Mike T. Limpag
Fair Play
I JOINED the running craze about a year ago.
It was upon the invitation of John Pages, who, with the rest of the Cebu Executive Runners Club, organized the annual Sinulog run at the IT Park.
I joined the 5K and my first run ended in 37 minutes and 25 seconds.
I had no practice runs and didn’t even warm up.
I just ran.
I remember thinking, in the middle of that run, that after a year of joining these events, I’d probably make it under 25 minutes.
I also told myself, I’d practice for a week before joining my next run.
That I’d tackle the whole route with nary a stop.
I also had visions of a podium finish.
My runner’s high, I guess, turned out to be a hallucination.
I was still standing when I finished my first 5K and I was very proud of that.
But a day later, I couldn’t even bend to lace my shoes.
Nor could I climb a flight of stairs without feeling any pain.
Laughing was a pain in the ass.
For a few weeks, I ached. A lot.
I never suffered like this while playing football, or jogging for hours back then.
But it was a way for my body to tell me.
“You idiot, you’re not a footballer anymore.”
I promised myself, I’d practice for a week before tackling a run, again.
It took me around seven more months before I joined my next 5K.
It was the Press Freedom run and the running virus had bitten a lot of media practicioners.
I finished at around 40 minutes, and never felt any pain.
Fact is, I even bragged, “Pwede pa.”
Like majority of the participants, that road run was the only exercise I had in months.
I told myself, maybe I’d break my 37-minute record if I practice for a week.
A week later, it was the same in my first 6K.
It didn’t hurt at all.
I told myself, maybe I could do better if I practice for a week.
Ditto in another 5K, about two weeks later, and another one, after that.
I was making up for lost time and joined four events in six weeks.
I had visions of a podium finish, again.
I also had visions of doing eight laps in the oval, preparing for a run.
I’d better warm up, I said, and have that practice run before I’d join the Midnight Run.
On Dec. 13, I joined hundreds of others running at night.
I wasn’t doing too badly, I thought.
I was well below the 30-minute mark going into what I thought was the final turn.
But that 5K turned out to be a darn perfect 5K and what I thought was the final turn wasn’t. In the end, I needed about eight minutes more in the final 800 meters. The guy I tried to overtake, fellow Sun.Star Running Club member RHM, overtook me in the final burst.
Still, I didn’t do too badly.
I’ll have that practice run the next time.
I certainly looked every bit a runner during yesterday’s Cebu City Marathon but I wasn’t one.
I didn’t run. I reckoned I’d be too busy chasing runners after the event to be chasing runners.
I told myself, there’s always a next time.
After that practice run, of course.
(mikelimpag@gmail.com)