A Good Run

Singapore's awesome skyline at sunrise

Third and final blogpost about running.

I have been watching Youtube videos and reading some article on running. Some things don't seem natural and were difficult to do. I tried just breathing through the nose the last 2 weeks but would only last for about 1/2 hour before I resort to breathing in and out through the mouth. I tried straightening my posture and looking in front rather than down, and it felt like I was stiffening up; the idea of looking at the long road ahead didn't appeal to me either. And learning forward slightly so that the feet lands properly on the ground. But how are you suppose to do that if you are also supposed to run slowly? Mind boggling.

I have been cutting down on my carbo intake over the last month or so in hope to lose some weight. Shedding some weight helps with the run and is less taxing on the knees. But yesterday I finished my share of rice to carbo load for this morning's run.  I slept late because we visited the 24 hour Decathlon Hub in Kallang, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up early enough to avoid the mid-morning sun. Thankfully, I was awake before 5am and didn't feel sluggish so I headed out.

Having the phone bouncing in my pocket bother me. I wanted to get one of those armbands at Decathlon yesterday but it didn't seem comfortable for a long run. But neither was having the phone in my pocket. I wore a wristband which made me look like a tennis player, but it turned out to be a good idea because it was so much easier to wipe the sweat off my face. I didn't see anyone else wearing it this morning though. Well, whatever work for me. 

I took the advice to start hydrating earlier in the run. After 50 minutes I got my first isotonic drink from 7- Evelen. I got a second bottle 2 hours into the run. It made such a difference. It was well worth the effort despite the weight. I tried the nose only breathing, straightened posture and lean forward. This time, after persisting for the first 1/2 hour, I managed to continue without being self-conscious about it. In fact I breathed through my nose for the entire run.

After a while the phone was also less distracting especially when I got to Orchard Road. At certain parts, there were quite a few people who looked like they just finished their night out. And there were certain parts where you could hear hundreds of birds gathered on some of the trees. There was a real risk of being pooped on.  

The sun was rising when I got to the Istana. There were lots of photo opportunities in the 3rd hour of the run - Raffle Hotel, Esplanade, Merlion, Marina Bay, Fullerton Hotel and much more. This run was much easier compared to the hilly route I took to the Henderson Wave last week. I felt I had another hour in me if I pushed myself, but I wanted to be careful not to do too much too soon. So I stopped at Raffle Place and took the train home.

Lessons for me - take good advice; continue trying even if it something feels uncomfortable or awkward; if something works well for you, stick with it even if you are the only one doing it; don't let distractions get the better of you; and don't do too much too soon.

Running Further

Hort Park, taken
several weeks back

I have made some progress since coming back from Kuala Lumpur last week.  Last Saturday, I ran for 2 hours; I have never ran that long before in my life. And then on Sunday, I ran another 2.5 hours. What really helped was trying out a new route as it distracted me from thinking about how long I have been out or how long more I have to run. It also helped that I bought a drink to rehydrate myself in the last quarter of my run. The best thing about being able to run long distance is that the 40-50 minute runs in the weekday mornings have become a lot less of a mental battle.

This morning, I was hoping to do another 2.5 hour run. You notice that I never talk about the distance - I run very slowly. About 30 minutes into the run, I tripped on an uneven surface and fell on the pavement. Fortunately, my reaction was pretty good and I used my hands to break the fall. One of my shoes came off, which was kinda funny. I am slow but not necessarily steady. The first thought I had was perhaps I should go home. I got up and checked for damages. I felt slightly bruised on the knees and palms but there was no bleeding, so I decided to continue with the run.

After running one of my usual route, I headed towards Kent Ridge Park. Running down South Buona Vista is a confidence booster. I ran slowly because I knew that at some point I will have some slopes to climb, which I just hate. Soon enough was the turn up to Kent Ridge Park. I saw someone who seemed like a regular runner stop to walk up the slope but I decided to carry on running... for 50 meters before I resorted to walking too. I was huffing and puffing as I dragged myself up the slope. The people which I was passed must have wondered why I took so much effort just walking.

When I got to the park, I started running again. Running after stopping for a minute was something I just couldn't do in the past. What is at rest remains at rest for the rest of the day. But I realised I could do it when I ran in KL recently. I stopped to take some photos of the city during the run so I have learnt to adapt. From KRP, I ran to Holt Park, again a downhill run followed by a slope up to the visitors centre. I headed straight to the water cooler to hydrate myself. I almost made up my mind to head home but I wasn't sure if I could get a cab (I didn't have my phone with me).

I decided to carry on with the run towards the Henderson Wave. That involved a long stretch up the Canopy Walk. There were parts where I walked because I felt I had enough of running for the day. And there were parts where I ran slow-motion because I thought there was no point walking if I was still going to cover the same distance. Indecisiveness. I felt good getting to the Wave because I knew there were no more uphill slopes after that. When I got down to Westcoast Highway, I had done 2.5 hours so I decides to try to push for 3 hours. It was so tempting to get on the train at the Telok Blangah MRT station, but I continued at turtle pace to finish the run at Labrador Park MRT.

It amazes me how people can run a full marathon under 3 to 4 hours. I am just happy running 3 hours whatever the distance, preferably without upward slopes.

Exercise Routine

Taken during a morning run in
Kuala Lumpur recently

When I started, I could barely last 15 minutes. Breathlessness, the strain on the knees, and most of all the boredom. I don't like the heat so running on the treadmill in the air-conditioned gym was my preference. Spotify or Youtube only reduced the boredom ever so slightly. The most frustrating thing with the treadmill is that it tells you how little you have done, especially the number of calories burnt.

One day, when the treadmill was occupied (there are 2 in the condo gym but 1 is perpetually out of order), I decided to run around the condo premises. It started with 4 rounds, and over time it went up to 6. Sometimes I would lose count and end up not being sure if I did an extra round. It would take me about 1/2 hour, beyond which my systems would start shutting down - the ship falls off the edge of world. Again I found it difficult to overcome the boredom of doing multiple rounds. That's the same reason I can't make myself do laps in the pool even though I used to swim regularly in my younger days.

To beat the boredom, I started running around the neighbourhood probably about 4 months ago. From about 40 minutes, I've slowly managed to nudge myself to do slightly longer routes lasting about an hour, a couple of times a week. More recently, I've been able to get it up to 75-90 minutes, albeit at a slow pace. I even ran when I was holidaying in Bali and Kuala Lumpur.

The biggest barrier for me in getting started has simply been the unwillingness to give up some amount of comfort. When I am not at work, I would rather be with the family or be sleeping in. I've heard people say that exercise is a great way to unwind or de-stress, which is absolutely rubbish in my case - I just feel complete exhaustion. There was no other way to get through the mental barrier except to just get on with it; get out of bed as soon as I am awake before the analysis sets in; de-link what I have to do  from my emotions and keep the mind focused on finishing the present task.

I am really thankful for all the people who have been sharing their exercise routines on Facebook.  These people have full time jobs, family and other commitments, and yet they have taken the time to exercise. Each and everyone of them remind me that I don't have a good excuse to lead a sedentary life. If they can do a marathon or triathlon, then I can at least go for a run around the neighbourhood.