My running shoes placed in our Lanai to dry
Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao, Philippines (16 Sept 2011) – I was into running way back in 1983-84. I was actively running daily and even joined a few 5K marathons. I stopped running when I got involved in swimming around 1985 till 1990. From that time I have never came back to running till now.I’m still into my fifth day of running again (actually at this point still jogging) and I’m still in the process of allowing my leg muscles to get used to do a continuous routine motion for an extended period of time. Following running experts advice, I have to start slow and slowly build-up as I go. So I’m taking it easy, jogging at least two rounds and a half around our village. I’ll increase the time or distance (number of rounds/laps) in time.
It is amazing to note however how running, like the other sports I have been involved in like swimming and badminton, has been elevated into a very scientific endeavor. Back in my highschool days there was no talk about specially designed running shoes to compensate for over or under pronation, high arch stride and whatnot. Heck, no one gave a damn about overpronation and underpronation in the first place. There were no high-tech watches to monitor your pace, heart rate and distance. There were no miCoach and Nike+ and iPod nano’s and iPhones that you can use to monitor your running by downloading a software from the net. Way back then, all one has to worry about was to ensure that one has a good pair of running shoes and you go out and run. Wear what you have available. There were no climacools. If I remember correctly there was only Botak. There were no designer running hats/caps and flashy Oakley running sunglasses. Now you have a baker’s dozen of brands to choose from Adidas to Nike to Asics to Brooks to Saucony.
Of course the sport has evolved over time and part of its evolution, adopted technology that is available to enhance or improve the sport. A few days back, I read a shout-out of a former colleague during my swimming days wherein he mentioned that he went back to swim again after many years of absence from the sport (he is into Scuba Diving now by the way) and he had to literally remove his “old” swimming paddles when he saw the newer and more high-tech equipment that the newer swimming generation is using now. I found it funny but made me think too that “new” does not necessarily mean “better.” Having the latest gadgets does not necessarily and automatically translate into making one a better runner, swimmer, or photographer.
When I was scouting for a good running shoes a few months back, it was only that time that I got bombarded by a lot of information about available gadgets, accessories and equipment related to running. The options are just enormous. One can easily drown and to a certain extent forget that these are just tools to help one improve or achieve a specific output or goal. True, the sport has evolved and technology has found a more efficient and better way of making running more enjoyable and less injury prone. I do admit that the temptation to have this and that “high-tech” shoes or gadget or apparel crossed my mind only to be tempered by the reality that I’m still about to re-start running. As of this writing I am still into my fifth day of jogging (not yet properly running even). Who knows, I might stop after a few months down the road for whatever reason (i.e. schedules, work, etc.) and thus waste resources on something that I won’t be using to the hilt.
So for now, with a good pair of running shoes, I’ll enjoy my running/jogging and hit the road for as long as I can. Besides, all this talk about these newer and high tech gadgets and accessories just makes me feel — darn old.
