Milo Finals 2010 21km: Perfect

When everything around you,

be it the first time you tried 1000m cruise intervals 3 days prior to race (in which you bonked on the 4th rep after 3 5:40 laps),
the massage 2 days prior to raceday,
the nice cool weather,
the flat course,
the multivitamin you took that morning,
that pack of biscuits and half a donut prior to start,
that chug of Gatorade,
the GU at km0/8/16,
that ½ of a banana you took from the banana station at km17 and ate at km19,
the constant checking of quick-leg-turnover,
the absence of left knee pain,
the generous amount of water/Gatorade stations along the course,
the point of not giving up even with a side stitch from km16 to the finish,

is encouraging you to beat your half-marathon PR, all you have to do is embrace all of it and run your best. You run like hell, hoping that your 305 will lap every km close to 6:20. At the sign of 1.5km to go, you don’t stop at the last water station to save on time and lap km21 at an amazing sub-6:00.

That day, everything was just perfect.

The result?

2:14:48 (Garmin gun time).

A new 21km PR.

Now THAT definitely encapsulates all the hard work I’ve done since building up mileage last August.

As a runner, should I stop after that achievement?

I say no.

On the contrary, I will continue to train.

For suddenly, a sub-2:10 half-mary and, more importantly, a sub-5:00 full-marathon is possibly, hopefully, within my grasp.

Next year.

with good buddy balikbayan Edesel (had a 2:34 PR too!)