Here's what running 10 Kms taught me about life

(5 min read)

I have been running since a long time. I started with 2 Kms or fun race during my school days. In college I used to run 3-4 rounds of my university's football ground. I always loved running long distance - it was fun and relaxing at the same time. After running several 5 Kms, I got the confidence of running 10 Kms. I must have participated in around 10-12 different races of 10 Kms in Hyderabad and Kolkata, and now I feel I should start running half marathon (21.3 Kms.).

Running is the one activity that’s physically exhausting but mentally and emotionally recharging. People run for various reasons. They run because may be they want to lose weight, improve their health, compete in races, or try something new. I have my own set of reasons. 

I like running and I do it for many reasons

(3 min read)

The question that I constantly I ask myself. Why do I run? Why do I put myself through the pain of running? Reasons are plenty. My answer is always changing depending on the mood I am in. 

When I am in pain, I would like to run and embrace the discomfort. 

When I am anxious or too busy in my head, I run because it clears my mind and help me relax.

I run because it makes me feel strong to push my limits.

I run because it makes me believe in myself, I introspect and it makes me a better person.

Then one fine day I decided to cycle

When I first heard from my friend about a 100 km. trip he took on cycle I was both amazed and intrigued. I wondered how can one endure such a thing. Then I too had a dream. That I will cover a long distance on bicycle. It's been quite an experience of living with such a dream. At one point of time I had a dream of owning a bicycle and now this. I always thought how would I feel to cherish a dream for long and finally achieve it? This post of mine is dedicated to all those who believe that dreams can and must become true.

If you have a dream, you should find a way to make that dream come true. And if your dream includes doing something that seems really big or intimidating, that is ok, because you only have to do it one minute, one hour, and one day at a time. And that is what I did. I did not went for a long ride on the first day. I patiently worked on myself. I started to ride to office daily in 2013 end and initial 2014. On some weekends I would go on a little over 10 km ride, for few I went for 25 km.

I started to spend time in the gym and run on treadmill for short stint of time. I was feeling rejuvenated. During the winter of 2014 I felt I could achieve the 100 km mark, but the inevitable happened work pressure creep in. I started to miss gym and steadily the other obligations started to take preference. My bicycle's tire got flatter as I was not using it and I felt I was left behind of achieving my dream. During those days I visited one of my friend in Hyderabad, India. He was participating in bicycle meetup organised by Hyderabad Bicycling Club. I decided to join him even though I was not well with stamina and fitness. On January 26, 2015 I covered almost 45 km. It was taxing but I did it and only then I realized I could go for more.

The roue undertaken on January 26, 2015 covering almost 45 kms in to-fro journey

Still 100 km looked a distant dream. And that too in a city like Bangalore, where there are too many undulations. Then someone hinted a movie dialogue to me, "Koi pahad kaat sakta hai? hum chadh bhi nahi sakte?" "When someone can cut a hill to make a road between it, can't we at least ride on it" (An inspiring dialogue from a movie - Manjhi). It took me courage and on September 6, 2015 I went for it. I borrowed a friend's bicycle - a lighter one and the test of endurance began at 6 AM after Fajr - the early morning prayer. It took me around 2 hours to reach Wonderla (covered more than 35 kms) through Turahalli forest. Early morning serenity, walkers and joggers waking up and trying to be fit, people commuting to bazar to buy their daily groceries, pious ones going to Majsids and Mandirs alike. I saw everything of peace!

I took few pictures in and around Wonderla which felt like an achievement to me. Then I found few roadside stalls selling bananas and refreshments. I stayed there for an hour and refreshed myself, watching the traffic go by and the morning unfold in front of me. Returning back was all the more difficult as sun was over the head and the task remain to be completed. I took the same route back. Traffic was more and I had to stop quite a few times and drag myself up the road as it was unbearable sometimes to cycle to the higher altitude. However, as I was nearing my destination I could motivate myself and push myself to cycle harder. I came back at noon with lots of experience with me.

I could cover not more than 75 km that day. The 100 km remained yet to be conquered. I told myself, "One day, some day"

The route although it says 28 km, however Googl'e app My track showed more than 35km. It could be possible because there were lots of detour in my journey and this Google map is not able to flag and measure it. So the total to-fro journey was more than 70 km in 5 hours with a break of an hour in between

I wrote in my 'CV', field of intereste and activities--*fitness freak and gyming.

Well this was not taken sportingly by my friends. I became a talking point, they used to laugh at my lean body. They used to say that ha! see this boy , no physique but written gyming as his field of interested and his activities in the CV. It was not that I had fitness issues or I was very thin, but the problem was that being always to gym and still not being able to maintain and match up the standards of gym and nice toned physique. I was always regular to gym or at-least been exercising from day to day, I was conscious about my health and body parts specially my tummy ( i hate people with huge belly, hate their careless attitude even more). All this was happening with me when I am into my final year and already crossed 21 years of age. I envy all those boys younger to me and having nice body whom they can show to anyone at any place and at any time. I too cherish a long time dream of having nice toned athletic body. So I decided to go gyming two years back. Went there , exercised was happy at my growth, stopped, dropped, again started but was never consistent so no growth at all, just height and maintained body ( i mean no dis-shaped physique at all). As I was taunted for my CV affair I decided to get back to 'GYM'. My University (BESUS) boast of having a good gym with all the necessary equipments to meet good standards and to my great advantage its just near my Hostel (Wolfendan Hall), so no reason of getting lazy.

my university gym looks similar to this.

I geared up and committed to myself "no coming back until I achieve my dream" and I promise myself as well to not to stop even after achieving my dream. So I have been gyming since last week I can only say to myself and everybody out there that "IT HURTS". And i assure myself "No gain without pain". So happy gyming................... will post a pic of my body shape soon.....( prayers needed)

After 3 months of hard work, this is what i build. I guess more mass needed!!!!(pic taken on 16th Dec 2011)