Post Rizal Day Run 2012

Disclaimer: I'm typing this from my phone since our WiFi won't work for some reason so expect me to just blab away.

How to describe today's run?

Oh. My. God.

I would normally oppose to using this expression as I don't want to take God's name in vain but for this morning's run, I really cried out to God so many times!!! I prayed the rosary like a bazillion times, too. At the beginning, it helped to make me more focused. This time, I abandoned my earphones and replaced it with prayer and some quiet time. I was praying well until about KM 18 and then as I got more and more tired, it became harder and harder too to focus on my Hail Marys. So I kind of got lost and just let my mind wander - which was also good. I rediscovered the beauty of running without music and just connecting with myself - past, present and future.

Going back to my Hail Marys, I guess it could serve as a metaphor for life. As the race got harder - fatigue was setting in, I was beginning to feel like I wanted to just walk, the sun was out, was also getting hungry, etc. etc. - I got distracted from my prayers and started dwelling on all the aches and pains I was feeling. It became more about me rather than my prayers. Similar to life, when things get hard and there are failures left and right, I sometimes get side tracked and end up letting go of the One thing I never should - my faith. Then life becomes more about myself and less about Him.

Next time I shall practice becoming better at praying while running - even as the KMs rack up.

Overall, it was a good run. Enough water, stations even had instant noodles! I almost gave up but thanks to CA, I pushed on and even if I had to walk the last few KMs, it was still better than not finishing at all. I don't know what I was thinking, making DNF (Did Not Finish) an option.

So, that's how I end my year. By proving to myself that I can achieve great things not because I'm awesome like that but because my God fuels me and He never runs out :)

It's a wonderful feeling ending the year on such a positive and spiritual note - who knew running could bring about that?

Van and I in Starbucks for a quick brekky :)

KOTR ++

I ran my first race last Sunday, September 30 in the Adidas King of the Road.  Although my husband thought I was insane for signing up for 10km category (he thinks I should have joined the 5km run instead), I managed to finish the run in a pretty decent time of 1 hour and 22 minutes.  My fastest was at 1 hour 6 minutes and longest, first ever 10km was at 1 hour 30-something.  So, I conclude, that my time is not so bad at all!

I've also found a running group!

Van, my grade school classmate and Leslie, my college blockmate (both batchmates from high school)

We train separately but got together when we decided to join this run.  We plan on joining one run each month! 

October - Unilab 10km

November - New Balance PowerRun 10km and RunBGC 10km

December - I know there's a Nike Run, just not sure when it's going to be and if there's going to be a 15km run for that 

All these runs will hopefully prepare me well for my February full marathon! Phew, just thinking about me gives me a million butterflies in my tummy.  A mix of excitement and nervousness for The Dream Marathon. 

I'm glad I've been regularly running already - save for this week when I've just ran Thursday so far and had gotten sick today :( I have a feeling my body's had too much.  Been running lately (both under the rain and not) then not eating as much (in the hopes of losing weight) and doing teacher work.  Ugh, it's crazy.  And on top of all that, I never really get to sleep a straight 8-hours anymore since Liam was born.  I'm not complaining but my body seems to be.  For over a week, I've just been having milk for dinner except tonight when I had a full plate of spaghetti (today's menu for dinner) in the hope of gaining back my energy.  In my mind: I have to get better so I can ruuuun.  Yes, call me obsessed.  

I mentioned the baby a while ago and my is he growing up so fast! He's turning 6 months in 2 weeks and here he is now:

My little big boy! :) Lately, it seems that every waking moment is spent shrieking and shouting! In as much as I hate having my sleep interrupted, he really does make it so worth it <3 Oh, motherhood.

**

I don't know if I'm biting off more than I can chew trying to manage so many things at the same time... but I'm glad to have the feeling of being tired.  To me, being tired means being productive.  I'd rather do so much and be tired rather than not do anything at all! :) 

So thank you Lord, for the blessing of my many roles in life!

Mother, wife, runner, teacher... Signing off! 

What what?

What happened? Has it really been almost 2 months since my last blog entry?! Again, what happened? Well, school/work/Liam/going back to running happened.  And I can't complain.  I know that the busier I am, the more productive I am, too! :-) So this should be a good thing.

Updates on my 3-dimensional life:

On Running...
I am very proud to say that I have gone back to consistently running! I am back to running with A.  Although my progress seems to be quite slow, I am still very happy to say that yes, there is progress! We run every Wednesdays and this week, I was able to finish 7kms! Happy happy.  Next week seems quite daunting, though, as we aim to finish 9kms.  Of course, this is all in preparation for the Adidas KOTR Run which I signed up for:

Note: I registered for 10kms only, as CA thinks (and so do I!) that I'm still not ready for 16.8 :-) 

Photo from Adidas KOTR website.

So apart from this run, I also bravely registered for The Bull Runner's Dream Marathon happening in February 24, 2013! If you know me well, I have always wanted to run a marathon simply because I want that feeling of accomplishment I will get after crossing a 42-km-run's finish line.  Here's my welcome kit: 

Of course, CA will be helping me train for this ;) Two weeks ago, while running, he was talking about how, at the rate I'm going, I should just run with his wife (Lani).  I had to encourage him by saying, "Uyy don't give up on me! I'll get there again!" Parang baliktad, ako yung nag cheer on sa coach ko, hahaha! Anyway, it's all good.  I know it's harder to train this time since I haven't been running for over a year (sayang, I was halfway there with that Goldilocks 2012 half-marathon) plus, I gained so much weight so I'm heavier now, harder to run.  So it takes extra effort now, but I'm up for it.  After all, apart from that marathon dream, there's a lot of weight I still need to shed off!

On Liam & Family Life:
It's been a great almost-5 months with Liam.  He turns 5 months this coming week! How fast! Time really does go unnoticed, pretty soon, I'll be attending his grade school graduation.  HAH, fast forward much? Here's his most recent photo:

Here's the little one, after a 5:00 AM poo session ;) 

It's 6:30 AM now and he's back in his crib, sleeping. 

Ahh, married life is not a bed of roses, that's for sure.  It's a constant, everyday, learning experience.  Each day, I learn about my husband and his likes/dislikes - I've known him for seven years now and there are still so many things I don't know about him! As a mother, I started out with ZERO experience but I survived, thanks to my mom, mommy-friends and of course, Mr. Google (I find myself Googling almost everything like, "how to burp baby" or "how to sleep train" and many more).  I'm sure it will be a life long learning experience and I'm not complaining because as I discover more about parenting and homemaking, I also learn more about myself.

On teaching:
This year, I am very, very grateful to be blessed with wonderful students.  I can honestly say that I enjoy all 7 sections that I'm handling this year.  As I have said before, although teaching + being a first-time parent is never an easy combination (to add to this, training for a marathon), I find these 3 preoccupations of mine, that I strive hard to juggle, teach me so much.  Did that make sense? What I mean to say is that, teaching helps me become a better mom and vice versa.  Then, to get a break from both, I run - and as I run, I learn so much about myself and how much I can do physically, if I set my mind and heart to it - again, self-discovery and self-improvement.

***

Today's a Saturday and as a teacher, I've always looked forward to Saturdays as days when I can sleep in (having to wake up at 5:30 AM from Mondays through Fridays).  Since Liam though, sleeping in has been a foreign concept.  I know I have a nanny around but leaving him to the nanny, when I'm at home anyway, just feels so unsettling to me.  Nevertheless, I'm determined to have a busy and productive weekend:

Saturday:
7-8AM, run in the gym (cancelled or postponed to later time due to heavy rains - it's been raining since 12MN, I think?)
10AM, accompany mom to downtown to do some errands
1PM, leave for husband's basketball game - watching it with the little one!
6PM, go to the mall to get sister-in-law's birthday gift
9PM, watch a movie (last full show ;)

Sunday:
9AM, go to mass
10AM, go to the gym (if no work out today)
12NN, family lunch out
2PM, visit my dear best friend who's scheduled to have her cesarean section done 7AM, Sunday)
4PM, try to go to a friend's child's first birthday party

Edit edit: My best friend's waterbag just broke! So, looks like I'll have to squeeze in the hospital visit today! :) Wheee baby baby! :)

Of course, the nights are reserved for doing school work! :p

***

Ahh, life is good.  Thank You, Lord for a busy and productive life! :)

I Must!

More than RESOLUTIONS, I feel that GOALS have a better ring to it.  I think it gives better motivation :-D So, here are my 2012 GOALS :-)

1) READ, READ, READ!!!
- I've always loved reading.  I mean, hello, I grew up collecting Sweet Valley Twins series (Kids, Teens, High, University), Fear Street, Babysitter's Club and Love Stories.  It's just college got in the way, then work... With teaching, there's always something work-related to read so no time for leisure reading.  I've managed to sneak in a book or two, but this year, I plan to be able to read AT LEAST SIX books.  Currently these are the books I have in mind, all already on my bookshelf:

• The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
• The Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
• The Secret by Ronda Byrne
• The Winner Stands Alone by Paulo Coelho

...and if I get bored with any of those titles, there are about 15 more I could read (also on my bookshelf already).  Can anyone say obsessed-with-book-shopping?

2) HEALTHY LIVING

- I don't really consider myself a huge junk food eater although I do have a penchant for eating chips! Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream, Lays Barbecue, and a couple of other local brands.  I just love munching on those crunchy chips, grrr.  I noticed, though, that my husband does not like chips so much - which I found surprising and only realized recently, haha.  Anyway, I plan to TAKE OUT CHIPS COMPLETELY FROM MY DIET and then LESSEN MY INTAKE OF SODA and GET USED TO JUST HAVING WATER.

3) 42KM!

- This was actually my 2011 plan but I had the best reason to postpone this - BABY :-) So now, there's no holding back, I intend to go back to training by mid-June (2 months or so after giving birth) in order to hopefully finish that marathon by November/December.  I miss my running shoes :-(

4) FEED THE SOUL

- I want to MAINTAIN A HEALTHY PRAYER LIFE.  I mean I do pray and go to mass regularly but I feel that at some point, I've lost the closeness I used to have, so, there.  How to "feed the soul"? Pray the rosary once a week (at least, but hopefully everyday) and make sure to ALWAYS be present for Sunday mass.

5) NO NEW STUFF

- I really do not need anything NEW anymore.  I posted about that birthday watch and I STILL do have guilt feelings over its exorbitant price.  Anyway, looking at my shoe rack and closet, I do not need any more bags and shoes.  As for shoes, I have a trusty pair of:

• Slippers: My favorite plain chocolate brown Havaianas (has been with me for over 2 years)
• Fitflops: I have 2 pairs and I'm very happy and content (one black, one white - also see previous post on this)
• Flats: I just recently bought 2 pairs of SM Parisian flats which are very comfy :-) (also posted on this)
• Comfy shoes: My corduroy Sanuks 

As for bags, I already have my chocolate brown (yes I love the color) Le Pliage plus a bilberry one.  So, I'm good! 

...and lastly,

6) JUST DO IT

- I have this "plan" that is career-related and talking to this friend last night made me more secure about that plan.  I just am praying to God for the will-power to actually push through with the plan and DO it.  I will actually find out by January or February if this goal has been put into action.  

**

There you go,  I don't want to have too many goals so that's just SIX that I hope to be able to accomplish.  Wish me luck! :-D

Gaudete Sunday!

Sometimes I have these moments when I just sit still and have the urge to burst into tears, tears of joy that is.  Today is Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent and in today's Eucharist, we were reminded of the many reasons to be JOYFUL - joy in the life of holiness and joy in reaching out to others.  In my mind though, was a different source of joy....I was channeling something more like, joyful thanksgiving.  Yes, very MIC.

But, really, I've always preached to the kids that there is nothing that can make one feel happiest than to count one's blessings.  Counting my blessings always gives me a bazillion reasons to be joyful.  Like, I have this wala-akong-karapatan-umangal feeling after I remember the many things I have been blessed with.  Most especially this year 2011.  This year has been just life-changing, in so many different ways.  Let me count...

1) I resigned from my 4-year teaching stint.  I said goodbye to my favorite place in the world - the classroom, and...

2) Hello to a whole new world: The corporate set-up! I had to shop for clothes, shoes and a bag good enough for the office.  I met really cool people and great friends in them, too (I still keep in touch with a few of them - Wel, Ja, Bianca and Macky).  

3) I said goodbye to my short corporate stint so I could go back to being a teacher! :)) God really does have His ways.

4) I got married! :) July 9, 2011.  Best day EVER.  It has been 5 months and I still have those moments when I just stare at my husband and think to myself, "How could I have been so blessed?"

5) To add to this, I got pregnant! :) Just when things couldn't have been better, God decides to bless us even more.

...and everything in between.  Talking to my superiors in ICA and explaining my resignation, job hunting, learning to survive in a new environment and practicing my social skills, wedding preparations, that feeling I had right before I entered St. James the Great Parish on that very special day, coming to terms with the reality of my pregnancy plus the horrible first trimester, shopping for maternity clothes, husband and I just lying in bed, feeling Liam's gentle kicks and movements.

Life is, indeed, made up of tiny moments.  Every moment is a gift.  From the movie 300, "They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last.  Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed." Looking forward to making the last 20 days of 2011 count, and even more excited for a blessed and beautiful 2012! :)