand. After overtaking 2 runners during the first half, I overtook 5 more during the second half. And I could amuse myself with the things I was saying to the people I overtook. To the first runner I overtook I said, "you can do it!" The second one was Catherine to whom I made no comment upon noticing she had lost hold of her phone. To the third and fourth runners I overtook, I think I said the same thing: "Hey, how are you? You're doing fine?" Then, of course, after seeing a nod or hearing a yes, I went, "that's good to know!" then dashed off. The fifth and sixth runners I overtook were running together. To both of them I said the same thing. Then I said, "how many more kilometres do we have?" One of them replied, "8 kilometres," and I said, "ooh, 8 kilometres!" in a manner so cheerful, it was as if I wasn't tired at all! The seventh and last runner I overtook was Eli, the lady who was always paces ahead of me at the runs, especially for the winter series. I said the usual greeting but in addition I went, "oh, the sun's out and I don't have a hat!" The next thing I knew, I was running far ahead of her and was not so far (though it felt like it) from the finish line.
The sun had come out during the latter part of the race and without any hat or sunglasses, I felt threatened by the blazing light and thought of nothing more than finishing the race. Looking back, I think that had I worn a hat, I would have maybe felt too comfortable and not bothered to run faster under the heat (though the weather was really nice so it wasn't so hot).
One of the last marshals I ran past was Jan with rock music loudly blaring from his vehicle's stereo speakers which I found served as fitting inspiration at that time of the race. I looked back to say "nice rock music" and was absolutely fooled by his statement that I had just one more kilometre to go. It turned out I had not just 1 kilometre, but 2 kilometres to go and by the time I was running the path approaching the finish line, I was pushing myself so hard, I felt like I was going to pass out and that I was no longer going to make it. By the time I finished and my dad congratulated me while handing me a bottle of water, I did not bother to look at the big clock and walked on with the feeling (not new to me) that I was going to throw up. Once again, I had outdone myself and my dad said as I crossed that finish line that I could've easily finished under 2 hours.
My official finish time is 2 hours and 54 seconds. I did not train for this. I've done long runs in the past but at a slow pace and the last run I did was on Tuesday at PDO with 5 kms warm-up and a 5.5-km loop. It was my first half-marathon. I originally wanted to finish in 2 hours and if possible, under 2 hours but the actual time I finished did not disappoint me. Because it was my first half-marathon and I hadn't even trained for it, I was proud of myself. In addition, I didn't feel any stiffness in my knees, any pain in my calves or any ache in my neck. I only almost couldn't feel my toes. (My toes look horrible, by the way. Especially after that one-hour run on the beach I did on Saturday. And I thought ballet was the only sport responsible for bad-looking toes.)
Towards the finish line, another runner, Mark, whom I had tried to catch up with, was ahead of me and as we passed the turn with Jan and his rock music, he recalled to me that after some paces he heard Jan go, "go, Libby!" and he actually thought, "shit! Libby's right behind me!" It was too close to the end of the race, however, so I no longer got to overtake Mark and was later only surprised to find out I had finished 3rd among the ladies. The prizes were to be given only to the Muscat Road Runners and since the 2nd placer was a visitor, I received the 2nd prize.
Breakfast was served after everyone had finished and the results were announced. En route to the finish line, I remember telling myself that there's breakfast waiting for me! Subway came with sandwiches and cookies and there were cartons of orange juice. The morning was cool and we had our breakfast amidst a backdrop of gentle seas.
Before the half-marathon. Go Muscat Road Runners! And we did not intend to advertise Red Bull. Thus, a second picture was taken. Cookies for those who can spot me in this picture. I'm in between Eli and Shakir. :)
More Photographs:
Muscat Road Runners: Winter Series 1, 21 October 2008- PDO loop, Muscat (5.5 kms). Again, can anyone spot me in this picture?
Muscat Road Runners: Winter Series 3, 25 November 2008- PDO (10 kms). This photo appeared in an article on the Oman Daily Observer.
my write-up on facebook: "Kill Me Now (on my anticlimactic winter series run)" (you'll need to have an account on fb to be able to see it. I may be posting this entry here too in the future)
Another sport-related entry: "The Sea, the Birds, the Morning Sun... and Triathletes" (again, you'll need to have an account on fb to be able to see it. I may be posting this entry here too in the future)
Even after a substantial period of running irregularity, I am eventually getting back on track and improving even. For our last predictor run on Tuesday the 16th, I finished the 10-kilometre course in just 24 seconds over 55 minutes. At the PDO Fun Run the day after, I managed to finish the very hilly 6-kilometre course in about 35 minutes. I am flying back to Manila this Saturday (hopefully). I hope I'll still keep up with my running so that by the time January hits, I can be ready for the next winter series (and perhaps the 10-kilometre course at Dubai on the day of the Standard Chartered Marathon).
For the meantime, my toes are still looking deadly horrible. Three of them are black. Yuck! And my dad still owes me a trip to buy brand new running shoes. As my dad suggested, my money prize from the half-marathon should go to buying running shoes (and if there's still some amount left, perhaps I can buy some new running gear).
All the best to my running! By 2010, maybe I can join my first ever full marathon at Dubai. As early as now, people are already telling me I should join the Dubai Marathon in January next year because I'm "fit" or they think I can definitely do it. All I know is I definitely haven't trained for it and I want more running experience before I go into something as crazy as that. A biathlon may also be in my future. And if I get a bike, a triathlon. Why not.
[posted on facebook, 05 December 2008]
What a generic title for something that was more than just a mere half-marathon to me. This morning's race goes down in my running history as an event I will never forget. Many runs of the Muscat Road Runners in the past have won my heart, but none of them made me feel the way this run did. And so, I will set aside some time to talk about this memorable day.
The race would start at 6:30 AM with registration opening at 6 so I had to wake up early. Before leaving the house, I had banana and peanut butter, a piece of toast and a small cup of coffee. It was still dark when my dad and I arrived at the race's start and finish site at The Wave/Seeb. And extremely cold! I had never been out at that time during the month so the temperature caught me off guard. I came out of the car with jogging pants and a sleeveless zip-up top on top of my running vest and shorts (listening to songs from the Yes, Virginia album of the Dresden Dolls because I had been watching Dresden Doll videos the night before). I felt even more cold after removing my jogging pants! But the sea looked gorgeous under the blue sky and I stood in front of the calm waves for a few moments before proceeding to safety-pin my number onto the front of my running vest (or had I already put on my number? it doesn't matter now). From that time, I remember talking to my co-runner Tim about not being prepared for the race and not thinking I'd be able to make it. Before I knew it, we were already having our group photographs, which meant the race would start soon.
Before we gathered to start walking together to the spot where we would start running, I noticed the other runners, Eli and Chris, with their earphones and I suddenly got worried I didn't have any music to keep me company during the 21-km route. I asked them what music they were going to listen to and I got some amusing replies. Next thing I knew, I was starting the race with a speed of approximately 7 minutes per km. It was so early in the morning and I hadn't been running at such a time, it felt like I was running 6 minutes per km. I stayed with Catherine, my usual running buddy, during the first 11 kilometres of the race. We ran a slow, steady pace and I kept making some ratty, pessimistic remarks as we went on. Catherine noticed and even went, "enough with this pessimism already!" She said something even more funny along the way. As we passed a marshaled turn where we got our first bottles of water, I tossed my bottle aside a few moments after Catherine tossed hers and she said, "I thought you were going to sprint. I've seen you. You always sprint when blokes are passing by." Later on, I did speed up after some car passed by or something and she said, "see, you always speed up when blokes pass by. I don't blame you. I only wish I could do it myself." All this was happening while we were running on what seemed like an endless stretch of road next to the beautiful sea. As the minutes passed, the sea was only illuminated by the slowly appearing light of the sun.
While we were running together, I kept asking Catherine how many kilometres we had already run. I wanted to pace myself. I had planned that I would run extremely slow during the first half and that if I felt like it, I would speed up during the second half. Some moments after the 11-km mark, Catherine stopped a few paces to retrieve her cellular telephone which fell out of her shorts. I looked back and thought, "I have no more time for this. It's been past 11 kilometres now. I better get moving!" Soon after, I was whipping out my packet of energy gel which was sticking out from the inner pocket of my short running shorts. I had been waiting for the right time to start consuming it and I thought I would need it during the second half of the race.
To my pleasant surprise, the energy gel seemed to give me the boost I needed and I was suddenly running faster. The gel happened to have latte flavour so I amused myself with the thought it was like I was running with coffee. I ran through the village then through some more roads with that packet of energy gel in my left hand. After overtaking 2 runners during the first half, I overtook 5 more during the second half. And I could amuse myself with the things I was saying to the people I overtook. To the first runner I overtook I said, "you can do it!" The second one was Catherine to whom I made no comment upon noticing she had lost hold of her phone. To the third and fourth runners I overtook, I think I said the same thing: "Hey, how are you? You're doing fine?" Then, of course, after seeing a nod or hearing a yes, I went, "that's good to know!" then dashed off. The fifth and sixth runners I overtook were running together. To both of them I said the same thing. Then I said, "how many more kilometres do we have?" One of them replied, "8 kilometres," and I said, "ooh, 8 kilometres!" in a manner so cheerful, it was as if I wasn't tired at all! The seventh and last runner I overtook was Eli, the lady who was always paces ahead of me at the runs, especially for the winter series. I said the usual greeting but in addition I went, "oh, the sun's out and I don't have a hat!" The next thing I knew, I was running far ahead of her and was not so far (though it felt like it) from the finish line.
The sun had come out during the latter part of the race and without any hat or sunglasses, I felt threatened by the blazing light and thought of nothing more than finishing the race. Looking back, I think that had I worn a hat, I would have maybe felt too comfortable and not bothered to run faster under the heat (though the weather was really nice so it wasn't so hot).
One of the last marshals I ran past was Jan with rock music loudly blaring from his vehicle's stereo speakers which I found served as fitting inspiration at that time of the race. I looked back to say "nice rock music" and was absolutely fooled by his statement that I had just one more kilometre to go. It turned out I had not just 1 kilometre, but 2 kilometres to go and by the time I was running the path approaching the finish line, I was pushing myself so hard, I felt like I was going to pass out and that I was no longer going to make it. By the time I finished and my dad congratulated me while handing me a bottle of water, I did not bother to look at the big clock and walked on with the feeling (not new to me) that I was going to throw up. Once again, I had outdone myself and my dad said as I crossed that finish line that I could've easily finished under 2 hours.
My official finish time is 2 hours and 54 seconds. I did not train for this. I've done long runs in the past but at a slow pace and the last run I did was on Tuesday at PDO with 5 kms warm-up and a 5.5-km loop. It was my first half-marathon. I originally wanted to finish in 2 hours and if possible, under 2 hours but the actual time I finished did not disappoint me. Because it was my first half-marathon and I hadn't even trained for it, I was proud of myself. In addition, I didn't feel any stiffness in my knees, any pain in my calves or any ache in my neck. I only almost couldn't feel my toes. (My toes look horrible, by the way. Especially after that one-hour run on the beach I did on Saturday. And I thought ballet was the only sport responsible for bad-looking toes.)
Towards the finish line, another runner, Mark, whom I had tried to catch up with, was ahead of me and as we passed the turn with Jan and his rock music, he recalled to me that after some paces he heard Jan go, "go, Libby!" and he actually thought, "shit! Libby's right behind me!" It was too close to the end of the race, however, so I no longer got to overtake Mark and was later only surprised to find out I had finished 3rd among the ladies. The prizes were to be given only to the Muscat Road Runners and since the 2nd placer was a visitor, I received the 2nd prize.
Breakfast was served after everyone had finished and the results were announced. En route to the finish line, I remember telling myself that there's breakfast waiting for me! Subway came with sandwiches and cookies and there were cartons of orange juice. The morning was cool and we had our breakfast amidst a backdrop of gentle seas.
Before the half-marathon. Go Muscat Road Runners! And we did not intend to advertise Red Bull. Thus, a second picture was taken. Cookies for those who can spot me in this picture. I'm in between Eli and Shakir. :)
More Photographs:
Muscat Road Runners: Winter Series 1, 21 October 2008- PDO loop, Muscat (5.5 kms). Again, can anyone spot me in this picture?
Muscat Road Runners: Winter Series 3, 25 November 2008- PDO (10 kms). This photo appeared in an article on the Oman Daily Observer.
my write-up on facebook: "Kill Me Now (on my anticlimactic winter series run)" (you'll need to have an account on fb to be able to see it. I may be posting this entry here too in the future)
Another sport-related entry: "The Sea, the Birds, the Morning Sun... and Triathletes" (again, you'll need to have an account on fb to be able to see it. I may be posting this entry here too in the future)
Even after a substantial period of running irregularity, I am eventually getting back on track and improving even. For our last predictor run on Tuesday the 16th, I finished the 10-kilometre course in just 24 seconds over 55 minutes. At the PDO Fun Run the day after, I managed to finish the very hilly 6-kilometre course in about 35 minutes. I am flying back to Manila this Saturday (hopefully). I hope I'll still keep up with my running so that by the time January hits, I can be ready for the next winter series (and perhaps the 10-kilometre course at Dubai on the day of the Standard Chartered Marathon).
For the meantime, my toes are still looking deadly horrible. Three of them are black. Yuck! And my dad still owes me a trip to buy brand new running shoes. As my dad suggested, my money prize from the half-marathon should go to buying running shoes (and if there's still some amount left, perhaps I can buy some new running gear).
All the best to my running! By 2010, maybe I can join my first ever full marathon at Dubai. As early as now, people are already telling me I should join the Dubai Marathon in January next year because I'm "fit" or they think I can definitely do it. All I know is I definitely haven't trained for it and I want more running experience before I go into something as crazy as that. A biathlon may also be in my future. And if I get a bike, a triathlon. Why not.