Me Vs Myself :Safeguard 2XU International Half-Marathon

This race had taken me by surprise; I was so dumbstruck that it took me 3 months to write about it! :P

Despite being super-delayed (which is an understatement), I believe this race deserves an additional footnote to its already good review.

It was a very humid morning. My wife and I were sweating profusely even before the race started. And it was only 3 AM! We could have sweated a lot more if the race had not been limited to around a thousand runners.

Yes, there were only a little more than a thousand - as in one thousand - runners that morning. The registration fee had been high of course. At Php 2500.00 regular registration, it was easily 3 to 4 times the usual races.

Early Runs 21K for the Mangroves: Condura Skyway Marathon 2013

Quad muscle fever, knee pain, the cold bite of ice on skin. These are telltale signs that I'm celebrating another victory over my willpower. It also means that I'll have a hard time going up and down stairs again in the next couple of days.

Condura Skyway Runs always mark a milestone for me because they coincide with my running anniversary. Three years ago I completed my first mainstream 5K at Condura Run for the Dolphins (2010) and now I have completed yet another 21K and it was up in the Sky! I get pins and needles when I realize that I have gone so far, figuratively and literally. Today I finished with a new PR at 2:44:29 which is faster by more than 4 minutes over the last 21K at RUPM 2012.

My Early Runs of Temple Run 2 (for Android)

"Kayong dalawa ay magkahawak-kamay na tatakbo nang sabay. Bibilisan kung may hahabol. Iiwas kung may haharang. Tatalon kung may bangin."

- Rolly Hugo, May 12, 2012

[Rough translation: You two would run together hand in hand. Go faster if chased. Evade if obstructed. Jump if there's an abyss.]

This was my Dad's message to me and my wife on our wedding last year. I thought it was quite profound, until he told me later that he had Temple Run in mind. Story of my life. Anyway...

Photo from Google Play

How to Get PNP Clearance from Camp Crame

OK, I know this is not really something I write about, but I'm feeling pretty helpful today, so I thought I'd be a good pal and guide you on how to get PNP clearance.

None of my previous employers had requested PNP clearance from me, but I needed one last week. I had thought it was just the usual police clearance (which is available at our city hall), but I was later informed that this should come from Camp Crame. If you have the same requirement please read on. If not, well why not go on reading as well since you've gotten this far already? :)

The World Did Not End : A Review of My 2012 and My Flight Plan for 2013

I repeat: The world did not end. That glorious apocalypse is still yet to come in that obscured dimension we call the future.

The year 2012 ended, though. :D At the start of last year (2012), I "declared" my goals for 2012 in this blog entitled Goal! Discovering My Pace in 2012, which actually became one of my more widely read blogs (all-time) next to my run with Piolo Pascual and my wife's first time in Baguio.

Here's a copy-paste summary of my goals for 2012:

1. Get married to the girl of my dreams, obviously. :))
2. Read 32 books
3. Run 520 km (total distance, including training and registered races)
4. Complete at least one 10K and one 21K (registered)
5. Learn one new classical piano piece
6. Lose 10 lbs :)) [current weight: 170 freaking lbs]

I completed 5 out of 6. Ironically, although this is primarily a blog on running, I failed in the running aspect of my goal i.e. to run 520 km! My dailymile account shows that I only did 342.79 km! A big factor here is that I had absolutely zero mileage in September. [I woke up only when September had ended.]

Before I go further, I want to point out that of course I had other plans in life aside from those I mentioned above, which was mostly hobby-oriented - except Goal #1 which was "hubby-oriented," if you dig my vibes. Goal #1 alone had several mini-goals in itself!

I'm quite satisfied with my 2012. Although there have been unfortunate events and heartaches that brought tears to our family, I can confidently claim that the Lord truly blessed my 2012. I know that, as always, He will continue to pour blessings on our 2013.

Setting a goal at the start of a certain period helps keep one motivated in completing an activity. Personally, having goals help me enjoy the process of getting to the goal. Even better, I like publicizing my goals, not to brag - really, what was to brag about my being unhealthily overweight - but so that I have a certain accountability to my friends and family, even to guest/distant readers, in accomplishing the task. [And apparently, it gets traffic to my blog. :P]

For 2013, I want to step a little outside my comfort zone and reach new heights. By the end of the year, I should have done the following:

1. Write a novel. I think this one's going to be the toughest, but I'm pretty sure that upon completion, I would really be proud and can honestly claim in my heart that I'm a novelist. :P
2. Run 520 km. Here's a repeat-goal. I had thought that this was easy but for some reason (mostly laziness) proved to be beyond my yearly mileage.
3. Complete 3 registered 21Ks.
4. Reach page 10 of Premiere Ballade. I think it's time to get me a first-rate metronome.
5. Get to 149 lbs by end of November. How am I going to do this? I guess I'll find out.
6. Read 19 fiction and 13 non-fiction (total of 32 books). I'm trying to put a little structure to my reading.

I almost can't wait for 2014, because by then, I would (should) already be recounting how I managed to write a novel or be busy playing Chopin! All the same, I want to savor every day of 2013 that the Lord grants me the gift of life. You know, just live every day to the fullest as if it's the - wait for it - proverbial last day of my life. I pray that you also have a wonderful 2013.

P.S.