On running

I used to hate running with a passion. Couldn’t understand why my coworkers were so crazy about it. I used to think (and kind of still do) that they must be running away from something, since they seem to spend half their waking hours doing it.

The first time I tried running was in June 2021. My friend, who was getting into running alongside swimming, asked me to join her for a morning run. A minute in and I was barely catching my breath. After a few minutes, I gave up and ended up just walking around the block.

I’ve always loved walking. During the 2020 lockdown in California, I walked around my block for two hours a day, every day, for a couple of months. I was getting my steps in, shedding weight, and listening to podcasts to stay sane. Walking was therapeutic. Running though, that always felt unnecessarily intense.

Anyway, I didn’t look at running again until March 2024. I was trying a workout routine where I’d spend 10–15 minutes every morning at home, five days a week, doing cardio. This was before I joined a gym. I was following some YouTube workout videos, one of them had me running in place as part of a HIIT routine. I saw how many calories it burned and thought, “Oh, this is way more effective than the other stuff I’ve been doing.”

So in May 2024, I finally signed up for a gym for the first time since moving to Sài Gòn. I realized I needed a proper physical space to get into the right headspace. At first, I didn’t plan to make running my primary cardio. I mostly used the treadmill’s preset routines, where you input some variables and it generates a session based on what you gave it.

After a few sessions, I decided to design my own routine. But I quickly found out my form wasn’t great — flat-out wrong, really (thanks to my fiancée’s trainer at the gym, who noticed and told her, who then told me). I was mostly sprinting without realizing it, so I was constantly running out of breath. After watching a few tutorials, I tried again, and I felt the difference almost instantly in both my stamina and how I felt about the whole thing.

My first proper run was in July 2024: 3 minutes at a speed of 8 km/hr — a jump from 1 minute (of unnecessary sprinting). I mean, that’s a 200% increase. Then came 6 minutes, and I thought, “Hmm, maybe I can do this.” It felt good. I decided to invest in a good pair of running shoes, the New Balance Fresh Foam X 1080 v13. Probably the first pair of shoes I’ve ever been excited about. They’re fantastic for running.

Then I crossed the 10-minute mark. Then 12. Then 15. Then 21 minutes (2.73 km) on December 8, 2024. That may not sound like much to some, but to me it was a huge milestone.

If you’d told 2021 me that I’d enjoy running one day — actually enjoy the feeling of running — I’d have given you the judgiest look you can imagine. Granted, I mostly run indoors: gym, earbuds in, AC, predictable terrain and whatnot. Running is running. Sài Gòn weather can be hellish, and I’d rather run in peace than have to dodge people, babies, and bikes.

Crossing the 5 km mark is something I never thought I’d be able to do. I feel amazing. Kind of proud, too. After every run, I always feel better. Maybe my coworkers have a point after all.

I’m nowhere near marathon shape, or not yet. I’m not even sure if I want that. But who knows. At this point, I just enjoy running when I can. Right now I run 2–3 times a week. I’m still very much a beginner.

Like walking, journaling, and looping the same song — doing something over and over again is a therapeutic ritual. It keeps me grounded. I know there’s also a compounding return down the road. I think that’s really what motivates me, just as much as how I feel in the moment.