My Personal Journey at the Successful Energizer Night Race Manila 2014 in Filinvest, Alabang

It has been three years since I joined an official race at the Pocari Sweat Run 2011. At the time, I wasn't very convinced that running is for me. 

photo op before the race started

Fast forward to 2014 when I've had friends and relatives being diagnosed with lifestyle diseases and terminal illnesses. I grudgingly admitted to myself that I need to be more conscious about my health and that I don't exercise enough. When a younger cousin of mine unexpectedly passed away a few weeks ago and left two young kids behind, the wake up call sounded much more urgent. I want to live long enough to see my sons grow up and have their own families!

And so I finally let my husband, an enthusiastic barefoot runner (read more about his adventures in his Trails Unlimited blog), to convince me to join him in his practice runs. Before I knew it, he has registered me to the Energizer Night Race Manila 2014 and I had barely a month to prepare!

There was no turning back then. For four weeks, I practiced running at least two times a week and, thanks to the Runtastic app I downloaded on my Windows Phone, I got to keep track of distances, speed, and even calories lost. 

Race day (well, night) came and I alternately ran and walked along with thousands of runners around Filinvest, Alabang. The whole area was flooded with tiny lights from people's headlamps making the roads look crawling with thousands of huge fireflies. It was a beautiful sight. 

As usual, my legs started to feel like they were burning even before I reached the 2k mark but plodded on, determined to finish 5k no matter what. Several hundred meters before the finish line, my husband (who ran 10k) caught up with me. I told him to go ahead so he could finish faster. I felt a rush of relief when I turned the last bend and saw the Start/Finish arch. Pushing myself to the limit, I made sure I was at least running until I crossed the finish line. 

My husband was there to meet me, smiling from ear to ear. We waited for our second son (the sporty one) to arrive from his own 10k run. Finishing an activity with these two guys I dearly love was a great feeling.  

Now, I've just checked the race results at MyRunTime and found that I finished 5k in less than an hour!  Cool! Hmmm, maybe next time, I'll get to beat my personal record. Let's see ...