If running Marathon is Insanity, What then is Spartathlon?

The clock is ticking while the final curtain is moving to a close.  Year 2010 is about to end...  There is something about 'end' that is nostalgic.  Before reaching for this blog, a friend broke the news that my most unforgettable priest has now put to rest in the bosom of the Lord.  His name is Father James Reuter.  I will not forget the best recollections / retreats I had with him...

Another unforgettable and almost surreal event, a milestone in my life, is finishing my first full marathon.

Running it was difficult from the start. My race started ahead of the starting line.  It started when I was struggling with the idea of doing a full marathon.  Am I prepared for it and the training that goes with it?  the last long slow distance I did was almost a year ago.  Am I fit for it?  With the project I was working on that time that demanded even my weekends.  It was almost impossible to steal time to train.

There was a Cain and Abel in my mind.  My left brain, analyzing the situation, said "No!" My riskier right brain said, "If not now, you will never do."

And so I waited for the last day to register.  After a week, packed my overnight bag, wore my running shoes and headed to the nearest bus terminal to Naga..

So after going through the discomfort of riding a 10-hour bus ride, running for shelter at 4 in the morning as hotels are all booked, trying to get sleep from a partying neighborhood (it was fiesta!), and waking up at midnight to get on the road before it closes for the race... Sleepiness, hunger, fatigue, heat... these were all the factors that kept my body clock ticking like a timebomb... I thought I wont finish my first full marathon. Every bit of step after my 25th kilometer was grueling.  Between END and DNF, neither was an option.  Neither was found in my vocabulary.  What was prompting like a ticker in my head was E-N-D-U-R-A-N-C-E.  I was spelling it out the whole time.  I was glad that I still had the presence of mind, inspite of the exhaustion, to spell it and not stop at the instance of 'D.' Or i may be sorry now...

And so I did finish.  It may not be the best time for anyone but I did make it before the curtain call. Recognizing not champagne but Red Horse crossing the finish line. Not a bouquet of flowers but a garland of pride (with a golden finisher's medal).  I finished the 42km!!! Wow! When I got to the hotel, the first thing I asked the frontdesk was a schedule for a massage.  Wowed (because I finished 42km) but perplexed, she asked me "why would you spend hours to travel here, get an expensive room, pay to join a run, just to ran out of energy and leave you pain all over..."  Why? Let me answer through an article about running long distance.  If running a full marathon is insanity for people, what then is spartathlon?

Vomit, Bleeding nipples, Hallucination.  Why would anyone in their right mind run the Spartathlon?? 
The Parthenon is lit, but Athens is still dark.  In the gloom, a cleaner is sweeping the pedestrianised road that runs beneath the southern slope of the Acropolis.  And in the trees beside the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, an ancient stone theatre, Lyrca-clad figures are urinating everywhere.

These are the last few minutes before the start of the Spartathlon, one of the world's toughest ultra-marathons.  Click here for the complete account of Spartathlon - from the Economist. 


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My Endangered Baby..

It has been difficult to keep up with blogging especially for one who prefers to travel light without a laptop (and not even a camera).  One who prefers to stay in an isolated town, away from the internet world.

But I guess there comes a time when you cant keep up with preferences and cant contain the drive to write...  something close to heart...

Last weekend, I went to an adoption center...  The walk to the building gave a familiar touch, a feeling of excitement because this is not my first time.. Years back i made an adoption but had to make a tough decision quickly altogether --to let go of the baby for reasons I don't have control over.  He simply cant live in my world..  I re-lived that day..  This poem I made for my baby, Jaldi, translated in Hindi as "fast"

Jaldi, my baby

Jaldi baby, 

my little one, i will send you to the world,
alone...

you will be learning how to catch fish, crabs,
without me
feeding with seagrass or algae
without mom's help

my protection you will be without
my care, will just be a memory

Go Jaldi go!!

be brave 
dont be afraid of predators,
of yours
and other sea creatures

be fast,  
   take the lead
       where you are, let it be better place
           to live in

multiply 
   like the myriad of stars
       so endangered will long be forgotten
            and your presence will live on... 

I adopted a Turtle:
To ensure survival and growth for the endangered species.
To foster awareness and consciousness among the peoples that it is illegal to trade turtle as it is to a human child. Drop us a note here, if you wish to adopt a turtle

Together with Metro Drug volunteers headed by Mr  Mikey Ong & Ms Chi Jimenez, we were taken to the Pawikan Conservation Center built by Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau-Department of Environment and Natural Resources (PAWB-DENR).

To account the history of the center, "In late 1999, Bantay Pawikan, a local organization undertook the first in situ turtle conservation project called the Community-based Pawikan Conservation in Bataan in the small village of Nagbalayong in Morong, Bataan, a province in Western Luzon.  What is noteworthy about this endeavor is that the members of the implementing organization, the Bantay Pawikan Inc were former poachers involved in the collection of turtle eggs.  These poachers-turned-conservationists were at the forefront of protecting the sea turtles that breed and nest in what has been identified as the biggest nesting beach of the olive ridley turtles in the Philippines.  In 2001, the project received a grant from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the continuance and strengthening of project activities."

As multitudes of turtles have been freed by multitudes of volunteers, Bantay Pawikan continuously welcome visitors and take them to the cycle of sea turtle's life or what can be death or extinction without proper care.

The following video recounts the work of the center, its volunteers who painstakingly keep a watch on sea turtles and visitors (Metro Drug employees included) who drove from different parts of the country to enjoin in the noble cause.  Special notice is given to a child, who at his young mind spoke like an oracle, "I adopted a turtle and then I realized that I'm supposed to let it go so that its population will not be extinct."  Click here to view more about Pawikan on TV5.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8noPb2NDZe8

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Hala Buko Festival

During my childhood, a jingle is played on the radio that surely get each person's appetite to height. It goes, "When you're hungry, tat-tarat-tarat-tat, -----s is the place to be"  This song reverberate in my mind while on my way to one of favorite restos in Quezon City, the Coconut House.

The house that coconut built.  Everything coconut.  From BREAKFAST of Coco Pancake, Veggie Coco Omelet, Coco Pandesal, Cocolog to LUNCH/DINNER of Chicken Binakol, Gatadobo, Pork Sinigang sa Buko, Kalderatang Dagat sa Gata, Coco BBQ Fiesta.  And a whole line of coconut desserts and drinks.

In celebration of World Environment Day, I hope you find time to choose your food.  Know more about Food Safety and Security.


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Mmmm Mommy...

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, their hearts forever. (Anonymous)

Weekend is here!! I can smell something is cooking in the kitchen..  MMmmmm...

Mom, with her busy hands, is preparing spaghetti for snack.  It's my favorite!!! Oh I cant wait to have a plateful of it,  with sansrival, mom's favorite cake, on the side.  Who would miss this weekend at our family house?

I would.

I do.

I miss it because mom is no longer there to bring food steaming from the kitchen.

But her memory lives on... As I keep this good memory alive in my mind and my heart, I stopped by a quaint restaurant in the neighborhood, run by mother-daughter tandem, had spaghetti with sansrival for dessert.  While I savor each bite, I savor each memory of my mother who in her busy schedule as a working-mother and class-A weekend tennis player still find time to concoct something special during the weekend.

Her love for us is burning in my heart...


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Natural Isotonic Energy Drink

Suki-- Buko!  Suki-- Buko! (Patron-- Coconut!)  shouts the man who peddles around our neighborhood with coconut.

There are different varieties of coconut and my preference (as with other fruits) is the sour kind --the "manipis" (very thin) or grossly called "malauhog" flesh with sour juice.  "Malakanin," the thick kind is more popular to Filipinos because of the sweet taste.

Varieties, and so I thought, are the stages of coconut.

6-month old = very thin; known as malauhog
7-month old = nicely thin
8-month old = fleshy, rice-like texture or "malakanin"
9-month old = thicker; used for buko salad
10-month old = thickest; transitioning to maturity
6 to 10-month old ="buko" (young coconut)
11-month old = "niyog" or mature coconut; normally, its meat is grated to use as a coconut milk while the water is trashed. What we dont know is we throw "the best coconut water of all", says Mr Jun Castillo of Coconut House.


Incidentally, Mr Castillo and the Filipino Coconut Farmers have captured the nutrition of a fresh mature coconut, bottled it up to make it accessible anytime, as a NATURAL energy drink for athletes, the active and sports enthusiasts.  It is called 2Big Nyog!

Coconut water or 2Big Nyog, a substitute for the popular Gatorade or Powerade?  That is for you to find out. Below is the comparison study for the popular brands and coconut water:

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Guilty! or Not?

Guilty or not guilty?  This may be a simple question the judges need to answer to conclude the impeachment process of the Chief Magistrate.  But how they lay their premise is another question, a more important at that, to me the least.  This is a way for me to take a peek on how each one of them thinks.  Each senator who is supposed to exercise their duty of being impartial, apolitical, serving justice over the accused.

After hearing all of them speak.  Some completely prepared.  For others, mind boggling, they seem to have just arrived at their decision at the rostrum.  Were they pressured to say the popular vote because they are seeking second term in office?

I must admit the best one for me is Bongbong Marcos' though I cannot fully commit to everything he said.  It was well crafted, words were carefully chosen, almost oratorical.  And the courage to be different, it is for me something worth emulating.

Saying or believing in the unpopular is not popular.  In a country where yes means no (or maybe), where we'd rather lie or suffer in silence than to take a stand alone.  We might learn a thing or 2 from this speech, with no fear.

The lady justice wears a blindfold for a reason.  She is to render judgment based on law and evidence, without regard to the circumstances and personalities of the parties involved -- however controversial they may be.  She is to dispense justice without fear or favor.

Ahhh.. Toastmasters!

I just turned 25. To me was turned over the role of a Middle Manager.  Pretty young manager in a relatively young organization.  I had on my shoulder bigger responsibilities, with bigger team and bigger engagements such as a town hall meeting where the executives and managers had to take part one day.  Take part and talk at some part.

I was surprised that I had to be asked to speak in front of a crowd I barely know.  I was tongue-tied (it is as if literally my tongue was tied with a strong knot), dumbfounded!  All of a sudden the topic I new very well (and close to my heart --environment) like the palm of my hand sounded Greek or worse, it was alien. Ahhh... Uhmmm... Hmmm... I wish at that moment I was in outer space, clad in steel-like suit with a helmet bubble.  So nobody can recognize me!

After that incident I promised myself to be prepared!  You'll never know when you will be in front of that crowd again. And so I joined Toastmasters!

The much dreaded speeches were underway..  I had no problem with prepared speeches.  As my mentors said, I had the confidence (armed with well thought-of speech) but not with impromptu speeches.

How do you think (& speak) on your feet?  Especially when it is all trembling and sometimes numb..

Pahiyas, Truly Payas!

Pahiyas coming from the root word "Payas" which means to decorate using fruits and vegetables, is how the people of Lucban celebrate the Pahiyas festival of harvest and blessings.

Marathons of Memory, Marathons of Life

Note:  running has proven that i can go beyond what i perceive to do if i push myself to the limit.. it has brought out the best of me in the different facets of my life.. how about you? how is running changing your life? 

Running is alone among sports in so often carrying meanings greater than itself.  Worldwide examples spanning more than a century demonstrate races symbolizing recovery:

• The first marathon was included in the 1896 Olympic Games to connect the festival with ancient history and as a symbol of Greece's emergence from centuries of oppression.
• San Francisco's Bay to Breakers race was established in 1912 to help the battered city regain its morale after the 1906 earthquake.
• South Africa's Comrades' Marathon (56 miles/89 kilometers) began in 1921 as an active tribute by World War I veterans to their many comrades who had fallen.
• In 1924 the Czechoslovak town of Kosice (now in Slovakia) founded the International Peace Marathon to symbolize Europe's emergence from the nightmare of World War I. 
• The 1948 Olympic Games in London fulfilled the same purpose, asserting Britain's survival and the world's transition from war to peace. Click here for more of Marathons of Memory

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Run a Mile

This month marks the 29th year anniversary of a running club that taught me scientific running for long distance.

What started as a goal to run a mile, ended up running a full marathon..

Executive Runners or RUNNEX, the running club, was organized in 1983 by a group of young men and women who just finished their first full marathon.  With much euphoria, akin to running, they decided to run an organization.  An organization, which, up to this day is holding a running clinic, every Sunday, at University of the Philippines Diliman Quezon City grounds.

The club prides itself of members and running clinic graduates who have finished marathons all over the world:   Athens, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Honolulu, Portland, Melbourne, Dubai, Singapore, Guam and Hongkong Marathon.  Some even participated in the World Marathon Majors: Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin [with London as the next target].

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Environment Environ-mend

I am hastened by the fact that in a few hours it will be the end of April and I have not written a single post for this month...  so let me just freshen my brain, take a nap and get back to you about a special topic in my heart --Environment.

On Earth Day, I took an unprecedented step :) in doing my part to lessen the impact of landfill to the environment by putting up composting pits on a small corner of my apartment's yard.  Here's how I am doing it.

Urban Composting using Flower Pots
Since I am using flower pots as my compost bins, allow me to first share with you how to do composting in pots. Then later, I will tell you about other ways to do composting.

What I used?
2 Flower pots - I use the standard size clay pot
Coco coir / Newspaper - Shredded
Garden soil
Fruit or vegetable scrap
Grass and dried leaves

First, free your flower pot with any traces of seeds.  We want to produce a compost, not grow a tree (not in this exercise anyway).  Place either the shredded coconut husk or newspaper at the bottom to assist in keeping the humidity of the compost.  Cover it with 5 centimeter of soil.  Now is the right time to throw in the scrap (about 5cm too) then top with 2:1 mixture of green grass and dried leaves. Cover with moist soil.  After a week, turn the compost.  [Photos to follow]

The key to composting is to maintain the right heat (keep the pot away from direct sunlight), moisture retention (might need to water to keep the moisture), regular aeration (once a week).

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Spring of March

Isn't it wonderful to have a second chance at life?  Surviving a terminal illness (when the doctor claimed your days are numbered) .  Healing a broken heart from a divorced marriage. Building a business after being fired from work..

Like January, the start of the year, March promises a new beginning.  It is when season change from the death grip of winter to a new season of spring.  Colors start to appear while darkness evade.  Flowers bloom accentuates nature!  Animals awaken creating a concert of sounds.  And this time, there are more outs than ins.  Humans move outward-bound.

What's in the name "March?"

It was said that March was named after Mars, being the god of "fertility and agricultural deity.  He with other deities oversaw the new growth of spring and encouraged the continuation of life (fertility, sex, procreation in human, plant and animal realms)"

And this is exactly what March embodies "reigniting the hearts and consciousness of the humankind," setting a "course for forward-momentum" gravitating outdoors, reuniting with nature.  A celebration of life!

This month is special to me because of 3 celebrations

I. Celebration of Women's Day & History
about women's history month
UN's theme

II. Nutrition Month

III. Commencement Exercise of my nephew-look-alike.  He is going to a big school.

and of course, it is the end of the first quarter --celebrating my accomplishment in the first third of the year!!  Woohoo!  As this blog post ends with the quarter, I remember Jim Rohn's quote, "Some people plant in the spring and leave in the summer.  If you've signed up for a season, see through.  You don't have to stay forever, but at least stay until you see it through."

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Have a Purpose Driven Life and Finish Well!

From the Inbox (Author: Lee Kuan Yew)

The human being needs a challenge, and my advice to every person in Singapore and elsewhere: "Keep yourself interested, have a challenge.  If you're not interested in the world and the world is not interested in you, the biggest punishment a man can receive is total isolation in a dungeon, black and complete withdrawal of all stimuli.  That's real torture."

MY CONCERN today is, what is it I can tell you which can add to your knowledge about ageing and what ageing societies can do.  You know more about this subject than I do.  A lot of it is out in the media, Internet and books.  So I thought the best way would be to take a personal standpoint and tell you how I approach this question of ageing.