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    It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt
    It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt
    It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt
    Ebook107 pages1 hour

    It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt

    By A. I. Shoukry

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    About this ebook

    Shoukry finds himself in despair and fear of losing his freedom. He decided to take a break from politics and start running, but will he find freedom?

    Witnessing the Egyptian revolution in 2011, chanting with the crowds "Bread, Freedom, Social Justice," and living all its hopes and downfall, author and political activist A. I. Shoukry describes his running moments like a window with a sunrise view for a prisoner kept in solitary confinement. This book isn't just about running; It's a memoir about self-discovery and searching for freedom and love of life. It's about the integration of body, mind, and soul. It's about family and friends, relationships, and work.

    From being barely able to run 500 meters, he became a half-marathon runner aged 39. In this book, Shoukry explores the meanings of faith, pain, stress, fear, death, life, solitude, happiness, and passion. He has truly put his heart on paper.

    If you've ever dreamed of running—for your health, for your mind, for therapy, or even for parliament, this book is for you. Whether you're a newbie runner, a seasoned pro, or have never donned a pair of running shoes but want to start—open this book and start running with Ahmed through Egypt.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherA. I. Shoukry
    Release dateJun 20, 2018
    ISBN9781386193524

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      This book is very interesting for those who love running like me I really enjoyed it

    Book preview

    It’s Not Just About Running - A. I. Shoukry

    Dedication

    For her,

    Who left us shocked and devastated,

    However, she gave us a lesson:

    Live for others, and

    those who bring happiness to others

    do not die.

    For my family,

    My parents,

    My wife Heba,

    Our kids Aisha, Mohamed, and Malak,

    May I bring happiness into your lives.

    Contents

    Dedication

    Contents

    Preface

    Running

    Medical School

    Politics

    2011

    2012

    2013

    2014

    Reflections

    2015

    2016

    Breaking the Wall

    A Runner’s Reflections

    Music

    Getting High

    Tahrir Square

    Despair

    Thankful

    Explore

    Guilt & Pleasure

    Warming & Cooling

    Choose Your Path

    Emotional Breakdown

    Morning Blues

    Pain

    Harmony

    Running & Solitude

    Group Running

    Superwomen

    Run to Lead

    Break the Barrier

    Milestone

    Hope

    Alive

    Sadness

    Goals

    Finding My Voice

    Balanced Life

    Back to Basics

    Death

    Skeptical

    Fear

    Stress

    Friendship

    Happiness

    Passion

    Freedom

    Photo Album

    Acknowledgments

    About the Author

    References

    Preface

    I was half-naked, wearing my shorts, running into the desert, shouting "Freedom!" This is how the story ends.

    This book isn’t just about running; it’s about a runner’s reflections on life and change in Egypt. It’s a memoir about self-discovery and searching for freedom and the love of life.

    What started out as a typical midlife crisis turned into a passion, a lifestyle, and a personal journey.

    I was approaching my 40th birthday and wanted to get back in shape. Two years previous, I couldn’t even run 500 meters. Today, I’m in the best shape of my life.

    I have raced in two half-marathons, and my next mission will be finishing a full marathon.

    When I say this book isn’t just about running, I mean that it’s also about family, friends, relationships, and work. It’s about the integration of body, mind, and soul. It’s about pain, stress, fear, death, life, solitude, happiness, passion, and freedom. So, get ready for an emotional ride.

    Newspaper with solid fill

    Subscribe to the life and work newsletter by A. I. Shoukry and read one idea every Friday on how to make better decisions in life and work. You will also get exclusive access to my latest work.

    Running

    My first experience of running was in the third grade, with the German School in Egypt (DEO), at its annual Giza Pyramids’ race (Pyramiden Lauf). Almost all of the students used to take part in this race. I remember that at the start line, I stumbled and couldn’t put my foot fully back in one shoe. The problem was my sneakers, which my mother had tightly double-laced before the race. I kept running with one foot partly out of the shoe. I was too shy to ask for help and continued running clumsily. Eventually, one kilometer before the finish line, I decided I’d had enough, as my foot had started to hurt. So, I stopped a lovely lady and asked her to fix my shoe problem—and kindly, she did. I ran freely to the finish line, but I finished the race last in my class, and my brother kept teasing me that even tiny Nora, who was shorter than me, crossed the finish line before I did. I realized I wouldn’t have been in that position if I had just asked for help sooner. Now, I blame testosterone, and the Y chromosome for this don’t-ask-for-help attitude.

    The DEO organized another annual race, called the 8 hours of running, in which classes competed against each other, with every student running a lap or more depending on their class. The total number of laps for each class would be calculated, and the winner would be the class who ran the most laps in 8 hours. We lost, however it was a brilliant idea for us to learn about group running, competition, and endurance.

    Years passed by, as I participated annually in both races. Then I graduated and went to medical school. Running was put on hold for 20 years.

    Medical School

    When I was in the 10th grade, I survived a horrific car accident and was hospitalized for 10 days, where all I could do was lie in bed. The one thing I remember well from that time is deciding to become a doctor. I remember waiting every day for the doctor to pass by my bed and tell me what was going on. He would eventually come along, say a few words, and go quickly. I didn’t like the feeling of being ignored, so I wanted to become a doctor to understand what was happening inside my body.

    In the following years, I didn’t like biology, but I excelled in math and physics. By my final year of school, I was an A student in all subjects and didn’t have any preference in what I would pursue at college. So, I chose to be a doctor, as I thought it would be the natural and more straightforward path to follow my dad’s steps. I just wanted to make him happy. I am sure he is happy now but believe me when I say it’s not an easy path. I spent six years in medical school, one year at an internship, and three years as a Urology resident. Not easy at all.

    Politics

    During my medical school years, politics wasn’t on my radar except for reading the newspaper regularly to find out the local news and sometimes read about the Arab-Israeli conflict. The blogosphere was in vogue, so I joined the famous blogger.com, but I only posted a couple of incomplete blog posts. And running was all but forgotten, just a part of playing soccer with my friends.

    Then, in 2004, Egypt’s political scene started to stir up, with the rise of the Kefaya (Enough) Movement in 2005—a social calling for a change in Egypt. The word Kefaya was raised against Hosni Mubarak, one of the longest lasting rulers in the Middle East. This was the same year that witnessed a different parliamentary election, when the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan), opposition parties, and independents succeeded to win more than 100 seats despite it being a fraudulent election.

    Suddenly, I was following the news with extreme eagerness. I couldn’t do much more at the time, as I was a Urology resident working more than 100 hours per week. But I had a daydream of running for the parliamentary elections in 2010, when I would have finished my Ph.D., and passed the eligible age (30 at the time), turning 33. This was also the age that my grandfather, Ibrahim Shoukry (opposition leader for decades and a political legend) ran for parliament and won in 1949.

    In 2006, after finishing my three-year residency program, I

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