Elmira Judy Aguilar
Contributor
AT 3 a.m., I was already awake and excited to join the thousands of runners participating in the Cebu City marathon. Jan. 10, 2010, was the day that I will start to collect race bibs for joining marathons and this decision was reached after I finished the 5K run with an average of six minutes per kilometer. Unlike the seasoned runners, my “virgin run” was for fun and to prove to myself that at 38, I am still in good condition.
I took up running to improve my stamina for boxing which did not only help me lose weight but also increased my energy level to do more work and go home to take care of my domestic responsibilities including playing and reading to my son after a very hectic day. During the last quarter of 2009, I found myself doing more running than boxing because with running, I can do it anytime and anywhere unlike boxing that requires me to go to the gym which is a good distance away from my house and the traffic is often discouraging.
At least five times a week, I happily join other runners, beating my personal time or just navigating the oval to keep my heart pumping. It’s a lot of savings on my part because I walk to and from the venue. I save on gasoline and the entrance fee is very cheap. When I run with other runners, what gives me an extra high is not only beating my personal time but also seeing others enjoying and keeping themselves healthy.
Lately, I caught sight of a few of my students whom I finally convinced to take up running. This gives me a lot of inspiration because I motivated them to start young while I started late.
In March, I will do the 10K because the kind of rush that I felt with the 5K remained the entire day so I thought that the 10K would be better. In June, the 21K is a very exciting idea and what about the 42K?
All those who finished the 42K during the Cebu City marathon looked awesome even those few who almost fainted as they approached the finish line.
Who knows? I might decide to conquer the 42K before I will turn 40 years old.