Blogs
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Running and the Art of Letting Go
There is a particular moment during some runs when I realize I am holding on to too much. It usually happens when my shoulders start to ache for no clear reason, or when my jaw feels tight even though I am breathing just fine. Nothing is technically wrong. Yet everything feels heavier than it should.…
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Nature Does Not Care About Your Plans
(me after twisting an ankle during a hike!! thank god I wasn’t alone) Nature has a way of quietly undoing your expectations. You arrive with a plan. A route mapped out, a timeline in mind, an idea of how the day should unfold. You think you know when the climb will get hard, when the…
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WALKING MEDITATION
(the gorgeous view from Nui Tuong Village, Vietnam!) Last Saturday, like most other Saturdays lately, I was stuck at home with a mountain of homework and extracurricular work. I was fairly productive, or at least up until the two-hour mark. Halfway through a difficult Maths assignment, I arduously finished a 20-minute Khan Academy video on…
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Running Taught Me That Time Cannot Be Rushed
The sky was still dark when I stepped outside. Not the peaceful kind of dark, but the heavy, unfinished kind that comes right before dawn. The streetlights hummed softly, reflecting off patches of damp pavement left behind by last night’s rain. Somewhere in the distance, a delivery truck groaned awake. I checked my watch. Too…
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What Running Has Taught Me that Nothing Else Has
We often hear about the lessons and values that running can bring to everyone: The importance of discipline and consistency, the development of self-esteem and confidence, the rewards of overcoming challenges, the joys of joining a driven and like-minded community, etc. But these are all things you can also find from pursuing other sports, activities,…
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The Runners’ Dictionary
Type of smile you have after finally getting a negative split km!! At first glance, running seems simple enough. After all, it is just putting one foot in front of the other, right? And you may keep having that thought — I know I did before I began running — until you get the chance…
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Running Made Me Fell In Love With the Planet
This week marked the start of my school’s two-week Easter holiday, and I returned home to Hanoi, Vietnam. The first thing I did after arriving? Tie my shoelaces and go for a quick late-night run. I was excited — not just to stretch my legs, but to see how my neighborhood had changed in the…
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Running in Singapore vs Vietnam
Bishan – Ang Mo Kio park, one of my most frequent running places! Running is one of the easiest ways to explore a place! No gym membership, no fancy gear (unless you reward yourself with overpriced shoes), and no rules. It’s just you, the road, and whatever chaos the city throws at you. As a…
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My First Marathon
The frigid wind and rain assaulted my body. Water streamed down my face, stinging my eyes until the world was just a messed-up watercolor painting. I could barely make out the desolate road ahead, dimly illuminated by the early morning sky, stretching on for seemingly kilometers. My legs were like jelly and my entire body…
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Running Without Sight
The first glimmer of sunshine was barely over the horizon, weakly illuminating Hang Day Stadium and not yet strong enough to shoo away the morning fog. It hadn’t rained the night before—thankfully—but the air held the damp, bone-clinging cold of a Hanoi winter. Outside the stadium walls, the faint roars of early morning motorcycles drifted…