Today's race meant a lot to me.
It's no secret that I have been injured for almost a month now with my right leg giving me some major problems. I already had to forgo a few races just to give my body time to heal. However, the RU-32 was one race I did not want to miss. Unfortunately, my injury did not allow me to train properly for this race. I was not able to rake in what I call the "confidence runs" where in I needed at least 2 to 3 - 30km mileage runs a few weeks before race day to build up my endurance. Because of my injury, I could only muster between 16km to 21km at best coupled with some pain. At one point I was already thinking of forgoing the RU-32km race as well. Aside from my training woes, a few days ago, I was also confronted with the painful, heartbreaking decision to possibly give up on a dream that was still unrealized. Surrendering before the war even started left a bad taste in my mouth. I had a big decision to make.
I always used to say that life is like a marathon. We will encounter a lot of challenges and obstacles along the way but once you persevere and see it through until the end, the feeling of accomplishment and reward is great. Though this race is 10km short of a marathon, the saying holds true nonetheless. I was determined to follow what I espouse despite all my misgivings. I needed to re-focus my energy to do my best in order to achieve my goal which was to start and FINISH the 32 km race. This RU2 - 32km race became personal.
The race started at Rizal park "kilometre 0" stretching the span of Roxas Blvd all the way to Cavitex and back. Thankfully, it was a flat course but because visibility on the road was minimal and you could not see where it was leading, it also became more of a mental challenge. I ran at a slower pace trying hard to support my right knee praying that it won't buckle up on me. Surprisingly, I did not experience any cramping despite my lack of training and my right knee held on to see me through the finish line. Though no PR was broken, I finished pretty strong gleaming with happiness and a big smile on my face.
As for my personal dilemma, it took me awhile to get my bearings and eventually decided to face the challenge head on and not to let a few setbacks deter me from my goal - my dream ....just like what I did with the RU-32. All of us can look into the past and see things that we wish we would have done differently and yet we can’t go back and change those things. But we do have control over the choices we make today that could greatly impact the quality of life we experience in our tomorrow. We just have to remind ourselves not to throw in the towel. Surrender is not an option. Giving up is out of the question. It's my life and yes, it is personal.
It's no secret that I have been injured for almost a month now with my right leg giving me some major problems. I already had to forgo a few races just to give my body time to heal. However, the RU-32 was one race I did not want to miss. Unfortunately, my injury did not allow me to train properly for this race. I was not able to rake in what I call the "confidence runs" where in I needed at least 2 to 3 - 30km mileage runs a few weeks before race day to build up my endurance. Because of my injury, I could only muster between 16km to 21km at best coupled with some pain. At one point I was already thinking of forgoing the RU-32km race as well. Aside from my training woes, a few days ago, I was also confronted with the painful, heartbreaking decision to possibly give up on a dream that was still unrealized. Surrendering before the war even started left a bad taste in my mouth. I had a big decision to make.
I always used to say that life is like a marathon. We will encounter a lot of challenges and obstacles along the way but once you persevere and see it through until the end, the feeling of accomplishment and reward is great. Though this race is 10km short of a marathon, the saying holds true nonetheless. I was determined to follow what I espouse despite all my misgivings. I needed to re-focus my energy to do my best in order to achieve my goal which was to start and FINISH the 32 km race. This RU2 - 32km race became personal.
The race started at Rizal park "kilometre 0" stretching the span of Roxas Blvd all the way to Cavitex and back. Thankfully, it was a flat course but because visibility on the road was minimal and you could not see where it was leading, it also became more of a mental challenge. I ran at a slower pace trying hard to support my right knee praying that it won't buckle up on me. Surprisingly, I did not experience any cramping despite my lack of training and my right knee held on to see me through the finish line. Though no PR was broken, I finished pretty strong gleaming with happiness and a big smile on my face.
As for my personal dilemma, it took me awhile to get my bearings and eventually decided to face the challenge head on and not to let a few setbacks deter me from my goal - my dream ....just like what I did with the RU-32. All of us can look into the past and see things that we wish we would have done differently and yet we can’t go back and change those things. But we do have control over the choices we make today that could greatly impact the quality of life we experience in our tomorrow. We just have to remind ourselves not to throw in the towel. Surrender is not an option. Giving up is out of the question. It's my life and yes, it is personal.
