Journey. Light.: August 2010

This post was inspired by this blog post Running into Triathlon.

I am a late boomer. No, a late starter.

I never liked running when I was a kid as I did not know how to run properly. Every step I took was like an elephant stomping on the ground. I could not even run with a decent pace. I also hated the breathlessness. My friends could always easily overtake me whenever we ran.

As I progressed from primary school all the way to junior college, the only time I ran was during PE lessons. Luckily, I still managed to pass my NAFA. Then came National Service, the Singaporean boys rite of passage to adulthood. I was still unable to run well. I was posted to BMTC as an instructor. I always remembered my CSM was a skinny fellow who never skipped his daily runs. His favourite phrase to us: “Work can never be finished. Go and run.” All the instructors were somewhat influenced by him. We would go on runs of our own. However, all were relatively short runs like the 3km night run to the 300m range and back, or the 7km route up Rocky Hill. The longest run we had was a 16km to the Eastern Pier and back. That was the only time. After I ORD in 2001, my run also ORD along with me.

When I entered university, I focused on swimming. Not the competitive type, just the normal OTOT swimming. I started with 20 laps. (I count 1 lap as to and fro the long edge of the pool) Then I progressed to 30 laps followed by 40 laps. During school term I would swim once a week. The trip to the pool would increase to thrice a week during school holidays. I got so tanned that my friends said I looked like 古天乐, which I took as a compliment. I could only do breast stroke. Did not bother to learn other styles like freestyle. Maybe that indirectly helped me to slightly tone my shoulders and chest. There was still no running.

Lets fast – forward the time to 2006. I was working in a shipyard. The working hours were long. (The word “long” is a little mild) We were so loaded with so much work we had to go back on weekends. Every weekend. I had no time to go swimming in the daytime and I did not like night swims, as I preferred to get some tan too. Not wanting to turn into a chair potato, I started running. It was just a short run from underneath the Benjamin Shears Bridge to the Kallang Sea Sports Club along Kallang Basin and back. The Marina floating platform construction had not even started at that time. It was something like a 3km+ run lasting 20mins plus. I could only run at night as I need to work in the daytime and I did it only during Saturdays.

Year 2007. I had been running for a short while now. I had increased the distance to 2 or 3 loops of the Kallang Basin route. I was interested to sign up for a race. I saw the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon and I registered for the half marathon. I was foolishly brave, or ignorant rather. I remembered running to around 10km when my right knee started having piercing pains. I switched to slow runs until the 14 - 15km mark when the knee started feeling pain even during slow runs and I had to limp all the way back. I only managed to force a slow run out when I was about 100m from the Finish Line. When everybody was cheering you on and taking photos, the face value was at stake. Ahem!

The timing was 2:45. The next day my right knee was unable to bend. I had to take MC and limp around for the next few days.

I learnt my lesson that I need to clock more mileage. I switched my route and slowly increased my distance in 2008. Honestly, I did not know the actual distance of my runs but each run lasted around 2.5 hrs. I would say its an agarration of 21km. I wanted to do more races. I signed up for Army Half Marathon and was wishing to do a full marathon during the Standard Chartered Marathon at the end of the year. Like I said, I was foolishly brave or bravely foolish. I seriously did not know what a FM was like. 人算不如天算.I sprained my left ankle in Jun 2008. I had to skip the AHM. The doctor at the polyclinic told me I needed to rest for at least 6 months. Luckily, my colleagues recommended me an acupuncturist. I went to him for several sessions and I was running and jumping in 3 months time. I was not sure if my ankle was able to handle a full marathon so I just signed for the half marathon again for Standard Chartered. At that time, I still did not know what it was like running a full marathon. I did a 2:15 for the half marathon. This time I did not limped during or after the run. Woohoo!

Still eager to complete a full marathon, I signed up for the adidas Sundown Marathon in May 2009. My weekly mileage was still the same as last year. Pure ignorance! I did a 15km at the Saucony 100Plus Passion Run the week before Sundown. Then came the weekend! Its my maiden full marathon. I ran till 33km until I could not run anymore. I walked the remaining distance till the Finish Line. I still remember Azhar, the 6hr pacer cheering us on at the last km. I crossed the line at 5:59. I was exhausted. I was feeling very giddy and broke out in cold sweat. On the bus ride home, I was so afraid to doze off as I was scared I might not wake up again. Touch wood!

It took me around 2 days to feel better. Yet, the rush of the endorphins lasted much longer. I was so elated that I managed to complete a full marathon. Through this race, I also got to know more people who likes running. I began to mix more with them and learn from them.

One of the races in 2009 was the North Face 100 Singapore. I wanted to go for this. I only planned to do a 50km Duo (25km each) as I was not confident of doing a 100km Duo (50km each, an ultramarathon) due to my experience at Sundown. I went online to find a partner to sign up with me for the race. I found a lady who had did the 100km Duo in 2008. She agreed to team up with me. However, she sms me the following day and asked me to do 100km Duo instead.

“What the hell!” I was thinking.

I took 1 day to reply her. But I told her that I would only run the 100km Duo for completion and I would not go for timing. After signing up for the 100km Duo, I knew I need to start running longer distances and more trails. I was very worried in my heart that I could not finish the race in the stipulated timing.

I followed a Caucasian named Jason who showed me the way around the Macritchie Reservoir. I also followed some other friends also running the 100km Duo to explore the way from Macritchie Reservoir to Bukit Timah and to Zheng Hua Park. Every weekend, I would do a MRBT (as I called it) to prepare for the race.

Along the way, there were other races which I participated. I also started attending the weekly Wednesday runs at the New Balance outlet at Junction 8. I got to know even more running friends. From them, I learnt a lot of things. I learnt about how to run and how to train. I came across the term running economy. I learnt that short strides could help me save strength. I learnt that running slow could actually burn more fats than running fast. I learnt about how to land on my foot. I learnt about tempo and fartlek. I learnt about electrolyte tablets, compression tights and how to consume energy gels during races. I learnt there are actually good fats and bad fats. I learnt about aerobic and anaerobic fitness. I came to know of the term brick training and its not about carrying bricks to train. I learnt there is something called negative split while in the past I only knew of banana split. These are just some of the many, many things they had taught me. I owned a lot of what I knew to them.

The race was in October. I ran and I enjoyed the race. I came in at 8:21 and as the volunteers hung the finisher medal over my neck, I gave it a big kiss. I had completed an ultramarathon! A month later, I completed another full marathon in Penang. Therefore, I managed to finish my first full marathon, first ultramarathon and first oversea full marathon in 2009. It was a fulfilling year. I also discovered I had acquired some speed through training for TNF. From then on, I swore by trail running.

I do not like to compete with others. I am simply not interested. To me, it just does not prove anything if either you or me cross the finish line first. I also do not like people telling me to go for whatever timing during my runs. I would simply ignore them. I admit I do wish to achieve a better timing as I run. However, I will run a faster pace only because I myself wanted to. I run according to my own feel. I like to follow the “flow” in my body. Like what Dean Karnazes said: “Run with your heart.” Believe me, this is truly what makes running so enjoyable.

There is only 1 person I want to compete with. That is myself. The others, not interested at all.

Everybody has their own different reasons for running. For me, I like the way it enables my mind to become a void. Inside the void, there is space to smooth my line of thoughts. It allows me to discover and understand myself. To put it in really simple terms: I just like the process of running. I learnt a lot about myself through running. I had realised that I was not as great or strong as I thought I was. I came face to face with my physical and mental limitations. From there, I try to push the boundaries further or higher. You will also be able to see the true self of other people as they run. As their pretentious outer shell is being stripped off by each step of the run, their inner self emerges. Some bite the bullet and push through with their grit. Some gave up. Some flare up. I still remembered I was chided by a friend for offering my encouragement during a run.

Through running, I learnt to be more humble, more compassionate and patient towards others. The great runners around me that I know are all very humble and unassuming people. It seems the better you get, the more humble you tend to become. Also, I still remember Jason (the guy who brought me around Macritchie Reservoir) told me this: “Always help other runners on the way. You never know when you will need their help.” This is something I always keep in my heart and even apply it outside running.

Here I am, trying to run as much as I could. Be it training runs or races. I wish to discover more of myself and to appreciate my surrounding. Hopefully, I would be able to influence or motivate those around me to pick up running too. Its a good and cheap hobby, if not a sport. People had asked me before, “When you want to stop?” More often than not, these questions come from people who do not run. I had never put a finite timeline to my running. To me, as long as I could still put 1 foot in front of the other, I will keep going.

Run, Jacky! Run!

Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame (JYOF)

A simple flame passed hand to hand
Not by the fastest or the strongest,
But by people whose greatest gift is what they give of themselves
Because, it’s not just what you do for the record books,
It's what you do for others.

That is the vision of the Olympic Torch Relay. And it is a vision that the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (Singapore 2010) Journey of the Youth Olympic Flame (JYOF) shares.

About 2,400 Singaporeans have been selected as torchbearers for a torch relay over six days, before the Youth Olympic Flame is lit at the Singapore 2010 Opening Ceremony at The Float@Marina Bay to mark the start of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games.

Torchbearers are ambassadors of the Youth Olympic Flame, expressing the spirit of Olympism and inspiring others to connect with this ideal. A torchbearer for the Singapore JYOF must live the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect.

DAY 1:

Morning, Toa Payoh:

Photo from here.

Minister of Education, Ng Eng Hen, running alongside Joanne during the start of the relay. Despite the heavy downpour during the relay, it did not dampen the spirits of any of the runners. Everybody was proud to be able to be part of this great moment in the history of the Olympics and Singapore.

Afternoon, Ang Mo Kio: