A 5k Run

After a hiatus of three months, I finally did another run today. 36 minutes. Must say it took some work...I felt somewhat like Rahul Dravid upon his return to form yesterday with a century against England. Except that he had at least been trying the past several months with hours of net practice, domestic games and mental conditioning. I had simply been lazy...the classic excuse many people in my situation give themselves - too much travel, lack of sleep, etc.

It was a nice run, though a bit laborious as I tried to get back my rhythm and fight my nagging headache and physical inertia. Inertia from not having run for weeks and the headache I would reluctantly admit must be thanks to my gin and tonic in the afternoon. Well, at least it gave me a nice little nap while watching India play England. I am always amazed at how the one drink I treat myself to on Sunday afternoons instantly puts me to sleep...

Anyhow, the surroundings around our house are beautiful. It is very green and there are lovely water bodies in the area (what they call reservoirs here). A 10 minute run up the hill brings me to Seletar reservoir where you find people walking, jogging, fishing, taking their pets out for a stroll or simply sitting by the waterside amidst the tranquility. During weekends it is lively but never crowded or too noisy. There is something to be said about sunsets and water. As I ran alongside the water, the sun was setting amongst the clouds and the feeling was both of peace and energy...I cant quite explain how. But it did egg me on to go further than I had originally thought I could do today.

As I returned home savouring the satisfaction of having done another 5k run, I could not help thinking that if only I had been regular, I may have been able to run for over an hour today...I do harbour hopes of crossing 10k someday. But I have never been obsessive about these things. While it feels nice to be able to cross new physical boundaries, targets and milestones don't mean much to me and fail to act as a stimulant.

It just feels nice to be able to do things today that I could never do as a child or a teenager, ridden as I was with a severe asthmatic condition. My mother is actually amazed to see me this active physically. She would not have thought it possible for me to be this way. And now there is even a special something to that feeling given some of the life threatening occurrences of the not too distant past. Not that I ever intend to fight my asthma...I have decided to just befriend it.

But more about all that another day...now it is time to head out for a Shah Rukh Khan movie and show my family more of Singapore!