I am not blessed with the physical attributes of an athlete. I took up football when I was in high school, took some time playing the hoops but it was all that was to it. Nothing special to be proud about. Team sports was something I am really not comfortable of. I am someone who can work alone, or live alone, thinks a lot and it seems running was naturally fit for me. When I run I am in a peaceful place.
A lot of people thought I was crazy to run that far. That the marathon is just reserved for THE athlete. That in my own capacity I would fail along the way due to the lack of drive or perhaps on the enormity of the thing. Some believe, many didn't. Of the few people then who truly believed in me was my wife Jenni. She knew me by heart and she knew that when I put my mind into something, I am invincible. She saw it a countless times already.
Catching up on water at km30
And so I jog, I ran 3x a week. You could say that I am passionate about running as much as I am with photography. I have come to love it. Steadily progressing from a lousy runner which my wife harshly compliments me from time to time to a steady form. Never did I realize that in my quest for glory I would inspire many of my staff to take the sport too. I inspired my brother too who runs with me on a frequent basis. So from a lone ranger that used to love running down the mountain trails in Consolacion and Liloan, I had accidentally spread the running virus to 25 more people in the company. So we all ran. Ran local races here and there. Ran the Milo marathon 21K in July. When the CERC announced on holding the first ever Cebu Marathon, many of them have had the smartest goals of running the 21K, while a few like me had a lofty goal of going for the full 42K.
Posing for the camera,km30
The marathon is the Mount Everest of running not because of a single day of running such great distance but because it requires so much sacrifice and determination months before the event. Like the rest in our team, I sacrifice. To woke up at 3am on Sundays just to run those long runs for several months which seems to bore me from time to time and would have zapped out the energy and drive of those who were not committed. The injuries I had incurred was another thing which had almost left my quest in shambles. I am not a full time practitioner so it takes pure time management to get those runs in place while having those quality time with the family and committing the deliverable on the business. I never wilted. I persevere and it paid off.
Decending one of the overpass with my brother Harold, km36
Three days ago, the epochal date of destiny came, the Cebu Marathon 1-10-10. The dream would have come to either a triumphant finish or to dismal failure. I did some carbo-loading days before. We (my family and brother) had to book a hotel in the city to be closer to the race start. The day started not well. Off all the times I had suffered insomnia before our long runs, this one wins them all. Maybe from the excitement, I was only able to sleep for 30 minutes tops! Thoughts were now running whether I still have that energy to finish. I was panicking inside already.
Mission Accomplished. Finish Time: 5:32:10, Chip Time: 5:31:53We woke up at 1AM and went down to McDonalds to eat a light breakfast of hamburger and fries. We were on the race site in IT Park at 2:45AM, about close an hour to race time. We rested while one by one the participants of the 42K, 513 in all came. By 3:30AM the calls for assembly began. By 4AM after the fireworks, the race was off. We planned to maintain the pace between 7:00-7:30 mins/km. and our goal was just to finish the race. We did the courtesy of letting others speed off ahead of us. I was feeling weak in the first few kilometers maybe due to the lack of sleep but regained fitness level somewhere between the 8-9Km. The run was uneventful until we hit the South Reclamation Project (SRP). Normally this coastal road is closed to runners. This time we owned half of the road. It was really beautiful to run this part. We went up to the junction near the new Talisay City Hall which seemed an eternity. This was about the km17 of the race. So ftar so good. By the time we hit SRP again, the sun was already rising and it was hot, really hot. It may be good to run in the SRP at dawn but its going to roast you slowly when you get caught in there when the sun is up. With virtually little shades to cover you, we were slowly being roasted like the famous Cebu Lechon!
Taking few breaking walks on water stations which were plentiful and among steep inclines on bridges, we were able to get out of the SRP by 7AM which was extremely hot already. It was km26. The time was around 3 hours. I quietly thought we could shave of more time if we continue to run at our current pace. At this point the water stations had plus 100 drinks, bananas and chocolates. Yepee! Drinking was never a problem, it was the heat! I was beginning to tire a bit already from heat fatigue. As we hit the slightly incline road going to fuente, we tried another strategy to conserve our energy. We used the run and walk strategy. We walk for a minute on slight inclines and ran for about 5-6 minutes.
By chance when we passed Crown Regency Hotel near Fuente, I saw my wife and my daughter on their way to eat at McDonalds. I was almost move into tears seeing them and at the same time provided me just what I need: A morale booster. My daughter even quipped "Daddy why are you walking, you are supposed to Run!" I kissed my daughter and my wife and bade them goodbye. "I can do this", "Kaya ko to" I kept repeating the mantra. And so run I did until we reach Mabolo junction. We stop whenever one of my companions stop because of cramps. I said to them " No one would be left behind!" This time it was km33. It was really a struggle for the last 5Kms. The pain although bearable, was all over my body. I was cramping all over like they (muscles) was one in chorus, a symphony of total agony. I continued to walk in steep hills which to my count was three for the last 5K and run in descents and flats.
42k Finishers Team YYKredit From left: Ryan Gamana, Rajahni Ladaga, Larry Aying, Me, Joemarie Manalo and my brother, Harold PerralOur group never left each other. I said to them lets finish this together. And so when we hit the last hill at UP and passed the km41 mark, we waited for the others. As soon as we were complete, we ran our proudest towards the end. All in line formation, we saw the finish line. This is it. We made it! A big crowd and our 21k companions cheered the loudest for us. Our time together was 5:31:52. I did it! My dream has become a reality! When I received my medal, I took hold of it, kissed it and said to myself, I'm gonna cherish this for a long time.
Team YYKredit at the finish line
There are many people to say thank you. I say thank you to John Pages and the rest of the Cebu Executive Runners Club (CERC) for a splendid job in organizing the race. It was far the best run I had. Spotless I would say. I thank my companions for staying with the passion for running. I thank the company for supporting our months of training with supplies including shoes and running tees. I thank God for the guidance and strength whenever I doubted myself and for making me heal in time to run my dream. Most of all I thank my wife Jenni and my Pia for ever been a steady support for me. They had too had sacrifice months of their time for my time on running. They already knew from day 1 that I will fulfill my promise. This one is for them!
Looking back, I think if someone ask me whats the greatest lesson this endeavor did for me is to say what Mahatma Ghandi once said that "Strength comes not from physical capacity but from indomitable will". Its not just a race, its a state of mind that says nothing is impossible.
Keep on Running!
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