Run Baby, Run!
My family and close friends can attest that I, Kath Ong, absolutely has no athletic bone in my body. I am happy enough to watch people do sports, and fleetingly admire the willpower of those who can sustain a sport, but dismiss myself as hopeless.
I surprised myself last May by buying a pair of Mizuno running shoes, which perfectly suited every curve and contour of my foot. Purchasing that shoe was an experience in itself, as I was made to stand on a transparent glass with a reflecting mirror underneath so that I (and the sales person) can see how high or low the arch of my foot was. (No wonder other shoes hurt when I tried to exercise- i bought wrong ones for my feet!) Nonetheless, I whipped out my credit card and made a whopping first investment in running. Again, for weeks, I procrastinated.
Finally, on June 1, at the Clark Hatch gym in CDO, I began my running journey. At first it was about how long I could sustain a jog. I began with 3 minute intervals, for about 15 minutes, after which, I walked the rest away. I would gradually increase my ability to withstand the tiring legs, the pain in my sides and chest, and gradually increased my time and speed again. In months, I was steady and stable on a treadmill. I'm proud to say that I have not run less than twice in any week since I started in June.
I took another leap of faith in mid September when I joined Denzell for a weekly morning run in the UP quadrangle. Running on a concrete asphalt pavement, on a warm sunny day, is not an easy transition from running in a fully airconditioned gym, with a cushiony treadmill equipped with a TV monitor in front of you. One round was 2.2 km, and every week, I struggled to complete a round of pure running, while trying to increase my speed. In five to six weeks, I made it. Faster and better in terms of endurance. My next goal is the 5km run. My ultimate goal would be to run the NYC Marathon.... A girl can dream right?
Aside from the high I get in running, I realize that i now feel so much healthier than before. I feel less sluggish and lethargic during the day, and no longer worry about gaining weight. I can now eat and not worry about the pounds I will gain... I feel fitter than I have before, and for the first time, I actually feel more flexible (from all the stretching) too!
It took awhile for me to write about this latest feat in my life, because I was always afraid that once I did, I would somehow jinx it and it would all disappear. But 5 months of doing this made me realize that I've developed this into some kind of habit, albeit a new way of life. And despite the pain from physical exertion and tired joints I feel every time I try to improve myself, at the end of the day, I am happy that I did this. I owe it to myself to have a better looking, healthy body, inside and out. ;)
I surprised myself last May by buying a pair of Mizuno running shoes, which perfectly suited every curve and contour of my foot. Purchasing that shoe was an experience in itself, as I was made to stand on a transparent glass with a reflecting mirror underneath so that I (and the sales person) can see how high or low the arch of my foot was. (No wonder other shoes hurt when I tried to exercise- i bought wrong ones for my feet!) Nonetheless, I whipped out my credit card and made a whopping first investment in running. Again, for weeks, I procrastinated.
Finally, on June 1, at the Clark Hatch gym in CDO, I began my running journey. At first it was about how long I could sustain a jog. I began with 3 minute intervals, for about 15 minutes, after which, I walked the rest away. I would gradually increase my ability to withstand the tiring legs, the pain in my sides and chest, and gradually increased my time and speed again. In months, I was steady and stable on a treadmill. I'm proud to say that I have not run less than twice in any week since I started in June.
I took another leap of faith in mid September when I joined Denzell for a weekly morning run in the UP quadrangle. Running on a concrete asphalt pavement, on a warm sunny day, is not an easy transition from running in a fully airconditioned gym, with a cushiony treadmill equipped with a TV monitor in front of you. One round was 2.2 km, and every week, I struggled to complete a round of pure running, while trying to increase my speed. In five to six weeks, I made it. Faster and better in terms of endurance. My next goal is the 5km run. My ultimate goal would be to run the NYC Marathon.... A girl can dream right?
Aside from the high I get in running, I realize that i now feel so much healthier than before. I feel less sluggish and lethargic during the day, and no longer worry about gaining weight. I can now eat and not worry about the pounds I will gain... I feel fitter than I have before, and for the first time, I actually feel more flexible (from all the stretching) too!
It took awhile for me to write about this latest feat in my life, because I was always afraid that once I did, I would somehow jinx it and it would all disappear. But 5 months of doing this made me realize that I've developed this into some kind of habit, albeit a new way of life. And despite the pain from physical exertion and tired joints I feel every time I try to improve myself, at the end of the day, I am happy that I did this. I owe it to myself to have a better looking, healthy body, inside and out. ;)
posted by kath | 4:39 PM
1 Comments:
after all the aches and pain of exercising, the end results are usually satisfying
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