Wisdom in Running

First of all, I am not a professional runner nor a gifted running geek. I am not a running athlete who can run ten kilometers in a little more than thirty minutes. I am just a normal guy who runs around in a normal pace. I haven’t run a marathon yet. I only ran in two events as of the moment, a 5K a year ago and a 10K recently. I didn’t believe that joining running events can give me satisfaction. All I care about is running to my heart’s content. I didn’t run for a long time due to runner’s knee. Almost a year or a little less ago I became discouraged. I was blaming my shoes thinking that I am not running with the correct shoe type. I was blaming my posture thinking that my running form was too lame. Not until recently that looking at a mirror I suddenly cannot recognize myself. It was like waking up one day and you didn’t have a clue what happened to you. I gained a lot of mass, around 5-10kg from my normal weight when I was an undergrad. I guess graduate school makes you really fat.

I started running again. I picked up my running shoes and slipped my shorts and dri-fit shirt into my body. I ran in a cool summer morning and realized how much I missed the instances when my feet would land into the road’s surface with what I hope to be an execution of a graceful impact. I missed how the wind blew into my face. I missed how my lungs would grasp for air in an alternating fashion of inhale and exhale with every running stride I make. I missed how my sweat would pour out as if there was no tomorrow because I do sweat alot!

A year ago all I cared about was conquering distances. I was about to run in a half marathon event when suddenly I can’t due to the injury I had. I guess it was a very normal reaction to strive for more and more miles as you progress in running or jogging. I got hooked into conquering distances and it killed my knee and robbed my confidence during running. During my recent runs I realized that running is a gradual routine of varying cycles ranging from easy, moderate and hard then back to easy, moderate and hard and so on and so forth. It is taken one step at a time. Well, that’s what I read from writers who run with Kenyans. The reason for this is simply to let our muscles relax and recover. I will not go into details with this because I am not a sports scientist.

The best lesson I got from running is discipline. More than a year in grad school changed my sleeping patterns. During my undergrad I used to wake up at five-thirty or six in the morning because I have classes at seven or eight. Grad school classes are usually in the evening but I do had laboratory classes which started at 1PM. This means that I can sleep until late in the morning which I did. My usual pattern was to sleep at twelve or one in the morning and to wake up at seven or eight AM. Running has forced me to sleep early and wake up at four or five in the morning. That’s a three hour difference between my old and new wake up patterns. It’s hard but if you really want to run, certain sacrifices must be made. The addition of running into my day has also robbed me of energy. So I am left with just the energy I need to carry me through the day. I cannot afford to spend alot of time and energy on useless things on the internet nor to spend alot of hours playing computer games which are counter productive.

Running taught me to focus on the things I do. When I’m out running I do not let my thoughts fly. All I can think about (and I can’t resist this temptation) is what I’m currently doing. It’s just me and the road. My thoughts are directed on the right pace, posture and goal for the day. When pain comes in during running, I need to be focused so that I can adjust to what my body currently needs. Do I need to slow down or do I need to adjust my posture? Do I need water or do I need to completely stop?

Finally, running has given me motivation. I used to run alone though alot of people suggest to run in packs for easier pacing and it gives you alot of motivation. Running alone almost all the time except when my brother joins me has taugh me to be motivated to achieve a goal. Running events have a different environment. Joining a 10K fun run recently made me realize how important it is to join such races. Races put alot of motivation. Passing by slower runners gives alot of satisfaction and being left behind by others gives alot of motivation.

Running has alot of lessons that it can impart. It is not just to break a sweat or to loose fat. It is like a natural tendency towards pavements and roads. It is a test of human physiology (especially when you’re running a marathon) and it is a discipline unfolding.

Taken from: Fred Rohe's "Zen of Running"