It’s been 4 weeks since we started Tour de Cebu. For those of you who wish to join us but don’t have Garmin watches yet and don’t really want to ask how much time and distance have elapsed, this is how to tell these things:
0km (0hr) – The starting phase. Joseph is talking about the run ahead of us, where we’ll be going and what we’re to expect. Armie is quietly taking pictures, she’s not really smiling. Paolo is quiet and looking ready to kill baby pandas. Jean is saying, “Good morning <insert your name here>!” in a singsong voice.
1km (15m-20m) – We’re talking and laughing. Greeting everybody with a “good morning!” and sometimes creeping ourselves out.
2km (30m-ish) – Still laughing and talking.
5km (1hr-ish) – Still laughing, but the talk has decreased in speed and accuracy.
10km (2hr-ish) – Talk has ceased. Laughing, minimal. Armie is taking pictures because light has started to creep up on the sceneries. Jean is mute. Paolo seems like he has already killed some baby pandas. Joseph is asking if we’re all okay.
15km (3hr-ish) – The “What the hell…” phase. We’ve given up on being serious at running. Talk resumes. Our heads are no longer looking straight ahead, but sideways…at the mountain or the sea. This is also the “Appreciate anything” phase. You hear conversations such as these: “Hala! Kanindot sa acacia!” “Woooow! Kanindot sa dagat!” “If ari ko ng-elementary, ma-late siguro ko pirmi kai naligo ko og dagat”. Piffles. Armie has become more of a photographer than a runner. Ideal time to say, “Good morning Jean!” without fearing for your life.
19km (4hr-ish) – Talk has ceased again, save for Armie who’s saying, “6 kilometers – the distance from SunStar to IT Park, the long way around” or something of that variant. All hope is lost.
20km (4hr-ish) – The mental phase. Paolo and Joseph are running barefoot and saying “We’ve never been so freeeee”.
22.5km (4:30hr-ish) – The return of hope. 2.5km is no longer the distance from SunStar to IT park, the long way around, but something actually tangible. This is just a little over 5 rounds in the Abellana Sports Complex oval. We feel jubilant on the inside.
24km (5hr-ish) – Hope is questionable, we are questioning the meaning of life, if we’re really here in the first place. The longest kilometer of our lives.
25km (5hr-6hr) – Seeing that last yellow marker is like tasting candy for the first time. Laughter and talk resume, even louder than ever. Wanting to just roll around the marker, even if it’s next to a canal.
– The MP3 Runner
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