Who would have thought I – of all people – would go on holiday with a pair of jogging shoes in my luggage. Well, not for walking the streets of any big city, but in case I come across a treadmill in the hotel…
Pretty much me.....
I never was much of an athlete. As a young teenager, I ran 60 meter in 12,5 seconds. Which is a hilariously bad result. We were forced to do some track and field at school, in order to gain an atheletic badge: Bronze, silver and gold. I obtained the bronze, never tried for more. My gym teacher obviously saw no potensial whatsoever, I was never encouraged to try for silver!
In the 70’s jazz ballet became trendy, the 80’s launched aerobic. I don’t know what happened in the 90’s, other than that I gained weight! But in 2000 I discovered spinning, and started to use my bicycle to and from work. After ten years I’m still very much into spinning and cycling, but a new decade is dawning and – time to think anew?
I go through my company’s gym every morning when I arrive by bike. One morning in May my eyes fell on the treadmill. Hmmmm, what about that? I started walking. For weeks I kept walking every morning. Running seemed out of the question. I’m not fit or made for running, I decided. But one morning I was walking so fast that I felt forced to run, but alas. After a minute or two I felt exhausted. My heart seemed to be running out of my chest! My tries lasted for a week and then suddenly I kept on running after that initial horrible minute. From that very morning I was hooked. So hooked that a couple of months later a physiotherapist looked at me in disbelief when he listend to my love story (and the description of my painful left knee); me and the treadmill.
Thing is – I started to run every morning before work. I soon was able to run 25 minutes. 3,5 kilometres. My only experience with running was that hopeless 60 meter years back, and the occasional run-for-the-bus experiences. In the weeks that followed I was hardly able to walk. After my morning coffe at my desk, I felt so stiff when I got up from the chair that people started to ask me what was the matter. It will pass, I thought. It HAS to pass….
I really made an effort with my running play lists on my iPod. The best part of the project, really… What kind of music is suitable for running? Jean Michel Jarre’s Aero is a good start, and good for the ear. Next; a remix of The Wall by Pink Floyd. Then a remix of Jai Ho. Glow by Madcon half way through, essential in order to keep up the spirit. Salim Al Fakir’s Keep on walking was a good help when I was walking, but still makes sense. And last but not least; Sandstorm by Darude… When you think you’re not able to endure the last five minutes, Sandstorm takes you all the way and on top of it you feel like flying! Lovely then to calm down while listening to Astronaut by Salim Al Fakir, or Foot of the Mountain by a-ha and Morten Harket’s soothing voice.
Well my left knee did heel, now my right knee is not in a very cooperative mood. But it will….
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