Running - From Desideratum to a Passion

If we introspect, we can distinctly recall instances and moments which would have served as a base for shaping our thought process and would have moulded our way of living. I am about to share one such instance.

When I underwent a Voluntary Health Check-Up in late 2011, health reports shrieked the need of modifying my lifestyle, and inculcating regular physical workout/exercises in my daily schedule. I used to take part in different sports events and played Cricket/Basketball regularly till Grade-12 (i.e. year 2007), but from last couple of years my physical activity was ONLY limited to few occasional games of Table Tennis and Basketball. Regular physical activity was missing from my routine since last few years now.

Choosing a physical activity and sport had become "a must-have" after this health check as I was 10+ Kgs overweight according to ideal Height-Weight measurement figures. Hence, I thought of giving "Running" a try. To begin with, I wanted to shed these extra kilograms and "running" seemed to be the best possible available option as you are not dependant on others and don't require a team (unlike other games). Bearing this in my mind, I started running on a tread-mill.

I still remember my first run on treadmill, where I ran out of breath in just 10-12 minutes (At that particular instant, I realized how much my stamina had decreased over last few years). Initial few weeks on treadmill were tough as I used to get tired and run out of breath pretty fast, but one thing that I did well was - "I didn’t stretch myself and took my time to get used to Running". I took periodic breaks while running and hence it took me time to get into some sort of continuity and rhythm. It took me around 1 month to be able to run continuously for 20 minutes (I think I ran 2.8 Kilometres in this 20 minute run).

In this process, I developed a liking for "Running". I started setting new challenges and goals for myself. These challenges and goals were mainly centred around "improving run speed" (covering more distance in a given time) and "building stamina" (running continuously for more time). I tried to improve my speed and stamina. During this process, I had injuries as well (some nasty ones too … injuries they are part and parcel of any game/sport). Initially, I used to run only on tread-mill and then slowly I moved to running on roads (you need to be careful and keep safety in mind while choosing roads to run). Running on roads is altogether a different experience and requires a lot of muscle strength (I don't intend to discuss pros and cons of running on road vs treadmill here). Overtime, I participated in few 10K runs also.

Till now, I have officially participated in following 5K/10K runs:

• TCS Bangalore 10K Open Marathon on May 18, 2014
• Completed in 52 mins 25 secs and won "Nike Finisher Tee" for being among Top 850 finishers (out of 10900+ participants)

• BITS2Marathon 5K/10K Bangalore Run on November 30, 2014
• Coordinated 5K/10K runs (as BITS2Marathon City Coordinator)
• Participated and Completed 5K run in 23 mins

• PUMA IgniteBangalore 9.6K run on April 4, 2015
• Completed in 47 mins (attached photo)

 Running alone or running on same route over and over again can sometimes be monotonous and hence many runners try to run in groups and tend to change their run-routes frequently. Additionally, you need to be careful and do proper warm up and cool down exercises before and after each run. Also, there are many other parameters which should be considered while running which I am not discussing in this short blog post. Few being:

• Warm up and Cool Down exercises,
• Type of Shoes,

• Injuries,

• Running on Road vs Running on Tread-Mill,
• Frequency of Runs,
• Proper Landing Position and Foot placement while running,

So what's my next goal? Running has been challenging and I have liked it. I have mostly kept myself restricted to 10K runs and have never run 20Kms in a stretch :( :(. Hence, I guess my dream would be running a Half Marathon followed by a Full Marathon!