Recently an old track and field of mine from secondary school found and contacted me on Friendster.
Such wonderful tool eh, these online social accounts. It makes you so ‘global’ no matter where you are and being online, meant that there’s no ‘fix boundaries’ to adhere to.
Yeah as I was saying, infact my initial love for running started when I was in secondary school, but I knew since young that I have always wanted to run but I didn’t had the opportunity, so I didn’t try.
It was only in Form 5 that I started. I’ve never ran a race in my life before, other than the usual Physical Education session. I played plenty of soccer then, and that requires of running. I was the so called “Malek Awab“ for my neighborhood team.
Always running in midfield, distributing the passes and controlling the pace of the game. I guess that’s where I get all my running ‘training’ indirectly. I was really fit then for a young boy.
My school has the usual annual cross country and every year I’ll just chill and walk. But that final year of my schooling semester I decided to just run ‘hard’, just for the fun of it … and guess what, I won first for my age group.
I have the ‘hots’ for a lady PE teacher
From there on, I was selected for my school cross country and track/field team. That’s when I met a bunch of dedicated runners. Young as they were, they had aspirations to run fast and be the best they can be. That really inspired me.
Other than the usual school training, I train on my own too. It’s also a plus point that the coach was this NIE lady on practicum who’s hot. I had a crush on her then, but I didn’t have the balls to tell her that lah. She was also coaching netball, so I get to oggle at the netball girls too. Hahaha.
It was just crazy back then. At 15 years old, I could already be doing 8 minutes plus for my 2.4km. the fastest I did was 8:06 minutes on the 2.4km school route.
My most memorable moment was when our school qualified for the National Schools Cross Country Finals for the longest time ever. We ran the heats and each and every one of us contributed to the Finals qualification. I myself got in the Top10 position for that run.
Imagine a small neighborhood school qualified for the finals was big news for us. We’ve qualified and earn to run in the finals, amongst the top elite running school such as Victoria, Chinese High and ACS.
Run simple
Back then I couldn’t really afford any trainers, so I ran in these $5 Sea Horse shoes. The soles was so thin, I feel every bump on the road, but it’s light, like a racer. It was painful but that’s the most my mum then can conjure up with her savings.
It was the only best time of my secondary school life. The previous four years that I was in school was usually and at most, a blur as I was quite the slacker and unmotivated. Then, i felt I’ve found my ‘calling’ … To run.
So I ran for my school and house. My yellow house won it’s first Track & Field trophy in years and with my help. So from an obscure shy quiet kid who has only one friend in school, I felt kind of suddenly thrust into the ‘spotlight’ and a mini celebrity in school. Hahaha.
The chicks were trying to get to know me, and people actually knew my name. How cool is that!. I mean it may seem at a superficial level lah, but at that young blur-cock age, this is so called ‘fame’. And I was loving it.
The ITE phase
Then came O’level which I did badly. Even without running as much as I did then, I would have still flunked it as I was never interested in my studies.
So off I went to ITE, specializing in Mechatronics at ITE Dover. It was a depressing phase for me, because back then it’s not like these days ITE where the certificate is more recognized.
If you’re sent to ITE back then, the acronym ITE stands for ‘It’s The End’. I felt it was really the end for me. I even stopped running. I became a typical ‘mat’. Slacker and no hope …
Have to serve National Service lei
The two years there in ITE was again a blur. It came and went in a instance for me. Right before I knew it, I was shipped off for National Service in the Police Force.
It was a ‘kick in the ass’ for which I needed. I think National Service does serve its purpose in moulding a young kid into a fine adult. The hardship we faced during NS will be a learning experience for which many Singaporean guys can translate into real life later on, but I still disagree however on the number of years to be served. I think it’s far too long.
Well anyway National Service, I found my calling again, ‘To Run’. I’ve had the chance to meet some great runners there. In fact my running buddy was a former Victoria school and Victoria JC runner, so knowing I can keep up and even beat the guy during some of the runs, means I’ve a certain ‘talent’ in running.
Application to poly
During national service, with my crap ITE certificate, which has horrendous results, I applied for Polytechnic courses. I was rejected once, and I applied again the next round. I was pleasantly surprised to be accepted in Mechatroncs course again.
It was a start of a great three years. This time round, after ORD from National Service, I want to make it ‘right’ this time. I told myself, to excel in both my studies and curricular activities. Do or Die. If I flunk, i’ll ship myself to Bangladesh and work there :-)
So I took up dragonboat and running in polytechnic. I was lucky to met my first coach in running. He instilled the belief in me, that I do have talent and it’s up to me to be the best that I can be, through dedicated effort and training.
I dropped dragonboat, so I can focus more on running. Surprisingly for my first maiden IVP entry, I won an individual medal. IVP is like a running competition for all varsity school. So that spurred me on.
Getting serious
So when I started running and training more seriously at a late age of 23, I was just just trying to keep up with the rest of the athlete in my age group. It was difficult because there were so many good athletes in my age group and some of the best in the country who has went to represent their nation already.
My progression was very slow, as I started to run ‘seriously’ late in my running years, my mechanics was all wrong, my speed was horrible, my limbering was far less than it should be at my ‘old’ age. It was a really long and slow process, which kinda actually helped me because it gave me plenty of goals to reach and attain.
The learning curve
And when it comes to local races, level of competition was so tough that I wasn’t winning a lot to begin with. I just hate it when they put me in the ‘loser’ heats. Meaning I’ll run with juniors and athletes way way younger than me. But then again who am I to be placed in the ‘elite’ heats, haha. I’ve not achieved considerably anything infact.
No-one in my life has ever came up to me and said I had talent and it didn’t really matter i think. It wasn’t about that. I believed in what I was doing. This is something that I wish to embark and pursue for as long as my body can take it. I’ll know when it’s time to ‘retire’, but for now the passion still lingers and burns.
Just do it?
I’ve always believed in “If it’s up to be, it’s up to me”. You have to ask yourself if this is “what you want to do” or whether it’s “what you’re supposed to do“. At this point of age, I can’t really say how much of a success I’ve done but it’s a matter of the hard work I’ve put into this.
I couldn’t imagine then, as with guidance that you could actually be “considered anything other than being the best that I could be” if you trained smart and hard enough. That mentality advised by my another coach which has kept me grounded and focused.
So I hope this blog will serve as my training log, updates on my running exploits and inspiration to others that an ‘old uncle’ like me can still run & still able to ‘kick’ some young punk ass on the track.
Melayu Boleh, Sha Boleh!
Stop running too much! you may have a heart attack. :D
haha wat sia … no la, i think there’s a limit to how much you can run
i run just enough .. nothing more, nothing less
Wah im impressed! Anyway it really moved me man :) Respect sama lu brudda :)
thanks kiddo …
flash back flash back!!!
that was the article that brought me to ur site….
hehehehhehehehehe….
oooh really … wah thats super long ago then we kinda met eh?
and oh yar..
you’ve been tag!!!!
waduh … ok la, just for you. the LAST ONE!!
fwah… RESPECT. :)
reading ur entry makes me kinda miss all those times in sch. :P
I miss my old schooling days too … esp Poly life :-)
fuhyoh, feeweet, and fwah fwah fwah….
*R.E.S.P.E.C.T song starts playing in the background*
now that’s what i call, steady ah uncle! Haha.. ehem, awak tu dah digelar “uncle”, biler tu nk jadi mr. and mrs. sha? haha..
cheers bro!
Belum pun ada gf seh I …
nak talk abt mr & mrs? lama lagi lah bro
siapa la nak this bangla :-p
hell yeah..
Uncle Sha boleh!
and hey. 8mins for 2.4?
speedy gonzalez arh you!
my name is not gonzalez, it’s mohamad shahruddin :-p .. hehe juz kidding
yeah dunno if i can still 9min for 2.4km .. dah tua
the newspaper article was so inspirational. but I wish I was as motivated as u. :(
well i didn’t wake up one day and said, hey lets do this!
it’s pretty much progressive … gradual build up
sikit sikit lama lama jadi bukit
Wow, wonderful article :) You really write well. Loves it.
You got interviewed in the papers too! Coolness :D
it was a long time ago interview :-)
muscle so the power ah? all skool you reveal but not your primary school…
my primary school is Fuchun Primary
you’re admirable. your talents are obvious but it’s your fighting spirit that truly stands out.
in any fight, anyone would be happy to have you on his side.
Thanks
Yeah i’ll stand toe to toe in any fight, but fight with gf, my balls shrink, haha … :-p
join the club!
haha, that sonofagun Ah Tan! (first picture)
U’re from woodlands sec?
yeap.
I grad in 1995, Sec5 Mr Tan class
you?
Hey…. i cant stop but always had to comment on your posts cos some of them, i feel have the same exact sentiments as me… and frm reading this post… i knw exactly hw u feel because just like u in the past, i wasnt in the popular clique in school… in fact others taunt me with names due to my pimply face…. bt tt all changed when i went to poly… juz like u, i joined dragonboat having joined before when i had worked at HSA..n i had hated running… bt dragonboat changed all tt… with all the running, pull ups, rowing and push ups… it somehow toned my body.. and make me physically better than when i was in sec sch… to the extent tt no matter how low profile ii try to be in poly… everyone soon came to know abt me, wati the dragonboater.. maybe cos i had been the only malay gal in the team… i love dragonboat, rowing in the middle of the sea, goin to penang to race and the adrenalin rush tt i felt when rowing to the finishing line at river regatta.. n the sound of paddles up, and GO!!!!!! i missed all tt.. bt sadly i had to quit because i was working part time to supplement my studies as i had not received any bonds at all… and at the same time studying.. so i was in the team for one year before it took its toll on me.. bt i had learnt a lot frm the experience… I know how u feel, the struggles tt one has to go thru… and as for the shoes… i feel for u… cos when i had seen how all the other gals in the db team and also in school be in their up to date dressing sense, there was me, filling with envy as i do not have the luxury as them to dress up in the latest tops and etc…..
and well.. i am glad tt u finally found your calling… sometimes they said in the midst of a storm and struggles, there lies a silver lining in the cloud… cos like u despite all the struggles tt i had been thru… i had found my calling too.. in dragonboat and also in nursing… its through these sufferings and struggles tt eventually mould ur personality and character and at the same time, open doors tt u didnt have the courage to open initially…
i wish u all the best in life k.. sorry abt the long post… juz sharing my thots.. :P
Yeah taking up a sports really works on ya confidence.
Glad it turned out well for both of us.
I never did go to overseas races, I wish I did … maybe I’ll try DB again maybe in 5 years time.
True enough, I myself try to keep a low profile, but I was also the only Malay in the team, so I stood out. That’s how my nick shadragon came about. Hahaha, so creepy when I say it myself.
I like doing something that’s beyond the norm like DB, I guess you do too eh.
Hey, yr nick is shadragon too!!!! haha.. hi 5… :D
oh… haha..anyway… i dun knw… when i had took up db… i didnt think it was beyond the norm.. to me it was just an experience, an exploration since i feel that I have only one life… so y nt try it!!!! :P or
maybe, in yr opinion, its beyond the norm of malay gals taking up db since there are nt a lot of malay gals is it?? haha.. i dun knw…. i just took it as a challenge for myself.. since i am single.. n with nothing to do most of the time.. haha.. so y nt try it since i have the time… haha.. well.. sometimes my frens wld say i m crazy when i took up all these sports.. bt well.. i enjoy doing it…:P…its to test my mental and physical strength and at the same time, xploring nature… tts just wonderful.. :)..