My race report on the Mizuno Infinity Run 11. I did the 21K distance.
I haven't been feeling well lately and I still have a cough, so I didn't plan to beat my PR of 2:55. I targeted a 3:00 to 3:15 finish - a little faster than my 20+ Km long runs. I've set my run-walk ratio again to 2:1 - my standard for races longer than 10K.
The race was held at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) and the 21K went to Buendia, back to BGC, went to Lawton and Bayani Road then back to BGC for the finish. This was my first time to go to Bayani Road, and heard that Lawton and Bayani are hilly routes. I expected it to be tough, combining that with the Kalayaan-Buendia flyover. And I haven't done any hills for the past two months.
The race started unceremoniously - typical of a Rudy Biscocho organized race. Runners were talking to each other while the emcee was doing her thing when suddenly we heard a gunshot about a minute before the scheduled gun start time of 5:00am. We looked at each other and asked, "was that the gun start?" Even the emcee was surprised, she stopped mid-sentence and when she realized what has just happened, started to instruct the runners to - "step on the mat, don't forget to step on the mat!"
I positioned myself at the back so as not to block other runners with my pace and my walk breaks.
The first 10 Kms were OK, it was mostly Buendia Ave. and the easier direction of the Kalayaan flyover. Hydration stations were good. Stocked with plenty of cold water and Gatorade. I remember last year, I had to queue to get Gatorade. I took it easy and passed the 10K mark at around 1:25 (that's better than my 1:27 10K last year; I wonder if that will be considered in the Beat My Pace challenge).
The next 11K was my toughest to date. My previous toughest was my 10K at Milo last year and it was tough because of the heat and humidity, and the race ran out of water. This one is because of the distance, terrain and I realized then - lack of training for the distance and terrain. It was a struggle starting from the harder direction of the Kalayaan flyover. Then on to the hills of 5th Ave., Lawton Ave., and Bayani Road. And we had to do all those hills twice because that part of the route goes out and back. Thank God for the cool weather! If it was as hot as Goldilocks last April, or Greentennial last month, I would have quit or walked most of the way. Because of the good weather, the well stocked hydration stations, and my "baon" of granola bars, gummy candies and my own hydration, I still managed a 2:1 run-walk, and later a 1:1. I also managed to pass the 16K mark in 2:21, better than my first 16K at Greentennial last month.
On the last 4K, my quads, calves and arches were really protesting. I was literally talking to them, imploring them to relax, asking them to bring me to the finish line and promising them that we'll be resting soon (these actually work). I was continuously trying different strides, trying to find the one that's the least painful. It's like being in a cramped long-haul flight, trying to find a position in your seat that will get you through the ordeal.
Then finally, the last turn to the finish line. In my last two half-marathons, I suffered cramps on my calves in the last couple of 100 meters to the finish line. Naturally, thoughts of cramps, filled my mind. I was about to start this sentence with "Fortunately" but I don't see anything fortunate about it, anyway, since I was exhausted mentally and physically, I didn't have the urge to rush to the finish line. The sudden exertion on fatigued muscles most likely caused my previous cramps - a case of "the mind is willing but the body is not."
So, I simply jogged my way to the most important thing in this whole race experience - in spite of everything, I still crossed the finish line.
It was great to see my wife and son waiting for me near the finish line - they were waiting for almost two and half hours! My wife and son got their PBs in the 5K, 0:38 and 0:24 respectively. I finished my 3rd 21K in around 3:09 - a few minutes slower than my first 21K last February.
Scorecard:
- Water Stations: Many and well stocked with water and Gatorade. A few of them provided sponges and bananas.
- Cheering: I didn't notice any
- Route: The route was very challenging. Bayani Road was new to me. There were no crowding of the runners.
- Traffic management: Not good. The runners shared the road with cars. And there was even an intersection with no marshals and speeding cars were crossing it. There were several instances when I had to cross the street like a pedestrian, not like a runner in a race. I was stopped by traffic enforcers at intersections to let vehicles through four times!
- Kilometer Markers: Nice job here. First time I've been to a race with kilometer markers every kilometer.
- Weather: Nice. It was cloudy. No sun.
- Marshals: There were enough on most key turns/intersections.
- Singlets: Yes. An original Mizuno singlet. I used it on the race. It's a keeper.
- Timing chip: Yes.
- Race Results: Not yet out as of this writing.
- Photos: None on the route.
- A run for charity: No.
- Finisher's shirt: Yes.
- Finisher's medal: Yes.
- Injuries: None. Thank God! My heel pain didn't worsen.
- Personal Best: No.
PERFECT Race Experience Index: PERFE
Things I really liked:
- Singlet - best singlet to date for any race I've joined
- Kilometer markers at every kilometer
- Ample water and Gatorade
- Timing chip on the bib rather than having to install it on the shoe
- Good value for money - original mizuno singlet, finisher's shirt, finisher's medal, Gatorade at all hydration stations, 10% discount on mizuno products, P50 discount on the registration fee if you present your bib from last year.
Things that they can improve on:
- Handle the traffic. Keep the runners safe from vehicles.
- More marshals.
- Better planning of the distribution of singlets and finishers' medals
- Give the medal upon finishing, rather than waiting an hour for it to be delivered to the site or waiting for a week to have it delivered to your home.
What I learned:
- Treat each race differently
- Train for the distance and the terrain, even if you've previously raced the same distance and terrain
- I learned how not to get cramps near the finish line
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