It’s Valentine’s Day today, so what could be more romantic than abandoning my wife in our apartment and running laps around Victoria Park?*
For some stupid reason, I thought that because I read about the Singapore night marathon in January, that meant it was still January now, which gave me a good 20 weeks to train. Except of course it’s now half way through February, which makes me glad that I only signed up for the half rather than the full marathon.
This year I’m trying for a more gentle, consistent approach to training, so I had to resist the temptation to sprint round the jogging track for one lap and then shamble the rest. Instead, I bumbled along at a steady 155 beats per minute, encountering little traffic, as most people clearly had better things to do that be in the park.
Not everyone, though. There were still some couples who for Valentine’s night had chosen a walk in the park with either some wine glasses, a sulky expression, or an enormous cat shaped mylar-coated balloon, or once (the ‘trifecta’!) all three.
There was also a very angry couple walking the wrong way round the jogging track. I suppose everyone celebrates in a different way.
The dirty air is back in Hong Kong; I got home, my throat a little sore, remarking on the beautiful red glow that the AIA building cast over Tin Hau. Is that red for romance, or just a corporate identity?
Anyway: 26 minutes, 3 miles. It’s a start…
* For future reference, the ‘correct’ answer is “a candlelit meal and a new kitten” but who would have guessed that?
Everyone Is Running From Something 