Race Recap: Unilab Run United Cebu 2011

Running 10K in Cebu as my last race for the year is a great way to end 2011. This year has not been a big year for my running goals. In fact, I didn’t have any running goals for the year.

It was only towards the end of 2011 that I got back on the road and building up mileage again. Thus, when Unilab invite me to join other bloggers for Cebu, I signed up with my one and only goal for 2011 – Run 10K under 60 minutes.

With fellow bloggers and media partners

I know that I have a slim chance of achieving a sub-60. First, I ran a 10K race only once this year which I finished at 1:26. Second, it means I should run a 6:00 min/km pace without stopping. The last time I checked, I can only maintain that pace for the first 5 kms.

Nonetheless, it is better to set my goals high. I have done several sub-60s in the past. Maybe some miracle will happen in Cebu that my old self will be back again.

The First 5K

The 10K race started at 5:30. I am familiar with some of the roads in Cebu since I joined the Cebu Marathon last 2010 and also stayed 6 months after college for the board exams review. So one thing I know about the route.  It gets hilly in the middle.

The first 5K was mostly flat. I was able to maintain my 6:00 min/km pace. At first, I was lagging behind but when a little girl run passed me at KM3, I tried to catch up with her.

It’s pretty bad to be chicked. Feels even worst if you get chicked by a little girl. She was fast and being paced by a boy as well. I wish these kids train well and be motivated to be in the same class of foreign elites someday.

I got chicked by this little girl at KM3.

Tougher at KM6 and Beyond

Starting at KM5, elevation was gaining little by little. This was around Gen Maxilom Ave. I was having a hard time keeping up with my target pace. By the middle of KM6, I decided to walking already. My sub-60 dream was gone.

The roads then took me to Fuente Osmena and the Capitol. Going to Fuente Osmena was slightly uphill, but Osmena Blvd was flat and I tried to gain back my pace a little.

The Capitol at Cebu

KM7 was worst along Escario St. It was probably the steepest uphill of the route. My pace was dropping to 7:00 min/km. This road always punish me. During the Cebu Marathon 2010, I was walking in pain with an injury and cramps in this same road. After almost 2 years, I was again walking at Escario St., but thank God I am still injury free.

Speeding up at KM10

My pace at KM9 was the slowest. I was making mental calculations on my possible finish time. A 1:06 was still doable. Not a bad finish time compared to my last 10K race.

The final kilometer was at Salinas Dr. I maintained a 6:00 min/km pace for the final stretch. I expect to get tired in the middle and get back to walking again.  But I kept running and feel good about it. Then I realized, the road was going downhill. So why not push it a little more? I ran faster at a 5:30 pace and still felt good. I wanted to push further but decided to reserve some for the sprint to the finish line.

I can now see the final turn. I told myself to push.

It’s amazing what the mind can do. After feeling sore in the last 4 kilometers, all of a sudden, the mind tells your body it can still do more. I love to sprint to the finish line and I always reserve a little energy to it. At the last 300 meter, I was running a 4:17 pace. It was painful but I loved the pain. I even missed this pain.

My watch says, I finished at 1:04:12. My official gun time was 1:04:31 and a chip time of 1:04:07.  My watch measured a 10.3KM course for the 10K.

Complete Unilab Run United Cebu Race Results can be downloaded here.

Finished 10K in Cebu

Great Finish and a Great Year

Unilab ends the year with a successful Run United in Cebu. It was a fitting finale for the Run United which debuts a regional series covering Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Cagayan De Oro, Baguio and Cebu.

Despite not meeting my sub-60 goal, a 1:04 finish was good enough and a sign that I can get back my sub-60 days for 2012 as long as I keep on an active lifestyle with running.

Unilab Run United 2012 will surely keep my running calendar busy. There will be the 3 Legs of Run United for March, June and September in Manila. Plus the Run united Philippine Marathon in October 2012. The Unilab Regional Series 2012 may have changes in the provinces it will cover. Exact dates and venues will be announced soon.

Thanks to Unilab for a great Cebu weekend. Let’s run again to an Active and Healthy lifestyle in 2012.

With Janice and Claire of Unilab