MacRitchie Adventure

I thought I might have just fallen in love again… with trail running. 😊 

Did Macritchie reservoir 3 times the last 2 weeks, and I was just happy to run and explore. The first 2 times, I went alone, and it was mostly along the boardwalk, but last Saturday, I went with Perry, and it was my first attempt at running through the trails. I have always enjoyed hiking and have done different hikes in Japan and Nepal, but with running through it, and keeping myself focused whether uphill or downslope, it is both a challenge and strangely therapeutic.

As I run upslope, I will breathe harder, and it is tiring. I try to focus by counting in my mind to reach, say 20. My muscles will protest and I will just tell myself that I am almost reaching the end of the slope. But I think running down slope is more difficult, especially when the terrain was slippery due to a rain before the run. At some points in time, I thought I might slip. But mostly, it is the thought, or the fear that causes me to stop as I consider if I would actually fall. Perry simply looked back and said, hey, you can do it. And I realized that if I stopped and tried to walk thinking that it was slippery, it was actually tougher than if I were to just step out, concentrate, continue, and trust my body movement and instinct.

When we ended, I felt I could run some more. :-D

And then along the way, I saw the army weapon storehouse (camouflaged in green), a very very old creaky wooden bridge, some fast flowing waters, signs of wildlife (since I did not actually see any except for monkeys), old structures, ran by a golf course, and went up the treetop walk. My first time here at the Treetop walk, and I thought – wow, it is very beautiful, but what a short treetop walk.

This Sat run must be one highlight of this trip back to Singapore. Perhaps it is coupled with the morning fresh air, plus a total change in environment – where nature enshrouds me and all I can think about is running, my footsteps, the terrain. It is so so different from the Mondays – Fridays of hectic SG life.

And because Lips and Daph’s place is so near to MacRitchie, I will definitely be back the next trip.

Perry says MacRitchie is linked to Bukit Timah Hill too – about 10km away. Let’s do this the next run!