Fair Play: The importance of being fit

I JOINED the 21K division in the Cebu City Marathon almost two years ago and I haven’t joined a 5K ever since. Though I’ve always planned to do so, but “wanting” to join one never ended up in me joining one.

But, prior that 21K run, that couple of years when I trooped to the Cebu City Sports Center for my daily grind has been a huge help. I’ve lost weight, a lot of it, though I’ve gained some back, as of the last “weigh-in,” I’m still 20 pounds lighter than my heaviest weight about six or seven years ago.



Not bad, eh.

I don’t claim to be fit or to be a health buff. But, what I’ve noticed is that despite spending less time on the road the past few months, I’ve noticed that when I do try to jog, I don’t have as much of a hard time as I did when I took up jogging two years ago, after almot 16 years of inactivity.

Getting fit has its advantages. And, as I learned from my friend Ted, it’s a tool in a survival situation.

While talking about his experience during Typhoon Yolanda, Ted says he felt like a triathlete as he swam, ran and biked.

When the storm surge hit, he swam to save his aunt, and after the storm died down, he walked almost 30 kilometers to check on his parents and other relatives’ safety. And that was just the first day. He would spend the next few days, walking and biking around Tacloban for kilometers.

He said the time spent on all those fun runs and fun rides really helped.

I’m not saying, of course, that you get on your bike or lace up your running shoes right now to prepare for a disaster. Folks who already do and enjoy the benefits of running, biking and swimming have the advantage when getting from Points A to B,C,D,E and F depends on how fit you are.

DONNIE’S STORY. Donnie Nietes isn’t as famous as Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire or even Brian Viloria but this guy guy has been etching his mark in the world of boxing, almost unnoticed.

He won his first title on Sept. 30, 2007, against Thai Pornsawan Porpramook during their fight for the vacant WBO minimumweight title (105 pounds). He defended six times, thrice in boxing hotbed Mexico.

After two years as the 105-pound king, where he was named as one of the top 105-pound champions of all time, he climbed to the 108-pound division and won the WBO light flyweight title in his first attempt, beating Ramon Hirales.

Two years later, he’s still the 108-pound champion, and the only blip in his run was that majority draw against Moises Fuentes last March.

And last night, just as he said he would, the guy who started as a janitor in the ALA stable scored a third-round knockout against latest challenger Sammy Gutierrez, for his 10th win in a world title fight

Since Donnie won his first title, Manny Pacquiao, Nonito Donaire, Brian Viloria and Marvin Sonson have all won and lost their crowns, making him a truly different kind of champion.



  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The failed U23 experiment

Mother Nature plays spoilsport

A Pinoy played for Real Madrid? (updated)