Find your inner runner

If you have a body, you are an athlete.  —Bill Bowerman, co-founder of Nike

Uh, noted, Bill.

Being the running don’t-know-it-all that I am, there is always room for fascination every time I overhear talk of track and field or keeping fit to do so. “These shoes are so light, I think I clocked just under six minutes running with them.” Six minutes? Amazingly confusing. Like an alien, I slowly tilt my head at people who use running terminology like “tempo run” (comfortably hard runs, as I learned), “fartlek” (bursts of speed runs in the middle of a workout) and “LSD” (“long slow distance” pala), and even common fitness terms like whey. Why bother? It’s all foreign to me and I’d rather play a hard game of cyber basketball.

But as Nike has proven time and time again, anyone can do what these athletes do. Anyone can inspire themselves to stop making excuses, start running, keep at it, beat your personal best, and end up living a lifestyle that deserves the very same praise athletes get.

Nike Pop-Up Shop

And what better way to realize all that than a trip to the Nike+ Innovation Space itself in Singapore? Situated in Peranakan Place Level 2 along Orchard Road, the pop-up shop was a futuristic way to embrace something alien to me: running.

Along with triathlete-TV host Drew Arellano, his brother, running coach Rio dela Cruz, basketball player LA Tenorio and other Southeast Asian athletes, we were flown by PAL to Singapore on July 25 to check out Nike’s newest innovations. Green vials of cold lime juice, neon-yarned corners, and floating shoes surrounded the retail space as we were oriented with the newest products.

Nike Lunarglide+ 4

This season’s Nike LunarGlide+ 4, for instance, combines Nike Lunarlon foam technology (30 percent lighter than standard phylon foam) with firmer carrier foam, helping the runner move from soft to stable as the heel lands and foot flexes down.

“We wanted to embed the athlete at the center of the process and listen to their voice because they constantly break the status quo,” says Matt Nordstrom, senior designer in apparel innovation at Nike. “Michael Johnson’s gold running shoes, for instance, were designed to weigh less than his gold chain.”

Nike Flyknit And Greatness

Nike does defy convention and this sense of weightlessness recurs in most running shoes. The Nike Flyknit attests to this with a total record-low weight of only 5.6 ounces. “Wow, that can’t be true,” Drew Arellano says with a laugh. “5.6 ounces — that’s like a sock.” The Flyknit’s inclination to speed has managed to amuse coach Rio as well. “I assume Spiderman was the inspiration for this shoe,” he says with a serious comic look.

As to what greatness is for coach Rio, he says, “Greatness is crossing the finish line knowing I beat my personal best.” He started running at the age of 11 and hasn’t turned back ever since. “Sa Marikina lang ako tumatakbo noon (I only ran in Marikina back in the day).” he tells me while going down the elevator. The youngest of 14, the afro-ed runner also says he is the only athlete in the family — and the only one with curly hair. “Ganito talaga ako. Never ako magpapa-straight (I’m really like this. I’ll never have straight hair).”

“Longest distance? Finishing 1K,” jokes famed point guard LA Tenorio, who quickly changes it to 15K. “Running the 15K was a great accomplishment for me.”

“Even if we were invited to the Olympics, going to Singapore for Nike was better,” also jokes Drew Arellano, whose first marathon was the Standard Chartered 42K in 2008. Since then, he has joined the West Australia Iron Man run. “It’s been amazing. Greatness for me is being with all these runners.”

Nike Pro Turbo Speed Suit

If shoes are covered, then the Nike Pro Turbo Speed suit completes the runner’s outfit. We’re building it inside out,” Nordstrom explains again. “The last thing we want athletes to worry about is their uniform. Its AeroSwift technology reduces drag and increases speed like a golf ball.” True enough, the suit is the lightest, fastest track uniform Nike has ever built. Wind tunnel data has recorded up to a 0.023 second faster over 100mm than previous uniforms. “For athletes, shaving off this little can mean a lot if you’re in it to win,” says Nordstrom. The suit also recycles about 13 PET bottles in its manufacturing process. Nordstrom sums it up as “high performance with minimum environmental impact.”

Find Your Greatness, Bro

But is Nike still the go-to place for non-athlete runners? “Well, I would definitely say Nike was born of innovation in the service of runners,” shares Nordstrom. “It’s very close to our DNA and we’ve made sure our products make it easy for everyone to run.” Key word: everyone. The everyday athlete has always been celebrated by Nike, but with its “Find Your Greatness” campaign, the focus is on anyone even more. Anyone can define and achieve their own greatness in sport. Anyone can become the next Drew Arellano or coach Rio, big curls and humor included.

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The Nike products mentioned in this article are now available in Metro Manila, at a Nike store near you.

The Nike+ Innovation Space in Singapore, meanwhile, ends on August 12 2012, and is located at 180 Orchard Road, Peranakan Place Level 2. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is free.

You can also find the “Find Your Greatness” campaign video on YouTube today and join the #findgreatness conversation on Twitter by sharing your own story of greatness.

For feedback, you can reach me at ralph.mendoza@yahoo.com.