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| Parade Grounds, Clark Freeport, Clark Special Economic Zone, Pampanga, Philippines |
“Robredo is threading on dangerous waters,” said a voice just few paces behind me as others with him agreed.
Even with my headset on maximum volume, I could still overhear their conversation about politics. It was rather constructive though one cannot deny its passionate overtone.
“I’m an election officer, so…” one of the voices went on.
“For reals?!” I mentally told my skeptic self and finally allowed my curiosity to get the better of me. As, I turned to look behind me, I saw a party of six older gentlemen brisk walking by two’s.
“Good morning,” said the one in red sports sando over a white shirt and black jogging pants.
“Sir,” I politely replied, bowing my head and picked my 10:10 interval running pace.
Cruising along the rubberized running track, I usually spot the short-haired older woman in crimson red lipstick with 2, sometimes 3 handmaids with her. In my mind, her name is Madam Sarah.
Then, there’s the Caucasian male who instantaneously tripped on a rock but somehow managed to balance himself. My hips should be able to tell him that, I’m in fact a woman and that staring at other people isn’t really nice or safe when running.
We also have the middle-aged dad with a selfie stick. No kidding!
And finally, Jason, who randomly shows up out of nowhere on his motorcycle, roughly ½ mile around the track.
These are many things I get to see when I run. I never realize that people-watching is an adventure... an extravaganza that keeps running interesting and definitely never boring.
About a month ago, Ate Loi decided to run everyday for a month. I confess that I only tagged along because I've been itching to wear the pair of Adidas ultraboost running shoes Ate La gave me last March and since I’ve stashed some grungy workout clothes in my closet, I gave the idea, a solid go. In the past, I had jogged every once in a while and even downloaded the Nike Run Club running app for my iPhone but it wasn’t nearly consistent and without much of a goal. So, the whole of May, Ate Loi and I woke up every 4:30 in the morning to drive to Parade Grounds at Clark by 5:00 a.m. and just run.
I’m pretty sure my legs evolved into that of a man’s but I love it. It goes well with my thunder thighs. Now, I can kick butt with it. Literally.
Summer heat and crazy humidity aside, running turned out to be more than ok than I care to admit. Magically, I gravitated towards it. It gave me a new perspective on my body and an awareness of the smallest things that somehow affects it. I started to sweat like crazy too and very grossly, might I add, but at the same time, running improved my endurance and stamina. Extra hit of oxytocin is a plus. I'm not trying to lose weight or have a flat tummy (though that'll be great too), I started running because I truly believed that my body has so much more to give if my brain wields it right. I’m feeling a little bummed that I’m about to get back to the usual swing of things come June but running really snuck up on me, so I don’t think I’ll stop just because.
