One year ago this month, I started running…and never looked back.

Last year:
- briskwalking for 30 mins on the treadmill was a great achievement for me
- 5km was a dream, 10km a long distance reserved for the elite
- “fun run” and “marathon” were synonymous
- “singlet” was, I would’ve guessed, a microphone a little bit smaller than the magic sing
- the only time I would sweat was when the aircon was off
- I would’ve opted to watch Paula Abdul rather than Paula Radcliffe
- I owned 1 pair of rubber shoes that were only worn with jeans
- I didn’t have any friends who ran (well, except for Mayi and Jamike who I bugged with tons of questions like “What do I wear to my first race?”)
- I only ate bananas when I had diarrhea
- Gatorade was a colored sports drink that tasted funny
- I would starve myself to lose weight (and it still wouldn’t work)

Since then, running has turned my life upside-down, inside-out, and transformed me into—what I would like to believe—a better, stronger, and happier me. Why didn’t I get into this sooner?

- My feet in my favorite Mizuno Wave Creations right before my first year anniversary run (taken ala E-rod)-

To celebrate my first year anniversary, Running and I took off for a 3-day stay in scenic Subic. I took the family along since my hubby might get jealous. (I’m kidding!) Every road we traversed in Subic beckoned me to run on them—near the airport, along the golf club, close to the bay—everywhere! Without any hint of my knee injury, I certainly had to give in to the beautiful roads’ whims. My hubby, a golfer who runs on the treadmill to maintain his fitness, decided to join in on the fun. (This was a wholesome threesome, mind you.)

We got up at 6 a.m., left the kids to my mom, and decided to go downhill from our place. A mere 5 minutes into our run, we reached a screeching halt. Two large dogs awaited us at the bottom of the road. At that point, it was a simple choice between rabies or to run uphill for our lives. We chose the latter.

We climbed up slowly but surely. I was wary of my knee while my hubby was getting his second taste of a ruthless road run he lacked training for. As soon as we reached the top, we plodded on exploring the vast new running course before us.

Barely catching our breaths from our close encounter with the dogs, we encountered yet another animal: a monkey closely watching us from the electric wires above. I was almost sure that monkey would pounce on me, grab my hair, and steal my Garmin (as discussed in our e-group) so I shut my eyes and ran forward.

Everything from then on went smoothly. We ran 6km at a modest pace and returned refreshed and invigorated. Soon after, we relaxed our tired feet along the sandy shores of Camayan beach and I fell asleep beside the photo of buddies Lance Armstrong and Matthew McConaughey running half-naked in Miami. A great way to celebrate my 1st anniversary, don’t you think?

- Just one of the four back issues of Runner’s World courtesy of Hitme that accompanied me on the trip –

Posted on 12.03.07 to 1 Bullish Insights. Tags: Run, Running. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. 11 comments. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.