it's definitely been a while since the last time i talked about anything. race, training, etc. that's why people in the sport call it the off-season and/or the out season. for some, it become the season to eat a lot. to eat anything that u had not been able to eat, and also to eat whatever that u won't be eating in the next few months. hahahha....
for me, it has become the season filled with a bunch of stuffs that i suddenly have to take care; especially work. but, in between all of it, thank GOD that i was able to do some minor training. surprisingly, all three of them. after the marathon last october, i thought i was just going to relax and get fat. but, u know what? that actually has not happened. it turned out since the beginning of november, this out-season has become a season of thinking and wondering. and, out of all that thinking, i came across a quote that i think i have set myself doing. the quote is, ' get fast, while your competition get fat '
as i said earlier, i thought i was gonna get fat, oh well....change of plan, let's get fast. so far, i think and i hope i'm on track to just not get fat. other than that, we'll see what happen in the near future.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
interesting writings and quotes...from others...
runner’s prayer
Lord, please be there with me each time I go to run, and help me always finish the things I have begun; running and life’s goals seem to go hand-in-hand; smoothing out one’s troubles as the sea smooth the sand; with Your true guidance, Lord, and unconditional love; there is no trouble before me that I cannot rise above; with pounding feet and strung beating heart, I thank You, Lord, for this healing art
These quotes below I picked up are from one of my (coach j) friends’ wife’s page. As soon as I read the quote, it struck me so deeply, that I really want to show it in the blog. Here they are;
‘if u want something u hv never had b4, u hv 2 b willing 2 do something u hv never done b4’
‘if what u did yesterday looks good, then u haven’t done much today’
Hopefully, she’s ok with this. I’ll send this to the couple too tho later on. Oh…just a little background about her; her name is pj and she was featured in an article in the paper last Thursday (10/23/08). Also, as from the discussion we had last time in the ‘1st annual TRAS potluck’, hopefully, she is running for mayor.
Anyways, those two quotes, especially the second one, really made me think about what I had done yesterday, last week, last month, or even last year compare to what I’m doing today, and even start thinking about tomorrow and even next year.
Lord, please be there with me each time I go to run, and help me always finish the things I have begun; running and life’s goals seem to go hand-in-hand; smoothing out one’s troubles as the sea smooth the sand; with Your true guidance, Lord, and unconditional love; there is no trouble before me that I cannot rise above; with pounding feet and strung beating heart, I thank You, Lord, for this healing art
These quotes below I picked up are from one of my (coach j) friends’ wife’s page. As soon as I read the quote, it struck me so deeply, that I really want to show it in the blog. Here they are;
‘if u want something u hv never had b4, u hv 2 b willing 2 do something u hv never done b4’
‘if what u did yesterday looks good, then u haven’t done much today’
Hopefully, she’s ok with this. I’ll send this to the couple too tho later on. Oh…just a little background about her; her name is pj and she was featured in an article in the paper last Thursday (10/23/08). Also, as from the discussion we had last time in the ‘1st annual TRAS potluck’, hopefully, she is running for mayor.
Anyways, those two quotes, especially the second one, really made me think about what I had done yesterday, last week, last month, or even last year compare to what I’m doing today, and even start thinking about tomorrow and even next year.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
first
A few days ago, after I posted the latest race blog, one of my friends pointed out something. I realized that after all these times, I still have a bunch stuffs that I just did the first time. And, actually, there are even more stuffs that I have never done before that I sure like to do. Apparently, some of these stuffs are happening in this year (2008). U know after a while, having been done so many things in life, u started thinking, ‘yeah, I’ve done that; been there, done that; etc…’ But after having someone said something about certain things made u realized that, ‘wow….after all these times, I still have so much opportunity to do these and those….’ And, for me, I thank GOD that HE gave me that opportunities and abilities to do all these.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
photos
here are some pix from columbus marathon 2008
one of the good recent marathon photos that i can find
not sure whether i was yelling for someone, something, or maybe i was whispering, or maybe i was tired and sleepy?!
one of the good recent marathon photos that i can find
not sure whether i was yelling for someone, something, or maybe i was whispering, or maybe i was tired and sleepy?!
Monday, October 20, 2008
first 26.2 journey
Finally, race day is here. I’ve been looking forward to this race for a while. After all the training that I did, so here it is. The week started with some easy run, but somehow I felt a bit faster on the run. Not sure why, but I definitely felt good about my run.
Then, on the day before the race, as always, I can’t sleep. I always plan to sleep at least 8-9 hours, but ended up sleeping for like maybe 5-6 hours. This is always happen on the night before any race. Not sure whether I was afraid, or maybe it was just anxiety. I know I would be out for about 4 hours and I did races more than 4 hours, then again maybe it’s just my head that cannot stop thinking about the race tomorrow. Thinking about what might and could have happened, or maybe even I was thinking about the pain that I had in training would come up again. But oh well, I guess I’ll just have to deal with it.
I woke up as the alarm went off at around 5am. So, I said to myself, ‘all rite time to get up and here it is.’ I got up, took a hot shower, since it was like 15 degree celsius, even in my room. Then, ate some breakfast (bagel with peanut butter and honey, cereal, and cup of coffee) while watching the ironman 2005 race on dvd (one of my inspirations for the race). After all that, I got ready, making sure I got everything that I need for the race in the bag.
I got to the race parking spot around 6.30am. I drank some Gatorade endurance, packed my fuel belt with all the nutrition that I need, get all my race gear ready and as I looked at the watch, it’s almost 7 already, so I do my run warm up to the race start. As soon as I got out of the car, I felt the cold weather, but yet I thought to myself, ‘hmm….this isn’t so bad.’ When I got there, off course there was a whole crowd, so I thought, ‘ all rite, time to line up for the bathroom for now, while waiting for my friends.’ As my watch showed 7.15am while waiting for my friend that never showed up, I decided to just go make my way to the start line. And, before I knew it, the race is starting.
As the race start, I saw the mayor on left side of the start line. I didn’t see a single person that I knew, so I thought, ‘oh well, ok then, time to run.’ I started the race in the pace that I wanted, I felt pretty good. At the first aid station, I took the advice of my running coach j to just take some water. Then, I think I must have not seen the first mile marker, because after looking to my watch, then looked up, I saw the second mile marker and my watch showed 20min. So, I thought to myself, ‘great….perfect….’ And, oh…I also saw the governor about this time. After I had ran for about 5 mile (which is around bexley area), I started thinking about nutrition and my body temperature. So, at mile 6 (after passing the capital u), I decided to take a gel (thanx to coach j’s suggestion), gatorade, water, took of my long sleeve shirt, and threw it on the street, as I planned from the beginning. As I got to mile 8 (back to downtown area), I realized that I was ahead of my regular pace and also, a little bit a head of the 4.30 pace group. So I said to myself, ‘wow, this is great, just as I planned.’ Then, at mile 11 (around the edge of german village), I started to see some people that I know. I picked up troy and talked to him for a few seconds, and then kept on running. At around mile 12 (which is in the main area of downtown), I saw mags and smith. And, before I knew it, I was mile 13 (passing the nationwide) and I started thinking about nutrition again and I decided to take another gel at mile 14 (around short north area). Then, a short time later I saw a couple people that I thought I knew. And I was right, it was cal and scott on the bike.
After I got to mile 16 (inside osu campus), my body started to react on all the stuffs that I had put in, so it told me to go to pit stop, so I did. After this time, the 4.30 pace group passed me, since I slowed down a bit to drink along the aid station. I did not feel down at all, since all these were part of my plan; to be ahead of the group as much as I can, so that I knew when they picked me up, I would not finish worst that I thought I would. Then, I kept on running until about mile 19 (at the edge of upper arlington) as I saw another face that I recognized, it turned out to be rob (one of my co-workers). Somewhere between mile 20 and 22, I started to think about nutrition again, so I decided to take another gel. And, from a far, I saw another familiar face, it turned out to be ally. As I got to mile 22 (around grandview area), I checked on my watch, I realized by that time, I was actually running faster than when I was at mile 14. I think it was the crowd on the streets that cheering for us (the runner) that kept me upbeat and definitely help my spirit up. Or, maybe it was the gel that I took earlier, hmm…. Regardless, definitely a big thanx to all the cheer and support sections. Then, just before mile 23, I saw a familiar face again. I saw troy in front of his place.
When I got to mile 24 (at the edge of between grandview heights and victorian village), I looked on my watch again and it showed 4.07. Then, I said to myself, ‘all rite, all I got to do is just ran for about another 20 min more.’ Then, at mile 25 (inside victorian village), I saw faces that I knew. It turned out to be jeremy and jen. Then, at the last aid station, I took in gatorade and water. Then at that time I realized I was about to finish my first ever marathon in my life.
As I got closer to the finish line, seeing all that many people on the side of the streets cheering and just waiting for their friends and family members to finish, I heard the announcer trying to pronounce my last name, so I yelled, ‘just say my first name.’
All in all, it was great and I felt great. The pain that I had during training was not even a factor at all. i was targeting to finish around 4.45 and ended up finishing in 4:29.14. YEAH.....nice.... I’m glad that the off season is here, but that doesn’t mean I’m glad all this over. I’m glad that this is actually a beginning for me. A beginning for me to build from for my next years’ quest of ironman races. A lot had happened this 2008 season. A lot of fun, a lot of fears, a lot of tears, a lot of experiments, a lot of pain, a lot of experiences, and a lot of everything. I just hope all these can be an inspiration for someone anywhere that read these. An inspiration, not about doing the same thing as what I’m doing, but an inspiration to never give up, to keep going, to do something different, to explore, to never be afraid, to never be negative, to never say cannot, because there has got to be a way to do everything under the sun as GOD intended.
With these, I wanted to thank GOD first of all for giving me the abilities, hopes, dreams, blessings, etc. to do all these. I also wanted to thank all my loved ones that are in my home country (indo). Thanx to all my friends (from church, work, etc.), teammates of human powered racing, coaches, especially coach j that put the assurance within me that I can do this 26.2mile. Thanx also to all the volunteers at the expo and throughout the course of the marathon, the pacer, the person that put on the medal around my neck, to the ones that took pictures, and to the bands that were playing throughout the course.
Then, on the day before the race, as always, I can’t sleep. I always plan to sleep at least 8-9 hours, but ended up sleeping for like maybe 5-6 hours. This is always happen on the night before any race. Not sure whether I was afraid, or maybe it was just anxiety. I know I would be out for about 4 hours and I did races more than 4 hours, then again maybe it’s just my head that cannot stop thinking about the race tomorrow. Thinking about what might and could have happened, or maybe even I was thinking about the pain that I had in training would come up again. But oh well, I guess I’ll just have to deal with it.
I woke up as the alarm went off at around 5am. So, I said to myself, ‘all rite time to get up and here it is.’ I got up, took a hot shower, since it was like 15 degree celsius, even in my room. Then, ate some breakfast (bagel with peanut butter and honey, cereal, and cup of coffee) while watching the ironman 2005 race on dvd (one of my inspirations for the race). After all that, I got ready, making sure I got everything that I need for the race in the bag.
I got to the race parking spot around 6.30am. I drank some Gatorade endurance, packed my fuel belt with all the nutrition that I need, get all my race gear ready and as I looked at the watch, it’s almost 7 already, so I do my run warm up to the race start. As soon as I got out of the car, I felt the cold weather, but yet I thought to myself, ‘hmm….this isn’t so bad.’ When I got there, off course there was a whole crowd, so I thought, ‘ all rite, time to line up for the bathroom for now, while waiting for my friends.’ As my watch showed 7.15am while waiting for my friend that never showed up, I decided to just go make my way to the start line. And, before I knew it, the race is starting.
As the race start, I saw the mayor on left side of the start line. I didn’t see a single person that I knew, so I thought, ‘oh well, ok then, time to run.’ I started the race in the pace that I wanted, I felt pretty good. At the first aid station, I took the advice of my running coach j to just take some water. Then, I think I must have not seen the first mile marker, because after looking to my watch, then looked up, I saw the second mile marker and my watch showed 20min. So, I thought to myself, ‘great….perfect….’ And, oh…I also saw the governor about this time. After I had ran for about 5 mile (which is around bexley area), I started thinking about nutrition and my body temperature. So, at mile 6 (after passing the capital u), I decided to take a gel (thanx to coach j’s suggestion), gatorade, water, took of my long sleeve shirt, and threw it on the street, as I planned from the beginning. As I got to mile 8 (back to downtown area), I realized that I was ahead of my regular pace and also, a little bit a head of the 4.30 pace group. So I said to myself, ‘wow, this is great, just as I planned.’ Then, at mile 11 (around the edge of german village), I started to see some people that I know. I picked up troy and talked to him for a few seconds, and then kept on running. At around mile 12 (which is in the main area of downtown), I saw mags and smith. And, before I knew it, I was mile 13 (passing the nationwide) and I started thinking about nutrition again and I decided to take another gel at mile 14 (around short north area). Then, a short time later I saw a couple people that I thought I knew. And I was right, it was cal and scott on the bike.
After I got to mile 16 (inside osu campus), my body started to react on all the stuffs that I had put in, so it told me to go to pit stop, so I did. After this time, the 4.30 pace group passed me, since I slowed down a bit to drink along the aid station. I did not feel down at all, since all these were part of my plan; to be ahead of the group as much as I can, so that I knew when they picked me up, I would not finish worst that I thought I would. Then, I kept on running until about mile 19 (at the edge of upper arlington) as I saw another face that I recognized, it turned out to be rob (one of my co-workers). Somewhere between mile 20 and 22, I started to think about nutrition again, so I decided to take another gel. And, from a far, I saw another familiar face, it turned out to be ally. As I got to mile 22 (around grandview area), I checked on my watch, I realized by that time, I was actually running faster than when I was at mile 14. I think it was the crowd on the streets that cheering for us (the runner) that kept me upbeat and definitely help my spirit up. Or, maybe it was the gel that I took earlier, hmm…. Regardless, definitely a big thanx to all the cheer and support sections. Then, just before mile 23, I saw a familiar face again. I saw troy in front of his place.
When I got to mile 24 (at the edge of between grandview heights and victorian village), I looked on my watch again and it showed 4.07. Then, I said to myself, ‘all rite, all I got to do is just ran for about another 20 min more.’ Then, at mile 25 (inside victorian village), I saw faces that I knew. It turned out to be jeremy and jen. Then, at the last aid station, I took in gatorade and water. Then at that time I realized I was about to finish my first ever marathon in my life.
As I got closer to the finish line, seeing all that many people on the side of the streets cheering and just waiting for their friends and family members to finish, I heard the announcer trying to pronounce my last name, so I yelled, ‘just say my first name.’
All in all, it was great and I felt great. The pain that I had during training was not even a factor at all. i was targeting to finish around 4.45 and ended up finishing in 4:29.14. YEAH.....nice.... I’m glad that the off season is here, but that doesn’t mean I’m glad all this over. I’m glad that this is actually a beginning for me. A beginning for me to build from for my next years’ quest of ironman races. A lot had happened this 2008 season. A lot of fun, a lot of fears, a lot of tears, a lot of experiments, a lot of pain, a lot of experiences, and a lot of everything. I just hope all these can be an inspiration for someone anywhere that read these. An inspiration, not about doing the same thing as what I’m doing, but an inspiration to never give up, to keep going, to do something different, to explore, to never be afraid, to never be negative, to never say cannot, because there has got to be a way to do everything under the sun as GOD intended.
With these, I wanted to thank GOD first of all for giving me the abilities, hopes, dreams, blessings, etc. to do all these. I also wanted to thank all my loved ones that are in my home country (indo). Thanx to all my friends (from church, work, etc.), teammates of human powered racing, coaches, especially coach j that put the assurance within me that I can do this 26.2mile. Thanx also to all the volunteers at the expo and throughout the course of the marathon, the pacer, the person that put on the medal around my neck, to the ones that took pictures, and to the bands that were playing throughout the course.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Head, body, mind, soul, spirit, running, dry air…
As I am still continuing on my training for the marathon, it’s about three weeks left. So far, I felt ok. I felt my training had gone pretty good and well. Some are as expected, others not so, yet surprising. And, some are even great surprises. Some stuffs that I realized and fuel me to keep going and striving for the better, in terms of training, racing and especially life.
This week is supposed to be the biggest week of my marathon training, in terms of mileage that I have to cover. And, yesterday was probably the longest mid-week run that I did for this year. On the run out of the park, I felt good. I was able to keep the pace that I wanted to start the run, and that would probably be the pace that I will be doing in the race. Along the run, I met one my teammates. I was running all the way to the university. Man… that was packed. A lot more students than I usually run into. None of them I know tho.
The, it was time for me to turned around to go back to the park; I started to felt the dry air. My lips started to not feeling comfortable at all, which is for me, it’s a sign of ‘I need some liquid/water/orange juice, or any kind of hydration’. But in this case, obviously, I did not bring any hydration with me, because I never bring any on my mid week run. My philosophy has always been to bring hydration during weekend long run. At about half way for me to get to the park, I started feeling a little bit weak, but I know I can still run all the way back to the park. But then, by about 1.5 to two miles from the park, I realized my mind is playing ‘tricks’ in my head to my body. Somehow I felt that my body is saying, ‘please stop, just walk. Didn’t u feel the pain in ur body, leg and feet?’ But my head and myself kept saying, ‘come on, let’s go, u can do this. U can keep running.’ To my surprise, I realized at the time being, my pace was actually faster than I thought I was in. The pace was faster than my first mile. The pace is still even faster than the mid mile that I was in.
I got to the park just as the dark was about to set in. There were still people running around the park, probably enjoying the weather, although not sure how u can enjoy the dry air. Maybe it was the not so cold nite yet. Oh well… can really understand people’s mind tho.
When I got home, I started thinking about the so many things that happen on my run. I realized even more about the importance of having ur spirit, mind, soul, and body in one set. Many times, we, as human beings, have our spirit, head, mind, and body in different settings. For instance, our body may be at work, but our mind is thinking about some vacation spot. Then, our spirit is thinking about something else. I guess that’s why people like to say to one another, ‘focus, man… focus…’, ‘keep ur head in the game…’ Even on the run, ur body, leg, and feet could be actually running, but ur mind could be thinking about something else. U could be thinking about what u want to do after the run, what u want to eat afterwards. Especially with the surroundings that u r in, u could be distracted by a passer by, by a cute chick that u just passed, by a smell of some bbq, or maybe even a smell of sludge, hahhaaha…..j/k, but yet it is possible. And, also a dry air did not really help either.
All rite, enough for the day. I’ll try to continue on after another ‘long’ run on Saturday.
This week is supposed to be the biggest week of my marathon training, in terms of mileage that I have to cover. And, yesterday was probably the longest mid-week run that I did for this year. On the run out of the park, I felt good. I was able to keep the pace that I wanted to start the run, and that would probably be the pace that I will be doing in the race. Along the run, I met one my teammates. I was running all the way to the university. Man… that was packed. A lot more students than I usually run into. None of them I know tho.
The, it was time for me to turned around to go back to the park; I started to felt the dry air. My lips started to not feeling comfortable at all, which is for me, it’s a sign of ‘I need some liquid/water/orange juice, or any kind of hydration’. But in this case, obviously, I did not bring any hydration with me, because I never bring any on my mid week run. My philosophy has always been to bring hydration during weekend long run. At about half way for me to get to the park, I started feeling a little bit weak, but I know I can still run all the way back to the park. But then, by about 1.5 to two miles from the park, I realized my mind is playing ‘tricks’ in my head to my body. Somehow I felt that my body is saying, ‘please stop, just walk. Didn’t u feel the pain in ur body, leg and feet?’ But my head and myself kept saying, ‘come on, let’s go, u can do this. U can keep running.’ To my surprise, I realized at the time being, my pace was actually faster than I thought I was in. The pace was faster than my first mile. The pace is still even faster than the mid mile that I was in.
I got to the park just as the dark was about to set in. There were still people running around the park, probably enjoying the weather, although not sure how u can enjoy the dry air. Maybe it was the not so cold nite yet. Oh well… can really understand people’s mind tho.
When I got home, I started thinking about the so many things that happen on my run. I realized even more about the importance of having ur spirit, mind, soul, and body in one set. Many times, we, as human beings, have our spirit, head, mind, and body in different settings. For instance, our body may be at work, but our mind is thinking about some vacation spot. Then, our spirit is thinking about something else. I guess that’s why people like to say to one another, ‘focus, man… focus…’, ‘keep ur head in the game…’ Even on the run, ur body, leg, and feet could be actually running, but ur mind could be thinking about something else. U could be thinking about what u want to do after the run, what u want to eat afterwards. Especially with the surroundings that u r in, u could be distracted by a passer by, by a cute chick that u just passed, by a smell of some bbq, or maybe even a smell of sludge, hahhaaha…..j/k, but yet it is possible. And, also a dry air did not really help either.
All rite, enough for the day. I’ll try to continue on after another ‘long’ run on Saturday.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
my ipod list nowadays... (trust me, it will always change forever...)
The Afters – theafters.com
Aly & AJ – alyandaj.com
Anberlin – anberlin.com
Audio Adrenaline – audio.com
Avril Lavigne – avrillavigne.com
Ayiesha Woods – myspace.com/ayieshawoods
The Black Eyed Peas – blackeyedpeas.com
Bon Jovi – bonjovi.com
The Bravery – the bravery.com
Chris Taylor – myspace.com/christaylorbacnd
Chris Tomlin – christomlin.com
David Crowder band – davidcrowderband.com
DC Talk – dctalk.com
Delirious? – delirious.co.uk
Demon Hunter – demonhunter.net
Evanescence – evanescence.com
Falling Up – fallingup777.com
Fergie – fergie.blackeyedpeas.com
Fireflight – fireflightrock.com
Flyleaf – flyleafmusic.com
The Fray – the fray.net
Gwen Stefani – gwenstefani.com
Ha-ash – myspace.com/haash
Hillsong – hillsong.com/music
Jaci Velasquez – jacivelasquez.com
Jars of Clay – jarsofclay.com
Jay chou – jay-chou.net
Kanye West – kanyeuniversecity.com
Karmina – karmina.com
Katy Perry – katyperry.com
Krystal Meyers – krystalmeyers.com
Larue -
Lenka – myspace.com/lenkamusic
Linkin Park – linkinpark.com
Jay-Z – rocafella.com
Liz Phair – lizphair.com
Mark Schultz – markschultzmusic.com
Maroon5 – maroon5.com
Michelle Branch – michellebranch.com
Natasha Bedingfield – natashabedingfieldusa.com
Nelly Furtado – nellyfurtado.com
Newsboys – newsboys.com
One Republic – onerepublic.net
POD – payableondeath.com
Philmont -
Pillar – pillarmusic.com
Relient K – relientk.com
Rihanna – rihannanow.com
S.H.E – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/s.h.e
Sanctus Real – sanctusreal.com
Skillet – skillet.com
Snow Patrol – snowpatrol.amrecords.com
Stellar Kart – stellarkart.com
Stephanie Smith – stephaniesmithmusic.com
Steven Curtis Chapman – stevencurtischapman.com
Superchick – myspace.com/superchick
Thousand Foot Krutch – thousandfootkrutch.com
Toby Mac – tobymac.com
The Veronicas – theveronicas.com
Zoegirl – myspace.com/zoegirlonline
Aly & AJ – alyandaj.com
Anberlin – anberlin.com
Audio Adrenaline – audio.com
Avril Lavigne – avrillavigne.com
Ayiesha Woods – myspace.com/ayieshawoods
The Black Eyed Peas – blackeyedpeas.com
Bon Jovi – bonjovi.com
The Bravery – the bravery.com
Chris Taylor – myspace.com/christaylorbacnd
Chris Tomlin – christomlin.com
David Crowder band – davidcrowderband.com
DC Talk – dctalk.com
Delirious? – delirious.co.uk
Demon Hunter – demonhunter.net
Evanescence – evanescence.com
Falling Up – fallingup777.com
Fergie – fergie.blackeyedpeas.com
Fireflight – fireflightrock.com
Flyleaf – flyleafmusic.com
The Fray – the fray.net
Gwen Stefani – gwenstefani.com
Ha-ash – myspace.com/haash
Hillsong – hillsong.com/music
Jaci Velasquez – jacivelasquez.com
Jars of Clay – jarsofclay.com
Jay chou – jay-chou.net
Kanye West – kanyeuniversecity.com
Karmina – karmina.com
Katy Perry – katyperry.com
Krystal Meyers – krystalmeyers.com
Larue -
Lenka – myspace.com/lenkamusic
Linkin Park – linkinpark.com
Jay-Z – rocafella.com
Liz Phair – lizphair.com
Mark Schultz – markschultzmusic.com
Maroon5 – maroon5.com
Michelle Branch – michellebranch.com
Natasha Bedingfield – natashabedingfieldusa.com
Nelly Furtado – nellyfurtado.com
Newsboys – newsboys.com
One Republic – onerepublic.net
POD – payableondeath.com
Philmont -
Pillar – pillarmusic.com
Relient K – relientk.com
Rihanna – rihannanow.com
S.H.E – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/s.h.e
Sanctus Real – sanctusreal.com
Skillet – skillet.com
Snow Patrol – snowpatrol.amrecords.com
Stellar Kart – stellarkart.com
Stephanie Smith – stephaniesmithmusic.com
Steven Curtis Chapman – stevencurtischapman.com
Superchick – myspace.com/superchick
Thousand Foot Krutch – thousandfootkrutch.com
Toby Mac – tobymac.com
The Veronicas – theveronicas.com
Zoegirl – myspace.com/zoegirlonline
greater
This might be one of those times where I actually get to reflect about certain things in my life based on songs that I heard. It’s either from the radio, ipod, or something that I just download. After having been thinking about things that I had done, that I am doing, that I’m going to do, right now I’m quite looking forward to go ‘home’ again. Being able to see my family, especially the newest member of the family; that is quite exciting. Yes, I finally will be able to see my nephew (my bro’s son, my parent’s first grandchild, even the first grandchild in the family).
Back then, for me, family was not that big of deal for me. Especially after having not seeing them for about ten years (yes, 10 years), I was actually feeling just ok. But then, after a while and seeing them again, I realized family is important. Family is the part of your life that is always behind u. Always backs u up. Even tho, there are times that u might think that they’re not backing u up, they’re still there to help u, to encourage u.
Sometimes, I think, is it because of time? Is it age? Is it because u grew in it? But, for me, I actually grow out of it. I lived away from my family for about ten years. Ten years we were apart, but yet, I think nowadays I’m actually closer to them than before.
I always have a perspective on life as life is amazing. Life is wonderful. Life is great. And, I really do thank GOD for that. I had done and still am doing things that I think for some people I’m quite ‘out’ of my mind. And, so far, I actually enjoy it. I am having fun. I never regret the things that I had done. And, all of them are things that I wanted to do. Not something that somebody told me to do, in which I’m pretty sure I do like to do things based on the things that I know whether I can, or cannot do, without being told by anybody.
As nowadays, I’m training for my first ever marathon. There have been things that happened to me and quite a bit of things that I found more about my self. With it off course, my quest for the ironman race continues. So, during these times, I met and talked to many different kind of people. Some are weird, some are indeed interesting, some are wonderful, some are not so wonderful, some are friendly, and others are just, as I always said, I think they are being just the way they are. After having been thinking about many of those things, I realized that those people are being put in my pathway that lead to something, or to certain point. So, at this point, what is the most important that I realized? I realized that ‘greater things have yet to come, and still, greater things are to be done in my life.’ It’s either by me, or by somebody else, but out of all that, GOD is always the ONE that will always be there with me.
Yesterday, I ran in a pathway of a park that I never been to. As I was running along the path and not really realizing exactly where I am (this reminds me to google it now so that I know next time where I am), I ended up in the area that is quite unfamiliar to me. The path that I was running felt like it’s never end. It kept going and going and going. At the same time, I kept on following the path. Every time I wanted to turn around, my mind kept saying, keep going; oh, just another corner; wouldn’t u like to find out what’s on that corner; etc. I felt like my mind play tricks on me. Indeed, I followed the path to the end of it. At that end, there wasn’t much to see. Not much of a view. But, I felt ok. I felt like I reached one point. I felt like I just accomplished something. I ran along the new path, new area, new territory. As one person that passed me along the path was saying, ‘ u’r almost there’. Where I was and where was I heading to? I didn’t know where I was, I didn’t know where the end of the path will lead me to. Is that life? Most of the time, u don’t know where u r and u don’t know where u’r going. But, in front of u, there is a pathway. There’s a pavement that will lead u somewhere. Lead u to something new, each corner gave u different view, each corner lead u to something. It could be something good, but it can also lead u to something that is not so good. But, regardless of the views, the corners, the surroundings, the pathway, the pavement is there. It was there. It was there, waiting for u to walk on, to be run on. Do u want to take the path? Do u dare to take the path?
That is life. There is always a path in front u. It could be a good one, or it could be a great one, but it could also be a not so good path. But, regardless of the kind of path that u r in, there is always someone that will be there for u; that will be by ur side. And, that path would give u greater ‘things’.
‘Ten years’ was the ‘path’ that I chose back then to be apart from my family. What does that lead me to? Many different kinds of ‘things’. And, today I can say that I’m glad that I walk along that path, because I think right now I’m not only walking along the path that follows the previous path, but I can sort of ‘running’ along this new path. God bless…
Back then, for me, family was not that big of deal for me. Especially after having not seeing them for about ten years (yes, 10 years), I was actually feeling just ok. But then, after a while and seeing them again, I realized family is important. Family is the part of your life that is always behind u. Always backs u up. Even tho, there are times that u might think that they’re not backing u up, they’re still there to help u, to encourage u.
Sometimes, I think, is it because of time? Is it age? Is it because u grew in it? But, for me, I actually grow out of it. I lived away from my family for about ten years. Ten years we were apart, but yet, I think nowadays I’m actually closer to them than before.
I always have a perspective on life as life is amazing. Life is wonderful. Life is great. And, I really do thank GOD for that. I had done and still am doing things that I think for some people I’m quite ‘out’ of my mind. And, so far, I actually enjoy it. I am having fun. I never regret the things that I had done. And, all of them are things that I wanted to do. Not something that somebody told me to do, in which I’m pretty sure I do like to do things based on the things that I know whether I can, or cannot do, without being told by anybody.
As nowadays, I’m training for my first ever marathon. There have been things that happened to me and quite a bit of things that I found more about my self. With it off course, my quest for the ironman race continues. So, during these times, I met and talked to many different kind of people. Some are weird, some are indeed interesting, some are wonderful, some are not so wonderful, some are friendly, and others are just, as I always said, I think they are being just the way they are. After having been thinking about many of those things, I realized that those people are being put in my pathway that lead to something, or to certain point. So, at this point, what is the most important that I realized? I realized that ‘greater things have yet to come, and still, greater things are to be done in my life.’ It’s either by me, or by somebody else, but out of all that, GOD is always the ONE that will always be there with me.
Yesterday, I ran in a pathway of a park that I never been to. As I was running along the path and not really realizing exactly where I am (this reminds me to google it now so that I know next time where I am), I ended up in the area that is quite unfamiliar to me. The path that I was running felt like it’s never end. It kept going and going and going. At the same time, I kept on following the path. Every time I wanted to turn around, my mind kept saying, keep going; oh, just another corner; wouldn’t u like to find out what’s on that corner; etc. I felt like my mind play tricks on me. Indeed, I followed the path to the end of it. At that end, there wasn’t much to see. Not much of a view. But, I felt ok. I felt like I reached one point. I felt like I just accomplished something. I ran along the new path, new area, new territory. As one person that passed me along the path was saying, ‘ u’r almost there’. Where I was and where was I heading to? I didn’t know where I was, I didn’t know where the end of the path will lead me to. Is that life? Most of the time, u don’t know where u r and u don’t know where u’r going. But, in front of u, there is a pathway. There’s a pavement that will lead u somewhere. Lead u to something new, each corner gave u different view, each corner lead u to something. It could be something good, but it can also lead u to something that is not so good. But, regardless of the views, the corners, the surroundings, the pathway, the pavement is there. It was there. It was there, waiting for u to walk on, to be run on. Do u want to take the path? Do u dare to take the path?
That is life. There is always a path in front u. It could be a good one, or it could be a great one, but it could also be a not so good path. But, regardless of the kind of path that u r in, there is always someone that will be there for u; that will be by ur side. And, that path would give u greater ‘things’.
‘Ten years’ was the ‘path’ that I chose back then to be apart from my family. What does that lead me to? Many different kinds of ‘things’. And, today I can say that I’m glad that I walk along that path, because I think right now I’m not only walking along the path that follows the previous path, but I can sort of ‘running’ along this new path. God bless…
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
another 70.3 more journey
it was a weird and fun race to remember.
the day started at around 4am for me. i woke up as my alarm went off. took a quick shower and prepare the coffee, then i grab all my stuffs before i had breakfast. i head out around 5am to the jean klock park. park the car by the railroad and the water tower of st. joseph and had to take the shuttle to the race site. as i got to the transition area, i looked around for people that i know and found no one, so i went ahead to my bike area and set up my transition. it's always a good thing to get to the transition area early, as it allowed me to arrange all my stuffs in a way that i wanted to.
after i was done with all that, i go around the transition area to find people that i know and i found j and dan. talked to them for a little bit then re-check my transition area and head out to the swim course. as i walked along the shore about 3/4 of the way, i started seeing people turn around heading back to the transition area. then, one person said the swim is cancelled; as i found out after the race that the tv news was saying the waves is about 5ft. and so i thought, 'oh well.....' so i head back to the transition area as i knew i need to get ready for a short run, since now it will be a duathlon, instead of a triathlon; in which i don't really like....
after getting ready for the first run leg of the race, i thought to myself, well, i guess it won't be a 70.3 race then, it be come a 71.2 race.
the first run leg started the same way as the swim leg, as all the athletes go by waves. and i was in wave 13. as i waited for my wave, i saw a couple of other athlete went pass me and 2 of them were the pros, which are chris legh and gina kehr. looks pretty cool and nice. when it came to my turn, i started to run pretty easy, not too fast, but not too slow. so i thought to myself, 'well....this isn't so bad.' until about half way to the run, i felt like, 'man.....i need to go to the bathroom for number 1.' so, as i got to transition, i went straight to the bathroom, then quickly looked at my watch. it showed about 17mins, so i thought, 'hm...that wasn't so bad.'
so, i got to my bike and started to walk to the bike start line.
on the bike, i felt ok in the beginning. as i pedal thru the fist half of the bike leg along the M63 highway, i thought to myself, 'man....this area have a lot of berries farm. almost every side of the streets, there are signs of fresh berries all over the place.' i passed thru the first aid station as i was still fueling with the stuffs that i had on me. i sipped some powerbar drinks and about half way i took some powerbar fruit smoothie bar ('hm.....my favorite bike food'). as i get to the next aid station, i threw away my empty fuelbelt bottle (as i planned to) and took in the gatorade endurance from a girl (thanx) in the aid station. i continued on pedaling along the course. along the way, i saw a couple of road signs as i was trying to find out where i was. i knew i was in the south haven area, since i saw an ambulance on the side of the road with a sign said, 'south haven area ambulance'. then i got to a town called bangor. and then, finally i realized i was heading back to the park as i noticed the area was started to be familiar again. at the last aid station, i yelled for some water and took some water from another girl (thanx). i pour the water all over my body, head and mouth to just keep me not dried. as i got closer to the park, this one car just pulled in front of me and weaving around in front of my way. and suddenly the car stopped right in front of me, so i yelled and i think i yelled pretty loud because one of the officials on the road was pointing at me and said to me to relax. so i was able to go around the car and kept going to get back to the transition area. as i got to transition, i looked at my watch again and it showed 2:41, so i said to myself, 'oh wow.....that was great......'
so i got to transition, chance my bike shoes to the run shoes again and this time i don't need to go to the bathroom.
as i ran out of the transition area, i saw j on the side of the road with street clothes and i thought, 'oh my goodness.....u hv got to be kidding me that he's already done with the race.' it turned out he said he had a bike problem, so he didn't finish the race, so i said to him, at least u'r ok and we'll talk later. and, i continue with my run. in the beginning, i felt good. i felt exactly the opposite as i felt in gulf coast on the last run leg, so i said to myself, all rite, let's get to this. as i got to the first turn, i saw a familiar place. and i said, 'wait...wasn't i here yesterday and yes i was right it was a burger place called north shore inn. i visited the area with the family that i stayed in. so i continue on running. until about mile 5, then suddenly i felt something that i had never felt in a race. i was hungry, i was actually quite hungry in the middle of the run. i cannot believe it either. i knew i have 3 powerbar gel on my pocket, so i reached for those and took 2 of them. and a girl just running on my side suddenly said, 'hm....lunch.....' so i said, 'yep...and that was nice....' and i offer to her the other gel and she took it. after a short talk, i leave her enjoying the gel and trying to get to the another aid station as i realized those 2 gels that i took would not be enough for me. as i got the aid station, i took pretty much everything that they offer. i took a banana, a powerbar, 2 powerbar gel, water, ice, gatorade and more water. and i almost ate 'em all, but i didn't. i left the gels and half of the bar in my pockets. but u know the weird thing about that feeling was? as hungry as i was, i knew i was able to finish the race. so, i continued with my run and i felt great. as i kept on running, this one guy behind me was saying, 'hm....i think i know this guy...' as i heard the voice, i knew that was bill and i knew he was on his 2nd lap, so we talked briefly and kept running. as i got to the mile 6 aid station along the M63 highway, i took some gatorade and water. as i was drinking, one of the ladies in the aid station said, 'u know what.....? we are in the triathlon wet t-shirt contest....' so, i burst into laugh and spit all the stuffs that i just put in my mouth on the road.....and i said to her, '.....that was definitely a good one...' as i kept on running for the 2nd lap, i thought to myself of the targets, goals, and things that i wanted to do during the race. and, i realized i was doing it. then i got to the same aid station again that made me laugh, and i said to them, '...this is the best aid station i've ever been to, because this is the only aid station that can make me laugh...' so, i thanked them and hopefully i made their day and put some smiles on them. as i got closer to the finish line, i started to sprint my run. i will always do a sprint finish in my race. as i got to the finish line, i let out a big sigh of relieving breath and everybody that saw me was laughing.....
and as i looked down on my watch, it showed 5:26:44. so, i pumped up a fist and said, 'yes....nice....' as it turned out the actual race result record the time of 5:26:51 for me. still, i am so glad and very happy with the result.
thank God for the race, for letting me finish this journey. thank God for putting me in the position to meet the aagenas family (charlotte, al, marc, brenda, jason, robin, charlotte, kirsten, etc), as the family that took me in their lovely place in st. joseph, michigan. thank God for my coaches and teammates for always encouraging me in whatever it is i'm doing on and off training. thank God for my family and friends that encourage me thru prayer, wishes, text messages, etc. and a special thank God for that special someone that encourage me thru the message that u sent that said, '...be confidence that u can finish the race...' at race morning as it actually pushed me to finish the race. thank u all, i love u all and God bless u all......
the day started at around 4am for me. i woke up as my alarm went off. took a quick shower and prepare the coffee, then i grab all my stuffs before i had breakfast. i head out around 5am to the jean klock park. park the car by the railroad and the water tower of st. joseph and had to take the shuttle to the race site. as i got to the transition area, i looked around for people that i know and found no one, so i went ahead to my bike area and set up my transition. it's always a good thing to get to the transition area early, as it allowed me to arrange all my stuffs in a way that i wanted to.
after i was done with all that, i go around the transition area to find people that i know and i found j and dan. talked to them for a little bit then re-check my transition area and head out to the swim course. as i walked along the shore about 3/4 of the way, i started seeing people turn around heading back to the transition area. then, one person said the swim is cancelled; as i found out after the race that the tv news was saying the waves is about 5ft. and so i thought, 'oh well.....' so i head back to the transition area as i knew i need to get ready for a short run, since now it will be a duathlon, instead of a triathlon; in which i don't really like....
after getting ready for the first run leg of the race, i thought to myself, well, i guess it won't be a 70.3 race then, it be come a 71.2 race.
the first run leg started the same way as the swim leg, as all the athletes go by waves. and i was in wave 13. as i waited for my wave, i saw a couple of other athlete went pass me and 2 of them were the pros, which are chris legh and gina kehr. looks pretty cool and nice. when it came to my turn, i started to run pretty easy, not too fast, but not too slow. so i thought to myself, 'well....this isn't so bad.' until about half way to the run, i felt like, 'man.....i need to go to the bathroom for number 1.' so, as i got to transition, i went straight to the bathroom, then quickly looked at my watch. it showed about 17mins, so i thought, 'hm...that wasn't so bad.'
so, i got to my bike and started to walk to the bike start line.
on the bike, i felt ok in the beginning. as i pedal thru the fist half of the bike leg along the M63 highway, i thought to myself, 'man....this area have a lot of berries farm. almost every side of the streets, there are signs of fresh berries all over the place.' i passed thru the first aid station as i was still fueling with the stuffs that i had on me. i sipped some powerbar drinks and about half way i took some powerbar fruit smoothie bar ('hm.....my favorite bike food'). as i get to the next aid station, i threw away my empty fuelbelt bottle (as i planned to) and took in the gatorade endurance from a girl (thanx) in the aid station. i continued on pedaling along the course. along the way, i saw a couple of road signs as i was trying to find out where i was. i knew i was in the south haven area, since i saw an ambulance on the side of the road with a sign said, 'south haven area ambulance'. then i got to a town called bangor. and then, finally i realized i was heading back to the park as i noticed the area was started to be familiar again. at the last aid station, i yelled for some water and took some water from another girl (thanx). i pour the water all over my body, head and mouth to just keep me not dried. as i got closer to the park, this one car just pulled in front of me and weaving around in front of my way. and suddenly the car stopped right in front of me, so i yelled and i think i yelled pretty loud because one of the officials on the road was pointing at me and said to me to relax. so i was able to go around the car and kept going to get back to the transition area. as i got to transition, i looked at my watch again and it showed 2:41, so i said to myself, 'oh wow.....that was great......'
so i got to transition, chance my bike shoes to the run shoes again and this time i don't need to go to the bathroom.
as i ran out of the transition area, i saw j on the side of the road with street clothes and i thought, 'oh my goodness.....u hv got to be kidding me that he's already done with the race.' it turned out he said he had a bike problem, so he didn't finish the race, so i said to him, at least u'r ok and we'll talk later. and, i continue with my run. in the beginning, i felt good. i felt exactly the opposite as i felt in gulf coast on the last run leg, so i said to myself, all rite, let's get to this. as i got to the first turn, i saw a familiar place. and i said, 'wait...wasn't i here yesterday and yes i was right it was a burger place called north shore inn. i visited the area with the family that i stayed in. so i continue on running. until about mile 5, then suddenly i felt something that i had never felt in a race. i was hungry, i was actually quite hungry in the middle of the run. i cannot believe it either. i knew i have 3 powerbar gel on my pocket, so i reached for those and took 2 of them. and a girl just running on my side suddenly said, 'hm....lunch.....' so i said, 'yep...and that was nice....' and i offer to her the other gel and she took it. after a short talk, i leave her enjoying the gel and trying to get to the another aid station as i realized those 2 gels that i took would not be enough for me. as i got the aid station, i took pretty much everything that they offer. i took a banana, a powerbar, 2 powerbar gel, water, ice, gatorade and more water. and i almost ate 'em all, but i didn't. i left the gels and half of the bar in my pockets. but u know the weird thing about that feeling was? as hungry as i was, i knew i was able to finish the race. so, i continued with my run and i felt great. as i kept on running, this one guy behind me was saying, 'hm....i think i know this guy...' as i heard the voice, i knew that was bill and i knew he was on his 2nd lap, so we talked briefly and kept running. as i got to the mile 6 aid station along the M63 highway, i took some gatorade and water. as i was drinking, one of the ladies in the aid station said, 'u know what.....? we are in the triathlon wet t-shirt contest....' so, i burst into laugh and spit all the stuffs that i just put in my mouth on the road.....and i said to her, '.....that was definitely a good one...' as i kept on running for the 2nd lap, i thought to myself of the targets, goals, and things that i wanted to do during the race. and, i realized i was doing it. then i got to the same aid station again that made me laugh, and i said to them, '...this is the best aid station i've ever been to, because this is the only aid station that can make me laugh...' so, i thanked them and hopefully i made their day and put some smiles on them. as i got closer to the finish line, i started to sprint my run. i will always do a sprint finish in my race. as i got to the finish line, i let out a big sigh of relieving breath and everybody that saw me was laughing.....
and as i looked down on my watch, it showed 5:26:44. so, i pumped up a fist and said, 'yes....nice....' as it turned out the actual race result record the time of 5:26:51 for me. still, i am so glad and very happy with the result.
thank God for the race, for letting me finish this journey. thank God for putting me in the position to meet the aagenas family (charlotte, al, marc, brenda, jason, robin, charlotte, kirsten, etc), as the family that took me in their lovely place in st. joseph, michigan. thank God for my coaches and teammates for always encouraging me in whatever it is i'm doing on and off training. thank God for my family and friends that encourage me thru prayer, wishes, text messages, etc. and a special thank God for that special someone that encourage me thru the message that u sent that said, '...be confidence that u can finish the race...' at race morning as it actually pushed me to finish the race. thank u all, i love u all and God bless u all......
trip up north
taking a trip to an out of state race is always interesting. u go thru places that u never been to. especially if u go by car, u'll pass areas, places and points that u never thought existed. i left for the st. joseph on wednesday evening around 7pm. i followed one of co-workers (adopted family members) to the race area as she was from the area and they're going up there to visit the parent. along the road, the area was pretty ok. not much to see except for the green farm field. we stopped by at middlebury, indiana to picked up my friend's motorhome. as we went along the area, i realized the area is filled with so many motorhome, so i thought, 'are people in this area lived in motor home, or what.' as it turned out the area is one of the biggest motor home builder in the country. that was interesting, especially since i saw 1 motorhome with a chandelier inside, so i thought, 'wow....that was definitely something...'
we got the place that we'd be staying around 1am, or maybe it was almost 2am, oh well...didn't really matter anyways. the place is actually my co-worker's mother-in-law's house. it was quite a big house, not huge, but yet it looked really nice and shaded. as i got inside, my place to sleep was assigned in the basement. so, i went down and went straight to sleep, although i wanted to take a shower first, but oh well.....it was 2am and everybody was sleeping, so forget about it....
i woke up around 8 in the morning to meet the owner of the house and the rest of the gang that is staying in it. i met grandma charlotte, grandpa al (sir), jason and baby charlotte. talk to them briefly and went straight to the shower as it was the first that i'm dying to do since last nite. after shower, i started to plan for my day. thinking about what i'm going to eat, what i'm going to do, places that i wanted to visit, etc. as i get to the kitchen to look around for breakfast, grandma charlotte had already took out her breakfast stuffs, from bagel, banana, bread, coffee, cream to honey and peanut butter. to my surprise, those are the things that i was thinking earlier to get at the store. it turns out they have it all.
those actually put me in the position where i realized i missed those times. i guess i never really got a chance to spend a lot of times with my actual grandparents. it was brief and now i realized how those times were the times to be treasured and thankful. i guess a lot of people said that u can get anything in grandparents' house is actually right. thank GOD for them.
after breakfast, the people in the house started asking me what i wanted to do, so i tell them i wanted to swim at the race course which is in the lake michigan from the jean klock park. so, al took me to the park and i swam for about 40mins to get some practice and get acclimated with the water. i felt good and i like the water. it had some waves and current, but not salty. after the swim, we got back to the house and i had my lunch of rice cakes (i made it myself). then i went on to bike around the race course from the house. i rode my bike out and back for about an hour to check out some of the roads, which turned out to be quite rough with potholes all over the place. after the bike ride, i ran around the neighborhood for about 20mins. and, i found out the place actually have a dock to launch boat. so i thought, 'wow.....that's cool'
after all the training, i went back to the house, took another shower to take care of my other cleaning needs. then i took some rest and had a bite of something that i couldn't remember what. then, headed to downtown with some member of the family. and, guess what i found in the downtown, there is a sign that said, 'st. joseph, michigan's most romantic city' (check out the pix at the top) now, isn't that interesting and even my friend that was from the area did not know about that.
then, for dinner, the family took me to a place called 'clementines'. pretty nice, but quite crowded, as it turned out it's a local favorite. and their special was 'perch', which is a deep fried fish, in which in this case and time, i couldn't have it since i didn't want to ruin my diet for the race. the dish is a local fav that the menu said the restaurant served them about 11tons per year. that alone is actually a great reason to come back, just to try that dish, which i will come back just to try that 'perch'. so, what did i have for dinner? pasta with light sauce, which is actually taste pretty good. after dinner we went down to the beach to walk around the area and all the way to the pier. then, we all decided to drive around the city to see some areas that some of us never been to. we went thru benton harbor and an area, in which people called benton 'harlem' (hahha.....) we went thru the back side of the jean klock park, in which we passed thru an old burger place called north shore inn. then, we went home and get some rest.
the next day, i basically went thru the same routine as the day before. except this time i had to go to the race site for check-in, registration, bike racking, body marking, race meeting, and pasta dinner. boy, was it hectic or what? plus, it was quite hot actually with the sun. i stayed at the park until about 5pm, then went back to the house to get myself ready for the race. as i got to the house, i was greeted with many of my friend's old friends from the town and old co-workers. i talked to them briefly explaining who and why i was the only asian there. (hahhaha.......) i went to bed around 8:30pm, yet i think i didn't go to sleep until about 10:30pm. not sure what, but i think it was the anxiety, excitement and nervousness. then again, i think i had a good rest the nite before the race. at the end of this blog, i wanted to thank GOD for letting me be with the aagenas family. thank U, GOD, for using them to bless me in so many ways. i sure hope i was able to be a blessing for them too.
i will never forget everything that they had done for me.
God bless.....
Friday, July 11, 2008
fear of success....
for a while, i've been working on my run. especially since the bike accident that i had last april, i felt that my run had been lagging. it's like i lose my hop, i lose my steps, i lose my stride, i lose my speed on the run. after having talked to a couple of my teammates and coaches, the suggested caffeine, which in the beginning i wasn't so sure. for the past 3 months, i had been searching for it. searching for the run, seaching for the hop. i worked on the run, do strides, asking questions, asked coach mike to watch for my running mechanism, which according to him, there's nothing wrong. so, i got confused. it made me kept on thinking and trying and training for it.
last week, on the race, i did use some caffeine before the run leg and yes it did feel good and i actually felt pretty good. then again, last week, it was definitely a good day to race. not too hot with a little bit of wind, or is it because i was calm? i was quite early arriving at the race site, so i got time to relax, calm my self and all that........hm....so many questions.....
then yesterday, i ran on my own in the afternoon at the park. suddenly, i felt really good. i felt i got my hop back, i got my run back. i got my strides, i got my speed and i felt like i can keep on running.....just like the movie, 'run, fat boy, run'....
before the run, i did not do anything special. i did not take extra caffeine, i did not take anything extra. and to tell u the truth, the day was quite hot.
having been experienced this, i consulted my teammate and coach mike. out of the conversation, the main point is many times we are afraid of failure, because those failure is based on the past experience that we had, we faced and maybe even just seeing. he told me that apparently i am not afraid of the distances that i had gone and will be going thru in the races. some people are afraid of being success. we are not suppose to be afraid of success.
why fear success? why fear failure?
those are the things that made life worth living. those are the things that made life interesting. those are the things that formed life. those are the dynamics of life.
after thinking about all these over nite, i realized that this is a lot like our needs of GOD. when we're down, we seek HIM even more. we so desperately need HIM. we search, we pray, we seek and sometimes we even try other things. but the fact of the matter is the only thing that we need to do are to raise our hands, kneel down, bow before HIM, and lay all our burden on HIS feet. in Matt 11:28, the verse said, '...come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give u rest...'
i was 'weary' of my run, my failure, my past experience, my accident. then, i worked on it, i seek advice, i questioned, i 'knocked' and finally, thank GOD. i thank HIM for giving me 'rest', for 'opening the door'.
life.....is definitely interesting. without all these, thre would be no life....
don't fear failure, don't fear success, fear GOD.....
last week, on the race, i did use some caffeine before the run leg and yes it did feel good and i actually felt pretty good. then again, last week, it was definitely a good day to race. not too hot with a little bit of wind, or is it because i was calm? i was quite early arriving at the race site, so i got time to relax, calm my self and all that........hm....so many questions.....
then yesterday, i ran on my own in the afternoon at the park. suddenly, i felt really good. i felt i got my hop back, i got my run back. i got my strides, i got my speed and i felt like i can keep on running.....just like the movie, 'run, fat boy, run'....
before the run, i did not do anything special. i did not take extra caffeine, i did not take anything extra. and to tell u the truth, the day was quite hot.
having been experienced this, i consulted my teammate and coach mike. out of the conversation, the main point is many times we are afraid of failure, because those failure is based on the past experience that we had, we faced and maybe even just seeing. he told me that apparently i am not afraid of the distances that i had gone and will be going thru in the races. some people are afraid of being success. we are not suppose to be afraid of success.
why fear success? why fear failure?
those are the things that made life worth living. those are the things that made life interesting. those are the things that formed life. those are the dynamics of life.
after thinking about all these over nite, i realized that this is a lot like our needs of GOD. when we're down, we seek HIM even more. we so desperately need HIM. we search, we pray, we seek and sometimes we even try other things. but the fact of the matter is the only thing that we need to do are to raise our hands, kneel down, bow before HIM, and lay all our burden on HIS feet. in Matt 11:28, the verse said, '...come to ME, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give u rest...'
i was 'weary' of my run, my failure, my past experience, my accident. then, i worked on it, i seek advice, i questioned, i 'knocked' and finally, thank GOD. i thank HIM for giving me 'rest', for 'opening the door'.
life.....is definitely interesting. without all these, thre would be no life....
don't fear failure, don't fear success, fear GOD.....
Thursday, June 19, 2008
minutes...seconds...change...run
this is probably one of the times where i realized about the significant of minutes and seconds. last monday, after looking at my result from the past weekend race, i was a little discourage. out of so many things that i had done for the past 5-6 months, somehow the result does not really satisfy me. i am happy on certain things of the disciplines, especially the bike. but yet, the overall is not fulfilling.
then, last wednesday, i looked the numbers up again, it turned out that i had a better result. wow....can't imagine, just a few minutes different in numbers actually made my perspective change. it made me think differently. then, i said to myself, '...wow, this changes everything...' and i mean everything. everything from training, to result, from what i had done, to what i need to do.
i remembered at the end of last season, i said to myself, the coaches, and my teammates, that i wanted to be better on the bike. so far, so good. i know i'm still not the best, but i really do feel that i'm actually better on the bike, especially after the accident last april. but then, as i was recalling all that, i think about what mike neill said to me at gulf coast.
'it takes 10 years for anybody to be good at anything'
oh my goodness, after all that i had done, i still have to figure out something else. still, i have to better myself on other discipline. so far, as for swimming, coach geri had been threatening me to do certain things to me so that i can improve. well, to be honest, it kind of help and i hope coach can see it. as for the run; now this is the part that i thought i already kind of figure things our. it turns out, not really. i'm not sure why. in the last few months i have been thinking about this, since i really want to figure this out before 'the race'. then suddenly, yesterday, one of my teammates said something about nutrition on the run. and so it 'hit' me. i had changed my nutrition on the run. i had been experimenting with other stuffs. i have not stick with what has been working for me from last season. so my decision for now to improve is to get back to what has been working for me, especially on the run. nutrition, never thought i could effect me that much. even though for now this is only on paper, nothing has been proven yet. so for now, i'll keep on training and see the result in a couple of weeks. and oh btw....i have 6 weeks to 'the race'.
then, last wednesday, i looked the numbers up again, it turned out that i had a better result. wow....can't imagine, just a few minutes different in numbers actually made my perspective change. it made me think differently. then, i said to myself, '...wow, this changes everything...' and i mean everything. everything from training, to result, from what i had done, to what i need to do.
i remembered at the end of last season, i said to myself, the coaches, and my teammates, that i wanted to be better on the bike. so far, so good. i know i'm still not the best, but i really do feel that i'm actually better on the bike, especially after the accident last april. but then, as i was recalling all that, i think about what mike neill said to me at gulf coast.
'it takes 10 years for anybody to be good at anything'
oh my goodness, after all that i had done, i still have to figure out something else. still, i have to better myself on other discipline. so far, as for swimming, coach geri had been threatening me to do certain things to me so that i can improve. well, to be honest, it kind of help and i hope coach can see it. as for the run; now this is the part that i thought i already kind of figure things our. it turns out, not really. i'm not sure why. in the last few months i have been thinking about this, since i really want to figure this out before 'the race'. then suddenly, yesterday, one of my teammates said something about nutrition on the run. and so it 'hit' me. i had changed my nutrition on the run. i had been experimenting with other stuffs. i have not stick with what has been working for me from last season. so my decision for now to improve is to get back to what has been working for me, especially on the run. nutrition, never thought i could effect me that much. even though for now this is only on paper, nothing has been proven yet. so for now, i'll keep on training and see the result in a couple of weeks. and oh btw....i have 6 weeks to 'the race'.
Monday, June 16, 2008
realize
i remember when i started that it was just about trying to make my belly flatten down a little bit. i remember the day that i realized one morning as i woke up that i was 'fat'.
after about 2 to 3 years, i started to realize that bigger reasons are needed for me to keep doing these training and racing. this past weekend, i found a couple of them. it's the thrill of being fast, the thrill of trying to outpaced certain people, the thrill to compete, the thrill to never slow down even though i'm at about 100 feet from the finish line. i enjoyed every second of them.
as i recalling the feeling that i felt at pcb with the sun felt like it was frying my skin on the run leg of the race down in pcb, i started to imagine what HE went through back then, thousands of years ago carrying the CROSS across the heat to the calvary on the wounded body. thank GOD for UR sacrifice that we may be saved. and, also to always remind me that whatever it is and however hard it is that we go through down here on earth, will never be exceeded the strength that U provide for me.
those are the reasons that put me in the position where i learned quite a bit about myself, about life, about what i strive for, about my goal for each year.
at the same time, i realzied that there something that i would like to give back to the surroundings that have given me so much in terms of anything that i've obtain. then again, i also realized that still i have so much to learn, as one of my teamates said, be a 'grasshopper'.
'live life to the fullest' is what people usually said. i prefer the 'live life full of learning and realizing'. learn certain things to make one realize about other things.
every race is always different, even though u raced in the same place every year. learn something in every race at every year. there's got to be a way to be everything under the sun.
after about 2 to 3 years, i started to realize that bigger reasons are needed for me to keep doing these training and racing. this past weekend, i found a couple of them. it's the thrill of being fast, the thrill of trying to outpaced certain people, the thrill to compete, the thrill to never slow down even though i'm at about 100 feet from the finish line. i enjoyed every second of them.
as i recalling the feeling that i felt at pcb with the sun felt like it was frying my skin on the run leg of the race down in pcb, i started to imagine what HE went through back then, thousands of years ago carrying the CROSS across the heat to the calvary on the wounded body. thank GOD for UR sacrifice that we may be saved. and, also to always remind me that whatever it is and however hard it is that we go through down here on earth, will never be exceeded the strength that U provide for me.
those are the reasons that put me in the position where i learned quite a bit about myself, about life, about what i strive for, about my goal for each year.
at the same time, i realzied that there something that i would like to give back to the surroundings that have given me so much in terms of anything that i've obtain. then again, i also realized that still i have so much to learn, as one of my teamates said, be a 'grasshopper'.
'live life to the fullest' is what people usually said. i prefer the 'live life full of learning and realizing'. learn certain things to make one realize about other things.
every race is always different, even though u raced in the same place every year. learn something in every race at every year. there's got to be a way to be everything under the sun.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
10 years
mike neill said that his coach told him a while back that it takes 10 years for everyone to be good at something. man, how am i going to be able to get this triathlon thing right? oh well...., i guess maybe that's why they said to keep on tri-ing. and, i also do believe as what the Bible said in Flp4:13, 'i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'.
the pain won't last forever, but the memories will, especially when everything can be written down on this blog. and, if nobody understand, then it is just like what is written in the ironman book, 'it's a line that u have to cross to understand'.
so why do i do all these? as what george bernard shaw said, 'some people see things as they are and say why. i dream things that never were and say why not?'
the pain won't last forever, but the memories will, especially when everything can be written down on this blog. and, if nobody understand, then it is just like what is written in the ironman book, 'it's a line that u have to cross to understand'.
so why do i do all these? as what george bernard shaw said, 'some people see things as they are and say why. i dream things that never were and say why not?'
Monday, May 12, 2008
art of racing
what it means
"There is something in every human being that seeks testing; a yearning to discover just how far one can go, how much one is capable of achieving. From this desire was born the most demanding athletic endurance test ever... the Ironman"
"There is something in every human being that seeks testing; a yearning to discover just how far one can go, how much one is capable of achieving. From this desire was born the most demanding athletic endurance test ever... the Ironman"
trip down south
a very interesting trip down south to panama city beach, florida. as many times as i've been to florida and as much as i love the state, since the weather kind of resemblance to where i came from, i never been to this city.
we started at 6pm from the gym. 3 vehicles heading down. i was in 'the golden eagle' van with mags, j, rach, and matt. the other vehicles were 'the two duds' and 'mother'. the whole trip was filled with rain along the way. we had three stops. one was somewhere by bowling green, then next one was 'buckets' at somewhere in nashville, not sure exactly where i was, then the last one was somewhere by the border of florida and alabama. and, that's when we were joined by 'the white neon'. we got to the destination at around 7am local time.
on the way home, we leave the bungalow at 6am sharp. although, i almost owe everybody one minute, i totally made myself to the van at 6am. this time, it was only 'the golden eagle' that went on. we had four stops. one at the 'buckets' before we were out of the city, one at the gas and mcdonald, then gas and wendy's , and the last one was another 'buckets' stop. we got back to the gym at around 8.30-ish.
a couple of interesting things that i got a chance to see along the way. got a chance to see the paul brown stadium, usbank arena, gaylord center, titans stadium, and a rocket on the side of a highway. oh oh...and also, i forgot to mentioned i met sister madonna buder a couple of times and i did get her autograph.
one other interesting thing that happen to me on the trip, specifically on race day. on the morning of the race day, everybody was in-line to get their body marked by numbers. as i stood there with this lady writing down my number on my hand and calf. she asked, 'what is ur age?', then i answer, 30-34, so she asked again, ok, so which one do u want?. then, i just realized she was actually asking for my actual age. then i remember a joke that jeremy put up on the e-mail abt u know u'r a triathlete, when they asked u abt ur age, and u answered, '30-34'. i couldn't even believe that i said that......LOL............
overall, on the trip i found many new buddies and mates. i got running mate (tim), catapult/slingshot buddy (jeremy), shower mate (geretta), shaver girl (geri), van mates (mags, j, rach and matt), age group buddy (j), and bungalow mates (mags and mikey). all in all, it was definitely an interesting trip that i will never forget.
we started at 6pm from the gym. 3 vehicles heading down. i was in 'the golden eagle' van with mags, j, rach, and matt. the other vehicles were 'the two duds' and 'mother'. the whole trip was filled with rain along the way. we had three stops. one was somewhere by bowling green, then next one was 'buckets' at somewhere in nashville, not sure exactly where i was, then the last one was somewhere by the border of florida and alabama. and, that's when we were joined by 'the white neon'. we got to the destination at around 7am local time.
on the way home, we leave the bungalow at 6am sharp. although, i almost owe everybody one minute, i totally made myself to the van at 6am. this time, it was only 'the golden eagle' that went on. we had four stops. one at the 'buckets' before we were out of the city, one at the gas and mcdonald, then gas and wendy's , and the last one was another 'buckets' stop. we got back to the gym at around 8.30-ish.
a couple of interesting things that i got a chance to see along the way. got a chance to see the paul brown stadium, usbank arena, gaylord center, titans stadium, and a rocket on the side of a highway. oh oh...and also, i forgot to mentioned i met sister madonna buder a couple of times and i did get her autograph.
one other interesting thing that happen to me on the trip, specifically on race day. on the morning of the race day, everybody was in-line to get their body marked by numbers. as i stood there with this lady writing down my number on my hand and calf. she asked, 'what is ur age?', then i answer, 30-34, so she asked again, ok, so which one do u want?. then, i just realized she was actually asking for my actual age. then i remember a joke that jeremy put up on the e-mail abt u know u'r a triathlete, when they asked u abt ur age, and u answered, '30-34'. i couldn't even believe that i said that......LOL............
overall, on the trip i found many new buddies and mates. i got running mate (tim), catapult/slingshot buddy (jeremy), shower mate (geretta), shaver girl (geri), van mates (mags, j, rach and matt), age group buddy (j), and bungalow mates (mags and mikey). all in all, it was definitely an interesting trip that i will never forget.
my first ever 70.3 journey
the race was good. i started the swim in a great way. as rough as the water, i thought it was part of the challange and i took it in within me. i felt good in the beginning and as i look down and see that the bottom part of me change from dark to light, i was glad and i truly felt great. i was expecting to be in the swim for an hour, and it turned out as i walked towards the shower and look at my watch, it was 47 minutes. so, i thought, WOW.....THIS IS GREAT.....THIS IS WHY I LOVE THE SPORT....i am solo the superfan......
then, i got to my transition area to prep myself for the bike. i took my time to eat half of powerbar and drink to wash all that salt in my mouth, then i took my bike to the start of bike line. as i got on my bike, i said to myself, here we go...!
as i started on the bike, mike caught me and gave me a pat on my behind, that definitely was encouraging. thanx, mike. then, i started to see my teamates along the course, one by one passing me going to the other way, unill i got to the highway and i saw mike neill flying through and i thought, hey, i'm on the same team as that guy....at the same time, i realized, hey, i got to eat and drink, so i took my the other half of the bar. then i looked up and saw the bridge. and i said to mysef, hm..... after going up through the bridge, i thought to myself, thank GOD i was at the camp in portsmouth, since i was so afraid before with hills, but now, i think i kind of get an idea of how to handle it, not entirely though. then after the bridge, i saw a speed bump and one of bottle came off the cage, but wait, it got hold up between my legs, since i put my feet position at 9 and 3, again, thanx mike. so i said to myself, bottle, stay, stay, and YES! i was able to get it and put it back in the cage, yeach......!!!
as i get to the turn around for the bike, this truck in front of me hit the brake, so i yelled, come on....!!!! but then, she got off the road, as this one guy beside me said, retarded....!
so i thought, oh well, let's move on, we are racing....
as i was at the end of the bike leg, i said to myself, all rite, just keep pedalling until transition, even though my behind was pretty uncomfortable, but i knew what i had to do. so, i got to transition, unclipped my shoes and walked my bike to be racked. then, i took everything off that i needed from the bike, to put on everything that i need for my run. again, i took my time to eat and drink beforehand. as i started running, i looked down to my watch. i was thinking of being on the bike for 3 hrs, instead my watch showed 2:52:30. so i thought, YES....THIS IS GREAT......
as i started on the run leg, i felt ok. i was able to keep on running for the first 3 mile, then something hit me, now sure what and not sure why. so, i thought to myself, is it the heat? is it the food/nutrition? so i started to take another leftover powerbar and some drinks from the aid station. and i started running again. after i saw rach coming back at about mile 4, or 5, not sure, something hit me again, then i realized it was definitely the heat. i started to feel the sun was actually frying my skin. after that, i started walking, running, walking, running, until i passed mile 6 in the park, then my teammate tim caught me and he was asking whether i was ok or not. i told him, yes, i'm ok, but just not sure why i can't run at the time. so he suggested to run and walk with him. i took his suggestion and it actually help. until about mile 11, then i started to feel the same as i was at mile 5. so, i thought to myself, i know i can finish this, and i will finish this. then, at mile 12, i started to think about what i had done, what had been happened to me, what i had been doing that whole day from 7 am that morning. i started to get emotional, but i hold it back. until at the last run/walk session with tim, he said, all rite, run all the way to the finish?! so, i said, YES.....! so, i kept on running from the stoplight all the way to the turn and as i promised to myself to always do a sprint finish, i sprinted all the way to the finish line.
as i crossed the finish line, i pumped a fist to the air and hit the ballon on the side, then i kneeled down, kissed the finish line and high five to it. after that, i just couldn't hold back my emotion anymore. i cried, cried and cried for a while. got my medal, sit on the sidewalk and just kept on crying, thinking about what i had just done.
all in all, i was happy and even amazed to myself. 5 weeks ago, i thought i had to pull out of the race. in the end of this race, i thanked GOD, mike and mike, all my teammates of Human Powered Racing, that are racing and also the ones that are not racing in the GCT'08.
then, i got to my transition area to prep myself for the bike. i took my time to eat half of powerbar and drink to wash all that salt in my mouth, then i took my bike to the start of bike line. as i got on my bike, i said to myself, here we go...!
as i started on the bike, mike caught me and gave me a pat on my behind, that definitely was encouraging. thanx, mike. then, i started to see my teamates along the course, one by one passing me going to the other way, unill i got to the highway and i saw mike neill flying through and i thought, hey, i'm on the same team as that guy....at the same time, i realized, hey, i got to eat and drink, so i took my the other half of the bar. then i looked up and saw the bridge. and i said to mysef, hm..... after going up through the bridge, i thought to myself, thank GOD i was at the camp in portsmouth, since i was so afraid before with hills, but now, i think i kind of get an idea of how to handle it, not entirely though. then after the bridge, i saw a speed bump and one of bottle came off the cage, but wait, it got hold up between my legs, since i put my feet position at 9 and 3, again, thanx mike. so i said to myself, bottle, stay, stay, and YES! i was able to get it and put it back in the cage, yeach......!!!
as i get to the turn around for the bike, this truck in front of me hit the brake, so i yelled, come on....!!!! but then, she got off the road, as this one guy beside me said, retarded....!
so i thought, oh well, let's move on, we are racing....
as i was at the end of the bike leg, i said to myself, all rite, just keep pedalling until transition, even though my behind was pretty uncomfortable, but i knew what i had to do. so, i got to transition, unclipped my shoes and walked my bike to be racked. then, i took everything off that i needed from the bike, to put on everything that i need for my run. again, i took my time to eat and drink beforehand. as i started running, i looked down to my watch. i was thinking of being on the bike for 3 hrs, instead my watch showed 2:52:30. so i thought, YES....THIS IS GREAT......
as i started on the run leg, i felt ok. i was able to keep on running for the first 3 mile, then something hit me, now sure what and not sure why. so, i thought to myself, is it the heat? is it the food/nutrition? so i started to take another leftover powerbar and some drinks from the aid station. and i started running again. after i saw rach coming back at about mile 4, or 5, not sure, something hit me again, then i realized it was definitely the heat. i started to feel the sun was actually frying my skin. after that, i started walking, running, walking, running, until i passed mile 6 in the park, then my teammate tim caught me and he was asking whether i was ok or not. i told him, yes, i'm ok, but just not sure why i can't run at the time. so he suggested to run and walk with him. i took his suggestion and it actually help. until about mile 11, then i started to feel the same as i was at mile 5. so, i thought to myself, i know i can finish this, and i will finish this. then, at mile 12, i started to think about what i had done, what had been happened to me, what i had been doing that whole day from 7 am that morning. i started to get emotional, but i hold it back. until at the last run/walk session with tim, he said, all rite, run all the way to the finish?! so, i said, YES.....! so, i kept on running from the stoplight all the way to the turn and as i promised to myself to always do a sprint finish, i sprinted all the way to the finish line.
as i crossed the finish line, i pumped a fist to the air and hit the ballon on the side, then i kneeled down, kissed the finish line and high five to it. after that, i just couldn't hold back my emotion anymore. i cried, cried and cried for a while. got my medal, sit on the sidewalk and just kept on crying, thinking about what i had just done.
all in all, i was happy and even amazed to myself. 5 weeks ago, i thought i had to pull out of the race. in the end of this race, i thanked GOD, mike and mike, all my teammates of Human Powered Racing, that are racing and also the ones that are not racing in the GCT'08.
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