My race report on the Globe Run for Home 2011 held on March 27, 2011. I did the half-marathon distance. The report has a similar format as my Perfect Race blog post.
My plan for this race was to do a 2:1 run-walk ratio from the start and aim for 3-hours again (my PR before this was 3:07). At the starting line, I positioned myself at the very rear so that I don't get carried away by the pace of the other runners and so that I won't be blocking other runners when I take my walk breaks as early as after the first 2 minutes of the race. There weren't a lot of 21K runners, and looking around, I was a little intimidated by how fit the other 21K runners looked. I was thinking there was a real possibility that I will be coming in last. True enough, at the start of the race, I was bringing up the rear. Occasionally, there will be the late runners who will be passing me. And during my first walk break after two minutes, it was dark and lonely. After a kilometer or so, I started to make contact with a few other 21K runners.
At the Kalayaan flyover, the 10K runners caught up with me. From just 2 or 3 runners around me, suddenly there were hundreds. I no longer knew where I was in the field of 21K runners. A few meters after the end of the Kalayaan flyover, along Buendia, was the 10K turn-around point. After that point, it was again just me and around 10 to 15 other 21K and 15K runners. I was probably with these 10 -15 runners for the next 10 - 15K.
The Buendia - Paseo de Roxas - Ayala part of the course was a very nice experience. There were just few of us runners, no cars, flat asphalt roads, plenty of marshals, and water and banana stations. It was so different from the familiar weekday hustle and bustle.
The 2:1 plan worked well for me. I did a very consistent pace all throughout. I even passed a lot of runners in the last 5K. There was a concerned runner who asked me if I was OK after he saw me taking a walk break and did deep breathing to recover. I told him I was fine and that I was doing the Galloway method and then thanked him. I eventually passed him :).
Strange though, is that the same thing from my debut 21K in Condura last February happened to me here. I got calf cramps a couple of hundred meters from the finish time. Only this time both calves cramped. I was probably obviously in pain and limping because a marshal cheered me on and told me that the medical tent is right after the finish line. But just like the last time, the cramps were gone by the time I crossed the finish line. I need to figure out why this happens to me near the finish line.
I think I did well in this race. I got my sub 3 hour 21K at 2:55 - better than my previous PR by 12 minutes. And overall, I felt fine after the race. The marathon is now in my sights.
- Water Stations: Many and well stocked. Some had sponges. I still brought my hydration belt. The water station near Pasong Tamo ran out of cups, so the volunteers handed out water in 1 liter bottles!
- Cheering: I didn't notice any.
- Route: The route ok. The Buendia-Ayala part was nice and simple, but I didn't like the many turns and turn-arounds at the University Ave. area, especially since it was already the last few kilometers of the run.
- Traffic management: Very good. There were no cars on the route.
- Kilometer Markers: There were markers but it was still not at every kilometer.
- Weather: Cool at the start, but much warmer towards the end.
- Marshals: There were enough and they knew what they were doing.
- Singlets: Yes. I didn't use this in the run.
- Timing chip: Yes.
- Race Results: Were already out that night.
- Photos: Yes. They used BazuSports.
- A run for charity: You can choose from four. I chose Habitat for Humanity.
- Finisher's shirt: None.
- Finisher's medal: Yes. It was different. It was made of glass.
- Injuries: None. Thank God!
- Personal Best: Yes! By 12 minutes.
PERFECT Race Experience Index: PERFEC
Things I really liked:
- The Ayala-Buendia route was great.
- Results were out that night.
- Hassle free claiming of loot bags.
- There was no congestion - at least at my pace. The lead runners of the 10K caught up with me on the Kalayaan flyover but they had their turn-around already before Paseo de Roxas.
- Bananas and Sponges.
- PR!
Things that they can improve on:
- The downloadable photos were not yet available after three weeks. I saw a lot of photographers on the route taking photos of me (because I was alone most of the time) but I only got 2 photos at the finish line.
- There were too many turn-arounds and turns on the latter part of the route.
- Registration fee (I'm writing this after the FREE Hyundai run)
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