Lessons Learned @ My RU3 32K Experience

I almost DNFd @ KM 27. 😦

That’s how I describe my first 32K (20 miles) race last Sunday at Unilab’s Run United 3. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done to myself. After my grueling 5+ long hours finish, (Arrrrghhh!) I don’t what to feel. Should I still be proud because at least I finished? Or should I hate myself for doing something that I did not prepare for. Or maybe I should feel both. Or maybe I should just feel nothing and just let it go.

People will say it’s okay. People will still congratulate you on your finish. As long as you did not quit, it’s ok. Which is absolutely true! Finishing a race, whatever distance is already an achievement. And that will cheer you up a little, will make you smile, will make you proud of yourself again. But when time comes that you’re alone, you’ll still tell yourself, you could’ve still done better. That you would like to do better.

The truth is, I was disappointed with myself after the race. It’s like failing the exam of your favorite subject. And with my first full marathon coming very soon, I felt I lose the excitement.

But as what they say, running just like life, has it’s ups & downs. Sometimes you feel good about yourself, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes you think you can run anytime, sometimes you get lazy.  Sometimes you think you can conquer any distance, sometimes you get scared.

But whatever we feel sometimes, the best thing about running is, it will always be a learning experience. You will always get something from it. Not just PR’s, not just medals, not just finisher shirts. You will get to know more about yourself, you will get life lessons, you will have an experience that will make you a better person.

And yes, this is my attempt to perceive my previous 32K race on the more positive approach:

“Yes, it was difficult, It was painful, It was long 5 hours but I LEARNED A LOT FROM IT”

Lessons Learned/Realizations @  My RU3 32K Experience:

 1.  Prepare for the distance that you signed up for! – I was supposed to run 21K for this race, but slots were already taken when I register, so I reluctantly register for 32K. (On hindsight, I should’ve downgraded to 16K, instead of upgrading to 32K) I never ran longer than 21K in my entire life, as a result I almost took the wall @ km 27.

2.   Heat Training – I always run in the morning and at night. And running under the scorching heat of the sun was a first and was very difficult for me. So lesson learned is add heat training on your schedule. (or maybe run faster, para wag abutan ng init) 😀

 3. It’s good to have a team. When I was about to cross the finishline, I saw my team mates from HOB waiting for me. And I truly appreciated it. They were all there under the heat of sun, patiently waiting and cheering for me. It’s good to have runner friends. They wont let you feel alone, when you cross the finish line after long painful hours! Thank you Team HOB! 😀

That’s all for now! Will pack my bags for Nathan Ridge Run tomorrow at Tagaytay Highlands! See you on the hills! 😀