the pencil runs

posts on running

measured in strides

Monday, December 13, 2004
New Jogging Route Calculator. I'm so so so pumped! Streetdirectory.com has a NEW jogging route calculator! It is very easy to use - you plot your route on the map with anchor points and the calculator spits out the route distance! Yesterday, S and I took a "sightseeing" jog from Kallang to Bishan. According to the calculator, we ran 6.669km. Which comes out to be about the same as my usual string-on-map method (6.6km). Oh how I wish I could post the pictures on this site, but for fear of getting sued, this pic is the best I can do.

Kallang to Bishan. It was a great jog. It feels so much more productive than Barker cos you actually get somewhere at the end of it, rather than simply circling round and round and finishing where you began. We bumped into some friends and Bishan and they were suitably awed that we came from Kallang. It isn't really that far apart (unlike the distance between the infamous 12 Apostles and Waddling Penguins) but I think there is that perception because the train takes a longer and less direct route. I'll have to find some way to tuck an extra Tshirt to change into the next time I do this.

M25 Ultra Marathon. As many laps you can run (each lap 10km) in 12 hours. Unbelievable. Who are these amazing people?

what a week! :)

Monday, December 06, 2004
I hit 21.9km last week. I haven't run more than 20km a week since July - it feels Good.

Monday at AMK
S and I ran towards YCK and then looped back to AMK on a 5km route. There were large raintrees by the side of the road we were running on. These trees are probably 30 years old - one of the first fruits of Singapore's green campaign - large, powerful, and magnificent. The concrete pavement was cracked into V-shaped hills by the powerful roots of these trees. May the trees live forever. This jog felt so good it gave me the itch for more.

Wednesday at Barker
Two rounds around Barker - 7.2km. Shaved a minute off from the last time I ran this route, but still not as fast as before. I ran with the handphone in my sweaty palm and didn't think too much on the run (except for how long the road is!). It put the miles in for the week though. Met the heartland hotties for dinner after run.

Friday at Spottiswoode
I ran this fast - faster than I've run on the road before. It wasn't very far - only 4.7km - but by the time I stopped I could feel my heart runing amok inside. It helps to run with the end in mind. Running loops of different distances helps too. Lay at the fitness area and looked at the night sky after the run until the mosquitoes got the better of me.

Sunday at MacRitchie
This was the compensation run, for not having signed up for the Standard Chartered Run in time. S and I left our backpacks in the lockers, then ran the 5km wooden-plank loop in the cool evening breeze. A shame J couldn't join us. It was a fitting end to the week. :)