According to Haruki Murakami, “A gentleman shouldn’t go on and on about what he does to stay fit.” I respect this principle as there is something strange about reflecting upon health routines. In part, it always feels like there is a danger of leaning into ideals that mask the reality. Like when the doctor asks about your diet or alcohol consumption. (We can’t all be like Charli XCX, can we, who recently stated on the TapeNote podcast, “I drink, I smoke, I use autotune.”) Maybe like Murakami, I clearly am not a gentlemen as I am talking about health routines, but I do so because the more I thought about it all the less clear it seemed. And as this is my space and domain, I am really writing this for me, in the hope of making some sort of sense out of it all.
This year I have started running again. Actually, probably not running, as such, maybe more jogging. How does one define such things? For the purpose of consistency, I will call it ‘running’.
Anyway, last year I turned to Ringfit as a means of getting fit again. RingFit is a game on the Nintendo Switch, which involves defeating a whole lot of monsters to regain the lost rings. Wikipedia describes it as follows:
The game’s main mode is a turn-based role-playing game in which movements and battle actions are based on performing physical activities using the Ring-Con and Leg Strap, with the Joy-Con’s motion controls detecting the player’s movement and a strain sensor in the Ring-Con detecting bending of that accessory. Other modes include guided fitness routines and party-style games. These activities are centered around common fitness exercises, making the game part of Nintendo’s “quality of life” goals in line with the game’s spiritual predecessor, Wii Fit.
Source: Ring Fit Adventure by Wikipedia
As you progress through the various worlds, you are rewarded with access to more and more exercises.
Really, it is just about doing the same thing, while the game progressively gets harder. I liked it as I could easily dip in and out of levels while cooking tea or doing the washing. It was something that I felt worked for me, rather than I worked for it. The problem was, I got to the end of the game. Although good for getting my fitness to a particular level, I felt it lost its appeal when the gamification no longer meant anything. I guess I needed an actual real goal?
Alongside Ringfit, I had also doubled down on walking. Growing up, I used to walk quite a lot. It was ingrained in me at an early age. For example, I used to walk 2 kms to meet my mum halfway when she’d walk 5kms home from work just because. However, as life has passed by, I have lapsed from this practice. Distances that once seemed small, all of the sudden seemed large. I therefore decided at lunch at work to start venturing out around the local park. I had always done this, but only ever for a short stroll and then back to the desk. I also started going for walks while waiting for my daughters at their various extra-curricular classes, rather than sitting in the car on my phone. I progressively explored and extended the distance I would travel in the time I had. In addition to these various escapades, I also started to walk instead of catching transport where applicable.
A few years ago, I went to the doctor for a check-up. Her response was to lose 10-20kg. Easy! (To be honest, I cannot remember the last time I went to a doctor and they did not say that, but anyway.) With two young children, her suggestion was to get off the station before and walk the difference. Although great in theory, not everyone is Nassim Nicholas Taleb, who runs on his own idea of success:
I have taught myself to resist running to keep on schedule. This may seem a very small piece of advice, but it registered. In refusing to run to catch trains, I have felt the true value of elegance and aesthetics in behavior, a sense of being in control of my time, my schedule, and my life. Missing a train is only painful if you run after it! Likewise, not matching the idea of success others expect from you is only painful if that’s what you are seeking.
Source: The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Heading home I always feel under pressure to get to childcare and get tea underway, while heading to work, I always felt at the whim of others in getting out the door on time in the morning, let alone early. However, this year I started a practice of getting off earlier depending on the time. A part of my thinking was that when the Metro tunnel is finished, travelling further from the station to my work will actually be a reality, so best to deal with it now. As I started getting off earlier and walking that bit further I learnt a strange lesson, the city is actually a small place. With all the people, congestion and buildings, it can seem bigger than it actually is.
All this increase in exercise led to buying new shoes. I had a pair of old Asics Kayano 23s from a few years ago and they were still powering on. Maybe due to lack of use or that I am stubborn? Unlike some people who are happy to buy new runners almost religiously, I am reluctant to throw out what seemingly ain’t broke (I think this is what I like about Beau Miles) . The problem though was that they sort of were broken with a hole in the toe and minimal sole. I therefore went and splurged on a pair of Kayano 30s.
I am not sure if it was the guilt of having proper runners when I am just walking or the fact that they felt way better than my old pair, but I sporadically decided to run one night instead of just walking. I am not going to say it was easy, but I survived and I went on from there. When the venue for my children’s rehersal changed, I started afresh, venturing out bit by bit to find new paths. Over time, I developed a new loop.
I feel at this point I probably need to backtrack. With all this talk of a ‘return to running’, I fear I give the wrong impression that I am some “natural born runner”. Although I grew up walking everywhere, I was late to running. I remember doing 100m sprints in PE and always coming last. Although I played cricket growing up, there was very little explicit running involved. We never did any running sessions or anything at training, often as most also played football. Subsequently, for quite a while, I just never had the stamina for it.
I cannot exactly remember when I first took it up. I had a friend who ran with her dad. I think maybe she was the first impetus. We would sometimes go around the golf course near her house together.
From there I started running to my job as a cleaner when I was at university. As a solitary job after hours, it did not really matter how and sweaty I was. I think I may have also been inspired by Mark, the security guy, who told me how he used to run from Coburg into the city when he was younger and worked on construction.
However, again as life changed, whether it be moving out of home and starting full-time employment, I stopped running. I actually seemed to stop everything. This was noticed by older colleagues in my first two schools ‘invited’ me to go running with them afterschool. As much as they enjoyed running, I feel in hindsight that this was as much about me, not appreciating freedom of external attachments.
I am sure that there have been others who have influenced me since, but what stands out is that running is not a normal state. Running involves effort, it involves particular dedication, and it would seem that my life is something of tally between not running and making the effort? I am not sure.
All in all, I mention all this as a way of claiming my ‘return to running’ and the associated complexities attached with such as statement. So when I say I have returned, it is not some isolated habit I have taken up, but something that has history, that involves various choices and people. Although I am not sure how much sense I have made, maybe in the end the sense is that what may seem simple is often far more complicated.
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On Running Again by Aaron Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.