Expo Kid

THANK YOU FOR THE UPS AND DOWNS

“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8

Thanksgiving may be a month ahead and months behind, but there’s no reason to stop thanking the Lord. You hear all the athletes on television say how they thank the Lord when they win. Why not thank him when you lose? Sure, winning’s great—the adrenaline, the excitement—but it takes a real winner to thank Him when you lose. In fact, don’t even look at it as “losing.” Look at it as transforming a seemingly negative situation into a positive one. Thank the Lord that you had the opportunity to compete in something you enjoy. Thank Him for having the passion for a
team—maybe you play for them or maybe you’re just the number one fan. Either way, you have a passion that you can be thankful for. Be thankful for the humbling experience that comes with losing. Soak up all that you can learn from the loss. That’s not to say that winning is bad—winning is fantastic! Just keep in mind which team you’re playing for, through the ups and downs.

—Natalie Creech

15K@ ROTA

It was a fair weather for the runners at last Sunday’s ROTA Run. It was our second tune up race for the 21K run at the New Balance Power Run this coming Sunday, September 25, 2009. Being held in the dreaded McKinley Hills, it certainly gave runners a great challenge. Swthrt and I arrived at the venue at around 5 am and noticed the volume of vehicles trying to get in the parking building. I finally decided to park at our office compound in NAMRIA (Lawton Ave. cor Bayani Rd.). It was about a kilometer away from the venue. We then run towards MKH which served as our warm-up run. We were then joined by Swthrt’s officemate, Leng who will be running her first 15K. After the short opening ceremony and briefing of the runners on the race route, the 21K runners were released at gun start. We then patiently waited for our turn. The 10K and 15K runners were released simultaneously.

The race
At the gun start Swthrt and I started at our regular slow pace but for whatever reason I started to feel a sudden increased heart rate. It was only the start of the race and we were just heading to the British Embassy. I suddenly remembered the lesson of “learning to listen to your body.” I slowed down a bit and just kept a 50 to 100 meter distance from Swthrt. I just wanted to thank God that after the turning point at the British Embassy my heart beat became normal and I slowly neared Swthrt and Leng. From then on, I was able to run well and Swthrt and I were able to finish the 15K distance at 1:45:+. Leng was also able to finish her race, too.

Race organization
It was a good race except for the 21K runners who were complaining it was short of 3K. There was also again the issue of water shortage and short hydration table along the route. The marshals were great especially in securing the left lane of the Bayani Road. These make the road safe for runners running this part of the course. I know the Takbo.ph people have tried their very best to give the runners a well organized race given the short time they assume responsibilities for it. I hope lessons were learned and better races will be organized by them in the future. Congratulations to the Takbo.ph!

See you at the New Balance Power Run this Sunday!

CHRIST IS #1

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

Training for track is often physically and mentally grueling. I won’t lie to you, I don’t like pain, and many times I wouldrun slower in practice just to make the pain bearable. Of course, not giving my all in practice was completelydetrimental to my success as an athlete. But if success meant pain, I didn’t want it.

It can be easy for us, as Christians to “run slow” in our race for Christ. Often we get attached to earthly possessions and have trouble letting go of the hindrances in our lives. Work, family and even entertainment become so important that our relationship with Christ is no longer a priority. When Christ is not a priority our growth as Christians is stunted. I couldn’t improve on the track unless I was consistently giving my all. In the same way, we can’t improve as Christians if we don’t seek Jesus with all our hearts. In order to do this we have to let go of those earthly desires andpriorities, however hard that may be.

Being a Christian is not always easy, but the success of meeting Jesus Christ face-to-face is worth any earthly pain you will have to endure!

-Brooke Thompson

Running the Hana Relay

The famous Hana Relay was a 52 mile run traversing 617 curves and crossing 56 bridges through breathtaking sceneries of Maui, Hawaii. The course begins in Kahului airport and ends in Hana Ball Park in Maui. There were 6 persons per team with each team member running 3 legs (approximately 2-3 miles per leg). Liza, my sister joined this event and has successfully accomplished the race. All members of the team were able to finish the entire race.

Liza with her teammates

My sister Liza settled in Maui after her marriage with Brad. One of the best tourist destinations in the world, it would really be enticing to run and experience the excitement of joining this kind of race. Liza was the first one who got into running. She inspired me after I have read in her blog, liza’s eyeview, her several postings regarding charity fun runs which she joined.

Liza in previous races she joined

The Hana Relay was again another accomplishment she had in running (more photos from her other blog (a maui’s blog).

Liza running on Maliko Gulch during the Hana Relay


race participants and supporters along the course

running Hawaiian style

Swthrt and I hope to run along the roads of Maui someday together with Liza and her family. Congratulations to Liza. We are proud of you!

Eco Downpour

I was awakened by the heavy downpour in our area at around 3:30 am last Sunday. As I woke up, I was wondering whether the scheduled Ayala Mall’s Eco Dash would push through. At around 4:00 am the rain stopped which prompted me to wake up Swthrt and prepare for the race. We usually don’t have much ritual before the race. For a short distance race, a cup or two of coffee would be enough to boost us. By 5:00am we were set to go to the race site, at the BHS. It was still raining when we arrived at the Fort Bonifacio. To our amazement, there were already lots of people converging at the starting area. The parking lot where we usually park was already full. We parked at the next available parking area near Honda. There we met with other members of Team Honda (the new kids on the block, hehehe). Actually they are officemates of Swthrt whom she recruited, and now regularly joined races.

Team Honda

After we saw the release of the 21K runners, we proceeded to the starting area to check in for our 10K race. Up to this point the rain never stoppred. It even from time to time gets stronger as we patiently waited for our release. We met with other bloggers while waiting for the gun start. Soon the gun fired, and Swthrt and I were off to a good start. We reached the Kalayaan flyover without any problem. There was water all around and it was truly a wet and wild race as we sometimes have to skip and jump to avoid pot holes filled with water along the way. It was fun running in the rain as seen by faces of runners who joined the race. It was a new course at least for a portion of it. We reached the turn- around point inside the Ayala Center after 34:36 mins. where we were given straws. On our way back, Swthrt started to complain of pain on her shin. She was thinking the lack of practice run for the past two weeks might have caused it. Anyway, Swthrt continued on and we finished at 1:11:+ for the 1oK.

Xty and Vener

Dra. Doray, Bards and Coach Titus adding extra kilometers after thier 21K

GIFTS

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:4-6

As a runner, I was always a good finisher. In the 400, I used that last ounce of energy to pass people on the back stretch. I was a closer. But my start was a completely different story. I almost always started off too slow and spent the entire race catching up. There was another girl on my team who had the exact opposite problem. She was a great starter, but could never hold on in the end. Although we had completely different running styles, we ran about the same times. We began to practice together and we fed off each other’s strengths. She came out strong, so I learned to do the same. My start improved tremendously as did her finish.

In life, God gives each of us different gifts- unique ways to share our faith and love in Christ. Working together with our special gifts, we can accomplish more as Christians. You should always realize the great potential of using your gift to encourage the growth of others and yourself.

- Brooke Thompson

When the Masters ran

Advocacy and Volunteerism

Mommy Milkshake Marathon, now on its third year staged another successful fun run for the family last Saturday, September 5 2009. A fun run to promote an advocacy on motherhood, race registration was free. This was our second time to join the event. Last year everyone in the family joined the race. But this time, JM, our eldest son missed it due to an intramurals at school. It was a festive mood when we arrived at the Fort despite the rain. According to the organizers, the number of runners exceeded their expectations. I have noticed that even the elite runners participated in. I even saw Hardcore Team members supporting the event. After we registered and got our race numbers, we had the time to meet friends who also joined the fun run. We registered for the 3K category with our son Josiah. We had a great time. Josiah had all his antics and stuffs. He even asked his mom, Swthrt to pour water on him during the run. It was nice to see families run together and have fun. It was a great bonding moment for families. For sure we will continue to support this fun run and the advocacy the organizers of this event are promoting.


To the organizers, Congratulations and more power!

The Masters 15K Run was another event of a different kind. It was a no frill but all thrill race as the runners put it. It was a labor of love and volunteerism all for the joy of running. Runners donated resources (money, sports drinks, bananas, etc.) and time (volunteer race officials) to be able to put up the 1st Masters 15k. The venue was ideal for runners, the place was free from vehicular traffic and less polluted air. Despite the heavy downpour in the early morning of Sunday, runners still trooped to Camp Aguinaldo for the race. The race started a bit late than the announced 5:30 starting time because of the bad weather. It was still dark at around 5:30am and to ensure the safety of the runners the gun start was moved to 6:00am. The masters (35 yrs old and up for women, 40 yrs. old and up for men) have the time of their life as they only have to compete with their age category where a medal was at stake in each division. After the race, everyone was treated with a refreshing ice cold beer, sports drinks, ice drops, bananas and more. Everyone had a great time including Swthrt and I who volunteered as race officials, water/beer station aid, and photographer. Next time, as we will qualify for the masters, we will surely be on the race as runners, hehehe!

Congratulations to Bald Runner for staging the event.

ETERNAL VICTORY

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24

Do you ever catch yourself completely caught up in sports? When it’s your favorite team playing, sometimes everything around you can become invisible. While it’s great to support your team, we can’t forget what is important in our lives. You might be the star athlete on the track team or the baseball team’s biggest fan. Yet that connection should not come before your relationship with God.

When true discouragement comes in life—real problems that go beyond how a sports team is doing, God will be there to help. He can build you up and encourage you in ways that others cannot. He is not fickle like fans who give up on their team, or coaches who berate their players.
All the hard work we put into sports should never be greater than the effort we pour into serving in God’s Kingdom.

After all, we are gunning for the ultimate prize. The feeling of accomplishment and excitement after your favorite team wins the biggest game of the year is nothing compared to the everlasting riches in heaven.

—Natalie Creech

Photo Talks - 15K Masters Run