Or , the more precise question is, why do I join in those
activities called fun runs?
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| A photo of me in the last run I participated in. I was among the last runners to arrive at the finish but still felt victorious. (Photo courtesy of a certified run enthusiast Hansen Buasen) |
I first ran a race in 2011 without any concrete
purpose. Perhaps, it was really just for
fun. Then I ran some more races without
any serious resolve. I sat one time and
pondered it with a pencil and paper on hand but the paper remained a blank
sheet. The pondering on my purpose for
running was forgotten until lately when I asked the question to myself again.
I was in the middle of a half marathon when I stumbled. I haven’t noticed and stepped into a canal on
the paved sidewalk. Intuitively, I
braced myself with hand as my body hit the ground then I muttered, “Apay gamin
nga tumartarayak aya?” (Why am I running?)
I reflected on that personal query as I slowed down feeling
some very minor twist in my feet. I recalled
the previous races I joined at, about only ten, mused on the experiences and
half-way through the race, I have three words on why I am running.
These are – Collect, Correct, and Connect!
Collect. Organizers
of run events have incentives for their runners. The very first one is the race kit that would
include a singlet or a shirt. So it is
like buying a new shirt but the feeling is different of course with logo of the
event as you can’t just buy it from department store. There are of course certificates of
participation or finisher certificate at the end of races and these are good
keepsakes especially when the run was for a cause or indicates some historic
event or indicates the finish time as record of a personal milestone. The finisher shirt and medallions in
half-marathons, marathons, and ultra-marathons are also some nice things to
collect during runs. Well there too are
the cash prizes, medals and certificates for top finishers.
My very first (and only) trophy for running came when there
was really no significant competition.
Then, I ran alongside my sister in a “buddy run” and we were the first
in the mix (male-female) category. Our
fellow runners in this category were mostly young lovers who were perceptibly
more interested in their time together rather than winning a race. Even then, it the trophy was such a nice
display on top of the cabinet at home.
Correct. Someone said
that most of diseases in the present age are caused by lack of mobility. Exercise is one of the solutions. I find calisthenics to be boring. Sports are much more exciting. But honestly, I rate myself poor at most
sports. Running was the easiest to
do. There could be some art and skills
involved in this exercise but the lack of it won’t be noticeable while
running. I feel muscle pain every after
a run. My friend said those natural
pains are signs of healing. It is the
body correcting what could be wrong in its system.
Aside from the physical gain, joining runs correct some
notions about the activity. For
instance, I once thought that paying some registration fee then tiring oneself
in the process of running is a crazy thing to do. But eventually, I found it worthy.
Connect. Connecting
with/to people is one I value most in fun runs.
People, including those who you don’t know personally, say hello before
the starting gun fires. People you meet
along the route greets you. Runs are a
way feeling that we live in a friendly world.
In the last run I participated, it was a friend who invited
me into it. We were at least five from
the same workplace. We had a nice meal
together after the run. Fellowship – it was
what that run gave.
Runs are also a way of connecting with nature. The sunrise, as runs are usually before
daybreak, the trees, birds, and flowers along the way, and even the mosses that
make slippery the path, are a nice reminder of how Mother Earth was so full of
source of happiness.
It is a way to connect to oneself. In
the last ran, I felt hunger in almost half part of it. There are stores along the way, but had no
money in my pocket. But I remain
determined to finish the race even if it means I would just simply walk as I ad
no energy to run. Then at the finish
line, I felt victorious even if I am among the last runners to arrive.
Then as I summarized my reflection, which I now call the
three C’s of my running activity, I affirmed a conclusion a friend of mine shared in the past. That running is like
life itself. I had no purpose on my
first run. But then I am trying to
realize now some purpose. Just like
life, people do not realize a purpose of living at birth but would soon have
them as they are into living.
