I run less to run more

Sometimes, even when your mind is thinking Fun and your heart is feeling Joy, your body is sensing Pain. That happened to me two years back when I first experienced discomfort in my knees while running.

Since then, I take glucosamine pills, use knee straps and run with additional cushioning insoles in my shoes. I would start every run with a 4km warm-up walk, run slower, take walk break immediately when I feel any discomfort, avoid running down slope and cycle more to cross-train. I have also decreased the number of run in a week from 5 to 2, stopped running on the uneven terrains at Macritchie forest reserve and Bedok reservoir park and given up participating in all faster 5 and 10km running events.

Hey! Despite finishing almost 2 hours slower for the past two marathons, I'm so glad that I can continue to join in the crowd to have fun every time.

Okay, I think it is alright to walk during a training run and on the race day itself. Of course, if you are feeling fine and your body is in good condition and you have the time to follow a systematic training schedule, it's wonderful to try and find out how fast and far you can run!

Walking before the run is the best warm-up routine. Walking after a run gives you a proper recovery. Walking in-between your run enables you to double the distance covered. Good for you if you are trying to burn more calorie to reduce weight! The walk breaks also enable you to do some fast running safely during each run.

If you are like me, who join the running races for the simple joy of moving my legs and body, and the intense fun of being charged-up by the energy of a mass-participating event, we should always remember not to make it inconvenient for serious and faster runners to bypass us and move up, and maintain their running pace and rhythm.

When the going gets tough, remember to smile to yourself. And tell yourself that you just have to, and in fact you can only, do the best with what you have, with who you are, wherever you are. This works for me every time. I hope it'll also work for you :)

Have fun, running or doing your type of sports!