The Nike Experience

Yesterday was one heck of a run.

First, let me acknowledge Boom of Magic 89.9 for giving me a chance to win a slot at Nike We Run Manila 10K. It was my first time to call the radio for a contest and the experience was really awesome. Thanks a ton, Boom! :D

I got my race kit last Wednesday and everything in there was great – the bag, the singlet (which is by far the best I’ve got) and a Nike water bottle. There was also a VIP tag which gave us access to the lounge and to the front of the starting line. How cool is that?!

So going back to yesterday’s run, I left at 13:30 and arrived at BGC at about 16:00. The traffic was such an agony. But that was expected as 8,000 runners participated in the event. Despite the excruciating waiting on the road (thanks to Gordon Ramsey for the amusement), I was still optimistic for the rest of the afternoon. I was excited actually. The last time I felt that kind of excitement was when I ran in the Figaro event, which was my first.

Pau and I proceeded to the Nike village. It was kind of crowded already but what caught my attention was the lack booths. Very few event partners, e? There were a few tents inside the village: a Nike store, lounges which were for the exclusive use of VIPs and Nike+ users, concessionaires and a refreshment zone. That’s all. Anyway, we waited there until all runners were asked to proceed to the starting line. We were at the front, of course (thanks to our VIP tag). Five minutes before the run we were led to a warm up exercise. But believe me, you could barely move since the space was very limited. All runners were standing elbow to elbow. I even stepped on someone's foot twice and elbowed a small guy's face. Oops! Sorry. :D

And then the count down began. We started at exactly 17:00. My plan was to run slowly and gradually build up my pace like what I always do. But you could just feel the competitiveness and the excitement in the air that I was forced to run at full speed. After a couple of minutes, I was huffing and puffing. I slowed down a bit and had a cup of water on the first station.

I continued running at an average pace. I thought I should be able to finish before it gets dark. But after five kilometers, I felt pain in my toes. I was getting blisters! Damn! I tried to ignore it but every time I increase my pace it stings so badly I had to walk every few meters. I had no choice but to finish in a walk-run pace.

I failed to achieve my little goal. Stars have come out when I crossed the finish line. worse, I finished at 1:16:11 (that’s unofficial, though). Yan kasi, walang tamang practice, I thought to myself. But there’s no room for regrets. After all, I had a great time. Seeing thousands of runners in red flood the roads was really, really amazing! I’m glad to have been part of it.

I met Pau in front of the finisher’s claiming area afterwards (yes, he always finishes before me!). We were expecting to get the Nike Lunarglide USB but due to delay in production, Nike was not able to distribute it yet. So we got a couple of drinks instead and a poster. We then went to the VIP lounge to have some refreshments. Yes, there was food! The best part of the night! LOL! We were served with lumpia, veggie spring rolls and canapés and iced tea. Refreshing! We stayed there for about half an hour and finally decided to leave. Parokya ni Edgar, Sandwich and Chicosci were set to perform but we left anyway as there were no seats to stay at. Masakit na kaya sa legs! At ramdam na ramdam ko na ang mga paltos sa paa ko!

The event is definitely one of my favorites. For one, I registered for free! I am looking forward to participating again in next year’s Nike We Run Manila. I hope to run with more friends and beat my time. By then, I'll make sure to have better preparation.

Thanks to the free F&B, my night was complete. Hihi!

Follow @imavjavier