The Pear Tree

The Pear Tree

I’m a runner who train for 5K and half a marathon events. My secret is a good rhythm and fight music. I don’t run fast and I never jog. Jogging are for wimps. My favorite training grounds is my neighborhood that has open roads that leads to a park, a country backroad, and a boulevard. I run everywhere and try to mix the routes.

There’s peace to my run just myself, the scenery and my music. Yes, that’s right peace can be found in fight music as it set you free and your dopamine levels goes through the roof giving you an euphoric feeling of invincibility. I pace myself first with a good beat that is not a fight song because I want to get going and loosen up my mechanics. As my run becomes difficult that’s when I play my fight music.

I saw a neighbor plant a pear tree in his front yard. I told myself that tree won’t last as squirrels will surely ruin the tree for that’s what happen to my parents pear tree. They never got a fruit out of it and there would always be messy piles of rotten gnat infested fruit lying around. They chopped it down and plant a simple flowering tree.

The more I run the more my knees would ache, lower back gives out, and my feet hurt. I was starting to get angry and all the world has to say to me is that it’s matter of time for running to be a thing of the past, that my joints will wear out and I will have to buy more expensive shoes just to walk. “Damnit NO! So help me GOD”, I screamed while stretching my lower back. I would pop joint supplements, turmeric capsules, and even hemp oil products just to heal enough to keep running.

A year later and that little pear tree grew to about six foot tall and it has a few pears. As I ran past the tree I can’t help but to wonder how long will it last? How can I keep running with a constant dull pain with an occasional lock ups at my ankles and knee? I started to feel down with each running step feels like it might be my last. When I am down my energy is down and my movements gets sloppy. If I am really down then not even my fight music can help. I felt tired and hot. Was it the vaccine shot? I decided to cut my run short and turn back. I ran haggard, my shirt soaked with my sweat, and my music isn’t registering with my brain. How come that tree can thrive but not me?

When I got home, I took a shower, ate a large portion of watermelon, and crashed at the couch watching anime on Crunchyroll. I watched countless stories of some underdog ended up playing sports better, learned how to fight, mastered his hidden magic from within, or overcame some other life problem. “I need to run better”, I said out loud. I prayed to Jesus for a better body--just point me the way and I’ll work my ass off.

A year later I bought an expensive pair of running shoes with super duper arch support. I feel like an ass forking over such large amount of dough. I ran past the lovely pear tree and smiled to it. I’m gonna last and thrive too, you pear tree, I thought. The tree has gotten a little taller and it had much more fruit and still no squirrels in sight. Amazing!

I ran and ran and ran as weeks went bye and so far so good until one day my knees would ache again and my toes would hurt. I was feeling down. My run was okay but the old problems came back. God, I’m a pear tree too, your pear tree, I thought. The next day my brother called asking me some questions about Apple products since he was looking for a new laptop. I told him all about the mighty M1 multiprocessor. The conversation shifted to his camping and then about my new shoes. “These shoes suck!”, I said. My brother talked about his experience with a flat shoe. His total flat shoe has no arch support, no heel support, and only a simple inner sole.

I thanked him for the inspiring information and hang up. I spent the whole afternoon watching YouTube videos after YouTube videos of natural or sometimes called barefoot running. The videos showed the forefoot landing technique. I also visited podiatrist websites and the best ones are those who explained the importance of natural running and the destructive effects of supported shoes. I went to an online shoe store and bought a pair of true flat running shoes.

I was so happy that I had to celebrate my order by going on a run. This is the last time I will wear these evil support shoes, I thought. I ran to the pear tree and said, “little tree you are looking at another pear tree, me!” It was a happy run with a little pain. After a week my new shoes arrived. I put them on and realized I can feel the ground. I ran a block as a test and I had to focus hard not to heel strike. After my run my calves burned. Ah man that hurt, I thought as I rubbed them. I realize if I am to thrive like that pear tree I must believe that my squirrels my pain will go away. Little by little and prayer after prayer my calves gotten stronger and my tendons grew custom to the new way of running.

I realize the owner believed his front yard would be an excellent spot for his pear tree and he watered it everyday. I learned to believe too about my body to be able to run for many years to come. My “squirrels” left me and I became fruitful in my run.

As the years went by I find myself in my seniors and I still run forefoot and run in many events with only an occasional muscle ache. The other seniors marveled at my running ability. One old guy compliment me by saying, “you’re like that old pear tree that keeps on going without any squirrels bothering it.” I smiled back and said, “thanks.”