When I got the call to go to Singapore for three days to be part of the Nike Women Project, I immediately said yes (after clearing my race sched, of course ;p). And only much later after hanging up realized that I hadn't really been given any details about the event. But, NIKE. So, YES!
Charging out into the unknown! Day 1 from our 'base camp' at the trendy new South Beach Hotel on Beach Rd, Singapore
I had assumed I was in to speak for another retailers' conference, and would get a chance to learn more about the products in the upcoming season. To my surprise, I found myself in an America's-Next-Top-Model-Amazing-Race type of situation with 20 other Nike loving girls from the Philippines, Singapore, Malayisa, and Indonesia. It was an awesome mix of TV presenters, musicians, athletes, Nike Training Club (NTC) trainers, fashion bloggers, and fitness and yoga instructors.
DAY 1
We kicked it off with a very inspiring talk by the first All Woman Singaporean Team to summit Mt. Everest. Five ladies who had little to zero experience in mountaineering, had by chance and opportunity, come together to prepare, train, and fund the massive undertaking of conquering Mt. Everest. It took them a period of five years, and the big take away for me was that as women we are Strong Alone, and Unstoppable Together.
We also had a quick workshop on photography basics and social media (how to hashtag, I kid you not). No lessons on taking selfies though! :p I think this bunch of girls are all highly-skilled on that front.
DAY 1
We kicked it off with a very inspiring talk by the first All Woman Singaporean Team to summit Mt. Everest. Five ladies who had little to zero experience in mountaineering, had by chance and opportunity, come together to prepare, train, and fund the massive undertaking of conquering Mt. Everest. It took them a period of five years, and the big take away for me was that as women we are Strong Alone, and Unstoppable Together.
We also had a quick workshop on photography basics and social media (how to hashtag, I kid you not). No lessons on taking selfies though! :p I think this bunch of girls are all highly-skilled on that front.
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We each found necklaces on our hotel room beds before we started our day. There were two pendants, one of which was a key that had our initials on it. The other had inscribed, "better for it," and on the flipside one of three words: Hustle, Power, and Ignite. We quickly realized that we would be grouped for challenges based on these three words.
And later after our workshops, we were presented with a set of lockers, and we used the key pendants to open them up. So cool to see each locker personalized with pics from our instagram accounts, and with Nike kicks and apparel perfectly sized for each of us to change into for our first workout. And we also received personal notes from a mysterious "P." I wonder who had the tedious task of scrolling through 20 instagram accounts and picking out the perfect pics to print! Definitely a highly experienced social media stalker :P
And later after our workshops, we were presented with a set of lockers, and we used the key pendants to open them up. So cool to see each locker personalized with pics from our instagram accounts, and with Nike kicks and apparel perfectly sized for each of us to change into for our first workout. And we also received personal notes from a mysterious "P." I wonder who had the tedious task of scrolling through 20 instagram accounts and picking out the perfect pics to print! Definitely a highly experienced social media stalker :P
 First workout was a 40-minute run with Singapore's fastest female marathoner, Ann Qi Hui. |  We are all smiles at this point. Day 2 is an entirely different story! |
The OCBC Stadium on Nicoll Highway. Such a great sports facility! They've got volleyball, basketball and tennis courts, an 888m track, two indoor Olympic sized pools, a skatepark and much more. It is also connected to a mall and easily accessible by bus and MRT. A lot of the facilities are available for use for FREE or at a very minimal fee! Definitely recommend all Singapore locals and tourists to go check it out!
DAY 2
As the lone pro athlete in the group, I was pretty confident I would smash all the workouts and physical challenges thrown at us. But Day 2 definitely had me second-guessing myself. The morning grind was composed of another run speed session with Ann Qi Hi, followed by a very intense circuit of Nike Training Club (series of functional exercises and sprints) with Nike Global Master trainer, Marie Purvis, who flew all the way from Portland to join us.
It was my first time to do an NTC session, and to have it conducted by Marie was pretty awesome. Marie basically made NTC and helped develop the N+ TC app! You can do the sessions at home, too! Download the app here.
I am a big fan of doing functional strength and core work - it is a definite must for all individuals. And as an athlete, it's a much more fun alternative (with the same benefits) to the usual strength/core sessions that I do at the gym or at home.
As the lone pro athlete in the group, I was pretty confident I would smash all the workouts and physical challenges thrown at us. But Day 2 definitely had me second-guessing myself. The morning grind was composed of another run speed session with Ann Qi Hi, followed by a very intense circuit of Nike Training Club (series of functional exercises and sprints) with Nike Global Master trainer, Marie Purvis, who flew all the way from Portland to join us.
It was my first time to do an NTC session, and to have it conducted by Marie was pretty awesome. Marie basically made NTC and helped develop the N+ TC app! You can do the sessions at home, too! Download the app here.
I am a big fan of doing functional strength and core work - it is a definite must for all individuals. And as an athlete, it's a much more fun alternative (with the same benefits) to the usual strength/core sessions that I do at the gym or at home.
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Always happy to end a workout, and always happy to see our lockers (transported and set up wherever we go, it seems)!!! Opening lockers means more surprises and more Nike training gear! ;)
The afternoon of day 2 took us to famed Sentosa for some obstacle course challenges on the "Climbax" and island to island ziplining on the "Megazip." We teamed up in twos, with one girl taking on the more difficult course at 15-meter above ground level, and the other at the 10-meter level. I eagerly volunteered for the more difficult one, and regretted it almost as soon as I took my first step out!
I knew we would be safe with our harnesses on, but I didn't realize that I still had a strong fear of falling (and possibly failing???). A lot of the sections were also very physically challenging, having to manoeuvre through rope and moving planks, especially given we had already trained hard early in the morning.
I knew we would be safe with our harnesses on, but I didn't realize that I still had a strong fear of falling (and possibly failing???). A lot of the sections were also very physically challenging, having to manoeuvre through rope and moving planks, especially given we had already trained hard early in the morning.
DENIAL
 FEAR |  ACCEPTANCE |
Okay, first off - that gap is way longer than it looks in the photo! You can't reach for it with your other foot unless you do a perfect gymnast's split. You have to jump across. At this point I really thought, WTF! I can't. I just can't. I can't, I can't, I can't! And I was shouting at my partner, Lian, a former UP cheerleader and also NTC trainer, who was faced with the same challenge 5-meters below, "P*T**NGINA P*T**NGINAAAAA!!!!!!" I was freaking out because I actually thought I wouldn't be able to finish the course. But after several curse words from Lian's end, she shouted that she had managed to cross over. And I shouted, "How did you do it?!" And she said, "I just jumped!" I was scared out of my mind and actually held on to the cable above to help out with my jump, which you're not supposed to do because you could hurt your hand. But, whatever. I made it across in one piece!
All the time I was thinking, there are girls ahead of us who have done it. And there will be more girls behind us who will do it, too. You can't NOT jump. JUST DO IT.
All the time I was thinking, there are girls ahead of us who have done it. And there will be more girls behind us who will do it, too. You can't NOT jump. JUST DO IT.
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Sorry, Sabina, these photos are gold!!! Too good not to post! So proud of you for overcoming your legit fear of heights! Really inspired by you on that day! :)
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Our final evening was a beautiful surprise party at The Arts House, Singapore's first Parliament House. Drinks, dancing, dance offs, walk offs, and even some coloring on Air Max art, made for a really great evening out with the girls.
DAY 3
Finally got some chill time! Stretches, a bit of yoga, and a lot of grunting and moaning on the foam roller was on the menu for the morning of day 3. I was so surprised at how sore and tight I was! I really think I was the most sore out of all of us, haha. Been a bit lazy with my strength work of late, I suppose. ;) Or I may have been a tad too tense on that obstacle course! ;) In the afternoon, we prepared to meet the mysterious P!
DAY 3
Finally got some chill time! Stretches, a bit of yoga, and a lot of grunting and moaning on the foam roller was on the menu for the morning of day 3. I was so surprised at how sore and tight I was! I really think I was the most sore out of all of us, haha. Been a bit lazy with my strength work of late, I suppose. ;) Or I may have been a tad too tense on that obstacle course! ;) In the afternoon, we prepared to meet the mysterious P!
At The Halia in the lush Singapore Botanic Gardens, we had a quick workshop on making delicious raw and healthy meals and snacks, including chocolate desserts! And then the big reveal came!!! P is Petra Kvitkova, 2x WImbledon Champion, who just casually strolled in to join us for lunch! It was definitely inspiring to hear a little bit about Petra's day to day in the life of an elite athlete, and how she has achieved so much success in her career.
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The biggest surprise came when we were asked to open our lockers for the final time.
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Inside we found another note, this time not from Petra, but from our loved ones. Partners, best friends, parents, siblings... There wasn't a dry eye in the room! Mine was the loveliest little piece from my boyfriend Artur, which I just quickly glanced at and saved to be reread for the cab ride home. I didn't want to lose it in front of all the other girls. :P And you thought I wasn't a softie. :P
The Nike Women Project was a challenge for me to dream bigger and face my fears head on! Thank you Nike for an experience that I will never forget, and thank you to all the beautiful women that shared it with me. I am better for it.
The Nike Women Project was a challenge for me to dream bigger and face my fears head on! Thank you Nike for an experience that I will never forget, and thank you to all the beautiful women that shared it with me. I am better for it.
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