I did a run! 🏃🏻‍♀️🏅

How I went from hating running to saying that it isn't all bad

Image licensed from GIPHY

Hi, I’m Sarah! The Best of Intentions is an independent publication about life in Hong Kong, work, travel, culture, health/fitness, photography, along with a sprinkle of psychology. If you like this post, consider liking or sharing it. If you are a regular reader please consider subscribing to receive updates and support my writing.

Xpansions - Move Your Body

Like about several million other people around the world, I took up a new hobby during the pandemic: running.

It wasn’t as though I had never run before, but the last time I had ever been consistent with the activity was at school. I followed in my dad’s footsteps by preferring sprinting over longer distances, and participated in the 200m and 400m races in athletics and at Sports day. Having gangly limbs helped in this regard.

Whisper… unpopular opinion — I enjoyed PE/sports lessons at school.

Well, that was until my body began to change and a combination of factors led to things getting messy in my head about my body image and when it came to all things exercise related.

Anyway, by the time I returned to running in 2021 at the age of 37, it was hard not to notice how much my body and fitness levels had changed. Not a huge surprise. I no longer had my gangly teenage frame, or the natural fitness and suppleness afforded to my youth. Although by then, I had been strength training for a few years and developed some muscle. I loved and still love seeing the power and strength that comes with lifting weights, but despite being able to deadlift more than my bodyweight, I couldn’t run for more than a few minutes without developing a severe stitch and feeling winded.

It took several months of doing short bursts here and there, but I did start to make some progress with running. And I want to personally thank the legendary US athlete Michael Johnson for his early support and coaching through the Couch to 5k app.

During this time, I bought myself some running trainers in the hope that the expenditure would provide some additional motivation (decent running trainers don’t come cheap!). However, on one my first uses of my new footwear, a disagreement with some wonky pavement led to a twisted ankle, some crutches and a hefty medical bill.

After hobbling around for about a week, I felt that running was too dangerous. So I deleted the Couch to 5k app, and the trainers were abandoned on the shoe rack to gather dust.

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Katy B - Katy on a Mission

In late 2022, I decided to take another stab at running. Those expensive trainers had been glaring at me in a ‘shame on you’ kinda way, and not to rub it in, but the weather in Hong Kong from about October - March can be fabulous for anyone who likes being outside. Cool, dry and often sunny, i.e., perfect for running.

But as I am wont to do, I realised that if I was going to give this running thing another go, I needed another reason besides the weather. Just telling myself to go for a run because it was a nice day wasn’t enough.

Around this time, I had a conversation with a friend who is big into running. We were chatting about the Standard Chartered Marathon that takes place each February in Hong Kong. He had hoped to enter the ballot for the marathon in 2022, but the event had been cancelled once again due to the pandemic. There was some talk of the event returning in 2023, but it was still early days. When I mentioned that I was looking to get back into running, my friend said that competitive events could be a good incentive, and after all, what did I have to lose?

Well, perhaps my balance, but my friend was right. I didn’t really have anything to lose.

When it was announced that there would be an event in February 2023, I applied for the 10km, half-thinking/hoping that I wouldn’t make the cut. But a short time later, I received an email confirming that I had. So now, I really had no choice but to get my ass out there and run.

Again, the Couch to 5k app came in handy but I also downloaded and paid for a second app to take me beyond the 5km mark¹.

Here I am making my way to the starting line for the event in 2023:

The Standard Chartered 10km. At the time masks were still mandatory in Hong Kong. Fortunately, I was able to take it off when I started running.

In the weeks leading up to the 10km the weather had been beautiful: crisp and dry. But then a few days beforehand, the humidity shot up. By the Sunday, the humidity was at 85% (it was 6:30am!) and although you cannot tell from this photo, I was a sweaty mess and I hadn’t even started running.

But I did manage to complete the run with a few stops along the way, and was met at the finish line by my wonderful husband.

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Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You

Nearly two weeks ago, I completed my second Standard Chartered 10km run. Compared to 2023, my training was a disaster. A prolonged chest infection derailed all of my running programme and my life from November 2024 onwards, and then I was travelling for Christmas and more recently again to visit my husband’s family, so trying to get motivated while jet-lagged and still feeling unwell was challenging.

Yet knowing that I was participating in the event kept a part of my mind focused. It was the external motivator that I needed. A few days before the run, I consulted the same running friend and he advised me to take things very slowly, especially at the beginning. Then, if I was feeling okay, pick up the pace. Oh, and have a good playlist. That was important. I went with a selection of pop, dance/house, rock, and a few random songs to keep me on my toes.

Fortunately, the weather was better behaved this time around. And if you’re interested, there’s a run down of how the event went at the end of this post.

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Chappell Roan - HOT TO GO!

Part of me has wondered if my stop/start relationship with running is linked to the fact that I don’t seem to experience a runner’s high that many people have post-run². Because if anything, I am just grateful when a run is over!

Having said that, I am still buzzing in my own way from completing the run, and while I have zero desire to train for anything more than a 10km, I am already thinking about the Standard Chartered event in 2026.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves!

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A running low-down

• 0-3km: Slow and steady pace as navigated the crowds. Felt a bit of a chill

• 4km: Calves are tight. Playlist mostly pop e.g., Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa

• 5km: Hit my stride and felt good. Warmed up and had some classic dance/house e.g., Stardust, Xpansions

• 7km: Stitch in my right side (why always there?) but it faded. I think Chappell Roan helped

• 8km: First official sign to indicate the distance completed and what was left. Gradual incline on the route. Ugh. Grabbed a cup of water and managed throw it over my neck and chest instead of drinking it and started coughing. DJ Fresh and Lady Dynamite provided some ‘Gold Dust’ that got things moving again

• 9.5km: So close. Final loop was up and over a flyover. UGH! Felt nauseous at the top and slowed but then I saw the entrance to the last stretch and the finish line. Thank you to AD/DC - Thunderstruck

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1. FYI - it took me about TWO AND A HALF YEARS to complete the Couch to 5k app.

2. There’s some interesting research into runner’s high here. Thank you to the late Michael Mosley for highlighting to me that this is not a common experience for all (here).