This motley crew - A love letter

A boisterous gang got together for a Sunday lunch party over the weekend and if you had walked into the restaurant, you would have mistaken this group for any other group of friends you would see in Bangalore or anywhere else. Except for their conversation. Case in point: Zero gossip. No talk about who's getting married or divorced or breaking up. Only alphabets floated - TCS...SCMM...DRHM...BQ... This group while clearly having fun would not have made any sense to anyone coming off the street...

That's because this group were filled with runners...celebrating another runner for achieving something all runners wish they could do. Confused? On Sunday, I was part of a group that came together to hug and celebrate our friend TimTim Sharma. She has been running for 1.5 years now and in that time she has quietly (ok not so quietly) gone and won nearly all the big marathons and races in the country. And in culmination to all that was her running her best during the Standard Charted Mumbai Marathon (SCMM), winning it and qualifying for Boston Marathon (BQ). To the rest of the world this means this girl ran 42.2kms really fast and that's that. To us runners, this means a dream essentially coming true.

One of the most common questions I have gotten from friends and family this past year hasn't been whether I was getting married (although I get a million of those!), whether or not I had a boyfriend or even whether or not I was happy at my job. They want to know why I run. They look at my blisters. They see my lifestyle (which they deem insane) and they ask me what in the world possessed me to run as much as I do. I bite my lips, mumble a reply and change the subject. Because I know they won't understand. And because I know I can't quite put it into words why I love waking up at 4am in the morning to run circles till I finish 10, 15...20kms. But being a runner is as much part of my identity now as my own name.

And that's true for everyone who gathered on Sunday. They were all runners. Some joined to become part of a community. Some joined to get away from people. Some joined  to lose weight. And some like me perhaps began running because they were a little lost. When you run your fears are stripped from you and your worst problems feel manageable. The finish line is a place where there is ecstasy and relief, pain and despair. And on January 2014, one of us managed to achieve something amazing in that finish line...TimTim managed to make us all proud by running the hardest, pushing the hardest and doing her best. It's her achievement. Her moment in the sun and she will get to join the best runners from across the world when she runs Boston.

So, why were the rest of gathered for this moment? Because while the the average person will know that this was no mean feat, they still can't comprehend the effort that goes into running this well. We understand it. We may not all be as good (I know I am not!) but we know what it feels like to run so hard that you can only stumble when you cross the finish line.

Tim for her part is the best representation of what a runner can do and can be. We know that she has sacrificed so much to get here and continues to push herself to go further. We know that when girls her age are pub hopping, she's running intervals. She's doing fartleks (go ahead Rahul, now is your turn to make a fartlet joke and make me giggle). She's cycling. She's gymming. She's pushing beyond what normal human beings think themselves capable of. And because of that we are proud of her. Because of that, we came together to toast her success.

But that isn't all there is to it. She's inspired us all. When she smiles and tells me that I can run faster than I know I can run...I believe her. She genuinely cares when she pushes my friends (people she does not even know well) to do their bests after having met them for 10 minutes. She's that way with everyone she meets in her life. As long as they want to run and as long as they show up to run, she will be your biggest cheerleader. And people respond immediately. And that's why we showed up on Sunday. Not because we were runners but because we were friends too. And I don't make friends easily and I don't trust easily either. But I like this gang. A lot. We show up for the bad times and we celebrate the good ones. We may not all be alike (in fact most of us are as different as can be) but we understand why we wake up at 4am to run circles. So...this is a love letter to everyone in the room. Thanks for running with me and by my side.... And Tim...I know there is a lot more in store for you than this BQ. And we're all looking up to you to keep charging ahead. And we know you can do it all... So keep running. We're all rooting for you <3 

Running your first 10k

So, Pinkathon is just about a week away and that means many women in the city will be attempting their first 10k runs of their lives. I myself ran my first ever 10k at Pinkathon last year and was introduced into the running world with that run. So, I figured I would write about my experience running the distance and how I felt at the finish line.

First things first, if you are running a 10k for the first time in your life, then you need to be prepared for the possibility that you are going to truly suck. I never knew 10 kilometres was that long! I had always been able to run (6.5k being the longest I had ever run before that), so I thought the 10k would be easy. I was wrong. I started feeling knee pain at around the 4k mark after which I had to alternate between running and walking. After 5k, I realised that this was going to be a hard day for me. I was shot and demoralised and I knew I had to do another five kilometres. I ran for what felt like hours only to glance at my watch and realise that I had in fact only been running for 30 seconds. An aunty who was about three times my size easily overtook me and told me to buck up. I tried to keep my head up and put one foot in front of the other. A lot of thoughts crossed my mind. Mostly I was worried about whether I would ever reach the finish line. I had reached the 7k mark.

Around this time I found another female runner who was also struggling like me. I knew her from a previous run and she looked like death warmed over. We decided that we would finish together. Another elderly woman on her final loop (much much ahead of us), shouted us words of encouragement. I just wanted to cry. At this point I was limping and running. So this girl and I decided we would talk and walk and jog and get our minds off the run itself. We spoke about our lives. She told me about her husband. About how much she loved sports as a kid and wanted to take up running now because of it. I told her I loved football and that I was not happy with my job at that time. Despite being utter strangers, we divulged rather intimate details of our lives. We reached the 8k mark.

At this point, Cubbon Park started looking ominous to me. I was shivering and was in more pain than I had ever been in life. What I didn't know at that time was that this was due to my IT Band getting so tight that my knee could barely take it. I didn't know at that time that this problem would haunt me for months and would take tons of physiotherapy to set things right. All I knew was that I had been running for ages and I was still at the 8k mark. The road stretched ahead of me endlessly. My new friend was encouraging me to keep going. She told me not to focus on the pain but rather focus what I was going to eat at the end of the race. Weirdly enough that's the strategy I use even today when I feel a run is killing me. I think about my breakfast and I know the sooner I finish, the faster I can get my hands of whatever unhealthy meal I plan on eating that morning.

That day I dreamt of double cheese pizza. I reached the 9k mark. My friend turned to me and said that we should pick up the pace a bit. I thought I was dying. I knew that if I wasn't so exhausted I would have broken down and cried. The final 500 metre mark approached. At this point my friend told me she was going to turn up her pace and went ahead. I was barely able to keep my head up.  I entered Kanteerva Stadium. I was completely limping at this point but I summoned the last bit of energy I had left on me and I ran as much as I could. I crossed the finish line. I was dazed. In pain. And it was about one of the happiest memories of my life. I had completed the 10k in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

I may have recounted my first 10k like a horror story but the truth is that day I learnt a lot about myself. I realised I don't give up even when I am in pain. That's a trait that running has instilled me in the past year. I didn't know anything about running itself. I didn't have drifit clothes. My running shoes were a pair of beaten down Reebok Easy Tone shoes that weren't even my size. I ran wearing two different socks stolen from my father. My shorts were also cotton if my memory serves me right. It wasn't about the timing or the whether or not I looked like a runner (you know those girls from Nike ads). I got to the finish line. That's what mattered. I was a runner. I had earned my pizza. I had earned that grin that slowly enveloped my face as I realised that I had done it. At that time I only knew two runners - Dharmendra (the ultra man extraordinaire) and Brojen (the sweetest person you would ever meet). Both came and gave me a hug and told me I had done a great job. I got a glimpse into how amazing and encouraging the running community is. I was in pain but in that moment everything was forgotten. I wanted to do more. I wanted to keep running. I had made friends with the exhaustion because I knew there was exhilaration at the finish line. I never saw that girl again in my life. As I got more and more embroiled into running events and became serious about running, I think she may have given up entirely. I hope she is running somewhere though...where ever she is.

A lot of people ask me why I run (mostly non runners). I don't have fancy running clothes. I buy what's necessary. I buy good shoes but only when they are on sale. I only indulge in buying good drifit socks. Over the past year I have done three half marathons, one 25k and four 10ks. I was also forced out of running for a good two months in between when my ITBS problem became too painful to handle. But I kept running if only in my mind. I knew I wouldn't give up on this because of the pain.

Running is one of the most honest hobbies you can adopt for yourself. It makes you confront your own demons. There are no shortcuts in running. You can cheat on your exams, you can bribe corrupt officials and you can get ahead in work by sucking up to the boss. But you can only run when you have trained. You can only run when your body is ready for it. You can't lie about your run. Running clears your head. It keeps you fit. And it keeps you positive. You end with more energy than you can manage and you start day dreaming about running where ever you are.

My only advice to first timers is this - forget about things like podiums and timings. Just run the course. Grab a buddy if you can and encourage those behind you. Use the person who is ahead of you as inspiration. Don't be greedy and mean and rude. Smile a lot. Wear comfortable shoes. And when you get to that finish line, the distance, the pain, and the sweat will be entirely worth it. Never give up. I hope all you have great run next Sunday, 23rd Feb. Oh and do not forget to bring a scrunchie for your hair. Like an idiot I left mine at home and ran with my hair open last year. It makes your neck itch. It becomes rather heavy and you will fantasise about wanting to go bald in the middle of the race. So, yes, please wear a freaking scrunchie!

Like I said, wear a scrunchie!!!

Breaking from blogging....not running

So since my last post, I ran the 25 k Bangalore Ultra and the Bangalore celebration half. Bad news first - I felt terrible after Blore Ultra. I ran while sick. I got more sick during the run. I promptly fell extremely sick (lasted for half a month!) after the run. Note to self - never ever run on fever even if it's a race you have been prepping for. You never win and your body struggles to recover.

The good news: The Bangalore celebration was MUCH MUCH better. Ran 21.2kms in 2.24! I have cut out 10 minutes since October. The dream of finishing the run in less than 2.20 for SCMM lives! But I have been left with bad blood blisters. So been in recovery for most of the week. Will be entering the gym for the first time in a looooong time today. Need to work on my core. Going to buy some supplies to keep the blisters at bay (watch this space for more blister prevention techniques I have learnt!) and am feeling very optimistic about this year.

Thanks to everyone who has read this blog and encouraged me. I hope I have inspired at least one person to pick up the running shoes. Keep running. Keep smiling and a merry christmas to all! 

Taking a break

I am not really running anymore. No...I have not given up on running but I have taken a very short break. I did a couple of kilometres two days ago and then worked out quite a bit but I have scaled way back in the past two weeks. Mostly because it's festival season but also because I needed to break away from running a bit and relax just a bit. Regroup and recharge. Of course all that ends this weekend. Am attending a running workshop and should be fun. I will blog about it once I am done with both days but it has to do with running form and running well. I want to put an end to injuries, so I am very much looking forward to this. Once that workshop is over, I will be back on the training wagon, running consistently and gymming as well. As of tomorrow my little semi-vacation is over. I for one am glad that I am getting back to running but am also glad that I took a break. I really needed my body to chill and relax a bit. 

Ugh my diet

I have started noticing that in the recent weeks, my junk food to healthy food ratio is absolutely skewered. Am having too much junk food and just because am not putting on weight does not mean my body is not feeling the after effects. Sooner or later (the way am going am sure it's sooner), it's going to catch up to me. I am very worried. I need proteins, carbs and loads of fibre and you don't get that from a bhel puri (go figure).

More peanuts. Bananas when I am hungry. A glass of milk in the morning and no more milk and cheese only after a long run. I also have cut out chips from my life. I hardly ever eat pizza anymore but have been eating nearly one packet of chips a day (at least which I know is the worst thing I could do to myself). I need to bring some healthy snacks from home to quench my hunger in the afternoons at work. Just because working out makes me hungry does not mean I have to eat all the time. And I really need to eat healthy. Am going to keep a food diary on this blog along with my running one.

P.S I finally ran a bit yesterday for 20 minutes. The muscles have finally loosened up. And I worked out hard at the gym. My body is absolutely recovered and I am bloody thankful. This weekend am hoping to do anywhere between 12-15kms. I am so grateful for my physiotherapist, Dr Gladson. He really changed my life :)

Come on women....run!

I had a conversation with a friend on Twitter last night that had me both laughing and puzzled last night. She told me one of her friends said that if women take up running, then their breasts will start to sag. Of course my friend is far too smart to believe in nonsense like that but it got me thinking. I really do not see too many female runners in races. Even in my own running group, I can count the number of women with one hand. For me running is not about winning. I know that I will never have podium finishes but for me taking part in a race is the best part of running. The atmosphere, the challenge, the community...it's brilliant. But there are simply not enough women here.

I generally see a couple women ahead of me and maybe one or two behind and I pace with the men most of the time. At long stretches I don't see any women at all. I find this really distressing because I think women make for great runners. Here are the list of reasons why I think, if you are a girl or a woman, you need to find the perfect pair of running shoes and head out of home.

My ugliest pic and I never cared cause that run was fun!

You can handle the pain
If you think you won't be able to handle the exhaustion or find the energy for a run - think again. Physiologically and mentally women can handle a lot more than our male counterparts. Honest to god do you think any of our male friends will be able to handle one day in the parlour? I don't think most of my male friends will be able to survive even getting their eyebrows done and they run as fast as cheetahs. We can take the pain and we generally even push through it. So, why not show how tough you really are on the trail?

Be selfish
One married friend of mine told me that I should enjoy activities like running and trekking now because once I get married I will have to give up them all up. She just seemed so sure about it and it made me very sad. But then I know some wonderful women (Deepa Bhat I am looking at you!), who inspire by being great moms, friends, runners and everything else. My own mum has plenty of hobbies and passion projects that have nothing to do with the rest of us. Why aren't you entitled to your own me time? Run when you can and slowly your family will start recognising your passion and start accommodating your needs as well.

You have the time
Saying that you don't have the time is the worst excuse on earth. We make time for everything else in life including shopping, movies, television, beauty parlour visits, hanging out with friends but we can't find an hour to run? Really? You can sleep a little earlier and wake up a little earlier. I used to have that excuse all the time. For me it was about late night football matches followed by hours sitting arguing about the game on Twitter, so I convinced myself that I had no energy to get up in the mornings for runs. Now I don't Tweet after matches much (a girl has still got to Tweet!) and I only watch the important games. That under-21 game between 'club no one cares about' and 'club you don't know anything about' is not worth giving up your sleep. Oh and I have all but given up on cricket. My favourite players have retired and it hurts my eyes to see Dhoni's haircuts. Easiest decision made. Stop doing things you don't like anymore. It is as simple as that.

Cute guys
Okay so this is really shallow but ladies you will never find couch potatoes on a run. Every one of those guys there are either trying to get in shape or are already in the best shape possible. They lead healthy lifestyles. Most runners I know do not smoke which means you don't risk lung cancer any time soon. Also when you feel like dying on your feet, looking at a cute guy and commenting on his cute shoes does not hurt anyone. And when the cute guy flirts back, it's a total and harmless win. Why not?

*Side note to cute guys: If I have ever run with you and have mentioned your shoes, it means I think you are cute.
*Side note to the not so cute guys: Um....sometimes I just want to know about the shoes.....

You appreciate your body
You become very aware of your body. You become aware of what you're putting in and what's coming out (I know gross but you start caring about these things!). Every little pain gets treated immediately. You start listening to the signals being sent by your body. But running is not a vanity fitness project I must warn you. It's disgusting. When you're running, you generally do not look your best. You are outside so people see you looking haggard and sweating.

Nothing falls off!
To those who think the boobs start sagging (because gross), I have one answer for you - buy decent sports bra and you are set. Either way nothing falls off. Everything firms up as far as I can tell. You become stronger. But yes to be honest when you train hard sometimes your toenails fall off and some of your toenails turn black. On top of that you get feet blisters if you have sensitive skin like mine. But those blisters are war wounds and reminders that you are one tough cookie. So when you have a bad day, think of the time when your toenail fell off and you kept running anyway. It puts things in perspective immediately.

Men can't have all the fun
You get shiny medals at the end of races. You can eat all you want (well keep it relatively healthy) and running makes sure you still fit into those jeans you had back in college. And the best part about running? It's so much fun! You get to be with nature and appreciate things like sunrises and sunsets. You strap on your favourite music on your iPod and you get to really appreciate being alive. Why just let men enjoy that?

So ladies, run. I promise you, you will not regret it! Happy running.

99 problems but half marathon ain't one!

I MADE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am now officially a half marathoner! Of course the road to making this happen was paved with best intentions and a ton of problems and self doubt as my blog clearly indicates. In fact this time last week I had all but decided to quit because I just did not think my body could take it. But turns out I am tougher than I thought I was. I am really proud of myself. I remember back to last year when I had to quit running (I only ran about 4-5kms a day) because of my knee pain. And then I think back to the Pinkathon in April of this year when running 10kms felt like the end of the world. And now if I could bottle up that feeling I had when I sprinted the finish line on October 6th 2013, am sure it will cure depression for all mankind.

I still have no idea how that person managed to complete a half marathon in two hours and thirty minutes. It would have been at least 10 minutes faster had it not been for the fact I was victim to something that I had always read about but had never encountered personally - the dreaded runner's stomach. You see the previous day I had sore throat and a little bit of cold. I also had stomach cramps because....well you can guess why. This is not how I wanted my first half marathon to be. I wanted to be fresh and raring to go instead the previous day I was tired, cramped up and exhausted. I had little lunch. A cup of milk in the afternoon and light early dinner. And then I crashed at around 10.30-11 pm. I had to wake up at 3.30 to stretch because I stretched only once on Saturday.

I woke up Sunday and I was not remotely nervous. I took a bath, wore my race day clothes, secured my running bib, stretched and popped in a pain killer (generally on those days my stomach cramps get so bad that I can't even get out of bed and here I was planning to run 21.1 kms with this....awesome). I had one banana, two visits to the bathroom and half a chocolate bar for energy.  I reached the venue and realised one major thing - my stomach was definitely not feeling good. I rushed to one of the portable bathrooms the organisers had installed at the venue and figured that my problems were solved. Except I had no idea that I was going to be victim to the runner's stomach. I have never had it before, so I had no way to compare it with anything in my life.

So let me tell you - it's not fun. I nearly dropped out of the race. On the 8km aid station I practically broke down in tears. I wanted to know if there were any portable restrooms on the way for the runners. Turns out there weren't. But the good news was that the 8km aid station was right next to a mall. The mall manager (god bless this man) quickly took me to the rest room in the mall's underground parking station. My stomach still felt a bit off for the rest of the race but it was never quite as bad again. And in the process I lost 10 whole minutes of my time and that really sucks because that means I would have completed as early as 2.20. Oh well. Lesson learnt.

But the weirdest part was that my left leg while always threatening to erupt in pain, never did. I stretched a bit at the 14k mark and it hurt for about 10 minutes but suddenly it went away. It went away till I crossed the finish line! It kept away after I finished stretching. The only thing is I felt a bad twinge after coming back home (sitting in an uncomfortable position during the train journey for 7 straight hours can do that to you!). But this morning I feel completely recovered and strong. The leg pain is there but minimal and I only feel it while walking up the staircase. That also should be gone by tomorrow because I have scheduled nearly an hour long stretching session in the evening at the gym.

Anyway back to the race day. Throughout the run I had wonderful thoughts running through my head. I could not believe I had finally made it to this day. I wanted to drink in every single second. The reason I know I didn't run my hardest is because even at the 18km mark I was able to have a casual and fun conversation with one of the runners. This means I should have pushed myself. But the truth is I had no idea how my body would behave after 14-15km (those are my safe distances). This was supposed to be my learning curve. I wanted to know and understand the way my body behaved during the run. I plan on running as as long as it's possible for me, which means a ton more half marathons and hopefully full marathons lie in my future. I can gun for timing on my next one. This one was strictly about understanding what I was capable of on race day. Turns out my training has served me really well. Gymming has helped. Stretching has helped. Core workouts have helped. And this is just the beginning. I plan on training harder and doing better. The first stone has been set on the foundation. Time to build upon a beautiful running experience with this.

I started this blog as a way to motivate myself to run my first half marathon. Mission accomplished. Now I need to hunker down and start improving my time. I want to bring my 10k time to 55 minutes (it's currently at 59.04). And I want to run half in two hours. That means during race days I will not goof around. Not stop to take pictures or pick up conversations with runners who are obviously holding you back from your general pace. Clear cut goals. At least for the important races.

And here's quiet push for all the non-runners who think it's impossible to run beyond a certain point. The only restrictions that exist are in your own head. You never know what you are capable of unless you try. It after all starts with one step at a time. And that feeling you get when you get to the cross line? Boss it's worth all the trouble in the world! And turns out I was top 15 in the women's category. Not bad eh? Happy running!

P.S Kudos to the organisers of the Vodafone Coimbatore Marathon 2013. Brilliantly organised and fun race. The route was great. The atmosphere was unbelievable. The officials were helpful and the aid stations were wonderfully stocked. They had lime, salt, biscuits, energy drinks, salted water, water, oranges, cut bananas and extremely cheerful volunteers. Truly the best kind of experience.