Condura 42K: A Survivor's Story

" Pure confidence will not take you to the finish line..."

When the schedule of Condura Run 2010 was announced late last year, I told myself this was one race I wouldn't miss. I only had good memories of the 2009 edition and this is one race which offers other organized races don't : run on the Skyway. The 2010 edition, though, is 21K different from the 2009 offering. Yes, it now has a full marathon included in its distances.

Before I even trained for it, I registered for the full marathon last December. With or without training, I was going to be at the starting line and would finish the race no matter what. It was going to be my first full marathon and a DNF would leave a bad taste in the mouth, wouldn't it?

I started training for this race in Jan. 2, 2010, after the holiday binging in December, 2009. I planned a short 10K run to start, then followed it with a 20K run the following day. It was then an unforgiving enemy revealed itself to me.

On the 18th kilometer of my planned 20K run, I felt a stabbing pain on the outside of my left knee cap. I stopped and shook my left calf, then ran again, only to stop again a few meters after. The pain started to become worse and I had to put a stop to my run. Another day, I thought, another day.

Throughout the first week of the new year, I ran for 10-12kms during weekdays and would attempt a long run over the weekend but would stop just before I complete my training run due to severe left knee pains. I wasn't sure of what was happening to me. I thought my running shoes needed to retire and as a solution, I bought a new pair.

My new shoes made me run faster, but not longer. Still, the left knee pain persisted around the 20K mark of my runs.

After some research, and later to be confirmed by my doctor, I was suffering from ITBS, or Iliotibial Band Syndrome, an injury most runners encounter at some point in their running lives. The treatment involved not running for weeks, something I couldn't do with Condura Run just two weeks away.

I asked my doctor if he could just prescribe me a medicine that would take the pain away while I was running. He prescribed Feldene Flash tablets which I would put under my tongue for immediate effect. With this prescription, I was confident I would finish the race in one piece. I now have new shoes and a medication to go with it to last the horrendous distance.

But it wasn't going to be like how I thought it was going to be...

A day before the race, I went to Bonifacio High Street to claim my race pack, then dropped by All Terra to buy several GU energy gels which I would take during the duration of the run to avoid "bonking". I had my race strategy repeated in my mind so I wouldn't forget.

Also, Feb. 6 was mother-in-law's birthday celebration and my wife threw a party for her. I told my wife beforehand that I would have to excuse myself by 8 p.m. to get some sleep as I needed to wake up at 2 a.m. for the race. It was okay with her.

I hit the sack at exactly 8 p.m. but couldn't get some sleep. The party downstairs was keeping me awake. I tossed and turned in the bed but at 1:00 a.m. of race day, I had "zero" sleep. I decided then not to sleep at all. I had a 15-minute nap in the afternoon of Feb. 6 and slept divinely on the evening of Feb. 5. I thought I had enough sleep as I went into the race.

Geared and ready for the race

I was at the parking lot of BHS by 3:15 a.m. There were a lot of runners already when I donned my shoes and put on my knee bandage and knee support. I saw the takbo.ph bunch and stayed with them for a while. Ian was early as well. Retzel was in compression tights which made him look thinner, or more aerodynamic, than usual. Shook hands with my "teammate" Joni Lopez of team Timex who was also running her first full marathon. Saw Noel Padrigon at the parking area and we went to the check in area together.

Javy Olives was there too though he was running the 21K. His wife, Hannah, was doing the 42K.

Saw my BelieveStrong teammates, Hans, Jason, and Philip Roxas. Pastor Ernie and Col. Dennis were there too but I didn't see them.

The check-in area was abuzz with people, newbies and veteran runners alike. It was that few minutes of handshakes and chatting that calmed most of the runners before the big bang.

At 4:00 a.m., the start gun was fired.

It was hard to get a run line at the start. Runners were almost at the same pace, not too slow and not too fast. Everybody was afraid to blow and the best way to avoid it was to maintain a comfortable pace. I settled at a 6:30 pace and intended to do so for the duration of the run. At 6:30, I would have finished the 42K in about 4hours and 30minutes.

I was very comfortable with my pace that even after 8 kms, I wasn't breathing heavily nor was I tired and needed to slow down. I completed the 1st 10kms in 1:05, a minute faster than the 1:06 I planned. I felt stronger as I entered my 11th km. I increased my pace a bit and completed the first 14kms in 1:30, slightly ahead of my target.

And then, disaster struck...

As I was halfway through the 14th km, above the skyway, my worst fear started. An invisible hand hammered my left knee, leaving it with a stabbing pain so bad that I suddenly stopped and yelled out a snarl. My worst enemy, ITBS, had attacked so soon. I slumped forward and felt my knee, then tried shaking it off. I slowly started running again but needed to stop after a few steps. I was hurting really bad I was thinking riding inside the ambulance was a better idea than finishing the race. I had to convince myself that I could finish with the pain.

I walked and jogged the next few meters going into the 15th km. The pain was getting worse and worse at every step.

At the 15K mark, I stopped and chewed on a Choco Mucho chocolate bar. I needed something to fill my stomach before I take in a tablet of Feldene Flash. Finally, a few meters just after the 15th km, I put the Feldene Flash under my tongue. It instantly melted.

I walked for around 500 meters until I felt some relief from the medication. I didn't feel any. If it had an effect, it was minimal, enabling me to just walk and not even jog. I changed my running style from midfoot to forefoot to see if the pain would be minimized. It was. From then on, it was running and walking on forefoot on my left and midfoot on my right, making me limp as I went along.

After the first 15K, I was at 1:39 of the race. Still not as bad as I thought I was running already. If I could run/walk the final 27K in 3 hours, I would still finish in 4:39. I thought it was realistic even under the condition I was in.

I ran the 16th to the 26th km in 1hour, 26minutes. I was already experiencing pain at its purest form. I winced, grimaced and cursed shamelessly as I was trying to run/ walk the distance. I was already at 3:05 of the race with 16K to go. In healthier days, I could run 16K in less than 1hr, 30mins. During this race, I was hoping I could do it in 2 hours.

The Skyway is a long stretch of lonely roads if you're running with an injury. Runners passed me left and right. Even runners I see barely able to meet cut-off times in races went past me. I was alarmed. I was in a lot of pain but needed to go faster.

Friends would ask how I was, and I'd say I was fine and would just ask them to go ahead. For as much as I was hurting, I wouldn't want anyone to slow down because of me. A runner whom I've not seen or met before offered to pace me. But even his jog pace was too fast for me. I thanked him for the gesture and asked him to go ahead.

Noel would shout "easy bro! easy lang!" as he saw me grimacing on his way back to the finish line. Erick ( of takbo.ph ) passed me and asked how I was, as well as the other takbo.ph guys running as a bunch.

I was in unfamiliar territory. I pitied myself which has never happened to me before. Slowly, the ambulances, again, were tempting me to ride it and stop the horrendous ordeal I was in. I did not give in.

There were sponges given out just a little after the 42K turnaround point. I took two and put one inside my knee support. It was quite a relief. Unfortunately, there was only one aid station giving it out.

A man was slumped on the sideways at around the 28K point. Another man was massaging his back with a wet sponge. I stopped to ask what happened to him. He felt dizzy while running. I pulled out the sponge from my knee support and massaged the man's head with it. He needed the sponge more than I did.

It was again, very lonely after that. I was running alone, on the Skyway, with the sun giving runners a feel of what El Nino is. I was in survival mode already, and about to hit the red line in my running gauge.

I was at 3:52 of the race after 30kms.

I was doing mostly walks now instead of jogging. The pain on my left knee has magnified to include my left hip. I couldn't bend my kneecaps as much as I wanted to at this point. I was about to break.

Suddenly, two female runners caught me. One was a very familiar runner I raced with during my first duathlon. She was obviously overweight but has trimmed down substantially since I first saw her. The two were jogging at around 7:30 pace. They invited me along. I mustered enough courage to run with them, even with all the pain that has now almost immobilized my whole left leg. I jogged with them for about 300 meters and told them to go ahead.

I limped again after.

What made the race course lonelier if you're at the tailend is the sight of the marching bands, who were supposed to cheer you up and encourage you, lazily beating down the drums which was the only instrument they were playing. The rest of the band just sat down and watched us, and probably were heckling us in hushed voices. Couldn't blame them though. With the heat slowly rising up, anyone would be melted to a mashed potato.

I caught up with Timmy Sebastian's ( takbo.ph) group at around the 31st K. We just walked until almost at the Skyway ramp going down Buendia, where Quennie joined us. They then jogged and I was left alone again.

The vehicles were now allowed to ply one half of Buendia, and the traffic enforcers wouldn't stop the vehicles for me to cross the street on to the runner's lane. I breathed in and in a few big leaps, bit my lip to cross in a hurry. It was very, very painful! I held on to the center island to relax a bit and regain my composure. Tears almost welled my eyes due to the severe pain.

I was at 4:23 of the race with 9K to go.

I reached the takbo.ph aid station where Mccoy spread some liniment on my left knee. I got temporary relief from the pain. I was also handed a banana and ate it, then took my second and last Feldene Flash.

I was doing 10min/km at that point. With 9K to go, I would finish in 5:53, hanging by a hairline to beat the cut-off. But the Buendia flyover was already near, and it would definitely slow me down. I needed to do better than a 10min/km pace.

As a last ditch effort to save my race, I increased my pace. The last 9K of the Condura Run 42K would be the most painful 9K of my life. I was moaning and groaning left and right as my left leg hit the asphalt. EVERY STEP WAS PAIN now, literally. The sun was scorching hot already. It was already past 8:00 a.m.

I would run and walk every 100 meters and walked going up the Buendia flyover. Ran the flat part and then walked the descent.

Last 4K of the run and I was at 5:06.

I played "patintero" with the vehicles upon descending the Buendia flyover towards the final 3.5K. No more marshalls to guide the runners, no more traffic enforcers to stop traffic. I, and the other runners were left to fend for ourselves, guess which way to the finish line ourselves and encourage the other runners ourselves.

Saw Javy Olives near the Market Market left turn. "Last 2.5K bro! Konti na lang!" he shouted.

That was the longest 2.5K I ever ran, or walked.

I caught Joni Lopez on the final 2K. She was walking already and joking with her teammates who were there to support her. I was brisk walking.

I tried to muster a run just after the last 2K but felt dizzy. I was going to bonk if I forced it. I would just walk, and walk fast to finish.

I was at 5:36 of the race on my last kilometer. The finish line seemed so far even with just 1K to go.

There was just a handful of people at the finish line, an indication that I was among the last runners to cross it at 5:49 of the race. It felt bittersweet. I was happy to make it, sad that I clocked in more than an hour of my target.

The takbo.ph guys made a banner with my name on it. Thanks guys!

I slumped on a gutter just after the finish line. I wasn't exhausted, I wasn't even tired. I was just disappointed. My left knee had forsaken me. I didn't feel like crying, I felt angry.

Why in the world did this happen to me?

I found the answer when I looked back more than 2 months ago.

I was confident I'd finish the race in sub-4:45. I didn't train properly for the race. I did shortcuts on my training program resulting to the ITBS which hounded me 3 quarters of the race. I didn't pay my dues, so why did I expect too much?

Sometimes, a single achievement changes a person. In my case, it catapulted my confidence to a much higher level, a level which is only attributed to athletes in champion forms. However, thanks to that over-confidence as it brought me back to where I'm supposed to be, an athlete in need of proper training.

Condura 42K was both a victory and loss for me. It made me realize that sheer determination was needed in times of desparation. When my ITBS attacked at the 14th km, the determination to finish the race more than compensated for my physical inability. I lost my (over) confidence, in turn making me realize that indeed, humility is a virtue I needed to practice and have. Being passed by runners who normally wouldn't even see my shadow humiliated me, but humbled me far more. And with it, I am thankful.

I prayed to God to give me the endurance and strength to finish the race within my target time, instead, he left me with an 11-minute allowance before the cut-off. Did God turn a deaf ear on me? No, He instead turned a loving understanding. He let in the ITBS early in the race to let me realize that there's no shortcuts to a marathon. He let me get passed by slower runners to teach me humility. He let me felt dizzy when I tried to run in the last 2k of the race so I can learn to call on him when there's nothing I could do anymore. He left me with 11 minutes to spare to cut-off to let me know that He has not forsaken me.

After Condura 42K, I would like to believe I'm a better athlete...and God-fearing individual.

Deo P.