I’ve had the desire to run for a long time! A really long time now – every time I’ve attempted it, I find myself huffing and puffing and breathless in a minute. Yes, a minute! And hence I’d give up. I’ve had this funny relationship with working out since I was 17! At 17, I became almost anorexic – I was eating just about enough to make sure I don’t faint and was working out like crazy – that workout involved walking and doing ab exercises. For the next almost 5 years, I stayed in great shape thanks to the routine. As a woman grows older, she starts filling out in all the right places and with the diet-exercise routine, I was a happy soul.
And then I discovered food! I think I became a foody overnight! My exercise routines did not allow me to stay the same size for long and well, I became lazy as well. For years after I turned 22, I’ve had massively fluctuating weight. I’ve gone from a perfect size to a perfectly round size as well. I reached borderline obesity at some point in my life as well. For someone who loved being physically active, I was such a hopeless case. I did enjoy walking, however, running evaded me – I’d still get breathless at the very start of a run. I got into excellent shape again thanks to a very strict diet regime and walking, yoga and some very power packed aerobics, calesthenics and boot camps at Mickey Mehta’s gym. Gosh those 2 years did me wonders! Till I fell off a stepper in class once and twisted my ankle terribly. I was out of action for 3 months and the laziness set in again. It amazed me that I could do such a heavy aerobic heavy workout and I still could not run! I’d see people in a gym hop onto a treadmill and hit a speed of 10km/hr and run and how!!! They’d be at it 30 mins, seemingly effortlessly and I’d watch enviously. I’ve had fluctuating weight issues again and tried various methods to keep my weight in check – again, nothing has been as successful as walking and swimming, but I’m the kind of person who needs change – I bore of things easily.
So while I’ve wanted to run for years and I finally decide to do something about it 2 months back, I injured my back. What luck! Now, finally, on the 13th of Octover 2011, I registered myself for the Mumbai Marathin, not the dream run (6kms), but the half marathon (21kms)!! And I started training on a fine Sunday morning at the NCPA, Marine drive – I woke up at 4.30 AM and found myself at the venue at sharp 5.45 AM and I begun training – what a thrill I got – I could hardly jog, my shoes were all wrong, my knee was killing me, but I clocked in a 6 kms! I limped back to the start point and saw the 12kms and the 15 kms return a few mins after me – suddenly the envy was gone. I felt inspired by these men and women. There we were, at an absurdly early hour in the morning, thumping over way down the gorgeous marine drive – young, old, fit, fat, active, sleepy – all in running gear and having a blast! I had an amazing 2 hrs there and came back dead tired and happy! I am working towards my dream of running finally! Slow and steady, committedly and dedicatedly, I will be there on the morning of Jan 15, 2012, all set and ready to run my very first marathon! Woohoo!
