The Story Behind 10k Run

लड़ाई मेरी खुदसे ही होती हैं हरदम
जीतना मुझे मेरे ही कल से होता।

I looked back and smiled when I saw my 10k medal. The happiness was incomparable. This wasn't a borrowed goal. It was mine and probably achieving it wouldn't have made anyone else happier other than me. From running a rat race all my student life to finding comfort in exploring that category of one, I feel blessed to be in this zone where I choose to strive for goals that aren't borrowed from the world around me.

I also realize that this inner battle of winning myself is much more difficult than the rat race which has a pre-defined path and success parameters. My mind constantly keeps bugging me with questions that I may not have answers to. Rachna, can you do it? I don't know. Rachna, would you be OK failing in this? Maybe... Rachna, you know what you may be losing? A bit, but maybe more. I constantly juggle with my mind to take it easy and let the path emerge by cherishing uncertainties. 

I often start with my own doubts about my capabilities. I give up many a time simply with the hope that I will someday pick that dream up with much more strength than what made me gave up now. And similar things happened when I started running. I started it, gave up, restarted it, felt like I can't do, persisted for a while, felt that I can, stretched myself a little bit every single day, seek support from a mentor, awarded myself on small wins, landed with my first win of completing a 10K run and now hoping to run at least a half marathon this year.

I remember exactly how I felt on my very first day of running. The one small round of 250 metres and I was struggling to breathe, and all set to give up. I succumbed to walking for a while which was a comfort zone for me. It's really easy to stick to your comfort zone just to cherish the happiness of completing things. I also gave up on running completely for a while and then somehow started it again by investing in running shoes. To be frank, I had this guilt of spending on shoes which pushed me to run a small distance to justify my spend. 

Quite a few of you reached out to me asking how they can start with running. So I thought of sharing my tiny bit on running with a word of caution that I am not an expert but someone who is writing what she has experienced/learned.

Invest a small amount
Shoes matter a lot. It's important to buy running shoes rather than to run in shoes made for walking, jogging or hiking. As a beginner, I invested in basic running shoes available at Decathlon at a price range of Rs. 2000-2500. I also learned that we should always buy a shoe size that offers a gap of at-least ½ to 1 inch between our big toe and the front end of the shoes. I bought an exact fitting shoe which is not suggested. So do keep this in mind. 

Start small
Don't try to run even one km on the very first day. Take it slow. Even 500 or 250 metres is good to start with. 

Keep the pace
While discussing my running experience with my mentor, I also found that I was running at quite a high pace which made me feel tired too quickly. I used to run around 2.5-3 km in 15 minutes in one go and after that, even walking became much of an effort for me. I found that I was doing it wrong. I shouldn't run at such a high pace. My mentor gave me a simple method to judge my pace and said you should be able to speak full sentences while running. 

Mix run and walk
I can now run with the above-suggested method for 5 km without stopping. I also got to know that a full marathon isn't done all by running but by mixing walking with running. And that's how you should practice it. 

Marathon comes a little later
The first call (Jan 2021) with my mentor started with his question of when do I want to run the half marathon. I said sometime in Oct-Nov. So don't dream of running a marathon the very next day of starting with running. I also got to know that to participate in a half marathon you first need a certificate of completion of 5k, 10k or similar length runs. Some marathon organizers even ask for a certificate with the time mentioned in it for 10k runs. I ran virtually (decided my track) for my first 10k run as the eligibility criteria for 10k Stadium run was 10k timing certificate of any certified race of the time less than 1:30 hrs. I wasn't eligible for the stadium run but I paced myself in such a way that I could complete it in 1:28 hrs. I hope that now with the virtual 10k run certificate, I have a chance to participate in the next 10k stadium run. You can check out the below image for getting a hint about the eligibility criteria for different marathons.

Don't just run
This is also a recent discovery of mine. I used to go for a walk/run almost 6 days a week. But my mentor suggested that I should do cross-training which I am pretty much struggling at (hope to get there soon :)). Now I run on alternate days, try cycling, yoga and some simple exercises on other days and keep one day as a complete rest day. I follow Rujuta Diwekar for yoga and other exercises.

Hope to see you on the other side :) But before you chose running, ask yourself why you want to do it. As nothing happens if you don't know the why behind it. I chose running because it fits with the kind of lifestyle that I dream of. I want to have a physical activity in my life that doesn't need any specific types of equipment/place. The criteria for you may be different from mine and any physical activity is good depending on your lifestyle. So just start whatever you feel like doing and see what works for you.

As always, I would love to be of any help in helping you start your running journey. I feel that the tinier the goal the more motivated one would be to start and most of the times it's all about starting. So keep it tiny & run/walk/dance/do yoga/go to gym/swim and endure to become a better version of yourself :)

mattzhaig

A post shared by Matt Haig (@mattzhaig)

Keep pouring your comments, and personal messages. I do see them every now and then and on bad days these messages are like an elixir for me :)