Tugging My "Shoestrings"

As I waited at the distribution center, hoping to be shipped to a store where I not only looked pretty but unique! I am no different than you humans, I too seek attention and do everything to draw eyes at me. My existence has just one sole purpose, and that is not just being a decorative material for a closet. 

As much as I craved to be chosen by a runner, I was equally anxious, very anxious. I wanted to be in the hands of someone who would take me out everyday for a long run, make me feel important, and help me achieve the purpose of my very existence.

As she walks by me, she gives me a second look, finds me attractive and wants to give me a chance. Excited and anxious, I try my best to make her feel comfortable as she steps into me. I felt her strong yet pretty feet enter firmly. She walks in me, jogs a little, and jumps a few times to see if I fit her bill. She walks down to the full size mirror to check out if we looked good together. I could see her eyes were tired from testing many like me. However, I see a glint, a short crooked smile, I jump in joy at the prospect of her taking me home. As I am being boxed to go home, I lie on the table and see this glittery card being swiped into the machine, Voila! The deal is done. Like your insurance agreements with these tricky asterisk marks, we too face them in the form of return policy! Though I had this little fear of being returned, a huge sense of pride rushed to my head, for being the chosen one! She unwraps me places me on her fancy glass shoe rack right next to yet another old, withered, and unattractive running shoe. Damn, the competition never ends; not until I kick the bucket!

 

Swirling in my own thoughts, wondering if she is an early bird or someone who would get her run later during the day; I stayed awake the whole night anxious to get to know my new buddy! I have never looked forward to dawn as much, and finally the sun is peeking out; she enters the room, slips on a pair of formal heels and heads out to “tik tok”. Are you kidding me? I have to wait maybe another 12 hours for her to take me out on our first date! If only wishes were horses, I would ask for a voice, by which I could loudly express how desperately I have been looking forward for our run, and many more of them! I wish she understood that. I wanted to see the world with her, through her lenses. Oh wait, did the sun just vanish? Who really gave him the authority to go on vacation and have the rain gods cover for him instead? This day cannot get any worse I thought, she is definitely not taking me out today.

As my lady walks home tired, places her heels back on the shelf, I look at her intensely, hoping to catch her attention. She reaches out towards me, and turns to the old unattractive guy next to me. Well, she is more comfortable with him, may be just likes him more and shares a strong electronic bond with him. Puzzled, she turns to me, touches me and takes me into her palm, looks at me, loosens me up and slides her feet into me. She finally chose me for the day, and I cannot wait to hit the road. We are fond of each other, and I make her comfortable, get her to every finish line strong.

She has run uncountable number of half marathons, marathons and ultra marathons with me. We seem to have this unique bond, which is so overpowering that even on a tired bad day, all she looks forward to is our run, together! She takes such good care of me, keeps me clean and treats me with all due respect and oh my, she plainly adores me just as much as she is in love with running. I could not have found a better match. She is my true soul mate! Some paths in life have to be walked alone, but if you have a buddy like me, even those journeys are not alone. 

With time, I have become old, worn out and I do not think I am able to provide the same comfort I used to. I did not want to become that old guy in her shoe rack that she did not look at anymore. I have achieved my purpose of existence and our sweet successful relationship was coming to an end. I felt a million daggers stab me. Though I wasn’t ready to be replaced, I knew my time was coming to an end. No one can take my place in her life. She walks into the house, with a fresh young guy, who looks exactly like I did. With the realization that she looked for me in her new companion, I rested in peace in her rack, looking at her take him out everyday. She has not forgotten me. She still takes me out every once in a while and respects me just the same way, cherishing our symphony, and I see her and say, “We had the best run!”

**This comes from a runner who has all her running shoes stacked one next to the other. I respect, and have special memories with each one of them. They have made me the person I am and they will continue to have a special place in my heart.

TO GYM OR NOT TO

Gym- used to be a “summer” thing right from high school days for me. The 3 months of summer vacation used to be the time I used to miraculously pull myself out of bed to hit the gym, and decide to lose weight, and reincarnate myself before I go back to school. However, the end result would be returning to the new academic session without much progress. Somehow this is one classic fault all of us end up making. It takes years of bad eating habits, little or no exercise, to put on those extra kilos, but all of us expect to shed them wondrously over summer!

In this rapidly evolving lifestyle on earth where nowadays everything is measured by time & money, we tend to expect instant gratification from our bodies too. The first rule of learning is that weight loss is not a goal it’s a byproduct, and strength training being the goal. Each body acts and reacts differently when you put them on gym machines, but one common factor is- Consistency!

The first time I looked at my gym regimes, as more of a way of gaining strength rather than weight loss, was when I heard my sister talk about it. She is a firm believer of strength training, and I am getting there. Having said that, it is true for me that a gym habit is harder to sustain as compared to an outdoor training schedule. The reason it is harder is because there is no “instant” result. The amazing results are seen over time. I have personally seen strength training benefit me after almost 6 months of consistent efforts.   

Contrary to popular beliefs, to be an endurance athlete, it is not just enough to be able to run right or run fast. It is a bundle of style, stamina, and timing. While running can improve your style and stamina, it is strength training that helps to carve your muscles strong enough to give you the edge over achieving good timing. This is the key to improve your timing for a half marathon from 2 hours 30 minutes to a flat 2 hours!

 

 

 

 

 

Gyming has helped me gain strength to do a variety of activities than just run. I never paid any heed to my upper body strength, and all that I ever cared about was my leg strength and stride length. Now that I am on my way to being a triathlete, I am looking at it more holistically, and believe that a gym workout does go a long way in substantial value addition. It helps me get a whole body workout, and concentrate on muscles that need that extra attention for better performances at my races.

Bashing the common misconception that outdoor activities are better than the gym, essentially because your body gets used to the machines, and once you quit the gym you tend to put on all the weight you apparently lost, and in most cases put on double the weight you lost! Well though there is some truth in that, but that’s not the gym’s fault or the machine’s fault, it’s ours! It is true for any activity. When you quit your physical exercise and continue carb loading without burning them, you will put on the weight. It is simple math! I still remember the weight gain from the days I quit dancing and playing table tennis. If that happens to be a mind block, get rid of that, and take the help of the weights and machines in your gym to help you get in shape.

Quick lifestyle pointers

1.Don’t bite more than you can chew.

I have done this several times (I know you have too…!). I would decide to workout, get in shape, and be over ambitious about the whole thing. I would try to go for a run, hit the gym, and play a sport. Result- end up doing neither! Well, take it one at a time, stabilize each activity and add an activity to it when you are ready for more. The first activity that you want to take up would vary from human to human, and I would urge you to choose what you sounds most fun to you, so that it motivates you to keep it up.

2. Do not combine two difficult tasks, and make it one impossible solution.

To get up from the couch and start running is tough and challenging enough. If you are not a morning person do not try to add an extra layer of challenge by choosing the morning hours to run. I do agree that a work out in the morning is excellent, but when you are trying to inculcate a fitness habit, do not combine it with a waking up early in the morning habit. If you have struggled with the later for years, it is only going to stand in the way of inculcating the former habit.

3. Identify the appropriate workout

Most times, we all follow the fad. When we see everyone around run, we want to run too. Is that the appropriate workout for you? Evaluate this without a bias. Do what makes you happy, that is the only way you will have a sustained interest. The same rule works at the gym as well. I am a huge fan of cardio. I hit the gym for cardio mostly, and slowly added weight training to it. If I had aimed at weight training as soon as I started off, I wouldn't have been able to keep at it, for the simple reason, it does not interest me as much as running!

 

 

 

 

 

4. Seek results, without paranoia. (Yes… Seriously! Easier said than done.)

We all want to see results from anything we do, which is perfectly the way the human brain is wired. It could be weight loss for some, increased strength for some, and improved vital stats for some other. It could be anything, but make sure it is measurable, and you are monitoring progress using the pertinent measure, and at a defined frequency. When you do not see results, do not freak out or obsess about it! Try to find out what is obstructing you from reaching the goal, and evaluate what you would need to do differently. Fretting and losing hope will not help you keep at the road to fitness.

5. Follow a workout plan at the gym

This could be a mix of cardio, weight training, floor exercises and HIIT. Develop a plan and follow it, this would take you a long way. This helps you not get bored with the workout, and lets you explore the limits of your body. Apart from making the workout more structured, it is satisfying to see that you have adhered to the plan you signed up to follow.

6. You can create your own gym in nature

If you really do not like the closed space and cannot tolerate working out inside 4 walls, you can find creative ways to workout outdoor. You can always push up and work on your triceps on a park bench. Most parks also have slides and various structures for kids to play, which you could use for a pull up. You could always do planks, lunges, burpees, squats, abdominal crunches, kicks and planks outside in the midst of nature.

 

To put a long article short, whatever you start out to do, be consistent!

First Stride

It all began on this the 1st day of March 2013. The first day of the month! Like most fitness/weight loss “I need to fit into that skinny jeans this year!” resolutions that are taken on the first day of the each month, my conversations with myself were none different. Perhaps the only difference was that this time, I was determined, and I had a definite goal in mind- to run the half marathon that was coming up in July. Even before I decided to begin my training I had signed up for the run, used this as a “no excuse phenomenon” for fighting my demons. This is the time-tested trick that I use for all my races until today! 

Going back to my grueling first day of running- just as I was tying up my shoe lace, I recalled my childhood days of playing table tennis at the club every other day, and the high intensity cardio workout my dance classes put me through every weekend. I stood at the front door for a minute and imagined myself running. Like in comic strips, you could draw an imaginary cloud over my head. In that cloud I was running…running like a deer, graceful...with a smile. Running through the breeze! Self-confidence touching the mercury, I told myself “this is easy!”  As I started running, in less than 400 meters, my cloud vanished! The self-confidence meter burst with the pounding noise that my heart was making, I lost every positive thought as I gasped. I didn’t know which was louder, my panting noise or my heart pounding. I was less than 400 meters away from home and all I wanted to do was just walk back home. Yes, just walk back or may be roll back home. As I dragged myself home, to describe how my brain processed my self-image in one line, I would say “Unhealthy unfit individual who has ruined her fitness by doing nothing!”

I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. I felt a huge weight pulling me down, making me weak. I sensed defeat, felt challenged, and the only thing I wanted to do was take on this challenge and taste victory. After almost passing out on the couch, and being close to giving up on myself, an idea came to my mind. I decided to break the 13.1 miler into smaller chunks, which looked very achievable. I visualized the finish line, the medal, and the sense of achievement, which have been a driving factor to keep at the war between my mind, and my body. I paced myself better, and jogged the following day; in a week I was able to jog a kilometer without a break. This is when I realized that a lot of endurance running is focused on the simple rule of breathing right. Focus on your breathing and you can conquer the track! I kept at this, and jogged everyday, and increased the mileage week on week, initially with an incremental rate of 100% which eventually reached a flatter 20% week on week. This was not easy at all!

I pushed myself harder every following day, and finally reached a point where I didn’t have to push myself mentally. I did not get there miraculously; the benefits I gained from running paved the path for me. It has been a pleasurable journey ever since, that I enjoy, share, and preach. I would be lying if I told that I have never had to push myself after that, but it was more about pushing my body, and my willfully excited mind has done a great job until today. This post is dedicated to all those people out there taking their first stride, and looking forward to many more to come.

Even today, I remember the 1st day of March 2013 so vividly, the heart pounding, the legs cramming, and the little voice inside that said “give up…we can do this tomorrow”. The secret is to push past that, and to push today!   

#FirstStride #Keep@It #EndlessMilesToGoBeforeYouStop

About the Blogger

An endurance athlete turned a novice blogger. A girl with a story, passionate to share her life changing journey on becoming a self-trained marathoner and a long distance runner.

An Indian, a city lover, now living in a small town amidst the cornfields in the Midwest, USA. An explorer by heart, most of her childhood was spent playfully involving herself in every extracurricular activity that later became a skill, which represents her attitude and perseverance to achieve every goal. A professionally trained Indian classical dancer since the age of 6, she also aced every inter school table tennis tournament. When she got time from her professional training, she played tennis and swimming as more of a hobby!    

Running was not on her sports column, until one day a close friend raved about his experience as a runner. Enthralled, and more curious about his passion, she allowed her friend to influence her into picking up this new hobby, and help her take her initial strides, and keep at it. At the age of 23, running which started as a new hobby turned into a challenging habit. Captivated and consumed by it, running became the focal point in her little world. Being someone who is most likely suffering borderline ADD, she ran her first 10K with hardly any training, soon after that she registered and started training for her 13.1 miler. Having run a few half marathons over a couple of months, she decided that it was time to make her mark at a full marathon. With just 7 weeks of training, she ran her first marathon in India during a scorching summer. She is currently training to accomplish a 70.3 half iron-man. Like any other sports person, she has travelled through her share of injuries, challenges, obstacles, and self-doubts. A huge believer of affirmations, this blog is a dedication to her belief, and an initiative to help readers motivate themselves to RUN and also seek fitness. This blog is nothing more than a mere narration of short stories from her life. She writes to give her readers a sneak peak into her endurance lifestyle. Endurance sports is no longer a passion outside work, it is a lifestyle change that she is fond of, and has largely benefited from.