MY SECOND 30KM RUN :-)

Before the Tri-30+ Run for a Cause  last September 1,2012, Arnel, my husband has been bugging me for a week with a question, "Why would I want to go with an ordeal of running a 30km".  You see, ever since we tried our very first long distance run from Malaybalay to Valencia, he has and will never be fond of long distance running. 

All the answer he got from me was,  "kanya kanyang hilig lang yan, support ka na lang...", and so he did.

Nevertheless, my husband's question has piqued me the whole 5 hours I had been running from Kisolon to Malaybalay especially after running the first 15-km uphill route where I can already feel cramps and soreness on my legs. So what has really made me surge ahead and  run 30km again in which I consider before as like that of attempting suicide? (as the expression goes... "hikog na sad!")...

First of all, when Fr Robert Selecios posted the event in facebook, I only clicked "attending" because I want to be updated with the event. But Fr Robert called me up and asked my confirmation if I would be really running with added push that I should believing I can do it plus additional boost from fellow runners that I should run because they also believe I can (http://www.facebook.com/events/375673799166309/)... so who can't say no to that? So I said to myself, heck! if they believe I can then I must try it. Anyway, there's always a lot of option along the road if I could not...

pix by Gwendolyn Balahay

Second, the Tri-30 run is not about who gets to cross the finish line first, so there's no pressure of time and no pressure of competing each other, it's all about running for a good cause... the run intends to help in finishing the Special Education Building at Kalasungay who caters special children by.giving them the right education they deserve and intends to help parents who can't afford to put their special child to an expensive special child education. The cause of the run was indeed good enough reason for me to voluntary undergo a gruelling 30 km run and to sign up with no apprehensions at all and to top that I have friends who willingly volunteered as sponsors and believed on the cause of the run... it has inspired me all the more to run!

Third, I already accepted the fact that I am and may never be a fast runner (kumbaga hindi talaga pang elite category and running skills ko hehehehe) but the challenge of long distance running for an average runner like me indeed takes a lot of strong determination and a handful of strong will power, long distance running will always be a personal triumph for me. As mentioned earlier, I already felt cramps and soreness on my legs after 15kms of uphill running... the determination to move on and not give up knowing that I still need to run 15kms more took a lot of courage from me. I had to fight off what my mind and body has been telling me joint by a worrying husband who has been challenging and tempting me to ride his bike the whole time he gets to join me during the run. I guess that feeling of conquering all that mix-up adverse emotion inside me and the ability to endure all the pain felt by my body during the last 10km of the run was such a sweet personal victory..

At Kalasungay 3km more to go! 

So I guess the fact that a lot of fellow runners believed in me that I can do it, coupled with a good cause of the run and the challenge to conquer the psychological and physical pain a long distance runner felt are the factors that made me decide to run 30km distance again.

So again and again I would like to thank Fr. Robert for letting us experience TRI-30+ run for a cause whose first concept was supposed to be to gather 30 runners who will be running 30kms with 30 sponsors whose aim is to gather only Php30,000 to help finish the SPED building at Kalasungay, Bukidnon. But due to the unbelievable response of everyone the Tri-30+ run was participated by a total of 50+ volunteer runners, running 31kms and as of to date has reached a total of Php77,000 donations and still counting, its already more than half the amount of what was aimed. 

Stock Farm Water and Food Station

with Tito Sammy Adeva

Oh! I would like to take note too that a lot of Fr. Robert's parishioners believed in the cause of the run too considering the preparations they have to do to make the water and food stations worth remembering for us runners and to all the mobile marshalls especially the biker marshalls and the Red Cross. 

Thank you so much my dear husband Arnel for the support together with your bike buddies Jeri, Pipo, Carl and Joms and to the rest of the marshalls. Indeed, it was an amazing and meaningful 2nd 30km run for me!