CEBUANA marathoner Mary Joy Tabal remains unfazed with the pressure as she embarks on the final phase of her training in Japan for the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which is set on Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in the Philippines.
The 30-year-old Tabal is one of the country’s medal prospects in the regional biennial meet, which will be hosted by the Philippines for the first time since 2005. She will defend her crown in the women’s 42-kilometer race.
Tabal is dead focused on her training and stayed positive even when Typhoon Hagibis, the most powerful typhoon in 2019 and the biggest typhoon in decades, hit Japan last week.
“The typhoon was strong but Japan and its people were ready for it. We were informed on the things to do. There’s a bit of fear in me because we experienced Typhoon Yolanda in our country in 2013. But the structures in Japan are made to stand typhoons and earthquakes,” she shared.
The Guba, Cebu native will be going for no less than a gold medal in the SEA Games. The last three weeks will be crucial for the Cebuana who’s under the guidance of John Philip Dueñas and Japanese coaches Yuhei Sato and Akio Usami.
“My last three weeks here will be focused on adding speed intervals, fartleks in between in long-distance running and more hard training. My taper will be in the Philippines for about three weeks also,” she said.
The past seven weeks in Japan were all about building endurance, building marathon pace and mileage for Tabal, who won the gold medal in the 2017 Sea Games with a time of 2 hours, 48 minutes and 26 seconds.
Tabal’s time in the SEA Games two years ago was seven minutes ahead of eventual silver medalist Vietnam’s Hoang Thi Thanh. She was also nearly 10 minutes ahead of Natthaya Thanaronnawat, the 2015 gold winner from Thailand.
“I enjoyed this stint compared to my experience three years ago. I’m now adjusted on the environment, culture and all the things that they do before and after training. It feels normal to me,” she said. (RSC)