2nd Anniversary of Joining Parcival: A Brief Reflection
Author: Natanop Pimonsathian Release version: 0.0 Date: 23.03.2020
I write this blog to reflect my sentiment about being a member of Parcival, home of enthusiastic student runners in Tilburg.
I want to bring everyone back to two years ago, where I joined the Saturday training for the first time. I love the surroundings in Tilburg: air quality, climate, cycling paths, and forests, that allow me to run whenever and wherever I want. This environment completely contradicts with what I’ve experienced in my hometown named Bangkok. For this reason, I started to run slowly but steadily. I further expected to complete a half marathon in Den Haag and therefore I reached out to Parcival for training advice. I met Benoît on a Saturday training, and as you probably already know, he is a good marketer, he advertised this club to me. I’ve become an (active) member in March 2018.
In the early months of being a member, I was quite hesitant to join the activities as I am the only Asian guy in the group. I couldn’t speak English nor Dutch fluently. Nevertheless, I broke the ice; my hesitation has decreased as time flies, from attending monthly drinks only in the beginning to having coffee breaks together on campus nowadays (and now the quarantine online drinks).
Apart from the social aspect, the training program organized by the club has enriched my running pace and endurance. I met Armand van der Smissen, who has been at the national level for duathlon and kindly gave me training. Next to that, people who are passionate about running and competition motivated me to push myself towards the physical limit. I can’t believe I crossed dozens of finishing lines. One of the remarkable events is Batavierenrace. I was part of the relay team traveling from Nijmegen to Enschede and had fun at the epic student party.
Parcivallers cure my homesick like a family member. I am about 9,000km away from home and distant from family and friends there. When I seek advice for study and life, I ask fellow members of Parcival. They usually come up with intelligent solutions. We are more than a group of people running together; we are friends.
It’s been two years already since I’ve paid 15 euros per year for unlimited enjoyment. I surely can assure that I have a very positive sentiment towards Parcival. This association is turning 40 years old in a few months. I wish Parcival to continue functioning like this and keep attracting amusing runners from all around the world. Thanks to Benoît for asking me on that Saturday. I am delighted to be an active member and I want to keep this status as long as I could.
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