When there is brilliant sunshine in this country, you do not waste it. And that is how we found ourselves persuaded to don Santa suits and go walk 4km in a park in January, when Christmas is long over.
We had signed up for the British Heart Foundation's Santa Jog in November. Apparently an annual affair, we had been attracted by the idea that all participants will be given a Santa suit to wear for the jog. I mean, this is so fun and unlike anything we have ever experienced in Singapore. And honestly, I hate running and would never have signed up for anything like this if not for the fact that it is fun and not so intimidating since we can choose to run, jog or walk. Also, you can bring your child (toddler and baby alike) and even your dog as well, so clearly a family-friendly event. With all these in mind, I had no illusions, knowing that I would be walking and pushing Julien in his baby buggy.
But when the Santa Jog was postponed to January due to heavy snow, our enthusiasm ebbed. We were not just past Christmas; we were even past New Year now! And it felt a bit stupid to be wearing Santa suits to run round the lake now. We were in half a mind not to turn up, but waking up in the morning to such glorious sunshine, the mind just goes: "What the heck?! For the fun of it. Why not? This weather would be wasted if we spend it indoors."
When we reached the park, there were already many Santas either dressed or in the process of changing. I got us our Santa suits and started putting it on. Where before a grumpy Daddy Low, having been suddenly dragged out of bed, had refused to wear the Santa suit, he changed his mind on seeing the many Santas around us. The suit was simply humungous for us, but I was happy to be in it. It was my first time in a Santa suit. Even if I look silly, never mind lah! :) People were enjoying themselves, laughing and joking and taking photos in their Santa suits. One enthusiastic participant even came in his own costume - he was dressed as a giant reindeer. I asked him for a photo and the good man obliged, amidst his friends' merry laughter.
Just before flag-off, Julien started to cry. In our excitement to get dressed, we had forgotten to watch the time and my poor baby was hungry. We started feeding him, and even fed while pushing him, in our bid to catch up with the rest of the Santas. But of course, we failed and were soon the last Santas in the jog. As the herd disappeared from our view, we started to feel more and more conspicuous as the stragglers and became ever more conscious of people throwing us amused looks. We started joking about what these people were thinking or saying about us - "These funny Chinese... maybe, they celebrate Christmas in January in China..." ('cos of course, all Chinese are always from China, and for the record, we were the only Chinese participants). But of course, that was just us feeling conscious; there were, after all, all those other Santas ahead of us.
It turned out to be a good thing that we were left so far behind that we no longer felt the pressure to catch up, since we could now take our time to enjoy our surroundings and could stop whenever we wanted to take pictures. And believe it or not, it was actually my first time to walk the full lap around the lake, since we moved here in March. Willen Lake is the largest lake in Milton Keynes and its purpose is to balance the water bodies. The park itself is done up very beautifully and many times, we have passed it and remarked that we must come and check it out. And the only one time we did was when I was still pregnant, but stayed only for about 10 minutes, since we were too thinly dressed for the spontaneous visit. Thus, I was glad for this opportunity to see Willen Lake and Park and in such brilliant weather too. I discovered a gym, a hospice, a pagoda, the balancing gates, exercise stations, a children's playground, a waterskiing ring etc. And the beautiful landscaping of the park, the lakefront reflected in the water in that beautiful sunshine.
But when the Santa Jog was postponed to January due to heavy snow, our enthusiasm ebbed. We were not just past Christmas; we were even past New Year now! And it felt a bit stupid to be wearing Santa suits to run round the lake now. We were in half a mind not to turn up, but waking up in the morning to such glorious sunshine, the mind just goes: "What the heck?! For the fun of it. Why not? This weather would be wasted if we spend it indoors."
When we reached the park, there were already many Santas either dressed or in the process of changing. I got us our Santa suits and started putting it on. Where before a grumpy Daddy Low, having been suddenly dragged out of bed, had refused to wear the Santa suit, he changed his mind on seeing the many Santas around us. The suit was simply humungous for us, but I was happy to be in it. It was my first time in a Santa suit. Even if I look silly, never mind lah! :) People were enjoying themselves, laughing and joking and taking photos in their Santa suits. One enthusiastic participant even came in his own costume - he was dressed as a giant reindeer. I asked him for a photo and the good man obliged, amidst his friends' merry laughter.
Just before flag-off, Julien started to cry. In our excitement to get dressed, we had forgotten to watch the time and my poor baby was hungry. We started feeding him, and even fed while pushing him, in our bid to catch up with the rest of the Santas. But of course, we failed and were soon the last Santas in the jog. As the herd disappeared from our view, we started to feel more and more conspicuous as the stragglers and became ever more conscious of people throwing us amused looks. We started joking about what these people were thinking or saying about us - "These funny Chinese... maybe, they celebrate Christmas in January in China..." ('cos of course, all Chinese are always from China, and for the record, we were the only Chinese participants). But of course, that was just us feeling conscious; there were, after all, all those other Santas ahead of us.
It turned out to be a good thing that we were left so far behind that we no longer felt the pressure to catch up, since we could now take our time to enjoy our surroundings and could stop whenever we wanted to take pictures. And believe it or not, it was actually my first time to walk the full lap around the lake, since we moved here in March. Willen Lake is the largest lake in Milton Keynes and its purpose is to balance the water bodies. The park itself is done up very beautifully and many times, we have passed it and remarked that we must come and check it out. And the only one time we did was when I was still pregnant, but stayed only for about 10 minutes, since we were too thinly dressed for the spontaneous visit. Thus, I was glad for this opportunity to see Willen Lake and Park and in such brilliant weather too. I discovered a gym, a hospice, a pagoda, the balancing gates, exercise stations, a children's playground, a waterskiing ring etc. And the beautiful landscaping of the park, the lakefront reflected in the water in that beautiful sunshine.
Bathed in the warm sunlight and with endorphins coursing through my blood, as I walked my first 4km in months, I felt a wave of contentment wash over me. And to say the words you would hardly ever hear me utter - "Hmmm, we should do this more often... " Oh yes, parks and I are not natural bedfellows, but today's walk helped me realise that it is always the first step that is hard - once you are out of the house, the rest is easy. And oh, I have to qualify that the sunshine is a huge pull factor too. Everything looked so much prettier and it helped to lift my spirits and brighten my mood!
And as we walked, we discovered Santa beards on the ground... and then Santa belts. Aha, my fellow Santas were slowly undressing. The serious runners anyway. They were doing it Superman style - uncovering their running gear underneath and shedding the Santa suit (Hmmm... maybe that makes it reverse-Superman style...)
Then, we heard rapid steps running our way, crunching the gravel louder and louder. And a Santa suit flew past us. I told Daddy Low happily, "Oh look, we are not the last ones after all. That late guy is running, trying to catch up!" And Daddy Low replied, "Don't be silly. That is the first guy in, running his second lap!" I was incredulous and did not believe him until the 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc etc runners on their second lap ran past us. And soon, the rest followed, in various stages of undress of their Santa suit - the very visual explanation of the Santa beards and belts littering the ground before. Even Mr Reindeer ran past us and at my surprised "Hi" turned around and gave us a wave of hello.
Ok, so we were still the last in the jog. So what! We were enjoying the walk, the fresh air, the warm sunshine and the beautiful views. And we still got our medals as we crossed the finishing line. No matter the fact that this was hardly a serious race, this remained my first medal from a 4km route!
Will I do this again? You bet! There is something liberating to the mind and the soul in wearing a Santa suit, acting goofy and walking the length of a lake in it. But before the next Santa jog next year, I will be back in that park to enjoy the air and views again and in the process improve my form and stamina... just give me some sunshine please! :)
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