Italy training is pushing Tabal beyond her limits

DETERMINED. Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal trains at the Tuscany Training Center in Italy. (From Tabal’s FB page)

CEBU’S pride, Mary Joy Tabal, is making the most out of her training in Tuscany, Italy.

The 27-year-old Tabal, the first Filipina marathoner to vie in the Olympics, is in the middle of a month-long training at the Tuscany Training Center in preparation for her major races this year, which include the Ottawa Marathon in Canada on May 28 and the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August.

Tabal left Cebu along with trainer John Philip Dueñas last April 2.

Tabal said she is amazed with the “very advanced” training program in Italy.

“As an elite runner, this is one of the most important factors for an athlete like me to grow up and learn a lot of new things,” she said. “Here in the training camp, you have to push yourself beyond your limit so that you can discover your full potential. Every day, you have to push yourself in training and you are also very motivated by watching your fellow athletes who are also very dedicated in their training.”

According to Tabal, the privately funded training program has been working well for her, especially that she does it together with some of the best athletes in the world.

“I get excited every day because you wouldn’t know if you survive the training on that day. But I am very thankful because everyone here is helping each other out. I am training alongside the Italian national team, the Ugandan national team, the Burundian national team,” Tabal said.

Tabal placed eighth in the last year’s Ottawa Marathon to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. She won a silver medal in the 2015 edition of the SEAG in Singapore.

Tabal will be in Italy until May 19. She said she plans to train in Italy again in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if her sponsors are still willing to support her.