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In a collaboration with OCBC Cycle, Rock The Naked collected a round of applications for Project Training Wheels – a sponsored programme to teach people how to cycle. After going through interviews, selected applicants were put through four training sessions in the lead up to the OCBC Cycle event, where successful participants were then given complimentary slots to the event.

Two successful graduates of Project Training Wheels 2017 are buddies Janet Koh and Jolynn Teng. This was their application, sent in by Janet without the knowledge of Jolynn (LOL):

“I would like to nominate myself and my running buddy Jolynn . Both of us have been actively taking part in running events together for the past 5 years and we have now started to venture out into swimming.

“We are aiming to take part in a mini aquathlon in August to boost our confidence. Before we get any older (we are not young), we hope we can at least complete a triathlon event. However, cycling is the toughest for us because we have no confidence in that area of sport.

“Our spouses are hardcore cyclists and they would laugh at us when we tell them we want to attempt a mini triathlon one day. Hence, this would be the perfect opportunity for us to learn cycling and gain some confidence to prove to the men that we can do it!”

After completing the Project Training Wheels programme and the 23km The Straits Times Ride at OCBC Cycle 2017, this is what they had to say:

Jolynn and I have been running buddies since 2011 when we became colleagues at the same bank. We joined the bank’s running club and went on to run marathons together. Then one day I came across an IG post on RTNT where they were calling out for five participants to learn how to cycle.

To be honest, cycling never crossed my mind. When I saw the IG post, I thought to myself that perhaps I should just try for this and I nominated my unsuspecting running kaki. My husband has always been a cycling enthusiast and he never imagined I would cycle.

When I started the Project Training Wheels programme, I was telling myself at the back of my mind that if I get through the whole thing, I shall embark on cycling as my next sport and maybe (while kidding myself) attempt a triathlon some day!

After I submitted our applications, I decided to break the news to my squealing kaki, officially cementing my status as a’Saboh’ Queen. Guess what? We got selected!

What happened thereafter was a four-month journey of learning how to cycle. We had problems balancing initially and then we were struggling with turning. But we persevered!

Within two months of learning how to cycle, I mustered some courage to take part in my first duathlon, the City15 event which comprised of a 2km run, 11km ride and a 2km run. Crazy!

One month after that, Jolynn and I embarked on our longest ride ever at the OCBC Cycle 2017 – The Straits Times Ride (23km).

Looking back, it has been interesting to see how things panned out after chancing upon the RTNT IG post. If it was not for this opportunity, I would never have had the courage to take part in cycling events, let alone cycle. I’m sure Jolynn felt the same and I could tell she was secretly pleased I got her into this (haha!).

Around the same time we were learning how to cycle, we also joined ROCKrunners for their Saturday runs and we are happy to be a part of their group of happy positive runners.

Thanks to RTNT, Jolynn and I will continue our sports journey from here. She is also setting sights on OCBC Cycle 2018, while I am signing up for duathlons and taking up swim lessons, working towards my goal of completing a triathlon event. This is definitely something both of us never expected to do now that we are in our 40s!

It was the last 200m of the half marathon and I squeezed out whatever energy I had left in my legs to give a last sprint, brushing my sweat against people and trying to reach the finish line. As I crossed the finish line, I felt relieved and elated that it was finally over, that I had completed my very first half marathon.

But when I saw the timing I took to complete it, I felt a tinge of regret, because of all the things I did wrongly. I didn’t manage to get a good sleep before the race, I didn’t eat enough before the race, I didn’t manage to pace myself properly because my phone was showing me the wrong pace due to the high-rise buildings affecting my phone’s GPS, I even ran a little too much the day before the race.

Nonetheless, it was a lesson to be learnt. And now that it’s over, I’m looking forward to my favourite part about races…. Pictures and FOOD with my friends after!

I’ve never been interested in running; even during my army days, I never really trained for my IPPT but somehow always managed to pass (never going below 12 minutes for my 2.4km run though). However, one day in 2016, I decided to start running on my own because I stumbled upon an article regarding the benefits of LISS (Low Intensity Steady State cardio) and wanted to try it in hope of burning some calories.

I started by taking it easy at first, but I soon became obsessed with trying to increase the distance I can run. All that was going through my mind while running was that I MUST run more than I did last week. Eventually, I got tired of running every week, tired of just trying to clock mileage. I got so sick of running that I stopped running completely. That was until I joined ROCKrunners this year.

I’ve been following ROCKrunners for a while and I’ve always wanted to join their weekly runs, but I feared that I would be awkward because I didn’t know anyone there, so I didn’t. Then one day, I was scrolling through my Instastories and I saw the story that ROCKrunners had posted, of them doing intervals and they seemed like they were having fun. I don’t know what came over me at that moment, but I messaged them on Instagram, telling that that I was interested to join them for their run the following week.

The following Saturday, as I made my way to The Lawn, I got more nervous with each step I took. When I arrived, I joined them for the warm up and introduced myself. During the run, I got to know Sheryl, Sam, Dalton and Philly.

Since then, I’ve been joining ROCKrunners on the weekly runs on a regular basis. I now enjoy running so much more because of the company that I have. Running with friends is so much more enjoyable than running alone; encouraging each other, being motivated just by looking at the back of your friends who are running in front of you. (I want to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has ever ran with me and cheered me on.)

I’ve always wanted to attempt a half marathon but I feared that I wouldn’t be able to complete it or that I would end up with an unsatisfactory timing. Then I saw Shan Ming’s Instastory about SingTel’s Race Against Cancer. I went to look up the race and saw that they had a category of 15km. I thought to myself that 15km “seems manageable” so I decided to sign up for it after a few days of consideration.

On the race day, I remember feeling nervous and fearful that I would not be able to complete the 15km. However, while waiting for the race to start, Shan Ming and Connie kept encouraging me and told me to take it easy as it was my first race. At the end of the race, I realised my fears were unfounded and I did better than I expected.

Something I’ve come to realise is that life is your own race, run whatever pace you want to run, and be happy with it. Sometimes you’ll feel invincible, sometimes you’ll stumble and fall, but just smile and enjoy the moment, even in the hardest of times.