Tag Archives: life

Running lessons

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Running is hard.

You know what he would say, don't you?

You know what he would say, don’t you?

Even for people who are enamoured with the exercise, there are bound to be periods of trials and tribulations.

The physical toll on the body can be punishing, from unbearable pain on the joints and muscles, to excruciating strain on the heart and lungs. At times, one can literally feel the jarring of the bones and the pounding of the organs – so much so that you wonder whether this thing called running is in fact good for health.

As the mileage increases, even that physical distress can become secondary to the anguish on the mental side. Continue reading →

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Time to stop wasting it

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Wrong bin! Not even recyclable!

Wrong bin! Not even recyclable!

Where did the time go?

It is a question that I often ask myself as the calendar flips over to a New Year. And it is a rather ironic question, given that I spend most of the 365 days of the preceding year trying to hurry time along.

As a father, I sometimes foolishly wish time could fly. Fly so that my two boys would reach an age that requires less of my time, and frees up more of it to pursue a bucket list of interests.

As a runner, I continually wish time could accelerate. Accelerate during the interval between race A and race B, so that I can race and see the progress I’m making in this little hobby.

And, as a working man, I constantly wish time could expedite. Expedite in order for weekends to come around faster, seasons to go pass quicker and holidays to arrive earlier.

Continue reading →

The story of Ung

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Once upon a time, there was a boy named Ung.

He was a happy go-lucky little man who loved nothing more than running around aimlessly. When he did have an aim whilst running, it was to either chase after a bird, a dog or even just the clouds in the sky.

As Ung grew older, the birds, the dogs and the clouds lost their allure. However, his passion for running remained, be it in a park, along a river or even just on the sidewalk of a smog-filled road. Continue reading →

To run is to chill

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I have an affinity with running, one that has grown over the years to become a passion. That passion, at least for me, is rarely motivated by the reasons that people commonly assume are behind the act of running. To lose weight? My weight is just fine, thank you! To improve cardiovascular fitness? What’s that!?! To win races? Yeah, right! To clock ever-faster pacing? Couldn’t care less!

A privilege to have a hobby that puts THIS in my head

A privilege to have a hobby that puts THIS in my head

Don’t get me wrong, I always strive to beat my PBs in every race that I enter and my mood swings depending on whether I succeed or not. But I can honestly say, hand to heart, that wanting to become a better and faster runner is about the further thing from my mind whenever I lace up my trusty pair of Brooks and head out for a jog.

So what is it, then? Why would anyone put himself through the drudgery of running, putting undue pressure on the joints, unsightly sweat on the body and unattractive grimace on the hills? Why would anyone do this, often for an hour or two at a time, when there are so many more pleasant things to do in life?

Fucked if I know!

But let me put it another way. What if you were blessed with the opportunity to take up a hobby? Continue reading →

Artful codger

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I do it all the time!

I do it all the time!

A couple of days ago, I was filling out an online entry form for a fun run to be held in September this year. Name, gender, date of birth, address, who should we call if you heart stops beating or you trip over and crack your head wide open.Frustratingly, I kept on getting stuck on one question, one that asks to what age group do I belong. I must have clicked on the 30-39 bracket 4 or 5 times. Each time, the god-damned website returned with the message: “Please check your answer before proceeding to the next question“.

Just before I was about to fire off an irate email to the race organisers, telling them in no uncertain terms to fix their bug-ridden online entry form, I decided to read the question one more time, and this time with care. And the words were:

Click on the age bracket you will belong to, at the time of this race (my emphasis).

Continue reading →