4^th July, Independence Day of the United States. In Singapore, 26,000 runners giving up their sleep, to enjoy a good night out running. The only past-midnight running event in the heart of Singapore (F1 Pit). Runners were able to choose between Full Marathon, Half Marathon, 10km and 5km categories. The 5km Fun Run was a first this year, created to inspire those aged 6 and above to participate in runs as part of a healthy lifestyle. In the race village there was live entertainment, movies and food. As a bonus, 5km and 10km runners were treated to fireworks from the NDP rehearsals.

Myself, I took on the 21km challenge. After a 10 mins delay, we were off. 1.5km into the run, all of us found ourselves climbing up Sheares Bridge which was quite a an unique arrangement. The weather was comfortable and there were ample water stations throughout the route serving ice-cold isotonic drinks. Operationally, it was a well coordinated event with huge improvements from last years (click here to see runners’ ratings and comments and leave your own).

Here are 3 reasons why Sundown is one of my favourite races:

1. Helps me assess my fitness level.

As Sundown Marathon takes place in the middle of every year, it is good time for all runners out there to determine their fitness level. Year in – year out, we may have different priorities and commitments. Running is one of the most participated sports in Singapore, and this mass event gives runners the opportunity to benchmark, evaluate and / or re-align their perspectives.

2. Helps me appreciate security

Singapore is a safe and beautiful country. And you get to appreciate that vividly at night. The awesome night scene when runners top the Shears Bridge, the cool breeze at East Coast Park, the serenity at Kallang Basin overlooking the magnificent Sports Hub are just some of the things we get to enjoy. As Singaporeans, we tends to take things security, peace and beautiful, clean landscape for granted; a night out running make you contemplate these things!

3. Helps me to stay in the loop

As part of JustRunLah!, for me to bring the best and most relevant information to Singapore’s running community, I need to get out there to experience what each runner’s race journey is. Providing unbiased race review and stories coming from our daily running buddies are our key objectives. What do runners want? What do runners need? How can JustRunLah! answer these questions? In my opinion, only if we are runners ourselves.

Once again, congratulations to all OSIM Sundown Marathon 2015 participants!

The most important step in any achievement is to have the courage to start. Rest and recover well! Love your run again!

When I registered my daughter and husband for the Mileage Father’s Day race, I had all best intentions.  It would be an event the two of them can share and the finisher medal will be a tangible item for my daughter to remember this year’s Father’s Day as a special event she shared with her daddy.

The morning started off well enough; excited and ready, glad we didn’t need to travel far we showed up at Pasir Ris Park with sufficient time to relax and enjoy the quiet atmosphere.

When their category started I waved them off for their 3km route around the beautifully manicured park and waited at the finish line, looking forward to their story and some pics.

What we didn’t anticipate was Trinity’s lack of enthusiasm during the race, indicating she was bored and basically giving up from even trying to run the race.  It surprised and disappointed both John and I and it took the Jurrasic World movie to get us all out of the funk we were in.

It took us a couple of weeks before the right opportunity came up to quiz Trini who is only 6 with the right kind of questions as to what happened.  Interestingly we had some revealing answers which helped us first realise we made a mistake entering her in a 3km race that had little to stimulate her and was small as an event.

First surprise was that she liked the larger races such as the Standard Chartered Kids Dash not only because of the energy such a large crowd draws but also the 800m snaky route.  So what we learned here is sprints and stimulating routes are a criteria.

The second surprise is that she’s not opposed to long distances but the constant opportunities to stop and engage with animals makes the 6km Safari Zoo race a thumbs up and “not boring because there’s lots to see”.

Third surprise is that night runs are super fun because they are at night and instead of sleeping she gets to run.  This was her explanation of the forthcoming Sundown Fun Run that starts at 8pm.  Thankfully she’s a night child and we won’t have to worry too much about her getting too tired.

The final criteria is any race that includes obstacles such as the Energizer Obstacle Race because as Trini explains it they are “totally fun because you get to climb stuff and have lots of challenges as part of the run”.

So the Father’s Day run may have been a disappointment on that day but it was a blessing in disguise as it brought forth our daughter’s interests in certain types of races not just any race that is listed.  I guess that’s not that much more different than her own parents.  As we participate in more races, it has become more apparent to the types of races we also enjoy.  Our criteria is much the same as Trini’s; night races, obstacle races and interesting routes.

The lesson here is not to assume that just because a race or event is available for a child that they will like it, but to ensure that it is the right type of race that stimulates and excites the child to want to keep participating and engaging in these sporting activities.

It’s been a while since Team Costa has been on one of its run series.  Busy schedules and overseas travels have a way of hindering even well laid out plans.

We finally made it out again and whilst I’m still not able to run yet the team selected the beautiful Botanic Gardens for a morning jaunt.

A small team made up of Chris, John, Veronika, Michelle and myself, we mapped out a route starting at Tanglin Gate. John and I had a head start as we were power walking the route.  The aim was approximately 5km dependent on how my ankle would hold up.

We took a northbound approach then headed east around Swan Lake which was nicely shaded on a sunny and hot morning.

Moved on past Ginger Garden and into Orchid Plaza where morning artists weaved their creations. Seemed to be part of some organised event.

We carried on past the Symphony Lake where kids were chasing each other with water pistols.  At this point I tested my somewhat jerky dodgy like jog by striking midfoot.  It lasted for about 70m before the ankle started protesting. I shifted back into power walking and very shortly found ourselves at the Bukit Timah Gate on the opposite side of the park.

Pleased with the power walking progress, we headed southward and then took a westward turn to head back to the start. Along the way we met delightful photographers snapping owls high above in the trees of the rainforest walk.

As we emerged from the rainforest we ran into Veronika and by the time we made it back to Tanglin Gate we caught up with Chris and Michelle.

It took John and I an hour to clock up 6km and I’m still months away from any running but it’s a step forward and I’m happy to slowly return to regular training.

With exercise complete and an open appetite we wandered up to Jones the Grocer on Dempsey Hill and devoured a hearty breakfast and fresh juice.  Overall a great morning.  Worth getting out of bed for it.

Cheers.

Having taken running more seriously recently, I chanced upon a variety of online platforms that catered to runners. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that JustRunLah! hosted a blogging platform for those who were interested. After a little contemplation, I indicated my interest to contribute.

I began running when I was a kid. Most kids do indeed start to run by about 2 years old actually, so I’m sure this activity isn’t foreign to most of you reading this. However, I only ran to specifically get better at running back in 2012. Previously, having played competitive field hockey, I ran – but that was for the purpose of fitness. In 2012 however, I was introduced to running as an activity in itself.

I’d say my running experience started with the participation of a race…though I didn’t quite train for it. Sundown Marathon 2012 (Full Marathon). Thereafter, I actually started a running blog, just to track my experiences. It’s been about three years and it’s interesting to take a look at what got me started. Below is an excerpt from the original post in 2012 (the rest of the blog can be viewed here).

“My interest in distance running was inspired by a disappointing sporting season, accompanied with a simple suggestion by Ben, a friend from church, to participate in the Sundown Half-Marathon. The sporting season that ended abruptly left me feeling that an alternative avenue for the training to pay off came in the form of the 42.195km challenge”.

I struggled through the adventurous challenge (recall that my friend suggested a half-marathon, though I wasn’t settling for anything less than best – that was before I knew ultramarathons existed!) but nonetheless completed it. At the finish, I fought back tears as strangely, something felt amiss. I had previously visualised the moment of finishing full marathon, yet I recognised this was not the end. Undeniably, this was an accomplishment, but I had unfinished business as I realised I needed greater motivation – a facet that transcended material accomplishment but one that really hit the heart, hard.

Thus began my journey of running. There were various milestones that I set out to achieve and have attained thus far. Though often time goals, it is undeniable that the process grew me not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. Indeed it has been and I have faith that it will continue to be a fulfilling journey (of much more than a thousand miles).