My Abstain 2011 5K Fun Run Experience

Abstain 2011 5K Fun Run is an effort made possible by Youth Unlimited Asia, Inc. to fight against health-risk behaviors such as smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, and unsafe sex. This first ever fun run brought by the said organization promotes healthy lifestyle and good health awareness.

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I was there. First and foremost, I joined the run because it was one of my pre-birthday dares. I never had the chance and courage to join one in the previous years even though I was already a gym buff. I was actually not a fan of running, jogging, and marathon. Secondly, I chose the Abstain 2011 fun run because it was cheap. The P150.00 registration already includes a free t-shirt and a certificate.

So…

March 13, 2011 came. We (me, my cousin Jessa, our househelp Tata, my aunt Venus, and my mom Fely) woke up very early for this event and had our light breakfast. We went to the Capitol Grounds and arrived there at exactly 4:12 am. We were the first one to arrive since the assembly time was actually 4:30 am. Excited? I guess.

So, we took photos of ourselves while waiting for the others. The weather was cold and we were kinda freezing (just look at our outfits. hehehe).

Our very supportive moms were there too. They did not join the fun run. They just went walking.

When the organizers, we immediately registered and got our ‘numbers’.

My Cdobloger friend, Wella, joined us after.

At 5 am, more people came and after a very short introduction, we headed to the starting point. Some of the participants did the pre-run activity aka stretching, while I was busy taking pictures. hehehe.

After our orientation, the fun run started. As a beginner, it was really tiring to run and jog. Here’s a video during my run. I was gasping for air!

From the capitol grounds, we passed by the Marcos bridge to the Kauswagan highway. The middle stop was near Queensland Hotel. We were given gold ribbons as a sign that we were able to go halfway. From Queensland, we went back. From Kauswagan highway to Marcos bridge again. Then, the finish line was actually the same as that of the starting point.

Unexpectedly, we arrived earlier than the others. Unexpectedly, I finished the run at exactly 41 minutes and 10 seconds….  I ranked 4th in the women’s category!!!! How cool is that? I was just a beginner! Clap! Clap! 🙂

Abstain 2011 was indeed successful. More fun runs soon? I guess so.