An attempt to log my running journey.

Monday, 21 May
AM: OFF
PM: 22mins w/up, 300m intervals, 15mins c/down
Light and fast stuff today, working the lungs more than the legs. Though legs are still hurting slightly from Saturday’s run, all was good. Good to be back running!

Tuesday, 22 May
AM: OFF
PM: 50mins ~ TP Field
Easy 50mins shakeout this evening. Never felt quite so stiff before, and it was just, weird. Got some drills and light plyo done aftewards. Just another casual day!

Wednesday, 23 May
AM: 15mins, CORE ~ TP Track
PM: OFF
Heavy rain this morning, thinking the weather was good and I could run a good workout. But I overslept because of that and ended up running in the hot sun. Decided to call off the workout and postpone it til tomorrow evening. Replaced it with a solid core session!

毕业了! It was an enjoyable 3 years when I look back now, and I’ve taken away with me many special memories and emotions. To all of you out there who has walked this treacherous path with me, I say a big THANK YOU! I never thought I’d take away anything from this course, and my Poly life was just filled with memories from the TPLD team, I was wrong. When I sat there, at the graduation ceremony, hearing every name being read out, a memory of that name instantly came to my mind. Amazing. And I thank God for each and everyone of you, and it’s my sincere prayer that He will bless you according to His riches, and that you may find Life when you seek with all your heart. Cheers. (Credits to Shuyuan, Olivia, and Varun for the photos at the end of this post!)

Thursday, 24 May
AM: OFF
PM: 28mins w/up, 1km intervals, 15mins c/down
Great workout this evening! Thankful for Alvin, Jun Ren, and many others who supported me during the run. Since I was doing this alone, I did not feel too confident, but it actually turned out fine. Sometimes the mind limits the body, and you just got to press for the breakthrough. Mental training is as important as physical training.

Friday, 25 May
AM: OFF
PM: 50mins ~ ECP
Today’s run was judged by effort, not by distance. And I don’t feel too comfortable doing that. Maybe I’ve always been focused on getting the mileage in, and not really being in the run, if you get what I mean. Though it was uncomfortable physically, it was important to finish what I started.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6

Saturday, 26 May
AM: 90mins ~ TP to ECP
PM: OFF
Tough run this AM. Always struggle with early morning runs, especially when I only do them once a week. How am I going run in morning races? Although the pace was not as fast as expected, I enjoyed the run, and the weather. Basically just cruising along and to get the run in, such a relief.

Sunday, 27 May
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
Amazing Race (AIC) this afternoon was good. Thank God for the great weather. Maybe I do enjoy working with the younger ones, and it’s very encouraging to see them enjoy themselves and learn something. Results from the guys’ race were very good and encouraging, and makes me excited for mine!

. . . . .

Back to proper full-fledged running! I really enjoy times like this, where I get to run and not really worry about much. But also, I know times like this will come to an end. The present, is a present for a reason. So I should really enjoy and cherish them. And it’s especially important to be in the moment, and not be bugged by the past, or worry about the future (of course I’m not asking everyone to be irresponsible..).

Alright, enough said for this week. Enjoy the pictures!

Graduation with Dad and Mom!

Shuyuan, Jason, Jun Ren.

Jason Weeeeeeeeeeee!
My buddy in A&F! Funny how our relationship grew only in year 2 and 3.

Hui Ting!
Like a sister I never had, though we were only classmates for a year.
Her laughter is contagious, beware! *herrrhhhhh herrrrrhhhhhh herrrrrhhh!*

Maurice!
GNS buddy. Nothing can ever replace the moments I had with him at the company.
Jie Hui, you’re finally a diploma ho.. ho.. holder!

*Drum roll* Need no introduction, that’s me!
Yes, yes, I know my eyes are small. But I still can see you laughing at me. 

Monday, 07 May
AM: OFF
PM: 5km w/up, 5 sets x 1km, 3km c/down
Chilly weather today that caused some breathing discomfort during and after warmup. Can feel some tightness in the lower legs and I guess it’s time for a proper massage soon. Big workout today (to me)! Tough pace to hit and legs were lactic-filled. Good workout in the books though! Hear that the stormy weathers are going to be all over Singapore for the next few days. Expecting some coldness and grab the opportunity to run whenever you can!

Tuesday, 08 May
AM: Core
PM: 63mins ~ ECP
Easy day today. Core in the morning, which I always struggle with, and can never get past 2 or 3 sets. But I always feel determined to complete them! Dragged those tired legs out in the evening for an hour of easy running. Enjoyed the breeze, and happy to see many runners out there on a Tuesday evening!

Wednesday, 09 May
AM: OFF
PM: 3km w/up, Drills, 6 sets x 200m, 3km c/down ~ TP Track
Speedy day with low volume today. Worked on lots of form drills and actually finding drills much easier to complete now. Quite a normal day today!

Thursday, 10 May
AM: Core
PM: 60mins ~ TP Field
Easy recovery jog with Shuyuan on the field this evening. Legs felt fine but some tightness in the glutes and hips could be felt. So many rounds on the field is really mentally challenging, but I enjoyed this run. Glad to see Alexis enjoying her runs too!

Friday, 11 May
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
Feeling sore today from Wednesday’s session and last night’s run. Decided to take this day off for an easier week. Swam a little in the afternoon before meeting up with some friends for a walk around! The Run Bike Swim Expo is now going on at Singapore Expo, and they got some nice stuffs, drop by if you have time! Inspiring Bible study in the evening, but I’m feeling quite sore and sick now. Better get some sleep!

Saturday, 12 May
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
Down with fever. Felt terrible all day. Hoping the fever will go away soon.

Sunday, 13 May
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
Feeling so much better today. Especially after service, praise the Lord! Not sure if I made the right choice by playing sports in the afternoon, but I did it anyway. Really glad that the fever has subsided.

. . . . .

Pretty okay week until I fell sick. Should have noticed some symptoms of over straining my body, and could have avoided them earlier.

Toward the end of the week as I fell sick, God showed up and felt closer in my life. Though I know He is always there, sometimes I can’t help but feel that He is a faraway God. And I was reminded that God is not a transactional God, but things of this world are transactional. You sacrifice something, to attain something else. But God’s love, gifts, and blessings are all given to us for who He is, not for what we have offered to trade with Him. Afterall, He is the creator of all things, what can we offer Him that He needs? How awesome is He!

“Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke

Monday, 23 April
AM: OFF
PM: 10km w/up, 10 sets x 400m, 1km c/down
Was a pretty tough warmup today though I think we kept a solid and consistent pace. But it really started to hurt bad in the last 2km. Main set was crazy too, as I spent most of my energy chasing the front guys. Legs are going to hurt bad tomorrow, but a good session in the books!

Tuesday, 24 April
AM: 54mins ~ TP Track
PM: OFF
Tough morning run this morning. The heat was unbearable, especially towards the last 4km. Legs felt like they couldn’t move but the run was done anyway. Good to get some mileage early in the morning. CCA recruitment afterwards and I’m already feeling excited to see the new runners come in! Yes, we do not conduct any time trials, because I always believed that over time, only the toughest will survive. Evening well spent with a session of bowling with Jaso, Clarence, and his nephew, cute little boy.

Wednesday, 25 April
AM: OFF
PM: 5km w/up, DRILLS, 4 sets x 300m, 3km c/down 
Today was a pretty usual day. Just that I came to training feeling a little tired, probably from the lack of sleep from the past few nights. Anyway it was just the main sets of 300s that I struggled with. Jelly legs and a mind telling you that you cannot do it. But the human mind is strong, take that step out and see what you can do!

Thursday, 26 April
AM: 56mins ~ TP Track
PM: OFF
Been getting my easy runs in the morning so I got the whole day to rest. Got to admit, this morning was hot, and I was struggling with the run. Even wanted to stop the run after 5km but just willed myself to carry on. Easy swimming afterwards that left me empty but hope my body is holding up!

Friday, 27 April
AM: OFF
PM: Core
Woke up feeling really bad, fatigue bad. Body wasn’t responding well even by sitting around at home, so decided to skip the run and replace it with a core session. Bible study in the evening was good, God is good, all the time. The simplicity of God was revealed to me.

Saturday, 28 April
AM: 81mins ~ TP to ECP
PM: OFF
Painful run this AM, and an early one too. Left house before the sun could be seen, but proved to be a blessing in disguise later on as it rained immediately after the run had ended. Good to have company during the run, but as always, it bothers me because of the difference in our running ‘level’ (me being the weaker one of course). A pattern of struggling with my weekly long runs is showing, and I think I need a solution to it.

Sunday, 29 April
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
AIC training today! How fast time flies, one more training and we’re heading into the camp. Today was a small group since others were busy, and some are having exams. Had much fun though. Church service was good today, and God spoke to me (Luke 18:18-30). How amazing God can still speak to me though I was half asleep during the sermon, nodding away. Haha. Exciting days ahead, I believe!

. . . . .

The week has been fairly good since mileage was pretty low and I got more time to rest and catch up. At times I really don’t know what to blog about but I have thoughts and ideas in my mind which I can’t put into words, probably due to me under-using the brain for the past 2 months.

Anyway I’m enlisting for National Service on August 01, am excited for it!:D Excited for what God has planned for me, and the people I will meet, which means opportunity to share about Jesus.

Time to step out, and be the gamechanger!

Monday, 09 April
AM: OFF
PM: 5km w/up, 8 x 1km, 2km c/down ~ TP Track
Lots of hard quality stuffs this off-season. Even the warmup  was like a timetrial. Pushed hard during the warmup and even almost bettered my PB. Hah. Painful one today, due to active recovery in between sets and I could not hold on for long. The guys were rolling though, glad for them! It’s always important to move together as a team and not just allow one to improve all by himself. Unity is important, especially in an endurance sport where you feed off the encouragement of your team mates!

Tuesday, 10 April
AM: 30mins ~ Bedok
PM: 53mins ~ East Coast Park
Run, swim, run. That was my day! Crazy day, expended so much energy. Got cooked in the sun too while swimming. Signs of weakness showing up on my legs too. Slight discomfort in left knee in the morning, and worsened during the evening run, though it was a cooling and fast run. Enjoyed it! Could be down to a strain in the left calf since two weeks ago which I did not bother too much with, thinking it’ll go away. Now it’s got to be treated the hard way.

Wednesday, 11 April
AM: OFF
PM: 5.3km w/up, Drills, 8 x 100m ~ TP Track
Just some easy warmup today to not worsen to pain in the knee. Things seem to be better but might take awhile before it’s gone completely. Always got to remind myself to be patient and look at the long-term. Should I rush things now, I might hurt myself to the extent that I may not be able to run when I’m older.

Thursday, 12 April
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
Pain in knee still bugging my run, so I just jogged for 2mins and headed home. Thought I might as well have rested for the day for long run tomorrow morning. Didn’t waste my day away, by doing 2 sessions of core. I can’t seem to grasp the idea of ‘rest’! Whenever I try to take a complete day (weekday) off, I feel very uneasy. I can only seem to rest properly and completely on Sundays.

Friday, 13 April
AM: 83mins ~ East Coast Park
PM: OFF
Really hot and humid run this morning which killed me a little. Wasn’t thinking much about how I was running but just wanted to finish this run. At times while running, we just zone out and not notice much about our surrounding but somehow we can just find our way around things. Light swimming afterwards which was relaxing for the body. Great quality time spent with friends in the evening!

Saturday, 14 April
AM: 40mins Prayer Run ~ Bishan
PM: OFF
Dragged myself to prayer run this morning which proved, once again, that if you sacrifice something (sleep, for example) for God, He will bless you back much more. Like how He got me thinking about whether a prayer run is conveniently praying because I have to run, or because I want to pray that’s why I run. And for the many quality talks with coach who inspired and given me insights into many more things that I did not use to know. God is good, we know that, we accept that, but somehow we just aren’t able to live like the way He wants us to (like, surrender EVERYTHING to Him).

Sunday, 15 April
AM: OFF
PM: OFF
St. Hilda’s and TPLD outreach today left me cooked. Planned for a run in the evening but skipped it because I think I overworked during the week. Well, rest is a part of training too, yea?

. . . . .

Great week with lots of sessions. Exploring some possibilities but nothing is confirmed yet though. Knee strain is still around, comes and goes and just need to give it some time and stay patient (and positive)!

Afterall, I need to thank God for placing a passion for sports in me. That I’m unafraid to pick up new sports and I believe that sports is one of the greatest platform for God’s message to be spread. Like how closely related is sports training to our Christian walk, and indeed, sports build more character than skills.

God gave us talents, not so for us to show them off and feel good about it, but so that we can share these talents and give God all the glory.

This is a special post, dedicated to the 7 pairs of shoes that have gone through track, pavement, road, trails and mud with me on my miraculous running journey with Jesus!

Those who know me, know I love my shoes (and equipment)! I spend alot of time following up on the latest releases and updates of running products. When something catches my eye (and I want to buy it), I will go to the extent of reading first-hand written reviews and product videos. Call me a fanatic, but I enjoy doing what I’m doing!

Every shoe has its story. If you have the time, read on!

1. Adidas Adizero CS

My first pair of running shoes which I bought for its appearance (and brand). At that time I wasn’t a serious runner and I just wanted something that looked lightweight and not bulky. These shoes lasted me a fairly long time! Through my journey as a sprinter, and the early phases of transitioning into a long distance runner. I even wore them in my first 10km road race (Adidas Sundown Marathon 2010)!

2. Asics GT-2150

Being a Adidas fan, I never thought I’d try out another brand of shoes. It took some convincing from Jac and coach CP before I caved in to that idea. Once I tried, I never looked back (by looking back I mean, I won’t stubbornly stick to one brand anymore). Very cushy shoes which I used for all my runs (intervals, speed work, easy runs, long runs), but they didn’t hold up for long.

3. Asics GEL-Nimbus 12

The Nimbus are one of the more comfortable shoes I have worn. I got them cheap off the web to replace my ageing GTs. Running in this shoes feel like I’m running on clouds. They feel lighter than my previous pair so it easily became my favourite.

4. Asics GEL-DS Trainer 16

Ah, this pair of shoes. They are a blessing, blessed by Aaron during Christmas. I think they need no introduction. Though in the beginning I didn’t like them very much because the sole felt too rigid and there was too much toe room (too long for my liking). But as I began wearing them more often, they softened and I really appreciate its lightweight on those days when you want to go faster.

5. Saucony Grid Type A3

This were my first pair of racing shoes (excluding the Adidas Adizero CS which I used them for all purposes). The shoes have to be complimented for its soft upper and lightweight. The interior of the upper felt like a second sock and you can run barefoot in them and yet still feel very comfortable! But the thick padding on the heel was too much for me (too much heelstrike) and soon I replaced them. Now they are the shoes that I play soccer in (oops!).

6. Nike Zoom Matumbo

Long distance spikes. I only thought the world class elite athletes would wear spikes to run in the 10,000m, but I got them primarily for my speedwork. I never got a chance to race in them because I preferred running sockless in them and it caused a few blisters on the inside of my feet (due to the flywire).

7. Nike Air Zoom Streak XC 2

Not a favourite, but my most commonly used racer. Yeap you guessed it, I got them for its color (how can anyone miss that?)! They have lasted me awhile and are quite worn out already. They are good on the track but when I hit the roads, I will prefer to have more cushioning and these shoes lack in that area. Still, a top notch product!

Yeap, that’s it for my shoes (for now)! Those are ‘traditional’ shoes and I am exploring my options in the minimalist category. Who knows, we might all be running barefoot in the future, perhaps, in Heaven. Haha.

Keep your shoes, or keep a picture of them. They might become history in the future, and you’ll have a story to tell your grandchildren about!

Cheers.