Page 113 - Buletin JSKM 2021

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Running started in December 2017…

Running seems difficult for me ever since I was young. However, I am willing to learn at the
age of forty-seven. My first marathon was a 7km run organized by Polis Di Raja Malaysia
(PDRM) at Queensbay Mall, Pulau Pinang. Three of us signed for the occasion -me, my fourth
son -Idham, and a close friend of mine. Alhamdulillah, all of us made it on time and “Yeahhh!
My first marathon medal!” –feeling so proud of ourselves! From one medal, it became two,
three, and four … and soon it was followed by a series of other marathons ranging from 5km
to 21km (half-marathon)!

Jogging started in January 2018 …

Jogging too was never really in my daily routines, but soon I ended up doing so at a nearby
jogging area, 5-minutes away from my house in Seberang Jaya. I would try to be there before
7 o’clock in the morning, even though it was still a bit dark, but the view of the sun rising
within the branches of trees and the sound of the flocks of birds singing ~ priceless. Running
alone, I just could not avoid the feeling of shyness and scared at the same time, but once I got
used to the tempos of running -it was fun! No one was actually looking at you since everyone
was so busy with his or her own running-paces. Ever since then, whenever I have free time, I
would just go for a jog –alone or sometimes accompanied by my sons or close friends. I used
to get calf-muscle ache every time I jog, but soon it began to blend in and soon diminished. I
started with just a slow walk combined with a fast walk and later upgraded myself with a walk-
and-run jogging type. However, early morning jogging was just too hard to maintain when the
academic semester started due to the 8am classes. Thus, in-door cycling is an excellent
alternative to keep up stamina.