The Road to 40 Day 310/365: Morning Runs

Growing up, I was never a morning person. I’d get up around 9 or 10am and get a bit of a scolding from my mom or dad because I burned through half the day almost.

During that time, though, it would be common for me to get home around 2 or 3am and still get to work the next day. The wonders of youth, I guess.

As I grew older, I began to wake up earlier. It only got more frequent once Vino was born. Since we started living life without a helper, it became a necessity.

Che would usually sleep in, because that’s the only time she could get some rest. As the person in charge of the household, I needed to make sure Vino has breakfast and got ready for school.

While it still feels good to sleep in from time to time, I have come to appreciate the morning free time. Since Che goes to work and Vino goes to school, it’s become my me-time on weekdays. On weekends, it’s a chance for me to play basketball or do runs in this new lifestyle.

This Sunday, I started with a quick run at 8am. If we were in the Philippines, this would not be ideal as the sun would be super bright already. However, Singapore’s sunrise starts at 7am, so technically, I’m catching a 7am PH sun at 8am here.

Our neighborhood offers quite a variety of elevations, which can be a challenge. I’m still doing intervals of 30-second runs and walks, but I think I can bump it up to about a minute or two.

I was able to run for about four kilometers without water, which I understand is probably not ideal. However, I needed water by the fifth interval when I first started, so I think I’m getting better at this.

I want to get used to the runs, because whenever I start working out, holidays mess me up badly. If it becomes part of my system, I can still use my mornings to run wherever we may be.

When we check into hotels, it’s usually just me and Vino who go down for breakfast, and sometimes I even have to wake him up. With runs being part of my routine, we can maybe save on hotel breakfasts when we travel.

I’ve always said I prefer walking than running, but I’m kinda enjoying the intensity of the runs. It helps that I’m still walking more than running during my sessions. Hopefully, I can work my way up to at least a half-marathon by the end of the year.

I thought a marathon would be a good goal, but then I realized how long it was, so now I’m looking to set a more realistic goal.

Not closing the door on a possible marathon, though. For now, maybe I’ll see if I can get 10kms out of the way first.