back in the road race: the 2013 Nat Geo Run!!

After several years of waiting until my foot was in any shape for running, I was finally ready for my first road race after physiotherapy: National Geographic's 2013 Earth Day Run (April 28). This came a week after my first off-road race post-therapy (IFSA's Harvest Run). I was so excited! I was a bit nervous too because this was the first time I'd run without a friend in the same run category (Man was running 10k, I was going for 5k).

The route for this year's Earth Day run was a bit tougher than the last 5k I did at the venue: the Bonifacio Global City. Or, perhaps, there were a lot more buildings now so the terrain must have changed a lot... and I didn't recognize the area anymore.

 

Given that this was my first road run after a long time, I was just happy that I was able to finish it without getting overheated and without getting chills. My cousin, Kuya Rico, had sent over several shirts designed for running in hot conditions while I was still in therapy. The Nat Geo 2013 run was the first opportunity for me to wear one of them and it worked like a charm! 

Days after the event, I got some good news. My run time (chip time) was 42 minutes and 44 seconds for 5k. That may be slow for some people but that's one of the fastest runs I've had (especially because I finished strong). In fact, my Nat Geo 2013 time was way faster than my Milo 5k time in 2010.

Happy! I'm now looking for my next race. :)

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