Sports journalism and running: A match made in heaven
MANILA, Philippines — As we all know, anything can happen at any given time.
The fire that razed Star City back in 2019 happened just past midnight. Former president Rodrigo Duterte arrived in The Hague, Netherlands late evening (Manila time). President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did some jumping jacks in the morning.
Of course, reporters are there onsite to report on the important things that occur. They are present to inform the masses when something newsworthy happens.
And of course, sports reporters are no different.
They were there to cover Carlos Yulo’s historic gold medal in the Olympics that happened in the late hours at night (Manila time); Alex Eala’s exploits across the world that happens between 10 a.m. to 6 a.m., depending on the timezone; and LeBron James’s record-setting jumper that happened in the morning (Philippine time).
With their busy schedules, sports reporters, like normal employees, could easily look past their personal health.
Some, though, make sure running is still a part of their routine.
Healthy and fun
Justin Kenneth Carandang, a sports reporter for GMA News Online, said he started running two years ago.
“Ang nakakatawa kasi, na-invite lang ako mag-cover ng Trilogy Run na Leg 1, tapos inalok lang akong tumakbo. Ako naman, noong time na yun, parang willing naman akong mag-try,” he said in an interview with Philstar.com.
The 33-year-old said he wanted to focus more on his health because he was not exercising that much during that time.
“Sabi ko, sige, takbo ko. Plus from there, hindi ko naman in-expect na fun pala siyang gawin. So, ayun, medyo nagtuloy-tuloy naman. Although pag-busy days, hindi talaga. Pero, tuloy-tuloy naman eventually,” he added.
Carandang said he enjoyed the sense of community at first, but now, more than that, he appreciated the effects of running on his health.
“Pero tumatakbo ako, kasi, number one, for physical health, kasi, meron din akong hypertension. It runs in the family din kasi. So, tas yung lifestyle ko ay, I mean yung work kasi, the lifestyle is, hindi ka naman sobrang makakalakad or exercise or what,” he said.
“So, mine-make sure ko na lang na partly, tumatakbo pa rin ako, kahit sinisingit ako talaga siya ng time,” he added.
It also helps him more than physically, as it also helps him mentally, he stressed.
“Pag hindi ako nakakatakbo, nalulungkot ako. May ganung moments talaga na pag malungkot ako, ang gagawin ko ay tatakbo ako. Parang tatakbo sa problema,” he said.
“It helps me mentally, somehow, kasi… pag bad trip ako, tatakbo ako. Pag gusto ko nang sumayang konti, tatakbo ako.”
Need for cardio
For her part, Paige Javier, a sports reporter for ABS-CBN, said she started to get serious in running 10 years ago, when he wanted to build up endurance and cardio as she tried to do other things in the gym.
“Before, I used to go to gym. And then, I didn't have that much cardio. And then, when I wanted to do like spinning, other things sa gym, I realized you need to have cardio. So that's why it helped when I started running. I was able to build that endurance, cardio. So I was able to do those things better,” she stressed.
“Care for health also. I want to be fit, healthy. People have different reasons. Pero ako yun, mostly health talaga,” she added.
The closure of gyms during the COVID-19 pandemic eventually pushed Javier to mainly focus on running.
“Especially now also, I don't have much exercise apart from running. It's the easiest thing to do. You just need to get your gear on, your shoes, and then you just run. If you have an open space. Unlike if you're going to the gym or other fitness activities, you have to go to that place.
Whereas running, you can run anywhere. And it's free. Lalabas ka na lang,” she stated.
Sacrifice
Both reporters also underscored that the nature of the job does not allow them to have too much time to exercise.
“Well, you know with our work in media, it's not a 9-to-5 job. So your time can go out super early and you can end super late. So before when I was still more on the production side, I had time to go to the gym every day. But now, I don't even run every day to be honest,” Javier, who runs at least three days a week, bared.
“I just run when I can and when I'm rested enough to run. So yun. Yun yung mahirap I guess with the job. You don't have that much time. So I just try to run whenever I have the time. Whenever I can. Or sometimes, I sacrifice sleep. I wake up early. Like 6 a.m.,” she added.
This was echoed by Carandang.
“Paano ako nakakahanap ng oras? Pag may duty ako, depende sa araw. Pag hindi naman ginagabi ako sa coverage, ita-try ko talagang tumakbo. Pero kapag hindi talaga, day off ko or kapag wala masyadong ganap sa work,” Carandang, who tries to participate in a fun run once a month, said.
“Pero usually nga, mga madaling araw.”
Pieces of advice
With the two consistently putting up reps and counting steps, what are the tips they could give to busybodies who plan to start running?
“Ang pinaka-mine-make sure ko lagi, hydrated ako. Mine-make sure ko na umiinom ako kapag nauuhaw ako,” Carandang bared.
He also underscored the importance of warming up, as skipping it, he said, is a common mistake for newbie runners.
“Kailangan mong mag-warm up para hindi ka ma-injure, tsaka para ang katawan mo, medyo loose na and warmed up na.”
Javier said that stretching and keeping herself hydrated are a must, and another important thing is to “listen to your body.”
“If you're tired, na parang hindi na normal tired, you have to stop. Even if you want to do something, you have to listen to your body. Because you won't be able to achieve your running goals if you keep pushing yourself too much. Tipong OA na,” she said.
Javier added that runners usually forget to breathe properly, and it is one of the most overlooked things when in action.
“Don't forget to breathe. And then you're like, you forgot that you need to breathe properly. Breathing is like, I guess, one of the biggest things when you're running. Because when you don't breathe properly, you can't run.”
Oh, and one more thing? Expensive gear is not the end-all be-all of good runners.
“Don't think that, you know, you have to have all that expensive gear. Because honestly, I mean, yes, it comes with it. But if you're just starting, you can just have basic shoes. And then if you want to do marathons, those types of things, those require a bit a bit more expensive and sophisticated gear,” she said.
“But if you're just starting out, you don't need like three pairs of different shoes and all the expensive brands. Because like my fiancé, I think the best example, he doesn't buy all those expensive shoes. But he can run a marathon. So, he always tells me that. He reminds me that.
You don't need it.”
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