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.

21K at Run United Philippine Marathon 2012

My wife and I became part of history last weekend (October 28) by joining the first Run United Philippine Marathon! OK, maybe just partly because we only did 21K. :)

The 21K route was the same one as Run United 2 which we had also completed last June. The experience was practically the same for us, although I did improve by almost 3 minutes at 2:49. [My wife? She slashed more than 20 minutes from her Run United 2 finish with a time of 2:54 (previously 3:17).]

One thing I'd like to highlight was that near the finish line, Coach Rio himself was manning the traffic. He was also shouting, "Less than a kilometer! Bawal na maglakad!" giving the exhausted runners a well-needed motivation and sudden burst of energy.

One Small Step for Man : Organizing the HP Fun Run 2012

"That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

- Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012

August 26, 2012, McKinley Hill. There's always a first time. Human history is marked by many such firsts like the first steam engine, HP's first oscillator, or man's first step on the moon.

This morning marked a new milestone for me because it was my first time to have a major role in organizing a race. While the preparations have been going on for months, today was our D-Day - the moment we finally saw the realization of our vision. And if it had crossed my mind even for a second that "seeing it happen" meant watching on the sidelines, I still would've had been infinitely wrong.

We were already at The Venice Piazza at 2AM to get ready for our big day, but I had been awake since 7 PM of Saturday because of a mixture of emotions that range from serene hopefulness to anxiety to turmoil. Our Race Director Eugene Yasay had asked me to co-head Programs and Safety and I made sure I was at the site very early to secure the items that we had planned for, particularly for Safety.