Sports for Life - Joining a Marathon @ 1st Koop Run

I've been testing the limitation of this hubber's body as I joined a 5K marathon, sponsored by the association of cooperatives and a new oil company player.

For the first time, I was able to prepare for my 'baptism of fire' in long-distance run with optimism that I'll make it to the top 5.

But the reality is more fierce that I can imagine as professional players joined the supposed-to-be fun run of the legitimate members of each cooperative.

The main committee accepted entries of non-members as they want to collect huge fund for another forthcoming activity of the cooperative union.

True enough, as expected, those professionals won the trophies, medal and cash prizes as legit coop members just settled for the finisher buttons.

Women competed for the 3K fun run, as most of them just walked while men truly competed for the 5-kilometer distance.

Guidelines were announced prior to the start of the game, but violators were caught red-handed as one major winner (women's division) was not able to meet the age requirement, starting from 18 years old up to 65 years old.

All in all, it was really a fun run as we run, walk, jog and made it to the finish line. I was at the 18th place for the top 20 finishers for men.

It's not bad for just a 3-week preparation, although my legs still ached after the rigors of my first competitive run.

I've been planning to join another fun run for a cause, not only for my health but for the environment.

My first attempt to join a marathon was preempted with long pause and thoughts that a day after, I was able to be convinced by my friend, who's already a member of the cooperative.

This needs for a long preparation, I said to myself. So, the result was not a dismal one for a beginner or amateur in this kind of sport discipline.

My early preparation was to jog in the early morn, usually 4:00 AM at the bay side of the county. The air coming from the sea helped me with my jogging, filling my lungs, expanding it as my body adjusted for my scheme for the race.

My friend kidded that I was taking it seriously. I said, it's like writing, you have to be sure that you're doing what is right with your article; filling it with informative ideas and information that will benefit me and the readers per se.

Since the bay side in this part of Manila is being reclaimed, from marina to the business ground of about 2-kilometer, I was able to hone some of my leg muscles, my thigh and calf to nearly perfect tone.

I was a short-distance runner during my elementary days, but, this was different. Truly, the factors affecting an athlete is his/her age and his dedication to the sport.

Since I started this, during my 40s, my future goals is to join other fun run (just 5K or 10 K) as I continue training my body to face such competition.