Running bug

It’s insanity, I swear. I’ve been hit by the running bug. Who’d have thought? Not me, really. But now that I try to piece things together and understand why it has happened, I’ve realised that running feeds into my checklist-personality. I set weekly schedules for myself to follow and if I fall short, it irks me. Y’know the feeling of not completing something? That feeling, ugh. Also, most runs are less than 2 hours and can be done almost anywhere, so it fits into my flexible, yet erratic schedule. Even when I was in Ubon Rachathani for a 2 week shoot, I could get my runs in and it made me happy. 

I began running in July 2021. It’s been slightly over a year, but this year, 2022, has been a year of new experiences. It started off with me meeting my 5km target in Jan.

It didn’t come easy. I stuck to the plan and did my weekly intervals in Nov and Dec. The runs were painful and dreadful, but my goal was a sub-26 5km, and if I didn’t put in the hard work, I cannot expect things to fall in place for me like *this*. There were good sessions, but there were those where I wanted to throw the towel. My mental game needs work. Week in week out, I grind, and on time trial day, I outperformed myself :D This training cycle taught me that your body is really capable of SO MUCH more! 

My next big running goal was to do a 21km and upon my friend’s, Juibian, persuasion, we signed up for a race in Gold Coast in June. From not running in June 2021, to doing a 21km in Aussie 1 year later. Insane in the membrane. So it was a few months of building up my base, self-talk, managing a terrible achilles tendonitis, eczema (I never ever had it!!!), possibly covid, and work, but I made it to the starting line and really all glory to God.

I was struggling massively 2 weeks leading up to GC - like I couldn’t even complete a 6 min pace 10km run? And I had to drop my intervals cos it was hurting my achilles. So to be able to do a 5:55 pace for this race was divine intervention and a prayer answered. I’ll work on doing a 1hr 55min next!!!

2 weeks later, I was due to do my first trail race at Cameron Highlands (Cultra). It was *merely* a 15km with an elevation of 600/700m, I didn’t make too much about it. Just use my leftover fitness from Gold Coast, I thought. But boy oh boy, it was the most painful 4 hours of my life. There were a few points in the race where I thought, ‘aiya just DNF lah’, but even if I wanted to, I had to still complete the route and make it out of the forest. 

It was especially terribad because my legs (quads!) were not ready for climbing and I’m SO bad at moving on trail. Mid-way through my quads died, and I didn’t have Crampfix, and I was just on all-fours when I had to move downhill. Bulat documented these stupid sights and laughed at me but she also was super encouraging and I’m glad she was around. Throughout the last part of the trail, I was telling her how much “I hate trail!! I’m never ever gonna do this again!!!”, “who signed me up for this!!!”, but now that the dust has settled, it is crystal clear that my lack of preparation and underestimation that killed me :’) 

But y’know in life, they say “never say never”? I’m gonna have to take back what I said on the trail because I signed myself up for something crazy again. For. Revenge. and I’ll hit the trails to work on my weakness. Is this not insanity? :) Well, I don’t know if I’d regret this, but I know I’d regret not trying again because I didn’t give it a good shot the last time round. 

Wish me best of luck!

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