Author: admin

I’ve always been known as the “small boy” to many people (largely due to my small build).

I was very short (now not very short but still short…) during my younger days. When I was 14 years old, I was only 1.47m “tall”, weighing about 34kg. I was always the shortest male in class, only taller than two or three females.

Because of this, I was often bullied by the bigger-sized guys. They would snatch my things and laugh at my puny effort trying to get my things back, push me around, call me names and even threaten other guys to not be friends with me.

As such, I did not have many friends in school and I was often a loner, watching people hang out with friends, play during recess and after school. I wished that I had friends I could enjoy activities with.

At the very least though, in terms of academic, I could say I’m in the slightly better than average zone. I grasped concepts easily and could excel in exams, but this soon became another point of target for those bullies. They made me do their homework and assignments, and they would also steal my study notes.

This was a terrible part of my school days which I could never forget. It lowered my self-confidence and gradually, I became introverted.

Then came army. Just before army, I was 1.65m, weighing about 40kg. After army, my weight was about 50kg!

During army, it was the exercise and training that helped me put on some weight and look less scrawny. In the army, we would all be “tekan-ed” by the commanders. Though it was tough, I kind of felt like part of a group. We endured the training together, cheering and encouraging one another. This was a feeling I never had previously.

After coming out from the army, I thought maybe getting fitter and having a bigger build would make me less of a target for bullying. So, I continued to do some jogging, swimming and even signed up for gym membership. However, I was not very motivated to continue because most of the time I was doing all of these alone. Most of the time, I found myself giving excuses – “I’m so tired from working”, “I just want to rest” or “I just want to enjoy my weekends.” 

In January 2018, I came to know ROCKrunners through my company and thought, “Hey, maybe I could make some new friends here! It might be fun like what I experienced in my BMT days (minus the tekan portion of course!!). Everyone would do the training together!” So I joined.

Indeed, the people here are VERY friendly. Regardless of age, body size or fitness level, they do not make fun of anyone. They would encourage each other, give advice and help those who are in need.

During the first few sessions, I struggled and found them very challenging. I kept saying “My legs/arms are breaking!” Yet, the rest of the group were able to keep up with the programme. It made me feel insecure again, but I told myself that I would become stronger – this was what I signed up for!

Seeing me struggling, some of them then came up to me and gave me some tips and advice – such as teaching me the correct running techniques, choosing good running shoes, how to control my pacing, etc. They were really encouraging and that helped me gained a lot of confidence.

Because of the ROCKrunners, this year has been a year of achievements for me. Prior to this, I had never done any runs longer than 4km. Now, (because of them) I have completed two 10km races and one half-marathon! This really seemed impossible to me initially.

Two of the honourable mentions are Jack and Gwen. Both of them had really helped me a lot. They would take time off to run with me, helping me to train my running and some focused muscle group training.

I would say I am glad to have found many wonderful people in ROCKrunners. I may be the ROCKstar of the month, but all you people in ROCKrunners are the ROCKstars in my eyes and heart!

Thank you all for radiating your lights to my world!!!

I am glad to be picked for ROCKstar of the Month! =) I only have a very plain story to offer back to the community that has groomed me to who I am today, but I will try my very best to share. Sometimes it feels weird to write down all my thoughts as it might leave me vulnerable but I am still grateful for such an opportunity. Well, shared joy is double joy, shared sorrow is half sorrow as they say!

My journey in running started off with a slightly sad story. I started running by myself along the Pasir Ris park connector as a means to lose weight after the passing of my brother. My brother had some rare form of cancer and my family was in bits and pieces during his one-year battle with cancer.

It was a disquieting period and I was stressed out for the whole year. Many might not know but it’s not one person who gets afflicted with cancer, the whole family does. And thus it was a really bad year for me.

I gained about 10- 12kg that year and I had never seen such a ridiculously high number, peaking at 93kg. This was me before:

Much of this weight gain came from the stress of being unemployed, running around doing different odd jobs and rushing to the hospital to take care of my brother. My brother had many food requests while he was resting on the bed, yet he did not have the energy to finish them all. I finished all his food and that contributed to my massive weight gain. I did not really care about my own self image as it was my family at stake. Those were dark times for me and my family, and the weight gain remained.

Fast forward to a year later, I was 26 that year and I happened to purchase my first “branded” bag – a Coach work bag I remember. Suddenly a thought struck me, why was I excited to own such an accessory? Nothing about me changed, I didn’t make any “improvement”. Why am I looking at myself different? It struck me that it was my own competency and ability that I should be proud of. Accessories do not add value to who I really am.

It was then that I told myself I have to make a change and a difference in myself. I was 92kg at that time and I did not like the way I looked in the mirror thus I needed to make a change. Looking back retrospectively, it was such a funny, yet crucial turning point for me.

Resolutions do not have to start on a new year; I started immediately. I ran 2.4km FIVE times a week. I would drink a bottle of water in the morning and then run at 5am. It was tough for me – I was unfit and I was panting so heavily during my runs!

I still remember there was once I injured my foot ligament during inclined sit ups because of how heavy I was and my feet could not act as a fulcrum. Even when I was on course, I woke up at 5am to run so I could reach work at 8am. That very year I lost 10kg in six months, after being persistent in my routine and it was like a Cinderella story. I got myself employed in a field which I absolutely adored and was paid way more than I expected. I became fitter, passed my IPPT for two years in a row and ran 2.4km under 12 minutes.

However, life is never smooth sailing and three years later, the weight came back. I did try to increase the intensity of my exercise and I’ve been eating salad for lunch at work religiously for more than a year – but to very little effect. There was once I clocked 100km by myself in 30 days and it was just another internal battle of ups and downs.

I was telling myself HEY! I NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT and trying to find the motivation when I saw Xiao Han post on Instagram about how she is proud of herself for being able to complete 10km with the help of the ROCKrunners. I was intrigued and also thought that it might be good to both expand my social circle and keep myself fit, especially after running by myself for so long.

Joining ROCKrunners was the best decision I made this year. I joined ROCKrunners for their runs on both Tuesdays and Saturdays and my fitness level exploded. I went from being a 2.4km runner (sometimes 5km) during January to a frequent 5km runner in February to a 10km runner in March and I completed a half-marathon in April.

The frequent Tuesday and Saturday sessions have not only brought my fitness back, but made it even better than before. Tanglin had convinced me to sign up for a half-marathon and Gwen selflessly paced me during my first half-marathon. I was nervous and stumbling along when Gwen ran beside me to encourage me and tell me what to do during the different phases of the run.

It was unbelievable – I never thought I would have such a supportive crew behind me. I work with students with special needs, thus the mental stress on me is immense. I have to keep my emotions and actions under control at all times, so it’s great to have such support when I’m off work.

Together with the ROCKfam, I completed my first 32km, I did my first half marathon in under 2h 30min and my 10km under an hour. I was also a pacer for the SCSM Women Squad training runs. Hey, I might not have lost much weight, but I did manage to find myself a running family and my fitness is at its peak.

Colleagues do ask me, Why do you run so much? My usual response would be that it is a social thing for me first, and exercise is a benefit that comes with it. I try my best to bring newcomers into our group and to make them feel that they are part of the ROCKfam. I’ve met many people in this group that brought out different parts of me, in ways that I’ve never imagined.

To have healthy conscious friends who give all the needed advice and support throughout my running journey is too invaluable. (Sometimes I feel I am way too dependent on them!) The best things in life really do come for free.