I Conquered the Buendia Flyover at Mizuno Infinity Race 2010

A couple of days before the Mizuno Infinity Race 2010 (April 11, 2010), my angel and I had a little bit of something to look forward to. We agreed that whomever reached the finish line by 01:10 will get a FREE compression tights from the one who had been left behind. Seriously, we haven't left each other in each and every race; so, this is something that's worth looking forward to. And the competition [between us] is a healthy one.

Obviously, I am leaned at beating him for I had my regular Wednesday runs. But, on the other hand, he has his biking to replace the runs. So, this will be a good match, LOL!

We arrived at the Bonifacio High Street (BHS) not too early [and not too late]. But we find ourselves dishing into the 5K crowd for we were less than a minute late for the 10K gunstart.

So there, I began my "chikka pace" so as not to burn out and tire my legs. My angel did the same thing. I just told him, "Go ahead. 01:10". But we would always catch up with each other. Seems no one wanted to buy someone a compression tights, LOL!

I checked on my watch as we pass by the 1KM and the 2KM mark. We fall short for a minute on the first but cope up on our second for our 01:10 target. And then a challenge surprised me - the Buendia Flyover!

But remembering my adiNation Ortigas group and Coach Abby's enthusiasm on hills makes me wanna run the uphill. And I did. And I enjoy every moment of it. While at the heart of the flyover, we can't resist stopping and taking pictures. For the record, this is our first time to cover the whole stretch.

See that long stretch? I conquer that!

As we continue our run, we have seen a few runners already on their way back to the finish line. And so I thought, "What?! We'll be running this flyover again? And we're not even half of it?" My angel just smiled at me and say, "Yes." But, honestly, I am enjoying it. It was a rare opportunity and only runners could experience it - running along the Buendia Flyover. My sort of worried question earlier had been replaced by amusement and said, "Why did RunningAtom haven't told us earlier that it is fun to run the flyover?"

We reached the end of the flyover with the 4KM mark and was welcomed by hydration booth. But we never stopped for we had brought Powerade with us already. And then we run. Both of us still can keep up with each other's pace. Most especially when we have to cross vehicular traffic.

Run. Run. Run.

We reached the 5KM mark 2 minutes short of our target. Well, I actually reached the mark earlier than my angel. But he pushes me to run; anyway, we'll surely meet at the finish line. And so I run. I just content myself that he can surely catch up with me.

While running alone [not literally], I began to contemplate. There were a number of runners who pushes hard only to stop and walk after a few minutes; allowing me to overtake them. There were also some who can maintain a slow run without walking. I had a long blink of the eye and said to myself, "My greatest competition is myself. I should never compare myself to other runners for I never know what training they have been; and what physical strength they already have.", which is basically the theme of the race - conquering oneself. With that, I never mind those who had been overtaking me, nor those whom I had overtaken. I just thought of beating my time, and finishing 10K without hurting knees.

I'm back at the Buendia Flyover again. I ran the uphill. I feel great once more. Regularly, I would look back to see if my angel is still catching up on me. I can still see him as I landed on the middle of the flyover. So, I continue to run. I looked at my watch as I had conquered the flyover for the second time, and it seems like 01:10 is still attainable - if, and only if, I would sprint the last 1.5KM or so.

I remember my fastest was a 5min 59sec for a 1.2K distance. I can surely make it to the finish [and have a free compression tights]. But my legs just can't get that secondwind to push for a sprint. At the last 1KM mark, I look back, and I just can't see my angel. He probably just walk for he had blisters on his foot.

Am I going for the sprint? Or I would just run comfortably?

I chose to run comfortably. I don't know but I really can't get the secondwind. Maybe next time. Or probably I need to hold my angel's hand to have that push. Anyhow, what matter for this race is that I was able to finish pain-free. My unofficial time was 01:14:56. My angel arrived 4 minutes later.

Although I was not able to meet my target, I am still fulfilled. And I am really looking forward at conquering the Buendia Flyover over and over again.

More importantly, we enjoyed the race!

with my angel. Beat me next time?

with the Strathletes. Soon to be IT Runners.

Playing, LOL!

with Sir Rene. Thank you so much for the freebie! I love it!

I will NEVER SETTLE. Come next year, I will beat my greatest competition - myself. As the race had unfolded, this is a never-ending battle, an infinity. And I am up for the challenge! See you all next year.