It is never easy to impose self-discipline especially at a young age as we tend to get distracted with all the wonderful things in life. But for 23-year-old Mohd Akashah bin Mohd Izhar (Mohd Akashah) from Sg. Petani, Kedah, he has managed to sustain his passion for running.
Currently, the full-time health corporate sales and part-time running coach has also certified himself in sports science AKK level 1.ToughASIA spoke to the young lad to understand more about his love for running, as well as his unique methods in sustaining this enthusiasm.
ToughASIA: How did you first discover your passion for running?
Mohd Akashah: My running journey started when I was 15 years old during a 5km merentas desa (cross country) in which I was able to secure myself a 9th position. I was also able to advance myself to the district level race in Negeri Sembilan. It occured to me that I can potentially improve my position if I train hard enough and at the age of 17, I was selected to represent my school for the heptathlon at the district level.
ToughASIA: What happened next? Because 17 years old is a turning point in life where anything could have happened.
Mohd Akashah: After my SPM examination, my brother has helped me to register for the Milo Breakfast Day Run that was held at University Putra Malaysia and it was my first open category race. I was placed 31st for a 7km race. From then on, the passion snowballed and the next thing I knew, I was running a marathon at the 2016 Twin City Marathon, the 2016 Standard Chartered Kuala Lumpur Marathon and many others. I was ready to continuously break my personal best and I was at my prime.
When I was at my peak. I even proposed to my wife and the criteria she gave me was to achieve a sub-4 hour marathon finish time before she agreed to our marriage. At the 35km mark of my 2016 SCKLM, I had to give up due to my lateral collateral ligament (LCL) problem and I had to be removed by an ambulance from the race. It was disappointing at first as it could have ruined my marriage but I was quick to do some calculations on how I could complete the race in sub-4 and she agreed to our marriage.
ToughASIA: Based on your experience, what is your method to avoid injury?
Mohd Akashah: I always do a 10-minute easy run and some running drill to wake my muscles up. After my run, I will do some stretching and a warm-down run to release my muscles. If I still feel any stretch in my muscles, I will do a foam roll massage or use a massage gun to release the tight muscles.
View this post on Instagram
ToughASIA: So, you have tried the JoyMix Awake which is said to improve your alertness. Can you tell us a little bit about the product?
Mohd Akashah: I will usually take the JoyMix Awake before I run in the morning. The product has helped me to stay fresh and also helped my run. Most of the time, I will take an energy gel before I run but with JoyMix Awake, I feel more energetic. While at work, it has also helped me to increase my alertness which then improved my productivity.
The taste is also amazing! I really recommend the product to everyone because it could help me sustain my alertness throughout the day.
Get your JoyMix Awake with 10% additional discount when you login and apply the code TOUGHASIA-10% in your cart. Click here to buy now: https://bit.ly/3d1Geyn
Follow JoyMix on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joypremix/
