HOPELESSLY DEVOTED TO.. RUNNING!
I have never liked sports since I was a child. I dread the annual sports day — especially track events. It was not until I was in my 30s that I started running.
I entered my first 5km marathon in 2015 and the rest as they said, is history. My longest distance was the 21km marathon in 2018. The 14km marked the start of mental torture.. why did I register for 21km? 10km should suffice as I did not have the time to train. It was solely the willpower that dragged me to the finishing line. Will I do it again? No way.. I must be nuts! Besides, I was advised to stop running permanently as I busted my knee during the marathon.
Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world to a stop. Literally. We took a step, or many steps back and view life differently. Perhaps this is God’s way of telling us to slow down, be grateful and appreciate what you have. The continuous lockdown has brought the economy to a stall, relationships to a halt, some down to their knees and a few left the world. It was life changing. Whilst I was not spared from the effect, I knew I had to exercise to keep my mental and emotional health at check. I continued my kickboxing sessions as soon as the lockdown was lifted. However, the effect was different this time around. It was not an effective destress outlet. Something amiss, but what? I miss being surrounded by nature. I miss running. I miss being alone after months in lockdown.
I started my run with short distance route; 2km twice a week for a month and increased the distance as I go along. I enjoy pushing my limit, getting my heart rate up and complete the running goal I had for the day. The most significant impact was I started to develop problem solving whilst running. According to the runnerclick.com, constant running increases focus and concentration besides creating bigger and new brain cells. Is this the main cause? My family thinks I am crazy to run every other day. Running is addictive to me.. in my 40s. The endorphins and sense of accomplishment is exhilarating.
For now, I have to take a couple of days break as I injured my knee.. again. I am eager to start my run soon. Very soon. Hang on my dearest brain and body, the mojo will be back!
