Sunrise Run

Yesterday at school I was discussing running with the vice principal because that is our common ground. It’s what we bond over. In particular, after having been mercilessly destroyed by track and field club, we now talk about our love of long, slow, relaxing runs. He said that he wakes up at 4:30 every morning so he can begin his run at 5:00 in order to watch the sunrise. I told him he was crazy.

Like this.

Coincidentally enough, I found myself awake around 4:30 the morning following our discussion. I decided it was meant to be and got my butt out of bed for a sunrise run so see what the fuss was all about. Although I don’t see myself making these runs a routine occurrence, I did appreciate the beauty of the sunrise blazing like wildfire across the sky. It truly was breathtaking, to the point that I paused my run to snap a photo.

On a somewhat different note, but still related to runs, I am always unsure whether or not to greet people whom I pass. Should I give a grin? If it’s a fellow runner, should I flash an “I know how you feel” expression? Should I ignore them completely? Should I give a nod of acknowledgement? Or, should I take it to the other end of the spectrum entirely and give them a disgruntled scowl? Okay, perhaps not the last option.

This morning, I was so chipper from the beauty of the sky on such a cool, crisp morning that I decided to be super cheerful with every fellow human I passed. The first target of my kindness was an elderly, slightly hunched over man with a frighteningly stern face. I didn't let this deter me, however; I went all out and gave him a big smile, a “good morning,” and a nod. A gigantic, toothy smile shattered his stony expression instantly, and he returned my greeting in kind.

I'm gonna make you smile, grumpy man!

The next person I came across was a woman appearing to be in her early 30’s (although this is Japan, so she may have been like 86) riding her bike. I gave her a little nod because that is all I had time for as she passed. Her stern expression did not waver. Whatever, that’s your problem, bike lady. Be angry. See if I care. I wouldn't let her get me down. The next couple was kind, but not over the top, when returning my gesture, but it was enough to keep my spirits afloat. The remaining recipients of my cheerful greetings responded with at least a mini-bow of acknowledgement. That’s good enough for me.

Unintentional Speed Training

So, the title of this blog is the reason that I will not be able to go to the gym daily, as I would like. This entire school year, students in the track and field club have begged me to join their practice one day. So, finally I decided on a week when I would attend, and I asked the teacher in charge if she wouldn't mind allowing me to join. She answered gleefully that they would love to have me there. I didn’t know what I was getting into. I innocently assumed that I would just go there for about an hour during their often three-hour long practice and then just go home. I also assumed quite mistakenly that it would be really basic stuff and not physically demanding at all.

Gentle jog!

Then, yesterday, the teacher in charge of the club came up to my desk and asked me how fast I can run four kilometers. Awkwardly, she and I spent about ten minutes trying to do conversions and figure it out. I told her that I generally do distance running, and that I can typically do about 10 kilometers in about 56-57 minutes which is about 9 minutes per mile. She started furiously writing and trying to calculate what this meant in terms of km. I felt like a moron for not being able to figure it out quickly.

 

Kil...o...meter?? What??

Anyways, eventually we figured it out. I assumed she asked me out of mere curiosity, an assumption I quickly realized to be a grave error when she began to decide with which group of students to place me with for their training on the day I would attend. She stroked her chin pensively and said, “you know, with some training we could get you down to 4 kilometers in 17 minutes.” My eyes widened. That is crazy fast in my world, where I am accustomed to running long stretches at slower paces. She continued, “you are interested in speed training, no?” I felt obligated to answer yes to her eager expression. “Of course,” I managed to say in a weak voice. And thus, with the utterance of two words, I agreed to participate in a speed-training regimen. Goody.

This is just not me...

Just Do It!

I hope Nike doesn't send their legal minions to sue me for using their motto, but it has become a personal motivation for me to initiate my daily workouts. Something that I read in an issue of the Parade magazine long ago also helps make me roll out of bed in the morning to go for a run no matter how much I don't want to at the time. It was an interview with an elderly but super fit lady whom Parade asked about her fitness routine. The line in the interview that stuck with me was so simple: "There's no excuse to be lazy." Every time the morning light blares in through my window and I just want to pull my covers over my face and hibernate like a comatose bear, that little line nags at my mind incessantly until I finally get up and hesitantly don my running clothes.

One thing I fail to understand is how my mind can never seem to wrap its head around the fact that post-workout, I feel amazing in every way. You'd think that the sheer amount of endorphin highs I have experienced at the end of workouts would train my mind to realize that, although it's tough to get going, the end result is extremely worth it. That's where the Nike motto comes in: when my mind protests incessantly to a run like a child throwing a tantrum and saying over and over "no, I don't wanna!" I tell my whiny inner-child to "just do it." Wow, that definitely sounded like I have multiple personality disorder...

Such inspiring words...

Challenging myself to run 30 days in a row has motivated me an unbelievable amount. I mean, if I don't complete the challenge, the only person I will have to report to is myself, and that wouldn't be nearly as humiliating as admitting it to a friend who imposed a similar challenge. Yet though it is self-imposed, it is working like a charm. If under any other circumstance I happened to wake up and notice the extreme gusts that seem like they could easily lift me up and fling me across the street, I would have thought "hell no am I going out in that" and plopped back in bed. Yet, today, despite the wind gusts of death, I knew how disappointed I would be in me if I didn't go out for a bit anyways. Yes, it sucked. Am I happy I forced myself to do it? Absolutely.

So here we are, about 10 days into a running streak and 20 days in a row of working out. Let's see how long I can keep it up!

I wish I looked this awesome during my runs...

A bit more accurate...