that first kiss. that first impression. that first this. and that first that. a first is always something we treasure. a memory we keep coming back at. over and over and over again. and this is a little story about a woman. about a woman who turned our First Lady. and more importantly this is her story into running her first ever half marathon.
first things first though. what is the biggest excuse to quit your gym session? or your next running class? excuses comes in various forms. it hides somewhere in our environment, desperate to make an appearance for you! hoping and waiting to be by your side when you most need them. or so you think!
she recollects those days in Ameeniyaa School. the days when netball, the badminton and the school athletics played a huge role in shaping the values that she will eventually uphold most.
there was the memory of Mr. Ahmed Shaheem (the then Principal) from who a strategic mindset to life’s achievements was notably ingrained. the glory days of “dainkaba” when Fazu contributed her fair share from triple jump and long jump races. she remembers watching the 1500m races and wondering how good these other school mates were when it comes to “long” races such as the 1500m!
every body goes through an evolutionary path of transformation no doubt. Fazu wasn’t an exception to this rule either. with school behind her, another period of her life saw her wondering how “chubby” she had turned out to become! a thought that crosses the minds of so many of us.
while we learnt many lessons from our short interview with Fazu, a lesson that remained in us was her message that it is not about her body image (the shape of your body) that mattered most. but staying fit and healthy was her goal, her objective!
might have been early 80’s when her siblings would stand in front of Jane Fonda and Kathy Smith following every move and every step. the more she talked and shared about these moments made us realize that one thing she was holding so dearly and so strongly was her ability to create a routine that never allowed an excuse to break in! and every evening she continued doing this and television (with no internet and youtube yet invented) was at least bringing the workouts home for her, her aunties, and surely to many Maldivians as well.
Male’ Fitness Club was her first local gym that she joined before embarking on her studies to University of Canberra, Australia in the early 1990s. a double major in Physical Education and Special Education, Fazu was continuing to develop her association with sports/fitness (as a Teacher). in fact an Aerobics Instructor module was also picked as an elective, thanks to the times when the fun aerobics classes at home was the order of the day.
HERS (by Male’ Fitness Club), the first of its kind women only fitness centre saw her enjoy the group classes. Zinan’s circuit classes was a highlight in HERS. and when it came to personal training (PT), it was Shifana (HEAT’s founder) who was probably Fazu’s first ever PT.
staying fit and healthy was always something Fazu considered and still considers an important responsibility of hers. and motivating one’s self to act on those responsibilities might be “the” area in which most fail to impress themselves. the excuses that was in the hiding makes its biggest appearances (creative, crazy, and rather logical appearances) when you are almost ready to hit the gym or that running class.
since 2010 TfG became Fazu’s second home. the welcoming environment and the various planned activities and running races slowly and steadily made her commit to her first ever running race; the first runinmaldives series addition runinaddu 2017. in the staggering heat, in front of her husband and family, Fazu surprised herself to complete her first ever 5km race in Addu.
that was the moment when she experienced a “long” distance, much much longer than 1500m races which she watched as a little girl in complete awe during her school days. and marathons had already made a positive impact on her when it became something her relatives had so passionately embraced and talked about. as local inspiration Leela’s name stood out for her dedication and commitment in running such long distances consistently. and it was the moment when she watched up close the Virgin London Marathon 2018 as she got a glimpse at Sir Mo Farah competing for the men’s open. she was left with goosebumps all over.
her 48th birthday wish was to complete a marathon before she turned 50. 50 she turned, marathon finish line still awaits, but her commitment and desire to making this a reality is stronger than ever come 2019!
there are days in which her running coach and PT, Shanna very nearly got a negative text message from Fazu. but soon she realized the best defense against those excuses was to become offensive!
Thu 21st March, 7:45:01pm
Shanna: fazu see you in the morning for 16km long run
Thu 21st March, 7:45:02pm
Fazu: YES :)
and the offensive three letter word; YES! a commitment. once committed, surely its hard to go back to the excuses! and this was Fazu’s strategy when she can sense that excuse was too close to making an appearance! YES! stay in the hiding you silly excuses she would whisper!
she have been training for her first half marathon for months. come this 19th april, friday morning, at around 8:00am plus or minus a few minutes, Fazu will bag her first ever half marathon in this year’s LONGRUN. it is a moment that would no doubt live in her for years and years to come. months of practice. new disciplines to life that surprises every new long distant runner. a “can do” attitude that takes over one’s “no you cant do” mindset. and hours in the hot sun with like minded runners that brings you to that moment, the finish line.
certainly the moment that Fazu crosses that finish line in the LONGRUN, history would be made. she would become the first First Lady to have crossed such a distance in the Maldives. our neighboring countries? United States of America? Europe? Australia? New Zealand?
more importantly, this half marathon is Fazu’s work in progress. marathoners are made having conquered the 21.1km distance first. when Fazu completes her first ever marathon,
would that first ever marathon be the “first” marathon conquered by a First Lady? in the world?
time will surely tell.
that strategic mindset she learnt from school. that constant reminder that staying fit and healthy matters. that strategy against conquering excuses. that dream, yet to be realized would certainly play a massive role in her quest to becoming the Fazu who completed her first marathon.
we are inspired by what we have already heard and seen. amazed by how humble and approachable she have been. in a few days time, it will be a moment that the running community of Maldives would cherish for years and years to come. running is taking a life of its own in this country. and it will keep us young, us elderly and us old in better health and physically fit.
thank you Fazu for believing in us. in our trainings. in our approach. we, with so many others, would wait to give you that finish line moment that every runner deserves come the end of that journey. wishing you and all other runners best of luck and beautiful memories.