MEET THESE TWO SINGAPOREAN WOMEN WHOSE LOVE FOR POUNDING THE PAVEMENT IS TAKING THEM FURTHER THAN THEY EVER IMAGINED.
MEET THESE TWO SINGAPOREAN WOMEN WHOSE LOVE FOR POUNDING THE PAVEMENT IS TAKING THEM FURTHER THAN THEY EVER IMAGINED.
JIE SHI’S RUNNING SECRETS
TO PREPARE... “I study the race route and look out for hilly areas. I also try to think of possible scenarios that might occur during the race (such as cramps) and how I’d deal with them.”
DURING THE RUN... “I try to stay focused so I can run at my targeted pace, but I do have random thoughts, depending on what I observe during the race. They range from ‘what a beautiful sunrise’ to ‘I’m going to catch up with the guy in front’.”
MARATHON ESSENTIALS... “A cup of coffee in the morning before the race, energy gels, my trusty Garmin watch and, of course, Asics apparel and lightweight racers.”
Neo Jie Shi, 31, human resources and administration assistant manager
This month, Jie Shi will be the first Singaporean athlete to represent the country in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympics. The big surprise? She’s not even a full-time athlete!
Like most marathoners, Jie Shi’s love for long-distance running started with a need to get fit and de-stress, and then evolved into a genuine passion for the sport and a desire to constantly better her own timing.
Last December, she came in first in the local women’s category in the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) run, and although she didn’t meet the entry standard of 2hr 45min for the Rio 2016 Olympics (her time was 3hr 15min 06sec), her tenth-place showing in the SCMS Women’s Open category meant she qualified for the Games, thanks to the event rules laid down by the International Association of Athletics Federations, which state that the top 10 finishers of the race qualify for the Games.
Humble beginnings
“I signed up for local races with friends for fun in 2009, hoping to complete a 10km run in under 50 minutes – which I did. In 2010, I took part in the Nike run and received a ‘potential winner’ tag, which made me realise that although I wasn’t one of the winners, I could actually do this competitively. So I joined a running club to improve on my pace.”
RACHEL’S RUNNING SECRETS
TO PREPARE... “Once the essential training has been done, I focus on having enough rest, and carb-loading with pasta and bread the week before the marathon.”
DURING THE RUN... “I think of my loved ones. Sometimes, I dedicate 1km to each of them and that pushes me to keep running.”
MARATHON ESSENTIALS... “I just need a pair of good Asics shoes. I don’t worry much about anything else, but the correct pair of shoes is very important. I have different shoes for different distances and terrains.”
Rachel See, 34, civil servant
Rachel loves running so much, she didn’t stop even when she was expecting – throughout her two pregnancies, she briskwalked and slow-jogged up to 4km . During her first pregnancy, she also tracked her heart rate religiously because she was told that anything above 140 beats per minute is unsafe for the foetus.
Even more impressive: instead of letting motherhood get in the way of her progress, she bounced back better each time. She took a break for just a couple of months after the birth of her first child in 2009 before she resumed racing, and in December 2013, eight months after giving birth to her second daughter, she came in third in the local women’s category at the SCMS run. Later, a qualifying time of 3hr 08min 52sec at the 2014 Gold Coast Marathon earned her a place at the 2015 SEA Games.
She signed up for her first marathon in 2007, when her then-boyfriend, now-husband, challenged her to better his timing at the SCMS.
“He [issued the challenge] after I jokingly made fun of his timing of more than five hours – he was walking with much difficulty after [the race]! I accepted and completed it in about 4hr 30min, which is pretty decent for a first-timer. He was very impressed and teased me about being better than him.”
She doesn’t train with her husband.
“We take turns going for runs so there’s always someone looking after the girls. I either go for a 9km to 10km run around Bishan Park before work, or run home from work, [covering 16km to 21km], depending on the route I take. We don’t bring the girls with us when we train, but I did let my elder daughter help out at a water point in a fun run I took part in in June.”
And to the women who want to start running, she has this to say…
“It’s okay to start small and run at your own pace. Think of running as ‘me time’ to relax. For me, running is my personal time, when I don’t think of being someone’s wife or mum. I am myself.”
