____T.H.E. .P.A.S.S.

____Keep On Running

The human body is made to run.

So said the much-respected 1WO Lem during my training days at School of Physical Training. He went on to explain painstakingly about how the respiratory system of the human body works, how energy is supplied to our physical needs, what type of energy is used for different activities. I vaguely remember terms like ATP, glycolysis and the quote above is the one I remember most.

I don't know why but I feel myself slowly fitting my feet into my parents shoes. Football may be the most exciting sport around but it is not worth it for a non-professional to sacrifice so much of his body for the love of the game. Yes, I'm talking about myself but probably this will apply to many other people whom I term "heartland footballers". The physical torture a footballer goes through is mad.

Check out "Aren't Boots Supposed To Protect Feet?" by Rob Hughes on The Straits Times, Saturday Jan 7 2006 pg S24. Poor Micheal Owen is now out with a broken metatarsal. So were Gary Neville, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham recently in their careers. I can name many other footballers who have incurred life-changing injuries over the course of their careers. Thomas Brolin, the Swedish World Cup star. Roy Keane, ex-Manchester United captain (hip). Henrik Larsson, ex-Barcelona striker (leg broken twice). Ronaldo, the phenomenon (torn knee ligaments).

Sure these people are paid millions to do their job and I would agree that it is really worth it. But what about the others? People playing for NTU IVP? Those in the IH team? They aren't paid, and they suffer injuries professionals suffer. Poor Qibin has a knee beyond repair now. I have come to realise that maybe I should focus on running more now.

Now this brings me back to the above quote. Of course the distinct feature of the human body is that we are far more intelligent than the other animals on Earth (although I don't really think this applies for some people) but we all do need to keep our bodies healthy. We have all sorts of exercises ranging from kickboxing to swimming but I have to agree that the most natural sport for a human is running. Our legs are biomechanically engineered to move us forward. Our arms are weaker meaning we do not climb trees. We do not have flippers - swimming doesn't come naturally. Bicycles are invented long after we came into existence. So we are made to run.

I hate the way people complain about being fat yet when I suggest running to them, they give all sorts of excuses. People seek fast and easy solutions and that is where we often make mistakes. The fat did not appear overnight. Naturally it takes time to wear the fat off! Seriously, that is as much an ex-PTI can do. I can try to talk about the benefits of running till the cows come home and at most accompany people to jog sometimes but that is the most I can do. It is up to yourself to implement a change in mindset.

Mindset is such that if I concede that I am lazy and a slacker and that I suck in studying, I will never get good results academically. Sometimes I am surprised at the number of people saying that they are slack, it is almost sad. Everyone should fight Slackingitis. Including me.

More importantly, humans should do what we do best. Use our brains. And run.

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