“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less travelled by, and that has made all the difference”
– Robert Frost
Aquote that is somewhat relevant with Looi Mei Yan also known as Michelle Looi—after joining several road races in the past she eventually switches from pounding an asphalt pavement to dirt tracks. The soft, uneven surface of the packed earth and the winding, rocky steep of uphill terrain. With that let us know more why the road less travelled—was taken by Michelle in a heartbeat. Read on!
Michelle On The Run
“As I am an avid hiker that ventured into road running, I combined my hiking and running experience which I end up in trail running. Trail running gives me a sense of freedom and offers an escape from the fast moving pace of city life” Michelle explains. Though she had her fair share of chasing road pavements but her feet have always felt most at home on the mud-covered trail. The thrill of downhill terrain and muddy ground gives Michelle a nostalgia feeling of her childhood days that makes her every trail run worth remembering.
This passionate trail runner expounds that there’s no need for us to charge hundreds of miles of trails to reap the amazing body benefits of running off-road. Other than improving your balance, but hitting the trail—even a smooth gravel, dirt or woodchip path can instantly work out your muscles, tendons, and ligaments differently. And trail route that requires you to head uphill or downhill will not only build your cardiovascular engine but can strengthen your quads, glutes, calves, and core as well.
Back in the days, there was a time when women weren’t allowed to run marathons. Because some people got the strange notion that women had bodies that were ‘too fragile’ to run that kind of distance. Michelle proves otherwise as she podiumed nearly every race she joined in, even placed Champion to some. “I’m driven to improve my time every year for all the races that I participated as my short-term plan.” Michelle further added.
