My Running journey - Novice to an ultra marathoner.

The inspiration:
I have always been keen on my fitness and diet .I am not sure what triggered this but the habit stayed on and continues.  I used to keep myself active with some activity or other. 

One of my earliest memory about running is a 3K (2mile) run I did with my sister  in 2011 at Shrewsbury, MA . At that time, it was more of a normal jog to get yourself refreshed after a long day.

The interest towards longer distance runs was triggered by reading Haruki Murakami's memoir  "What I talk about when I talk about running." Murakami explains how running helps him maintain a highly productive and stress free life. 

" For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar, and by clearing each level I elevate myself. At least that’s why I’ve put in the effort day after day: to raise my own level. I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary – or perhaps more like mediocre – level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be" 

But the dream to run long distances remained just that and I was not able to act on it. 

A turning point: 
Sometime in early 2016, a colleague was selling his fitness watch (The  Garmin Forerunner 15) at the company classifieds board. I purchased that watch without much thought. Looking back , I could say that turned out to be a point that got me more serious about running. 

Among other things, the watch had a daily step count and total calories spent on a day  . The steps goal increases as we meet our goal the previous day. I liked to challenge myself to meet my 'daily step goal' everyday. At some point , normal walks were not enough to meet the goals and I did jogs everyday to meet the goal. Without even realizing, I had started to complete some short runs. 

 

My first 10K : 

My first 10K 'race' was at the Airtel Hyderabad Marathon 2016. It was a unique experience. Dad and  Mummy, Sharmila and Jaishan joined me at the start line. I was impressed by the way the entire event was conducted.

Hyderabad Runners: 

When I moved back to India from the US, I was keen to sustain my running streak. I heard about a group called 'Hyderabad runners' an enthusiastic bunch of like minded folks that come together every Sunday for the 'Sunday Long Run'.

Community organized Sunday Long Runs or SLRs have really become a thing among running and fitness freaks thought India. Each week, the community plans to run on a predefined route. This is much safer option as there will be more people joining with you. The community arranges for volunteers through the route who guide you on the way and support with water and other necessities on the runs. These runs are good fun.  I got to explore new locations around Hyderabad and made friends from different walks of life . The best part is that they start very early in the morning and end by 8:00 AM and I could go ahead with my normal work for the rest of the day.

I gained confidence doing longer runs and by 2019, I decided to attempt my first Full marathon.

Most of us could complete a 10K run with their baseline fitness. However, half (21.09Kms)  and Full marathons (42.195) are serious pursuits and needs at-least a minimum of 16 to 17 weeks of rigorous training to complete the distance without any injury.  My friends advised me to attempt these runs with a formal training from a running coach.

Registering with a trainer forced me to get more disciplined. I was able to see tangible progress without risk of injury.I was fortunate to have a resourceful coach and very good running partners who were a great motivation. I made steady progress and finally completed my first FULL Marathon (The AHM2019)  in August 2019. I went ahead to run one more Full Marathon(TMM 2020).

My running streak continued and recently , I was also able to complete a  50K  'Ultramarathon'  (TUM 2020) 

This running journey for the past 3 years has changed me both physically and mentally. It has helped me plan my day better . Earlier , I tend to stay late sitting on work or wake up early and check my emails.Now, I sign off early so that I get adequate rest/sleep and make sure I complete my daily runs/training early in the morning! I am more mindful of events around me and I cannot avoid comparing most scenarios in my life as the way I approached my runs. 

My advise to anyone who wants to make some life changing habits is to give running a try! 

I'd like to end this post with the following passage about someone who tried to qualify for the Olympic trials after 35. Although her goals are different. The thought below resonated with what I am trying these days. 

"I had always thought that, at some point in life, most people become “who we are.” Our lives are built around whatever that is, and no matter what we might actually be capable of, this idea keeps us fixed in one place.

At 35, I thought I was “who I was.” I didn’t think it was still possible to improve significantly in anything, let alone something involving my body. Our culture is fixated on youth, on potential, on lists of “30 under 30”  ... I had to dismantle all that."