To Infinity and Beyond

“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.”
—Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champion

No words can fully describe the intense and emotional experience that was our first 15 kilometer run in UP Los Baños last October 2, 2005. I arrived at the campsite at 12 midnight, having come all the way from my cousin's wedding in Tagaytay. Though I was not able to sleep at all that night, I had to get up at 4:00 am the next day to have breakfast and do some warm-up exercises.

The 15 km run is an event we have all been training hard for. It was one of the last requirements we needed to complete to become eligible for induction—and we had to finish it in only two hours. We had to run six rounds on a 2.5 km trail that would go steadily downhill, take several sharp turns, and then go steeply uphill. I admit that in the past, I was not at all confident that I would finish it. But in the days leading to the event, I really had to psych myself up and believe that I could do it. When they “fired the gun,” I just ran and ran and ran. I could feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins, and thankfully, I was able to finish it in one hour and 55 minutes!

Of course, I was ecstatic that I had completed what had heretofore seemed an impossible feat. But moments after I had crossed the finish line, I couldn’t help but remember a line from the reading Ate Tinnah gave us during our last prayer session: “In the long run, there can be no real joy for anybody until there is joy finally for us all.” Though many of us successfully crossed the finish line, others did so in sheer pain. Yvonne, who was the last person to cross the finish line within seconds of the time limit, was being carried by two people as she was suffering from cramps. How could we who crossed the finish line in time celebrate, when some of our co-trainees were injured and others did not reach the cut-off time? All the while I was thinking, "That so easily could have been me!"

Indeed, I was deeply humbled and amazed by the whole experience. I was so grateful to God and to the very supportive trainees and members who encouraged us, guided us, manned the water stations (very very important!), and literally pushed and ran with us to the finish line. I particularly remember George, whose presence near the finish line was so comforting, and Jon who would quietly hearten us to go on. Because they had failed to complete the training climbs, they were no longer eligible for induction at the time. And yet, they were still there to give their wholehearted support. (Jon even finished the 15 km run with the fastest time!)

* * *

Last week, we had the second 15 km run at Fort Bonifacio for those who didn’t make it the last time. I ran a little more than half of the route to support my co-trainees, and manned the water stations with Jen, Lyn, and Ava the rest of the time. By the grace of God, everybody was finally able to complete the runs in time!

After a series of pre-climb meetings for the induction climb, I passed my letter of intent to become a member of AMCI and had my panel interview. Despite the somewhat daunting presence of a lot of officers and members and the fact that I had to tell a joke and sing a song, I think it went well enough. I may not have thought this through when I first joined the training, but after all the experiences I’ve been through in the last few months, I am now firm in my resolve to become a member of the club. As I told the BMC committee in my letter of intent, I want to join AMCI “not only because I believe I will learn and grow more as a member, but also because I want to impart my newfound knowledge and love for climbing to other people who will be crazy enough to join this club next year.”

The only thing that stands between me and membership now is MT. APO.

To infinity and beyond!