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

FROM PARIS TO PLASTER OF PARIS

Being a very active person, is how I lead my life. I wake up between 4:30 to 5:00 am feeling vibrant, ready to start a brand new day by running, and complimenting it with swimming twice a week with friends. When the time permits, I would catch the 6:00 or 6:30 am mass or attend the services in the afternoon. 

When I get home, I would go to my laptop to post my running and swimming activities at the DAILY MILE web site. It is on this site that I record my time, my activities and how I felt doing them.  Even during my travels, I would find the time to exercise and log on the site and post my activities.  This is something I look forward to doing every day.


On October 1 my friends and I headed for the trail run event that we registered for.  We regularly join running events every weekend.  But this was an event I did not expect to end in a very different way.  It was an adventure in the life of my running career.  I ended up with an injury.  I reached the finish line of the race assisted by the race marshals because I accidentally twisted my left foot, causing some pain as I tried to continue the run.  

“C’est La vie” was what I would say.  My doctor and good friend Dr. Lumapas found a minor fracture on the small bone of my ankle which required it to be in a cast. I carefully followed to the dot the instructions given to me on how to nurse the fracture on the left leg. This was one time when I gave my full attention to listen intently on what osteoporosis is and why I am prone to it especially during my golden years.


This experience made me realize the world around me.  Small things are just as important as the big things. Minor occurrences and needs are just taken for granted.  Suddenly, I have to plan my movements around the house to give my helpers instructions on the duties for the day.  I maximize the use of the house intercom which I used to ignore at times because I preferred to walk to the kitchen to talk to the helpers.  I even have to plan my trips to the toilet and have to be assisted in taking a bath.  I have to plan ahead on which gate in the mall to enter to make sure that the store I will be visiting is conveniently accessible.  I choose a restaurant that does not require a long walk.  I terribly miss my window shopping activities.  Now, I only shop when it is very necessary.  I recently gave up a trip to Paris this month as the doctor advised me against it to give the bone a chance to completely heal.  Not getting to attend social activities was also something I had to take into consideration.  But most of all, not being able to do my running , and enjoying it with my running buddies is something I truly miss at this time of my life.  I keep telling myself I will be back soon at my best.

 I accept the situation I am in.  I do not fret about it because I know this will soon be over.  I will soon be back to my normal, exciting and busy life that I lead.  This is just a minor injury and God wants to convey to me to slow down a bit.

I love what I am doing.  I do not look at it as a task, whether this is related to my personal or work activities.  But there comes a time in one’s life when things happen for a reason.  I learn from it and gain wisdom from all the humbling experiences of my exciting life. 

 My First Trail Run Experience

We joined several running events, but my friends Robert and Hope wanted to experience doing something different. The trail run was something we thought would be a great experience. Admittedly I was so clueless of the event details.  Since my running group registered, I agreed to join. 

My trainers,Christy and Kenken Tutor, were with me in Barangay Budla-an,  a remote area in Talamban.

The race started about 6:00 am. Kenken Tutor paced with me. The starting route was already challenging as it was an uphill run. Then as we went further, we had more climbing to do. I told Kenken to just pull me as we were going up. I kept reflecting on myself as I was going through the challenging trail. I recalled doing this in my younger days and wondered how I ended up doing it in my golden years. I felt tired at times but I would shout out my emotions and was still determined to finish the race.

 

Kenken and I were enjoying the run, as we went through the easy and challenging trails. The 2 kilometers long creek that we passed was a big treat to us as it cooled our bodies as we went through it. We just decided to take our time, take some photos and admired the scenery.

As we were in the last leg of our run, we passed a relatively flat terrain.  Exhaustion caught up with me and my foot tripped.  I found myself flat on my back with my head hanging over the slope.  Kenken and Robert were there to help me.  The marshals came to my rescue and with their help I slowly hopped on a motorbike which brought me to the finish line. 

I got  frustrated that I did not get to finish the run, but I consoled myself that things happen for a reason. 

My ankle got swollen, so to give me peace of mind, I decided to have it checked with my doctor Doki Lumapas. Unfortunately, the x- ray showed a small fracture of my ankle. Without further discussion he said that I will have to be in a cast for the next six weeks. I asked him again if he was joking but he was very emphatic that he had to wrap my left leg.

I could not believe his statement, I wanted to cry when it dawned on me that he was serious. 

In the end, I accepted the situation and comforted myself that six weeks is not a long time.  What’s the fuss, I’ll still continue living a normal life. 

Now that my left leg is in a cast, a lot of the things came across my mind.  I will not be able to exercise for 6 weeks and I will gain weight!  I also have a number of trips scheduled. Will I be fit to travel or not?  Should I continue attending meetings as well as social activities?   Suddenly I could not even plan my activities as this was dependent on the healing of my foot.   I did not get discouraged at all. I asked myself what the universe is trying to tell me!

God only knows and all I can say is C’EST LA VIE.