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Running the extra mile in Jakarta
Itâs all in the shoes: Women in high heels compete in the Fun With Your Heels Race in Jakarta in April
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Itâs all in the shoes: Women in high heels compete in the Fun With Your Heels Race in Jakarta in April. (JP/Nurhayati)" height="341" border="0" width="512">Itâs all in the shoes: Women in high heels compete in the Fun With Your Heels Race in Jakarta in April. (JP/Nurhayati)Running in Jakarta may not be as crazy â or as impossible â as you may think. Despite a lack of parks and sidewalks, endlessly clogged streets, permanently polluted skies and temperatures frequently touching 35 degrees Celsius, there are Jakartans who choose to jog to keep in shape.
It may be hard to start, but once you start running, you are always asking for more.
In the recent years, the country has seen several running races: 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer, half-marathon, marathon or other fun races.
Twenty-six-year-old Desca Lidya Natalia is one of those who have participated in the races and says she is addicted to it.
She started running two years ago just because she needed an exercise to keep her fit amid her busy schedules as a journalist. She jogs regularly around Setu Babakan in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, early in the morning.
âThereâs no jogging track there, but the condition of the roads is quite good, comfortable enough for running,â she said.
As a result, running keeps her healthy, helps her to have longer breath and helps her focused.
She then started to participate in a running race just to know how it felt to do a long-distance running.
And to do that, she knew she needed to prepare herself to face the challenge.
âI started to run more often. From only once a week, I increased it to two to three times a week,â she said.
She managed to complete her first 10 k race in one hour and 28 minutes, and showed improvements in her two 10k races later which she completed in one hour and 10 minutes.
âI was so excited when I first joined the race; not nervous, no anxiety, just feel so energized to run,â Desca said.
The feeling of being able to run for miles had amused her that she wanted to step up her record by participating in the half-marathon in Bali in June.
It's all in the shoes: Women in high heels compete in the Fun With Your Heels Race in Jakarta in April. (JP/Nurhayati) Running in Jakarta may not be as crazy ' or as impossible ' as you may think. Despite a lack of parks and sidewalks, endlessly clogged streets, permanently polluted skies and temperatures frequently touching 35 degrees Celsius, there are Jakartans who choose to jog to keep in shape. Prep well to run well Running is the most basic of exercises. Almost everyone has tried to do it - either intentionally or unintentionally. The benefits are legion: Regular running builds strong bones, improves cardiovascular fitness and helps to maintain a healthy weight.
It may be hard to start, but once you start running, you are always asking for more.
In the recent years, the country has seen several running races: 5-kilometer, 10-kilometer, half-marathon, marathon or other fun races.
Twenty-six-year-old Desca Lidya Natalia is one of those who have participated in the races and says she is addicted to it.
She started running two years ago just because she needed an exercise to keep her fit amid her busy schedules as a journalist. She jogs regularly around Setu Babakan in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, early in the morning.
'There's no jogging track there, but the condition of the roads is quite good, comfortable enough for running,' she said.
As a result, running keeps her healthy, helps her to have longer breath and helps her focused.
She then started to participate in a running race just to know how it felt to do a long-distance running.
And to do that, she knew she needed to prepare herself to face the challenge.
'I started to run more often. From only once a week, I increased it to two to three times a week,' she said.
She managed to complete her first 10 k race in one hour and 28 minutes, and showed improvements in her two 10k races later which she completed in one hour and 10 minutes.
'I was so excited when I first joined the race; not nervous, no anxiety, just feel so energized to run,' Desca said.
The feeling of being able to run for miles had amused her that she wanted to step up her record by participating in the half-marathon in Bali in June.
Desca said for her maiden half-marathon, she had prepped herself six months before, doing regular jogging and other simple exercises.
The heat she felt during the race was not a problem for her as she had got used to it, but it was the track that troubled her.
'I didn't train myself to run on uphill and downhill tracks. I made several stops for a rest, but was hurriedly back running. I didn't want to get left behind,' said Desca who finished her race in three hours 13 minutes.
Indonesian marathon runner Muara Sianturi said running started to become a trend in Southeast Asia since 2008, but only reached Indonesia recently.
'So far, the races only receive great response in Jakarta, where participants could reach around 4,000. In Makassar [South Sulawesi] for example, it only attracted around 1,000 participants,' said Muara who has been running in marathon, ultramarathon and triathlon races.
Jakarta will host its first Jakarta Marathon on Oct. 27, expected to be able to attract more local and international tourists. It will also offer a number of categories: a full marathon of 42 kilometers, a half marathon, a 10k and 5k run, and a children's sprint.
Muara said many people had started to be interested in running races because they wanted to have their own record, something they could be proud of.
'Then they published it in social media so their friends can know and probably can follow suit. That's good, that can be the start of a healthy lifestyle,' he said.
It is believed that Marathon was first run, unintentionally, in 490 B.C by a Greek soldier, Pheidippides, who ran 25 miles to Athens from the town of Marathon to announce a battleground victory over
the Persians.
Over 2,000 years later, marathon returned at the modern Olympic Games in Greece in 1896 where 17 runners ran 40 kilometers, equal to 24.8 miles.
Since, many cities held their own marathon races, with Boston became the oldest annual marathon in the world.
Another marathon lover, businessman Sandiaga Uno says running is more than just his an exercise, but he also takes it as his 'me time', having the chance to release his burdens in mind.
'Moreover, when I'm running in long distance, I can think of many ideas,' he said.
Sandiaga started running in 2009, and for him, running was actually closely connected to his business life because in running there were philosophies ' commitment, speed and endurance ' which are similar to business principals.
He said as a businessman he had to be fast so he would not be preceded by anyone else.
'While for endurance, which is important when you're having long-distance running, is needed in business so the business can be sustainable,' he said.
Sandiaga, who participated in New York Marathon and Paris Marathon, then decided to make running more than just a hobby.
He set up Berlari Untuk Berbagi (Running for Sharing) foundation which combines long-distance running and charity. Through it, donors donate the money for every kilometer he runs and he uses the money to finance social programs, such as setting up a library for children, and building a clinic for cancer children.
'Running 42 kilometers is no longer a burden because I have a mission to accomplish. And when you touch that finish line, the mission is accomplished,' he said.
However, to get the desired benefits, Frank Malonda, the founder of running portal dunialari.com, says it is necessary to make proper preparations before breaking out your athletic shoes, especially for long-distance runs.
'Running is easy, but to keep running in the long run [no pun intended], we have to have proper knowledge about running itself, nutrition intake and the recovery phase,' he said.
Frank said that before running, people must first warm up for 10 to 15 minutes by taking a little jog to increase their body temperature and stretch out their hips and legs to prepare their muscles.
'But don't do stretching as your warm-up,' Frank cautioned. 'Do that afterwards instead to relax stiff muscles.'
Frank said for those who wanted to take part in a long-distance run, preparation had to begin long before D-day. Meanwhile, for a 10-kilometer race, eight weeks of preparation would be enough, he said. and for a half marathon, preparation should begin eight to 10 weeks before race day.
A marathon, however, required 14 to 16 weeks of training, Frank said. Eighteen weeks would be even better.
While training, runners should not only run, but also train their muscles to avoid injury.
He suggested training primary muscles in the lower body, such as the calf quadriceps (the muscle group in front of the thigh), hamstrings (the back of the thighs), the gluteus maximus that shape the buttocks and calves.
Frank said that primary muscles would not work well if not supported by the biceps and upper and lower abdominals. 'We need to strengthen all of these to become an endurance runner.'
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