Just around the corner

It’s just around the corner. Just one more turn and you’ll be there, he kept telling himself, trying to will himself to continue to move on.

But the corner passed and he was no closer to the end than he was an hour and a half ago when he told himself the same thing.

His feet complained. He’d been on them for far too long. They were now aching and protesting l.

He would feel the soreness of every inch of his being, even his soul. He could feel them complain threatening to just to give up on him.

By now he was all by himself. The ones who started with him had long gone ahead and he was left behind. In fact, he could see them on the other side of the route waving at him cheering on.

He felt disheartened and drained.

Even his mind began to play tricks on him, to question his sanity to undertake this arduous undertaking. Making him wonder what had gotten into him to even think he could do this. Making him wonder if he was going round in circles. Making wonder when would it all come to an end. Whether he should just give up.

But despite it all, in a little corner of his mind there was hope, trying to fan that small spark within him that kept spurring him on.

A little voice deep within telling him that he got this despite all his aches and pains and fatigue. Telling him, as cliched as it may sound, he didn’t come so far to just give up. He didn’t put all this effort just to quit before the finish.

He had come so far, he just couldn’t give up.

So he willed him to just keeping moving. And like Dory he sang to himself,

“Just keep running, running, what do we do we keep running!”

And lo and behold, when he turned that final corner the finish line came insight.

He spotted his friends and well wishers standing at the finish line cheering him on.

And so with one final push, he gave it all he could, and dashed across the line much to the delight of those gathered there.

He raised his arms in ecstasy, fell to his knees with tears streaming down his cheek glad that he didn’t give up when he felt like giving up, for believing that his destination was just around the corner, even when it was not.

The Runner’s PTSD

I wonder if runners suffer from PTSD. Do we carry the trauma and fear of our last run with us? Do the events of our past races remain with us like a scar we can no longer get rid of?

Well if PTSD is a thing that you think you have  then I must confess that I think I am going through one.

All the muscle pulls, tightness, the inability to run cause you went too fast to begin with, all the dehydration and the low blood sugar level cause you decided to eat and try to sleep way to early. 

Then not forgetting the time when you literally fell a sleep on your feet, like only you can do, while running an ultra, all because it started way too early and you didn’t get your prerequisite amount of sleep. 

Well you didn’t really sleep on your feet but you did spend a good part of an hour dozing  on your feet trying hard not to sleep.

So now, as you stand on the cusp of yet another marathon, you still have these doubts and questions playing with your mind, tinkering with your head. And even though you’ve prepared well for it, you still have your doubts, your fears of going too fast, getting muscle pulls and catches, of hobbling and having to walk for most of the way, or worst still having to DNF.

You question your sanity of putting yourself through it all again, but still here you are almost embarking in yet another full. You know it that PTSD or no you’ve got  this and you can do this, cause no matter what happened in the past, all your fears need to be conquered, all the past needs to put behind cause that’s how you will be able to to move forward and be better than yourbest. That way you’ll be able to over come your running PTSD.

Running in the Park in the Rains

There’s something magical about running in the rains. You actually don’t mind it pouring, when you are out there running. Any other time it could be a pain, but not when you are  out there running. The rains are a welcome relief, a soothing balm to tired joints, natural coolant that keeps your body from overheating.

You ran through the heat and humidity. You sweated a bucketload of sweat, sometimes even causing your mother to wonder whether that’s sweat or did you pee in your pants. Though your mileage were low and the weather relentless, you continued to brave it through the heat and humidity. And now that the rains are here, you can slowly and steadily build on your distance while still making the most of the rains.

The rain has a way of making everything so magical and beautiful and romantic. The smell of rain on wet mud is simply intoxicating, filling your senses with this beautiful scent that’s oh so divine.

The moment you step into the park you are greeted by all this sound. It’s like every creature in the two mile radius thinks they’re Elvis. What would have been a cacophony of sounds is actually a symphony when it all comes together, nature’s very own orchestra.

Everything looks brighter and cleaner. The rains seemed to have washed away all the dirt and grime, leaving everything so clean and a little less dirty. Yes there’s the muck and the millions of puddles, but then that’s ok, it can be easily be overlooked, or overstepped, or just hopped across!

The trees too have shaken off all the dust and grime that they accumulated all the year round. They are all green and bright and fresh and light. It’s like a weight has been lifted off them and now they are light and bright and standing all glistening and glowing and green.

It fills your heart with joy to see the water in the stream, which had dried up for the summer. You know that as the season progresses, this would no longer be a little stream, but a flowing river, filled with water and morons, that also includes me.

The rain leaves the park all Misty, making it oh so dreamy, oh so mysterious. You wonder what secrets the park would hide behind that mist, would the furry one be lurking somewhere not too far.

And so you continue to run, with a spring in your step and joy in your heart, letting the rain fall on you, wan all of you, washing away all the sweat and grime, taking away all the weariness of your tired bones, cooling you, healing you, washing away the tears, giving you a cover to hide it from the world. 

You ensure that no puddle remains unvisited, no puddle remains unsplashed. You just run through it, instead of finding your way across it, never minding your shoes and socks is getting all wet, occasionally jumping right into it to create a splash, not bothering about the side eye you get from others, it’s the child in you that’s always going to want to make the most of a rainy day.

So you run, not bothering that it’s pouring, or that you are soaked to the bone (you would have been all wet anyway, from all the sweat), you just run, and let the rain wash away not just the dirt on your body, but also the pain in your soul, ultimately finding a way to soothe your soul. So you run for the joy in your heart, for the pain and anxiety, you don’t stop, you just run, and you just let the rain do its magic. 

What more could you ask from life when you get to run in the park in the rains!!

Running Therapy

I never thought I would need a race, let alone a 10k. It’s not that I am trying to sound like a long distance running snob, which I am not, but somehow never did quite run a lot of 10k races.

Still here I was signing up for a 10k, breaking my cardinal rule of only three races a year (yep I have my NEB Mumbai Half Marathon coming up, and I’ve already done three), I found myself registering for a 10k because I needed to race, I needed to see the progress I’ve made, I needed a confidence booster, a shot in the arm, get my head back in the so called game, to have something to look forward to, to be excited for.

2022 has not been quite kind to me so far. Through the loneliness and the heartaches , the heartbreaks, the disappointments, the stress and the anxiety, I knew I needed this. I needed to get out of the rut I found myself in. So I registered.

People go to parties to meet friends and socialise till late mornings, I on the other hand prefer to wake at the ungodly hour, dress in my running gear (which need to match or I’ll look like a clown) and go out for run.

Races is where I meet my fellow runners and my run buddies. It’s where I go to socialise. My kind of socialising. You may call me a Runnaholic, and I maybe one. But it’s just that thing I do!

So it doesn’t matter that the route has more twists and turns than any Bollywood film, or the weather is awesomely humid (my drenched shorts made be feel like I’d peed in them), or that I am no where near my best (not even close, this is what you get when you get your PB (personal best for the uninitiated) early on), I just needed to go out and run.

So through the twist and turns, the cheers and the hugs, the sweat, the smiles and the high fives, I run with music blaring in my ears, some good old fashioned rock music, that keeps me pumped. And though I constantly remind myself that I need to take it easy and not push the envelope (not sure if I could even do that), I can’t help myself wanting to speed up a wee bit, especially when you have your fellow running buddy right there with you.

It may have not been my best (though post pandemic, I am not too sure what’s my best), I may not have ran to a plan. But what  I did manage is run a strong and steady run, completing within my target, minus any aches and pains and soreness, I completed my run in my lowly target time. Thus getting the much needed shot in the arm, that boost of confidence, that therapy session on the road.

And the cherry on the cake was to see your running buddies win podium (so damn stoked that my Neeru Ma’am and Akanksha got their podiums) and then you get to enjoy being part of the post run shenanigans with you fellow crazies!

So where to from here? Maybe another race (the NEB Mumbai Marathon is coming up)? Maybe back to drawing board to train and get better? Maybe to dance classes and do some Salsa? Whatever May come next I know I got that much needed confidence booster, and all I know that life’s gonna get good from here, no matter the situation or curve  ball thrown at you.

So here’s to running, and racing, and therapy on your your feet. Always remember no matter at what stage you are at life, your best is yet to come!! 

Running Crazzies

It takes a special type of crazy to wake up in the morning and go for a run in the pouring rain, while the rest of the world is all cuddled and wrapped up in their beds, the sound of the pouring rain lulling them to sleep, deterring from daring to step outside, stopping them from showing any unwarranted bravery.

You question the sanity of your decision as the rain pours like cats and dogs and in sheets, as your visibility is low and most roads are waterlogged. But then you’re one crazy runner who can brave the rains just to get a good run under his belt. So no matter the downpour, you will go for your runs.

So you splish and you splash, running in ankle deep water for most of the time. But no matter the water level you continue to go. Even a herd of deer, who happen to cross your path, give you a strange bewildered look as if to say what are these strange doing in the pouring rain.

You’re least bothered about their expressions and just ooh and aah about seeing them up close and personal. You continue to plod on, splashing through the rains, not letting the water deter you from going on, till you can go further no more. The dry riverbed of summer, which turned into a subtle stream after the last few rains, is now a raging rapids, thanks to the continuous downpour, trapping the people who managed to go on the other side before the water began to flow. You’re captivated, left in awe with the fury with which the water flowed, taking with anything that would stand in its way. You want to click a picture of it, but the pouring rains prevents you from doing just that, till you find someone with an umbrella. For a moment the thought of crossing over, taking a chance, floats in your head, till it’s cruelly shot down by reasoning.

So you reluctantly retrace your steps and head up Gandhi Tekadi, aur kuch nahin to Gandhi say he kaam chalana padenga. So you hurdle over fallen trees and splash in flowing water to get to the top, nature’s very own obstacle course. By now your clothes have become your second skin, clinging to your body, highlighting all your curves and edges, things you wished were rather not showing (if you know what I mean). Reaching the top, as it is now customary, you borrow an Uncle’s umbrella to click pics. Once the pics are clicked, it’s time to make your way out of the gate and on to the actual road, right in time before the park is closed for all.

The conclusion of the entire little running adventure is that you continue to run, no matter the weather, the runnholic in you will always itch to go out for a run, come rain or sunshine, nor matter what your schedule will be like, you are crazy and insane enough to go out for a run in the crazy 

running weather.

The Magical Hi-Five

She put on her a little red coat and slowly made it down the street to the place the place where the race route passed close to her street. There was a cold breeze in the air but she didn’t really mind it. There were a few who had braved the cold winter’s morn to come to cheer the runners on. 

She took her spot, like she had done a number of times before, waiting for the runners to pass by. As they passed by she smiled and put out her hand. Some saw her but ignored her choosing to focus on the road ahead. Others completely ignored her and went about with their run without missing a beat. But for every runner that ignored there were others who saw her and returned her hi five with a smile on their face. At times she swerved from the impact, but she never lost her smile.

To the outside world she seemed like a little old lady in a red coat, but what they didn’t know she was a runner herself, would always be a runner. Though she had stopped running that didn’t stop her from supporting other runners, and that’s why she returned to that spot every year.

Once she was asked why did she come out in the cold to cheer runners when so many runners just ignored her and went about with their run. She just smiled explained that running brought her joy, and though she didn’t run now, it still brought her happiness to see so many others take it up. This happiness brought a smile on her face, fueled it, and she knew when someone hi fived her back, this energy, this fuel, passed on to them, magically. When they smiled back they remembered to relax, and when they relaxed they enjoyed their run more, they experienced the run better, felt stronger, ended up doing better, from her magical touch. She bore no ill will to those who ignored her, she knew they were focused on their run and didn’t want to break their rhythm and focus, so went about with their run, and were perfectly right in doing so. She was there to for those who needed her the most.

Saying this she was greeted with a big hug from a runner who came across the road just to hug and thank her, who then continued with her run. She in turn continued to stretch out her hand, hi fiving the runners, cheering them on as they went by.