Sunday, May 14, 2006

NB 15km Recce Run

Thanks for all the condolences and words of comfort forwarded to us recently.

As Wai Mun mentioned in her eulogy for Jennifer ...
"Altho' her time with us has been a short one, Jennifer had indeed lived well, laughed often & loved much.
She filled her niche & accomplished her task,
A tougher sister / friend we have yet to find,
May God grant her His Rest & Peace divine.
We will all missed her - her voice, her smile, her wit & her passion for life. May we then cherish these fond memories of her in our hearts and move on with life with Jennifer's enthusiasm."

Yeah my dear friends, it's really so important for us to live, laugh and love. Let's learn to treasure every moment. When we first joined Pacesetters, we were just going crazy on running. Our minds was so focused into running, racing and achieving PBs in competitions after competitions. It was until Wai Mun and I met and got married that we finally 'stopped to smell the flowers' and began to appreciate the friendship we made via the Club.

Next week, Wai Mun and I have been assigned a road marshall job for the coming NB 15km Run. While I have a little experience in the task before, it is interesting to see how Wai Mun will deal with it - as I believe most people will agree with me that female species don't have great sense of direction! Ha! Ha! Ha! Joke aside, I still have strong faith in her in carrying out her duty well.

This morning, most of the PACM members have a familiarization run on the actual route. So did I, except that I took my run more seriously compared to the rest. I just wanted to have a feel on the new course plus a test on my fitness level.

Though I did not push up to 100%, the new route is challenging enough to make me sweat to my last drop. It took me 1:15:17 to complete the run.

My personal observation is that this year's run will certainly be more challenging compared to previous years as there are more hills to tackle. Another factor to consider is that runners are to run a repetition loop up the Bukit Tunku which will be a test on your mental strength as well.

Fellow runners, good luck and don't forget to have fun on race day!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Life's A Roller Coaster

Ever since I took up a new job early this year, my running has taken a back seat. That explains why I have been inactive in blogging too.

My weekly mileage barely touches 30km. And most of my runs were done on 2 days only - a back-to-back Saturday and Sunday! A run on weekdays seems like a mission impossible to me these days.

It was like everything had to stop after KLIM. It was also clearly unfortunate that we had to miss the Saberkas Marathon due to the untimely death of Jennifer (Wai Mun's younger sister). Jennifer had suffered brain tumour & lung cancer for a year & a half. Her journey with C had indeed been a tough one cos' by the time she was diagnosed with this C, she was already in her 4th stage. Imagine the agony she had to go through with chemo + surgery. Within 2 months, she went thru' 2 operations : one for brain & one for the left lung! As a result, she lost her vision of the left eye....However, she had been very strong and positive about the whole thing. Her courage & trust in God has been such a comfort & encouragement to the family. Even towards the end of her days, she kept holding onto dear life & fighting back. So, it was truly amazing to see her making her own obituary & funeral arrangements ie. what dress to wear, flowers, which pastors to conduct her funeral etc. etc.

We came to realize how short, fragile & uncertain life can be. Therefore, while we still can...value health - treasure the little things - stop to smell the flowers - live life to the fullest - learn to love more...etc. etc. (easier said than done, right?)

Considering our current situation, my wife and I have decided to give this year's PACM 15km run a miss. However, we will both still be there - as volunteers of course. We hope to be able to catch you guys in action on the race day. Don't forget to have fun running!

Before signing off, I wish to share a thot which you may or may not agree. Well, anyways...

"Racing through life could be very stressful. If we stay in high gear too long, we lose our ability to shift down. And when we are stressed, we can't access happiness, appreciation, fun compassion, generosity, awareness of beauty and other wonderful qualities. High stress also triggers negative emotions like frustration, anger and fear.
Life has much to offer if we will slow down and truly experience it. We must always remember that we are the ones in control of the accelerator....we CAN choose to brake.
Therefore, enjoy life! It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast...you'll also miss the sense of where you are going & why." - Eddie Cantor