"The joy of backpacking is achieved through a conditioned body."
Or at least that is the vibe of what has been said in articles and books I read so far. And I happen to believe it to be true. For how can someone enjoy his trip when his body is not up to the task?
Too many people underestimate the challenge of backpacking and actually trying to survive in the wild for a certain period of time. Depending what you have planned, backpacking can get a person walking up to 12 miles a day with a 25-35 pounds backpack on your back (depending on your weight). That's a pretty daunting task!
The point of backpacking, at least for me, is to enjoy every step of the process, including the preparation phase. I gotta admit that I haven't been staying very active since the days of my P.E. class in high school. I vividly remember talking to my friends about how we would never exercise as much after being done with the class.
Those friends are now running on treadmills and walking to class to stay in shape.
And I remember clearly how we used to complain about the mile run. The teacher would time us and we would have to run the "best" that we can. Well, guess what? I have been running two miles for two days now. Not to mention the fact that I run faster than I used to back then. It takes me around 26 minutes to run two miles now. Don't even ask how long it took me to run a mile before.
It's embarrassing.
So, I'm proud of myself. At least I'm initiating the process/routine. Plus, the track here is really nice.
Our university hosts sport camps during the summer, so as you can see, there are kids playing soccer in the track's center field. I was actually skeptical about going to run at first because I get shy when people watch me.
Especially because I haven't been keeping fit. I feel self-conscious.
Then I told myself, "who cares?" The kids don't know me. I don't know them. We'll probably never see each other again. And, ultimately, I am doing this for the betterment of myself. I shouldn't care what other people think.
So I went down to run. A few of the kids looked at me at first, but then they just ignored me. I mean, hey, I wasn't in their way or anything. But on the second day, while I was running, I heard some one of the few parents, who came to watch their kids, complaining. One of them said, "A game's going on here. They shouldn't let them run."
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Share the view! |
Well, hello! You're not the only one paying to use the campus here! And the kids were definitely not having a serious, competitive game. It amazes me how people would enter a certain place and seem to announce that they own it, when in reality, it's a public good.
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Yep! I run with the best view ever: the ocean! Feel that fresh air fill your lungs. :)
As a part of my training/conditioning for the trip, I am also gaining and losing elevation. Meaning, I am constantly climbing up and going down stairs. Not to mention walking up and down the many hills on campus. I think I'm getting a pretty good workout here. Hahaha. I took some pictures as a demonstration, but they don't really show the depth/height of these stairs. They look short, but are actually pretty steep and high.
First, the stairs from the track I take up to the dorm road...
Then, the stairs I take up to my dorm...
Pretty gnarly huh?
There is also another set of stairs I take every morning to get to my 8a.m. class everyday. It is the infamous CCB Stairs. Regrettably, I don't have a picture of it. But it is a lot worse than the ones above. As one of my classmates put it,
"I don't care how fit you are, you're going to be out of breath by the time you reach the top of those stairs."
As for running shoes, I've always wanted to try one of those Vibram FiveFingers running shoes, but I didn't need to buy any new pair just yet. And I don't think I will need to for a while. The pair that I am using right now is also very comfortable. It is the Asics Gel-Kayano 17.
They support and fit my feet really well. And they're soft, too! :D Good ventilation system, so my feet don't actually heat up while I'm running.
I use to wear New Balance, and I still do like them. They fit pretty comfortably and also has good ventilation. The only brand of shoe I seem to have a problem with was Nike because of how narrow the front of the shoes is. They usually squeeze my feet, so I never end up buying them. But that was a long time ago, so I won't know if it's any different today.
As for now, I have to go about writing my paper and studying up, because tomorrow I have two finals. Finals!! Summer school goes by fast... I don't think I'll have time to spare for running today. How sad. :(
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