Posts Tagged with: "life"

Hi there! I’m still alive!

My wifi at home, on the other hand, died eight days ago (yes, every single day counts!) and I’m currently waiting for it to resurrect.  That explains why I’ve been absent online the past week.  Save for a few days of successful blogging thanks to my Sun Broadband Pocket Wifi (which I endorse sincerely because, well, it just works!), I’ve spent most of the past week living more of my real than virtual life…and, I must say, it’s been damn good.

You must know that ever since this blog was born in May 2007, there hasn’t been more than two days when I haven’t logged in to it.  You must know that once registration opens each year for TBR Dream Marathon (which has been running for the past 4 years), the next six months of my life is dedicated to ensuring everything goes smoothly for each runner.  And, you must know, that for a mother with two school-aged children, any kind of work on top of the work we have as mothers, really stretches us to our limits; good thing we mommies are unbreakable. tsk tsk.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining about the work. I love my work!  But, I did realize how important a break, no matter how short, is important for everyone.  Whether you’re an athlete, a blogger, or a mom (hey, I’m all of the above!), you’ve got to sometimes STOP and smell the flowers.  I did.  And I smelled home-baked cookies, popcorn from the microwave, and the fire burning from my son’s birthday candles.   Aaah, life!

Here’s bits and pieces of what happened the past week…

1) My boy turns 12! It’s his last year before he becomes a teenager.  Where did the time go?!  You don’t know how many times I hugged him this week feigning tears saying: “I don’t have a baby boy anymore! Please don’t turn into a moody teenager!”  Seriously though, I’m proud about how this little boy of mine has grown up to be such a smart, kind, and cheerful soon-to-be adult. I’m also excited about his plans to get into triathlon this summer.  This mommy’s subtle influencing has worked! Woot!

– He asked for three things on his 12th birthday: PS3, ice cream cake, and steak. Done, done, and done! –

2) Sisterhood of the Suffering Shivs is born.  There are serious rides, fun rides, and then there are rides with Tessa Prieto-Valdes.  Tessa is a fun, positive, and hilarious person who just knows how to celebrate life.  I think we all should learn a thing or two from her, especially when we’re taking life too seriously.  Our Saturday ride in Nuvali was peppered with pictorials, screams (especially during the ascents!), and laughter.

– Her bike is pretty. Mine is gwapo.  I love both Shivs! –

– with my teammates from Unilab Active Health Mike Vaca and Jake de Guzman, Jun Cruz, myself and Tessa –

Hey, it wasn’t too bad that we bumped into Erwan Heusaff at Starbucks before we called it a day.

– with Erwan Heusaff (The Fat Kid Inside) after his brick –

3) Passion becomes profitable.  In anything I’ve done, from graphic design to Baby Sign Language to TheBullRunner.com, I jumped into it simply because I loved it.  I still look back and wonder how this tiny blog changed my life and affected others, but I feel blessed to have been given the opportunity to do so.

My co-founder for TBR Dream Marathon, Jim Lafferty, wrote an article about me yesterday on Philstar.  (Thanks again Jim for the oh-so kind words!)

Click here to read the full article: WHEN PASSION TURNS PROFITABLE by James Michael Lafferty, The Philippine Star

I was also invited to be a forum speaker at the GoNegosyo 5th Filipina Entreprenurship Summit last Friday.

– with my sister, Janice of Mommy Mundo, and childhood friend, Krie Lopez of Messy Bessy, who were both speakers too –

This quote from Frederick Buechner is one that explains how I feel about what I’m doing today: “The place God chose for you is the intersection where your greatest joy and the world’s greatest need meet.”

Believe it or not, there was a time in my life when the R word was not mentioned at all at home or with friends. The only time we used it was when mommy would RUN errands, or we RAN out of fresh milk, or I wanted to RUN away from nasty clients.

If you gave me P10 for every time I said the R word last month though, I would probably be able to get myself new running shoes. RUNNING rolls out of my tongue every hour of the day. If I am not thinking about it, then I am doing it. It’s taken over my shoe cabinet, closet, pantry, refrigerator, calendar, inbox, social life, marriage, and family life.

I bumped into an old friend yesterday and, even if I had not seen her in years, the first thing she says is: “Hi Marathon Mom!” Blame that on facebook. Even my co-parents at school just ask me about running all the time: “How do I start?” or “Where are the clinics?” And, pretty soon, I’ll forget what my real name is and use “TBR” instead.

Running is definitely a big part of my life. It keeps me fit and healthy. It gives me a goal to work for. It provides me with my daily dose of sanity and peace amid all the to-do lists, meetings, and errands to run.

But, is it my life? I would be happy to report that it’s NOT. I can skip a run in a heartbeat if the kids had homework. I can miss a race for a family event. I have a happy family, work, other passions, non-running friends, and a life outside of running that make me feel complete.

Perhaps the best gift that running has blessed me with is this: It serves as a constant reminder for me to live up to my fullest potential, to become a better person. That if I just commit to do some good in running—whether it’s to run four times this week, lace up even when I’m tired, or help a newbie runner run her first 5km—then that positive move inevitably and naturally flows into other areas of my life. That if I push myself to run that last kilometer no matter how stiff my legs are, I am actually doing myself some good by overcoming my weaknesses and achieving the impossible.

If it happens that I find myself getting cranky because I missed a new PR or angry because of a flawed race, or I note that I may be getting over competitive, then I take a deep breath, go out for a good slow run, and remind myself about the beauty of running.

I run to live. And it’s never the other way around.