100 Days of Running - Learnings and More

‘Divide’ has been a strong sentiment since time immemorial. Fundamentally speaking, there are so many things around us that divide us, separate us, create differentiated clusters of people and take us away from each other, be it race, religion, creed, color, socioeconomic status, nationality or any diverse factors. But running is something that we all share in common. Regardless of any of these divisive factors, we all run in the same way. It is a commonality we humans share in a world that emphasizes our differences.

The end goal of running may vary from individual to individual. While a few of us might run for fitness, the others might run for speed or for the endorphins which interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Despite the varied goals that propels us, running is more than just a physical act itself. It is about the difficulties we face in life and how we measure up to them. It is about companionship, endurance, ambition, hope, conviction, discipline, determination, grit, self-respect and that inner voice that always says – ‘take one more step, move one more stride’. It is about our way we chose to live our life and share our values and takeaways with others.

My Experiences with Running

'Dean Karnazes' is a renowned american ultra-marathoner and the author of several books chronicling his long-distance, international running exploits. I relate a lot with Dean’s blog on running; and his account of what running means to people, and how it helps everyone focus on what really matters. My first tryst with running was in 2014 when I took to some form of physical training. What started as casual walks turned to brisk and long walks ultimately doubling up to an obsession with long distance form of running. Be it the busy schedule at work or rigorous academic calendar during my b-school days, I always found that sweet 30-40 mins around the nook and corner of day to pursue my love for running.

It was in 2019 when an injury asked me to take a break with my tryst. A yearlong of no physical training, made the body idle, heart beats to go up, sleep levels to deteriorate, and eventually out of shape BMI. It was only in Feb 2020 that I took this up again with a single goal of pushing myself out to a park or apartment confines every day and so began #100DaysofRunning.

#100DaysofRunning and what it did to me?

The professional life has taught me, you cannot achieve a goal unless you can measure it, define milestones and track the same. Without objective measurable way the goals are redundant. The data guy inside me decide to put numbers to my daily run.

I started off with a simple task – to get out in open for a 30 mins walk. As in I progressed, my daily averages became better, the monthly average improved from 5.8 K daily steps in Feb to 11.7 K in May. The daily average distance improved from 4 KM in Feb to 9 KM in May - a 2 x increase in my strides count

The process metrics improved even better. The resting heart rate – a measure of cardio effectiveness of body, improved over this period; from 76 bpm to 63 bpm. The cardio fitness score (from fitbit) increased from 46 to 51. (US Marathon Rank Holder Ryan Hall as a score of 81. check here for more details). The avg. daily calorie burnt improved from 2.1 K in Jan to 2.8 K in May.

While I am yet to procure a weight and BMI measuring machine, my belief has always been in putting the right inputs and strong control on process metrics. It was worked at workplace, academics and I believe it works here as well. But output numbers will be out soon.

These #100daysofrunning from injuries and frustrated ambitions to exhilaration and empathy; has been a very personal journey and yet universal.

Running unites us and brings us together because, in the words of the great Bill Rodgers, “We sweat the same. We struggle the same.” Running is a simple, primitive act, and therein lays its power. For it is one of the few commonalities left between us as a human race. Toeing the starting line of a marathon, regardless of the language you speak, the God you worship or the color of your skin, we all stand as equal. Perhaps the world would be a better place if more people ran.

Keep the faith alive. Keep Running, Keep living.