ALL IS WELL: MY RUN UNITED CEBU EXPERIENCE

Photo credit: Larsen Inc Official Facebook Page

Run United Cebu Leg is one race I said to myself I won't surely miss no matter what.  


In fact, with a heavy heart, I begged off attending the fun run of my high school Alma Mater to be at Unilab's running event.

Several of my running friends also waited in anticipation .  After its successful series in Manila, Cagayan, Bacolod and Baguio, Cebu runners are very excited to be part of this biggest running event of the month with Cebu being the last leg of the Regional Series.

But because it was slated in December which is the busiest month of the year - with christmas parties left and right, reunions and gatherings, holiday shopping and other pre-Christmas commitments, I didn't have enough time and focus for training.

But I didn't care - after all I am not competing and not aiming for a podium finish.

My heart's desire is just to cross that finish line and bring home that very nice 21k finisher's medal.

The UnDisciplined Runner

A night before the big day, we had our Metro Cebu RCBC Christmas Party at Harolds Hotel, Cebu City. When I learned that the party will be a night before the race, I'd thought of skipping it to prepare for the next day's event.

But two days before the party, I got a call from the party organizers that I'll be one of the hosts.

I had no choice but to stay and wait until the party ends.  It ended at past 12 midnight.  Though tired and exhausted, I am still confident that I can wake up early even if I slept at 1:05 AM.

But things didn't turn out as expected.

I woke up at 4:57 AM without the aid of an alarm clock or my wife's gentle whispers.

When I saw the time, I simply panicked. Oh My God ! I didn't know what to do.

With three minutes left before the 5 AM gun time , in my mind I asked "How will I catch up the race?".

All is Well

When the 21k race started in Asiatown, IT Park, Cebu City.  I am still at home in Cordova, Cebu contemplating whether to push through or not.

But for me quitting is not an option. I never quitted on things I'm passionate about.  And I can't accept the thought of missing that finisher's medal.  It would be my fourth and nicest medal.   I would regret giving up the race for the rest of my life.

Fortunate enough to have found a cab driver who drove me so fast that I arrived at the venue at exactly 5:35 AM.   The baggage counter attendant informed me that im 35 minutes late and have to do a lot of catching up.

At the starting line, the 10k runners are about to be dispersed.  I have to pass the starting line for my chip to read my time, so I joined them.

"All is well" was my mantra.  Positive Thinking.  In my mind I thought everything will be ok.

True enough, everything turned out well. I was surprised I was not the last runner to cross the finish line .  Along the way, I passed by tired 21k runners making walk breaks.

I clocked at 2:51. Few seconds better than my first 21k.

Not bad,  after all  I felt proud of myself by not quitting, not making shortcuts along the way and my sheer determination to finish the race no matter what.

All in all,  my Run Cebu United experience taught me three important lessons:

1.  Never be late again.  If I have to take running by heart, I have to develop the discipline of a runner, go back to basics and strive to know how to balance my priorities.

2.  Be positive.  Don't panic. Chill and think of the best thing to do at the moment.  Amazing things can happen if you stay cool, focus and think that everything will turn out good.

3.  Never quit.  A runner will never conquer impossible roads if he'd entertained the thought of quitting at the start.    As an overused cliche puts it "Winners never quit".

Happy Running !!!