i never really had the opportunity to rev back into my running momentum since i returned from melbourne. running momentum here means train and take part in at least two 10km marathons a year.

today i met that quota after signing up for the nike human race 10km. the other run is the GE 10km a week later.

i’ve sworn off the run of the year in singapore – standard charted marathon because queuing for the run pack every year at the expo is crazy insane. and since i don’t run more than 10km at a stretch, its no point pitting myself against the 21km or full marathon runners for space and logistical considerations.

incidentally, i picked up a book from a national library based on the interesting title: i run, therefore i am nuts by bob schwartz.

he is a veteran runner who takes a light hearted jab at the idiosyncratic behavior of runners, especially those living in urban environments.

“runners are no different from others when it comes to the two-prong philosophy of consumption. if something is free, it’ll be snatched up irrespective of need. if it’s free and edible, it’ll be devoured without concern for content or taste.

for runners, the free is wonderful mentality is best illustrated by an increasing popular event of race weekends. it’s a combination auto show, star trek convention, and culinary extravaganza for runners. it’s the exhilarating, spine-tingling, eye-popping running expo!

there are a few thing that excite me more than those words. i don’t pick races on the basis of flat courses, crowd participation, or course beauty. for me, it’s the expo. better known as racing-brochure paradize, free-energy-gel nirvana, and locker-room-bag-heaven. Ah, the bliss of being surrounded by endless choices of moisture-wicking clothing.”

when i run, i do something for myself.

its 100% me time.

7 april 09

time clock: 53:50

distance: 4.6km

max heart rate: 193

minimum heart rate: 160

calories burned: 555

I live in the west, so some people would think it crazy that i sojoured to bedok reservoir park for a 7.30am jog. i wouldn’t have done it if i wasn’t provided transport and great company while waiting for the highlight of the day.

the 4.3km lap around bedok reservoir was just the right distance for me to begin the beauteous morning. i left winded by the 2nd km but got my 2nd wind in the remaining half of the lap. at 7.30am in the morning, the heat and glare wasn’t out in full force yet, in fact a mist could be discerned just hovering over the still surface of the water.

i would really like to still be able to live near a reserviour or a park connector when i get my own place in the future.

the highlight of the day was the Forest Adventure at Bedok Reserviour Park. The set up is brilliant! firstly, there is no need for any belaying and secondly, the tree top course is linked seamlessly from one platform to another in a series of four sections. each section consists of about 5 or 6 challenges and ends with a zip line aka flying fox.

the challenges are easy to navigate and unless you are an idiot toying with death you will be able to easily secure yourself with the independent safety devices. the minimum supervision also means that you’ll be able to complete the course at your own unhurried pace.

the course was easier than i expected. although they allow anyone above the height of 1.4m to take on the grand course (persons under 18 with adult supervision), the challenge is more suitable for grown ups with more strength and height.

while swinging in the trees, the geek called me an ewok, i think more because of how vertically challenged they are than how comfortable they are in the trees.

anyway, to extend on that label, the forest adventure does actually look like the ewok tree top village – found on wookieepedia.

pictures here

i didn’t intend to be missing in action for such a long stretch. however, the madness at work coupled with the lack of time to sit down and think prevented me from cystalising some insights.

i realised that blogging isn’t all the easy with the hustle and bustle of activities and appointments. it takes mental discipline to take time off to decide to reflect upon the day’s events and articulate your personal take aways. the doing is easier than trying to make meaning out of it.

its an interesting time of year. with school being officially closed for secondary students, teachers have more time to invigilate the dreaded cambridge examinations, prepare presentations, attend meetings and then spend the remaining time for ourselves.

that being said, i’ve found the time to somewhat train for and participate in yesterday’s great eastern run 2008.

it was my worse timing for 10km for a long time. I half expected to perform so considering how much more conditioned i was for my previous runs. i did however, have fun at the run.

I ran trailed behind dt after the 2nd km and walked for 2 stretches. i met fl at my 6km mark (her 7km mark) in the opposite direction and again at my 9.6km mark. to give me support, fl ran with me at my finishing stretch. her support gave me a reason to sprint past the finish line. i must have conserved quite a lot since i found myself almost flying off the track with the end in sight.

that unexpected burst of energy was also probably the reason why i felt weak after a short rest. i felt faint when i tried to get up and had to succumb to the pull of gravity while dt went to get for me a banana to recharge.

just as well since i managed to catch the geek’s parents while chomping on my banana. each banana by the way had an addidas sticker advertorial- impossible is nothing.

i love the concept of an all women run. the event is substantially less crowded, it somehow feels cleaner, there is a more encouraging vibe and retrival from baggage deposit is hassle free and fast. i think after this year, i’ll just participate in the annual shape and GE runs to clock my 2 runs per year target, and give the stand chart run a miss since i do not intend to run beyond 10km at a stretch anyway.

for the longest time, i’ve been struggling to attain work-life balance.

i’ve tried almost all possible ways and means and finally at the depths of hades i arrived at an epipany.

unlike mid-term goals like preparing for major exams, work isn’t something that you can see the end off;

i.e. there is no really getting on top of things in the same way you can present a paper during tutorial or neatly compartmentalize time according to an exam schedule and feel adequate about it.

the problem is, i’ve been working on student mode because that’s how it has been all my life;

‘O’ levels – 4 years

‘A’ levels – 2 years

NIE – 2 years

Bond at first job – 3 years

Uni – 2 years

Career -…

in other words i can’t operate on students mode where i can pia as a chao mugger semestrally and put then put it all behind me. (moe ensures that sch hols do not apply to teachers)

the tricky thing about teaching is that you are in fact working on a student timeline and yet need to find a way not to operate like them.

one way to negotiate this conumdrum is to work hard but play harder right now, not during the hols, not during long weekends because you wouldn’t last till then. for me, play aka personal time should also have a definitive dimension so that i know how i’ve played. my personal aim esp during weekdays is to maintain consistent training for the next run i’ve signed up for. i have exactly 3 months to do so.

weekend escapades are also great, like

the night festival

and

‘expedition h’