On running (and writing)

My fever prevented me from running these days, it also prevented me from doing my workouts. Maybe I overdid it since I made a significant results and would want to follow through. Because of that, I feel really weak, but got no choice. Exercise has been my best distraction from work and unnecessary overthinking. It helped me a lot when I was writing my undergraduate thesis.

When I worked in Binan for a year, I’d still find the time to visit the Freedom Park and do at least three rounds (3.3km) once a week. When I moved to Sta. Rosa, I’d consistently make rounds from 7-8pm from our subdivision to Paseo. People know me for being the running guy there (and I’m not even kidding). I did that for February to May, since by the end of May, I would find myself back in Los Banos.

What I like to say is that It feels good to run, there’s no other reason why I should stop doing that. Except that for the last year, I can’t even remember how many times I ran. It caused concerns on my weight and health in general. I think the only time I did a consistent run after going back in Los Banos was in June. That was to ease the waiting process for my job. Although prepared, I was still worried that I wouldn’t get hired and thus would regret the decision of leaving La Salle. Fortunately, the worries were swept by the daily morning jog.

I think the real reason why I fell in love with the idea of running as escapism was when I read Haruki Murakami’s book What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. It was after I read the Norwegian Wood that I became really curious how Murakami managed to create a rather sad and tragic book without being affected himself. The answer, I found, was on his book about running. He treats running the same way he treats his writing. There are sprints, and marathons both in the sports and doing your art. Besides, running cultivates both mind and body which is very helpful for the creatives.

I can’t wait to be well and  get back to running again.

 For now, I’d do some reading sprints.