Yakult 10 Miler Run celebrated its 25th year last Sunday, March 23. It was held in CCP in Pasay City, with categories: 3k, 5k, and 16k. JC and I both registered for the 16k category. It was my second 16k race.

To be honest, I wasn't exactly prepared for this run. I was, mentally. But physically? I was far from being prepared. I had little training and I was recovering from a shin injury weeks prior to the race. But still, my determined self did not let that stop me from running this event. As advised, I gave my legs two weeks to rest and recover, applying cold compress on it as much as needed. And then three days before the event, I went on a 5km run just to see if my shins would still hurt and thankfully, they didn't. That was all the sign that I needed.
My Running OOTD:
Pinoy Fitness flagship shirt
Nike dri-fit running shorts
SLS calf sleeves
Nike dri-fit running socks
Timex Ironman watch
Asics Gel Noosa Tri 8 shoes

On race day, I had a quick breakfast and ate a chocolate bar. I just recently discovered that I have more energy whenever I would consume chocolate before going on a run, so there. I chugged lots of water and then did the usual warm-up jog and stretches. I was ready. The gun start was at 5:30am.

My shins felt perfectly fine throughout the entire race. Not a single tinge of pain, nothing. But almost everything else that could've happened on race day actually happened to me. My asthma acted up after passing the first U-turn. I had difficulty breathing, I felt nauseous, and I seriously thought I was going to faint. My ITBS acted up as well and this was halfway during the race. And then around the 11km marker, I felt my thighs chafing. It hurt a lot. Good thing there were paramedics who provided me with petroleum jelly. I slathered a very generous amount on the chafed area. 

It was not a good run for me. Still, I was able to finish the race with a new PR: 02:13:41. Which only meant that my first 16k was just as bad. Worse, even. Hahaha.

Upon crossing the finish line, I received a bottle of Yakult and a finishers shirt which was a tad too big for me. And that's it. But then again, the registration fee was only Php.500 so I didn't really expect a lot. Comments? Hmm. There were very few marshals on the race route so they weren't able to control the crowd of bikers and skaters in the Roxas Blvd. area. It wasn't safe because there were lots of them milling around and they could've easily crashed with the runners. Uh-oh. I hope that didn't actually happen. Also, there were only a few hydration stations, all too far apart from each other. Overall, it was so-so event. I prolly might join again if and only if they would pick a different venue. Because there is no way I'm running in CCP again. Sorry. I just really hate crowds. :P