Podium finish

The Fort Striders Run on 12 September 2010 will now find its place in the list of my memorable races since it’s the first time I experienced a podium finish. I placed 3^rd among the women in the 16K category with a 1:25 time.

But I wouldn’t have it without the generosity of my friends, Ate Dee and Ate Fides who invited and registered me to join the race. I had zero idea about it. I asked for information only the night before the race. That’s how unprepared I was.

That same night, an unexpected visitor came. It gladly brought along discomfort and abdominal pain that bugged me the entire race.

I honestly set a target for a PR but it has gone out the window when all these problems cropped up, not to mention that I was still feeling wasted from an official weeklong training workshop out of town.

Despite these, not joining did not cross my mind especially since I've always looked forward to long runs on a weekend. It was not the first time that I ran through pain so I thought I should just deal with it the way I dealt with the previous ones.

Pretending to be ok before the gun start

At the start line, there were reserved spaces for each pace. The ones who intended to run at four to five minute- pace were given the frontline. I stood between the five and six- min pace but was open to missing my target because of the pain.

When I heard the gun start, I ran. When I started running, all I was thinking was to push myself as fast as I could because I promised someone I’d give my best in that run. It may sound weird, but in most races, especially the long ones, I've tried to look for a motivation to keep me going. During the Globe Run for Home, for instance, what inspired me was the prayer for my mother who then was suspected of a serious disease. I dedicated that run for her. The Rescue Run of course was for the Ondoy victims, while the 2009 Adidas King of the Road was my run against corruption. They helped me psych myself to run faster. Yesterday, I imagined someone waiting for me at the finish line. That thought sustained me and eased the pain that tried so hard to stop me from finishing the entire distance.

While running, I would see people trying to tell me something. I couldn’t hear them since I had my ear phones. Later, I realized that they’re informing me that I was third among the female runners. But just like in the TBR Dream Marathon where I was being told along the way of my rank, I did not mind that so much. I appreciated the encouragement that people gave me but I’ve always promised myself not to make that my main motivation. It’s always been that, if I get it, well and good. If not, perfectly fine. The more important thing is giving my best to reach a goal. I also thought they’re mistaken and might have missed the other female runners ahead of me.

Ms. Michelle Estuar, top female finisher

I ran at my comfortable pace during the first five kilometers, pushed a little further in the next five and then slowed down because of abdominal pain at around Km12. When I thought of quitting, I just kept on thinking of that someone at the finish line and it did the trick.

What I did was took advantage of all the water stations to rest, walk for a few seconds and recharge. When I saw the 13K mark, I thought, I could push it a little more since I still had the energy (despite the pain) and wouldn’t have to run beyond the finish line anyway. But when I was approaching that open space where the sun seemed to have focused its rays on without the sight of any drinking station, I decided to slow down.

After that part and I got the chance to drink, I picked my pace and ran strong to the finish where the organizers told me that I was the third woman to finish. I still did not believe it until my name was called and was handed the trophy. Wohoo! ;)

First podium finish ;)