Serendipity

It all started with a girl. That girl. The girl I met in KLIM, my first run. There were too many people I recalled. She vanished into the crowd, leaving a mere 2 seconds impression in my mind. Shallow as it might be, the image would only surface when I ran. That's why I couldn't stop. And I went to as many running events there were, hoping to see her again.

But never did I see her again. Was I chasing dejaa- vu? How could I not see her in my dreams, but at terminal velocity? I could give up, drop this illusion, just like that. Or could I?

By now, running has a new meaning, a zen- like experience, a state of meditation- in- motion. I don't know how, but it just happened.

First I was thinking, why am I suffering this? Is it worth it? Can I stop now? How far to go? When this is over, I'm so quiting. When I finished running, I told myself: look, it's not that hard, I didn't die! If this couldn't kill me, it'll make me stronger. And some minor vanity came with it. So let's do it again!

After some time, I kind of relate running to life. Everyone starts from the same point at birth, on the starting line. And everyone ends at the same ending line, which is death. One could choose to run effortlessly, and stand no chance of winning. Or one could try his best, though not winning, is worth the try.

If one won, he must had trained hard, and there's no luck in here. Physical attributes play trivial role, mind is the only deciding element. There is no short cut, no free lunch. All effort put in will not be in vain, thought it may look futile at first, but it grows gradually until a point of saturation. There is a limitation, which one set for himself, but it could be reset after time.

Winning aside, it's good to have a bunch of friends who share the same interest in these activities. That makes the road to the end an enriching journey, joyous and interesting.

There's always another run to look forward to, like Penang Bridge run later this month, Adidas King of the Road in August, Awana Trail Blazer in September, Singapore Marathon in December. Would I ever see her again? Meet someone else, I hope too.