running for no particular reason

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town... For no particular reason I just kept on going... When I got tired, I slept. When I got hungry, I ate. When I had to go, you know, I went.

last sunday, i came with my brother-in-law to the 2010 Century Superbods marathon run. you know, the one with Derek Ramsey on the poster. we signed up for the 5K run since it was both our first time. he was a commonplace athlete: plays basketball, badminton and jogs regularly. me, on the other hand, was definitely not. i played basketball before, but that was it. i had an occasional gym visit about 3 times a month. and that's it. so i wasn't really expecting anything on my first run. i thought: "okay, i know how to run. but i don't know how far 5 kilometers is, so i'll just do my best to enjoy running and finish the route."

i was able to finish the race in 43 minutes. a little below average, but it was okay. the first part of my body that gave up was my back (am i that old?) but other than that i was fine. i felt really great finishing the race. surprised that i finished it at all. haha. after the race, it's a different story. my legs and my ankles were sore all over. i couldn't even walk straight!

weird thing was, yesterday, i was really itching for a run. my legs were rested, they felt stronger (naks), and i seriously wanted to run. so i did. i got home, i changed, then i jogged towards my gym. it was around 1km from my house to the gym. then when i got there, i ran some more. i got thirsty, so i drank water. then i ran some more. it really helped that the PBA finals was on the tv, so i didn't even notice that i already ran a total of 4.6km on the treadmill. after the game, i showered, then as if i didn't get enough of my fix already, i walked back home. that day, for no particular reason, i ran.

on the walk home i remembered how Forrest Gump started running. exactly like that, for no particular reason. although even though he says that it's "for no particular reason", you can somehow sense that he was running precisely because of everything that has happened in his life. i asked myself that same question, why was i running? my cousin, who was really into running (and who by the way has his own running blog here), told me that what was important for beginners was that you run to finish. never mind the speed, you can work on that later. when you run, you run to finish. that is your reason. your primary motivation. i admit, that was my reason. but that was not the only one.

so as long as i have my reasons and my motivations, i'll put on my Adidas runners, grab a bottle of water, and run another 5. then another 5. and another 5. tomorrow, for no particular reason, i'll run.