I have always wondered what was that first mutation that initiated human dominance. There are many candidates, and it's impossible to pin down that one mutation. But I think our ability to sweat was "the one."
The ability to sweat gave us persistence, relentlessness, and patience. It allowed us to dominate larger animals. This ability, along with teamwork, intelligence, and our capacity to walk on two feet, gave us an immense advantage over other species.
No one sweats better than humans (except maybe horses). It's a unique ability. The primary purpose of sweating is to cool the body down, allowing us to regulate our body temperature. As a result, humans can move very long distances without stopping.
Slow and steady wins the race!
This is why I think the famous fable is about the tortoise and not about the rabbit. Persistence trumps raw speed.
This year hasn't been a good one if you, like me, enjoy running or activities that include running. But now that the nation is finally opening up again, I decided to venture out for a run.
It had been almost a year since I had a decent run. So saying I was out of touch would be an understatement. Nevertheless, I set a goal of 5km for myself.
The place I chose to run was about 1.5km from my home. I decided to walk there, thinking it would be a good warmup. When I started running, even before completing the first kilometer, I thought it was "over." My lungs burned, my legs felt heavy, and my body screamed at me to stop. But I persisted, continuing to jog at a slow pace. I made a promise to myself: I might slow down, but I would not stop.
The run was challenging. Around the 37-minute mark, I nearly vomited—the sensation rose to my throat, and I had to pause briefly to prevent it from spewing out. After that short break, I continued jogging and eventually completed the full distance.
My time was horrible, to say the least. In the past, I was able to cover 7-8km during a one-hour football game. And considering that football involves numerous sprints, it was clear my overall fitness had significantly declined. But this decline wasn't unexpected. My plan is to improve this time in the coming days and hopefully bring it down to 30 minutes.
I couldn't go running today because I'm suffering from muscle cramps—another sign of how out of shape I've become. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back out there tomorrow.
Patience and persistence will always prevail.
Just like our ancestors who used their unique ability to sweat to outlast their prey, I'll use my persistence to rebuild my endurance one run at a time. The human body is remarkable in its ability to adapt and improve—we just need to give it the right challenges and the time to respond.