the athletics training camp at cameron highlands has taught me a lot of things about myself. 


i've always had this preconceived notion that all the athletes do is run, run and run more, repeating the same pattern day in and day out. now i know that running is so much more of a technical sport, requiring a humongous amount of self-discipline and determination. i would slap my former self now for formulating such idiotic stereotypes of runners and what they do to become good at what they do. 


the amount of times i wanted to give up and cry during the camp was uncountable. every training session required me to push myself to the absolute limits of my physical and mental capabilities. i was constantly battling against my fears and insecurities about my own capabilities. but looking back, im proud because for every time i wanted to give up, i used any method necessary to tell myself to go on and complete the task at hand. 


the body is stronger than the mind.


i can say that i've been unfair towards the school athletes, in terms of my way of thinking about them. during this camp, i've thrown the 'athlethes are snobbish people' stereotype out the window, along with many others. these people work hard to be where they are at, and no matter how much trouble they cause in school, one cannot doubt the blood, sweat and tears that go into their training. nobody can become the best without effort. 


there were a few really really tough parts during training. 


i hated the morning jogs like MAD. 45 minutes of jogging starting at 6 30 in the morning, every alternate day was hell. we jogged around the housing area (which was hilly) with miss malathi's eagle eyes scanning around for any athletes walking instead of jogging. torturing was the word to describe it.


we also ran, or 'drive' as they call it up a few hills. we started with a mildly steep hill in the housing area we stayed at. the girls ran up 18 times and the boys did 25 times. being one of the first few days we were there, the hill run was torturous. the second hill we did was the temple hill. this hill was had a 45 degree-ish slant all the way up for about 50 metres. again, 18 times for girls and 25 times for the guys. i was huffing and puffing by the time i reached up, every single time. i did it at my own pace (which was damn slow) but finished it nonetheless.

even so, none of those can even compare to the mental and physical torture the arabella steps gave me. it's basically 4 flights of staircases on the arabella hill leading up to an apartment complex. we did this workout twice throughout this camp, the second time with more reps than the first. we had to high-knee up the staircase many MANY times and by the time we were done, our legs vibrating more than your typical massage chair. 


never ever will i do that again.


of course, every single session had its own difficulties, but i guess these few had enough impact on me to make me remember it vividly. 





 all the form 4's. (:


after afternoon training at the field. selangor team warming up/down in the background. :P



after the road relay on the second last day.



the always-the-last-people-downstairs-putting-the-shoes-on-the-canvas gang. 




(((:




after the malaysian football team won the sea games finals at midnight. jayse went bonkers i tell you.




i don't regret making the decision to go at all. even if i don't become an athlete, the experiences i've had in this camp made every minute of suffering worthwhile. i've discovered so much about myself, and the people around me through the challenges that we faced together. 


being the lousiest person in the camp didn't matter much. i know i improved in one way or another and that's all that matters to me now. (: