Questions

December 3 is the date set for the annual Davao Sunday Runners Club Finishers' Marathon. Run over a challenging out-and-back course which features more than 5 kilometers of hilly terrain, the event features a full 42k marathon, a 28k run and a 5k.

I am looking forward to running the 28k. I have done it about three times before, the last was in 2001. Five years is quite a long time, and I know that I cannot bring back the same level of fitness I had then in three months of running. I had biked recreationally and sometimes competitively the years I quit running, but I know that running demands a lot more, and I am no longer as young.

Have I done enough to prepare myself for this endeavor?

The longest runs I had were three 20k's on an out-and-back route with 10 kilometers of uphills. I have also packed in four 15-kilometer runs, in addition to the countless 6k's and 10k's on roads and trails.

Would all these be enough to carry me through the 28k?

I always try to assure myself that I would finish, that I have done enough. But the questions always come back, the doubts and apprehensions linger.

A week of running still lay ahead before the event. Perhaps I would find myself more assured in one of the coming runs.

I sure hope so.