running

I Ran 167 Days In A Row And I Don’t Recommend It

/ Stuart Danker / 22 Comments
A compilation of Stuart's IG Story archive

My IG Story archive is just videos of me running.

It’s not that I don’t want you to run. I don’t recommend it because you should find something that resonates with you. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s start with a little introduction.

So I’m the type of person who’d adopt a new habit, just because. No warning, no prep, and boom—suddenly I’m on a meditating streak.

That’s how I quit my one-pack-a-day smoking habit. I just decided I wanted to stop smoking. That’s how I turned vegetarian for a couple of years.

And as of 12 June 2024, I’ve officially run five kilometres a day, 167 days in a row. Some days I walked (pulled my back). Some days I ran circles in my room (COVID quarantine). But ever since I told myself I’d cover a certain amount of distance every day, I found myself unable to stop.

Do I want to run a marathon someday? Nope. Am I looking to lose weight? Never. So why the hell am I doing this?

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How Running Is Like Writing, And Why You Should Embrace Them Both

/ Stuart Danker / 112 Comments

Woman running on a foggy day

Six years ago, I wrote a post connecting the two wonderful worlds of writing and running, and a lot has changed since then.

For starters, I’ve actually maintained a steady schedule for more than a year now, compared to the sporadic posts I used to put up when I was ‘in the mood’. Also, I’ve started running a lot more.

That’s why I feel that I’ve garnered the necessary experience to revisit this topic, which means you get to be the judge on whether or not I’ve actually grown in the past six years.

So scroll ahead and enjoy version two of this post. Go on. Run along now.

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NON FICTION: I Don’t Know What I’m Running Away From

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Man running down sand

Photo: Remi Jacquaint

I’d like to think I have a universal face. That’s probably the reason why people tend to speak to me in their mother tongue at first meet. I’ve been mistaken for a Filipino, Thai, even Vietnamese, but I seldom get people speaking to me in Chinese, which actually makes up half of what I am.

As a result, what’s supposed to be just a transactional conversation often turns into a tactical decision. Should I continue speaking to them in Malay, or do I reply in Chinese and risk a follow-up conversation that I don’t have the energy for?

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NON FICTION: The Blind Can Lead The Blind

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A girl blindfolded

Photo: Oscar Keys

“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realise they were the big things.” —Robert Brault

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You may or may not have heard about that introduction quote. Which means it may or may not be a cliché by now. Writers are often told to avoid clichés because their meaning tends to be downplayed by their popularity, but sometimes there is a reason behind said popularity. And one of the reasons for anything being popular is because they’re true most of the time, being relevant even during boring times, like my occasional runs.

I like running because I can figuratively run away from my problems and sometimes even make the leap to the literal. It helps me meditate on my life’s troubles without having to deal with the brunt of the pain, being distracted by shortness of breath and all. These thoughts never seem to end: the perils of my future, my ill-spent days zooming by, never achieving greatness in my craft, fear of death—the usual.

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NON FICTION: Just Leave Me The Hell Alone

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running kid

Photo: Joan Sorolla

So I woke up one day with this ache that ran from my neck to my hand. The pain was a solid six (on a scale of ten), and it was constant enough to interfere with my day-to-day.

Googling wasn’t the best of ideas, since the symptoms matched that of a heart attack. Two doctor appointments and one Chinese masseuse (not a sitcom) later, I’m still perplexed as to what it was.

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