Running with a Stuffy Nose

Stuffy nose. This is how I remember my Takbong May Yabang. I was planning on running the 10K for this Alabang race. Three 3 days before the race, a nasty virus I picked up in the office beginning of the week finally got the better of me. Bowing to severe headache and colds, I went on one-day sick leave. Once back in the office, I told my running officemates that I will be them race morning, colds notwithstanding. I had to downgrade though to 5K on account of my sickness.

My intention was to run a steady, relaxed pace, and that was what I did. I knew the race course was hilly through most of Country Club Drive, but this was something I was yearning to try, especially since I intend to do the full sprint triathlon in AAV next year. Mentally, the hills haven't really worried me. I have done steep flyovers and so long as I kept a slow, steady pace, the ascent never really dampened my spirits. What bothered me was my stifled breathing. My nostrils were almost clogged (thank God it was not runny), and I was breathing mostly through my mouth. Naturally, my mouth got dry very quickly. I praised the organizers for having plenty of water stations with clean, filtered water. To distract myself from my labored breathing, I simply watched the runners ahead of me. I try to guess who I can outrun. If I fail to outrun them, I just amused myself by trying to imagine what kind of people they are. People watching - something we are all guilty of when we have nothing better to do. After 31:42 minutes of labored breathing and people watching, I crossed the finish line. A litter size bottle of mineral water and appreciative friends greeted me at finish line.