Of All Thee Things, Why Would I Pick Up Running?
Sitting in a cafe in Ha Noi, Vietnam, overlooking the busy streets and carnage on the streets, there was suddenly an outburst of thoughts. Perhaps it is triggered by the chaos below or the quite decent coffee that can be found on pretty much every corner. Reflecting upon my own journey becomes a lot easier with some inspiration in a place I was fortunate enough to visit several times throughout the last few years.
This time, it was no business trip but I was instead here to test how far I have come with my running efforts and picked one of the utmost challenges: A full marathon. But how did it come thus far and what are the reasons behind this little adventure?
When I was in school, the sports activities outside of the regular classes were a blast and I took part in some cross-country runs. Table tennis followed when I studied at a business school but as soon as regular work life started, the urge to continue sports all but vanished. There was no pressure to do something despite my mum being a decent swimmer back in the GDR, and the only thing I maintained regularly was biking.
Fast forward nearly twenty years as I now approach the forties, there has been one particular change. It took a long time before physical activities became a natural habit again and this has eventually culminated in a rather unusual return to the roots.
Perhaps it was a mere coincidence when I visited Finland to gaze at the Northern Lights, but my AirBnB host in Rovaniemi has more than fifty marathons under her belt. She is active for many years and that may have very well put the idea in the back of my mind to get things started again.
After working a few live poker events in Asia later on last year, I headed to Singapore in December 2022 and jumped into my first official half marathon on little to no training. A few runs of up to 10–15 km were barely enough to build up enough stamina and I paid for it during a quite mediocre second half to finish a shade behind the 2h15 pacers.
Ten and a half months later, eleven half marathons are under my belt and I finally jumped in my first-ever full marathon at the tender age of thirty-nine. The Hanoi Heritage race was the chosen destination on a whim and the weather 22 to 24 degrees Celsius with an acceptable level of humidity, unlike the Thai races of the last few weeks. Those had me sweating from all pores after a couple of minutes and that was not the case in the early morning hours this Sunday.
Back when I did my first competition as a complete noob novice, I remember walking out to the pit stop area in Singapore where the race start was taking place.
„I have no idea what the fuck I am doing here?!“ the video rightfully portrayed back then.
Whether or not that still is the case now, I don‘t necessarily know but the self confidence in the own physical and mental abilities has certainly improved. There have been good and bad race days, mediocre performances and others to be particularly proud of, like the one in Tromsö above the arctic circle when the clock stopped below two hours for the first time.
Pretty much exactly one year later, I shall be back on the very same starting grid in Singapore on December 3. This time, the second full marathon awaits and the registration for number three and four has also been completed already. Whether or not it’s a wise choice to jump from near zero to one hundred percent, I don’t really know but will certainly find out.
The first-ever marathon was a solid indication how much I still need to improve when it comes to stamina, endurance, resilience and mental strength. During the first half, I picked a slightly slower pace than my usual half marathon average and was feeling alright. However, the lack of longer distance training leading up to the race would be a kick in the nuts soon after that, pretty much as bad as I had expected.
Before the race in Ha Noi, I told myself that any time faster than five hours would be a success and narrowly missing said goal by six minutes doesn’t seem terrible by any means. But, quite frankly, I was still definitely somewhat disappointed and will aim to be stronger for the next races in December 2023 (Singapore), January 2024 (Cebu) and March 2024 (Seoul).
There are several reasons why I picked running and one year into this new journey, there is still plenty of room for improvement along with even more bat-shit crazy distance challenges on the horizon if really desired. But first, it is important to settle on the new distance before attempting Ultra Marathons because they are not for the faint-hearted and badly-trained amateurs.
Below are my personal reasons to pick up running:
First and foremost, you can go running pretty much anywhere. All you need are sports clothes and a solid pair of shoes. It doesn’t matter how far or fast you go, the fact you physically exercise is the most important step and one can build up from there to unleash the own potential if desired. The age doesn’t matter either, which cannot be said about many other sports.
When things become more serious and you want to take part in competitions, more advanced gear is perhaps a wise choice such as running shirts, quick-dry shorts and suitable running shoes. That doesn’t have to be a big name brand, as it is all about the comfort and picking the right socks.
Running doesn’t give you a six-pack but represents a very solid way to improve and maintain the overall fitness level. It isn’t needed to spend hours upon hours every week on the road or trails in the nature to plug away, even half an hour is already useful and that is a period that most people can afford.
What I personally realised is the unique way how running teaches you more about yourself and the own capabilities. How far can you go without being out of breathe, does the heart rate spike or stay consistent, and what are your limits? It is simply possible to discover and push beyond the boundaries while getting out of the comfort zone in rather ordinary fashion.
The improvements in speed and consistency also give a lot of personal satisfaction. I often noticed that I can focus a lot better after a run and gather the own thoughts / ideas more naturally. That can perhaps be said about many other fitness activities and one just needs to find which works best.
Last but not least, I picked running as excuse and opportunity to travel, explore new places and soak in different cultures. Most of my competitions have been in South East Asia thus far (especially in Thailand) where the entry is rather affordable and the race shirts are exceptionally colourful and unique. After all, who can say they ran alongside seven or eight hundred year old temples in a historical park like I have done in Kamphaeng Phet and Sukhothai?
The camaraderie during the competitions is always exceptional and it makes for a fun environment when other runners or even spectators are there to push you further. With a competitive nature by default, jumping into these races also makes sense to try and get better with each new race experience and scrape minutes off the previous record every time.
I very much look forward to the sights of Cebu and Seoul, both new places on my personal travel map and hopefully full of surprises, rich in culture and delicious food up for grabs at every other corner. Maybe I will even find myself on this journey as well and discover who I really am, what I want to do going forward and where I want to settle down.
One thing is for sure — the following saying has it’s merit:
„It doesn’t matter how far you travel, you can never escape yourself.“
Whether or not this is just a temporary solution or meant to be for the long run (excuse the pun) shall be a secret for now. But hopefully my motivation won’t run out until I have completed each of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors in London, Tokyo, Berlin, New York, Chicago and Boston.
Two years ago it would have been surreal to even think about such an incredulous thing. It’s a pity that my first lottery attempt for New York didn’t come with an entry, but it won’t stop me from applying and pursuing different ways to accomplish Mission Impossible. On December 6 and 7, I will receive the next two answers … fingers crossed.
