Keep Making Personal Bests

I started running around 2016. I remember that I used to run on the field in front of my university hall in the evening after classes.

Not many people ran back then, at least not in Yogyakarta where I studied.

Then I participated in my first running event, it was the Mandiri Jogja Marathon 2017 where I ran the 5K, with an official time of 35:00, or a 7:00 min/km pace. I remember it exactly because the time was a round number 😅. Oh, and I almost vomited at the finish line LOL.

I never knew my personal best time before, I ran simply because I wanted to. I didn’t care about the pace—I didn’t even know what that was back then. I didn’t care what shoes I was wearing—I even ran barefoot my first time 🤣.

Two weeks ago, almost exactly on the same date as my first running event, I recorded a new personal best for the 5K. It was 23:47, or a 4:45 min/km pace.

I never thought I’d hit that number when I first started running, but I guess I’ve been improving slowly all these years.

I wonder what other things I’ve been improving at without realizing it, just because I haven’t been tracking them. Do I get better at work? Do I get better as a friend? Do I get better at being a human in general? Well, I guess it’s a great idea for an app 🧐.

Hitting that number felt awesome, it was like a reminder to me to Keep Making Personal Bests, not only in running, but in every aspect of my life.

Isn’t that what life is about, being a better version of yourself every day?