Pushing the limits
It was “the day the world ran” - as the event was called – the Human Race on 24.10.2009. It was my third 10K run in preparation for a full marathon. I was totally unprepared for my first 10K run and in hindsight I think I could have walked faster than I ran that day. The second event was a more serious attempt at running and I improved my timing considerably. In preparation for my third run, as a resident of namma Bengaluru, didn’t have to look far for professional help. By the way, Bengaluru seems to be the unofficial running capital of India! With its kind of weather (traffic notwithstanding), the only way one can sweat in Bengaluru is either by running or in a sauna.
It was great fun training for the weeks before this event at the Nike Run Club, Bengaluru on Saturdays and Sundays starting 6 am sharp. The training regimen included some endurance running. After my first session, it took a whole week to recover. The coach helped me realize the existence of the many moving parts in my body, most of which were not being used since I was a child. It also dawned on me that running is all about the rhythm and breaking the barriers in one’s head.
I am fully hooked to running because it has the least interference/need of any equipment. Work-outs need a gym, cycling needs a cycle, swimming needs a well-maintained pool whereas running just needs a good pair of shoes and a mindset that you can get out in the open.
During the training sessions, one of the younger boys who observed my workout routine ran up to me and advised what he had learnt- “you are not pushing your limit, by stopping/walking, you are reaching your limit in your head. Slow down in your run, but don’t walk.” I certainly had read/heard this before but had never applied it to any physical activity. Only in work conditions, one is used to pushing others and self to achieve the objective.
With all this background and thoughts in my head, came the day of the reckoning - race day! It was a festive atmosphere when I walked into the venue. A gated community was playing host to the event. Once the race began, I started off slow but steady, walked for a very short distance, but could complete the distance comfortably. It was fun, liberating and fulfilling as I got to my personal best. It also gave me a new incentive to continue with my training with the new awakening of pushing my limits. By being constantly at it, hopefully someday soon I will complete the 10K well below the sixty-minute barrier and go on to run the full marathon.
It was great fun training for the weeks before this event at the Nike Run Club, Bengaluru on Saturdays and Sundays starting 6 am sharp. The training regimen included some endurance running. After my first session, it took a whole week to recover. The coach helped me realize the existence of the many moving parts in my body, most of which were not being used since I was a child. It also dawned on me that running is all about the rhythm and breaking the barriers in one’s head.
I am fully hooked to running because it has the least interference/need of any equipment. Work-outs need a gym, cycling needs a cycle, swimming needs a well-maintained pool whereas running just needs a good pair of shoes and a mindset that you can get out in the open.
During the training sessions, one of the younger boys who observed my workout routine ran up to me and advised what he had learnt- “you are not pushing your limit, by stopping/walking, you are reaching your limit in your head. Slow down in your run, but don’t walk.” I certainly had read/heard this before but had never applied it to any physical activity. Only in work conditions, one is used to pushing others and self to achieve the objective.
With all this background and thoughts in my head, came the day of the reckoning - race day! It was a festive atmosphere when I walked into the venue. A gated community was playing host to the event. Once the race began, I started off slow but steady, walked for a very short distance, but could complete the distance comfortably. It was fun, liberating and fulfilling as I got to my personal best. It also gave me a new incentive to continue with my training with the new awakening of pushing my limits. By being constantly at it, hopefully someday soon I will complete the 10K well below the sixty-minute barrier and go on to run the full marathon.
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