Runners today take longer to complete a 10K training run than 20 years before. If you are finding this hard to believe, let us explain.
Running in the 20th Century
Remember a time when running was such a simple activity? All we had to do was muster the motivation to lace up some sneakers and get out the front door. Pre-run activities included remembering to drink water, and some simple stretching for warm-ups. On days when we were feeling super diligent, we might have even slapped on some sunscreen.
We’d then proceed to run.
Our top priority after a hard workout was to rehydrate. The socially-conscious among us would courteously use some deodorant, because we wanted to keep our friends and avoid making enemies at the office.
Total prep time: 10 minutes
Total run time: 50 minutes
Total workout time: 1 hour
Running in the 21st Century
Fast forward twenty years, and running is a whole different story. Most of us are dressed up like Christmas trees, with a variety of gadgets and accessories. Technology has not only improved our running shoes, it has also gifted us with a music library in our pockets so we can no longer decide between K-Pop or R&B, running apps or watches to not only time our splits but also to track our running route and, you know, find our way back with the map function just in case we get lost in our neighbourhood park.
Best of all, look at how far mobile phones have come! Our smartphones today don’t just beep in monotone to inform us of an incoming SMS, they’re mini computers that do everything, especially and most importantly, helping us capture the most critical moments of our daily lives – our mid-run action shots – in high quality images with a 10 megapixel built-in camera.
After all, how else will our grandchildren believe that once upon a time, Ah Gong was such a suave chick magnet?
Of course, trying to find a flattering angle while running is not easy, especially with all the equipment jangling on our bodies. But hey, victory only goes to those who persevere, so 27 photos is a sure sign of our progress as runners.
A workout is incomplete until we’ve plugged our data into the computer, analysed our performance, and share our glorious results on all our social media platforms. We get bonus points for the run if we manage to score one Like within the next 24 hours.
Total prep time: 20 minutes
Total run time: 1 hour (must slow down or else your photos will be blurry)
Total workout time: 1h 20 minutes
Next time your boss asks why you’re back late from your lunch break, simply explain that a healthy workforce is an asset to the company, and diligent running requires an investment of time.
