Reflecting On a Poem

There's this poem I studied at high school which I loved beyond examination preparation. It spoke to me then. It speaks to me now, as a runner. For those who runs and searches out new trails and unexplored country roads and forested hills, this is for you!

The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Run With Purpose

To run with purpose

Is a virtue in itself

Steely resolve

Birthed in a heart of flesh

Longer than any distance

Stronger with persistence

To be yourself

Each stride is yours and yours alone

To win the race

Smiles on your face

When your solitary run is done

You know it's been fun!

Beyond each daily run

Something deeper is done

Unseen by outside eyes

Of those passing by

Known intimately

Only by one who runs

Every drop of sweat counts

A healthier you 

For every mile you pound!

One Run

Running in the woods and off the beaten trail holds a special allure to me. It sure beats running along busy highways filled with speeding vehicles and massive smoke pollution. 

Once you are in the woods, it's a world removed from the trappings of modern civilisation. It's back to nature in the truest sense. Somehow the quiet of the woods, and the leafy greens soothes one's nerves and one's mind. The miles roll by almost unconsciously and effortlessly. There's no one to impress, no one to compete with. It's just you, your breathing, your pacing and your running. 

Personally, one run in the woods beat five runs in the streets, any time! 

No Run, No Fun

It was raining heavily late this afternoon. Instead of running, the raining has done all the ruining!

And that's a real stinker as I was looking forward to my fix of endorphin. In fact I had been eagerly waiting since morning.

Ever had one of those days when you had high expectations but what you dreamed of and hoped for didn't go according to plan? Well today was one of those days for me.

I consoled myself with the thought that I had a day to rest and so tomorrow I'll be in an even better physical state to go for a good long run.

Good runners think positive!

By the road

I was out on my run, today being a 5.73km along the busy and high traffic roadside. It wasn't the best or the most conducive for a good run. I had to watch the on-coming vehicles speeding past me.

There were places where there's no side walks, only undulating stretches of weeds and grass. Nevertheless once I'm out on the road, I just made the best of it. That's about all you can, make the best of it and have a good time.

Still, I might not take the same route again, for a long time to come. Traffic is bad, pollution is bad. It used to be a good route to run about 2 years ago. Not anymore.

I might have extended my run but for the gathering dark clouds pregnant with rain. Reached home with 10 minutes to spare before the skies opened up and drenched the earth.

Tranquility

For the past 9 months I was heavy on running about 3 to 6 kilometres daily, except on days when I was too tired or when I was in need of rest for my hurting legs. I did my runs on a fairly intense pace. It felt fast, but most times, I'm drained by the end of the run.

As of two weeks ago, having been inspired by the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, I plunged headlong into some short-lived fantasies about getting into ultra marathon distances. I ventured into runs that averaged 12 kilometres - hardly ultra, but to me it was pure bliss to know I can persevere for those distances. This is double what I was used to, but truth be said, I won't trade long runs for shorter and more intense ones.

I was so into the book, that I raced through the pages within 2 days. If you need some running inspiration and motivation, this is it!

One clear reason for me is the runner's high that kicks in after more than half an hour pitter pattering on the road. Of course I had to run through the initial niggling muscular discomforts early in each run. Well, I guess we've all got to go through some kinds of lows before we hit some kind of highs! And all this "highs" are legit! And free as far as monetary transaction is concerned.

There's also that almost heavenly sense of well being - the sense of peace and serenity, the clarity and depth of reflective thinking that seems to open up deep into the run.

Besides, I found a new level of confidence that I can go further than what I thought I could run. I'm already looking forward to building up my strength and stamina to push beyond 12 kilometres runs in the not so distant future.

So now, I'm willing even to rest one day in between my long runs, just so I can be rested and fit enough to go the distance. Besides, I've found lovely trails to roll the kilometres away, but that's a story for another day.

No Watch, Just Heart

Today I ran
I ran with my heart
Five flowing laps around the park
Not caring to bring my stopwatch
Distance, not time would be my mark

For a runner to run without a watch
Feels incomplete, feels wrong
But then again, where does that sense come from?

For me, I know
It's from the past
School days of track and field training
Of laps after laps with lungs bursting
An old habit
A familiar habit
It feels right then
But then again
Today I discover
The joy of running
Without target lap times to cover
Today, it's no watch - just heart!