For my physical activity, I have done cross country during Grade 9. Training started at the beginning of September during season 1. After the first few sessions, I realised that my endurance was already well developed. However, I noticed that I did not have that speed the top runners have. Therefore, I decided to sign up for pre-season Track and Field in the season right after.
Monday after school, Tuesday morning and Thursday morning are the training days for cross country, which all took place at Bedok Reservoir. The season started with a time trial around the lower loop (Around 4.3K). My first time was 21:31. The training sessions usually vary between mobility drills, sprints, tempo runs, intervals, long runs and hills. At first, I only seemed to be able to cover the distance and unable to run fast at all. Indeed, I did not know how to push myself or how much I can push myself, and realised how I always tend to “save” energy, just putting 70% effort in. Therefore, I found the interval sessions very hard, because I had put in maximum effort for each lap, and repeat.
A couple of mornings I found myself struggling to wake up, not wanting to cover those hard sessions while others are still in their beds. I feel very proud that I was able to overcome my laziness, and stayed committed throughout the season. This reflected in how my 5K times improved. From that 21:31 at the first time trial, I got 24:47 for my first race, 14:10 for my mid-season 3K time trial, and by ACSIS, the final race, achieved 24:27.
Throughout the season, I also took Pilates classes on Saturdays outside of school. This was to strengthen my core and improve my flexibility, which I thought would benefit me in running. With a strong core, I thought I could improve my running form. I also really wanted to improve my flexibility because I had always been very stiff, which could lead to injuries.
As mentioned at the beginning, I continued running during season 2 through pre-season Track and Field, to further improve my speed. Though I did not enjoy the short distance trainings at the track as much as cross country, I believe it did help me focus on running fast, not just long. It is over the requirements for NYAA Silver, but I actually joined the Track and Field team in season 3, and once that was over, signed up for pre-season cross country in season 4. In fact, I am doing cross country again this year in grade 10, and I will be competing SEASAC in four weeks!
Cross country was a new sport for me, which I just started at Grade 9. But immediately, it became a massive part of my life. Training may be hard, but I really enjoyed the delight I feel after each session. Through cross country, I was able to gain confidence with myself, and learnt that by having passion, staying determined and committed, I will definitely be able to improve!
