Tabal proudly shows the Philippine flag after winning the 21-kilometer race of the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon in Canada.
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ALL ABOUT CONFIDENCE Training in Italy plays key role in Tabal’s record-breaking performance in Canada
The month-long training in Tuscany, Italy worked really well for Cebuana Olympian Mary Joy Tabal.
The 28-year-old Tabal said it was because of the grueling training in Italy that allowed her be more confident of herself. And this newfound confidence is what drove her to rule the women’s 21-kilometer race of the Scotiabank Ottawa Marathon last Sunday in Ottawa, Canada.
“I believe my training in Italy surely helped me build my confidence,” Tabal said. “The grueling training that I had (in Italy) and (the help of) my coaches and teammates contributed a lot in helping build my self-confidence. And this played a big role in this record-breaking win here in Canada.”
Tabal crossed the finish line in one hour, 16 minutes and 27 seconds to become the first Asian to top the race. The time was a new personal best for the runner from Barangay Guba, Cebu City in a 21k race. She also could possibly dislodge the Philippine record of Mercidita Manipol Fetalvero, which stands at 1:18.45, should the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association recognize her accomplishment in Canada.
“During the race, I only thought of running as fast as I can so that I can break my record. I just kept on running and I did not bother to look at my watch to check my time so that I won’t pressure myself,” Tabal said.
Canadian long distance runners Brittany Morn (1:18.42) and Lynda Gingras (1:22.58) placed second and third, respectively.
Last year, Tabal participated in the full marathon (42 kilometers) of the same race. She clocked 2:43.31, which was also her personal best, to finish 124th out of 158 entries. Her time was enough to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil, making her the first Filipina marathoner to compete in the quadrennial meet.
Tabal is aiming for another stint in the next Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, Japan.
This early, she is already preparing for that goal, which is why she’s busy training in different places and joining international races.
Along with John Philip Dueñas, Tabal spent one month in Tuscany, Italy to train with world class marathoners in preparation for her major races, which includes the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this August.
Back to Italy
She admitted she has a lot of things to work on for the SEAG. She won a silver medal in her first try in the biennial SEAG in 2015 in Singapore.
“I have to train again for this race. I want to improve my skills more,” Tabal said.
Because of the positive result of her training in Italy, Tabal is scheduled to go back to Tuscany on June 8 with the help of her corporate backer, MotorAce Philippines headed by Jonel Borromeo.
“I can’t thank sir Jonel (Borromeo) enough for giving me another chance to train there and help me achieve another goal in my career. I know that training there is very expensive so I want to thank him with all my heart and I will make sure that my training there will be worth it,” Tabal said.
Aside from Borromeo, Tabal also gave credit to Dueñas, her Italian coach Giuseppe Giambrone, and her Japanese coach Akio Usami.