DNF

DNF! 

In runners' lingo, that means, "DID NOT FINISH". This is my first DNF that's because I paced a new-found friend.

Since I missed last Sunday's race, I made a "lagare" to the scheduled weekend races, and that included the Saturday race. I was planning to run 15K in both races. You read it right? 15K on each race that I am going to run.

I finished the Saturday race drenched, but I was able to get a PR at 1 hour and 44 minutes. 

So, in today's race, I promised one of my dad's staff to pace her. If my dad were here, he would pace Jenny. But my father is in Bacolod to man the bank there. Jenny will be running the half-marathon this January, so this will be her training run. And as for me, the Bankers' Run will be my recovery run.

Jenny and I were at pace. We took a brief pee break at The Gallery since she cannot contain her bladder. It was in kilometer 4, when Jenny felt a sharp pain on her lateral side of her right knee. Oh no! ITBS has struck Jenny! I told her to slow down or just walk. I also taught her the stretches my physiatrist taught. 

When we approach the 10K turning point, I suggested that we should do a 10K instead. But Jenny thought she could still run the 15K. So we pushed through. But her ITBS went from bad to worse at the Fuente Osmena rotunda. So from doing the Galloway method, we just walked towards the 15K turning point. We tried to run back, but the niggling pain still bothered Jenny. So We just walked our way up to Lahug, were Jenny suddenly felt hungry. I sprinted towards the Brgy. Lahug market to buy bananas. Jenny kept apologizing, thinking she was a bother. I told her there's no need to apologize, I mean, I am her pacer and besides I already logged more mileage than my usual weekly mileage.

We decided to DNF in order for Jenny not to suffer an embarrassing situation being the last person to cross the finish line. I suggested that we should take off our race bibs when we were already a kilometer away from the finish line. We went straight to her companion's car to get our stuff, and let her stretch.

Even if it was a DNF, I gained a lot...a gained a new friend.