Why I Run?

My friend and fellow blogger Micheline wrote a very nice and passionate post titled “Why I Run?”. Having been a regular runner for three years myself, her post prodded me to jot down my own personal thoughts and observations about running.

In my humble opinion, jogging is the best aerobic exercise. Period. Forget swimming, power-walking, rope-jumping, or cycling; jogging simply trumps them all. Even if your sport’s guru or physical trainer tells you otherwise.

There are health circumstances, - e.g. weak joints or obesity - that could preclude people from jogging. In that case it simply is not for you. But if you don’t have these circumstances, it is a borderline crime in my books that you don’t jog.

General jogging stereotypes I’d heard from friends, acquaintances, the general public, and (even) the media over the years:

1- It is for athletes:

Bullshit. As I said above, I’ve been jogging for three years and I’m nowhere near an athletic level. In fact, my record times are embarrassing in comparison to other regular joggers. And those other joggers’ numbers are even more embarrassing compared with professional athletes.

2- It is a nuisance:

So what? Is there anything rewarding in the world that doesn’t involve hard work? Let me tell you about my first jogging session three years ago: I couldn’t keep up for more than 5 minutes. So you do have to work yourself up to a sustainable plateau. Gradually and persistently.

3- It makes you muscular:

This is a popular theme among girls. Which is also a total myth. Jogging doesn’t even develop your lower body muscles. If you don’t believe me, go out tonight and stalk the girls running around Safa park, they’ve all got nice figures. ;-)

4- A partner is necessary for motivation:

I think this may vary from one person to another, but generally speaking, very few regular joggers run in packs. In fact, a partner could be quite a nuisance: you’d have to synchronize your timings to his/her and then you’d have to be of the same fitness level ..etc..

I've been my only motivation all along. It’s true that I probably need the exercise more than other people (being a heavy smoker), but the need itself was never the sole propeller. Look at it this way, jogging has its own momentum, once you reach a plateau whereby you can run nonstop for 30-45 minutes, you’re not going to stop easily.

Now on the other hand, jogging with a friend every now and then is quite motivating. You could both compare notes and, in a sense, celebrate your superior fitness. :-)

5- I need a trainer:

No you don’t. If you’re deemed medically fit, all you need is a pair of good running shoes. (if you have a peculiar walk, it’s recommended you visit a sport shop where you can have your gait analyzed and special shoes tailor made). In my humble opinion, trainers are way overrated.

Heck, they can’t even agree on which is the best way to run.

This trainer, for instance, tells you to keep your arms by your side and move them straight ahead with your pace (not from side to side):

While this one suggests otherwise:



See what I’m saying?

(for the record, I personally happen to feel more comfortable jogging the way illustrated in the second video)

6- It’s a form of torture! Have you ever seen a happy jogger? Exactly!

This is a popular joke, and joggers have a great sense of humor and could take some mockery. And hey, nobody claimed that we, joggers, are showered with bliss in the 30-45 minutes we exercise. But on the other hand, let's talk about the happiness we feel in the remaining 23 hours of the day. :-)

Key word: Endorphines.

It’s redundant to recount the benefits of regular aerobic exercise (and jogging in particular), but let me tell from first hand experience, my life style rose by at least 50% because of jogging: I’m generally in a better mode; more tolerant of idiots at work; can endure long working hours; acquired a natural aversion to junk food (except donuts) and bad habits (except smoking); have a better memory and concentration; enjoy a better and more restorative sleep…...and the thing about performance in the sack couldn’t be more true.

And it's also absolutely true that you get to a point where you enjoy jogging for jogging itself.

There are little details that you're going to have to deal with when you jog. Like when and where and for how long. Whether to maintain a steady pace or adopt interval peaks. And whether do it on alternate days or everyday. All these questions you're going to take care of yourself eventually. There are no hard and fast rules. As far as jogging is concerned, what's good for the goose may not be good for the gander.

One thing that can be of a great help is developing your own music list and listening while you jog. This really helps to motivate and, most importantly, to keep track of your progress without having to look at the wrest watch every couple of seconds. (one thing if for sure, a jogger's sense of time is distorted. A half hour usually feels like more, especially for smokers :))

Now I'd personally grown bored with my own play list (which I call 'Gym Time'). It has few hiphop tunes and some soundtracks. So please do share with me the content of your own play list for jogging.

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Why I run?

I run because I like the way the world looks before my eyes, rising and falling with my strides. Trifles shook and crushed under the pumping of my feet. And what matters is all that is left, pretty and accentuated by the color of the sunset on the horizon. The horizon that keeps getting closer and closer, as I run.