the road to Condura!

Wow, how time flies!

Wasn't it just a few days before Christmas 2009 when Ian and I ran the Philippine Star Celebrity fun run on a whim? We did a 5K on 21.12.2009 under 30 minutes and ... faaaaaaaaast forward to today (02.06.2010), less than 24-hours before the Condura Run for the Dolphins, and I am beset by two bits of trepidation+excitement.

My first half-marathon!!! "Will i finish?" would be the reverberating question in my noggin.'

Condura Run for the Dolphins: The Half-Marathon

Half-marathoners (21K) start at 5am. The entirety is just so overwhelming to grasp, at least for me. The month-long training I put into this will be tried and tested tomorrow at dawn.  While I cannot wait to run on the Skyway, I am leaning more towards experiencing the entire 21 kilometers, running.  I'm dead-set on not walking to the finish line.  This is the minimum standard that I've set for myself. When that gun goes off at 5am, I know I'm ready to start, but will I find myself at the finish line??

Not a very long time ago, I was a night-owl who chainsmoked and drank hard liquor with stuporous glee. It had been tough to give up my nocturnal habits, but running did it for me...and running made me transition with ease.

That, and some solid encouragement from my clean-living yoga enthusiast-friends Trixie, Max and my support group (from gym to run to fitness buffs) Berns, Cands, Marge, Nats, Ian, Sharon among many nameless others,

I really jumped into it with the conscious decision of wanting a better life, one that was free of substances and free radicals hehe.I wanted to up the quality of my lifestyle. And I wanted a quieter, happier, and hmm, cleaner me.

My friend Nats (who is one of the fastest runners I know) was responsible for my focus on my goals. He has said that there's no shame in not finishing and taking a bus back should I get a cramp or a sudden injury. He clearly didn't know me well enough to actually even make that suggestion. Go back to the Fort by bus. Hmmm, close but no cigar.  I'm quite determined and stubborn (to a fault). If I'd gotten a cramp, I'm walking back the entire way. I'm fixed in my goals but I do appreciate the concern and thanked him for the reminder. I then reiterated that my goal was to always have my fun and finish. Everything else (including the feel of the Skyway beneath my feet) was but secondary.

[quick segue IN]As I post this, I am listening to Jojo's "How to Touch A Girl" and can't help but admit that I'm obviously never gonna be a girly-girl. Yet, still and all, I am a gal... just that not everyone has the ability (power?) to bring it out of me. My femininity hasn't made an appearance in awhile, but YES in all candidness, let me confirm its existence. Every time I catch the movie Notting Hill on HBO, I always relish the bookshop scene where Anna Scott looks wistfully at William Thacker and says, "I'm still just a gal asking a guy to love her," I do kind of smile and hope I'll be lucky enough to have my hey-day with no less than a real-life scene with the real Mr. Right. I have been told time and again that I come off I'm hard-nosed. To a degree I would say I am, only because no one's pushing the right buttons![quick segue OUT]

MY Running Gear Extraordinaire.

*all NIKE Dri Fit (JUST DO IT...dry!)

*my Mizuno Inspires. (They move WITH me!!!)

*my beloved 305 heart (big thanks to running afficionados Nats + Harry for helping me decide on the Talented Mr. Garmin!!!)

*my sunny Nano.

CARBO~LOADING & THE INFINITE MADNESS.

I should mention the fun carbo-loading part and show pictures too. TODAY (Sat) had seafood marinara and Beef Pepper Rice in Pepper Lunch. FRIDAY I had a taco salad in Agave for dinner and a tuna pasta at around 6pm in Joey Pep,.

THURSDAY had been Kenny's birthday dinner where I had partaken in lots and lots of protein.

I'm not a big carb person but for this project, I must therefore I did. No alcohol. No late nights. No surprises.

I kinda like the focus though. I think I'm getting too old for nerve~wrecking nightouts. After all, I'm already 25. (Ulol!)

THE ROAD TO CONDURA.

This is the route for the Condura Half~Marathon. It says it's a signature route. I wonder if it's patented. LOL

But all that aside, at the end of the day, it's all the runner and the road, the runner on the road, and the  one with the road... getting to the finishing stretch of the road.

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!

At some point, I realise I must become a part of a running group. One that's no-nonsense and made of tough stuff. I want the support and camaraderie but still be independent enough to do my own thing. As with other things, I truly believe in win~win partnerships and how the best partnerships are formed from a mix of respect and friendship and having the same vision.

   "Pain is necessary. Suffering is optional.”(Murakami)