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
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The Legend
1 year ago
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