I want to be my biggest hero

I have been running for fitness for little over a year and trained for a half marathon for about 6 months. I trained with Arvind Kumar (AK) 

The running group Pettai Runners spoke very high about the Mumbai Marathon (TMM) and I wondered if I will be able to sign up for it. I did. 

As I was practicing, it gave me the confidence to register for the Skechers Performance Chennai Marathon (SPCM) Half Marathon. It was on Jan 6th and to my surprise I finished with a timing of 2:41:39. It gave me the high and the confidence to sign up for more half marathons and the aspiration to complete a full marathon.

My SPCM completion gave me lot of praise from my running group. I began to think about TMM now. Just like any other exam or competition that I have appeared before, I wanted to do better. It was only two weeks since I had finished my SPCM HM. My body was sore for three to four days after the HM. Then I started to practice again. Like my usual self, I set a goal. I assumed that I could finish my TMM HM in 02:30. 10 min appeared like a very small number to me. I did not realise the impact of that 10 min in a marathon. I asked my coach to give me my plan and pace. He told me to just go run and enjoy the route without looking at the time. I told him I wanted to finish 02:30. He explained to me clearly that considering all my previous training runs and SPCM the realistic goal could be the same and because I insisted he gave me a plan for 02:39. However in my mind I thought that if I just set my mind, my feet would just run.

I finished my TMM at 02:41:22. It was only while running my second HM that I realised many things and those thought me many life lessons.

Completing the race in 2:41 means that I ran at a speed of 7:40 per km. Finishing under 2:30, which is a 11 minute time improvement, means that I have to run at a speed of under 7 mins per km, consistently. On paper this math seems so simple. But in reality it is not. To complete 11 min earlier requires lot more training and it is a big improvement among the runners circle.

Whether I am running on the road or managing a different situation in my business venture, the fundas are the same.  

• Just because someone else can do it, it does not mean that I can do it too
• It requires a lot of effort in tweaking the personal running style, fitness and technique to achieve the 11 minute time reduction
• Big changes and progress don’t happen overnight. It is often a result of planned and consistent effort

Having run the HM in Mumbai and in Chennai, I see there are several differences between the two places, in terms of attitudes

• Mumbai celebrates the Marathon, like they own the event. Hoards of Mumbaikars come to the streets to run and to encourage the runners. In fact, the traffic is managed so well that all the race participants are able to run without hinderance. Mumbai had adopted the Marathon in their culture, and it had become a fitness imperative.
• But, in Chennai the story is different. Looks like it is a new initiative here and people still believe it is a fad – only the crazy people sign up for marathon of any kind you see. There were several traffic jams and general public arguing with the traffic cops to ease the traffic, even obstructing the path of the runners. Marathons are being considered in Chennai to be a corporate gimmick. People don’t seem to understand the long term benefit of running, or any other fitness routine for that matter. 

In Chennai, I was running along with thousands of participants – many younger, older, people with disabilities and some even with cancer. I am truly humbled by the participation and the turn out. Most of them may have finished the race, some faster than me, some slower. I know that for each one of us, the race and its completion are a result of several months of training and hard work. 

I am hoping and dreaming that in the future I would run and finish several full marathons. I will have many of them under my belt in 5 years. Also, with respect to my business venture, I would be the CEO of a chain of aesthetic treatment centres and would have established myself as a leader in the aesthetic treatment space. 

Success at work and off-work go hand in hand. People always ask me as to who would I consider as my inspiration. When I look back at my journey, and where I am today, and my plans for the future, I feel that I am my hero. I look forward to the Jayanthy of 2024. She will be a force to reckon with.