Tinker-Tailor, Sailor-Runner

He knew that he would be a sailor, from a very early part of his life. They said he had sailing in his blood, salt in his vein. He knew he would be a sailor long before he could walk, let alone talk. He could talk sailing, he could walk sailing, he could laugh sailing, live, eat and breathe sailing. Sailing was all he ever wanted to do, a sailor he was meant to be. He was naturally drawn to the sea. He longed for it, like the deserts missed the rains. And in the end that was what he was destined to become, what he became, a sailor.

But things were about to change, take a new turn. No he wasn’t going to ditch sailing, he was just about to add a new dimension to his life. She came into his life, and with her she introduced him to the world of running. They couldn’t be more different from each other, like chalk and cheese. But she brought running into his world. She was a popular runner, socially very active, well known on the marathon running circuit. She clicked selfies as much as she was asked to be part of it, or even participated in races (or even more). She regularly ran races and was constantly asked to be face of races.

He on the other hand had no social media presence, was not on social media, had no inclination to be on it, apart from his phones messenger through which he managed to keep in touch with those he needed to be in touch with. He had no intention of coming on board. But what he did take from her was a love for running.

Being a sailor, he already had the physicality down to a pat. He was physically conditioned to running and worked to strengthen himself. He was a more practical person, he liked to read up, apply and improve, rather than going out there and just race. He preferred having a scientific knowledge, doing it the right way and using the correct from. He liked reading and getting to understand the science behind a method, before he applied it, he wanted understand the nitty-gritty, every aspect of running, and when he applied it, he did it with unwavering discipline and focus. He discovered being at sea didn’t stop him from training. All he needed was a treadmill, he could even use the deck of the ship to run laps. Being on the ship also gave him access to the best running gears, when his ship made port.

Over the course of time he gathered quite a vast amount of knowledge from all his reading and experience, that he was more than willing to share, to discuss and debate on it, to guide others. He didn’t keep this knowledge to himself. He was more than willing to share as much as he gained. He couldn’t match her popularity but for those who knew him, loved him and respected him. He was more than willing to help those who needed it, to support those who needed the support. Like a sponge he absorbed the knowledge, the experience that were to be gained from those around him and he put it to good use. He gave without a second thought. 

He continued to train, adding a new aspect to training, barefoot running, running the way humans were meant to run, discovering his capability, finding out how much he could push himself, learning about himself and running, improving his running and with him helping others. Becoming a running soul, supplementing the salt in his veins, adding another dimension in his life, another layer, becoming a Sailor-Runner.