(My personal journey from a Non-Runner to a Runner)
As a child, I hated ‘running’.
However fast I ran, some other person was always faster than me. And the faster I ran, the more uncomfortable I got. Puff pant puff pant…my tongue stuck out like a dog on a hot summer’s day. Running felt like a waste of time, especially when there were a host of more interesting and interactive things to do. But primarily my young, rebellious self hated running because someone else asked me to do it. My badminton coach said it was ‘good’ for me.
So who wanted to ‘run’ anyway? My Dad ran because he wanted some downtime after a hectic stressful day. My mom ran because (you guessed it right), she wanted to lose weight. My Uncle ran to bring his blood sugar under control. My teenage cousin ran because she wanted to flaunt her new hi-tech running attire and head phones. My sister ran because she didn’t want to suffer like our Grandma who had arthritis. And of course, my coach ran because he wanted to win the tournament.
Try explaining any of these reasons to an 8-yr old who couldn’t comprehend the health issues and won’t relate to the demands of fashion! None of their reasons were rushing my little feet into running shoes.
But then again I did run.
I ran to the car to catch the front seat. I ran to fly my kite. I outran my 5-year old neighbour with a sprint (and each time I did that elaborate celebrations followed). I ran alongside my best friend to find the most suitable hiding place. I ran away from Mom when I had to eat bitter medicine or oil my hair. I ran when I played cop and robbers . I ran after my sister with dead cockroaches in my hand as, after all, it was my official job to scare her. I ran errands. And most importantly, I ran through puddles during the monsoon season attempting to make the biggest splash.
So you see, running was fun and easy. It just wasn’t the kind of ‘running’ everyone else was doing.
For a child, running comes naturally. In fact, not running is a conscious choice. Today’s sedentary and tech-filled lifestyle unfortunately makes not running easier and in a lot of cases rewards / seeks it. Children are forced to sit indoors and devour sizeable amounts of information. The competition at all ages / in all fields is extremely fierce with high levels of anxiety and stress. This is when running is the perfect antidote but, ironically, that’s the first thing that gets sacrificed.
This is a sore mistake. And given that I was a reluctant runner, here are my reasons as to why this is a faux pas:
1. Through running I met a diverse set of people of varying sizes and speeds. I discovered amazing locations, which fueled my love for the outdoors. More importantly, I learnt valuable life lessons — the fastest person didn’t always win; it was ok to lose; and the end of a game wasn’t the end of everything as there was always another game to play and another race to run. I learnt that life was more enjoyable as part of a team and, that in most cases, smarter was better than faster. Vitally, I learnt that if you pushed yourself to be good at what you did, you’d likely experience some pain or fall at some point but that was temporary and it would heal.
2. Then came the practical applications that running taught me. I’m the sort who is nervous before an exam but I was quick to realize that a little bit of exercise before went a long way in calming my nerves. Running did an incredible job in improving my concentration and focus, which showed in the speed in which I started completing my homework (meaning more free time for me!). Also, for the duration that I ran, I got to escape maths sums and hindi meanings and everything else that wasn’t so fun (phew!!)
3. Running unintentionally created further good habits. I didn’t have time to watch too much TV (then ipads / wii / computers etc. were not available) or snack on the wrong foods. I was early to rise and tired enough to hit the bed early. I spent time outdoors in the fresh air. And of course, developed a good physique and positive attitude.
So I continued running.
Then the obvious happened – the more I ran, the better I got at it. Now I couldn’t hear my chest heave. I loved the wind blow at my face and bounce in my stride. I still was never the fastest or the most enduring but I ran.
As days went by and I became more serious about my badminton, I had to run longer, faster, harder. I can’t say I always enjoyed it but I tried my best. Then, at one point, running became an addiction. I pushed the limits (until I suffered a stress fracture in my leg). It was a point where the running had become an adrenaline rush — something that I never thought possible at the start.
So after a capricious, long term relationship with running, here are my conclusions:
• Even if you are not inclined to running as I was, all you need to do is be patient and keep at it. Running will grow on you.
• Running is like a fingerprint. Your style is unique to you. Sometimes there are ways to better your style or speed but don’t let that deter you from getting out of the blocks. You just need to get out and run.
• Running doesn’t always mean a race. It doesn’t always have to be with a stopwatch or to conquer a certain distance or number of laps. You can jog slowly, break into a canter. Run while playing a sport. Run a marathon. Run as a mode of transport. Just learn to run with the wind in your hair.
• You can run to make a statement — parade the latest, high-tech attire, network with a new set of people, explore a city or just see how far you can go.
Doctors and child experts recommend that children get approximately 150 mins of physical activity a week. I cannot think of an easier way to meet this requirement other than running!
A-P'Specktive 