Another piece of good news from
abroad!
Last November 30, my Illinois-based running buddy, Francia Manahan-Dihiansan,
finished her 2nd half-marathon. This was the Schaumburg Half Marathon Turkey
Trot, touted by race organizers as the last distance running event of the
season in the Chicagoland area. It
takes runners on a largely flat, paved course through the Busse Forest
Nature Preserve just east of the community of Schaumburg, Ill., which lies just
a short drive northwest of Chicago's downtown area.
The course for the half marathon
is USATF (USA Track & Field) certified, and runners in the half will have a
3 1/2-hour course time limit to complete their race. The point-to-point course
for the half marathon starts just inside the west entrance of the preserve
off Higgins Road near the North Pool, and unfolds along a winding route through
the park's paved pathways and trails. This 440-acre preserve is part of the
3,700-acre Ned Brown Preserve, and is known for its unique flatwoods, forests,
meadows and marshes, which support a wide variety of aquatic birds like ducks
and geese as well as plenty of critters such as muskrat and mink, any of which
runners may encounter along the course.
Obviously, the route of the
Turkey Trot is scenic and serene.
However, it is the cold weather that makes a lasting impression. To read Francia’s account:
"It was freezing that day, low 31
degrees (I almost quit ) that morning
about 9:15 when we started and i think
it went up to 40's around noontime. Mala talagang agnow!! and the wind made it worst. I thought I'd quit at
mile 8 but I tried harder and the finish line seemed eternity at that point. I made it within the 3.5 hours
allotted time - agko pa man palan kusog -- which I was surprised because I
hardly trained this past summer. But I
am still proud of myself because I made it again for the second time. I hope
there will be a third one. One thing fun in this kind of event is that you gain
friend/friends while running the course and you get to meet somebody that has
the same pace as yours and in my case, I don't feel bad that I am slow. Hahaha!!
We were on same pace and both cheering for each other."
 |
| Francia (Bib No.2434) with new friend Nathania (Bib No. 2238) |
Resilient in cold weather. Friendly and smiling in physically demanding
times. We are proud of you.
Congratulations, Francia.
2 comments:
thank you for your unending cheers resounding miles and miles across from home sweet home. half mary is sweeter the second time around.
It is sweet to be cheering for someone. It is doubly sweet to be doing it for someone who cheered for me in the past.
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