running.

disclaimer: i do not own this shirt and this photograph. i happened to chance upon this picture while looking for pictures on google images.

some might find this shirt a tad too arrogant. but for others, like myself, this shirt will serve as a good reminder to tell us that every obstacle we meet in life can be overcome. i would have gotten one for myself if it were not a running singlet.

anyway, the main point of my post today is not about the marvelous shirt i found on the internet a couple of days ago. but rather, it is about running. i don't know about you, but to me, running is quite a chore. it is pointless and it is akin to going around in circles. there is no beginning and no end. the distances get longer and longer, but what then, is the ultimate goal? 5,10,21,42, 84? these numbers are meaningless and only bring about unnecessary toil and wear upon one's body. ruuning is a sad thing. if you don't run, you are gradually reduced to what society refers to as obese. if you run, but not on a regular basis, then you aren't any better, cos you would not be fantastically fit either(and it can be assumed that you would not look very good too). if you run on a regular basis, say 6 days a week, you often run into problems(pardon the bad unintended pun) like your knee joints hurting and when you grow older, your problems, so i'm told, get worse progressively. ironic isn't it? damned if you do, damned if you don't.

running requires routine. and in turn, routine requires discipline. this is inevitable and true. you can run 10km today, tomorrow and the day after. and you will feel good. but give yourself excuses to slack off for the next couple of days(maybe four?) after the third day and, i guarantee you, running 10km again will feel like 20km. my coach once said this, "miss running for a day and you will be able to tell the difference. miss running for two days and your friends will notice. miss running for three days and the whole team can see the difference." or at least he said something to that effect. simply said, running needs to be done constantly. and often, it is easier said than done.

despite running and all its "hardships", i, to a certain extent, like running. it's a funny thing, really. i like running because it makes me feel alive. the feeling of you fighting of your body's weakness, the feeling you get with every breath you take, the sound of your heavy footsteps on the ground, the sense of victory you get when you finish each training session or race. these things are all part of the experience that nothing else but running alone will give you. funny, isn't it?

i don't really like running on my own but i guess i don't really have a choice cos i don't have any running buddies, except for one, in my area. and that's why i dream of living near east coast park so much, cos from the way things look, almost everyone's got a running buddy there and i guess that's a good form of motivation. and you could throw in 2 cups of sugar cane juice for the post training meal if you wanted too. now, that's what i would call running.

pain is weakness leaving the body.
after all, the only easy day was yesterday.