Running Shoes

I grew up in a large family of six. My parents are simple folks in the province whose ultimate dream in life is to provide the best education they can afford to their children. My mother used to say it's (education) the only thing they can leave behind for us. 

Even in a rural setting, I already knew that I will never have what other kids can have. My parents always focused on the essentials only. When K-Swiss, LA Gear, Tretorn and Chuck Taylor were in vogue... I never had them. Only when in college did I have my one and only Trets.

We only buy non-brand. Ha! Never did I think that it can be chic. Muji, anyone? Not to digress, my point is that to me back then a shoe is just a shoe. There's just one sports shoes and it's called a rubber shoes.

Little did I know that a rubber shoes has many types. Now, am bewildered by the variety of choices. There's a kind of rubber shoes for everything. Walking, running, cross-training, football, casual -- you name it. Not to mention the kind of stance you have determines the kind of running shoes you should be wearing. Ugh. Am not even a real runner. I jog and brisk walk.

The hubby has about sever pairs. And he's not done yet. He plans to buy a bike shoes since he bikes. Whoa! Growing up, you can just ride a bike even with just a pair of slippers on. Some kids even bike barefoot. Ha ha ha. 

City living and the complexities of its lifestyle. Everything is assigned value and usage. No one particular thing, like shoes, can be worn for every related activities. It has to be different or else. 

I remember trekking Mount Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. I was dead set on wearing a pair of rubber shoes. (Well, it's a new pair because my old one died on me while we were trekking in a mountain somewhere in Batangas.) But no, my friends recommended that I buy a mountaineering shoes. I bought and sa awa ng Diyos (by God's mercy) that was the only time I wore it. 

One fine night three weeks ago, my running shoes (which I bought on sale) gave up on me. I can say that it served me well. Three years is a long-term relationship. 

It took me a lot of cajoling to buy at the regular shops. I wanted to go all the way to Paseo de Sta Rosa in Laguna to buy in the outlet stores. Yes, am niggardly in that sense. I just want functional shoes. (Note: It's a different story for pumps and flats. *wink*)

Yet I looked around at Bonifacio High Street's row of sporting houses; I saw a nice pair of purple Nike's. Yikes, it's P5000! I had to move on. No way am paying that much. So, I had to settle for a few seasons (technology) old running pair. And it's white with orange trimmings on the sole. 

Nike Flyknit Lunar+1: The perfect fit, for the perfect run. (Obviously, this is not what I got. Lol)

No swag. But it was light. And I took it for a spin a few nights ago, it was okay. 

So thanks for reading my musings. Have to go. I need to get my ROI for my running shoes. Am going out for a run. 

XX

Sheng

Biggest Loser

It's all about winning. No one wants to be labeled as a loser. In everything that we do, our buy in, always, is what's in it for me. 

But there's one thing that everyone wants to vie for that centers on losing. In fact, being the biggest loser gives one an all-time high. In the battle of the bulge, that is. 

When January rolled by, some colleagues thought that it would be a nice idea to lose all the pounds we've piled on during the holidays. However, we only got started sometime the following month. I guess, we were still holding on to the extra poundage. Ha ha ha. 

Two months into the challenge came the moment of truth. What started as a quest for vanity, looking good, feeling good or just bagging the pot money turned into a success story. 

One of our challengers lost a total of 13lbs. The contest paved a way for a serious change in lifestyle. To him, weeknights are spent an allotted one hour (minimum) to run around the Ayala Triangle. Dinner has become carb-less. A Filipino diet basically consists a generous serving of rice. And it goes in every meal. Sometimes, even as snacks. 

One can only imagine how hard it is to give up. But he did stay on the course of his resolve. Come final weigh in, he was declared as the biggest loser! He won the pot money and got back his health. Since he embarked on his active lifestyle, he noticed that his blood pressure has neutralized. It has been over two months already that he has completely stopped taking his maintenance medication for hypertension. 

Meet Rey. He just won the bragging rights as The Biggest Loser.

Now, this is the kind of losing I won't mind. And his story has become a springboard for all the participants to really kick start with their programs. 

What about you? What's your lose weight story? Please share.