Facing Challenges as an Athlete – Lessons on Life from the Running Track
Dominic running with determination and passion.
Written by Dominic, MILK Bursary recipient. Dominic is pursuing his Diploma at Biomedical Engineering Temasek Polytechnic. He is a passionate athelete that aspires to represent the country in track and field.
Running teaches you more than speed or endurance. It teaches you how to face setbacks, stay disciplined, and keep moving forward when things get hard.
When I first started training, I thought progress would be simple. Run more, get faster. Instead, I learned the opposite. Improvement came with pain, missed targets, and frustration.
I remember my first 10000m at POL-ITE in 2022. I wore spikes, and after 18 laps my shin started to hurt. Every step was painful. I wanted to stop, but I kept going because I knew I would regret not finishing. Crossing the line was slow and tough, but I proved to myself that I could push through. That race taught me that perseverance matters more than comfort.
The track is a mirror. If you slack in training, it shows. Running has no shortcuts. Each result reflects your daily choices.
Discipline is the hardest part. Waking up at 5 a.m. to train is not fun. Doing the same drills again and again feels repetitive. But consistency builds resilience. Over time, you learn to show up no matter how you feel. That same mindset applies outside sport. Exams, work, and personal struggles all demand the same steady effort.
Failure is also a teacher. Missing a target pace or falling short in competition hurts. But every failure carries data. You learn what went wrong, and you correct it. Slowly, you become stronger. In life, setbacks are the same. You either give up, or you take the lesson and move forward.
The greatest lesson running gives is patience. Results take months, sometimes years. Life works the same way. Success is never instant. It is built step by step.
When I look back, I see how running shaped me. It trained my body, but more importantly, it trained my mind. The discipline, resilience, and patience I learned on the track continue to guide me off it.