Proud to be an Addict!

Yes, you're not hallucinating . . . I did say I'm proud to be an addict!

And I'm not all ashamed to shout at the top of my voice (cover your ears): I AM A RUNNING ADDICT! (What did you think???)

The new New Balance Philippines Ad says it all. (I hope SFrunner reads this)

"New Balance Philippines launched yesterday its new brand campaign which highlights running as the heart of all sports and spotlights the complex love/hate relationship of people with running.

The new ad campaign brings out the challenges and obstacles of people with running, through the personification of running, and showcases how New Balance can help the relationship between a runner and running to decrease the hate and to tip more to love...

The love/hate campaign was formulated through a global study of different runners of different nationalities. The study revealed that runners all have the same sentiments when it comes to running; they feel euphoric when running but they need to get past the struggles before they feel good about it..."
----Philippine Star, July 16, 2008

Now I know what Jaymie has been raving about. I have actually experienced how it is to be a "runaholic". And I couldn't be one if not for my NB running shoes. Truly, my pair of NB shoes helped me love running in a way I couldn't possibly imagine.

Before, when I was still wearing different brands, I only run once a week. Twice the most. When I learned from TBR (The Bull Runner) that there's a sale of NB shoes at Festival Mall, I immediately purchased one pair (I should have bought 2 pairs . . . sigh).

My life changed after that.

From a once-a-week run, I now run 3-4X a week! And there are times that I run 2X a day! I run whenever I don't play tennis--rain or shine. If it's raining (wearing my other brand to preserve my NB shoes), I run inside the basketball court. But if there are players, I run under the rain (something I never dreamed I would be doing!)

When I was still blindly and madly in love with my boyfriend, I used to think about him before I go to sleep and his name was the first word I utter when I wake up the following morning. (I'd say I love you, _________!)

Now, I think about my running agenda before I go to sleep and wake up in the morning still thinking about it . . .

I'm hooked. I'm in love with running. And unlike my marriage, I wish to celebrate my golden anniversary with it--on May 14, 2057! You are all invited!

FINALLY!!!

June 22, 2008: I was all set to run my first 5k but "Frank" crushed the country, leaving the organizers no choice but to reschedule the Manila Half Marathon Challenge to July 6, 2008.

I was devastated to say the least.

First, I missed the PIA (Pinay in Action) Race last March 9, 2008 because of my sick daughter.

Three weeks later, I missed the Mizuno Infinity Run because I was still recuperating from a one-week illness.

And now this??? I was beginning to question God whether He'd like me to run or not. Could it be that He's trying to send me a message that I shouldn't run? Morbid scenarios started to form in my deranged mind.

June 23- July 5, 2008: Thanks to the Wimbledon Open, the exciting tennis matches brought me back my sanity. Seeing my idol Roger Federer play again on grass took my mind off my interrupted 5k run.

The bad weather prevented me to run for one whole week. I only had the chance to run 3X before the race. But that wasn't a problem for me because my goal was only to finish, not to win over the other female runners who were probably more than half my age.

July 6, 2008 at 1:30 AM: I was awaken by the drizzling sound of rain showers outside our window. Eia got up, looked outside and asked "is it raining, Mama?" She knew that she had to be left behind if it's raining when it's time for me to go. I told her that yes, it's raining but not that hard. Then I silently prayed that the rain would stop so I could bring my children with me. I wanted my first 5k run to be really memorable, to be witnessed by my two darling children.

This time, God granted me my wish. At 4:00 AM, I got up at the first sound of my celfone's alarm. I rushed to the bathroom, took a shower and put on my running attire (I already pinned my #4437 race bib on my shirt 2 weeks ago). At 4:30 AM, me and my entourage (Gio, Eia, Ate Ella, T. Jenny, Romy, Wendel, Ronald and Chari) left Philamlife Village and headed for Manila.

At 5:15 AM, we were already parked beside Luneta Grandstand. Good! There's still time to take pictures.




We're supposed to be five but unfortunately, my cousin Jun Muego wasn't feeling so well. With me are Ronald, Chari and Wendel.

Then we noticed that only a few runners were around the area. We learned from a fellow runner that the starting point was not Luneta Grandstand but in front of Rizal monument along Roxas Blvd. Oh, no! We already missed the start of the Half Marathon. I was hoping to see Patrick Concepcion and pose with him. When we got there, it was being announced that the 3k, 5k and 10k runners should now position themselves inside the starting line. We went inside the crowd and listened to more announcements, while my son Gio started taking pictures.



We were informed that there will be a slight delay because Mayor Lim will be coming to address the runners. After his very short speech, we were off.

The four of us started side by side, happily talking to each other. Then the 3 of them stopped at the first water station and caught up with me. I got the shock of my life when I didn't see any U-turn sign at Quirino Ave. Since the time I got my race kit, I was already imagining myself turning at Quirino Ave. as indicated in the race map. I couldn't believe that we were almost in front of Central Bank before turning around! I said to myself "Ok lang Nora. Kaya mo yan."

After Pedro Gil, I passed by a group of young runners who were walking. One of them commented "bay, daig tayo ng babae. takbo pa siya, tayo lakad na lang." I said to myself--I didn't train for 14 months for nothing!

When we were nearing Luneta, I got another shock of my life. "I thought we'll turn left at Kalaw Ave. then right turn to Luneta Grandstand", I told my cousin Wendel. One runner who overheard our conversation informed me that we will go straight ahead then turn left around the block then left to Luneta Grandstand.

Oh, no! Hindi ko na kaya. But I kept on running, gathering the last strength in my aching body.



Yes!!! We're almost there . . . Later I found out that my cousin Ronald experienced stomach cramps so he and his girlfriend Chari had to walk back to Luneta Grandstand.

Suddenly, I was on top of the world when I finally got my first Race Certificate. I was sooh happy that I wasn't the last to finish. I did it! I actually did it!

After we got our free t-shirts and bottled water, I told them we'll have breakfast at Max's Restaurant Roxas Blvd. But before that, one last picture.

The whole entourage: Thank you Eia, Gio, Jenny, Ate Ella, Wendel, Ronald, Chari (and Romy who took this picture) for sacrificing your sleep to give me your much-needed support.

Lastly, thank you Jaymie. For without you, this exhilarating experience wouldn't have been possible.

5 Lessons in 1 Day

When I woke up yesterday, June 24, 2008--I thought it's gonna be just another ordinary day. Well, I was wrong.

I hit the showers early for my appointment at the Philamlife Head Office, UN Ave. Manila. My friend Vins will bring her 56-year-old housekeeper Fanny for the required Medical Exam. When I sat down at the dining table, only Gio's breakfast was there. I realized the cook didn't know I was leaving early for Manila. It's good there was a bowl of left-over QUAKER OATS in the fridge. I had breakfast in a jiffy.

Lesson # 1: Don't forget to inform your cook the night before if you're leaving early so you won't be facing your client with a rumbling stomach.

After bringing my son to school, I dropped by my friend Mila's mansion to get her Authorization Letter so I could pick up her Medex results. The 3 of us (Nanay, Sister Mila and me) had our free VIP MEDEX at Healthway ATC then enjoyed our free breakfast buffet at Vivere Suites last June 9--a benefit exclusively for Philamlife VIP clients.
Anyway, it only took me less than hour to reach UN Ave. although I was driving at a relaxed speed. When I was about to enter the parking area of Philamlife, I was blocked by the big rope tied to the 2 ends of the posts. The first thing that entered my mind was, maybe the parking lot was under renovation.
I proceeded to Taft Ave. then turned right at Padre Faura then right again at M. Orosa. I parked my car along the pavement but was shocked to find out that the entrance door was also blocked. I asked the security guard and he informed me that (sigh) there's no office because it's "Araw ng Maynila" (double sigh). I immediately called Vins (thank God she's still home) that the office is closed. We agreed to meet Tuesday next week.

Lesson # 2: June 24 is Manila Day, hence all offices are closed. Before you make an appointment outside your residential area, consult or ask the proper authorities whether that date is a holiday or not. This way, you conserve time, energy, and most especially--the skyrocketing price of gas!

I left Manila with a heavy heart. How could I not know that June 24 is a holiday in Manila? In order to lift me up, I decided to turn right at MOA with the intention of buying a mini-cooler bag for Gio where he can place his Mango juice and ice-cold Milo. It's good that before I entered the open parking, I asked the attendant if the Hypermart was already open. I found out that it opens at 10 AM, simultaneous with the Mall. Strike 2! It's useless to wait for one hour there so I just went straight home.

Lesson # 3: It's a common notion that the supermarket opens ahead of the Mall itself. Well, not in MOA. Before you go to a supermarket you don't normally go, ask your neighbor or friends first what time it opens. Again, this is to save time, energy and gas.

Eia's class was 1 PM so we left the house @12:30 PM. Our cook asked me to buy a loaf of bread so after dropping off Eia in school, I parked in front of a bakery store just inside BF Resort Village. I went out to buy the bread, leaving Ate Ella inside the car. I was giving my money to the sales boy when I heard a feeble sound "Nora".
When I turned around, I saw the car going down the slope, stopping in the middle of the road, almost touching the car behind it. Faster than a speeding bullet, I raced to the car and brought it back to its former spot. The hand brake was up so I was really perplexed why it still went down the slope. We're just so lucky that there were no cars on the road during the time that it went down.

Lesson # 4: Pull the hand brake all the way up, making sure that it's in place when you're parking on a slope or anywhere for that matter. This is to avoid accident of any sort. What if there's a little boy or girl at the back of the car?

By mid-afternoon, I got an overseas call from my Aunt. She told me to check my BDO Account where she deposited money for the insurance premium of his son. Before going to BDO, we dropped by PETRON for gas. I looked for my SM Advantage Card (you earn points at PETRON in case you don't know) but it was nowhere to be found. Maybe it's in another bag, I said to myself. And I was right.
That night when I was fixing my bag which I was supposed to bring last June 22 for the Manila Run, my SM Advantage Card was there--together with my DRIVER'S LICENSE! That's when my knee trembled and I slumped on the bed.

Lesson # 5: When you change your bag, make sure all the important documents/things are transferred. What if the "accident" that afternoon affected cars or people? I didn't have my driver's license to show to the police! Just the thought of it caused me to shiver.

Let Me Try Again

When "Frank" came and caused some rain showers last Saturday, I panicked. I tried calling and texting Mr. Kenneth Montegrande to verify if the Manila run will be cancelled or not. It was already mid-afternoon when I finally reached him in his office. He told me that he just completed setting up the "site". I asked him if the race will be cancelled when it's raining and he was quick in answering that most runners actually enjoy running under the rain. "Nag-text na sa akin si Lord", he jested. "Hindi daw uulan bukas". Talk about positive thinking!

My cousins and I agreed that if it's not raining heavily at 4 AM, we will leave Las Pinas City at 4:30 AM. I then began preparing my stuff that I would be bringing the following day. I even pinned my RACE # 4437 on my running shirt. Since it's most likely that we'll be running under the rain, I brought a vest with hood and one jacket as spare.

I set the alarm at 4 AM but I was already up at 3:45 AM. YES! It's not raining. Yehey! But the smile on my face turned sour when upon opening my door, I heard the howling sound of the ferocious wind. Oh, no! I can't possibly run in this condition. Maybe, if I were 2 decades younger or if I'm still single with no kids--I will take the risk. But fact is, I'm half a century old and I do have 2 very wonderful children whom I'll leave behind if something bad happened to me.

I called my cousins and we all shared the same sentiments. We decided not to go anymore. It broke my heart into jagged pieces and I blamed Frank for doing that to me. I went back to bed with an aching heart. I woke up at 7 AM with an aching neck. It's because I was so depressed I didn't bother anymore to fix my pillow before I went back to bed.

Anyway, my mind drifted from my own problem when I realized the scope of Frank's wrath.
Again, my heart was pierced but this time, not for me but for those who suffered because of Frank.

My friends were curious if the Manila Run was pushed through. I couldn't answer them because I didn't really know. I tried contacting Kenneth and finally, at 2:38 PM today he informed me that they postponed the race to July 6. Whew! What a relief. I hope and pray that this time, nothing like this happen again.

Wish Me Luck!!!

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor souls who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
--Theodore Roosevelt

This Sunday, June 22, 2008, I will be facing the greatest challenge of my life--that of proving to myself and to you, my dear blog readers--that Life, indeed, Begins at 50.

For the past 2 weeks I have been sending invitations to all my friends and relatives to join me in my daring attempt to run 5k to commemorate my golden year of existence on this beautiful planet. Dubbed as "Takbo ng Manilenyo Para sa Kalusugan, Kabataan at Kalikasan", the race will start at the Luneta Grandstand along Roxas Blvd. then U-turn at Quirino Ave.

As I have fantasized last year, the recipient of my Golden Run is the Down Syndrome Assn. of the Phils. Inc.(DSAPI). Thank Gold some of those invited who can't run with me pledged their financial assistance to DSAPI. For this, I am extremely grateful although I must admit that I was initially devastated that my friends can't join me. But later I realized that their spirits are very much willing but their bodies, weak. While others can't join because of unavoidable circumstances.

So who will be running side by side with me? Well, I have successfully recruited four brave individuals: (drums roll please . . . !) My 1st cousins Junjun de Ala Muego, Wendel de Ala, Ronald de Ala de Venecia and his girlfriend Chari.

My darling children Gio and Eia promised to cheer for me. Just don't know how they could possibly get out of bed at 4 AM.

So folks, this is it . . . ! After 13 months of mental, physical and emotional preparation I will finally reap the harvest of my hard work. Pleeease pray for me and my four companions.

(Thank you, thank you Jaymie, for consistently inspiring me. This wouldn't be possible without you as my bullheaded mentor. Hope to see my IDOL in the flesh after the race. And oh, belated happy happy birthday to your one-in-a-million hubby!)

Where Do I Begin?

Gosh. . . I can't believe it's almost 3 months since I last posted in my blog. So many things to tell. So many stories to write. Dunno where to start. Hmm . . . Let's see.

April 4, 2008: Tatay and Nanay silently celebrated their 51st Wedding Anniversary. The whole family woke up early to attend the 6:45 AM mass, after which Fr. Gerry blessed the 'bride and groom' with us as witnesses. Then coming from Christ the King Parish, Fr. Santi blessed our newly renovated house. (The renovation started in January--the major reason why I failed to write consistently in my blog.) For those of you who saw the house in 1993, hereunder are the changes:

1. Different colors on top, front, inside and outside. Don't worry. The no. 36 at the gate is still there. You won't get lost when you come and visit us.
2. The visitor's lounge is now the prayer room.
3. The bar is now the coffee bar. (I told you--I gave up drinking because my boyfriend who became my husband then eventually my EX, told me to.)
4. The roof deck is converted to an activity room of all sorts--gym, SPED room, music room, playroom, etc.
5. My former bachelor's pad is now a room for 2 or more.
6. The patio is now a walk-in closet/office of my parents.
7. The prayer room is now Gio's bedroom.
8. Renovation of the family bathroom.
9. The servants' bedroom is now a stockroom.
10. Roof extended to the laundry area.
11. House extended to build a larger servants' bedroom, bathroom and attic as another stockroom.
12. Extension of garage.
13. Landscaping of garden.

March 30, 2008: I was supposed to run 5K in the Mizuno Infinity Run but decided not to. I was only well for one week. Afraid to have a relapse. No, I wasn't down with the Flu. Pharyngitis and laryngitis were the reasons for my on and off fever. As Nanay's treat for Gio and Eia, we left after lunch for MOA. The kids played at Toy Kingdom (which bewildered my mother because she thought we will buy something there). Then we had early merienda at Sugar House (where else?). Power Station was our last stop. We got hungry singing our hearts out at the Videoke room so we traversed San Miguel by the Bay to look for a nice restaurant. When Gio and Eia complained of being tired walking, we settled at Aling Tonya's Restaurant. We positioned ourselves in complete view of the breathtaking sunset at Manila Bay while savoring our Sinigang na Mayamaya sa Miso, Prawns in Garlic Butter, Steamed Oysters, Kilawing Tanguigue and Baked Oysters.

March 29, 2008: Gio was a newcomer at STI and so when he proudly told me that he was requested to deliver the Opening Prayer during the Recognition Program of Grade School and High School at Starmall, I was thrilled and excited. Nanay and I went up the stage to give his 2 medals: 3rd Honor and Subject Excellence in Science.

March 28, 2008: Eia's Recognition Program at Starmall lasted for 3 hours but Eia maintained her composure on her seat. Even though her classmates were already roaming around, Eia stayed where she was and listened attentively, waiting for her name to be called. Gio and I pinned her "Most Improved in Social Skills" and "Most Behave" medals. When it was time for the Girl Scout Award, Ate Ella and T. Jenny went up the stage with her to get her "Most Responsible" certificate.

March 14, 2008: From March 8 to 13, I was only able to sneak 1 night of sleep. With my resistance all down, my fever started May 14 and when it didn't leave after 3 days, I consulted at PhilamCare. I wasn't fully well until Easter Sunday.

March 9, 2008: I was all set to run 5K in PIA (Pinay in Action) but at 2AM, Eia was burning with fever. I couldn't possibly leave my sick daughter. I was hoping her fever would go down from 37.5 when she slept at 8 PM but it continued to rise. I had no choice but to miss my first run ever. After 2 days, it was Gio's turn to get sick. Thank God both of them recovered fast.

March 5-7, 2008: Nanay and I had the time of our lives at Shangrila Hotel, courtesy of Philamlife. It was a welcome break for me, having been stressed by the ongoing repairs/renovations in the house. As usual, Nanay was the undisputed "Star of the Night" during the National Recognition Program. When we went up the stage, I could hear people murmuring "Sino ba dyan si Toning at sino si Nora?" My mother will be turning 74 this May 10 and yet guests who didn't know us personally thought we were twins! I'm not at all irked by this observation because yours truly is the one responsible for making her look fabulous year after year.

I have to pause here. So many events in February that it will require a separate post.

Some Good Things Never Last

11 years ago today, friends and relatives from different parts of the globe flocked to Las Pinas City, Philippines to witness one historical event: the much-awaited wedding of Delfin and Antonina del Rosario's 39-year old "unica hija" and her 27-year old Prince Charming. Many were curious who this fierce lover was that melted the hardened heart of a woman who has solemnly vowed to remain single for the rest of her life.

Some were amazed, some were shocked and some were definitely disappointed. But the bride was extremely happy to even care how anybody felt during that sunny Saturday afternoon. She was head over heels with her 'Knight in a shining armor', completely mesmerized by his captivating smile, gentle voice and astounding charm.

In the beginning of their marriage she thought he was more than everything she hoped for in a man. He was extraordinarily romantic to the extent that sometimes, she wanted to ask him if he could love her a little less so she could have room to breath.

He wanted them to embrace each other all night long with his arm as her pillow that sleeping became so uncomfortable for her. He was like James Taylor saying "I love you" over and over again many times in a day. They hugged each other while she sat on his lap when they watch TV. He was not at all ashamed to kiss her in front of the other members in the household. He drove for her wherever she goes, sparing her the stress of driving in a traffic jam. He was the perfect handyman inside the house. When they eat, he would serve her rice and viand. When they're already upstairs and she needed something downstairs he would gladly fetch it for her. When he leaves for work he couldn't stop kissing and hugging her that she had to forcefully drive him away or he would be late.

Everything was running so smoothly but when she thought she couldn't ask for more, the transformation inevitably began.

After only two months of wedded bliss, he could no longer hide his 'true color'.

It was so ironic that when she eventually got used to being hugged all night long, he preferred space between them instead. When she learned to say "I love you" naturally, he already got tired of saying it. And when she was finally accustomed to passionate and prolonged kissing he was surprisingly contented with just a peck.

Tsk . . . tsk . . . Some good things never last.