Tabal eager to finally secure Milo 42k crown

Cebu’s running queen Mary Joy Tabal is not the type who’d just give up that easily.

Preparing for her fourth stint in the Milo Marathon National Finals this coming Dec. 8 in Manila, Tabal thinks she knows what adjustments she should make in order to brighten her chances of finally winning the 42-kilometer crown of the annual prestigious running event.

“I think this is the perfect time to correct the mistakes I’ve done,” Tabal said. “42k is really not my forte. I’ve been very dominant in the 21k, so it’s a huge challenge for me to push myself beyond my limits.”

One thing she noticed is that she starts feeling pain in her legs when she reaches the 30-kilometer mark, just like what she experienced last year where she finished fourth overall and first among locals.

Because of this, her trainer John Philip Dueñas advised her to lighten up to ease a little pressure off her legs. “I’ve been working on my weight recently and I feel a bit lighter. I hope that I’ll become faster with this kind of training,” Tabal said.

She also said that Dueñas, who topped the 21k race of the Cebu leg of the Milo run, also trained her in a way that she’d improve her endurance, which is important for a long-distance runner.

“We’ve been focusing more on our endurance training. Philip wants to strengthen my legs, which is the usual part of my body that gets injured,” said Tabal, whose personal recording a 42k race is two hours and 57 minutes. “I’m still training so I’m not a hundred percent ready, but there’s enough time to train.”

Tabal said she is very motivated to compete in the national finals because for her, the only way to conquer her fear is to face it. “It’s been three national finals and I’ve been badly injured in those three previous races. That’s why I’m training hard for this.”

Meanwhile, Tabal said Dueñas won’t be competing in the men’s 42k race and will instead be focusing on Tabal’s race. “I’m thankful that he is very dedicated to my training.”