I never use the word “fit” to describe my physique. I am
nowhere near to being in shape and I don’t need to be reminded of that fact
every time I look myself in the mirror. My idea of an exercise is a good game
of badminton (online!) and my notion
of a good “cut” is rib eye and T-bone.
If it’s any consolation, I go to the gym every once in a while and it’s been really
quite a while!
Don’t get me wrong, I am quite
sporty though. I bet I know (and played) more sports than you know, thanks to
ESPN and Star Sports for teaching me how to become a noble spectator and an excellent
commentator. I just don’t have the chance to play as much as I wanted to (Hey, you can’t play Rugby alone in your
room or else, your family’s gonna send you to the nearest rehab).
I “tried” working out regularly, “tried” to
play as often as I can, and “tried” to do as many physical activities as I could.
Again, the operative word here is “try”
but it seems like I’m not trying hard enough. So in an attempt to save my
dwindling fitness life, I signed up for Citi
Bike Run Fun 2015.
Truth be told, I am not entirely
sold on the idea that I would be running because I hate jogging and cardio
workouts. The only running I did recently was running some house errands and running
away from a failed relationship. If I could choose a better way to spend my GCD
I would have chosen any other activity but this, I told myself at first. Then
again, what’s 1K but an easy breeze, right?
Wait? I can’t sign up for 1K?
They’re for kids?
Well,
I’ll sign up for 3K then. Oh, seriously? No slots available. It’s like Diliman
enrollment all over again.
I
can’t run 10K yet. That I am absolutely sure so 5K it is. Challenging but what’s
life without any challenges? You just got to get out of your comfort zone and
redefine your limits. And how I wish I could actually run as fast as how my
mind raced to get a mental picture of how 5k looks like. So be it.
Before
the signal went green, I got to observe and reflect on what have I gotten myself
into. It’s nice to see officemates don their fitness outfits instead of their
usual business suits. It’s good to finally see faces on those familiar names
you would only see on your work email. It’s worth noting how different a person
acts outside work as another facet of their personality unfolds before your
eyes. And it’s nice to hear how the event also supports programs by the company’s
partner foundations, promoting it’s advocacy of volunteerism and helping society.
There
were times when I thought my legs going to give up and my knees going to pop
out but I actually managed to finish the race in about an hour. I thought I was
going to be dragged to the finish line either by an ambulance or on a wheel
chair but I was underestimating myself out there. I survived 5K with nothing
but tired feet and pumped up heartbeat.
So
what do I take away from my experience from the race?
I
learned that you got to find your pace and not rush things. You run too fast
and you’ll end up running on empty gas. You run too slowly and you’ll end up
being left behind.
I learned that you can always count on your friends
when you feel like giving up. When something bad happens to you, some friends
are just a call away and they’ll be right there in front of you.
I learned that you compete with
no one but yourself. Only you know when to push yourself and when to hold back.
Finally,
I learned that this race should not be my last and I should keep running to be physically
and mentally better. For now, I am running out of words to say so I better
sleep before I ran out of energy to post this thing. Next year, it better be an "I" that completes this word rather than an "A".
