This archive report was first published on 20 June 2020.
June 20, 2020, marked a day I decided to try something new with my friend Hilda – a romantic jog. The idea was inspired by my online fitness coach, Sum_messy, who once said that a man who works out has the self-confidence that would attract any woman.
As we set out, I couldn't help but think of the European jogging experience, where people jog around properly manicured gardens, sometimes alongside their properly fed dogs. They do so with expensive sports gear, designer sports shoes, and sleek earphones, probably listening to the latest music.
But our experience was far from that. We had to make do with average shorts and old rubber shoes, and we couldn't find any properly manicured lawn, so we chose a common track that we had to share with motorbike riders early in their hustle.
As we ran, I struggled to keep up with Hilda, and my shoes made it tough as they kept shifting beneath my heels, confusing the tempo of the jogging. By the time we had done about a kilometre, I was panting like a pig, sweating profusely, and heaving like a steam engine.
It was clear that neither of us had kept our promise to start the day in a similar fashion, and our jogging experience was far from romantic.
