A FISHING FINALITY!

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. Joshua 23:14

Fishing is a calculating and often temperamental sport. One must figure out exactly what the fish are striking at to be successful. One day you find out plastic worms are working; the next, it’s a deep-diving jig. Other days, good ‘ol crickets are what the fish are feeding on. You never know what the day will hold, and you must adapt each and every time to weather patterns, feeding patterns, water temperature, and a number of other factors.

The human race is just as fickle. Every day holds a different story and every day we experience changing emotions and outcomes. The good news is that God is stable and constant day in and day out. We don’t have to figure God out every day. His Word portrays consistency and is something we can feed on each day, no matter what has changed since the last. Fishing analogies were used many times in the Bible. Remember God’s consistency the next time you hit the pond, and be grateful that God’s promises and love are not like those fish you are trying to catch.
—Eric Jones

HCMI running clinic held

The Running Club of Honda Cars Pasig in coordination with its HRD has organized a running clinic for its associates at the Honda Cars Global City on 03 August 2010. Jonel Mendoza, a seasoned ultra marathoner and a publisher of frontRUNNER Magazine shared his experiences and lectured on the basics in running. The event was attended by associates from the different branches of Honda Cars Makati Inc. ( HCMI ) who are running newbies and those who want to try the sport. The clinic aims to encourage their associates to practice a healthy lifestyle by having proper nutrition and exercise.

For quite some time, a good number of HCMI associates have been joining races in the metro. Three of their associates, Joel Abrazado, Ritchie Ascueta, and Baby Estrella (Swthrt)have already finished a full marathon (TBR Dream Marathon). Other runners have successfully completed shorter distances ranging from 5K to 21K. This month, some runners will be participating in the Camsur Marathon. Since the company understands that having a healthy body translates to a more productive office, it continues to support other sports, such as badminton and basketball. Just recently, the Ayala group of companies, which HCMI is a subsidiary, held a fun run in Ayala Triangle.

The clinic started at around 6:30 pm giving ample time for participants from other branches. Jonel’s presentation focused on the Who, How, When and Where of running. He also shared practical tips while running in a race. With the advent of climate change causing hot weather during races and the recent news of fatality during races, Jonel also tackled injury prevention and proper hydration.

After the presentation, Sir Mar Encarnacion, CIO of HCMI, presented to Jonel the certificate of appreciation from the company. After the clinic, some participants rounded the BHS as part of the actual run, and before calling it a day.

In behalf of the HCMI associates Swthrt and I would like to thank Jonel for sharing his time and running experiences with us. More power also to your frontRUNNER magazine.

21k at Rexona 2010 run

Running 21K once again after having been sidelined for more than two months makes me feel a first time runner. It was not a totally zero mileage before this race but after the TBRDM, Swthrt and I were only able to run on weekends from 5K to 10k. The Robinsons Fit and Fun was our last race prior to Rexona Run. This race was another test run for us to gauge our fitness level and make possible adjustments prior to our training program for the coming 2nd QCIM.



The Race
We arrived at the MOA just a few minutes before the starting time. We have to run from the parking lot all the way to the starting line which serves as our only warm up. The race route was being shown on the wide screen and after that we heard the starting horn. Swthrt and I did our usual easy starting pace and reached the 5k marker at a very conservative 34.56 minutes.

I felt a slight pain on top of my left foot, which I previously experienced during the Fit and Fun Run but I was able to get rid of it after some adjustment on my running form. We were just so thankful that God had provided a good weather for the race. The long table for hydration (water and Powerade) were strategically placed. The course was basically flat and ideal for runners’ PR. It was after one hour and 13 minutes that we reached the 10K marker .

The next 5K was a 9:1 Galloway method. We reached the 15K marker after one hour and 52 minutes. At this point, we were quite exhausted and could not even sustain the 9:1 run- walk ratio. Leg cramps was also felt. The long straight road of Macapagal Blvd also added to the long wait of reaching the turn-around point.

I was really tired and at some point, Swthrt would drag me by keeping the pace up. With just 3K to go, I told Swthrt that she could go ahead but she opted to still run with me as she was also tired.

We crossed the finish line with a clock time of 2:44. Our chip time on the official result was 2:42:48.


After the race
The race gave us some encouragement that we can still finish a long distance race such as a half marathon without a thorough preparation. What was disheartening was to see runners whom before was our “ka-pace” but are now faster than us because of consistent training. But it somehow pushes us to train harder and better. The race result gave us a clear assessment on where to start in our training program and that is to again focus on mileage build up for endurance. And if we want to break a PR on a marathon, we really have to incorporate speed training in our program. It’s time again to lose more extra pounds. As a proof that I gained some weight again was the heel pain that I’m having right now. With all these, it was a fulfilling race for us.

As expected, the Runrio-organized race was a great race. See you on the road!

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