10KMs: Mental Endurance

As usual, once a week, I would tell my mum that I am going off for my run. Today she got curious and asked “since you run one 10KM every week, does it still hurt for you? It must be easy right?” Well, the simple answer is no.

Actually, every time it’s the same, it is never easier and it isn’t supposed to be easy. When I train, regardless of the activity, I will always push myself to the brink, it is only then that the session will be worthwhile and I get to improve myself physically and mentally. And actually, 10KM runs are more of a mental training than it is a physical one.

Excuses

Every 10KM is the same. I would wake up early and it would feel like shit. My legs are not ready, my mind is still trying to get started and everything just seems so much better at home. The bed is so comfy, why would I leave it for a hot and sweaty run? Every excuse you can think of would start to generate in my mind, the resistance is real.

The Opportunity

But the flip side will be considered, a chance to see the sun rise at the Bayfront Area. A chance to get a nice scenery of Singapore river and to be able to say that I’ve done something productive even before my brother wakes up! And with most habit loops that I create, I can maintain the streak of weekly 10KMs if I do it now. Most importantly, staying accountable to myself, keeping my own promises. (I explained how important it was in my previous article! Have a read :D)

Mental Visualization

Now that I can see why I need to run, I begin to prepare. While changing into my workout gear, I would start thinking about how the run would be, imagining the route, remember every checkpoint and how I would feel at each portion of the run. I would be able to see the great views I get:

2KM: Sports Hub 3.4KM: Singapore Flyer 4KM: Marina Bay Sands (MBS) 6.2KM: Esplanade 8KM: Robertson Quay and much more in between !

I would continue to visualize till I reach the starting point, give a proper stretch, turn on the running application, Asic RunKeeper (Add me!) and my Spotify exercise playlist (I always start with the same song) and off I go!

The Run

As I said, 10KMs are always the same

For the first 3km, I can feel my muscles begin to tighten, my breathing seems out of sync with my running pattern and I feel like I’m losing energy. The starting few kilometres are used for calibrating, getting my body used to the run and once everything starts to settle in, I will be able to take off.

This happens when I’m nearing the flyer. Everything begins to stabilize and adrenaline sets in. Time for some fun!

Fun Time

This is when I feel like I can run forever, I can adjust my pace up and down as I wish. I use other runners along the path as markers and they would become my mini milestones. I would pace up to catch up to them and maintain my lead, repeat.

I also go on to use long stretches of straight paths as opportunities to sprint. I would do this and then gradually slow down to get back to my maintained pace. This integrates fartlek training into the long distance run, extra fun :D

And lastly, traffic sprints. From city hall to bugis to home, there are many traffic lights in a row. Instead of seeing them as obstructions, I use them as start and end points of my sprints and the time it takes for the traffic light to turn from red to green as my rest time :D

Post Run Recovery

At the end of the run, I would give my legs a good stretch, cool down in front of a fan and go for a cold shower, this aids with muscle recovery. More information, check out the benefits of cold showers after exercising here!

My first 10KM was accidental.

It may sound strenuous to run that much but trust me, it is easier than you think. It is an arduous task only if you tackle it by overly focusing on the end result. Much like life,

It isn’t a sprint, it is a marathon. By pacing yourself, taking one step at a time and focusing on the smaller milestones, you would go far and without you knowing, you would have already hit your goal.

I was in national service and on a saturday morning, I wanted to train for my cardio and running endurance. I went downstairs to the nearest park connector and began. This was my first time running near my house so I decided to just take my time to explore. As I went on and on, I realised I could connect to Bayfront, so with every landmark I hit, I pushed on just to see the next one. By the time I was done running from landmark to landmark and attempting to navigate back home, I’ve done 10KM.

Join Me

I aim to help others experience the benefits of 10KM runs and I would love to help you get your first 10KM run and we would do so together weekly with proper training plans and utter discipline from staying accountable with me ! This is my workout telegram group !

[embed]💪🏻 Workout Or Die 👊🏻 A group for all levels of fitness and sport, learn and grow together! Commitment: To post whenever you workout. This…t.me