Hong Kong has been going through a huge wave of new COVID cases, so there are more restrictions around exercising outside.  Previously, you needed only to wear a mask before and after exercise, but now you need to wear a mask while exercising too.  It is possible to go running with a mask on, but it gets difficult to breathe properly and keep up a good pace.  So I have stopping going for runs outside and started an alternative exercise habit in the apartment.

I have set up a daily reminder to do a series of exercises which I can do on the spot or in a small space.  They take around 15 minutes to do and I notice they are a good way to refresh the mind when I am low on concentration at work. I have been doing them at around 3pm during the weekdays and any time in the weekend.

The routine is clams, bridges, squats, arm stretching, plank, side-kicks and another exercise which I'm not sure what the name is (I crouch and touch the floor, then stand up and stretch my arms high - I do 30 of these in a row).

Often when Lucas notices me exercising, he will join in too.  He has so much energy!  Lucas and I went to the park (near the Kowloon city plaza) yesterday so he could release some energy and we could have some time out of the apartment.  We also took a few photos.

 I haven't been for a run outside for a week.  But I have been getting into the habit of doing a checklist of simple exercises at home every day.  Right now, the schedule is: 10 clams (both sides), 10 bridges, 10 squats, 30 side kicks, 1 min of stretching arms and 1 min of plank.  If I can get into this habit, then I will be making some progress and I can set tougher goals.

 My left hamstring is feeling better, so I have started running again. The weather has been quite chilly here, so I wore two layers on top and a beany when I went for my last run.  It was a 5km run around the Kai Tak Development area.  My legs felt fine, but the constraint is still my breathing.  I'm still not very fit.  I realise this will be a long process to get back to my level of fitness from years before.

One of my main goals this year is to run a half-marathon in a decent time.  I say a decent time is something under 1 hour and 45 minutes.  To be serious about this, I really need to make the sort of running schedules I used to do.  I should make a spreadsheet of targets per week, which steadily increase to something significant.  These days, I don't expect I can run 6 days per week like I used to.  Or, at least, I won't be able to run 6 days per week immediately.

When I am working from home, it should actually be easier to find time to go for a run.  I have the flexibility to start work earlier and finish later, and go for a run in the middle of the day.  Or I could finish earlier and go for a run after work.

I took the day off from work yesterday, so I had plenty of time in the afternoon to go for a very long walk.  I had registered with a charity through work, where if I recorded 10,000 steps between Jan 9th-23rd, then I would qualify for a certificate.  This is very easy to achieve in aggregate, so I decided I would do all of the steps in one walk and take a screenshot of the steps count in my phone's Health app as evidence.

I walked up to the top of Lion Rock and then carried on westward, eventually going down Jat's incline and ending up near Choi Hung MTR station. I walked back to Kowloon City from there.  My phone registered 18,573 steps, which was pleasing.  The MapMyWalk statistics are: 16.27km, 2'44''34 time and 666m elevation gain.

The view was not very rewarding as it was pretty cloudy.  In fact, at the highest point, I could only see mist/cloud when I looked down.  I had been hoping there may be some good outlook for photos, but no luck.

I saw a few very big monkeys when I was running downhill on Jat's incline. The monkeys were not interested in me and I made an effort not to do anything provocative.

The next day, I have sore quads and knees, which is as expected.  I'll have a rest today and see how I feel tomorrow before deciding if I will go for a run/walk.

 In the middle of the last week, I felt a general stiffness in my right calf. I still tried to go for a run on Friday evening, but called it off immediately as that calf didn't feel right.  I still went for a walk instead.

I decided to be prudent and go for long walks in the weekend, instead of proper runs.  Saturday's walk was enjoyable with lots of hills.  I went along Boundary road and passed through Shek Kip Mei on my way to City University of Hong Kong (very close to Festival Walk).  Then I headed back towards Lok Fu, walking next to the main highway which runs from west to east. The walk finished going downhill back to Kowloon City.  It was 9.1km and took 90 minutes, according to the Map my walk app.  I might consider making this a running course, although there were a few small sections where walking is probably required.

Tonight (Sunday), I went for a shorter walk around the To Kwa Wan area which was 4.2km and took 42 minutes. So, it seems I am maintaining a fairly consistent walking pace of 10 mins per km.

On both walks, I listened to parts of a few audiobooks I have on the go.

I ran to the top of the Ho Man Tin reservoir today, following the reverse course.  It was cool and getting dark.

There have been increased restrictions in place due to the rise in Omicron variant COVID cases, so the actual park at the top of the hill was closed, but there were a few people around there anyway, with their dogs. I ran to the top of the hill in two parts; separated by a walk for about a minute, halfway up.

 I ran to the top of Ho Man tin reservoir and back.  It was a tough run, I felt unfit though I made the effort to run long stretches and only stop at the lights, or on the hill road to the top of the reservoir hill. According to MayMyWalk, distance was 5.62km and time was 35 mins 35 seconds.

 I will start using this diary again, to write down my thoughts on running and any highlights from recent runs.  I should probably also start using my big excel spreadsheet again!

I am back to a beginner's level for running.  At least, that is how I feel.  I wouldn't be able to complete a half marathon right now.  This needs to change.  One of my ambitious goals for 2022 will be to complete a half marathon, in a reasonable time.  I will need to plan for this and get into a habit of running at least 3 times per week.