Days after I conquered my first half marathon race, it's still hard to believe how I managed to do it -- especially with little preparation I had. Just the other day, my running buddy Shiela posted on my Facebook wall a course map of the 21 K route and how she, too, could not believe how she managed to finish the race.

That's me before crossing the finish line

I finished my first 21 K run in 3 hours, 11 minutes. I don't think that's bad for a first timer, right? Here are some interesting facts I found at Runrio website. You can get the results of the third leg of the 2013 Run United Philippine Marathon here.

It's interesting to note that I was ahead of about 28 percent of men runners. That should count for something, right? Haha.

Shiela finished her first 21K race in 2 hours, 32 minutes. Now that's better! I'm sure that with more training she can finish the race in 2 hours.

Mike, or the self-proclaimed Project Tikboy, finished his first full marathon -- yes, that's 42 kilometers -- in 6 hours 15 minutes (chip time). I'm super proud of him! I know he can do a lot better next time because we swear to pour more time and dedication to our training in our next run.

Kudos also to Coach Rio and the rest of his team for the very very organized run. There's a reason why he is one of the most sought-after running event organizers. I saw it for myself in the two runs I participated under your Run Rio's watch. Woohoo!

Next year, I'm going to do a full marathon! For now, it's task completed.