Prelude to Army Half Marathon 2006
Time flies (as always), it's almost AHM 2006 already. One of my New Year resolution was to complete this year's AHM under 2 hours. My last 21km run was in Dec 2005 with Standard Chartered Run. It was a tough run, not being aptly prepared. This year, it should be better.
One thing I've learnt from long distance running is the philosophy of consistency, patience and diligence.
I never liked running before; each time I would sprint off the start line, hoping to finish fast. However, each time, I would lose gas before the halfway mark and give up.
I realised that life is like that as well, we can't just have short periods of intensive effort, hoping to achieve results. Most of the time, we need consistent efforts over a long period of time for sustainable results. Like my friend Chris, who had difficulty finishing 4km 2 years ago; he could comfortably complete 7-8km of run today. It may not be some fantanstic feat/timing, but it's an achievement in its own rights. It is results.
Then there's the challenge of patience. We need to realise that with consistency, we also need time for results to show. Sustainable results needs solid foundation to build on. We need to be patient. This is tough in our society, where instant gratification is the trend. We want things fast; fast-food, instant noodle, slimming in 2 weeks, a degree in 6 months... All these undermine the value of patience.
Diligence. Too many shortcut promises out there today. We need to realise there is not shortcut to sustainable results. There is no free lunch in this world. You've got to pay the price to get results. You've got to train, to run. Simple formulae, no shortcuts.
Enjoy the journey, enjoy the training, enjoy the runs. Don't be too anxious on reaching the end point. Let the mind wander off, don't overpace myself. When the legs are tired and aching, when it feels like the going is tough, just keep going. Slow down a little, but keep going; be consistent. And before i know it, I have reached the end point.
What it means for me is a whole change in mindset, a new perspective. But it's driving my positive actions today, with a firm belief that my efforts today are not in vain, for the results will come in time. Meanwhile, be patient, work hard and focus on enjoying the journey.
Remember this saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going".
One thing I've learnt from long distance running is the philosophy of consistency, patience and diligence.
I never liked running before; each time I would sprint off the start line, hoping to finish fast. However, each time, I would lose gas before the halfway mark and give up.
I realised that life is like that as well, we can't just have short periods of intensive effort, hoping to achieve results. Most of the time, we need consistent efforts over a long period of time for sustainable results. Like my friend Chris, who had difficulty finishing 4km 2 years ago; he could comfortably complete 7-8km of run today. It may not be some fantanstic feat/timing, but it's an achievement in its own rights. It is results.
Then there's the challenge of patience. We need to realise that with consistency, we also need time for results to show. Sustainable results needs solid foundation to build on. We need to be patient. This is tough in our society, where instant gratification is the trend. We want things fast; fast-food, instant noodle, slimming in 2 weeks, a degree in 6 months... All these undermine the value of patience.
Diligence. Too many shortcut promises out there today. We need to realise there is not shortcut to sustainable results. There is no free lunch in this world. You've got to pay the price to get results. You've got to train, to run. Simple formulae, no shortcuts.
Enjoy the journey, enjoy the training, enjoy the runs. Don't be too anxious on reaching the end point. Let the mind wander off, don't overpace myself. When the legs are tired and aching, when it feels like the going is tough, just keep going. Slow down a little, but keep going; be consistent. And before i know it, I have reached the end point.
What it means for me is a whole change in mindset, a new perspective. But it's driving my positive actions today, with a firm belief that my efforts today are not in vain, for the results will come in time. Meanwhile, be patient, work hard and focus on enjoying the journey.
Remember this saying, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going".
posted by Cyrus at 11:43 PM
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