I woke up at 2:00 am today. I jokingly told myself, “Hindi ka ecxited, Teh!” while I headed to the bathroom to take a bath. I had a light meal composed of pandesal with peanut butter, a glass of milk and banana. At around 3:00, I took the first trip off to Cabanatuan.
Fifteen minutes before 4:00 am I was already in Kapitan Pepe. I was participant the first to arrive. The barangay tanod were still fast asleep when I alighted from the traysikel. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. See? I wasn’t really excited. I was just TOO excited for it. I waited in front of the Barangay Hall for about an hour before the place started to get busy. Runners started to arrive. I felt the excitement in the air. Most of them were with friends and families. I felt out of place for I was with no one. At one point, I regretted not inviting friends. But I thought the situation could work positively on me. I started smiling at the people around me. A middle aged couple was trying to photograph themselves (which I suppose would soon be posted on FB) caught my sight. I offered to take their photos and voila I instantly made friends with them.
People started pouring in. The excitement in the air was also growing. From afar I saw a familiar face. It was Cherry, a former student from the university where I teach. I approached her and exchanged pleasantries. I soon found out she was running 10k. In fact her race bib number was 22, the number which I originally had. But since I transferred to 5k category, I was assigned to number 16. At exactly, 6:00 am, the starting gun fired. I kept my normal pace which was 8 minutes per kilometer. But the idea of winning in the event came through me so I decided I should go faster. By the time I reached the loop, my energy level was going down. I had to walk at some point and go back to running few minutes after. I decided to brush off the idea of winning the event but rather to enjoy the activity. After all, I didn’t join to compete. I was only after the fun side of it.
When I got to the finish line, I felt elated. Fellow runners cheered for me. Some even gave me high five. While some cheered for I was the third to finish among the girls in 5k category. Di nga?! 3rd ako? I couldn’t believe it for there were about hundreds of runners who joined in the said event. Too bad, I forgot to track my running time (which I actually planned to do before the race started). I thought I’d just do it on my next fun run. I just contented myself with the idea of getting into Top 5. It was a mean feat for a beginner like me!
I decided to wait for Cherry in the finish line. She and her companion were almost in sight. I cheered for her as got to the finish line. She got Second Place for 10k in Women’s Category. I admired her strength and willpower. She must have trained so hard for it. As soon as the awarding ceremony was done, I approached Sir Arnie and congratulated him for the success of the event. It was just nice to make new friends and build larger network. Before I left Kapitan Pepe I made a vow that this year, I should not only collect 12 race kits but make friends and join a running community.
