After N months, I was able to run again. After months of evading exorbitant registration fees currently trending in running events, I gave in. Only because it was NatGeo Run, the one I missed last year because it happened to coincide with Tour of the Fireflies.
However, due to the expensive fee I have to pay in order to participate in their Earth Day Run, I opted to run under the 3k category since it was the cheapest among all the category haha. When we first registered at Greenbelt 3, we were quite disappointed because we had to come back for the singlets for they were already out of stock. For regular commuters, going to Greenbelt is no easy task.
When the Cheese and I arrived at the Fort, the 21k category was about to start. Along with the Cheese's officemates (Ecai, Wilson, Za and Mai), we waited for our category to be called behind the stage. Each time a new category begins, fireworks ensue. And so our category was called and our race begins... on a walk haha. That's what you get when you're smacked in the middle of runners, waiting for everyone to move while the clock runs. So please don't judge me if you see my race result below haha. Proud finishers!
After the crossing the finish line we went straight to hydration station to hydrate ourselves. In fairness, I think bumawi ang organizers sa freebies. They gave away 100 Plus, Fit 'N Right, a slice of Greenwich pizza (at least for the first 1000 finishers), Cushe stickers and laces, San Mig coffee, etc. After taking photos and hanging out at the Finish area, watching runners as they arrive, we went to Mercato Centrale for our much awaited food trip. It was my first time to visit them in their new home near MC Depot. Even though it was still so early in the morning, the place was already teeming with tons of people! The long tables and chairs were all occupied mostly by hungry runners who also came straight from NatGeo Run.
This time I ordered chicken wings with blue cheese sauce from Kobe's All Fried Up, chips from Chuck's Grubberie and Lemonade drink from where Wilson and Mai bought their German sausage sandwich (I think!). The Cheese had a grilled chicken barbecue meal and his usual Tea.ology (Amaretto this time). Za and Mai bought mochi icecream at Mochiko, while I had a free taste of Earl Grey Tea icecream at Merry Moo. Next time, I will buy a proper icecream in cup! Busily stuffing food into mouth. The result: almost empty photos of grub!
After a satisfying Mercato Centrale brunch we decided to walk around High Street. Unfortunately most of the stores were still closed (ROX opens at 12 na pala!) so we went straight to the first open store that we saw, RUNNR where we all had our Gait Analysis. It was some sort of feet assessment of how we walk or run in order to help us improve our performance or reduce injuries. By running on a treadmill with a video recorder, the guy in charge was able to determine our feet type. Luckily, I have a neutral feet. But for those who have biomechanical abnormality, they are advised to wear the right running shoes to correct feet alignment. You should try it too, it's quite helpful. By the way, here's my dapat-pang-5k result haha.
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