Today, I ran for the third consecutive time this week after an almost week-long hiatus. Surprisingly, I'm really enjoying running that I hardly see it as an obligation. It's fun, it hardly costs me anything, and I don't need to invite a bunch of other people to do it. Some would prefer running with a partner or a group, but I'm ok with it being a solitary activity. Finding a group would be nice, but I wouldn't want to become too dependent on one that I won't go running when I'm alone. Besides, running by myself gives me time to think about things and allows me to go on my own without adjusting my schedule for anyone else.
It's nice to run in UP and see familiar faces, the most interesting of whom is Zorro, the masked superhero of UP Diliman. Hehe. He's always at the UP Oval before sunset. Once, I almost ran into two runners when he startled them and forced them to shift abruptly to the lane where I was biking. Another time, my friend, Weki, and I were biking at the Oval when he comments, "Wow, ang gaganda ng mga bike niyo ah!" He often freaked me out despite assurances from everyone else that he's completely harmless. I often pedal/run faster whenever I'm fast approaching the area where he's standing. I've always tried to avoid him, but the other day, I decided to keep my cool, not look affected by his presence, continued running at the same pace and tried to ignore that he was standing right in the middle of the road. He suddenly patted me on the back, probably as a sign of encouragement. I often see him high-fiving some regular runners, I presume, giving them a boost of confidence as they run. Yesterday, as I was running near him, I heard him talking about Gloria Arroyo and saying that Noynoy is "okay". He stopped in the middle of his speech to again pat me on the back as I ran. Hehe. He's not so bad after all. I found an article about him here. When I gather enough guts, I'll try and photoshoot him with my DSLR. :)
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Recently, I discovered this app which I could install in my phone - Endomondo. I was considering getting a pedometer, until I found that I can track my distance/speed through this app and GPS (I have to connect to the net every time though). It gives a summary of each run and even shows a map of where precisely I ran. It also has settings for cycling and other sports. And it automatically uploads the info for each run so I can easily check them when I want to track my progress. Oh, and it's a free app. :) It's a good motivator.
I'm not happy with today's run though, I got side stitches in the middle of it and had to walk back all the way to the car. I must work on breathing properly so it doesn't happen again next time. Looking forward to beating my record on the following days to come (After tomorrow, I'm not sure though when I'll be able to run again - I'll be attending/shooting a wedding this Friday and going to Zamboanga this weekend until Monday. I hope I can run by Monday night or Tuesday.)
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I also finished Murakami's, "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". I'm officially in love with Murakami after reading this book. Hehe. It only contained personal essays about his running adventures, but it got me inspired to run more. From the book, I learned that he started running when he was already 33, and started writing novels when he was in his late twenties (I think 29 to be exact). He went through a career shift when he started to write novels. He also did marathons and later on, triathlons. The book also gave correlations on running/life in general (which is pretty much what I intended for this blog). Some quotable quotes from the book:
"To keep on going, you have to keep up the rhythm. This is the important thing for long-term projects. Once you set the pace, the rest will follow. The problem is getting the flywheel to spin at a set speed - and getting to that point takes as much concentration and effort as you can manage."
"Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree."
Nice. :) I wonder when I'll get to finish Norwegian Wood? :P
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