The Need To Run

Running!! Now that sounds boring. It is not at all fun. Getting tired,
panting, and getting sweaty is not what I consider an interesting
hobby. How can anyone feel the joy in running? There is no gain,
only pain.

After running all my life, my knees took a tole. I am no longer the
‘bionic man' I used to be. Years of hard running elements; during
my time in serving National Service in the Army, we were given
a pair of tai chi shoes for running and obviously army boots, have
ruin my knees due to the hard impact of the heels hitting the ground.
I was in a camp what known as 'Terror Camp' back in the old days
in Singapore. My training as an athlete, running up and down
staircase also played the notorious role in knees injury. I can barely
run a 100 metres. So, that’s the end of running, so I thought.

The need to run felt greater when I got married. My beautiful wife
is my inspiration. And her inspiration for my running is due to her
crafty recipe of Asian cuisine. In a nutshell, my waistline was getting
too much for my Levi’s and Taverniti jeans. My wife concluded that
it was wiser to lose the extra kilos than getting new pair of jeans
with a new expanded size.

Choosing a pair of running shoes
Hmm! What shall they be? Nike, Asics, Adidas....? There are too
many in the market and everyone has their own opinion as to the
best running shoes. My wife in particular suggested Nike. “But
hunnie, Nike don’t make good running shoes. They make shoes
that look good. Maybe for other sports they do but not running”.
I was thinking of Japanese brands. I just love Mizuno and Asics.
Pearl Izumi sounds Japanese, well some sort, and I like their
design too.

Off I went to the malls in Tampines having very little in mind what
suited me best. The first shop I went to was Nike. No doubt, the
sales person was very keen to introduce to me to their better range
of running shoes. The shoes look too flat and lack of support. That
is just my opinion. I am sure some people will find them the perfect
form, or perfect foam. The next shop has a wide range of brands.
Sales girls “You’re looking for motion control or stability?”
Thinking to myself, motion control sounds pretty dynamic and cool.
So obviously it’s motion control for me. But unfortunately or
fortunately for me, they did not come with the colour I like. Well,
that’s just the reason I gave. I thought that running shoes are just,
well, running shoes. As long as they are able to fit me comfortably,
and feel and look great,  that’s the shoes I wanted. Hmm! Looks like
I need to read up on the many types of running shoes.

Feet Type

What else! I went to the internet to understand the type of feet I
have, besides one left and one right. Pronation, neutral, arch,
stability, performance and of course motion control. These are all
new terms I have learnt. But still undecided. Then I came across
Newton Running shoes. A number of readers mentioned that they
are converted to this new shoe religion called Newton Running
Shoes. Hmm! It sounds too Newton, so scientific and the Laws
of Motion came to mind.