What I learnt in my first 100 days of running

I’m a lazy human.

A lot more lazier than I appear to be.

That was also the reason why I sprained my ankle last Saturday evening.

After gorging on some sumptuous street food, I took a bus home. My house is in between two bus stops and I was too lazy to walk. I tried getting down from the running bus.

The bus suddenly started to pick up speed!

Bam! Thud! Ouch!

I fell on a pile of watermelons and sprained my ankle. It started swelling up. I was banned from straining it for two weeks; doctor’s advice.

The next morning it dawned on me that I was going to break my running streak. 104 days. Non-stop.

What do you do when you miss something ? You write about it and get some closure ;)

And that’s how this post came into existence.

One fine Sunday morning, all of a sudden, while playing table tennis, I felt tired after playing just five games. It was not something that had happened before. I could easily play twenty five on the trot.

Something was wrong. I felt unfit. And obese. I knew I had to do something about it.

I decided to run. I thought it was easier than hitting the gym and having an instructor shout at you at the top of his voice.

The first thing was to waking up early in the morning. It wasn’t very difficult. What was difficult was to give up the the comfort of the pillows and bedsheets wrapped around me.

Somehow, I did.

With every bit of will power that I managed to muster up.

I put on my running shorts, a new splurge, and a tee, walked to the jogging track in my apartment and started running.

I took twenty steps and breathlessness took over. I felt tired already and decided to walk. At least twenty minutes, I told myself. Slowly and steadily, I did it.

I learnt a lot of lessons in the process.

Pushing limits

I had to push myself. There was no other way out. Yes, it was hard. It was a struggle. It was something out of my comfort zone.

I was pushing my body to do as much as it could, to it’s physical limits and more. I had to convince myself to take that one extra step.

It helped me realise that limits can be crossed. They’re something that we usually impose on ourselves. They’re meant to be broken.

Challenging myself

On the first day, running twenty steps was a challenge. In the third week, it was a challenge to run continuously for a kilometre. Fifty days in, it was a challenge to complete three kilometres in thirty minutes.

It was about making sure I challenged myself and feeling proud that I did the best I could. I had to inspire myself.

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. ~Haruki Murakami

I wanted to compete against myself and see myself improve. That kind of feeling is addictive. It is a great motivator.

Discipline

I had to wake up early, at the same time everyday. I had to run the specified distance in the specified time I was targeting.

Initially, there was no motivation but as the days went on, I realised my mornings became better. It made sense to clear my mind and sweat it out, first thing in the morning.

It helped me build discipline and gave me mental clarity to plan out the rest of the day properly.

Struggle has its rewards

Doing something concrete and worthwhile is always a struggle. When you overcome that struggle with effort, it becomes a story.

A story of winning against the odds.

Running isn’t a sport for pretty boys…It’s about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It’s the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It’s about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It’s about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It’s about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there’s not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you’ve finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that’s all that you can ask for. ~Paul Maurer

The amazing feeling of pain and exhaustion at the end of the run is totally worth it.

Consistency is the key

I had to do it everyday irrespective of location, health or time.

There were days when I ran with a bad flu. There were days I ran when I had just reached a different city after an overnight train. I did cut down on the time a little bit, but I made sure I never missed it, even for a day.

It was not about doing something, it was about doing that same thing everyday.

Put in the effort, results will follow

Three months in, I registered for my first official run. It was a five kilometre run, the proceeds of which would go for conserving turtles.

After a brief warm-up, I started. I ran, I jogged and I walked. I completed it in less than forty minutes.

It was exhilarating. As I took a picture with my medal, I promised myself I would run ten kilometres within the next three months.

If you’re not gonna go all the way, why go at all? ~Anonymous

Running also allows me to ponder over a lot of things. Questions that keep coming up when I’m busy. I get to observe people, their little quirks. If I start early, I get to watch the first rays of the sun. Small pleasures that give life a lot of depth and meaning.

There’s actually one more reason I started running. The most important one.

I’m terrified of dogs. And if ever chased by one, I have to run to save my life.