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CDO Run for Odyssey

Posted by on 11. November 2015

Back in the Half Marathon Distance

  • Date: November 8, 2015
  • Distance: 21K
  • Venue: Bonifacio Global City

CDO Run for Odyssey came in with a great cause of feeding hungry mouths for the Odyssey Foundation.  It also came with a throwback course we enjoyed in the past as we navigated the BGC, Makati and Bayani Road loop. It was a great day for a run and it was great to contribute to a good cause in the process. #CDORunForOdyssey2015

CDO Run For Odyssey

Post Race with these the Running Diva, One Reyna and the Adobo King. – Photo by RJ Knight Runnner of Running Photographers

I have been absent from the half marathon distance for the past 3 to 4 months.  I opted to pull back and trained for the shorter distance for the past few months. My last 21K was a struggle after my busy schedule finally caught up with me.  Incidentally, CDO Run for Odyssey had the same course of my last 21K so I guess it’s payback time for me.  It was time to return to the 21K distance once again. I actually prefer the BGC loop since it gives you a balance of climbs and flats to challenge your legs.  CDO would also be a nice feel-good run as the proceeds would go to the Odyssey Foundation, which have a feeding program for those in need.  It feels odd to be racing in the 21K again but I always find a way to finish my races.

Race Route

Race Route Powered by Suunto Ambit 3 Sports and Movescount

Race starts at 9th Avenue and 34th Streets and heads to Buendia Avenue via Kalayaan Flyover until Osmena Boulevard for the first 6 kilometers of the race.  The race then heads back to BGC reaching Rizal Drive around the 11th Kilometer Mark.  The race then climbs up from Rizal Drive and 5th Avenue and heads over to a rolling terrain in Lawton and Bayani Road until the Kilometer 16.  From the tip of Bayani Road, the race heads back to BGC for the finish.

The Race

Calm before the race – Photo by RJ Knight Runnner of Running Photographers

It really felt odd being back in the half marathon distance once again. You can run more aggressively on shorter distances but when it comes to half marathon, you should pace yourself well. That’s the challenge for this one as I felt like a newbie once again.  I would definitely like a better time than my last time at this course though but I’ll play it by feel.  After all the warm up and pre race activity, the race was on.

Rung Franckee Run – Photo by Mark Jayson Antonio of Running Photographers

I started with a sub 6 minutes per kilometer pace on the first kilometer just to get the feel if I could do a fast one.  First kilometer was ok but I had to slow down as we hit the climbs at Kalayaan Flyover at the second kilometer.  I did make the most of the climb and tried to run a portion of it just for the training effect of the climb.  By the third kilometer, I noticed that my leg cadence is not as fast as my previous runs as I was feeling some tightness and also minor pains in the shins.  I had to adjust to a run walk set with a 20 seconds walking break everytime I cross a street (e.g. Paseo De Roxas, Makati Ave, N. Garcia, etc.) until I reached Osmena Boulevard at around Kilometer 6.  I wasn’t fast but I was consistent so I was able to keep my pace between 7-7:30 minutes per kilometer pace.

If I can’t be fast, I’ll try to be consistent. – Photo by Mark Jayson Antonio of Running Photographers.

Every time, I would rest, I’d limit it for just 20-30 seconds walk as anything longer than that will keep me more enticed with walking than running.  On the way back, it felt faster as I was able to breeze some kilometers and maintained the same pace in the next 3 kilometers. The 10th kilometer wass my slowest kilometer as this included the long climb in Kalayaan Flyover. At first I ran about half of the climb then shifted to a 30 seconds run / 30 seconds walk set until I reached the top of the climb.  I went back to my regular pace for the rest of the stretch of Kalayaan Flyover until the 11K mark at the foot of Rizal Drive.

Just Keep on Running – Photo by Richele Ann Te of Running Photographers.

The stretch from Rizal Drive until the end of 5th Avenue was a long uphill climb.  I ran most of the stretch of Rizal Drive since it is relatively flatter compared to the 5th Avenue stretch.  The steep part was the 5th Avenue so I went on a 1 minute run 30 seconds walk sequence.  It did make the climb more tolerable.  The Lawton part was mostly rolling so I was running most part of this stretch.  I did some terrain management at Bayani Road with more efforts on the descents and took time to recover on the inclines until the u-turn portion at Bayani Road.

Getting my early dose of Vitamin E. – Photo by Mark Murillo

The last 5K was from Bayani Road to Lawton before heading back to BGC.  The road back had some climbs and I was starting to feel exhausted with some pains on my back. In other words, I was lacking some core strength to keep up the right running posture.  I shifted to a modified run walk set which had me running until I can, walking for 20 seconds and running again.  I was slowly inching my way out of the hilly part which was until the 19th and a half kilometer.  The rest was a descent at 5th Avenue and flatter areas in 32nd Street and 9th Ave for the finish.  Since gravity was on my side this time, I cruised on the descent on a way to a strong finish. I’m glad to be back at the half marathon distance. Great job Leadpack and CDO for a well organized race.

And let’s call it a race – Photo by Mark Murillo

Outfit of The Race

Back in 21K

  • Top: Berghaus with #TaleOfTheTrail Design by Breakout Design
  • Bottom, Calf Sleeves and Visor: Under Armour
  • Shoes: Newton Distance IV
  • Eyewear: Oakley
  • GPS Watch: Suunto Ambit 3 Sports
  • Socks: Features

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