The Strong Brunei Runners @ the Nashata Charity Run

Assalamualaikum my dear friends,

February has passed with 711 km collective mileage by four wonderful runners from Brunei (Moniri, NurAin, Nana and Feeda) and two Nashata runners (Nahsuhah & I). Our target was 500 km and we clearly overshot by 42%.  Brunei was the first country that embarked into NashataRun4Charity and we were truly blessed to have found committed runners who selflessly volunteered to run for an Autism Center called SMARTER Brunei.

Nurain pulled together her friends to run virtually with us, and alhamdullillah, she collected the most mileage – 205km by climbing up and down the stairs and running. That was simply remarkable – running on average 7.3km/day throughout the month! But she did it anyways, raising her bar, one week after another, from 50km to 100km  to 150km to 200km. She lost 3 kg in a healthy way and raised funds for a cause of her choice. I am so happy for her.

Virtual Run

Highest Mileage for Nashata Charity Run Brunei by Nurain

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Moniri enjoys her weekend runs & challenges

Nana in Support of Autism

Nana in Support of Autism

As for me, I was happy to have run 112km in February. Never have I thought I would run so much in a month. Somehow, throughout Feb, running in the morning became something I had to do, and alhamdulillah I managed to improve my pace. I tried to run fast, as I couldn’t afford to spend too much time running. Towards the end of the month, I was reminded by a friend to slow down to prevent injury. I took it easy the last few days and decided to smell the grass and roses as I ran. I lost only a bit of weight as my appetite increased. The good thing about running is that you tend to take care of your food intake and drink a lot of water.

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A picture after each run. My Garmin watch kept me on my toes and my Hubby kept me company 🙂

Other than running to my fullest potential, these are some of my other key learning I get from the running girls.

1. Ain’s Achievable Goal Setting Motto : “Desire + Determination + Action = Achievement. We need to set our target, locked it and do it. even if we fall or fail, don’t give up, just get back up and continue.”

2. Running tips to improve timing and prevent injury by Nahsuhah

  • Listen to your body
  • If you plan to run everyday, 5km – 7 km would be enough
  • Eat accordingly,..don’t starve
  • Plan your pace wisely
    For example if you run everyday, pace 6.30 – 7 min/km would be nice
    If you plan to run twice a week, 5.30 – 6 min/km is ok

We raised decently for SMARTER Brunei and we hope to come back to Brunei for the same or other cause soon. I truly hope the funds, although small will help the center to progress. My heartiest gratitude and thanks to the runners and contributors who funded us to run.

Meanwhile, the Nashata runners are running with 4 other runners from South Africa in March. I won’t be running for the March run, but will be supporting the team for sure. There will be more updates by Nahsuhah soon, InsyaAllah.

The Weekend Runner: 30 minutes with Dato’ Nicol Ann David

On most Sundays, you would find me lacing up my running shoes and head out for a race at the break of dawn. But this week, I swapped medals for lanyards and number bibs for name cards as I had to work on GLC Open Day 2015. There were many great discussions and talk shows happening, and one of the main highlights for this event was when I attended a quick but meaningful forum by Dato’ Nicol Ann David. Squash is one of my favourite sports, so getting up close and personal with a world champion was a good learning opportunity. There are not many world-class Malaysian athletes out there, let alone female athletes. I hope Dato’ Nicol David will continue to inspire, and the next top squash female will also be a Malaysian when she retires.

 

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It’s not everyday that you get to meet a world-class sports icon!

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A fangirl moment here!

 

Through out the talk, Dato’ Nicol David has shown that climbing her way up and holding the no. 1 squash player position for 9 years was never an easy feat. According to her, the title of a champion must be earned through hard work and discipline, for she does not feel the title is hers to keep. Competitors and new rivals are always emerging, and the field of squash is finally picking up and becoming more popular these days. She has to be on her toes, constantly finding ways to improve herself.

 

It’s not easy to be a world champion, however it is achievable to have a mindset of a champion. There are 4 key points that were discussed by Dato’ Nicol David:

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Until next week,

The Weekend Runner.