I didn’t start running until I was in my late 20s. I mainly went into running to lose weight after I quit smoking (which I thought was keeping me trim).
It didn’t take long before my lifestyle changed from being a heavy smoker to being a passionate runner and falling in love with it.
In 1991, I entered my first race, a four-miler (6.4 kilometer) called the Newark Classic in New Jersey. It was a spring time season opener in April, and there was a little chill in the air. I still remember I was dressed in a plain blue cotton shirt, and Nike spandex tights. Sporty colorfully-printed technical shirts didn’t exist back then, although running tights were already in fashion in the 80s and early 90s.
At the start of the race, I positioned myself near the front because that’s where I thought I should be. (What did I know about racing?) The starter horn sounded off, and in a split second, I found myself being pushed and shoved and elbowed by runners around me, like someone just opened a horse coral. (Oh, okay, so this is how it goes, I said to myself.)
I picked up my pace, and went with the flow, but that didn’t last long as the terrain was undulating. I started to feel tired, my legs got heavy, and my breathing was labored. I wanted to quit right there and call it a day, but then someone yelled out, “Keep running, you’re almost done!”
So I continued to run in spite of the pain, and as we turned on a bend, I saw a downhill road leading us to the finish line banner in about 200 meters. People on both sides of the street were cheering and offering the much-needed encouragements.
Suddenly, I felt some energy that I never realized I had, which made me run faster all the way to finish. It was something I never experienced before, and couldn’t explain what kind of exhilarating emotion it was.
I learned later on that it’s what you call “runner’s high”.
So that non-runners can relate, it’s that euphoric feeling of pure elation, much-reduced stress, and an absence of any pain (due to what they say is a release of endorphins from the physical exercise).
After that experience, it almost became an addiction for me to run races. There’s something about racing: it can be painful during and after the run, and yet, there’s an overwhelming sense of accomplishment at the finish line.
My family and relatives had noticed my newly-found passion in the sport, and would often ask me, “Did you win?”, apparently trying to understand my extreme happiness and excitement.
It’s actually a common question asked of runners. Or I would be asked, “So what did you get?”
Most runners join a race not necessarily to win but for that sense of personal achievement of finishing something that was started, or improving on their Personal Best time.
In that sense, running a race is a huge mind game, as much as it is a physical test of skill and endurance. And by achieving that goal alone, one is already a winner.
A race is like a life story with a curious beginning and an exciting end; and always a lot of valuable lessons going on in the middle.
When the starter horn sounds off, or when the race director calls out “GO”, the official raceclock starts ticking, and each runner’s journey begins. They pour out on the street like revelers on a parade. Those infront of the pack are referred to as the elites, those who want to run like cheetahs and win the race.
As time passes, the space between individual runners spreads out. From the runner’s point of view, this is when each energy level starts to drop, and the manner in which one trained for the race begins to play out.
One must stay hydrated adequately to keep them legs moving one step ahead of the other. It’s the only way to get to the finish line.
Those running with a happy company, or at least one buddy, have shown to be able to better handle the demands for sufficient energy than one solitary runner striving to finish the race by his lonesome.
Some lone runners with no one to talk to nor push the pace with usually find it hard to keep up his own pace, and sometimes would need to turn into survival mode to actually finish the race.
When a runner is able to carry on a conversation with another while running, he is in better control of a comfortable running pace and a particular technique to conserve energy.
For a more competitive runner, a company or two can be maximized as the perfect way to maintain the needed pace, and help with mental toughness when they eventually try to outrun each other in the pack.
Although I have never actually won a podium finish (Top 3), my drive and passion developed through close to 30 years of regular racing have only bolstered my goal to always continue to run like a winner already.
In some races, I made it to the Top 10, and in others, I had to walk into the finish line for some reason. But always, I would finish the race within the prescribed cut-off period. I’m always excited to give my 100 percent in whatever condition I’m in, and ensure that I finish what I started (my motto since).
That I am able to actually accomplish something that I worked hard for — that is just good enough for my health, mind, and body.
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Three weeks ago, we started the eight-week Beginner Running Program. This week is the fourth week. Just a reminder that when you start to jog, slowly find your rhythm with two strides breathing in, and two strides breathing out.
Warm up by walking for 5 minutes then do some light stretching.
Do the workout:
Day 1. Jog 6 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Repeat 5x
Day 2. Jog 6 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Repeat 5x
Day 3. Jog 7 minutes. Walk 1 minute. Repeat 5x
Cool down by walking 5 minutes then do some stretches, holding 10-20 seconds each muscles: hamstrings (back of thigh), quadriceps (front of thigh), and calves (back of lower leg).
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