Run United for Wellness 2

I'm a person who likes to take things slowly but surely and I can be a bit of a coward sometimes, so it was a pretty big thing for me to jump from doing 10k races to more than double, i.e., my first 21k race during this year's Adidas King of the Road.  One month after, I decided to take the opportunity to do my first 15k at the Unilab Run for Wellness 2.  Moreover, quite a number of friends had expressed their intention to take the 32k challenge during the same event, so I figured it would be the perfect way to express my support.

Memories of the first Unilab run in March...sadly I've lost that singlet :(

I ran 10k during the first Unilab Run for Wellness held in February, and if its predecessor was any indication, I knew I could expect a well-funded and well-organized run from Runrio.  Unilab 1, I have to admit, was not one of my best runs.  On the contrary, it was one of my worst in terms of performance, since at that time (until April) my knee was in its worst condition yet such that I couldn't run without wincing.  But there were enough water stations, the marshalls were well-placed, and the freebies were definitely worth it, so I was really happy when they announced that Unilab would fund the event in lieu of Timex.

The weather was perfect on Sunday morning.  I'd slept four hours the night before.  Four hours is the minimum amount of sleep I need to feel human, so I woke up without the desire to bash my alarm clock.  The sun was hiding behind the clouds and a cool breeze could be felt.  Unfortunately by the time I reached Fort, the 20-mile (32k) race had started and roads had already been closed off, so I was forced to park in the "grassland of no return."  By the time I'd reached the starting line it was already teeming with eager runners, and I was dreading that I'd overexpected from this race.

Still dark!

Fortunately I hadn't.  As always, the first three or so kilometers felt like torture, perhaps because I hadn't warmed up, but it got much easier after the first three or so kilometers.  There were markers at the start of every kilometer so it was pretty easy to calculate my pace.  It was a bit of a chore to have to go through the same usual playground again, but I'd made sure my tracklist would keep me entertained enough to make me speed through usual ol' Fort.  There was enough water and Powerade to drown me, and they looked so tempting that I stopped at almost every water station until the finish line.

It was only when I crossed the 10k mark that I realized I'd forgotten my knee support!  It was also then that I started coughing (yep, still the same cough that made my Urbanathlon miserable, although it's improved a bit).  I had to simmer down a bit and take it easy, then when I reached the 12km mark I made sure I had upbeat tracks playing so I'd be a bit more motivated.  When I finally saw the finish line I realized I couldn't sprint anymore, and I couldn't help but let out a huge shout of relief when I crossed it.

Happy finish!

After meeting up with my friends and grabbing my loot bag (no lines!),  I trekked back to the grassland of no return (and got lost doing so) to make "banners" for friends who'd run the 20-miler.  Even as we waited, It was fun cheering and taking pictures of each of them as they triumphantly crossed the finish line.  By then "Wellness Village" was already pretty crowded, so we decided to skip it altogether and take a shower at the gym instead before heading off to North Park for breakfast.

We lose weight to eat!!!

I had to leave after breakfast, though, because I had to meet up with my dad for some quality time over lunch at Eat Well Greenhills (yes, I know I'm a glutton, if it helps any I just had tofu for lunch even if I know it's not the best post-run lunch) before heading home and dozing off for a couple of hours.

Run United 2 was undoubtedly one of the best-organized races of the year and is enough reason to look forward to next year's Run United events.

Next race, the 2nd Quezon City International Marathon, is up in less than two weeks!