Lost race training days to the haze? Don't rush to catch up, say experts

Singapore

With year-end sporting events approaching, CNA looks at how athletes can safely return to outdoor exercise.

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10 Nov 2026 03:48PM

SINGAPORE: With December’s Singapore International Marathon approaching, runners are racing to make up for weeks of training disrupted by the haze.

While some turned to treadmills and alternative workouts to maintain their fitness, others are eager to clock extra mileage now that the skies are clear.

But can indoor training adequately prepare runners for outdoor races, and is it safe to cram in missed workouts?

COPING WITH THE HAZE

“During the haze, (it) was very bad. We fell sick quite a few times with sore throat and short fevers. So, our training was impacted quite a bit,” an avid runner told CNA.

Mr Ceed Tan, a pacer with the Singapore Runners Club, had been aiming to clock 60km a week, but found himself adjusting his routes according to air quality conditions.

“For the past few weeks, I tried to run more in the north. Apparently, the PSI there is better,” said Mr Tan, who is training for the BYD Singapore International Marathon presented by Adidas to be held from Dec 4 to 6.

Besides monitoring air quality and adjusting his routes, he also incorporated more indoor training, recovery and mobility exercises into his routine.

“If there's really no choice, I will force myself to run indoors like a hamster for two to three hours on the treadmill,” he said.

Some runners even turned to training in shopping malls to escape the haze.

For Ms Alexis Liu, founder of local hiking clothing brand Altitude Zero, she resorted to running outdoors while wearing an N95 mask.

“I was quite sick of running on the treadmill especially for prolonged periods of time,” she said.

“The problem with it is, mentally, you feel very tired because you're always looking at how far you've gone and how much more there is left.”

CAN TREADMILLS PREPARE RUNNERS?

While treadmills can help maintain cardiovascular fitness, they cannot fully replicate the demands of outdoor running, particularly Singapore’s heat and humidity. 

The physical demands of running in an air-conditioned environment are lower than that of the outdoors, said long-distance running coach Nicole Low. 

“Your heart rate doesn't rise as much. Your body temperature doesn't rise as much,” she said.

“So, when you return to the outdoors, you may not be used to the humidity again, you might feel that you're overheating earlier on in the race.”

Pacing also differs. While the treadmill helps runners maintain a set pace, running outside requires people to regulate their own speed and effort.

“Outdoors, you are the one in control. So how well you pace it depends on your own ability and your own perceived effort,” Ms Low said.

Beyond pacing and heat exposure, indoor training also presents limitations.

“On a treadmill, it's so much easier for us to take gels and water and hydrate ourselves,” said Mr Ng Kai Yi, an Under Armour athlete preparing for next month’s marathon.

“If we are outside, we would actually have to practice grabbing our water while running. So in terms of mimicking real race conditions … that practice portion is definitely missing.”

WHICH WORKOUTS TO PRIORITISE

Ms Low said that for runners whose training schedules have been disrupted, not every missed workout needs to be made up.

“You won't lose a lot of fitness if you just miss one session, it's more of the consistency throughout the weeks,” she said.

“As long as you're consistently training and building up the volume, you still will have the gains from the training programme itself.”

Instead, runners should prioritise sessions most important to their race preparation.

Ms Low advised runners to focus on long runs to build mileage and endurance, while easier sessions can be skipped or replaced with home-based exercises, yoga, cycling or active recovery.

For HYROX participant Wong Shu Juan, missing outdoor runs during the haze had been a source of anxiety.

“I didn't appreciate being able to go out and run whenever I want, like spontaneously, as much as I do now after the haze,” she said.

She added that missing long runs had made her more concerned about her performance in the upcoming AIA HYROX Singapore 2026 from Nov 26 to 29.

BE CAREFUL OF "REVENGE TRAINING"

But some athletes are eager to make up for lost time after weeks of holding back.

Mr Jairaj Kumaraguru-Ng, a personal coach at MOVE Private Fitness, who had participated in the KEEN Dark Forest Run on Oct 31, described the rush to resume outdoor workouts as “revenge training”.

“Last week I did a 30km (run) when the skies finally cleared up. So yeah, back on track,” he said.

“It was a lot of energy that was being unspent. I think it's just good to be back in nature, just to get outdoors and a bit of stress relief as well.”

But cramming in missed workouts can increase the risk of muscle strains and overuse injuries, experts warned. 

Ms Low said runners could miss a session or move it to another day without necessarily losing fitness, and should be careful not to overload themselves.

A gradual return to outdoor training can help reduce those risks, particularly for athletes who have spent weeks exercising in air-conditioned environments.

“You might need to start a bit slower and adjust accordingly. And hydrate more because you'll probably be sweating a bit more once you transit from indoors to outdoors,” advised Ms Low.

Source: CNA/oc(dn)