Two Years of Running

Ulu Pandan PCN

This time last year, I was in Hawaii on a family vacation and getting ready to run a marathon. It was something I had trained for many months. Looking back, everything was just perfectly timed. Imagine if I had picked up running 6 months later than I did and planned to do a marathon in 2020 instead. The memories of doing something so unnecessary, putting so much effort into it, and getting through lots of self-doubt - all these help me to get myself out of the door for my weekly runs these days.

My baseline is 3 runs a week, between 5-6km each. I try to beat that by doing 4 a week with something over 7km. A far cry from the long runs I did last year in the lead up to Hawaii. But I am really glad that I have been able to stick to the routine even though I have to fit in Truffle's walks. When we first got him, I didn't run for 2 weeks and subsequently only managed 2 runs a week. Working from home during this period has given me time to adapt. Certainly the time saved from driving to and from the office has helped tremendously. We shall see how it goes when the new school term starts, and when I return to the office. I am sure it will require some readjustment.

Old Jurong Line
Railway Bridge

It is so easy to neglect exercise. The impact is not as immediate as not helping the kids with their school work or not taking the dog for a walk. And it takes effort, far more effort than walking to the freezer for a scoop of ice-cream. The satisfaction is not immediate, at least not for me, until I am done with the run. But having stuck to this routine for 2 years, it is the inertia that keeps me going. It has become my norm.

Norm doesn't mean easy. It just means it is a way of life, weaved into everything else that we do. I've learnt that I don't need a 2 hour block to go for a run. I will do what I can with the time and energy I have on that day. #Everyrunisagoodrun. Onwards with Year 3 of running.