Cebu’s road-running queen Mary Joy Tabal looks to defy odds when she competes in today’s Asics Los Angeles Marathon in California, USA.
Gunning for a strong performance in what she considers by far the biggest race of her career, the 25-year-old Tabal arrived in Los Angeles last Thursday. She said odds are stacked against her as there are some critical factors that could affect her performance in the grueling 52-kilometer race.
Tabal said one of her concerns is the short period of time to reset her body block.
“Nag sige pa ko ug adjust sa akong body clock kay morning diri dinha sa Cebu gabie na so lisod-lisud jud ug adjust mao nang sige ko ug rest diri para ma settle down akong body and ma prepare pud nako sa race day (I’m still adjusting my body clock because it’s morning here while it’s evening there in Cebu. It’s difficult that’s why I have been resting a lot to settle down my body in preparation for the race,” Tabal told Cebu Daily News.
Tabal said she was also trying to acclimatize herself to the weather in L.A.
“The weather here in L.A. is the same in Cebu ang nakalahi lang ang hangin kay medyo bugnaw diri (the wind here is cooler),” Tabal told CDN
Tabal revealed that shortly after they arrived in L.A., she and co-National Milo Marathon champion Rafael Poliquit immediately hit the road for a round of jogging along with topnotch runner Rio dela Cruz.
Tabal said her trainer and partner John Philip Dueñas helped her prepare her running gear and gave her much-needed tips.
“He told me nga dili i-mind ang time basta ako lang jud daw i-maintain akong pace sa entire race unya ni ingon pud siya nako nga if maka push ko ug harder then I have to do it. Iyaha pud ko gi remind nga mag hydrate ug sakto before sa race kay ako ra baya ang usa mo dagan unlike nga naa pirmi siya naa sa akong kilid mo pace (He just told me not to be too concerned about my time and just maintain my pace. If I can push harder, then I should go for it. He also reminded me to hydrate before the race as I’ll be by myself unlike the races where he was there to pace me),” Tabal shared.
Despite the various factors which has her worried, Tabal vowed to put up a gallant fight.
“Basta ako lang jud ika promise sa tanan supporters nako ako buhaton tanan nako mabuhat para maka finish ko ug nindot nga place,”she said.
Tabal said she has mixed emotions going into the race.
“Excited ko at the same time gi nervous kay dako kaayo ni nga opportunity to compete with other nationalities kay kahibaw ko mosaka jud ug maayo ang level sa akong competitiveness (I’m excited and at the same time nervous because this is a big opportunity for me to compete against other nationalities and I know my level of competitiveness will rise),” she added.