For those who know my relationship with long-distance running, you will know that I attribute it to the lucky draw win in 2011 which gave me the opportunity to run my first marathon in Los Angeles. The other lucky draw winner was Azmi, who is coincidentally the same age as me. Besides the two of us, Melvin flew to LA to run the marathon as well as he was supposed to write an article about his experience in the Men’s Health magazine. How cool is that! This was how I made two new friends and they were fantastic company during the trip. Thankfully for Facebook, we are still in touch. Before the marathon, we went to the LA Marathon Expo, which was near Dodger Stadium (baseball fans will be most familiar with this). This is very similar to where you would go to when you would like to collect your race pack. Those who have participated in the major running events, you will know what I mean. At the collection venue, there are usually other booths set up where you can purchase running gears, shoes and other sports- and fitness-related items. The ones we have in Singapore are nothing like the LA Marathon Expo. Well, Singapore has a space constraint so I guess that is understandable. I am just amazed by the vast area where the LA Marathon Expo was held. It was like a carnival, an outdoor one. It was in March, which was the beginning of springtime, so the weather in LA was pleasant and cool.
It was at this Expo that I saw the booth selling Newton running shoes. At that time, Newton running shoes were not sold in Singapore and I thought I would take a look since one of my friends told me that their running shoes are pretty good. No harm taking a look, I thought. After asking a couple of questions, the salesgirl recommended me a pair to try. As mentioned in the earlier paragraph, there was a lot of space at the Expo so when the salesgirl let me try the shoes, she did not mean “put it on and take a walk around”. There was ample space for me to jog around and even do short sprints to experience running in those shoes. I was having fun running around like a small child and I was not even perspiring because the weather was simply fantastic. When I was done trying on the shoes, I went back to the salesgirl and told her that the shoes were very comfortable and asked what other colours they had. The shoes only came in one colour – orange. I am not an orange person. I am a pastel colours person. Pink, baby blue, lavender, peach… but no, not orange. Azmi thought I should buy them since it was a good bargain.
Did I really want to be seen running in orange-coloured shoes? Girls are vain, I must admit it. We are sometimes more concerned about how nice it looks rather than the functionality or quality of the item or equipment. Shoes take up space in the suitcase. After my LA trip, I was flying to Washington DC to attend the Psychotherapy Networker Symposium and I was planning to buy a lot of books. Buying that pair of shoes would mean reduced luggage space for the books. More importantly, am I going to continue running after the marathon? Will I use those shoes when I return to Singapore? Such trivial issues, just because I could not decide whether or not to buy the shoes.
Eventually, I bought the Newton running shoes. My first pair of orange-coloured shoes. This was the story of the shoes, its beginnings, and how it defined my relationship with long-distance running. I could have stopped running marathons after that lucky draw win. I could have stopped running. But I continued.
With these pair of Newton running shoes, I completed one half-marathon (Sundown Marathon 2011) and three marathons (Standard Chartered Marathon 2011, Sundown Marathon 2012 and Standard Chartered Marathon 2012). They have served me well.
Endings do not necessarily mean the end. Endings provide an opportunity for new beginnings. Perhaps we can even call it continuity. We are fast approaching the new year and some of you may be making your customary new year resolutions in hope for a fresh start for 2013. During this period of time, it is likely that you will review how 2012 has been for you. What are the endings for 2012 and what are the beginnings for 2013? What will you continue from 2012 to 2013? It may not be advisable to keep doing the same thing because no change may lead to stagnation and that is probably not a very good thing. So, how will 2013 be different for you? How will 2013 be better for you?
I did not fly to LA to buy another pair of Newton running shoes to replace my old ones. Now, they are sold in Singapore and I have already bought myself a new pair. Newton is a strange brand. They do not make shoes in varying colours. Each model comes in a unique combination of colours. Believe me, they are all in bright, loud and striking colours. Hence, no prizes for guessing the colour of my new pair of Newton running shoes.
Orange.
I will be running in 2013.
Perhaps another marathon.
*Below are earlier blog entries, which are related to running and taking care of our physical body.
"Run, Forrest, run"
"The house of the soul"
