By Leslie Koh
Assistant to Foreign Editor
leskoh@sph.com.sg

 

I miss my runs.

Every time a jogger floats past me, I'll look forlornly, reminded that I've had to stop jogging - hopefully temporarily - ever since I strained my back in May. Ironically, I had strained it running.

Yes, for a while, I was one of those who got a little obsessed with pounding the pavement and the trails every week. I bought gaudily-coloured shoes with esoteric names that purported to reduce the strain on my flat feet. I shelled out for a bag with a built-in water bladder so I could go for longer runs. I pestered my wife about borrowing her MP3 player so much, she bought me my very own so I wouldn't dirty hers with my sweat. I even logged every single run in my computer, so I could calculate the total distance run so far and average speed.

But, no, I'm not a hard core runner. My pace is pathetic, and my range is nowhere near what serious runners log on a weekly basis.

Really.

I did enjoy my runs, though. Not for the feeling that I was building up some semblance of fitness - not at my speed, anyway - nor for the idea that I could eat as much as I wanted after the runs. (Another steak? Bring 'em on! I'm sure I burnt enough calories in the last 10 minutes).

No, the real value in running came from what I discovered when I tried to find more routes in a bid to bring some variety to the runs. Never mind the usual Botanic Gardens and East Coast Park, I found hidden shortcuts through parts of my neighbourhood where I had lived for many years yet never really explored.

I found British-era residential estates nearby, and ogled at giant black-and-white bungalows from tree-lined roads that made me feel like I was in another world and time. I chanced upon forest trails that stretched for ages without crossing roads and showed me that Singapore really wasn't a concrete jungle. And I treaded onto interesting urban routes that took me through familiar parts of the city, albeit from a different perspective.

Some of my favourite "finds":

- A 10km-long mountain biking trail from Rifle Range Road that winds through the Bukit Timah nature reserve and ends near the Singapore Zoo in Mandai. (Just like army! In actual fact, it does end next to a live firing range)

- A park connector (of sorts) that starts at one of the sources of the Kallang River at Bishan, goes down the river to Esplanade, connects to the Singapore River, and goes past all the quays to the source of the river at Queenstown (two major Singapore rivers in one go!)

- A route that winds from Biopolis in Buona Vista through the nostalgic colonial-era Portsdown Road, up to quiet Kent Ridge Park and ends at the idyllic Hort Park. (Or the prata stall near Pasir Panjang, if you hang right at Kent Ridge)

- A park connector that starts at Ghim Moh, goes along a wide canal, crosses an abandoned railway track and eventually reaches Bukit Batok nature reserve. (More prata shops just a walk down)

Okay, okay, those routes are probably well known. But I would never have found them if I had not started jogging. The discoveries have also sparked a new interest to seek out quiet, green spots in Singapore, and in past months, I've dropped in on several reservoirs in the west and north, taken a look at the colonial villages around Sembawang and Selatar air bases, and developed a new interest in the old parts of Singapore that have been preserved somehow.

When my back heals, I might go back to these places.

Or maybe I'll just drive.