Injured

Six months after I joined the running bandwagon, I finally get my first taste of real injury. Literally after finishing the 10k of Takbo.ph Runfest 2010, I felt pain on my right foot. I thought they were just the normal cramps, so I drank as much Gatorade and Powerade as my stomach can consume (and really felt bloated after). At home, I did the first-aid treatment my personal doctor (a.k.a. Franco Cortez) recommended, which was to roll my foot over a bottle of ice. However, the pain really didn't go away. It was soooo hard to walk. I was walking on tip-toe on my right foot for a few days. Getting up in the morning was a challenge, too, since my right foot was sooo stiff and painful. But, I still didn't learn my lesson. One week after Takbo.ph, I ran again for 10k at the Rexona Run. Hay nako! 2km into the race, I couldn't run anymore.

I finally had my foot checked up by a rehab doctor, and it felt like going into the Principal's office. Doc literally scolded me for running 10k without training and running 10k again on an injury. She said I had to respect the pain. Scary si Doc.. Principal's office talaga.

Turns out, I have plantar fasciitis on my right foot. My leg and foot muscles weren't strong enough to handle the distance I ran. I'm currently going through a series of physical therapy to help relieve the pain so I could get back to running. Doctor's recommendation: no running for two whole weeks while on PT. :( My PT also mentioned to avoid using flat shoes all the time, especially those without arch support. Walking in heels actually helps relieve the pain from plantar fasciitis (but gives you a different kind of pain on your toes hahaha). She noticed that my arch "falls" when my foot is flat on the ground (in other words: I seem to have an arch when my foot is off the ground, but it becomes flat when it's on the ground). Thus, as much as possible, I have to wear shoes that support my "fallen" arch.

Lesson learned, therefore, is to train properly for each running event. Especially when you're running the longer distances. You can probably handle the endurance required for the distance, but your muscles will suffer and will be very prone to injury.

Looking at the bright side, however, I got an excuse for my most recent purchase. I got FitFlops! I think that was what my PT was subtly telling me... HAHAHA :D Check this out:

The common flip-flop actually accentuates pronation, the rolling in of your feet which causes fatigue and biomechanical stress in your feet and lower legs. This can lead to overuse injuries like plantar fasciitis and posterior tibial tendonitis which are commonly known as "arch fatigue" or "fallen arches".

The "FitFlop" is engineered much like a "barefoot technology" shoe. It makes the muscles that stabilize the foot work harder, and over a period of time can actually strengthen your feet. FitFlops have a thick midsole, which encourages wearers to use feet and leg muscles more efficiently while walking. Research conducted by the manufacturer has shown that this thick midsole works the gluteals, hamstrings, thighs, and calf muscles more.

Talk about effective marketing! HAHA :) These sandals are not cheap at all, so they better work like what they advertised.

Stay safe everyone! :)

WHOA

I MISS WRITING!!!!

It has been an eternity since I tapped sense here in my blog! Even though I'm proud to say a lot has happened in the last few months, it's kind of sad that I wasn't able to document it for future entertainment. And now that I'm home alone, sick and nursing an injury (more on that later), well, maybe it's time to wipe away the dust and the cobwebs and get back to usual business. :p

Only a handful of people probably know this blog exists, and probably only my closest friends (are forced to) read what I have to say, but I've proven that there's always a nice fuzzy feeling every time you read pieces of your mind (especially those you wrote ages ago). You realize how much you've grown (or how you're still stuck in the same place), how much things have changed (or how they still seem the same), and how silly the things you thought would tear your world apart (or how they really tore your world apart).

Reading and Writing have always been my avenue of escape from the craziness of the world. In fact, they're also my best subjects when I was in Grade School! :) This time, I hope I get the time (and the discipline) to update my space and do what I'm really good at.. read and write :)

Sikat

It's not everyday that I get featured at one of the country's top blogs, so I guess I have bragging rights for appearing in OAP :)


My entry didn't make it to top 3, so I didn't win a moleskin. I'll just have to try again next time. And do a mega-pose at Mt. Pulag.

For Catholics.

His name has become a household name. A curse word. An expression you say when you get surprised, or when you get mad.

The week to celebrate His Passion has become just a "long weekend" for us. To celebrate his death anniversary, we go to the beach and frolic in the sun.

Becoming a proper Catholic means giving up something we enjoy for 40 days... "something" being Coke, coffee, chocolates, criticizing other people's clothes and makeup, and then resume the habit after Easter. A proper Catholic means attending all the Holy week activities, going to Easter vigils, and then fall asleep during the homily.

Have you ever experienced hitting your elbow on the edge of a chair and you feel that sharp pain shoot across your forearms? Magnify that pain a million times. That's how it feels to have your wrist nailed to a cross. Imagine that searing pain on all your limbs. Not to mention the fact that you're extremely dehydrated, weak from all the blood loss, and whatever movement you make sends all kinds of pain throughout your body that you don't know anymore which is the most painful.

Now, here's the thing. Jesus knew He was going to die. He knew He will be crucified -- the death penalty reserved for the lowest of the low that the Romans even spared their own citizens from enduring such a mortifying death. Jesus was agonizing in the garden, sweating blood, because He knew what was going to happen. The word "agony" was even invented just to attempt to describe what Jesus went through. I don't know about you but I don't think I'm willing to suffer death by crucifixion just so a stranger can be saved from eternal damnation.

Thank God I'm not God. And thank God that He knows me, and He loves me, and He went through all the unimaginable shame and pain to pay a debt I can't pay by myself no matter how long I worked or how hard I tried.

He paid for you, too. He knows you, He loves you, and He went through unimaginable shame and pain, for you, too.

It's never too late to come back. It's never too late to believe. Every week can be Holy Week, every Friday can be Good Friday, and everyday can be Resurrection Day. It's never too late to celebrate the real meaning, the essence, of the Passion of Christ.

Let's all live a life that's worthy of the sacrifice He made. Happy Easter! :)

Running w/ the Stars

So how does it feel like running with Derek Ramsay and Maricar Reyes?

I don't know. I never saw them. In fact, I didn't feel their presence at all.

But I ran the 3k distance at the Century Tuna Superbod Run and it felt daaaaamn goooood!!!! :D I've had less than 5 hours of sleep that night, since I had to wake up at 4am to be at BHS at 5am. Franco, mom, Cody (our shih tzu), and I made it just in time to park right beside Carlos Agassi. The place was packed. Had we been a minute late, we wouldn't have had any parking space at all. People were already doing warm-up runs/walks all around the place, stretching on lamp posts, and taking pictures (of themselves). As if it were 8 in the evening and a concert was about to take place. Everybody's running these days! (Well, at least it's a healthier and more wholesome alternative to clubbing.) :P

The event was impressive for a first-timer like me. Everything was organized (at least from my perspective). It was impossible not to feel the energy emanating from everybody. Adrenaline made up for my lack of sleep. As soon as the emcee shouted GO!, I couldn't stop running! Maybe because of the thought that it was embarrassing to walk while everyone else was still running. Or maybe because I didn't want to be the last one to arrive at the finish line. Or maybe it was just pure adrenaline pumping on my veins. So, I just kept going until my lungs couldn't take it anymore. Of course I had to stop at every water station (there were only two of them for the 3k route anyway :P). Male Brazilian models were handing out Gatorade. How can I not get thirsty? :P

I finished the run at a decent time -- 30 mins. Derek finished his 3k route at 27 mins, Maricar finished hers in 17 mins. (Yeah, we're on first-name basis.) I would have loved to gloat over the fact that Derek was only 3 mins. ahead of me, but I just learned he had an operation on his knee or ankle or somewhere else. So, let's cut the guy some slack. The fastest female 3k runner finished at 11 mins. (No, I have no plans on beating her time.), and the "slowest" female 3k runner finished at 3 hours (She must have ran a different route? haha :P). So, 30 mins. isn't that bad at all, right? HAHAHA!

Kudos to the runner who almost fainted on her first attempt at running, but finished her first 3k race with style. Special thanks goes out to Franco who convinced me to live a healthier lifestyle. I love you! :) See you at the next finish line! :D

Moments of clarity

Sometimes, I just can't see the point why I'm here. I can't see the big picture. I desperately want to have a glimpse of the future just so I can be confident that I'm really meant to be here at this place at this precise point in time. I ask for signs, for confirmation, that there's a deeper reason why I'm here, even if I personally think it's a waste of time. I try to dig my own tunnel and find ways to escape but always seem to crawl into dead ends. I pray that He grants my requests, that He gives me what I've been asking for. After all, He was the one who said to "ask" and "you shall receive", right?

However, James 4:3 says "When you pray for things, you don't get them because you want them for the wrong reason-for your own pleasure." And to drill the message deeper into my heart, he adds in 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" Ok fine :P If God could, he would've whacked my head already for being so stubborn.

Patience has never been my best asset. In fact, it's my least practiced virtue in life. I don't like the waiting, the anxiety of not knowing what's going to happen and when it's going to happen if it's going to happen. But after much thought, after much prayer, after much Bible studies and devotion time, after much consulting with more mature people, I've realized God's message is very simple.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. - Proverbs 3: 5-6

I don't know which Bible version these verses were taken from, but I'm sure this is the best translation yet. I'm declaring that God's will will prevail in my life. And that is my moment of clarity.

See you at the finish line!

Helloooooo!

Right, I still have a blog! Yes, I still exist. Yes, I'm still alive.

Amidst the idleness and the boredom, I found a new way to feel alive. That is.. to run. Run in circles and sweat it out. If I can't pour out the energy at work, I can at least divert it to some other activity in life.

Yes, be surprised. The closest thing I have to "exercise" is [window] shopping and getting something in my room upstairs (which of course entails going up the stairs and going back down to where I came from). But now... I'm able to run for 5 minutes straight, and get my shirt drenched with sweat. Really, that's a HUGE achievement for someone who *almost* fainted after running for 30 seconds. I had to lie down at BHS's steps to get my head cleared up again. Beads of sweat didn't even form in my forehead during the first time I ran. Go, you can clap for me now :) Thank you! :)

Now I realized... I defied my own limits. I broke the barriers I planted around myself. I broke the routines I established. So whoever said boredom kills? In my personal opinion, boredom is the gateway to bigger, better, healthier opportunities.

Yes, relating mundane things with life's bigger realizations is a staple of this blog.

I Want to Win a Free Boracay Package!!! :p

Win a Free Boracay Vacation Package by WOW Philippines Travel Agency
WOW Philippines Travel Agency, Inc. is celebrating it's 5th year in business during July of 2010, and we would like you to have a chance to celebrate with us, so we have decided to give-away a FREE Boracay Package complete with 5 Star accommodations at the luxurious Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel on Boracay Island. The lucky winner will win the following Boracay vacation package.
Vacation Package Inclusions:
- 5 Days / 4 Nights Luxury 5 Star Accommodations at the Le Soleil de Boracay Hotel

- Flights to Boracay from Manila to Caticlan Airport on Philippine Airlines

- Island Transfers - Door-to-Door from Manila to the resort and back to Manila Domestic Airport

- Three (3) Meals each day, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

- Boracay Activities - Horseback Riding, Island Hopping, Glass Bottom Boat

- PLUS - 5,000 peso Spending Cash

Read More Information: http://www.boracay-packages.com