It took a few ingredients to coax me out of the comfortable setting in my home and onto the road to hit the pavement. Running used to be so natural and easy, but now that I've gained quite a few, it feels hard to move my body through space.

I'd be bold and state that I'm at 79 kilograms and if I do nothing, it will increase, because I love to eat and I naively believe the scant lifting I'm doing will offset the stuff I introduce into my system.

This was about the same weight before I enlisted, but I now feel different. My body works differently too.

I can do more pull-ups, but I run much slower and shorter.

Hence, I put on an OCS singlet, used the earphones that I bought to complement the running habit I'm supposed to cultivate, put on the New Balance shoes that I again bought to sustain the habit and ran.

It helped that I was running to a familiar place (MJC), and I was hoping to gain entry into the track so I could get a drink and also reminisce. I was disappointed.

The OCS shirt made me conscious that I could not look bad, and the presence of strangers multiplied that sense.

Even though it was not as feel good as I would liked, it was a good and beneficial run and I am hungry.