Milo Marathon!

Joining a marathon, or what I prefer to call "fun runs" because they're supposed to be fun and non-competitive (for me at least), with Fie is one of the top stuff in my bucket list. I love staying active and doing it with him makes the exhaustion sweeter.

My friend at work invited us to join the Milo Marathon last July 27. I can't be any more excited! It was a Sunday with no plans set and the venue is somewhere familiar to us, Mall of Asia, so Fie and I decided to sign up for 5k. It's the normal route, we thought. 3k seemed to short. We want to get our money's worth! We wanted some challenge! So 5k it is.

For a first timer on this event, let me tell you the things nobody tells you about Milo Marathons--and fun runs in general:

1. They don't have lockers for 3k and 5k runners.

Fie and I brought backpacks thinking we won't carry them all throughout the 5k route. But no, we're wrong (ugh, first timers). We decided to just suck it up and look at the positive by thinking it'll up our fitness level a bit. Our backpacks are as good as 3-lb dumbbells. Fie made a pact with me though: we'll go backpack-less the next time we run. I agreed at once.

2. Eat something before the run. Don't trust coffee to carry you through the whole route.

Portalets are the pits. Worrying about the awful urge to pee before and while running, I didn't eat anything before going to MOA. I made coffee, drank it with so much slow fervor (as it's amazingly good to drink something warm early in the morning) then off I went. I felt the effects of such stupidity when I'm already running and I have this crazy tummy cramps. I felt gassy and weak. Hate you, acidity. You suck.

3. There are tons and tons and tons of people.

Milo Marathons are for charity. They encourage schools to join by giving them discounts and by having a cheerleading competition after the run. If I have known about this, I would have prepared more. There was a thick wave of people--families, friends, students--and looking at them just discourages me. Fie made another pact with me: We'll not join if it's this popular. We'll choose less hyped fun runs. I agreed again, of course.

4. You don't want to be one of those who take a lot of selfies with absolutely anything remotely interesting while on the route.

From the 1k-distance signs (the big signs that says that you've passed the 1k mark), the family photos (done via a monopod in the middle of the freaking road), the bridge (the view isn't even pretty), to the 41k-mark (even if the person taking the selfie is only registered for the 5k-route. Seriously?)--these people took so much space that it's impossible to really run. Avoid them at all costs.

5. The energy is incredible.

I may have a lot of complaints and I would have preferred things to be done certain ways but the Milo Marathon is so much fun. The people really gave their energy and, being Filipinos, there's so much laughter around us while we run.

I'm so so happy to have finished this race with Fie. I forgot how tiring and exhilarating running can be since I do my workouts at home. I don't do distance-y stuff. I stay in a single place for my circuits. It was so fulfilling to have this checked off my list. Fie and I talked about joining another race in the future, not the neaaar future since we're still sore (We were. Sore. Yes. For days!) but I know we will have another one under our belt.

Stay tuned!

PS: Here are the photos :)

"What you do today is important because you're exchanging a day of your life for it."