LISTEN to your body and be prepared in order to finish the distance that you are running, triathlete Amale Jopson said Wednesday night.
Amale, the assistant vice president for sales of Aegis PeopleSupport, said that for her, “running is a family thing.” It allows her to spend time with her husband, top triathlete Noy Jopson, and with her children.
DON’T FORCE IT. Triathlete Amale Jopson tells runners gathered at the Sun.Star Cebu newsroom to “listen to your body” when running. “If you feel (aches) don’t force it. It’s just a race. It’s not worth it. It’s not worth hurting yourself,” she said. CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE. (PHOTO BY ALEX BADAYOS, USED WITH PERMISSION)The former competitive triathlete encouraged runners who attended Wednesday night’s Ungo Run, a weekly night run from the Sun.Star Cebu office to the IT Park, to get other members of the family involved in running.
“I run for a lot of reasons. I run because it’s fun. I enjoy it…It’s time I get to spend for myself. I like to run alone but I also like to run with other people. So there’s that enjoyment that I can be alone to think about anything or everything while I run but at the same time it also allows me to socialize with other people. It also allows me to spend time with my husband,” she said.
Amale first joined a fun run when she was 12, when she convinced her sister and her friend to join a 3K run that started near the old Sun.Star Cebu office on Osmeña Blvd. to Baseline. Later, when she became an exchange student in Iowa in the United States, she became part of a cross-country running team. It was during her stint in the team under their principal who also served as cross-country coach that she learned the proper techniques of running and training under all weather conditions. She said that until today, she still hears her coach’s, Mr. Bohy’s, voice in her head especially when running uphill, “take short, choppy steps.”
