I wrote this AFTER my run almost a month ago. I just forgot to publish this, lol.
I did a 5km race today.
I thought it was a bit beneath me when I registered for it because I can definitely run longer and stronger than that, but the schedule of the race was just perfect. Running at 11 in the morning, neither too early nor too late, and with an available bus for me to take to go downtown (I keep on finding myself living close to or in a mountain). It was just perfect. The 10km race was at 7. It just wouldn’t do.
I didn’t eat before the run. I am used to doing workouts fasted because I feel stronger and more in control. My tummy also doesn’t like being full early in the morning. I am quite used to the schedule of intermittent fasting from 10 to 18, I guess. So, I just drank around 300 ml of water before the whole run, and that was a mistake.
I was thinking that the run was only going to be around 30 minutes, 42 minutes if I was slow. I would be fine without food or water. It was only 5 kilometers after all. I was so wrong. At 1.25 km, I was already feeling thirsty. More than anything I have experienced in my entire life. Thank God the XM Limassol Marathon had a refreshment section around 1.75 km or something. I greedily accepted water and wet my mouth. I didn’t drink because I felt it would add weight or something. Crazy thought, to be honest.
Another ‘mistake’ I made, or so I thought, was running without listening to anything. I felt so stupid at the turning point, and I was beating myself up because why the freak did I not put my AirPods on? I couldn’t stop running just to do that. I never did, actually. I ran the whole way through. The whole time, which was not that long, I was left in my own head, feeling every drop of my feet against the pavement and looking for something around me to focus on. Until I gave up. I just talked to myself and listened to my thoughts. It was a listless mind, chaotic but sound. Full of worries and doubts but surprisingly sure about believing in ourselves.
From the starting point, I held myself back. I told myself to slow down my pacing and focus on rhythm and endurance. It has been a long time since I ran for something that is timed. The first time was a distant memory in university, a 5km fun run. I accidentally won that one because I just kept on going. I never stopped, never rested. I just ran and focused on myself and how far I was going among my peers. I won 3,000 Php for that and 1/3 of a medal. The medal was divided among the three winners, and I got the middle one. I also got a photo with the school’s president. And I did the same for this race after almost 15 years.
I ran slowly. My pacing was quite slow for me. I have done training runs for myself at 4.10 min/km, but we all know that for a recreational runner, that is not sustainable. I run for fun and for the view. I run when I see happy runners. I run when I feel bored. I run when I want to race my past self, but I have never run seriously to get ahead of other people. I only like hiking ahead of Norwegians because that makes me feel good about myself, and I go crazy hiking when I am in the flow. I did Vidden Tursti from Starefossen to Fløyen all the way down to Ulriken in under 4 hours. I was only ‘hiking,’ not running. It is quite different from running. I don’t like the latter that much.
The whole time, I thought I was running at 7 mins/kilometer. As I was nearing the finish line, I even saw 40 or something, and I accepted that I would finish 5km in 42 minutes. Then it was 50 meters until the finish line, and I saw that it was actually for the marathon. The runners were now at 4 hours. I crossed the finish line and took my medal, a banana, a water bottle, and a cup of energy drink. I was spent and quite happy that I was finally going to be able to eat. I did a 5-minute walking cool down and remained standing for another 10 minutes. After that, I checked my racer profile on the app. I actually did well at 5:34 mins per km and was around 39th place out of 487 women and 153rd of 985 overall. I did not do badly after all.
Now, I am going to start preparing for my next run. My husband and I both signed up because we want to see the vicinity, and running around the area would be a great way to do so. Wish us luck!
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