Counselor Report
Takanori Kuge
Hello everyone, this is Kuge, the counselor.
Today, instead of talking about my work at JSS, I’d like to share something about my hobby.
From my late 30s to early 40s, I used to participate in half-marathons, full marathons, and trail running races. However, six years ago, I suffered a major knee injury, which led me to step away from running.
Considering the strain running puts on the knees and the fact that I am now in my 50s, I thought I would never seriously take up running again. However, after watching the Hakone Ekiden during the New Year holidays, I was inspired to give running another try. So, on January 3rd, I started running again. At that moment, I set two goals somewhat on a whim:
- Run at least 6 km every day
- Run a total of 2,500 km by the end of this year
Since I love exercising and play tennis almost every evening from spring to autumn, I was fairly confident in my physical fitness. I assumed that running 6 km a day wouldn’t be too difficult. However, once I started, I quickly realized how challenging it was. By the second day, I was already struggling with muscle soreness and a fierce snowstorm, which nearly broke my resolve.
For the first six days, I forced my heavy body to move purely out of stubbornness and habit, just barely meeting my 6 km minimum. But on the seventh day, I experienced a breakthrough. The muscle soreness I had felt before was almost gone, my breathing and leg fatigue had significantly improved, and I was able to run about 9 km at a much faster pace than before, without much effort. I was honestly shocked by how suddenly things changed.
On the mental side, for the first six days, my thoughts were overwhelmingly negative:
“Why am I running in this freezing cold?”
“There’s no benefit to this.”
“In fact, this might even be bad for my body—maybe I should just quit.”
But on the seventh day, my mindset completely shifted:
“This feels great!”
“I’m so glad I pushed through for a week!”
“Maybe I can actually achieve my goal!”
I truly realized how deeply the mind and body are connected.
This winter in Toronto has been particularly harsh. There have been days when the wind chill dropped below -20°C, days with blizzard warnings and 20 cm of snowfall, and even a slightly terrifying encounter in the middle of the night when I locked eyes with two coyotes on a trail.
However, from January 3rd to today, March 12th, I haven’t skipped a single day—I’ve kept up my daily minimum of 6 km. Some days, the weather or my physical condition makes running unappealing, but at this point, I genuinely enjoy it. Here are a few reasons why:
- Running gives me time to reflect and have a dialogue with myself, which is interesting.
- There are moments when my mind goes completely blank, allowing me to relax.
- I can feel myself improving.
- I’ve learned to praise myself, which has boosted my self-esteem.
- It gives my daily life structure and a sense of fulfillment.
- The pleasant exhaustion helps me sleep better.
- The sense of achievement after a run—plus, an ice-cold Coke tastes amazing!
Numerous medical studies have proven that walking, power walking, and jogging significantly improve both mental and physical health. Now that Toronto is finally transitioning into a pleasant spring, why not incorporate these activities into your daily routine?
