Jun 2, 20212 min read

30 Minutes for 30 Days

Updated: Apr 29, 2023

7May 2021, 4:32PM a selfie taken when the sky was cloudy

Ramadan 2021 wasn’t like any previous Ramadan as I challenged myself to do a new experience. I decided to dedicate 30 minutes of my day to run, despite the crowded life and work pressure, disregarding the weakness that my body feels due to hunger, thirst, and lack of sleep. I was lucky to do 30 minutes of running for 30 days in a row. It doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but 30 minutes was enough to fill me with gratitude and peace. Every single run was an opportunity to meditate as I began to look in at the world in a different way that Allah created, and how everything in this existence shows the greatness of its creator. It made me think about all of the blessings I have and that I was blessed to be able to invest in my time in a way that benefits my health mentally and physically. Despite the lack of time, there is always room for a short run.

Have you ever regretted a run?

To be quite honest I had my moments of doubt specially when running in the middle of very hot weather while fasting. I suffered from the heat, thirst, and hunger and I felt pain in my body and muscles during and after running. In addition to that, I would run at the end of a full day, so my energy would be drained. Nevertheless, I was completely aware that after every run, I would feel accomplished and positive for the rest of the day. That feeling was the motivation for me to run the next day. Running while fasting was a very exceptional experience that granted me with positive energy and wonderful feelings.

Running is an infection

I ran every day in the same place and at the same time, so I passed by the same people practicing sports daily in the park. At the beginning most of the people preferred walking, and day by day I started to see some of them running. The number of people running increased by the end of the month. I realized then that running is infectious.