World Vision is an advocacy I am supporting. I am a World Vision sponsor for several years now and I make it a point to join their run roo. This year, it was another feel-good run for a really good cause. Having the race venue at Blue Bay Walk gave us a faster access to Roxas Boulevard and its flyovers giving the race a hillier feel. It was awesome seeing thousand of runners all united for the cause of World Vision. #WorldVisionRun2016
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World Vision Run
It felt really odd being on the road again after being on trails the whole summer. This was one of the reasons why I opted for a 10K distance instead of the usual half marathons I join. After being away on paved grounds for so long, It felt like my first race once again. I was jittery and slowly adjusting to a road mindset. I guess it’s much more demanding when it comes to road runs as the pace is much faster. It’s adjustment time for me so the feel-good mood of World Vision Run would really be a great venue for my return on road runs.
Race Route
The race starts at Blue Bay Walk and immediately heads to Roxas Boulevard going to Baclaran Side with the first flyover at the first 500 meter mark. The race heads to Baclaran side until NAIA road with a u-turn at 2.8 kilometers and heads back to the other side of Roxas. The second Flyover is midway the fifth kilometer. The route heads to Luneta side with another flyover approaching the 7th kilometer. The u-turn slot is in front of V-Sotto at kilometer 7.5 before heading back to the last flyover and the road back to Blue Bay Walk.
The Race
The 10K distance had a 5:00 am gun start so was in the venue around 4:30 am, where I was able to see the send off of the 21 kilometer runners. I wanted to be early as I wanted to have sufficient warm up and stretching since this would be my first time on a road race once again after more than 3 months away. Joined the pre-race ceremonies and at 5:00 am, it was a GO!!!
I started at a fast pace just to try if I can sustain a pace. The first flyover was up at the first 500 meters of the race so I run half the flyover and then walk until the peak before running again. I made sure that my legs would be properly warmed up before I start with the run walk set. I saw Roselle (Running Diva) running at a very nice rhythm. I paced with her for a while until I switched to my run-walk set as I didn’t feel I have the endurance to sustain a fast pace.
The mental challenge on a fast 10K is sustaining that effort. I was able to sustain a sub 7 minute / kilometer pace in the first 3 kilometers. I then decided that I’d run out of gas at this pace so moved back my pace to 7:30 minute per kilometers by doing run walk sets. I would go at a a fast pace for a count of 100 – 120 and then walk for 20-30 seconds. I kept reminding myself to continue the effort and not to run lazy.
I met Justin and Jay Em of Color Manila around the 5th kilometer as we were descending the EDSA flyover to Roxas Boulevard. I joined their pace and at the foot of the flyover, I had to stop awhile to appreciate the large delegation of 5K runners approaching. While we had a lot of leg room at the other side of Roxas, it started to congest here. On the other hand, even with a bit of congestion, it was nice to see the large support base for World Vision.
It was a challenge to run here as you had to swerve over a group of runners to maintain the forward momentum. It was a managed pace from here on. I ran when there’s leg room and rest a bit when it’s congested. I finally got my rhythm back and as the kilometers moved on, the runners became more spread out. We had to tackle the flyover in Buendia approaching the 7th kilometer. I ran a stretch of the flyover and walked until the top of the flyover before running my way down to the flyover and take the u-turn at V-Sotto at around 7.5 kilometers into the race.
It was the last 2.5 kilometers into the race. One last climb and a few more effort to go. The Roxas course is known to be a fast and flat course but with 4 flyovers on the 10K routes, it had a very hilly feel. I love eating hills for breakfast anyway. I ran half of the climb again then walk ’til the peak and ran on the descent. It became even more crowded here as this was the u-turn slot for the 3K distance. I stayed at the side of the road, which had more leg room to run and went on one last push to the finish line.
I went on the road back to Blue Bay Walk, which was several hundred meters away from the finish line. I then went on a final run to survive my first road race in the past 3 months with a time of 1:15 or 7:30 minutes / kilometer pace. Not too fast but not too slow either. I guess I’ll get better on my next road run. I spent some time after the race to enjoy the post race festivities and met some running friends before calling it a day.
Outfit Of The Race
- Top: adidas Climachill with #TaleOfTheTrail design by Breakout Design
- Shorts and Visor: Under Armour
- Shoes: Saucony Guide 7
- Socks: Nike
- GPS Watch: Suunto Ambit 3 Sports
- Eyewear: Oakley Radarlock Path
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