Move Forward And Leave Covid-19 Behind

The last 3 weeks have been rough. Just before the weekend that Esther and I were supposed to do the Mountain GOAT Challenge, both of us were down with Covid-19! We had to stay at home and quarantine ourselves for at least 7 days and hardly did any exercise. It was tough to do any activities for long (including work) as we would be coughing and constantly feeling tired. As we exited from quarantine and started recovering, we did some easy jogs ranging from 4-9km. Nothing serious as we were both still coughing and lungs felt like they had not fully recovered. 3 weeks later we found ourselves staring at the last day of the Mountain GOAT Challenge, and we thought....let's give it a try and aim for 6 loops (28km, 1500m elevation). On the 3rd April, we started the Mountain GOAT Challenge at 1230pm. We were old and wise enough to take it easy and just chillax. Eventually we finished the damn 6 loops in 5hrs 40mins. There was unbridled joy in splashing around the teh-peng (iced tea) puddles after the rain! Giving and receiving encouragements with fellow runners and supporters was uplifting. Physical high 5s, offers of iced milo, coke and cold beer was something that was missing from 2 years of virtual races. And of course the smiles on people's faces without mask were priceless! I sincerely hope that the success of Mountain GOAT Challenge is just a taster for more physical trail races to come very soon in Singapore! The Mountain GOAT Challenge was very much a reflection of the past 2 years of Covid-19. It was tough and frustrating when we had to hunker down and put our grand plans on hold. Ambitions gave way to being socially responsible so that we could keep the community safe. Hopefully the worst of Covid-19 is well and truly behind us and we can start chasing our dreams and passions again, albeit with a little caution. Just like the success of Mountain GOAT Challenge, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.