hey

Mar 29, 2009
2:03am

Last week I was able to finish my second marathon. The date was March 22, 2009. Tokyo Marathon 2009.
I did the Tokyo Marathon last year and finished it at 6 hours and 50 minutes.
This time I was able to finish it 7 minutes faster!
What really made it special was that this time my sister Maricar, ran with me, although she was running the 10KM race, and not the full marathon. Having her around was really good since  I had someone to talk to while running(unlike last year). I felt less alone, and by the time we split as she was off to finishing the 10 K run, I was energized to finish the 32 km that was left of the course.
This year I was really worried, because again, I do not believe I trained properly for running a marathon. My runs the past few months consisted more of basketball games rather than just plain running. And to make things worse, I caught a bad cold a week before the marathon. In fact, 4 days before the run, I was out sick, in bed, and was unable to come to work. Bad times.
Well, here is a (literally)running diary of what transpired.

Mar 21, 11pm:
ME: ”hon, do you think I should still run? Do you think I can finish?”
WIFE: Um, no. Go back to sleep.
I then go back to bed thinking that my wife is trying to motivate me. This is the EXACT equivalent when Adrian tells Rocky “YOU CAN’T WIN! Its suicide!!!” in Rocky 4. Man, my wife is good.
Mar 22, 2009(Day of the race)
6:00 am
MARICAR: Hey, you running. Wake up time to get ready.
ME: Um, I don’t think so. I don’t feel good. I’ll just sleep in.
7:00 am: I tell my sister, “ok maybe I’ll run until 10K with you” and promptly change to my running gear. I kiss my wife and daughter goodbye and briefly whisper “hon, I’m gonng give it a try, and will stop if I can’t do it”
9:00 am: Me and my sister are at our designated starting blocks, block J, walking towards the official starting line. We settle down and say a quick prayer together. That was really good as it calmed my nerves a lot.  We are chatting and she is taking pictures. Soaking in the festive atmosphere. We see many runners in costumes. Some in Dragon Ball Z attire, some in Pikachu body suits while some (unbelievable), in…ahem…maid/nurse costumes. Really strange.
There was even one runner who placed himself INSIDE a violin. Crazy.
Anyways we ran into a TRIATHLETE from the Philippines. Pretty cool guy who was in Japan just for the marathon. Turns out he travels the world to participate in various triathlon competitions. He then shares the info that even Philippine senator Pia Cayetano was in the race today. Awesome.
9:57 am We are off running as the crowds have created a lot of space. WIth my sister next to me, I keep telling her “run at a comfortable pace! Don’t rush! Take it easy”. A few minutes later, I am off to my first bathroom break. My thighs are a bit sore. Not a good sign.
10:10 am We hit the 5KM mark. Feeling OK so far, a bit sore but not too bad. My sister, since this is her first time, is very overwhelmed and excited by the whole event. We share laughs and chuckles. We take turns pointing out runners in funny costumes. However, I feel a bit worried. Usually when I run, I try to focus and concentrate. And I am somehow tempted to tell my sister to do the same, and try to concentrate. However, she is having fun, and I tell myself I should too.

10:47am We reach the 10km mark! Which means my sis has finished her race and is off to towel off, relax and get her medal. Congratulations to her! Good job sis. In the meantime, I get down to business, turn my I-pod on, set the volume to Max, and start running for real. 32 Km to go.

12:11pm I reach the halfway point. I am ecstatic, but at the same time I ran past a heavy set Japanese man who lays flat on his back while paramaedics are giving him CPR! I seriously consider quitting and  waving the bus to take me to the finish line. I tell myself, “one kilometer at a time. See if you can do it”

1:49pm Here comes the rain. And the wind. Its very cold, and I am barely jogging. My knees are sore, and I follow my coworker’s advise which was to “walk 50 steps, and then start running again”. I try that but after a few minutes, I start walking again. What have I gotten myself into? I tell myself never to do this again. But I am at the 30 km point. A little more than 10kms to go!! Wow!
Maybe, just maybe, I can finish this race!

3:53pm I hit the finish line! I can’t believe it. Volunteers are handing me oranges, bananas, water and energy drinks. Wow! Running the marathon gives me an adrenaline rush like no other. I did it. I did it. Then I remember, there are many people praying for me. My wife, my friends at church, my family members. I say a quick prayer of thanks to God. Wow! Amazing indeed. I can’t wait to see my wife and daughter, and tell my kid that, hey, your Daddy finished the Tokyo Marathon. Again.

Update:
For those interested, here is the actual split of my run:
http://p.tokyo42195.org/numberfile/38173.html

And…here are pics!
http://allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?tag_code=zekken&page_id=5438&tag=38173

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