At that point in my unplanned 42-kilometer run last March 2, I fully understood, “Free your mind and your feet will follow.”

I haven’t read Kevin Nelson’s The Runner’s Book of Daily Inspiration, where the quotation comes from, but I kept repeating that phrase on that day, when, after leaving my house in Lapu-Lapu City for a scheduled 21K run on my way to the Sun.Star office, I decided to complete a full marathon.

It was excruciatingly hot and there were instances on the way to Lilo-an when the thought of just turning back and not completing the run occurred to me.

But I kept mumbling my mantra.

MANTRAS, according to Runner’s World, help runners “stay focused and centered.” (CREATIVE COMMONS PHOTO BY PACO FLORES)

Free your mind. Like astral projection, I saw myself running the last few meters to the Sun.Star office, taking a soothing bath and eating a delicious lunch during a meeting scheduled that noon with Visayan Electric Co. officials who wanted to discuss the holding of an exclusive fun run for their workers.

And your feet will follow. I never ran farther than 25 kilometers in one go before that day. I ran 34.34 kilometers during my birthday but the distance was cut in two sessions, going to work in the morning and running back home at night. But on that day, the kilometer reading in my GPS watch kept ticking toward my goal.

Power of mantras

When I reached that point where the couple was waiting for a taxi, I knew I wouldn’t be able to run a direct route to the office because I still lacked four kilometers to complete the marathon. I knew I would have to run loops on F. Ramos St. It was hot and I wanted to stop but I also knew I would be able to finish a full marathon.

Mantras are powerful. In Hinduism and Buddhism, mantras are ritualistic incantation of mystic power.

For runners, mantras are as mystical and as powerful. Runner’s World says mantras help runners “stay focused and centered.”

“One way to develop your inner cheerleader is to remember thoughts you have while running well. If you’re feeling especially strong or light on your feet, recognize those sensations and try to translate them into a saying,” said Runner’s World’s “Guide to Road Racing.”

For 2004 Olympic marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, it’s “define yourself,” “go faster,” or “push harder.” Distance running hall of famer Bill Rodgers uses the word emblazoned on a poster of him winning the 1979 Boston Marathon, “relentless!”

For Dr. Humility Igaña, it’s “if others older than me can run, why can’t I?” She took it as inspiration that an older colleague could complete race distances. She was also inspired by the sight of a 77-year-old man overtaking younger runners.

Mind controls the body

Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, on the other hand, has a lot of mantras in her arsenal. Her favorite quote is by 1980 Boston Marathon champion Jacqueline Gareau, “The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy…it is not age, it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.”

But when she gets tired or suffers during a run, Donna has a backup mantra, “Quitting hurts more than this.” For really tough times, she repeats either of these phrases of power: “pain is temporary, pride is forever!”, “I’m healthy. I can! I’ve done it before. I’ll do it again!” or “The mind controls the body, the body does not control the mind.”

Abroad, she recites part of Bebot by Black-Eyed Peas “Ako ay Filipino, Kaya ko ito! Filipino! Filipino! Filipino!”

Sheila Colmenares, meanwhile, keeps telling herself “I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level. My age and my weight should not be a hindrance for me to achieve my goal for a longer running mileage.”

“One small step at a time to the finish,” ultra-runner Jonel Mendoza keeps telling himself as he tries to avoid racing with fool-hardy eager-beavers at the start of an ultra-marathon.

But as mantras go, nothing beats Coleen Digman’s favorite, “I run because I can’t give up my beer.” If the going gets tough, Coleen counts the beers she’s entitled to drink after the race.

DOC MITTY. Humility Igaña won last Sunday’s medical women’s category in the 5th University Run. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY RAMIE IGAÑA)

Bontol set a new personal record in topping the 10K Medical Men’s category, finishing the race in 42:38. At 2nd place was Dr. Harem Dieparine with a time of 45:30 while Dr. Mark Anthony Longinas finished 3rd with a time of 49:43. Rounding up the top 10 are: 4th Jo Banjo (50:47); 5th Renald Ramiro (58:24); 6th Ryan Jubal (1:02:33); 7th Andrei Yu (1:02:22); 8th Questor Nodalo (1:05:04); 9th Philip Larrazabal (1:06:21); and 10th Paul Go (1:11:17).

Igaña, meanwhile, topped the field of women doctors by finishing her 10K race in 1:01:31. Roslyn Yu was 2nd with a time of 1:02:23; Loy Tan was 3rd with a time of 1:06:20, Catherine Ti was 4th with a time of 1:07:27, while Ma. Victoria Larrazabal was 5th with a time of 1:13:10.

The Men’s 10K was dominated, as expected, by Kenyan Simon Losiaboi who breezed through the route in 32:16. He was followed by Arnold Unabia at 2nd place who finished in 33:13 and Alvirg Busa at 3rd who finished in 33:56.

In the Women’s 10K, Madelyn Carter topped the race by finishing the distance in 39:45. Jojielyn Pepito was 2nd with a time of 40:33 while Aiza Suaybaguio was 3rd with a time of 42:01. Rounding up the top 10 are 4th Lohriz Echavez (43:01); 5th Rosas Emily (49:39); 6th Melinda Ponce (50:48); 7th Angel Olis (50:56); 8th Donna Cruz (50:07); 9th Jane Ong (51:26) and 10th Florence Mata (51:29).

Veteran Reprinel Banzon, meanwhile, topped the 5K men’s category while Jolly Maxilom topped the women’s 5K. Charlie Berberio topped the 5K men employees’ category while Tessa Gabrillo topped the women employee’s category.

Lugz Lim topped the 5K alumni men while ungo runner Ryan Gonzaga was 2nd with a time of 21:01. Jane Sia topped the 5K alumni women.

The Ungo Runners, meanwhile was named the winner of the first inter-running club dance competition. The Ungo Runners bested the Run Belly Run group of running and belly-dancing enthusiasts.

According to many runners who talked to CebuRunning, the 5th University Run was a well-organized fun Sunday race that attracted more than 3,500 runners, which is a lot more than those who joined the wrongly-named Philippine International “Marathon” held simultaneously with it. The only major complaint was the crowding by student walkers of the closed road.

Organizer Dr. Yong Larrazabal has apologized for it and said many of the walkers and students ignored their designated lanes, blocking the way of runners out to set personal bests. Yong said that after the race, he immediately consulted with race director Joel Baring and they decided that in the next race, they would designate a different route for walkers and students.

Yong also said that they encountered problems with water because the 5-gallon bottles delivered to the site were fully frozen instead of just half frozen. Because of that, they encountered distributing water in water stations. But the Gatorade station was able to serve cold energy drinks to all the runners event until the close of the race.

This is the first time that a race in Cebu, even possibly in the country, will allow registrants to specify what is printed in their race bibs.

PERSONALIZED RACE BIB. Organizer Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III with a sample of the personalized race bib that will be assigned to the first 500 registrants of the 5th University Run on August 15. CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE (PHOTO BY MAX LIMPAG)

Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III, a marathoner who has been recognized by the Sportswriters Association of Cebu for his contribution to running, said the first 500 people to register for the run can specify what combination of letters and numerals would be printed in their race bibs. Larrazabal said the bib has room for 6 letters or digits.

He said that in races abroad, personalized race bibs are only reserved for elite runners.

If you still haven’t registered, however, you should do it now because there were already about 100 registrants on Tuesday night. Registration fee is P250 but students need only to pay P200. Registration areas are in Larrazabal’s Center for Sight clinic in Cebu Doctors’ Hospital, Nike Athletic Club in the Banilad Town Center and CDU.

The race distances are 3K, 5K and 10K. There are separate categories for students and CDU alumni.

Larrazabal said they laid out the race bibs to contain perforated sections that can serve as coupons to claim snacks, water and samples from sponsors to make for an orderly finish line.

Choice between t-shirt, singlet

Also for the first time in a race in Cebu, runners will get the option of getting either a t-shirt or singlet. Larrazabal said they allowed this because there are people who are not comfortable wearing a race singlet.

Larrazabal also said they will be raffling off close to a hundred prizes during the race, from limited-edition basketballs to Smart Bro mobile Internet USB dongles.

He also said that they will be serving ice-cold water and Gatorade during the race, which will be held at the CDU campus in Mandaue City. He said they tried it in last Sunday’s Dental Run and got raves from runners.

Route closed to traffic

As with previous stagings of the University Run, the route will be completely closed to traffic. “This is the only 10K route race in Cebu without vehicle traffic,” he said during the press conference.

Larrazabal said Cebu Doctors’ Hospital will be fielding 2 ambulances during the race to make sure runners are safe, considering the recent deaths in road races. He said they will be scheduling a talk by runner and heart surgeon Dr. Peter Mancao days before the race.

The 5th University Run also got a lot of key sponsors including telecoms giant Smart Communications Inc. and Nature Valley, which has Donna Cruz-Larrazabal as endorser.

2 major races on the same day

When asked whether he now sees a competition between his group and the organizers of the Pilipinas International Marathon that would be held on the same day, Larrazabal said no. “Hopefully, both races will be successful.”

He did say, however, that he does not think Cebu is ready to have two major races on the same day.

Larrazabal said they are targeting to attract 3,000 runners to the event, a figure that his father, Dr. Potenciano Larrazabal Jr., said was attainable.

Mancao said the money that they earn from the staging of University Runs are used to fund medical missions in Cebu.

“Mamatay ta ani ug sayo,” he told runners in the Sun.Star Cebu newsroom last night.

He started playing basketball until he injured one of his fingers. That spurred him to take up another sport—running.

RUNNING COUPLE. Max Limpag (left) briefs runners on the route of the 10th Friday Night Run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the BTC and IT Park. At right are running couple Dr. Yong Larrazabal and Donna Cruz-Larrazabal. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN D. LIMPAG)

Since then, the doctor has run 11 full marathons or 42-kilometer races and countless races in shorter distances. He has run a full marathon monthly since December.

Larrazabal also helped spur the current running boom in Cebu with his annual University Run and monthly Run for Sight series, which he organized when there were still very few running events in Cebu. For that, he was awarded by the Sportswriters’ Association of Cebu.

Larrazabal was the speaker in last night’s ungo run, a weekly Friday night run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the Banilad Town Center and the IT Park.

In his talk last night, Larrazabal advised runners to:

• Be realistic on goals

If you have an inactive lifestyle, don’t expect to immediately be able to run long distances. Expect to feel aches and pains. Ease yourself into the sport gradually, he said.

• Get proper nutrition
• Give your body time to heal and relax

Larrazabal said he used to run every day, which he described as a mistake. He said runners should give their muscles time to relax, their bodies time to recover. He said last night that he had colds because he ramped up his mileage. He said he knew he was overdoing it.

• Know your limits

Larrazabal said he won’t go beyond the marathon because he has a lifetime goal of running 33 marathons. He said that personally, he feels that going beyond 42 kilometers exposes a runner to a great risk of injuries.

OFFICIAL BOTTLED WATER. (From left) Charlie Berberio, Dr. Andrei Yu, Dr. Peter Mancao, Max Limpag, Dr. Yong Larrazabal hold bottles of St. James mineral water, which was donated by marathoner James Abilla. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARLEN D. LIMPAG)

Larrazabal also advised runners to encourage their partners to also take up the sport. He said running together has strengthened his bond with his wife, singer and runner Donna Cruz-Larrazabal.

He said that before Donna started running, she couldn’t understand why he would spend a lot of time for the sport, even traveling to other places just to run.

But ever since Donna got hooked on running, the two found something else in common to share. He said their relationship as a husband and wife has been strengthened by their common love for running.

(Blogger’s note: Photos of the run are available in the CebuRunning Facebook page.)

“It’s a sport that anybody can join. All you have to do is wear rubber shoes and have the determination to just do it,” Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III told a group of reporters two days after he ran yet another personal best—a 3:47:22 full marathon in the 2010 Seoul International Marathon.

11 SO FAR. Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III shortly after completing his 11th full marathon in the 2010 Seoul International Marathon. CLICK TO ENLARGE (CONTRIBUTED FOTO)

Determination is something Larrazabal understands.

The eye surgeon just finished his 11th full marathon, running a 42-kilometer race at least monthly for the past few months, and set a personal record.

Larrazabal went to South Korea with no marathon training. When you say marathon training, you typically mean months of programmed long runs, speed work and cross-training. He had none of that.

“I’ve been training marathons almost monthly so I treated the Cebu City Marathon and the Condura Run as like long runs. I just did what I had been doing after Macau,” he said.

Yong said he wanted to beat three hours and 40 minutes but went with the 3:30 group “because the weather was good and the route was flat.”

His first 10 kilometers was a race-worthy 48 minutes, his half-marathon 1:47. But he ran out of steam. He finished the last 5 kilometers in almost 40 minutes. Yong said his wife, runner Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, told him to target a 5:12 per kilometer pace

“Wala na, nahutdan na. Ni-gamble ko ba. Maayo na lang best time gihapon,” Yong said with a sheepish smile, “Gwapo kaayo nga race. I would recommend it to runners. It’s one of the best marathons I’ve joined.”

Yong said he feels he would have done better with longer training. For the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon in December, where he recorded his previous personal best of 3:49:48, he trained for two to three months.

Yong, however, said runners should also learn to enjoy races and realize that not all runs should be competitive.

He said he would be spending at least two months to train for his next marathon, the San Diego Rock n Roll. His lifetime goal is to eventually qualify for the Boston Marathon and complete 33 marathons.

KINDNESS OF A STRANGER. Yong Larrazabal with the Korean man who let him in their tent, lent him his jacket, and served him hot porridge and coffee. Yong’s host was delayed by traffic and the Cebuano doctor and runner started having the chills in the very cold South Korean weather. The Korean man invited him in. Yong said he was hugging the stainless steel stove at the back to keep himself warm. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE (CONTRIBUTED FOTO)

Apart from running marathons, Yong is also an active campaigner of the sport. He was recently awarded by the Sportswriters Association of Cebu for his contribution to the running boom in Cebu.

Yong organized monthly Run For Sight races as a way to encourage people to run. At that time, local races were rare and there were even months when no fun run was scheduled.

“I’m happy na very successful ang running sa Cebu,” Yong told reporters.

With races now being scheduled almost every Sunday, Yong said he wanted to take a backseat as a way to show support to local organizers. But, he said, they would definitely hold the University Run, their flagship race, and even expand on it.

With San Diego still two months away, Yong said he would be joining local races but would run a minimum of 20 kilometers on Sundays. He said he would likely run ahead then proceed to the race’s starting line.

Yong said he would run in The Great Lapu-Lapu Run on April 18 before rushing to the Cebu Doctors’ University’s graduation rites. Running?

Yong gave a sheepish smile.

Yong and Donna finished the 10K race together in 54 minutes and 11 seconds to top a field of about a dozen couples who joined the run. The Escasinas couple finished second with a time of 57:28. Noy and Amale Jopson were third with a time of 58:06.

Yong said it was the “best birthday gift” for Donna, who celebrates her birthday today, Valentine’s Day.

Those who joined the couples run were required to be no more than 5 meters of each other throughout the race and finish it holding hands.

There were no surprises in the other categories of the race.

Kenyan Simon Losiaboi finished his 10K run in 32:23 to claim first place. Elmer Bartolo finished second with a time of 33:41 while Ian Bernido was third with a time of 33:56.

In the women’s division, top runner Mary Grace delos Santos did not let a medical layoff get in the way by topping her division with a 10K run of 39:59. Mary Joy Tabal finished second with a time of 40:43 while Marlyn Alin finished third with a time of 40:43.

In the 5K race, Roland Batiancila topped the men’s division with a time of 17:30; Jobert Carolino was second with his time of 17:34, while Rolan Onrada finished third at 17:48. Rose Angele Amores topped the women’s division with her time of 22:92; Lennie Caduada was second at 26:47; while Diodel Moralla was third with her time of 27:23.

Ramon Carsido topped the 3K men’s division with a time of 13:49. Rafael Tan finished in second place with his time of 17:39 while Euegene Esteban was third with a time of 17:40. Mizraim Capangpangan, meanwhile, topped the women’s 3K division with her time of 19:16; Camille Flor and Cecilia May Uy were listed as being second and third, respectively, with identical times of 19:52.

Although relatively well-run, yesterday’s race had some complaints of lack of water in some stations and a shorter than advertised 10K distance. My GPS reading indicated the route distance to be 9.87KM.

Larrazabal just finished the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon in 3 hours, 49 minutes and 48 seconds. In an interview with reporters last night, Larrazabal said he set out for the Macau marathon last Sunday with the goal of finishing the race in 3:55.

MARATHON COUPLE. Donna Cruz-Larrazabal and Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III recount to reporters their experience in the Macau Galaxy Entertainment International Marathon. (Photo by Max Limpag)

Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, meanwhile, finished her first marathon in style, breaking five hours by coming in at 4:49:47.

Donna, however, said she nearly gave up and was in tears in the last few kilometers. She injured her left foot and it started hurting at the 22-kilometer point. She said she was walking in parts of the race but persevered, telling herself that she should finish before the five-hour cutoff time because “ayaw ko’ng mapahiya.”

Donna later told reporters that had she known that the route would pass the 2.2km Ponte de Sai Van bridge not once but four times, she wouldn’t have signed up for the full marathon.

“It’s not an easy route for a first marathon,” said Donna, who later broke into a laugh when she teased Yong that she beat his time for his first marathon—4:53 in Pasig.

Yong Larrazabal said the Macau race was tough and they passed many runners who were suffering from cramps. As indication of how tough the course was, the winner, Mykhaylo Iveruk of Ukraine, finished in 2:17.

Harthy Satina, Larrazabal’s running partner, conditioning coach, and trainer, said he was very proud of what the two had accomplished. Satina said Donna is the first local showbiz celebrity to finish a full marathon.

With his 8th marathon under the bag, Larrazabal said he will decide next week whether to run the full Cebu City Marathon or just 21k on Jan. 10. Larrazabal is planning to run 33 marathons in his lifetime. He said he and Donna will definitely run in the Cebu City Marathon. Donna said she will be running in the 21K event.

Larrazabal said he is planning to run five more marathons next year, culminating in Singapore where he hopes to run at least a 3:20 to qualify for Boston.

“The goal of every runner is first, to finish the marathon. Then it’s to record a fast time, break four hours. Then it’s to qualify for Boston,” Larrazabal said.

Donna, meanwhile, said she plans to run one marathon a year. She said she wants to join more local races and even pleaded with Yong and Harthy to let her join the regular Sunday runs in Cebu while they were still training for Macau. She wasn’t allowed to race because it would disrupt their training, Yong said.

Donna later said that they’ve agreed she could run future races and that Yong and Harthy would just adjust their long runs to finish with the race.

When asked what running has done to their marriage, Larrazabal said it has strengthened their bond. He said he and Donna have grown closer now that they are both running. He said they now have more things in common and they spend more time with each other because of their shared passion.

Donna said that with running, she no longer goes on a diet. She said she used to to be always eating sparsely and that affected her disposition. “Ngayong ang lakas ko kumain,” she said.

Donna said she used to resent the time Yong spent running and couldn’t understand what he saw in the sport. “Tatakbo ka na naman? I used to tell him,” she said. She said that at one time, when she asked him whether he was going to run again, Yong invited her to run with him. Donna said that’s how she started running in October last year.

She said she started buying expensive shoes and stuff as motivation to keep running because of the amount she had invested in the sport. She said Yong told her to just keep at it for a week or two and then she’d get hooked.

SINGING WHILE RUNNING. Donna, Yong and trainer Harthy Satina. No it wasn’t Donna, a popular singer, who sang while running the Macau Marathon, it was Satina, who Yong said kept singing the Milo theme song. Satina qualified for the Milo Marathon national finals last year. CLICK TO ENLARGE. (Photo by Max Limpag)

And get hooked she did. After that, Donna started to join and win local races. She finished her first 10K in 57 minutes. Her best time for the distance is 48 minutes.

Satina said it was very challenging for Yong to prepare for his marathons because he has a growing family and a thriving medical practice. Larrazabal’s family runs Cebu Doctors’ Hospital and Cebu Doctors’ University. But Satina shares Yong’s confidence of further improving his finishing time.

While preparing for Macau, Larrazabal’s weekly mileage went up to 80 kilometers. He did his Sunday long runs to Danao and was once even nearly run over by a taxi. On Wednesdays and Fridays, they’d then do 15K to 20K in the Cebu City Sports Center. With his schedule, Larrazabal said that at times they’d be the last to leave the sports center.

Larrazabal said he is happy with the running boom in Cebu and is proud to have done his part to promote the sport. He started the Run for Sight monthly runs at a time when there were only a few races in Cebu to provide a venue for runners.

Larrazabal said he encourages his patients to take up the sport. He said that with running, “you feel good. It’s a natural high.”

“Without running, I’ll be burned out with my work. I work better because I run,” Larrazabal said. He performed surgery the day after finishing Macau.

Mykhaylo Iveruk of Ukraine narrowly won yesterday’s marathon in Macau, China with a time of 2:17:45. He was followed by Micah Kipserem Chuma of Kenya, who finished in 2:17:51. Another Kenyan, Jusius Kibet Mebur, was at third place, finishing in 2:17:58.

IN MACAU. (From left) Harthy Satina, Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, and Dr. Yong Larrazabal at the Macau marathon. CLICK TO ENLARGE (Photo from Dr. Yong Larrazabal’s Facebook page)

The revelation, however, was Donna Cruz-Larrazabal, who broke five hours in her first full marathon, finishing in 4:49:47.

The Macau race is the 8th marathon for Yong Larrazabal, who is targeting to finish 33 marathons in his lifetime. Before yesterday, Larrazabal’s best time was 4:19 in the Hong Kong marathon.

Before the race, Yong Larrazabal told Sun.Star Cebu that he was confident of breaking his record “because we’ve had a wonderful training and the route will be flatter. It’s also cooler.”

Larrazabal said that to train for Macau, he and Donna did long runs to Danao City and in the two Mactan-Mandaue bridges. He said they also avoided joining local races to prevent disruption in their training regimen.