Run wisely

I have been contemplating this lately and I wanted to share my thoughts. I’m a beginning runner myself and when you see my runs, I only have 7 runs under my belt with just a decent profile of a certified beginner: 3km and 5km distances. I have not even touched a 10km, a half mary or my dream of a marathon. But to my reader, I think it’s best to hear it from a fellow beginner.

Wrong purpose or without a purpose

I know running has become the new badminton these days. And elite and seasoned runners are offended by this. They have run for quite some time now and ran long distances but you see, these elite and seasoned runners have goals that are rooted with a sound purpose. They do not run merely because they wanted to update their profile pictures in Facebook. They do not run because they wanted to belong. They do not run because they know their colleagues at work and the higher ups will be there and they wanted to impress. They do not run because they wanted to get loot bags or take a picture with celebrities. They do not run because they wanted to prove something to others, they run because it is their passion, it is their life, it is their being.

So think again fellow runner. Like anything you do, you do it with a purpose but make sure you have the right intentions because you might end up blaming yourself.

Rushing to that half-mary or full marathon

When you talk with a seasoned runner you will feel the energy flowing from them: positive, vibrant and energetic. You will be inspired to train more, train harder and soon you will see yourself running with them. But you need time before even seeing yourself signing up for your first 21k or a marathon (42.195 km, 26 miles). Do not be tempted to do a half-mary because you wanted that finisher’s medal or shirt. Again think it over, is your purpose up for it? Doing a marathon or a half-mary is no joke. When you go back to have a talk with fellow runners, they will tell you that they have trained months before doing their so-called epic runs and they rest for awhile before doing another run. Listen to them because they know what they are doing.

You don’t need to sign up every time there is an event. Actually, you don’t need an event to improve yourself. There are group runs around the metro where you can run with the elites, seasoned runners or even fellow beginners and their sessions range from easy run to LSD to hardcore training.

When you increase your mileage, do not do it through signing up to a longer distance. Do it during your training because some enthusiasts sign up for longer distances without proper training and end up aching, injured or worst, dead. Listen to your body because your body will really communicate if you’re doing fine or doing something wrong.

Run for the Cause and not for the event

This is where I can pitch in. I make sure that when I run, I believe in the cause. I make sure that I know who the beneficiary is and if not know personally, I am well-informed of the purpose of the run and not just another fund-raising activity cashing on enthusiasts. So before signing up on any run for a cause, make sure as well that you know where the proceeds of the fund will go. These foundations have websites and the organizers will be more than happy to inform you of their projects. You will actually find new friendships just by asking.

In addition, being aware of these run for a cause is a caution and discussions have been going around because of the following: the registration fees and the foundation’s purpose.

I have nothing against these but I wanted to ensure my fellow runners’ health and welfare. There’s a recent promotion of a run wanting to break the Guinness Record for most runners in an event and they are aiming for a big crowd. I know they have called on great race organizers (one of them is a running icon) but some runners are worried of their safety, the capacity of the event might not hold the number of people they are aiming. So like I said, there’s no problem with runs with a great cause but if this defeats the participants’ safety then be cautioned and be forewarned. Read in the fine print of the waiver and if the organizers reserved their rights for any untoward incident to the runner and you signed it, prepare and be safe. Waiving them of your safety will be your sole responsibility.

When it comes to registration fees, this has two sides: crowd control and fund proceeds.

When I say crowd control, there was a national marathon that just concluded and because the registration fee is not that pricey, a lot of enthusiasts joined the event. There’s no problem here because the more supporters of the cause the better. But there’s also the risk of getting more enthusiasts and spectators than runners that they (the enthusiasts) end up injured and the first ones to complain.

When I say fund proceeds, there are runs for a cause lately that brag a lot of sponsors, a lot of goodies and freebies but look out for the registration fee, from P600 to P800! The longer distance, the more expensive! When you think about it, you are running the same race track that you’ve run just months ago and yet you’re running at a bigger price? You might be duped my fellow runner because the price is not really for your loot bag, but it’s the percentage of the sponsor in the event or any other reason that is beyond the cause.

Run wisely

As a conclusion, choose your runs wisely my dear beginner and my fellow runner. Sooner or later, there will be a new badminton in the club and running will just be another sport. This is simple, if you’re still here when all of this hype is gone, then I salute you because you have respected the craft of running, the sport itself and the runners who became idols and icons.