10 Years A Runner
Learnings from an ongoing journey
I may get accused of having become one given that this is the second successive post in which I am dispensing some unsolicited advice. Actually the unsolicited part is not entirely true because, by subscribing to The Introspective Introvert, you have willingly signed up for it. Furthermore, if you are getting the feeling that my posts in 2024 would be going the listicle clickbait way like Buzzfeed (last one, if you recollect, was Six Steps to … ), then I assure you that that is not the way this newsletter is going to go.
The topic of today’s post is the one that - besides music, movies and books - is very close to my heart. On the eve of what will be my 11th competitive marathon (6 full + 4 half’s so far – sounds like someone buying bus tickets or telling the sugarcane juicewalla their order) I feel I now have trundled through enough miles to write what I learnt in my running journey so far. And quite a journey it has been.
I never thought I would take up / take on something and then stick with it for so long. I have never been someone who has been into extracurricular activities. The only thing that I did with any consistency was play basketball for 8 years before the distance of my club from college became difficult to navigate, especially when the lure of shooting the shit at the naka near my house was far greater than shooting the ball into the ring. I have actually managed to surprise myself by sticking with running for a solid 10 years! Maybe because I decided I didn’t want to be one of those people from this insightful quote from the movie, Chinatown.
So here I am … 10 years and 10 competitive long distance runs later … about to share some of my experiences, learnings and tips in the hope that some of you who have been contemplating taking on something new / challenging to add some spice / flavour / variety / discipline to your lives get motivated enough to STOP contemplating and actually DO something. Anything.
Most of this stuff is, I think, generic enough and should be applicable to whatever it is that you are contemplating doing. Generic enough because the principles behind any endeavour are, more or less, the same. Of course, if you follow these basic tenets and follow Hal Higdon’s Plan for Novice Runners then I assure you that all you need is consistency over 18 weeks to be able to complete a full marathon.
So here goes:
It has to come from within. Whatever it is that has caught your fancy to try out. Don’t do it because it’s the latest trend. By that logic everyone should be making Insta Reels all the time!
Age is not a factor. One of the reasons I took up running is that I felt I was past the age when I could aspire to climb Mt. Everest or participate in something that is the pinnacle of that activity. Running a marathon seemed to be the most achievable. This was 10 years ago. 10 years later a very dear friend just ticked off Mt. Everest base camp from his list! And this was after he did the Cannonball Run route during Covid! Not to mention that he has also been traveling with another dear friend as both are huge wildlife photography enthusiasts. They wouldn’t have done the inhospitable Spiti Valley just to get a distant glimpse of the snow leopard if photography hadn’t come to them from within. Did I mention they are the same age as me?
Your current physical status is not a factor. Both the friends I mentioned above are not exactly the epitome of supreme physical fitness. Neither am I. So don’t fool yourself by blaming age, weight, fitness, etc. You are never too old or never too young or never too fit or never too unfit. If you can pull yourself to work every day, you can surely pull yourself up for everything else as well.
Start with a lofty end goal. The one that seems impossible to achieve. As Leo Burnett said,
I started with the goal of running the full marathon, not the half or the 5k or 10k or the Dream Run. Then after the first few marathons in Mumbai I set my sights on running one of the six elite marathons. Which I did. Chicago was my sixth and final (?) full marathon. After that it’s been a series of half marathons only because I got bored of the duration of the training program.
Find yourself an inspiration to follow – preferably from the same area of interest as yours. It helps. It need not be some famous personality. Better if it’s not a famous personality. It will feel that much more attainable if the inspiration comes from the uncle or grandmom you don’t know well, but are familiar with. If they can do it, so can you. I was lucky to find my inspiration in a friend who I could always tap into for tips.
Approach your inspiration. If you are not the introverted types like me, then just approach them. Talk to them. Listen to them. Learn from them. You will be surprised how willing they will be to share their experiences with you. They will be your best teachers.
Just start. Don’t wait for an auspicious day or a special day. You will know from within which is the right day to take the plunge.
Don’t be embarrassed like the lady in this ad when you start.
The first day will feel like the whole world is watching you, judging you. Believe you me, no one is. No one has that kind of time.
Publicize your initiative within friends, family, peers, acquaintances. Tell as many of them as you can. Don’t make it into Breaking News. But figure out ways to bring it into conversations. It’s another way of putting some positive pressure on yourself to stay the course. Because deep inside it pinches and hurts when you have told many of what you have embarked upon, but have given up on it by the time they casually ask you how well it is going. Not everyone will agree with this approach. To each their own. Whatever floats your boat. I am just telling what worked for me when I decided to run my first full marathon.
Stick to the plan. Come hell or high water. However bad the initial days/weeks turn out. If you truly want to achieve your goal, you will find yourself finding the time, making the time. Shut out the devil mind that tells you to bunk a session. Soon you will reach a state where you will start berating yourself for missing a session. You will learn to carry your plan with you however taxing your work schedule is. In fact, you will find yourself to be more energetic in your work life. I make it a point to not miss more than 3-4 runs out of a total of 60-72 scheduled runs as per the plan.
But don’t let the plan dictate your life. Don’t let it become all-consuming to an extent that it becomes a burden on yourself as well as on others you share your life with. The plan can’t be to the detriment of leading a normal life. Learn to adjust. Learn to cope. Learn to fit the plan within your life. Not the other way round.
Don’t take anything for granted. My friend dispensed this wonderful piece of advice before my first marathon – Never take the marathon for granted. Disaster can strike even on the last kilometer. The same applies to any field that you may choose to pursue.
Don’t be overconfident. You will realize that when heavyweights in their respective fields say that they are still nervous before a major performance, event, match or race, they are not humble bragging. Every day is a new day. Treat it like you are starting afresh. Being a little nervous is a good thing. Having butterflies in your stomach means that you are giving due respect to your endeavour.
You will know the true meaning of the term ‘the last mile’. The origin of the phrase ‘last mile’ came to mean ‘a final period of difficulty, cost or suffering.’ The source of the metaphor could have been taken from the tradition among religious walking the ‘last mile’ of their pilgrimage barefoot to show their humility and devotion by increasing their suffering and hardship as they approached the destination of their journey. Whatever your endeavour, the last mile will be the toughest. And the longest. It will also be the most fulfilling.
You will also experience the magic of putting your heart and soul. My belief is that in any endeavour – physical, mental, creative, artistic – first the body gives up. And the mind takes over. Then the mind gives up. And the heart takes over. Then the heart gives up. And the soul takes over. It is then that you feel an elevated out-of-body experience. In running it is called the runner’s high when you feel you can just go on and on and on. I have experienced it a number of times. The oft-used term for it is being in the zone. And when you experience being in the zone, then it’s a bit like this quote from the movie Trainspotting:
Be braver. Be kinder.
(After my first marathon I had written a really lengthy essay about my entire experience, which I didn’t want to impose on everyone over here. And truncating it for the purposes of this post was something that I wasn’t too keen on doing (first run … first love … am too possessive to edit it). For those interested in reading the full account, please find the link here.
In line with the topic of today’s post, for Keep Watching I highly recommend Free Solo - a documentary on a champion free solo rock climber. It is a study in determination, focus and supreme commitment when not achieving your goal could result in losing your life!
Little known Alex Honnold is actually the undisputed champion free solo rock climber - guys who climb insanely tall rocks without any harness or support. Basically guys with a death wish. The documentary is about Alex’s attempt to climb the holy grail of rocks - El Capitan. While the build up meanders a bit, the actual climb is like seeing someone walk towards certain death with aplomb, and overpowering it! It’s amazing to see how cold, blunt and focused Alex is, to a point where you feel like slapping him when he alludes that his girlfriend is an avoidable distraction! But guess that’s what happens when your hobby happens to be teasing and cheating death with every climb.
Free Solo | National Geographic Documentary | Hotstar
Sahi! Captured the sentiment of every runner. 👌
It was a pleasure and learning to know the methods behind the super success you have got in marathons, which can apply in many spheres . Still recollect your first one and the write up on that. I think , it's become your DNA now .Keep Running ....