My ex-teammates from junior college and I have been meeting every Sunday morning at MacRitchie for the past few weeks for a run and I’m really enjoying this arrangement.
It feels like we’re training together again just like we did 10 years ago–and it’s good fun. It’s a great chance for us to meet and catch up with what has happened to us throughout the week and we’re also doing something healthy (instead of the usual meet somewhere to eat). Running together also serves as motivation for every one of us as running alone can be quite a boring affair. Having running partners really spurs you to continue running even when you’re trying hard to catch your breath and you’re sorely tempted to stop those legs from lifting off the ground.
We’ve been doing a 7km route all this while which takes us between 40-45 minutes to complete. I like running at MacRitchie as the air is fresh, the trees on both sides of the route provide good shade with their canopies, and the slopes provide a good challenge. I guess we’ve never lost our love of exercise. Most, if not all, of us have continued to keep an exercise routine even after graduating. Besides, given my love for food, I HAVE to exercise. Otherwise, I’d be seriously obese. I mean, even with exercise, I’m not thin–I’m a size 12. So can you imagine without exercise???
Doing these weekly runs and getting it fixed on everyone’s schedule also means we don’t have to go through the hassle of arranging meet-ups to fit everyone’s busy schedule. I’ve come to realise that as we get older, it’s just so hard to arrange group meet-ups as everyone is so caught up with work and whatever else is going on in their lives. As I grow older, I’m also beginning to appreciate the presence of old friends and also realise the importance of maintaining friendships. I’m glad my Sunday morning runs also serve this purpose. 🙂