Listening to your run

We are now eight weeks into the training, and all we do is just run 'One more mile than last week'.. Simple logic that works week after week.

I am not extremely overweight (means I am kinda), and it takes me 3 miles of walk-jog just to get warmed up! Tough eh!
Thank God! I dont need to run 26.2 after the 3 mile warm up. So while my co-runners are happily chatting, I am huffing, puffing and out of breath even at a 14 minute mile pace. But once I cross 3 miles, I am different. I can talk, breathe evenly and that is when I start listening to my pace.

Sometimes I run to the mild rhythm of a drum beat.
Sometimes I am slowly following the strength of the stream I am passing by.
Many a time, it is to the chirping birds.
Sometimes there is silence around. Then I run to the rhythm of my breath.

The runner in me is very stingy. I dont want to waste energy.
So it is my feet that moves. Some arm movement is also there.
That is when I remember what my daugthers dance teacher says, "When you are doing your Jathis, it is your feet that needs to move. Why does ur shoulder need to dance. When someone sees ur shoulder they should not know that you are balancing ur feet! And then the girls focus and graciously move their feet. They understand the rhythm.

That is how feel when I run. Running has rhythm. And Grace.
It has style. And beauty.
I have passed the excited nervous stage now.
I am now peaceful and calm.
All that needs to happen now is 'one more mile!'

Idli, thair saadam and running!

Sometimes I think Indian diet is the best for a long distance runner. All you hear around you is eat carbs! load yourself with carbs for that long run

And what other diet is loaded with carbs than ours? Idli especially suits the purpose quite well. It has protein and a generous amount of carbs.. since it is steamed it digests quickly... we can eat it before the run - and still feel light during the run

In the practise runs I meet a variety of runners.
Idli runners.
Then the 'sothu mootai' - rice runners.
then there are the - roti runners.
Ofcourse we are all the 'bagel runners' now since that is what charities loving bring for us week after week - along with tons of fresh fruits, yogurt, water, juices, nuts, energy bars, cookies....

I might become an Idli runner. In bygone days, when Tamils travelled by foot or in a bullock cart - they were Idli walkers! They must have packed idlis with podi for the road. They must've walked good long miles, had a picnic of idlis and continued their journey. I guess I will pretend that I am on a pada-yatra week after week to see my favorite grandfather, and pack idlis for the run.

The politics of running

Apart from making me a nervous wreck on days when I don't run... the training is also bringing out my competitive side. When young the only motive was to run and drop dead! If our coach found that we still had some energy left, we had to run more and then drop dead! I think this routine lasted for ever.

Additionally access to standard equipment was out of the scene. Girls wearing tennis shoes and showing up for practise was quite common. Many ran bare foot. I could never find the right pair of shoe, and my lovely pinky-toes still bear the brunt!

But then we ran! A group of us... We were at the college track during school days, weekends, summer - all the time - we were addicts and we loved it.. And we wanted to win!

Today I can access the best shoes and sportswear... And am impatient to unleash the competitive athlete in me. But the politics I play with myself - is to run slow. I am the last runner in the gang. And with every step I tell myself, "Raji - you are running against yourself this time. The goal is not todays run - the goal for today is not to overtake the guys ahead of you. It solves nothing. The goal of todays run is to make sure you come back tomorrow and run more. And then come back again and run longer and farther - until your shoes tear / until you complete 400 miles of running. Until you cross the 26.2 miles"

And so I am a penguin. and I love it. As I build endurance to my body -
I am disciplining myself.
The discipline to not being impatient.
The discipline to take time and enjoy the run.
The discipline to trust my coaches.
The discipline to dream and make it happen - one mile at a time