Our Post-Christmas Long Run

Since we started running last year, going home to the province has becoming more exciting. It was because aside from visiting our families and relatives there, we can always do a long run. Last December 26 when most people are still asleep after the merry makings on Christmas day, Swthrt and I woke up at around 5am and prepared for the longest run we ever did. Our goal was to run from Baranggay Tulo, Batangas City to Eternal Garden in Alangilan, Batangas. We will be visiting Itay (Swthrt’s father)’s grave since it was our first Christmas without him. We have no idea of the distance we will be running but we are quite sure that it will be longer than our usual route we run every time we visit Batangas. To at least approximate the distance we will be running, I decided to use my nike+ ipod.

At 5:30 am we were ready to run. We started at a slow pace for our warm up. It was very cold. We increased pace to 7min/km as we go along. It was a good run all the way to Stonyhurst School in Baraggay Pallocan where we met Ed (Swthrt’s brother) on his bike. He will be guiding us on our way to Eternal Garden. We will be taking a detour since the Bridge of Promise in Baranggay Gulod is still not passable. It was damaged by typhoon Pepeng. We took the road going to SM City then turned right on the road leading to the town proper. We took a right turn at Prieto St. after crossing a bridge (forgot the name) and turned right again at Rizal Drive. At this point we ran more than 10K. It was here at Rizal Drive where we faced a great challenge of running uphill all the way to the Provincial Capitol. And so before doing it we had our first Kitkat break and conquered the hill. We then proceeded to the main highway going to Eternal Garden. It will be at least 3K more to our destination according to Ed. With 1 kilometer to go, Swthrt felt pain on her chest. We took a walk break and assessed if she can continue to run. She told me she was not feeling dizzy nor she was feeling weak. It was the pricking pain on her chest every time she spoke that bothered her. Our guess was it was an acid reflux attack that she has been experiencing for the fast few days. After a while Swthrt had a burp. She felt better and proceeded with our run. We arrived at Itay’s graveyard after 1hour and 41 minutes of running covering 14.5Kms. We stayed there for at least 8 min and had our second Kitkat break before heading our way back home.

This time, it was a question of can we still do it? And without hesitation, or should I say without any choice, we made our way back home. It was harder this time. The sun was up which made it hotter at this time. There were also more motorists on the road where most of them had no regard to runners and drove faster than they should. And the fumes coming out from the jeeps and tricycles in the city area really made it harder to run. The route going to Baranggay Gulod was no problem. We had short stop and bought a bottle of water to replenish Swthrt’s hydration bottles. Upon reaching Baranggay Pallocan, we begun to have walks break especially after taking on the series of uphill going back to Baranggay Sampaga. With more than 21K ran, we felt the soreness on our legs and the heat of the sun that drained all our energy. It was our longest run ever. We took our last Kitkat bar and finished the whole course running and walking for almost 4 hours covered a total distance of 29Kms. It was a tiring but fulfilling run that we had.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

See you at the starting line on Rizal Day Run!

Hearts Revealed

The baby Jesus was only 40 days old when Simeon saw the blessed Infant. Old Simeon held the Child and prophesied that with the life of Jesus, “the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). Thoughts are the inner feelings which we can hide from other people. Our hearts the most secret hiding places. But there is nothing we can hide from God; and with the birth of Jesus, even the secrets of men’s hearts will be exposed.

Let us read Luke 1:26-29. In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel,”since I am a virgin?” (NIV)

Even before Jesus was conceived, the thoughts of people’s hearts started to be revealed. These verses reveal the thoughts of Mary as the angel Gabriel appeared to her. Mary was troubled as the angel greeted her with a very unique compliment. She was not at ease with such a compliment as being highly favored by the Lord. We can easily sense that she was truly a very humble and unassuming person.

Upon hearing that she would bear a son, she dared to ask, “How can this be since I am a virgin?” She was engaged to be married to Joseph, but as yet, she never had any sexual relations with any man. She posed her puzzled question to Gabriel, the mighty messenger of God. To question the powerful angel Gabriel is dangerous. Another person named Zechariah suffered for doing so. Zechariah was already very old when Gabriel revealed to him that he would have a son. He questioned Gabriel how he could possibly have a son in his old age. The angel Gabriel rebuked him by saying, “Because you do not believe one who stands in the presence of God, you will be dumb until all these things have happened” (Luke 1:8-20) Thus Zechariah could not speak until his son, John the Baptist, was born.

Mary asked Gabriel a similar question, “ How can I have a son when I have no relations with a man?” But Mary was not rebuked. Why? It is not wrong to question God when the inquirer is intent on finding out the truth for the purpose of obeying that truth. Mary asked with that kind of sincerity: when the truth is verified to be coming from God, she would surely obey. Gabriel would not rebuke her because of that. This shows us that Mary had a right relationship with God. A right relationship with God is brought about by habitually listening to what God says and obeying readily. Gabriel had described Mary as having “found favor with God”. Therefore, instead of rebuking Mary, Gabriel explained everything to her. She, in turn, submitted to God’s will (Luke 1:35-38). The news about Jesus’ conception revealed the thoughts in Mary’s faithful heart.

Let us read our next verses Matthew 1:18-25. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to pubic disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which neans, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (NIV)

Joseph was a just and righteous man. For him, what was right was right; what was wrong was wrong. But he was also extraordinarily considerate and kind as proven when he discovered that Mary, his fiance, was pregnant. The child was not his. The shocking discovery must have hurt Joseph. He could easily have retaliated by exposing Mary to charges of adultery. She would surely be found guilty and thus be stoned to death. But Joseph chose not to hurt Mary and ruin her reputation. We can see that Joseph’s thoughts were very merciful and kind because he did not want Mary to be made a public spectacle. He decided to quietly cancel their marriage plans by telling her privately. This revealed Joseph’s heart as very merciful even when in pain. God was likewise kind and considerate to Joseph. He sent the angel Gabriel to speak to Joseph in a dream to help him understand that all of this was the will of God.

Now we will see God’s heart being revealed. Joseph and Mary travelled to Galilee to register because of a Roman decree. Mary was already in her advanced stage of pregnancy and about to give birth. And they arrived in Bethlehem.....

Let us read our next verses Luke 2:6-7.While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Joseph and Mary were not prepared for what they encountered in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was jampacked with people who had come to register. The couple could find no place to stay in nor any place where Mary could give birth to her child. They only found a stable where the animals were kept. Jesus was born in that stable. And Mary tenderly and lovingly wrapped the Baby in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes were strips of cloth wrapped on babies in order to protect the fragile newborn infants. Here, God’s heart was revealed further. God came down in the form of the baby, in a humble and delicate condition, being wrapped in those swaddling clothes. He was placing Himself in human hands, as represented by the swaddling clothes. God’s faithful like Mary and Joseph will respond with love. They will render their total devotion to God with all their hearts, however difficult their lives might be.

When Jesus touches the life of anyone, that person’s life will never be the same again. The lives of Mary and Joseph were forever changed. Their hearts were indelibly marked by the arrival of the Baby described as “God with Us”. And their hearts’ love for God was revealed for all of heaven and earth to see. God had come down to be with us forever. He will expose all our hearts by His presence. That is a blessing, isn’t it?

Delivered during one of the Sunday Services of Hosanna !, PCED Hostel, UP Diliman. Quezon City.

DO YOU MIND?

“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 (King James Version)

Have you ever tried to put up a tent in the middle of a storm? How about inhaling while under water, or in a smoky room? Well, there is nothing wrong with putting up a tent or inhaling, but the right thing at the wrong time can be just as devastating as the wrong thing at the same time.
The same principle applies to life and our minds. Try making a decision in the heat of the moment, or try calmingyour own mind to understand one person in a room full of shouting babies.

The Bible says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways. Therefore, it is imperative that we set our minds on this: God is God, He is in control, and no one or thing is greater than He that dwells within us. So, set your mind, and do it before anything happens and before the heat of the battle or before you hear thousands of other voices. Set your mind on Him, and the truth that He says about you. Then and only then can you truly walk in the midst of any situation and be confident with the right mindset. - Eric Harris

Long Run @ UP

This is just to log another long run that I completed last Sunday at UP Diliman with Swthrt. This time, i used my Nike+ ipod to track the distance we covered for the day. This will also allow us to deviate from the usual route (known distance route) and still be able to get the distance we ran. Our target was to have at least 15k easy pace run. As we ran, we saw Jonel, who joined us for a while. We also saw Vener and Xty, getting ready for the race, Mighty Run, scheduled on that morning. We finished our run after 2 hours covering 16.56K. It was another fullfilling workout as i prepare for the 32K challenge, The Rizal Day Run, organized by Baldrunner on December 30 at Camp Aguinaldo. See you at the starting line!

ACCOUNTABILITY

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24

A friend and I go to the YMCA every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. We lift weights, run on the treadmill . . . and we run our mouths. Sometimes the mouth gets the better workout! We also spend time encouraging each other and lifting each other up in prayer. When you say, “Let’s work out at 5:00 am,” most people would say, “No way!” And believe me, many days I travel or stay up late on the phone with clients, so 5:00 am comes too quickly. Then why do I go? Accountability! I know my friend will be there, and if I don’t go, the phone will ring, asking me where I am and giving me a hard time. I go because of the accountability.

Do you have anyone who holds you accountable for your spiritual walk? The Lord commands us to encourage each other and pray for and with each other. So find a friend, and whether it is at the YMCA working out or in a small group, hold each other up.
—Robert Walker

Weekend long run at UP

It's been a long time since we last ran inside UP Diliman. Last Sunday was a welcome treat for us to run on roads covered with trees. We have prepared for this run and so we woke up early and we're at UP campus as early as 5:00 am. We even caught the organizers of the race (YesRun) scheduled for the day setting up the starting area. Our target was to have a long run at a comfortable pace. We started it with a warm-up run around the academic oval and did some stretching before proceeding with our goal workout. We ran on routes we have never run before. Below is the route where we did 3 rounds completing an aproximately 15K distance.

Photo Talks - New balance Power Run 09

Official travel and running

One thing about my work is that I get to travel to places to video/photo document our office’s projects and events. Last Dec.2-3, I was in Zambales to document the on-going seminar- workshop on the country’s disaster preparedness. It was a multi-agency collaborative project called “READY Project” wherein maps on different hazards such as landslide, storm surge, earthquake-induced hazards (e.g. gound rupture, liquefaction, tsunami) were plotted and disseminated to different baranggay officials nationwide for them to be aware of the different hazard-prone areas and make appropriate contingency plans. The event was held in a resort in Iba, Zambales.

Having foreseen an opportunity to run, I brought running shorts and singlets with me. The first day was all work. The following morning, I woke up at around 5am and at 5:30am I was out to run. I ran a few rounds around the lighted basketball court of the resort and along the pathway as it was still dark. Just before the sun was out, I went to the beach shore to continue my run.

I ran for an hour, good enough to give me a good sweat before taking a bath and get ready for another day’s work. We returned to Manila after lunch.

New Balance 09 race recap

I know this posting was very much delayed but for the purpose of having our races chronicled please bear with me. This race was sort of a birthday run for Swthrt, having celebrated her natal day the day before the race. Her siblings with their families visited us at our new home.

On race day
We woke up early for the race. Ed, Swhrt’s brother who usually join us in our run in Batangas came along with us to watch the race. We arrived at the assembly area a few minutes before 5:00am. We saw Vener and Xty who generously gave me some safety pins for my race bib. Swthrt and I had a couple of rounds at BHS for our warm up before stretching. Though it was necessary, we seldom do it in a race because of lack of time. But for this race, we really have to warm up since it will be a 21k run. After a very short opening remarks from the organizer we heard the horn that marks the start of the 21k race. Swthrt and I had a very good start. Though the place was quite familiar to us, it was a new race route for us. Swthrt was running consistently covering the part of the route from the starting line all the way to SPD station wherein we took the GU espresso flavour that I bought the day before the race. It was our first time to try and I’m hoping to get a positive effect. But honestly, I don’t feel any significant change on my energy level. I was actually experimenting on it in preparation for a greater challenge in the future. Swthrt continued to run consistently at a comfortably hard pace for her going to Bayani Road. When we reached halfway of Bayani Road near the “Libingan ng mga Bayani” our pace slowed down a bit. The heat of the sun was draining us and was sort of taking our energy. It was a good thing that there was a sufficient supply of water and sports drink along the way. We actually did not consume all the vit-water we have on our hydration belt. After taking the turn at the Bayani-C5 U-turn point we started to have walk breaks along the way especially at areas having steep slopes. As we turned right to McKinley Hills, we prepared for the worst. True enough this part of the course was the toughest, the latter part of the course. It was really the determination to finish that kept us running. After conquering the hills and returned to Lawton Ave, the worst is over. We crossed the finish line happy and contented with our run. It may not be a PR for Swthrt but it was her first time to receive a finisher medal for a half marathon race. In her first two half marathon races, the Globe Run and Adidas KOTR, only certificates were given to the finishers. We let go of going around the different booths set-up near the stage and left early since we have guests at home. It was a great birthday run for Swthrt!

Some thoughts
It was a well-organized race. Sufficient supplies of water and sports drink, medal and freebies were given right after crossing the finish line. Swthrt even got a free NB socks since she was wearing an NB shoes. Enough marshals especially on the early part of the race. One thing though, vehicles were allowed inside the cone marker along Lawton Avenue at the latter part of the race posting danger to slower runners still traversing this road. To make things worse, runners were running with the traffic flow. I have to run behind Swthrt and kept on reminding her to stay near the sidewalk to avoid being hit by cars. Other than this, it was a good race.

Congratulations to the New Balance race organizer!