By Rashel Mejia Torres
This year marks my 20 years of running. I knew there was something significant to remember this year, and I thank the Lord for reminding me about it.
Indulge me in sharing with you know a bit of how I came to be a runner, and the adventures that came with it. (I am not a writer, so forgive me for being so informal in my story.)
I was sickly, growing up as a child. In my occasional trips to the hospital for my asthma, I would always have difficulty breathing, the wheezing sound bothered me so much because of the attention I got from people.
In those moments of weakness and frailty, I had always dreamed of becoming an athlete, a runner to be specific. It was always in my head, visualizing myself to be one of those runners on my TV screen, competing for a distance. It was always a sweet, beautiful thought.
Then boom! I’m back to my reality–with my doctor listening to my wheezing sound again, and in my hand–a paper bag to help me breathe.
So I thought, I guess I’ll never be a runner. But that dream never left my heart. It kept playing in my mind.
Years went by, I found myself running my first race – a 10-kilometer footrace around my hilly hometown. My eldest brother registered me in that race. I almost died. I think I walked the rest of the race route.
Even though I was one of those at the back of the pack at the finish line, I just felt elated! And after that, I felt different. I simply came back running for more.
Years passed, running took me to countless road marathons, and ultra marathons in the mountains. Having experienced all that, running has given me so much realization to thank God more for it. My running is one of my many gifts from Him. All my runs and races were, and are always a celebration of His awesomeness and strength in me.
I also thank and acknowledge the motivation from other runners who taught me and shared with me wisdom to love and embrace the painful but sweet process of running.
Among the many people who encouraged me were Manung Resty, Manung Danny, and Manung Toots–my dedicated, loyal fans! They were all a part of my good memories of my running.
Back home in the Philippines, the race to be was a stint at the Milo Marathon Finals. Every roady would really work hard to make it, just to be a part of the finals, and finish it. Almost every year (in my prime), I would qualify to be in the Milo finals, and would always finish it with a smile.
I even used to run weekly marathons, and it was just an easy-breezy. And yes, I was always the purist – running it all the way to the finish.
One day, road marathons became a thing of the past for me; and found myself running in the mountains.
The ‘high’ is different. It’s more intense. My breathing, the sound of my heart, my lungs — they did so much work at the same time until I got used to their rhyme.
Running in the mountains is truly remarkable. The trails are just softer on the feet, and kinder on the knees, and they take you to summits that are amazingly beautiful and picture-perfect.
Running has taken me to places that I’ve never imagined myself to visit, or to be part of. Representing the Philippines several times felt even more special: it made me feel the pride of being Filipino, which will always be a sweet memory.
Those opportunities to run in some parts of the world taught me a lot about life, about people, and about God.
In my heart would remain the mountains of my home country, the mountains of Sabah, Borneo, Mt. Fuji, Jade Mountain in Taiwan, the highlands in Scotland, Annapurna in Nepal, the out-of-this-world mountains of Indonesia, the Rocky Mountains of Canada to the Rockies of Colorado, and all the national parks that showcase high and mighty mountains that I enjoy climbing.
It is truly a great blessing to have walked on those grounds, enjoying God’s design for man to enjoy, and be reminded of the Creator.
Why do I run? I’ve asked myself that so many times for as long as I can remember. But it all points me to God. Running is a gift — one of the many from God. I don’t know if God would still allow me to keep running but I pray that He would.
If anyone would like to take a serious interest in running, I encourage you to take that one step forward. And just like what US Olympian Julie Isphording once said: “Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.”
In my own words: Just run happy!
Of course, you would feel tired, exhausted, and may even want to quit at times — that is normal. Embrace every moment of your run, especially that time when you feel you can no longer go on. Rest a moment, and the pain will pass.
Those difficult moments will teach you a lot about your body, and your ego.
One of the things I do that has kept me injury-free is always trying my best to avoid taking pain relievers to ease any discomfort or soreness from running.
It always felt better for me to embrace the pain than to be numb of it. For me, it’s not good to develop any dependency on pain relievers.
Believe it or not, food distracts me from the pain and tiredness in all my races! But that’s just me. All these may have worked for me but might not work for you. So go explore, and see what benefits you. This will help you train your body, and respond to your running accordingly.
Also, I take joy in being a negative-splitter. I have benefitted from that method immensely, especially whenever I transition from long flats to the hard climbs. I would usually find myself catching up at the long, hard climbs, then cruise the sweet downhill.
My recovery would always be a sweet long walk the next day, a hot porridge, a relaxing massage days after, and a prayer of gratitude to God for my run.
Smile and enjoy your runs.
