I don’t like running. There, I said it. That might seem like a strange way to open my story about a running group, but stay with me. The thing is, I love sports. I’ve always been active – my poor parents had to drive me and my brothers around to all sorts of team sports training and games throughout our school years (thanks Mum and Dad!) and I continued playing team sports through university until I began working and my corporate travel schedule meant that I couldn’t really continue a regular training schedule.

Instead I switched to gym work, regularly doing various group exercise classes but never quite finding a passion there. But it kept me busy and (relatively) fit. Fast forward a few years and my husband decided that he wanted to run a marathon before he turned 30, so I would tag along here and there for a few kilometres but was always happy to let him continue without me. Not long after his first marathon, we found out that I was pregnant, and then just after giving birth, an exciting offer came along for us to move to Singapore.

Moving to a new country is always a bit daunting, leaving your support network after having a baby adds a whole new dimension to that move. I was diagnosed with postnatal depression and the key piece of advice from my OBGYN was "Time to get back to sports!" Working with my psychologist, it was clear that sports had always been such a big part of my identify, and now I was trying to reconcile the classic “mum guilt” of being away from my baby girl, with taking time to look after myself.

I gradually began sneaking out for short HIIT style workouts, then eventually built up enough confidence to start to go out for longer sessions (apart from the long walks with the stroller, which every new parent is familiar with!). I am the type of person who loves to make new friends and I get a lot of energy from social interaction – a classic ‘extrovert’ - so I began the hunt for some social groups with which I could train.

I spotted a couple of female targeted events being run by Rock The Naked Truth and after reading Cheryl’s story and the stories of many of those already involved, I got curious and went along to a ROCKtri Ladies event to find out about the world of triathlon. Cheryl told her story and we talked about triathlon events in Singapore, and given that I had a strong swimming background and some cycling experience, I figured, hey why not… and signed up for the Singapore International Triathlon (sprint distance). I figured that I had to get my running game a bit stronger, and so started joining the weekly ROCKrunners training runs at Marina Bay.

I met so many amazing people - the best thing about the group was that it wasn’t an “elite” group (though there are some amazing athletes that join), there is such a diverse group of people! From those that go for a bit of a walk, to trail running enthusiasts, people who have never run before in their life, and/or people who have run many ‘ultramarathons’ (50kms or more in one go!), all were welcome.

I definitely prefer running with a group. I love talking to people when I’m running, as much as I can when I’m not running out of breath! It’s also more motivating, trying to keep up with them and supporting others along the way. Soon I was happily rushing out every Tuesday to meet up with a group of people who I would really call friends these days. Since then, I have completed a number of triathlons across a number of distances, including my first IRONMAN 70.3 event on Bintan Island – after finding out I was pregnant with baby #2 the week before!

With the support of the ROCKrunners crew, I recently ran the Standard Chartered Singapore Half Marathon event at five months pregnant, and the Metasprint Aquathlon at almost 6.5 months pregnant. I still find running to be challenging (even more so as my baby grows and my body changes), but even if I don’t like running itself, I certainly like the friends I have made along the way and the positive impact it has had on both my physical and mental health.