I never liked running, although running has followed me my whole life. You might even say it’s been running after me. It started in school when we would have sports days and somehow, I just got in to it. It probably helped that one of my classmates enjoyed running as well. We would run during PE, we would even sign up for run long-distance runs that were arranged by local clubs. I have an old picture from when I was around ten, with a few friends from school, all getting ready for one of these long-distance runs. When I think back to those days I don’t even thing I enjoyed it!
But I was always considered a good runner, perhaps because of my build or something. I stopped running for a number of years until I took it up again about three years ago, at work. Everyone at work had a gym membership; they would hassle me to come along and I would always say, “I will, soon, maybe next time.” Finally, after a few weeks, I joined them. I discovered that running on a treadmill was the new thing. I also discovered that running outdoors is really boring and that running indoors suits me a lot better.
It probably suits me better because I am a thinker – I like sorting stuff out in my head. So running on the spot is a lot better than running outside – there is nothing to distract me. On the other hand, sometimes I start laughing when I see other people at the gym doing stupid stuff.
Running outside also makes me restless. It probably has to do with the fact that you go to the gym because you want to, and when you go outside, you might as well go home again… My point is: you go to the gym because you want to exercise, and you don’t go back home until you have.
I ran my first 10k half a year ago, a distance that has long eluded me. I had friends that had done it. There was something mythical about the almighty 10K. And I finally did it. I’ve only done it once though, and I hurt my foot in the process. Not while I was running, but after a day or two. It’s fine now.
Since, I’ve regularly done the 5K; I absolutely love that distance. I do that at least once a week, sometimes twice and sometimes three times. I’m a steady 24-minute runner. I did the 5K the other day in 23:44. My goal is to do it under 20. I listened to an interview with a Formula 1 driver recently – they have to be super fit to cope with the forces those cars create; he does it in 17 minutes on average. That is pretty crazy.
Song of the day: Wrong Band – Roadtrip
THE SEMPILL THINGS 