I think by now, some of you would have gathered that I do a bit of running. Actually, I have never been one to excel in any actual sport in the past and honestly still don’t boast to till this very day. Here in Malaysia, all of us are expected to at least be able to play a decent game of ‘badminton’ or else you are deemed a bit of a national shame. HEHE!! So yeah.. I do play a reasonable game of badminton, mostly in doubles pairing but not singles.
I went on to pick up ‘ping pong’ in my secondary school days and thought I was pretty good at it until I met some people during my university years who were properly trained and I found it too embarrassing to continue. I have forgotten who creamed me to teach me a real humbling lesson but it definitely brought me to reality that I was indeed only ‘amateurish’ at best. I guess I played against easy prey and equal strength sparring partners during my supposed ‘heydays’.
I did engage in lessons for tennis back in primary school and won a small internal competition amongst other students but could never progress due to big competition days held during weekends. I remember trying out for the school team but got eliminated because I was kinda small at Form 1 with a terribly unrefined serve. I never showed up again after that for selection.
Football (a.k.a. soccer) was by far the only sport that got me most excited during my Penang Free School days. It was awesome teaming up with form mates to challenge other students after Friday’s final bell and trying out our so called ‘Ryan Giggs’ skills. I remember watching a training video of the younger Giggs back then (mind you, the recently crowned PFA Player of the Year) and trying to pull off his stunts the following day on the field. There was one particular afternoon when I actually did score a very pathetic ‘Hat-trick’ (3 goals) while playing on a miniature field. No mates were really keeping score so nobody bothered to give me any credit. HEHE!! Anyway, no achievements were made in that department and I don’t think I ever progressed even beyond the ‘schoolboy error’ stage. Occasional ‘futsal’ during my working years doesn’t count for taking up this sport at all. Sadly, someone stole my Nike futsal boots and since then I haven’t got down to buying another pair.
Cycling became sort of an ‘in thing’ during my secondary school days and I remember cycling from one neighbourhood to the next on my racing bike. This however didn’t last once I stepped into college and got my driving license. As for my outdoor recreation as a whole, it came to a screeching halt.
Oh yes.. I must not forget Captain Ball. It’s a game regularly played in my church circle but honestly doesn’t really count with me as a real sport although it does have its physical elements. I reckon it’s because there are no international guidelines governing this game and there are just way too many loopholes in the interpretation of self made rules. Besides, the mixed gender nature of this game makes it difficult to be a proper ‘contact sport’, making it more suitably a recreational and ‘fellowship’ game. However, this game just like football requires organization and loads of people to build 2 teams for a good workout. Low attendance and poor quality players make for a sad experience if you want it to be interesting. I for one, don’t play this game very competitively and clown around just a bit too much for other peoples liking because of my perception of the game. Still though, I thoroughly recommend it for group integration purposes.
Today, running is kinda like my antidote to rediscovering whatever competitiveness I had in me for sports. Since I’m pressed for free time nowadays, I found that it gave me the flexibility to do it at more random hours. I tried a bit of mountain biking but I found it took too many hours away from home trying to push my heart-rate up and give me a satisfying workout. Running gives me that in almost half the time I spend on the bike because it gets my cardio up even after just a short 10 minutes of continuous running. Nowadays, I try to clock in at least 2 runs per week and run a mixture of 10km or slightly shorter ones per run. I know I should be doing way more if I want to improve in speed and endurance but as for now, that’s all I can afford with my time. I still have a long way to go to achieving my dream of running a full marathon (42km) but I’m slowly trying to progress in building my mileage. My longest run to date was blogged about in my Penang Bridge Run entry. That was approximately 25+ km and I remember I suffered due to poor fitness and training.
I also find running a reasonably affordable sport. Apart from the initial investment of getting proper running shoes, the other equipment can be slowly acquired along the way to make the experience more enjoyable. I have 3 pairs of shoes to date over the period of almost 2 over years to deal with different types of runs or workouts. Here they are in no particular order.
A light shoe for a not so light guy! Adidas Adizero LT
My comfiest shoe! Eyed the Kayano but settled for this bcos of foot type. Asics Nimbus 9!
My rather rare Saucony Jazz 12!
You may also want to get yourself a digital watch that gives you a reasonable stop watch. Getting one with a 30 lap or 100 lap option is a fun novelty if you are seeking to improve your times. If you have more ‘dosh’ to spare, one can check out the Garmin Forerunner 405 that records your runs using GPS and gives you satellite accurate speed readings. Ooh.. I like.. .but I don’t have it!! Anyway, one could possibly invest in an Ipod Nano or Shuffle to accompany your run with your favourite tunes. I have a few playlists ranging from Christian Contemporary, Country and a little bit of decent alternative music. Whatever gets me moving, as long as its lyrics have been well screened through. HEHE!! You may also add a Nike+ kit to your Nano to record your workout data, of which I do all the time.
However, I also love running because it gives me time to reflect on the day and the week that has gone past. Often times in the busyness of work, family and church life, I find myself gasping for air and getting lost in all its load. I find that the Lord uses much of this ‘not so quiet’ times, to allow me to meditate on His word that I read earlier in the day, think about the areas of my life that needs renovation and quite often just worshipping Him for giving me a living purpose and a life of joy and peace to enjoy. I often run with my Ipod, to help give me status updates on my runs but I prefer to turn down the volume to help make most of the time I have with the Lord on the road.
Every run is an opportunity to communicate with Him. Every run gives me a reason to return another day. Every run makes me physically stronger to be able to keep this body physically in check. Every run is possible by the grace of God!!
My first ever photo of me running! * With disclaimer 🙂
So for all you guys out there who haven’t started running just yet. Pop by at your nearest Asics, New Balance, Nike, Reebok, Adidas store or Royal Sporting House to get yourself a pair of spanking new running shoes. You’ll never know what you’re gonna experience once you take those shoes for a ride!!
Burn asphalt!! Enjoy your run!!
Run! Alan! Run! 