Asics LA Marathon Experience

A good friend of mine , Willie suggested that I join the LAX Marathon. Then I thought of it and said why not...so Miki and I registered last October 2013,  left for Los Angeles last Feb 28 2014 for the event and for some holiday.
To be honest, I was getting nervous days before the run and made sure to find the time to train a bit before the big day.
The big day finally came, my hostesses Willie and Lagring were so nice to drop us at the Dodger Stadium early morning to make sure we would get there on time. As we were walking towards the stadium, we met a korean lady who was walking by herself and was also joining the race. Lots of people were there and waiting for the time the event would start. It was cold and what I wore was not enough to keep me warm. It was a dilemma on what to wear coz if we wore something thick , it would get uncomfortable as we would run. A lot of the participants ended up throwing their jackets as it got warm along the way. Well, I was not ready to throw my precious jacket so I just had to wear it all throughout the race.

At about pass 7am the race started......about 21,000 participants of all sizes, shapes, and ages were in the race. I noticed that a number of the participants were just there for the experience and did not seem to be regular runners. So daring of them to join without training.
The route was great and so much entertainment was going on as we pass from one mile to the other. As always , the last miles was a big challenge and as i was going along the last leg of the run I was so anxious to see the finish line...it felt like it was never going to end.  Finally I saw the sign that says the 26th mile and was so relieved to see and know that I made it after all. What an achievement for me!!!
I asked myself why am i doing this at this time of my life...hehehehehe. But here is a note my friend Francene gave me together with the energy gels before the run which says it all -  "The thirst you feel in your throat and lungs will be gone minutes after the race is over. The pain in your legs within days, but the glory of your finish will last forever." Kudos to myself and Miki for the great experience!!!!

Full Marathoner

my supporters and cheerers

Bike Tour Experience in Bali

If we can find the time, we make sure to have some holiday with the family. This time it was Bali.... Our 2nd day was full of fun and adventure. It was not just the usual exploring the place on a van but we decided to do a bike tour in an area of the island. 

We were picked up by Sobek adventure and drove 2 hours to Bas for some coffee tasting then breakfast overlooking the volcano. Then we proceeded to experience the downhill trail from Pengotan village that led us through sleepy villages along little used roads and tracks on a bike

. The air- conditioned escort vehicle was on standby until the end of the tour.

Our guide Sinchian was a great guide/biker. He also shared to us a broad depth of knowledge in Balinese culture and lifestyle while we were going thru the villages.

The journey offered an insight into a Bali that is not commonly seen, and allowed us to experience the charming culture of rural Bali. A fantastic day out packed with interest, and fun!

We ended the tour with Indonesian lunch and a visit to an art gallery.

It was one great family experience.

The Bull Runner - My First Full Marathon Experience

i run 42K in 6 hours and about 22 minutes. That was one life changing experience that I have done in my lifetime. Have to thank Isidro Vildosola, a paralympian - my pacer. He was also my photographer, motivator, entertainer and even offered to carry my belt bag all the way so i did not have to be burdened carrying it considering he only had one hand. He had so many fans and he knew a lot of the runners....i was so blessed to have a celebrity to pace with me.

I also have to mention that i completed praying for the different mysteries of the rosary...i would pray , then listened to music, then prayed again using my android. Before the finish line , my garmin and 2 phones that i used as timer and to listen to music conked out .

The cool weather was great and it made it more comfortable and relaxing especially on the ist 21K. The last 4K was the worst route and i had that feeling that it was never going to end. I am just glad I made it. As Jaymie would tell Mia , if one has done the nuvali route, the new york marathon will be a breeze....hmmmmmm!!!!

I Have to thank Christy Tutor for the efforts she gave me while training. Also to Adonis Singson for also motivating me during our training at the oval in cebu.

Congratulations to the organizer for the success of the event. It was the best organized run i ever experienced. I did not have to deal with fumes,cars, trucks n enjoyed the peace, serenity n coolness of the area. I was busy taking pictures of people n the sights that i forgot to even take pictures of the kikay tent. I regretted not having dropped by n have time to fixed my hair in that tent. I think from what i gathered the tent was a place were u could freshen up n make sure still look good in the finish line. They also had a tent for the mommies who needed to pump out milk from their breast.

We stayed at the Paseo Premier Hotel for the night. The hotel was so near the branded outlet stores....of course the shopping could not be missed.

i am so glad i allowed myself to face the challenge. It made it more fun experiencing it with miki my daughter, maur my twin, my cousins mia monchu ann vic n joy n new found friends ria jo and tanya.

As they say In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that. - FRED LEBOW

My Eulogy in tribute to Linda Ponce

event : Run In Peace Melinda Ponce Oct 23, 2011 at the  Ayala Terraces

Hi and good morning - Allow me to quote to you something I came across my readings, and it goes like this,   “there is a lesson behind every pain, a message with every person we meet, and a purpose for everything in life." 

This explains why I am here today tasked to say a eulogy in a tribute to Linda. I was suppose to go on a trip last Friday but had to defer it due to an injury when I joined the Talamban trail run sometime early this month. Never in my wildest dream did i think I would be here in front of you to say my personal tribute to Linda. I am honored to be asked by the organizers  to do this task.  I did not have second thoughts as I immediately agreed

My running friends and I know Linda as a very dedicated, passionate and unassuming person both in running and in her career. We often told her how much we admired her and someday be able to achieve what she has done in her running career. I cannot forget the last time my friends and I saw Linda. They were in my house last Oct 13 to have breakfast with me as I could not run due to the minor fracture in my ankle. I was glad to see her with my friends as it was her day off. I talked to her two days before that tragic day as I was trying to help her get in the Standard Charter Bank Hongkong Marathon in Feb 2012 as registration was already closed. I could not imagine sending an email to my friend from  Standard Charter Bank that she did not have to work on  Linda's  registration as she is no longer with us.

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Linda will always be an inspiration to all who know her. She may no longer be with us but quoting Haide Acuna  in her article from CDN, “she will continue to shine as an example of hard work, dedication, discipline, and determination.” 

f1 and fitness first friends

I find solace that she is now with our Almighty and who knows she is now busy organizing the marathon with the angels. Be well dear friend, Linda...you will always be in our hearts as we all go through our running events. Surely we will miss you but you  will always be remembered. Thank you.

My Love for Running

Running has been my passion for the past two years.  I cannot seem to recall, how I started to love this activity.  It just happened when my friends at the gym got bored with the usual routine getting there every morning of the week.  It just occurred to us that we needed to try out something new so we started joining fun runs.

Little did we know that once you get into it, one gets addicted and we found ourselves joining events almost every Sunday. This was aside from the running activity we would do during the week.

As I kept on joining running events, learning the right methods and techniques in running got me interested.  I would read books on running that talked about the feelings, the attitude, inspiring experiences of a marathoner.  I got myself trainers that would teach me the right way on how to swing the arms, how to lift my knees, right foot position in running and how to run in an uphill terrain.  Any topic on running just got me so excited. 

My daily routine was waking up with enthusiasm  about  4:30 am in the morning and meet up with Christy my trainer at about 5 to 5:30 am twice a week  to either do the speed work or do the long runs together. I would also run myself for about an hour equipped with my mp player plugged to my ears to keep me entertained while running.   It was amazing but that was something I would look forward to doing almost every day of the week.

As my friends and I went along with this activity, we would start agreeing on what to wear or what color was our theme for that event. We would start ordering running outfits abroad or simply buying at our favorite sport stores. Those were the “simple joys” that we would all go through doing the activity. We thought running could be a cheap sports activity caused all we needed was to run along the road. But contrary to what we thought, it was getting to be costly as we would start buying the accessories that would go with it plus the registration fees that we paid to join the Sunday events.  We would justify our purchases and tell ourselves,  as long as it is something we are happy doing, was what mattered.

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Swimming was another activity that we started to do to compliment with the running. We decided to get formal swimming lessons from Coach Loy. We would meet twice a week in Montebello for such an activity. We enjoyed doing it and it has become part of our physical weekly activities that we looked forward to doing. 

Another activity we have in running is an outreach program we have extended to promising athletes.   On the various events, we noticed families from humble beginnings join the run with the hope that they can earn money from it by winning the race.  My friends would start donating to them socks, old shoes for them to use during the event. Since we felt that they are talented young athletes, we offered to sponsor the registration fee needed for them to join. It was happy moments for us when we see them win cash prizes if they made it to the top.

My trainer, the dynamic lady Christy has also been an inspiration to me. She does her running with the passion as she is the breadwinner of the family.  She comes out the top winner in several events.  Our friendship has been something we treasure as we both learn from each other in so many ways.  How to perform well in running was something she was all out to share with me and I also share with her the proper attitude in going through life.  Running together is something we both look forward to doing.

Running has been a great instrument in how I go through my journey in life.

As the saying goes:

 “Running improves my relationships with my family, my friends, everyone around me. And while my running is personal, it’s also something I give. Running can be given.”  Tony Sandoval, M.D., winner of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials