Author Archives: Bruce

Empowerment

There are times you feel the aches and pains and your breathing is heavy and things just do not seem right. Then you continue to struggle and at some point find your rhythm, but nevertheless it is not your day. When the run is finished, you are darned happy you got through it. We all know there are days to back off from a long run or hard run. True dedicated runners though run through pain and will not stop and quiet during their workout as quitting is considered a defeat by us die-hards. I have never stopped one run in more than 5 years. I have taken spills where I was bleeding and still finished my run. I ran in intense typhoons and was thrilled I was out there. I have had the common stitches/cramps and still ran through. I even got nailed by a snowball as the result of a Mac truck speeding by and its tires sent the snow at my head where I saw stars for a period of time but ran through the initial pain and shock.

The point being is that the discipline and will power to never quiet leads to the feeling of empowerment. If I can get through these difficult and at times painful runs, this empowers me with major feelings of accomplishment and this carries over to every aspect of life which truly means the feeling of personal freedom.

Diet

The best policy in my opinion is the old adage that if you leave it on the table and two days later it is spoiled, then it is good for. But reality is as follows. We all have different constitutions.

I feel like crap after a Big Mac and fries so I stay away from that kind of food. I feel great after my breakfast which is a salad which consists of fresh broccoli and carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, hot chilies, beets, onions and any other fresh veggies I can find at my local market. Then I add any of my favorite salad dressings. This is my breakfast and it works for me but many think I am nuts.

Every time I eat a lot of fruit, I feel the sugar highs in a bad way so I nibble only from time to time. But a chocolate bar before my weight workout and I feel great.

Rule of thumb is we runners are taking care of ourselves and we have little weight problems because of our hobby so we need to find a diet that’s right for us.

I love pasta but i can only eat it at certain times of the day. If I eat oatmeal for breakfast I am shot as I feel like my stomach has cement in it. But that same oatmeal as a night time dessert with a little fruit added and I feel great. Find out what works for you and perfect it. Try to experiment and try to follow some of the laws of the food gurus, but do not take them as God-sent laws. Enjoy food from time to time that are what you love such as hotdogs, hamburgers and fries.

The idea of drinking lots of water throughout the day is a winner so try to drink as much as you can handle. Sports drinks is your call as i am not a fan. Chocolate milk or powder protein are great for many and makes me fill like a brick wall after. Coconut water many believe is great and it does work for me especially where i live in the Philippines where this fruit is in abundance.

But let’s sum this up as you are a runner and diet is so important, yet it should allow us from time to time to indulge ourselves in the less healthy elements in our diet. The key is through trial and error to find the right diet for your energy and health, as we all have different constitutions. So find what is right for you.

Beginners

Okay, so maybe you ran many years ago. Maybe you loved basketball or soccer or weight training. So running after many, many years away from the sport puts you at the beginners level at age 50, or older. So how does one go about it? Well first of all, do the right thing and get a clean bill of health from your doctor. After getting the ‘okay’, start very very slowly. Listen to your body. Try to just enjoy yourself at the start, it might be a good idea to start at a school track to measure your progress. For me when I was in my early fifties, I made the decision to really stick with it after years of off and on again running, mixed with walking and hiking. I knew if I stuck with it, that it would save my sanity, and for dramatic purposes it would save my life.

So to keep it simple, nothing is better than coming back after years of not running, or being truly new to the sport. Out in the open space huffing and puffing and feeling alive from the positive benefits of running.

This beginner section is full of cliches, and IT’S NEVER TOO LATE and IT IS A SPIRITUAL RE-AWAKENING are amongst a few reasons to give it a shot.

For the recent Senior Runner new comers, please relate your experiences and your trials and tribulations.