Every country goes through a whirlwind of crises. It doesn’t have to take nature on its usual centuries old course to wreak havoc on a nation, its structures, and its systems. We are our own “force/s of nature.” Everything has a cause and effect. Not knowing Who we are as a race is a crisis enough to leave a wake of consequences from actions taken without much thought. It would take a forensic examiner to figure out where which starts and ends.

Just like any disaster’s aftermath, we are left to salvage the pieces and rebuild again. It’s a never endless cycle of building and rebuilding because we have lost sight of our identity, our foundations. We have become satisfied somewhat with the temporary, with the convenient, and what’s expedient. We have left the rest of the world to define us with their colored glasses. And by the way, I’m also guilty of buying it and wearing them too.

For foundations to last and stand strong, it needs the builder’s resolve to follow the architecture (DNA) of the structure. He needs to be focused in mind and courageous at heart to build with resolve. If he sees any flaws, he is not afraid to speak up and stand up in the single-minded pursuit of nothing else but following the grand design. How else can you make a home when the builder’s heart is not in it?

We are lost. We are on this yellow brick road and we are only aware of who we are and where we’re headed (even that is still uncertain). To be fully conscious of who God designed us to be. To truly know our nation’s heritage and legacy, we have to wake up and realize what we have lost. Like the proverbial Dorothy and her friends, we have to “go back home”, get our hearts (Tinman), our minds (Scarecrow), and our courage and voices (Lion) back.

Just like the wizard, most if not all of our leaders need to step down from their balloons and show their true face behind all the “magic” and “illusion”. We may have put them where they are for sentimental reasons, or by reasons of popularity, but their carefully contrived words and press releases are just smoke and mirrors. They need to wake up themselves and lead us out of the circus of which we have become the main attraction. They have to realize humility is part and parcel of leadership in order to face the facts and slay our goliaths.

Not all is lost. Not all are lost. There are those who’ve been paving new roads and new directions leading us back to our grand design. Their voices may be small, they may seem like few, but nevertheless as long as we sift carefully what we listen to and what we look at, we can give them hope to go on and lead us back home.

I never had the heart to put a pen on them not even a pencil. Silly right? Why? I dunno. Truth is I got them at a popular 2nd hand dealer bookstore and I’m afraid I’ll never come across them again. Not just silly but insane! Insane that I haven’t used them for their purpose. If a performance appraisal at work or a report card at school is supposed to tell you something, a logbook for runners should do just exactly the same. It’s supposed to tell you how you’re doing with your goals and not just sit there like a museum piece.

This writeup is pretty anti-climactic I know but, This is just the way it is. It’s a realization that if we don’t take the time to track our progress, then there’s really no way of knowing if and when we’ll make it to our goals. Research has shown that by simply tracking the days we workout, we will be forced or be driven to keep up our efforts. It can be as simple as an X on a calendar, a detailed logbook, or a computer program. Whatever the means, It’s your personal report card for success whatever your chosen path to wellness. Take the time, you’ll learn to appreciate it soon. Now where did I keep all those scribbled notes and post-its?

Anyways, fast forward to 20 or so years later, I got into the pursuit of getting fit and healthy. Thanks to a job requirement and some back issues of health magazines. But then again, you fall back into the pit due to circumstances like adjusting to time zones, parties, airline food, a retrenchment, and some desk jobs etc. These may be valid reasons or just plain excuses depending on where you’re coming from.

But I made a resolution since after my several failed attempts. That is never to give up and keep going. Thanks to a stay in the hospital, some fit friends, and some friends and acquaintances who never probably intended to make a lasting example of unhealthy choices. Discipline can be taught the easy way or the hard way. The point is simply to learn and stick with it. Even if you do have some really valid “excuses”.

Excuses may range nowadays from “It’s freaking hot!” “I don’t feel like it.” “I need to focus on my work.” and  ”Race fees are expensive!” etc.. I can name a lot more but you know what I mean. Stay with me please. Believe me, I’ve fallen into these excuses slash reasons despite trying to squeeze in some miles on my runs. Once we get exposed to the most dire consequences of procrastinating our goal to stay healthy, we gain a better perspective. Even if we fall into the excuse trap, a bigger perspective from painful lessons will put us back on course. My goal is to simply fit back into my 1998 set of jeans. That simple. Reaaally easier said than done! But hey, if that means outrunning back pain, avoiding heart problems, and an ever expanding cabinet for oversized clothes, I’m not giving up.

Discipline. I just know if I keep going, I know this is something also good for the other areas in my life. I know my Maker only wants nothing but the best from me. He gave me His best and If He’s getting it, It also means my family, friends, co-workers and I will benefit. A full life and nothing less because I try to learn to persevere. It’s hard but it will eventually come easy. Just keep going. You will find out that you’re stronger than you think you are. (=

My body got shocked into burning some weight off. My heartbeat count was getting better (lower!) since I started tracking it with a Timex heart rate monitor. If you really want to know how your efforts are paying off, I’d strongly advice you get one. You’d know your fitness level is improving once your heart rate starts dropping into a certain heart zone. The idea is to maintain it or raise it to a level depending on your fitness goals (more info at www.timexironman.com).

Despite my knowing these things. Some old habits snuck in. I got overconfident and lazy and adapted. Nothing’s bad about adaptation except for the fact that your body “normalizes” its rate of burning whatever you put into it. Same goes for the activity. If we run at the same rate, same heart zone, same route, we risk a plateau. Yep, I hit a plateau.

A plateau is where you bring in your reinforcements. Your maniac running buddy (Richard Simmons almost!), your tons of workout videos and magazines, and your grocery list. What’s my point? Simple. Change everything up. Food, Fitness Zone, Workouts, even Friends. I’m not saying abandon your friends, I mean just look for those who are nuts about health and stick with them more often. You stick around the General and the Clown or the Bee for too long and you end up shaped like a bee or a drumstick with a clownish grin on your face. Heck, you might end up with that smile permanently just before they bury you.

Evolve. Don’t Adapt. Eat to Live, NOT Live to Eat.

Know Yourself

I’m running despite doctor’s orders because of two things. I am healed and whole by faith and I have yet to hear from a sports physician to tell me that I can’t run. I’ve read about people who’ve survived horrific accidents (with spinal or pelvic injuries) only to go on running or competing in triathlons and winning.

The realization one gets from knowing oneself (however it comes) is valuable. It may fall on deaf ears for a while but life has a way of getting to you. In my case, friends, family, and acquaintances suffering or dying from preventable diseases (stroke, cancer, heart attack, etc.) added to the full picture. The whole realization is that “Our days are numbered.” This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy life. It just means we have to evaluate what “fun’ stuff we really do that contributes to a “full life” not just a “fun life”.

Running, in my own experience doesn’t make you do anything much except to go from point A to point B. What happens in between is your own effort bringing that step in front of the other. No distractions, no unnecessary stimulations (though sometimes iPods provide that great soundtrack!), just you and the road. It’s not mindless because while you’re in motion, you start getting ideas, solutions, and most importantly, realizations. Your mind is still for most of the time that it “resets” itself. It could be the scenery, the silence, the different way of travelling (running as opposed to commuting or driving). The resetting that takes place is refreshing. Changes or solutions that you once needed or thought to be difficult become easier to get into.

Change is good. Change for the better is best. It’s the motivation to be a better person that just may change the situations and circumstances around you. Don’t bother with the cynics and “experts” who try to mess with your head, just move along one step in front of the other and “leave them behind” for a new you. You may just get surprised by an unfamiliar face in the mirror.

For some of us, I think even smallest negative thought can ruin your run. Even If you try to say the run will burn it off, my mind automatically tries to calculate the amount of calories I’d have to burn and the work I’d have to put in. Having a digital assistant magnifies everything because every time you look at what it tells you, it starts looking more like a ball on a chain on your wrist. Yada yada yada. Talk talk talk. If you’ve been following this blog you’d notice it’s now a combination of mental chatter (loss of focus), lost sleep (guilt and sleeping don’t mix), and poor output.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve fallen off the wagon but what I can tell you is we haven’t stopped trying to change our eating habits. I’d say we’ve done fairly enough in matters of the food and drink we take (junk only happens once a week.), it’s more like the frequency of the workouts we need to do. Thank God! For our two and a half fittest friends!

But enough of hard lessons, the best I’ve felt so far about fueling a run was when I ran the Timex 2009 5K run. That was simply perfect. I stuck to real food the night before (Oatmeal, Tuna, and Bananas plus water) and woke up to a small cup of oatmeal, some coffee, and some water. I took a morning meal three hours before (with emphasis on the time!) and when I ran, I really felt great despite some lack of sleep due to the excitement. I didn’t bonk out, maybe thirsty, but not awful tired. Good tired was what I felt. Plus, better time for a 5K compared to my first 5K (Adidas 2009).

So what you fuel yourself with before a run or anything else really matters. Not to say what you eat after doesn’t. Just stay away from the steroids and artificial boosters (coffee is still hands down best!). Whey protein, fish oil, chia seeds, B-complex, bananas, and oats are just a few of the good stuff. And remember, WHEN you eat before a run is just as important unless you just want to show everybody at the finish line what you ate the morning and night before. Eeeeeeew!

Get the message? I’m still dealing with this mistake like I must have some attention deficit disorder or something. But I’ll learn to focus and quiet my mind.. hmmmm.. wonder what’s showing..

fI eno fo eseht peehs dluow tsuj …. I’m sorry, I was typing backwards. What I really meant to say was If only one of these sheep would kick me in the head just so I could fall asleep. The idea of counting sheep is really foreign to me. I’ve never really thought about it as a strategy for falling asleep, but I am sleep-deprived.

Why? Well because of the stuff in our room. Cable TV, wireless Internet, MP3 player, landline phone, iPhone, and various books. You get the picture. We have way too many stimulants for the mind and practically made our room “fat-inducing”. Good thing we didn’t think of throwing in the refrigerator and the kitchen sink or we’d need a forklift to get out of bed.

Nevertheless, even without the fridge, sleep deprivation has been shown to contribute to obesity. It’s been linked to high-blood pressure, diabetes, elevated stress levels, emotional instability, poor cognitive processes, and poor performance whether at work or at play and etc.

Running for the first few times, I was actually so excited I had a hard time sleeping. On average, I only had 3-4 hours of sleep for my first two races (I’m willing to bet most of your first time events were sleep-deprived!). I was so excited I contemplated sleeping in my running clothes, jumping into my shoes, and then driving away. Besides, I wouldn’t be kissing or embracing anyone anyway. But following common sense and natural decency, I decided to lay my clothes strategically, slept, and woke up to make myself a really strong cup of coffee (If I could brush my teeth with coffee I would!).

I ran the races too happy and too excited to bother with sleep. My results showed some good time but they could’ve been better (Note: I didn’t lose sleep over them, sorry for the pun). But, practically speaking and sooner or later, we’ll have to tip the balance of the scales to favor factors to help us perform better be it at running or any favorite sport. Well-slept means we can relate better with our workmates, loved ones, and fellow runners. It pays off in the long run in terms of our health (major!) and being healthy means we have a better chance of achieving all our goals and lead a quality life.

So get to sleep and stop reading this (if you’re not asleep already.), then wake up to a better day and a better you. Goodnight.

A country is made up of its citizens. More than its natural resources and beautiful landscapes, the people are its treasure. But like all other treasures, it is there only to be used when necessary. And when treasures lose their luster or value, they are discarded, maybe pawned or sold when they’ve outlived their usefulness.

But we are living treasures and not merely things. We are not properties of others, nor of ourselves. We have value. We make choices. We can decide our future and fate any day. But for one special day, we decide who runs the country to rule over us and make us the true race of Philippine champions that we are. In a nutshell, we decide who will give us opportunities to shine and show the world our God-given blinding light.

In the few years that have passed, we have shown the world how musically talented we are. Be it singing or dancing. We have shown how creative and inventive the Filipino is in the international stage. In literature and sports, we have champions. In all fields, we excel and thrive even when the field is just looking after somebody else’s house.

But like all other races, like all other peoples of the world. We are constantly under a threat. An enemy that threatens to steal our future and our hope is lurking. It has been described as a lion that prowls, searching and waiting for who to devour. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last. It has done this hundreds and thousands of times. In different forms yet historically the same temptations, it seeks to destroy nations, countries, and families.

It operates by lies and deception. It simply loves accusation, and thrives on condemnation. It even tried to tempt the very Christ Jesus in the desert. But it has already been defeated. It is still a threat. A threat because it will still attempt to steal the very lives we live and take away the glory of His victory that is our inheritance even after the very end of the old world. It is a victory that is supposed to be lived and to inspire and glorify the very God we worship.

The temptations we face now and then are not new. They only seem different because of their different shapes, names, and forms. The very basic is to appeal to our senses. Our instincts. Our survival. We will be offered food on our tables. A daily bread but it is the kind that will never ease a hunger. It has been said that we do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God’s word guides us for every decision necessary to live and not just survive. When we don’t abide in Him, we wither and die. A country that is no longer guided by God but by its own vain wisdom is given over to its destruction.

We are tempted also in promises of a system that will look after us. Guard our human rights and protect our freedoms. Yet, abuses abound with failed justice systems and bureaucratic red tape. With the few well-meaning souls in higher and lower powers wanting us to make the right decision in all our dealings, still the choice to decide and say we shall not be tempted for an easy way out is ours.

We are tempted and promised to reign and have dominion. Be it a home of our own, job security, pensions, and loans. These are sometimes just promises, more like deceptions. If our power to vote is used for purposes of power for ourselves through one man who makes these promises, It would be wise if we asked God through His word if we are making the right choice. How else can we be sure to rewrite history and proclaim His story for all nations through a victorious government and country, if we make our votes led only by our own wisdom and stomachs.

It has been said that there are kinds of enemies that will only leave through much prayer and fasting. If we could only fast, make sacrifices specially for that day and pray to make the right decision, then we might be able to set a course again that God wants for this nation. A nation led by a man chosen through a vote guided by a faith in God. This is not an endorsement for any person because of his accomplishments or background (family, popularity, religion, or political). But it is more likely an endorsement for a DECISION TO BE GUIDED By God. It is not only for us, but also for our whole country. It is a country that our children will lead and be led by the decisions that we made on that one single day in May 2010.

Ref. (Matthew 4:1-11) KJV/NKJV

The embarrassment and inhumanity of fainting. A big chunky guy like me fainting in front of hundreds of first time racers and seasoned athletes would be a traumatic experience. THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN TODAY! I said to myself. But if it were possible to faint standing up, I’d have gladly done so. I’d wake up recovered and do a yoga stretch like I just finished my meditation.

Back to the water. It makes up a large percentage of our body (maybe my body!). We can go for three days “on average”, without it (so I’ve heard). It is vital for optimal kidney functioning (no kidding.. I’d win that contest). It is vital for brain functions for better concentration. All these and more, But you probably would already know that. My experience taught me that I should be more conscious about my water intake, when, and how much. Too much too soon before a race = stomach cramps, nausea, etc. Too little too late = my experience.

Lessons. Carry a water bottle. small. fits in your hand. for a 5k race. If you want to feel more secure, fine. go for a bigger bottle. A 10k or marathon race necessitates two water bottles or a hydration kit around your waist or back. I want it around my back just to let you know (but my wife tells me a friend might ask me to take it off. I’d look like an idiot. but a well-hydrated idiot.. he he ). An added benefit would be a minute or more cut out from your PR (personal record) or finish time.

Experiment with your accessories, but definitely not your hydration. It would be tough to enjoy the event in the back of an ambulance with a pasty face.