MY PASSION FOR LONG DISTANCE RUN:(Why & How It Started?) Part I

I was in my late 40s when I suddenly woke up one day to the reality that I was continuously gaining weight. A lot of physical signs have been manifesting on my overly abused body. At 5'7" I am supposed to have an ideal weight of 150-154 lbs. But at that time I was already hitting 175lbs. on the scale. My waistline was 38". When I looked at myself infront of the mirror it was as if I was looking at "humpty dumpty" because as if my torso was directly connected to my head minus the neck. Because I was a heavy beer drinker, my tummy seems to be that of a castrated hippo. My epidermal organ was so stretched to its elastic limit it looked like it was going to burst w/ a prick of a needle. I thought I was looking then at a breastfeeding swine. All this horrible signs on my physicality were taking its toll on my personality. As my tummy got bigger, my confidence got smaller. I started to spend more of my working time behind my office table rather spending it in the field where I felt I'm more potentially effective. But sadly, the more you become insecure of your body appearance the more you become a voracious eater. Not only that. I also found relief from my predicament thru heavy smoking. But what was worse was that aside from physical deterioration, I was also diagnosed with some physiological afflictions and conditions inherent to abused and sedentary lifestyle. My blood pressure was elevating, my lipid profile was problematic, and my heart beating was registering episodes of abnormal rhythm. But the most hurting of all (literally and figuratively) was that my uric acid was tremendously high. This further restricted my mobility. Nary a week will pass without parts of my extremities crucified by gouty pain. Sometimes the pain will hybernate in one location of my foot unabling me do my daily routine thus affecting my work. My legs became thinner because of atrophy due to immobility. It was a tortuous ordeal Pain relievers are just what they are - pain relievers! They have no curative value.
Their efficacy is only limited to certain period of time so that the pain keeps on coming back when their period of potency is gone. Even worse, pain relievers can cause fatal side effects and adverse reactions in prolonged use.

It was the thought of getting out of this morass that I decided to embark on a program of gaining a physical rebirth. I was hoping against hope then that discipline, dedication and perseverance, not only can I gain my old physical look but transform me to new and better person. And so I started a revolutionary transformation program that will change my lifestyle that I used to have, albeit gradually. No more over indulging on food and liquor. I dropped my smoking habit completely and limit my nightly adventures. But the most significant part of my program for physical renewal was embarking on a regular physical activities.

One day in summer, my brother Dennis went out to go jogging with some of our friends in Baywalk area. From U.S. embassy in Roxas blvd. to CCP in Pasay and back covers more or less 2kms. Dennis and our friends were regular joggers who do this activity every weekend. I had engaged in different sports activities during my youthful days but I had never tried doing a middle distance run. Aware of my dilemma and worried that I might end up instead in an ER of a hospital, Dennis advise me just to walk the entire stretch of the distance and asked one of the guys to join me in my first ever attempt of a long distance run. It was only a 2km walk but my nicotine-filled lungs, beer belly and gouty arthritis conspired to really give me hell in this first sojourn to my would be passion. Fortunately, I crossed the "imaginary finish line" with my "alalay". And as I rested on the sea wall I felt as if a tsunami was coming to the filthy beach on Roxas Blvd. My head was on a twirl and looking behind me, I felt that the buildings along the boulevard were collapsing domino style. It was terrible feeling that I thought it would be the first and the last of my walking exercise.

But after 2 days rest, maybe because of my resolute decision to pursue my goal, I felt that my enthusiasm was creeping back and rising. I went back to Roxas blvd., this time alone, walked the same distance and much to my amazement finished the stretch sans the terrible feeling that I felt the first time around. After that I repeated the same routine and gradually add more distance and increase my pacing. Before I knew it, I was already doing more than what I expected of myself to be doing. I was running double the 2kms. distance.

MY FIRST LONG DISTANCE RUN TRAINING: The old Sta. Ana racetrack Had more than mile round oval. On the side perimeter circled a grassy area ideal for walking and jogging exercise. It was here where I formally started building up my stamina by circling the area at least five times a day every morning. It was also here where I met Melvin, an experienced long distance runner who have already joined quite a number of full marathons not only here but also abroad. Melvin was also of my age and thru his persistent encouragement he was able to convince me to start on a running program that will eventually qualify me as an experience runner and thus be able to join the 42kms run. But he said that achieving this is not a walk in the park. It entails discipline, hardwork, time and determination. Melvin gave me a manual that contains program and tipsters on how to develop oneself into a long distance runner. I read the manual, memorized it by heart, and tried my best to apply what I have learned from it. I started to wake up at 3:30 am and hit the road at precisely 4 early morning. I now had a new running venue which was around the power plant area in Rockwell. Soon enough, after 3 months of regular training I was already joining footraces which were the 10kms distaff events. The first fun run that I joined was the Milo finals although I only ran the 10 kms. event. I remember it was Dec.10 which coincided with my birthday. I was so excited to have finished my first ever 10km run that in the afternoon of my birthday party, I gulp down more than a dozen bottles of san miguel beer. Well, I thought it was my birthday anyway and there's nothing wrong to reward myself for such an outstanding and successful endeavor. And so that was the beginning of a series of running events that I joined.

P-Noy's SWS Rating; Arroyos' Indictment; & Gullibility of the Masses

P-Noy's latest satisfaction rating has again improved from good to very good according to latest SWS survey. Basing it on this survey we can surmise that the Filipino people recognized the effort of the present administration to bring to the bar of justice all the people guilty of corruption in the previous administration with no less than the president at the forefront of the anti-corruption campaign. This in particular is the serious drive to investigate all the perceived excesses of former president Gloria Arroyo and her husband Mike and other members of the Arroyo family and file appropriate charges in court. Although we cannot help

but admire the determination of this administration to go after all the officials of the arroyo administration allegedly involved in maleficence and send them to jail if proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt, somehow, the act of some of his officials including some members of the senate and the House of Representatives manifests an ostensive superfluity and overkill judging from the way they brought their case to the bar of public opinion without due respect to proper juridical protocol and procedures. Many legal luminaries are questioning the preemptive announcements in the media done not only by Malacanang but likewise by other investigating bodies particularly the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee without considering the strength and values of all the evidentiary documents and the credibility of the witnesses paraded during the senate hearings to insure an airtight case for the eventual conviction of the guilty people involved. Majority of the Filipino people are so incensed with the corruption that happened during the previous administration that all moves directed against GMA and her cohorts are openly welcomed by them irrespective of the plausibility of the nacharges or issues that were being brought out in the media. This headbashing of the Arroyos became a successful strategy made by then opposition parties before the 2010 elections catapulting them to power and banishing the members of the previous administration to political oblivion. The perceived resolve of sending all those corrupt officials to jail is now the paramount goal of most of the Filipino people that is why they continue to support P-Noy failing to take cognizance of the more pressing problems now affecting them which include among others poverty, job creation, education, peace and order, spiraling prices of basic commodities and other serious international issues relevant to our survival as a nation.

It is in this context that I have my reservation in regard to the sincerity in purpose of some of those who are publicly sensationalizing the issues against the Arroyos sans the basic principle of proper judicial proceedings. For one, why are they exposing all the alleged evidentiary documents they possessed and parading all witnesses that were supposed to directly link all the accused to all the frauds committed during their term. They (the accusers) have to know better. The Arroyo couple is not an Erap who readily admitted during media interview that he signed the Velarde account in front of the bank officials right in Malacanang palace. GMA is a highly intelligent person while FGMA is not a stupid lawyer. And what's more, they are leaning on a very thick logistical wall to be able to hire a battery of brilliant lawyers to defend them in what is expected to be a long and protracted court battle. And so the question is, why were all the accusers brandishing all the supposed documents and showing them to the public. If this is not a publicity stunt then I wonder what it is. Or quite possibly, it can be a trojan horse scenario to give the Arroyos a chance to prepare for the expected court litigations.

Another point we may have to consider is the obvious gullibility of the masses who readily believe all the corruption expose' on a mere "say so" statements. Admittedly, all the senate and congressional hearings that took place and will have to take place in the near future have all the trimmings of a "telenovela" plot in which our gullible "masa" are breathtakingly anticipating to watch live on television. For the discerning people however, all these statements gathered and were presented in the hearings will not be recognized the moment the case reaches the proper court. Everything will start from scratch.

The situation is just a case of maneuverings of shrewd political characters out to gain media mileage and a hopeless gullibility of our maleducated masses. What could be more pathetic than seeing these guilty people laughing their way to freedom.

SOMEWHERE IN YOUR HEART

Somewhere in you heart
 Try to find a place for me
 Somewhere in your heart
 I don't care where it might be

 One little corner
 May not mean so much to you
 But one little corner

 Somewhere in your dreams
 Let my lips come close to you
 Though they're only dreams
 Someday they may all come true

 Is it so much to ask
 For such a tiny part
 Won't you save a place for me
 Somewhere in your heart.

AN ECCLESIASTICAL OPINION

I really enjoy reading biblical passages being posted by friends on Facebook. I find these quotes from the gospel a truly enlightening spiritual paradigm that connects our temporal being to that of what is beyond. Although I may have not posted nor to some extent have immediate plans to write scriptural  quotes on my FB profile, this does not mean that I'm just solely engrossed with purely secular subjects and apathetic to the more sublime ecclesiastical topics. I recognize the supremacy of what is providential and forever declare my marriage to what most of us are dire in pursuit of - eternal divinity.

But truth to tell, my indifference to touch on subjects of religion can be traced from my previous empirical observations where 2 contending parties in positing religious arguments, almost always ended up with nothing between them were lucidly arrived at to be convinced and sadly, both of them parting ways bearing hatred against one another.A very unfortunate irony indeed! This convinced me to consider that topic of religion is not my province of interest and completely detach myself whenever there is religious subject being initiated for discussions. I always expect emotions to simmer even before 1 protagonist ends his argumentation. But make no mistake about it. I am a religious person. I was exposed to Karl Marx godless dogmatism and its incessant indoctrination during my college days but this did not put a dent on my belief  and faith  to my Creator. I am a regular churchgoer.At present, I do my morning running exercise inside our parish churchyard. I'm trying to limit my roadruns which I used to do before because of a near fatal accident that happened to me during one of my early morning training exercise. I can easily do my morning runs inside the compound where we live which is relatively wider but the habit of attending the early morning mass before my daily exercise routine becomes more of the priority option which I will never regret developing as a habit.

 What part of the mass that attracted me most? To me, the "homily" is the more pragmatic communication and interpretation of God's words to His faithful. It's not that I recognize the significance of the other liturgical rituals of the mass but I really consider the "homily" as the part of the mass that best serves as a guiding path towards our day to day function to serve Him through all His creations. I must admit that I'm still infinitely way beyond of what is expected of me as a true christian but nevertheless this does not deter me in my resolve to try my best to be good servant of God however undeserving I might be. I particularly admire one of our priests in Sta. Ana who is consistent in telling the daily churchgoers this: "One is not obliged or needed to be attending mass daily. One good deed a day to your fellowman is more than enough to manifest your adoration to Him".Love of neighbor is love of God!