I'm a half-marathon (21K) finisher

I'm a half-marathon (21kms) finisher. And I did not achieve it easily. My PR was average and normal, it was two hours and 42 minutes.

Several months before the run, I practiced several times a week running for more than 30 minutes per day. I wanted to be physically prepared for the expected two hours of running.

The night before the run, I drank lots of water, took an early supper and went to bed early. I had to be at the starting line at 4:45 am for the gun-start.

I'm lucky, a house-mate is also a running enthusiast and he has a car: I have no need to take public transportation, to get there.

At the Start line, I was surprised to see so many runners: men and women, young and old. Indeed, running is getting popular in the Philippines. I even saw a lady-senator, with several of her body-guards, joining the race. Some of the runners were first-timers. They were told they will get a special finisher medal.

Bang! The race begun. People started running. Runners were close together, at first, so they walked for some time and wait to get some space. It was also very dark, it was still in the wee hours of the morning. People were very excited. Marshalls were placed along the route to animate and guide the runners.

I focused on my running pace, stride and midfoot-steps; those are the ways to avoid running injuries, I learned. I stopped at every water-station to hydrate myself. I had to push myself to keep on running despite the urge to walk. Looking at the other runners, especially the women-runners, I am amazed by their speed and stamina. I wondered, how could they do that?

As I passed the 10K mark, my feet started to ache. My stride became shorter and slower. From time to time, I had to walk to rest my feet. The sun has risen and the day was getting warmer. A fire-truck was placed along the route to spray water to cool-up the runners.

Finally, I reached the finish line. A ran for more than two hours. I was so wet with sweat and water, but happy and contented: I survived the half-marathon!

I fell in line to get my loot-bag, finisher-shirt and medal.

Several of my colleagues also ran, including one of our superiors. He was so kind, he treated several of us to a breakfast at a popular fast-food resto.

Looking at how many participants who came for the run (there was about 2 - 3 thousands), I was amazed by the popularity of running in the Philippines. For me, it is a good and positive cultural development. It is one of the cheapest ways to get fit. It is also a good time to spend quality time with kin and friends. Business-wise, it is also a good way to attract customers to a commercial area. It's win-win situation!