Last Sunday, I finished my 6th ultra marathon in the 10th Tagaytay to Nasugbu 50k ultra. To be honest, I joined this race as part of my preparation for the 2017 edition of the Bataan Death March 102. This was kind of my initiation in the Bald Runner events. The starting line was at Picnic Grove in Tagaytay, with a gun start of 4am.

During the first 10k, I already wanted to declare myself as DNF (did not finish) because of stomach cramps. I was also feeling nauseous and I wanted to vomit. Of course, my usual determined self did not want to do that. I ended up slowing down until I got to the 8th kilometer where my support crew was waiting for me. My instinct told me that I needed sugar, and so I asked for my bottle of Coke, which was in the cooler, and had a huge gulp. It worked almost instantly. I guess I was just lacking sugar in my body. Anyway, the nauseous feeling was gone, and I felt better. That was when I eased into the run and started to pick my pace up. From that point, I did the run-walk method. My support vehicle met me every 5 or 6 kilometers, from what I estimated, as they are also supporting two other team mates who both were faster than I am. 

After the 24th kilometer, the route was mostly flat. That was when I stopped doing the run-walk and I just mostly ran to catch up. I reached the half-way point in my target time which is a little over three hours. I thought I had lots of time left. Then after a few minutes it started to get hot. At first, it was still bearable since it was just past 7:30am. Past 9am, the heat became more intense. The scorching sun was burning my shoulders (again), but then again, I prefer wearing singlets because I find them comfier than long-sleeved tops. It was thanks to my support crew that I found relief every now and then. The ice-cold water than they poured on my back and head really helped big time. 

I walked for the most part during the last 8 kilometers. I was already feeling lazy and my feet felt tired. Also, I was getting bored so I found myself playing songs in my head and singing along to them. For some time there, I was mildly entertained. On the last two kilometers, I felt the urgency to just finish the race because I wanted nothing more than to get off my feet and take a seat, so I resumed the run-walk but on a 1:1 interval. I reached the finish line past 7 hours. It was beyond my target time, but I was happy nevertheless because I was able to finish strong and injury-free.
always smiling, thus bungisngis runner

I would like to thank this opportunity to thank all of the people whom without their help, I would have never finished the race safely. Thank you to all the teams and runners who extended their support and cheered along the way: Ysa Xa and company, my TBR batchmate Ado, Team Takbo Kabitenyo, Team Monumentum Milers, and Team Matindi. Thank you as well to my Team SCR mates. Also, thank you so much to my Team Ayala Triads family for providing aid even though they were not my dedicated support for this event. Last but not the least, thank you to our super tutok-alaga support crew sir Eric Tipon and master Bong Bernadez of Active Pinas, who spent a huge chunk of their Sunday supporting us in this race when they could have spent it with their families, given that it was Mothers Day. I'll always be grateful to them for taking good care of us for the entire duration of the race.
with Team Ayala Triads
friendship goals: finished our first (and definitely not the last) BR event

This was one of the most challenging races I've joined. There were no aid stations so I only had my support crew to rely on. The heat was intense, bearable but intense. I'm getting quite used to the sun but I feel that I still need to do some more heat training. While it was tough, the overall experience was worth it.
with sir Jovie Narcise
rank: 123rd out of 197 runners, official time: 7:25:32