While Eliud Kipchoge was running his under 2-hour marathon, I was running errands and that is the only running I do lately. I can’t remember the last time I ran or even jogged. My go-to exercise? Walking. I’ll walk anywhere, morning, afternoon or evening, so effortlessly. Not the same with running. I meet joggers especially on weekends and you can tell from the panting and numerous stops that they struggle too. Things are clearly different for the Kipchoges of this world. I didn’t know how much goes into their preparation though. From what I remember of the school runs I participated in years ago which we referred to like cross-country even though the race was usually just around the school, all we wore were shorts and T-shirts. Most joggers I see don tracksuits, tank tops, slacks and regular sneakers for running shoes. Professional long-distance runners invest a lot more, from special kits to pacemakers, nutritionists and doctors. Wind resistance and altitude matter too. Who knew? I guess when world records and prize money are in play, you can’t leave anything to chance. I was thinking about the things I do in about the same amount of time as these runners and clearly, my time is not well spent. It takes me hours just to get my hair and nails done. Longer if the salon is overbooked. I happen to be a slow reader too. I remember in school, some of my friends would read novels or books in a day or two. It would take me longer. Sometimes weeks! I have this thing where I’ll pause to look up a word or phrase I may not be familiar with or just revisit a chapter I may have enjoyed. I do the same with movies. If I liked a certain scene or the décor, I’ll rewind repeatedly just to screenshot it. Or if I enjoyed the soundtrack but don’t know the composer, I’ll look them up mid-movie. And yes, I’m one of those people who still check the cast credits and then go on to look up some of their other work and that’s how I end up watching a 90-minute movie for three hours or more. I’m also a slow eater and like to take my time savoring the food, which is why I prefer ordering take out rather than eating at the restaurant because I don’t want to be rushed, especially if it’s a busy restaurant and someone is waiting for my table. And unlike most people who prefer hot food, I let mine cool and I tend not to just focus on eating. I’ll be doing something else as I eat, like reading a newspaper or magazine. If I’m cooking, you better not be starving because it takes me forever and a day to get everything ready. Shopping takes up a lot of my time too. Sometimes I know exactly what I’m picking up so I’ll just pop into the store and get it but more often than not, I’m in there for hours, mostly because I’m spoilt for choice but I could also just be window shopping and before I know it, two hours have elapsed!
