My First Fun Run: ScholaRun 2016 [★]

February 29, 2016

I have never joined a fun run before, because for the longest time I was not that physically active, and this activity did not appeal to me. I was sure I won't be able to make it to the finish line. (o_ _)o

Well, things have changed. Together with my colleagues, I joined this fun run as part of our company's charitable activities. It's the second year our company participated in this event (hell, I had no idea there was something like this last year). This fun run was hosted by the AmCham Foundation, and proceeds from this event will go to their scholarship program for the education of underprivileged kids.


Preparation
As this is my first ever fun run, I had to prepare physically, mentally, and emotionally for it. I could still remember the first time I jogged in a park with a colleague late last year. After running for less than a kilometer, I was clinging for dear life because I was breathing heavily for precious air. I got tired fast. It was hard for me because I was not really physically active then. Of course I did not make my hardships obvious to my colleague. Haha. But I vowed I would start being active. I needed to start leading a better lifestyle to make my heart healthier and stronger.

Since the start of the year, I have been striving to engage myself to physical activities, as part of my goals this quarter (currently brewing a post for more details on this :D) and so far, I think I am finally making some progress. Yay! Part of those activities, which I think will become a regular one, is jogging every morning around our village whenever I was free during the weekends.

A photo posted by Kathleen R (@katalinarosario) on

After a few times that I did this, I noticed I was able to run farther distances without slowing down to walk, which I think is a good sign!


Fun Run Day
I was already up before 2AM on the day of the fun run, because I was planning to do some things in preparation to the other things I was going to do for the rest of the day after joining the run (I was going somewhere after the run). I had last-minute plan changes so it took longer for me to get out of the house. Carrying only my phone, music player, some bills, and a bottle of an energy drink, I left the house at around 3:30AM. 

I arrived at BGC a few minutes before 4AM. Good thing I didn't get lost locating our company's booth. It helped that there were still just a few people in the area, mostly staff of each participating company starting to set up their respective booths. I got my singlet and race kits from our booth. I originally wanted to exchange kits with a colleague who was going for a shorter run (3K) but I just went for it and registered for the 5K run. I thought since I was able to run 4K yesterday in my practice jog, then I guess I would be able to survive today, right? xD

Soon after, more people arrived and I finally saw my teammates who were also going to run. After assembling everything that was needed (wore my singlet, attached the bib, ate a banana c/o our company's booth, did the warm up exercise), we waited for the start of the run. Since I was running for 5K, our gunstart was at 5:50AM. 

When the host on stage signaled all participating 5K runners to start lining up near the starting line, I felt the excitement surge through me. I prepared my music player and started the jogging playlist I created the night before (first song was Born Hater by Epik High). Adrenaline rushed as the countdown started... and then we were off!

Within the first few seconds of the run, my colleagues already went far ahead from me. (・□・;) Well I kind of expected that already. I'm a slow runner, running in small steps to reserve my energy for the rest of the race. Good thing I had music in my ears to entertain me throughout the run. It was actually an advantage to be running solo, I learned, because I could stop and just walk anytime I wanted. I was running on my own pace, and I liked that.

I think I stopped to walk for half of the duration of the race. |_・) To entertain myself, I synced my activity with the songs in my playlist. During every chorus of the song, I resumed running. I did brisk walking for the other parts of the song. There were moments when I thought I cannot run anymore because my legs (especially the shin bones) were aching already. I just shifted my attention to the song that was currently playing in my ears. When Call Me Baby  started playing, I started running again. I just recalled EXO's concert here and all the fun I had watching them and adrenaline surged again. I think I did a lot of overtakes during that moment haha. I imagined my kpop bias was waiting for me at the finish line so I needed to run faster. ┗(^0^)┓ Also, whenever I see people along the route taking photos of the runners, I poised myself to run while keeping a gleaming face, just in case they snap a photo of me! Hahaha.

Finally when the finish line came to view, almost all the people with me went running again. I ran along with them. I felt so happy when I got to the finish line and when the staff gave me my medal. :D According to the race time, it took me 47 minutes to finish the 5K run!

A photo posted by Kathleen R (@katalinarosario) on


Yaaay! And that was my first experience for a fun run!

There were no muscle ache after (well so far?), just my body feeling exhausted. I realized I did not drink enough water throughout the race, so I had to replenish my body with fluids throughout the day. I felt that familiar feeling of dehydration throughout the day, which is bad I know, so I drank water whenever possible.

For now, 5K is just the right distance for me. I just cannot imagine myself running for 10K or higher!

Here are some reminders/tips for first time runners that I can provide based on this experience, and also to note things down for myself the next time I run again!

  • Bring as few items as possible. There were assigned baggage counters in the event, I was told, but I did not bother locating them. I only had a handful of items with me, and most of them I placed on the jogging arm band that I bought.
  • Insert a towel on your back even before the start of the run. One of my colleagues gave this advice to me. I know this is something done to kids when they play outside, but I guess it's also applicable for adults. A few minutes after the race, I just pulled it out of my back to allow my skin to breathe again. I just allowed the rest of my sweat to evaporate naturally.
  • Wear drifit clothings! I think this is a must. The fabric would let your sweat evaporate more easily, making you feel cooler and more comfortable.
  • Do a practice jog before the fun run. This is most beneficial to those who are not really active. This is to prepare your body for this activity and will make things feel easier for you during the run itself. Just a caution: avoid doing it a day before the event. This is one mistake I did. For my case, I always had issues with my shin bones. They ache easily whenever I jog for long runs. During the practice jog the day before, my shin bones only ached during my last lap. My body did not have enough time to recover (I think). During the run itself, my shin bones ached within the first minutes of jogging. :( I had to endure the pain throughout the run. Good thing I was able to overcome the pain and reach the finish line!


With my Fun Run mates!
(photo by Mark E, grabbed from April B.'s FB)

I'm so glad I got to join this fun run. What an experience! It was fun. I reckon I'd run again next year! :D

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2 (mga) komento

  1. congratulations on your first fun run! my take-away points from your posts would be the jogging arm band and EXO's Call Me Baby :)

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    Replies
    1. LOL. I love that song, and it gave me energy during the run. :p

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