Jogging in Singapore’s HDB heartlands is relaxing. I jogged around the fringes of rural Yew Tee, the town streets of Yishun, and the vast expanse of Ang Mo Kio-Bishan Park. But I’ve never jogged downtown. Where to change clothes? Where to leave my bag? Everyone who jogs downtown needs to look beautiful and handsome. LOL

I guess the real question is “Why not jog downtown?”. Like what’s stopping me? I can change clothes and leave my bag at my office in Tanjong Pagar. I can tame my mammoth and venture out onto the sidewalks of these towering skyscrapers.

Thanks to RunKepper (both the website and the iPhone app), Google Street View (for double checking routes), and Street Directory SG, I created my own running routes. Two years of recreational jogging in Singapore and I still consider myself a beginner so I created a series of 5-6 kilometer routes.

• 5KM – Tanjong Pagar to Marina Bay Loop (tried earlier)
• 5KM – Tanjong Pagar to Singapore River – Clarke Quay Turnaround (next week)
• 6KM – Tanjong Pagar to Gardens by the Bay Loop (to try by end of November)

My starting point would be at the intersection of Maxwell Road and Shenton Way (near AXA Tower) since my office is a 5-minute walk from that corner. Then for all my mentioned routes above, I skim past the construction sites along Shenton Way heading towards opposite Lau Pa Sat. This leads me near Downtown MRT where I crossover a few blocks to get to Marina Bay.

When I managed to do my “Tanjong Pagar to Marina Bay Loop” earlier, I was so giddy. Jogging on my own under all these city lights. Office workers still streaming outside of their buildings. By the time I reached Marina Bay at Marina Boulevard, I was once again starstruck by the beauty of it all– Marina Bay Sands, reflections of the city skyline over the water, fellow joggers going about, that feeling of safety.

I jogged towards MBS, then onto the Helix Bridge, past the floating stadium, and Makansutra/Esplanade. I climbed up the steps to get on the bridge connecting to Merlion Park (the new pedestrian bridge is almost done). I noticed the tourist crowds thicken here so better to avoid that area altogether and jog along the sidewalk of Fullerton Road on my way back to Tanjong Pagar.

I may have clocked in at a slow 45-minutes for a 5 kilometer run (I didn’t account for stoplights/pedestrian crossings and tourist hotspots) but I thoroughly enjoyed jogging downtownn. I believe in a race setting I can finish a 5-kilometer in 30-35 minutes (at my current conditioning).