Lessons you learn in 12 kilometers

Begin here

Km 1. Life is not a race to be won. Instead it is a journey of survival up to the finish line. It doesn't matter much how fast you run. In fact, running fast may not even be sustainable. What matters is that you run and that you run up to the finish line. No throwing in the towel, midway. 

Km 2. It's okay to get tired. You and I are humans after all. Rest, if you must.

When I say "rest", I didn't mean for you to sit and stop on the roadside. Doing so, that is, stopping abruptly, is actually not good for your body. Just slow down to a walking pace but keep on moving. The world doesn't stop revolving. Life goes on. And so must you.


Km 3. Look around you. Observe life. Appreciate life. 

Look, there's Dumbo, Simba, Nala, Marty and Melman!

It's cliche but it remains true - Life is beautiful. So while you're at it, appreciate the things you see around you. It takes your mind off the long road ahead.

That's the advantage of running 12 kilometers inside the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari as compared to running the same distance in the Central Business District. Endless rows of buildings can get boring after some time.

As one of my officemates opined, "You look more like visiting the zoo than running." And yes, that was one of the reasons I had wanted to sign up for the Safari Zoo Run since five years ago. I thought it would be like running and sight-seeing rolled into one. After all, you don't get to see the Night Safari in broad daylight everyday. Haha.


Km 4. You don't need a lot; you just need the essentials. 

When I was still practicing for the Safari Zoo Run at the Singapore Sports Hub track, I only brought my mobile phone, the house keys, a bottle of water and a two-dollar bill. And even with just three things in my pocket and the water bottle in my hand, it already felt heavy when I run. Believe me, I know how burdening it feels with so much excess baggage in life. So get rid of the unnecessary things and the unnecessary thoughts.


Km 5. Set short-term goals and give yourself little rewards when you meet these goals.

For someone whose only regular physical activity is attending dance classes at the gym, finishing 12 kilometers seemed like a daunting task. I had to motivate my self that I could do it (and that I must do it. Hey, 60 dollars on the registration fee is a lot of money to let go to waste!).

Many times during my practice run, I would tell myself: "From that 200 meter mark on the track, jog continuously until you reach that mark again. Just keep jogging, there is no need to sprint, and then you can take a few minutes of rest. Not too bad, right?" At other times, when there are other runners training at the track, I would challenge myself: "See that guy? He's not that fast. You only need to run a little faster, overtake him and then you can take a rest." Or: "There's another runner who's about to overtake you, run faster. Don't let her get ahead of you."

The pep talk worked.
  

Km 6. A little competition is healthy but at the end of the day, you should only compete with yourself. You make your own records and you break your own records. And sometimes, you don't. Three years ago, I used to run 5.6 kilometers in around 44 minutes. Now, I can barely finish 5 kilometers in 40 minutes. Speed deteriorates with age, I guess. But three years ago, I would never have imagined signing up for a 12-km run and this year, I did.

After this, I probably won't go for a half-marathon in the future but most likely, I'll go para-sailing and then who knows, try skydiving.

Accept that there are things you can't do as well as before and always congratulate yourself for doing things you have never done before.  

Km 7. Practice. Do something perfectly at least once. It builds your self-confidence.

As I had mentioned, I've never participated in any distance runs beyond 5.6 kilometers until this year. I knew I'll be scared stiff, thinking that finishing 12 kilometers is an impossible feat if I didn't complete it at least once before the actual Safari Run. So one Friday night, I did.

Impossible is nothing.

Km 8. You will go in circles until you're ready to level up.

Well, there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Practice makes perfect, right? But you also have to remember that history only repeats itself because you haven't learned the lesson out of it. You must learn to strike a balance between practicing and moving on. There should be time for both. Don't get stuck.


Km 9. It will hurt. Anything that you put effort into can hurt you and will hurt you. 

Sometimes, it will only hurt physically. At other times, it will break your heart. However, as Mark Twain had wisely put it: "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did." So just do it. Run.

Km 10. There are routes that have been mapped out.

Safari Zoo Run 2015 route map

"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson won't be the last person to tell you that. But I'll tell you: You don't always have to be a trailblazer. Sometimes, you just have to follow a route that has already been mapped out. Indeed, experience is the best teacher. However, you cannot, and you need not, experience everything; learn from others' experiences, too. Listen to your elders. Trust me, their advice will make sense eventually.


Km 11. Choose your battles.

I've been to the Singapore Zoo at least three times but when out on a leisure walk, I don't really observe the roads I'm walking on. Hence, I wasn't expecting the uphill parts in the Safari Zoo Run route. Oh boy, was it difficult to run uphill! Don't.

If the road is uphill, walk. Eventually, it will go downhill once again. When it does, run. Rather than go against it, make gravity work for you. Choose your battles wisely.

Km 12. You run alone.

12 km - checked!

I hate to break it to you but yes, you run alone.

Sure, there are other runners on the same road. They can run with you, but none of them can run for you. You run the marathon at your own pace. Otherwise, you are either overcompensating to keep up with the sprinters or slowing down to accommodate the slowpokes. If you do either one, then the run wasn't really yours. And how do you think you would feel at the finish line, knowing you weren't being yourself all the while?  

The finish line

Running buddies