Running with Animiles

One upon a time, i get to know Joo Ming from internet. That's how i get to know his running group - Animiles.

I felt lucky that i can meet up with them and do training together with them every Saturday. They are group of ppl having same interest - Sport (not only doing running but also, swimming and cycling) and they are very devoted to the sport. The group is strong, not only strong in sport but also strong in relationship among themselves. Even each time we run at a difference pace (of course i cant catch up with them) , but each of them can become my pacer due to the fact they always overtake me! I will pace them until they dissappear from my eyesight. So, running long distance no longer a boring sport for me:)

See below is an article about AniMILES - meaning, we can run any number of miles.

This message was forwarded to you from The Electric New Paper ( http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg) by sgpsub68@gmail.com--------------------------------------

GOING THE EXTRA MILE WITH THE AniMILESIT was 4.30am on a cold Saturday as the cars started streaming into the dark alley behind a row of semi-detached houses. The headlights dimmed and people emerged from their vehicles, acknowledging each other with some hushed banter as they started preparing for the task ahead. At 5am, the leader signalled the group to move off, where the outfits that they were wearing contrasted with the orange hue of the streetlights, bathing the street in an eerie glow. If you had thought that it was a set of a new action series for television or a covert police raid, you could not have been further from the truth. Meet the fitness fanatics from AniMILES, a local running group. The club was formed more than 15 years ago when a couple of middle-aged women decided to take up running as a way of keeping fit while juggling work and family. Arlene Yu-Imanaka, 69, was one of them.She said: 'I started running only when I was 52. Before that, I was busy running two businesses and raising four children.'Running became a form of exercise that took the least amount of time away from my family,' added the retiree, who was nominated for the Sporting Singapore Inspiration Award this year. 'In the beginning, I started out with Bata shoes, running 15 minutes every morning.'We went quite slow, so we called ourselves the Back Chatters, which is how runners describe slow runners.'The unofficial club gradually grew over the years, as the women's daughters and husbands joined in, along with strangers the group met during their runs.During one of those runs at East Coast Park four years ago, Steven Chan and a friend chanced upon the group. 'We saw a big group of people running, and among them was (national runner) Vivian Tang, so we approached them when they had finished and have been running with them ever since,' said the 38-year-old assistant general manager. 'At that time, the club still did not have a name. But a few years ago, we decided to call ourselves AniMILES - meaning, we can run any number of miles.'The group, now consisting of more than 30 runners, usually cover distances ranging between 16km and 35km around the Lower Peirce Reservoir area every Saturday morning, though they can also be found occasionally at East Coast Park. 'We communicate through an email list regarding the location and distance to run each week,' added Chan, who plans the running routes each week with Tang.'And we are very serious about safety as well. We have a safety vehicle during our runs, which has a first-aid kit, and which also supplies us with drinks along the route.' The 'angel' who keeps them hydrated during their runs is none other than Maureen Tan - Chan's girlfriend - who zips around in her black Mazda 2.Said the 40-year-old sales executive: 'It used to get quite boring waiting for them to come around, so I used to bring my laptop to do some work in the car. 'But then I stopped doing it because they said the glow from the screen made me look quite scary when they ran past!'These people are very serious and devoted to their running.'They will even run when the road is littered with fallen branches after a thunderstorm, or in darkness when the street lamps are not working.' But as serious and devoted as these runners are to their sport, the favourite part of their weekly sessions has always been the post-run 'makan' gathering, when the group ends up at a hawker centre for their breakfast after washing up. Last Saturday, in their usual corner, the group bonded over piping hot bowls of fish soup and wanton noodles, as Sembawang Hills Estate residents woke up to a lazy morning.The air was filled with busy chatter of upcoming races and gear recommendations, while the drinks stall assistant deftly manoeuvred among the group with their favourite drinks, which she memorised from their frequent visits. After a two-hour eating session, the AniMILES were all smiles.They then bid each other goodbye, with endorphins coursing through their blood streams and good food warming their stomachs.Clearly re-fuelled to go the extra mile for the rest of the weekend.