Hey there everyone! I am Eddy! I’ve been blogging for a long time (since 2013 to be exact) and I’ve also been running for the past 3 years. I’ve been thinking over the past month that since I’ve developed such a strong passion for running, wouldn’t it be great if I start a new blog blogging specifically on running and fitness. But of course, I am no fitness guru – I am still learning how to be a better running and how to keep myself fit.
So, for a start, I shall do an introductory post on how a fat kid started running and eventually falls in love with it (of course there are some of the times when I was thinking why did I torture myself by running long distance HAHAHA).
This was how I looked like back in 2011 – that’s like a good 5 years ago. Back then, I wasn’t very interested in keeping fit. PE lesson was my most dreaded period and I would probably whine during NAPFA trainings.
But thankfully, I enrolled into Serangoon JC (SRJC) in 2013. That school is notable for organising this Will Run event, usually held towards the end of the year, where students have to run 10km. It’s like any running event we have participated in. Hence, in preparation of that, our PE lessons back then was basically about running. 3km, 4km, 5km, 6km and so on and so forth. That’s when my life changes.
Trust me, I find all these trainings and run draining initially. I couldn’t run for nuts. What could you expect from someone who did not even want to bother to train for 2.4km NAPFA run. If 2.4km was already my limit, 10km seems to be Mission: Impossible.
After 7-8 months of hell, I completed the furthest run of my life at that time. 9.2km. I did not manage to finish running the complete 10km because I failed to reach before the cut-off time.
But this was when I started slowly falling in love with running long distance.
After I left SRJC at the end of the year, I made sure that continue to run. I made a target to be able to complete my first ever 10km at the Standard Chartered Marathon 2014.
And that December, I managed to do it. That sense of achievement of being able to complete a 10km distance was out of this world. To be able to achieve something that I thought I couldn’t do, actually gave me a huge morale boost in life. I realised one thing:
In life, there is no limit, the only limit lies in your mind. If you constrain yourself, you will only be able to succeed what you think you can do, but you will not be able to stretch your potential.
This is one of the life lessons that I acquired through running.
I started to fall in love with it.
But because of my schedule in 2015, I did not take part in any run. However, at the end of the year, I promised that I will make a comeback in 2016 – being more serious in running and taking my new hobby to the next level.
I can’t believe I signed up for 4 races this year and has already completed 3 of them.
I took part in my first 2XU Compression Run this year and here’s me with my first medal of the year and my first 2XU medal!
I realised that there’s a way to make running more fun and that is to join my friends. I can assure you that having a running partner will help with your pacing throughout the race. Nothing can beat enjoying the city skyline and sweating some calories off together with my friends. This marks my first night race, my first race with Sundown Marathon and my first race with my friends. Oh, did I not mention it’s also the first race that I actually ran at least 8.5km of the distance? More milestones hit.
Here comes the craziest decision I’ve ever made over the past decade. I signed up for Army Half-Marathon 2016 – which means this marked the first time I decided to go beyond the 10km mark and push my limits.
I didn’t have much time to train because I have a final year project to handle between June to August and had to travel to Hong Kong for two weeks as part of the execution. However, I did not forget to train whenever I have the time. I took some time off each week to run while I was at Hong Kong – anything I couldn’t believe I have done because I am a naturally lazy person. With that, that becomes the first overseas runs in my life.
As soon as my project ended, I resumed my training – and that’s like a few days before AHM2016. I could remember vividly how I sprained my back during my last training session before the race, but it didn’t stop me from going on and complete my first 21.1km, my first half-marathon (although I need to confess that I actually ran out of stamina by the 11km and so I basically walked the next 9km before finishing off my last 1km with a slow run-cum-sprint).
Ever since I started my internship in September, I’ve asked my friends out for weekly run sessions so that I can make sure that I still keep fit and prepare for my next race – Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2016 – although I am only running 10km. I remember this saying that goes something like this:
Runners don’t plan time to run, they plan their time around their running schedule.
So how does running benefits me?
I used to weigh 94kg back in my secondary school days and now, I am actually at 69kg.
From this:
I am really thankful that running has such a positive impact in my life and makes me takes fitness more seriously.
Have a nice week ahead! Hope I’ll be able to do up another blog post here soon!
