Lately, racing the 21K distance has become Team JRunning’s favorite. At least, this forced us to run longer distances for our weekend LSDs. The distance also calls for endurance suited for the masters rather than speed needed for shorter distances more suited for younger runners. Last July 24, Team JRunning finished another 21K race, the Rexona Adventure Run 2011 at the SM Mall of Asia.
The race
We arrived early at MOA hoping to get a good parking space near the start/finish area. Though we have an ample time to warm-up, we rather go straight to the starting coral. A big number of 21K runners eagerly awaited for the starting gun to be fired off. The usual series of program activities primed the runners which were sent off at 5:10 am. We started at a comfortable pace as we ran the first stage of the route. Being familiar with the route (as it was also used during the AKTV Run) helped us a lot in determining when and where to push or to slow down during the entire race. Though we were not aiming to set a new PR, all we wanted is an enjoyable race. A great weather, a good pace, and no untoward incident along the way, it was really a great race. I was even joking with Swthrt that I was running while sleeping (of course that’s impossible), but I was actually focusing on keeping a good pace and chanting on my mind the word “step, step, step” which helped me ran as far as I could before having walk breaks. Swthrt was also having a great run, as she consistently keep up with the agreed pace. When we reached the U-turn portion at the Baclaran area near Airport Road, I suddenly felt a slight pain on my right knee as if there was a pulled ligament. I was running when I made the turn and must have made a wrong landing of my foot that also slightly twisted my knee. I was in pain for about 10 to 15 minutes while running. I was quite worried as I may not be able to finish the race but God is great and He allowed me again to run strong, and the pain gone. On our way back, and after conquering the two flyovers we were cheered on by the marshals who were shouting “last 3K!” to go as we made our left turn entering the CCP grounds. And making the final kilometer, we knew we did it again! It was a good race for Team JRunning!
Time mixed up
As we crossed the finish line we saw it was 2:46:+ gun time. It was right within our usual pace and better than our last 21K race at the Yamaha Run 2011 of 2:51:+. As I viewed the race results this morning, (though it was labeled unofficial) we were surprised, our chip time had a difference of about 6 minutes. We crossed the line together as always and if there’s any difference it will only be a matter of seconds if not identical finish time. The question now is how reliable are these timing devices and the timing system that race organizers are using. Recently, comments and reactions on missing names/bib numbers in race results were becoming rampant. There were couple of races that we also experienced. Personal details were sometimes mixed up, one time I was placed in the women’s list with a female gender. This may be a minor thing for others but for someone who’s keeping track of their race performances and wanted to keep an official race record this could be disappointing. With the introduction of the new reusable timing card by Runrio, the issue of incorrect time may hopefully be reduced if not totally eliminated. It remains to be experienced when Runrio released the official time result taken by the Runrio Reusable Timing Card. Anyway, the whole event was well-organized and many runners went home happy and fulfilled. The Rexona Adventure Run 2011 was indeed a great running experience. Congratulations to all finishers!
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