meet Shah Saeed, 47 years of age, passionate as ever about running. he’s a long distance runner before many of us knew about running long. probably the one man who has more miles than anyone else in addu when it comes to running. and running in addu (in particular).

an Addu runner who has been running for the past 15 years – way before the Addu Link road was even made. works in the health sector, at a very stressful post, but always had found time to run.

a lot of locals might be surprised if they see you run at an odd hour, but their first guess as to who is running would always be “it must be Shah”. we thought we’ll feature Shah in this second edition of the runinmaldives magazine since he’s an inspiration to many. fit, calm, positive and always a happy runner. here’s what Shah had to say about his running journey.

how did you get into running?

i work in the health sector, mostly at a hospital and i normally have a very busy schedule. it becomes difficult to handle the workload if i don’t get myself doing some exercise for at least an hour a day. that’s probably how running became a part of what I do.

when I first started running, other forms of exercise weren’t much popular, but the road trails here were beautiful even then, so i took advantage of it and started running and that is how i got myself hooked onto it.

i was running when the tar roads were being made, so i’ve been running for about 15 years now but technically speaking, i’ve come into racing in the past 2 years. but even though i haven’t been racing in marathons, i have definitely been covering the full marathon distance with in 6-10 hours at a normal pace for the past five years.

running is something that becomes addictive once you get started, and now i’m focusing on improving my speed one race at a time.

whats your secret to finding time to run?

according to the day’s schedule, i fit a run in whenever i’m able to find some free time. i try to run for at least 45 minutes, be it during the day, evening or night, but very rarely at dawn – probably on an odd weekend.

“if you look at a year, i don’t think i have gone more than 4 days without running – even if the weather is bad or have small injuries”

what do you do to improve your running?

the initial improvements come from following a specific programme and strictly swearing by it. so, when i started out, i was following the running methods of Jeff Galloway, and his books. i always made sure to log my runs, but back then we didn’t have the apps that we do today, so I mostly timed myself and logged the injuries. so that’s basically how i learned to run.

once i got the hang of it, i started noting tips and tricks of different athletes and changed that into a philosophy, which has taught me to create my own programme instead of following a specific person. a typical marathon programme would span out to a minimum of six months, but i followed my own one-month programme to prep for this year’s Addu Marathon and improved my personal record by 1 hour and 14 minutes compared to last year’s marathon. i haven’t taken the guidance of any coach, both in the Maldives or from abroad.

i also don’t incorporate any stretches or other exercises such as swimming, strength and weight trainings in my running training plans although it is often recommended. i don’t need those, because i can still run seven days a week without any injuries despite not doing so. if you look at a year, i don’t think i have gone more than 4 days without running – even if the weather is bad or have small injuries. my recovery comes through running. even though doctors recommend to rest, i don’t.

“running is something that becomes addictive once you get started, and now i’m focusing on improving my speed one race at a time”

link road safe for runners?

there’s no safe place to run except on a track. even if you look at a trails, falling coconuts, and tree branches are of risks. it’s never safe to run on a road anywhere in the world. but in comparison with other places of the world, i think it’s still quite safe here.

if drivers are made more aware and both drivers and runners accept that the road has to be shared, then i think it would be quite safe for everyone. i’m very careful when i run and always make sure i run head on to the traffic, which basically means running against the traffic so that i always see what’s coming in front of me. but there wouldn’t be much to be done if a vehicle overtakes and hits from the wrong side of the road, would it?

i even tried running with a mirror to try and see the vehicles coming from behind, but it’s not very effective with speed training. but if i’m doing a 15 minute per mile pace slow run, i still use a mirror either on my cap or glasses.

if I’m running during the night, i always make sure i have at least four illuminators – on my arm, legs, head and waist along with two probe lights, so that people coming from the rear end can also detect me.

"Addu City is one of the few places in the Maldives where long-distance running is easily possible due t its lengthy roads, i believe running has a future here in Addu”

do you believe running could relieve stress?

you’ll only realize when you start running. your body naturally releases endorphins when you run which relieves your body of pains and stress, so yes, it’s a very effective way to rid yourself of tension.

why run in addu?

by the time a person finishes a marathon or a race, he or she would be prepared and really engrossed into running so it wouldn’t be difficult later on. apart from that, Addu City is one of the few places in the Maldives where long-distance running is easily possible due to its lengthy roads, i believe running has a future here in Addu.

your message to new runners?

lace up and get out. anybody young or old can do it. it might be difficult at first but you will get used to it sooner. this is a sport that doesn’t cost much and without the need of having to team up with more people. if you look at football, you can’t play if the team doesn’t show up, but anyone can run, anytime, anywhere.