Blogger's Note:
For the Bull Runner Sun Life Dream Marathon 2020 , there were 13 First Balfour employees who registered. Of the total, 10 were able to actually start and finish the 42km running event at the Clark Parade Grounds in Pampanga. All 10 were requested by the Bicolano Penguin to answer 3 questions related to their first experience of a full marathon. The 5th fastest finisher among the FB's dreamers this year is Justine Mondelo (Bib# 0679) with a time of 6:32:23. A BS Industrial Engineering graduate of the Luzon State University, Justine is currently a systems analyst in Procurement. Being part of the Junior Management Training Program (JMTP), he will be rotated among several key departments of the company. No doubt, the lessons he learned from the TBR experience will benefit him. Here is Justine's reply to the 3 questions:
1. Why join the TBR Dream Marathon?
I was really hesitant about joining because I never had any prior experience in running, not even a 3K run! But there is a part of me urging to participate and start to be more physically active. I decided to join this marathon simply to experience something different and something new. It was also an opportunity for me to crush some unwanted fat and lose some weight. Generally, I joined because I wanted to challenge myself and develop a side of me which I have not invested in for a long long time ago.
2. What was the experience like training and running your first full marathon?
The most awkward part of my training is my very first run. It is because I never run before as preparation for an event similar to this and I don't even know if I was doing the right thing. But with the help of my TBR batchmates and some TBR alumni of First Balfour, I learned some techniques through their advices and was able to increase my mileage every practice runs.
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| Justine's very first practice run: a Walk the Talk activity in sunny Batangas in Aug 2019 |
Even the night before the big day, I am still not sure if can finish the 42k because the longest run I did during the training period was 21k. One of the reasons why I was able to finish the first half of the marathon is because of my pacer, Ms. Nikki. She helped us maintain our pace safely. The second half was a totally different story because I started to run on my own and at my own pace; and the pain, fatigue and negative thoughts started to kick-in already. Thank God, a dream chaser helped me and run with me to finish almost half of the last loop. The finish line was the best part. I am already wearing the medal but still asking myself how I was able to finish that freaking 42k. Finishing that marathon was my wildest goal for 2020 and yes, I was able to achieve it.
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| Justine's pacer is Nikki, one of his bosses in First Balfour's Procurement team. |
3. Would you recommend the TBR Dream Marathon to your loved ones and friends?
Yes, I would really recommend joining the Dream Marathon because it is organized for beginners. The preparation over the 22-week period is enough to conquer the big day and it is not just the body that will be gaining the strength to endure the whole marathon but the mind, as well. With this achieved 2020 goal, I just proved that at the end of the day, we are always meant to survive the challenges we face.
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| Surviving the challenge and achieving his wildest goal in 2020. |
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