Hello, world!

I’m the Ninja Turtle, and this is my first post on JustRunLah! Although a Singaporean born and bred, I have spent the last ten years living overseas – I know, lucky me. I’m currently based in a city/town (terminology disputable, one man’s cosmopolitan city is another man’s kampong) called Metz, in the northeast corner of France. I travel as much as time and wallet permits me to, and I love running in new destinations with new sceneries. I also love routine, and have a trusty handful of running routes I generally stick to, for the sake of measuring my performance and also because I have a questionable sense of direction and tend to get lost.

As my first post on this site coincides with my last day in this country for 2014, I decided to take a few photos during my morning run in an attempt to capture the essence of one of my favourite running routes in the Parc de la Seille, highlighted by the season’s mood.

It's a beautiful time to run - the trees in the park are changing colours and shedding their leaves.
It’s a beautiful time to run – the trees in the park are changing colours and shedding their leaves.

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Vivid visual reminders as we approach the tail-end of autumn.
Vivid visual reminders as we approach the tail-end of autumn.

I’m hyper-sensitive to sensations, and when I run, all my feelings are magnified. So, while on one hand, I’m quite miserable about my fingers being frozen numb, it is more than compensated for as I feast my eyes on the landscape. No such luck in winter, of course.

My route today took me off-road and into the nearby Parc du Pas du Loup (Park of the Path of the Wolf), where I often get my butt kicked by the steep hills. (Don’t worry, there aren’t any wolves in Moselle, they live in the next department, Meuse.) This park is a bird sanctuary, but at this time of the year, the animals are hiding.

The prune trees, maple trees, and willows are boasting their foliage though.
The prune trees, maple trees, and willows are boasting their foliage though.

Readers will probably learn in the coming posts that I am an indiscriminate runner, meaning I run on all types of terrain. In fact, I secretly enjoy squishing in mud a little bit too much, which explains why I have to do laundry about 5 times a week.

I have a love-hate relationship with this downhill slope; it is easy on the heart and lungs, but I've tripped on stones and roots too many times here!
I have a love-hate relationship with this downhill slope; it is easy on the heart and lungs, but I’ve tripped on stones and roots too many times here!

As I still have my suitcase waiting to be packed, I did 6.4km today and called it done. I’m feeling a little heart-sore as I know I will miss running my usual routes while I head off for the next two months. Nonetheless, I’m very excited about what my travels will bring.

Like the migratory birds, I am heading south for warmer climes. Unlike these birds though, I shall return in the dead of winter - silly me.
Like the migratory birds, I am heading south for warmer climes. Unlike these birds though, I shall return in the dead of winter – silly me.

Want my non-running related travel stories? Head over to www.thetaoofourlartdevivre.wordpress.com for photos, food and fun!

10 COMMENTS

  1. welcome to JRL and thanks for the nice photos! Being in London atm I get to enjoy running in autumn colors too (though I miss hot and sunny Singapore)

    so where you going next? 😉

    • I’m doing a little tour around a few Australian cities to visit friends and family, before heading back to Singapore. =) Really looking forward to the food, actually. Pays de la gastronomie mon cul, France lacks diversity in cuisines outside of Paris is pitiful.

    • nice post. sure makes me reminisce about autumn and winter trail runs back home.
      I will ignore the comments about UK food 🙂 (there is nothign wrong with fish and chips)
      look forward to the ‘return to SG’ post soon.

      • Thank you! Yes, autumn trails are beautiful indeed.
        Oh, the fish and chips… a deceptively simple dish, and so many ways in which it can go wrong; the Guardian did a How To Eat article on it once and I read some pretty outrageous comments.
        Salt and malt vinegar, with a side of tartare, served in newspapers, is how I want mine.

  2. Howdy. Cool post and pics. Autumn colors are stunning. I once saw a tree on East Coast Park in full autumn colors. Go figure. Enjoy Oz. Plenty of hills to be found there. Look fwd to future posts on some Aussie runs. Makes me nostalgic since I’m from Melbourne. Cheers.

    • Hello and thank you. Mother Turtle lives on the opposite end of the country, but I’ve heard East Coast Park is a nice running area and may do it one day, just for the sake of it.
      I’ll do a Melbourne run for you; I’ll be heading that way in a couple of weeks.

    • Not so nice suffering the jetlag of crossing 10 timezones. =( But yes, I fully intend to make the most of it and minimise the whining!

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