the pencil runs

Date	Place	Time (mins)	Distance (km)	Pace (km/h)
Monday, May 16, 2005	Barker	45.6	7.2	9.5

By the end of the run, I look like a xiao zha boh (mad woman). Half of my hair is already out of the red rubber band, flapping against my face as I run. I absent-mindedly hook the hair back behind my ear, only to have it fall over my face 30 seconds later. In fact, I don't notice it when it flaps against my face -- I am in that much pain -- it is only later in the lift, when I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflective doors that I realise what I must have been doing -- hooking and rehooking my crazy flapping hair.

Of course when I finish my run I feel so victorious I think I am the sleekest and best body around. I go and do my push-ups and what-nots by the benches overlooking the pool. It is only when the young men and woman emerge from their effortless butterfly strokes, reflecting the evening sun on their tanned and toned bodies, that I realise my victory is purely internal. Too bad I don't like swimming, otherwise I can emerge with a wet and powerful body like them, and not like the dripping smelly xiao zha boh that I look.

My heart is beating 80 times a minute. That is the rate it used to beat before I started running. It may be the coke; it may be the adrenaline left over from the 8km+ run; it may be because my mind is exploding with thoughts and I cannot sleep.

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Her fingers found the grooves in the pew again.

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It was a wet day. She had two pairs of clean socks in her backpack, but she was too civilised to change into a dry pair in the restaurant, and too lazy to make a trip to the loo. When she took the umbrella out of the plastic bag back home, it left a puddle on the parquet floor.

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They pretended to read the newspapers together, somehow drawing strength from the empty space between them.

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8km+. Cool night air. Steps in beat to the music. Running is a great way of emptying out unwanted thoughts and emotions. But what do you do when the road comes to an end?

Her heart beats 80 times a minute.

On Sunday I went for a jog starting from AMK central and ending at Lower Pierce. It was a 5.01km jog. I went jogging with my buddy S. It was one of those untalkative jogs, where our panting over-rided all possibility of conversation. We don't usually jog like this, but I think we were both up to pushing our limits that evening. I have to say though that we didn't push ourselves quite hard enough (if we want to do the half marathon at the end of the year), but it was a faster jog than usual. We caught up on our conversation on our 5km walk back to Central. It was a friendly, comfortable time. Took bus 851 to City Hall. 851 is now my bus of choice. :)

In the past two weeks, I also ran with my sister. We did three runs together, and one time we cycled. Two of the runs were on the treadmill - she beat me once and I beat her once. We are so competitive, it's hilarious! Not say cut-throat competitive, but sisterly type of competition. S and I are so not that way at all, although it is true that she jogs more when she isn't with me. The cycle at night was a great time. I missed her this past year, I miss her still, but I'm intensely grateful for things like MSN and SMS and phone lines that make this world that much smaller.