Musings of an Experiential Runner

There are 'Morning people' and there are the 'Night birds'. The former are the early risers who like a head start and are a 'Go' while others are still in bed or just about  beginning  to brew their morning cuppa. Their freshness and energy levels are at their peak in the morning and so too their efficiency and productivity. The latter group revs up more slowly and pick up their energy and efficiency as the day ticks along, start hitting their straps towards the evening and get their highs at night.  Similarly, in running matters there are the 'Dawn runners' and there are the 'Dusk runners'. Very obviously the former find mornings the best time to run and kickstart their day while the latter find in easier to run after the day's work is done. I too am one of those who find early mornings to be the best time to run. How early is early? Very early...if you ask me!! A run starting anytime between 0500 to 0630 hours, depending on the time of the ...

Just like every day is a new day, a different day, every run is a different run.  What I mean is that though the track/ trail/ course might be the same and you might have run it a hundred times, every single time you run it…. it’s a different experience and a new challenge. So many factors come into play. There are the quantifiable ones like the temperature, humidity, wind speed, air quality/ pollution levels, time of the day and the intangibles such as how rested and fresh you are, how good are you feeling about yourself, are you running with your usual group or are you with new running mates or on your own, how much of a rhythm you manage to fall into. Having had had a good run on a particular route a few days earlier doesn’t always guarantee a strong run the next time. Never be lulled into a sense of ‘easy pickings’ just because of your familiarity with a particular course. The elements and the ‘intangibles’ might conspire against you!!  I was served a reminder of this di...

The ultimate dream of any amateur or leisure runner is to run a half marathon, the 21K, and then kick on to crack the full 42K. It is a great sense of achievement and matter of pride when you complete your first half marathon (HM) and full marathon (FM). The exact length of a HM is 21.097 kilometers, and as they say, the first 21K is easy....it's the last 0.097K that kills!!😢   Once you set your mind too it, shouldn't be too difficult to run a half. Obviously it needs time, discipline and hard work but when you cross the finish line the overwhelming rush of emotions and thrill of achievement is well worth the pain. Quite a few of us have been moved to tears of joy/ relief/ pain when we finished our first one.    What does it take to do your first one? The commitment and resolve of course. The rest follows. It should take 8-12 weeks to be set for your first attempt, depending on your fitness and prior running experience. Over these weeks one improves their physical a...

What do you think of while running?  The odds are that it depends on a) How tough the run is and b) How focused you are.        If it's a tough one, then I bet the foremost thought is 'When is this going to end?'! And for sure, you are thinking about the P & D: Pain and Discomfort. You are asking yourself 'For what God-forsaken reason am I doing this, what am I getting out of it?'.  The more hardy and focused of us, especially on a run that's not too tough, are usually thinking about the other P & D: Pace and Distance. Of course with the fitness watch strapped on, you are a prisoner of technology! So not just pace and distance, you are also looking at your cadence, heart rate and more. Doesn't that technological wonder on your wrist take away the fun out of the run?   So what would I rather be thinking about while running?  ·     For starters, compress the entire day into a small vignette and process it. Rewind yesterda...

It would be sacrilege not to acknowledge one of India’s greatest sporting triumphs that was achieved on the 19 th  of January 2021. Not because the Indian cricket team won the series against Australia in Australia. Not because they did it for the second successive tour there. Not because they clinched it at The Gabba, where Australia had not lost for 30 plus years. Not because they did so after losing the first Test by being bowled out for their lowest ever score of 36. Not because they were without their talismanic captain who went back after the first Test on paternity leave. Not because the team was without 9-10 of their first choice players due to an assortment of injuries, starting from pre-tour to mid-tour to end-tour. To my mind it is one of the great triumphs because it was done with dignity. There was no whining or complaining when things were not going your way. There was no throwing up excuses when you were losing. There was acceptance, determination and steel.  It ...

  And then today morning what do I get to read while flipping through an old magazine?!!                                           "Goals are dreams with deadlines" Googled that again So that's another take on the concept of a Goal. The Goal is a Dream, but not just an idea in the realm of fantasy. It might seem distant or unachievable, yet it is something tangible and real. Set a deadline for it...A goal with a goal 😇. Now work towards it 💪....Easy!!

This post is for runners and non-runners alike.  'A goal is not always there to be achieved: sometimes its sole purpose may be to motivate', was the gist of something I had read somewhere, sometime. Then I googled it and lo and behold: Very similar to what is often said: Sometimes the journey is better than the destination.  So enjoy the ride 🤗 Goals are important: They give you a focus. It leads to discipline.  It entails hard and sincere effort.  You understand what 'sweet pain' is. It's a process of self-discovery, self-realisation and self-improvement. But: They shouldn't overwhelm you. They should be realistic. So: Have a goal and give it your best shot, but don't be consumed by it. It's OK to fail while trying, rather than not having tried at all. After years of running I too have realised that the journey is the enjoyable part. No doubt achieving the goal gives you deep satisfaction and a 'top of the world' feeling. But the euphoria is sh...

I love the theory, but as you enter the 5 th  and 6 th  decades of life, age being just a number seems wistful thinking while ‘Ageing is a REALITY’ seems..…well….ahmm….VERY REAL!! Not the negative mindset of a fuddy duddy, rather acceptance of the inevitable physical changes that happen.   The metabolism slows down, so while you consume or eat as before, the extra weight seems more difficult to keep off. The healing capacity takes a knock, so the niggles and sniffles that one picks up take longer to recover….weeks instead of the few days that they did earlier. The digestion is not what it is used to be, so the bingeing of youth has to be moderated and lot more thought put into what and how much one eats and drinks. The bones start to lose their calcium, so one needs a bit of extra calcium and supplements of ‘sunshine’ Vitamin D. A few other vitamins and iron thrown in too. One tends to lose some muscle, so extra protein in diet with body weight and isometric exercises to ...

Not in my memory at least has a New Year been as universally and eagerly awaited as 2021. Not because 2021 is expected to be an overly special year, but because we bid adieu to annus horribilis 2020: Year of The Corona.  It reflects the resilient character of runners and sports persons in general, that they were up and about as soon as restrictions were lifted. Indeed, even when the hard lockdown was in place, they continued to practice at home and take care of their fitness at home. Some walked/ jogged on their terraces, balconies, others set up improvised gyms in their living rooms, ran up and down stairs, danced and what not to stay fit.  Once the lockdown curbs were eased, people tentatively started moving outdoors and as gradually their confidence grew, people came out with a vengeance. It was heartening to see more and more folks realizing the importance of staying active and not ignoring their physical conditioning and health. The running and cycling scene in Delhi expl...