Why do people exercise? The most common answers you get are, “I exercise to lose weight”, “because I was told by my doctor to do so”, “to meet new friends” or simply “to get fitter and healthier”.
Running or jogging is the simplest form of exercise that is available to everyone. All you need is pair of running shoes then off you go. But the science of running has become very interesting. Runners are getting faster and faster. In the Berlin Marathon held last Sept 29, Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia was 2 seconds short of breaking the world record set by Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya on 16 September 2018. Kipchoge’s time was 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds on the same Berlin Marathon a year ago. Kenenisa, however, at km 40 in this year’s Berlin Marathon, he was clocking at 1:55:30, which was 2 seconds faster than the Kipchoge but their furious sprint toward the iconic Brandenburg Gate proved to be the difference. Kenenis ran the 2nd half with a blistering time of 1:00:36 with an average speed of 21kph! That is faster than any regular bicycle.
In Cebu, running has lost some of its steam during the past 3 years due to some differences regarding the City’s traffic and road situation. But it has regained its form ever since the new administration took over. In the recent National Milo Marathon, over 20,000 runners took to the streets. The fastest time for the 21km distance was 1 hour, 11 minutes by Prince Joey Lee. 10km was ruled by Eric Chepsiror with a time of 33 minutes and 34 seconds followed by Gemar Magdalino 35 minutes and 32 seconds.
We don’t have to kill ourselves though and run that fast. For the record, my fastest time for 10km run was only 1 hour 4 minutes, which is 6 minutes short of the world record for 21km half marathon which is 58 minutes. I have broken the 30-minute mark in a 5km run just once in my lifetime. The gold standard for 10km in Cebu is the sub 60 minutes, which can be considered an elite runner. For the weekend warriors or those who simply want to lose weight, they can start with 3km, then move up to 5km until 10km.
Running is a love and hate relationship. Either you love it or hate it. Imagine waking up as early as 3:30am in the morning to prepare for a 10km fun run. And if you are joining a half marathon, you should be awake as early as 2am as most 21km run starts at 3:30 or 4am in the morning. For the past 5 years, I have lost interest in running due to some nagging injuries but this year, I have found the love again thru the support group. In fact, I have already logged more then 400 kilometers of running or jogging.
With this, I can spread through the running community my advocacy of the importance of being fit. My present supporting group is composed of 3 groups from the Hot Mommy’s of Ateneo, the Metafit Tri team and the participants of the Metafit boot camp at Robinsons Galleria. Ever since the Irongirl Run in August , they have come and join run almost every weekend. From the Hot Mommy’s boot camp are Mommy Jennifer, Ann, Cynthia, Mj, Loie, Lisa, Jojie, Christine, Eljie, Martina, Len, Emelyn, Emelie, Jessa, Mai, and Jimlyn. The Metafit Tri Team is led by the ageless wonder Coach Romulo Rosell, who is getting faster as he is aging, and our co-captains Fritz and Zusette Co, Coach-A Boot Camp coach Lem Co who made a comeback by making it less than 60 minutes in the Milo 10km run, Cheryl Tagra who sometimes leaves her car at home to run to work, Golda Cutanda, Jodette, and to some new running groups from the Galleria boot camp in Jeff & Grace, Shlby and Jom, the return of Joy & Jinggoy, Dona and PJ, Papa Pimco, Sarah, Lorraine, Gale and Emma Bernad. These guys complement and support each other, helping them find their purpose and motivation. It is the role of the support group that keeps pushing and motivating each other. No matter how fast or how slow you are as long as you finished what you have started, that’s what matters most.