A transition

I will always remember Sunday, 24th May, 2009. The location was Marai beach near alleppey. We were on holiday and I decided to run instead of my usual brisk walk. This came about after I interacted with a fellow fitness enthusiast at the International Stadium during my regular work out the previous day. So I have to thank that good man.

There is a raging debate about which is better - walking, running or swimming. I have friends who insist that swimming in the best. Others claim that a brisk walk is good and some websites also claim that walking is better than running as it helps you cover more distance. I do all three, although swimming not so frequently.

Coming back to last Sunday, I managed to run (was better than jogging speed) 10 kms in one hour. It was an amazing feeling. People who have not done it have no idea what they are missing out on. It is a barrier, more a mental one. Of course physically you have to be reasonably fit to achieve this. But if you ask me, it is more a mental thing. When you manage to run for 1 hour without stop and cover 10 kms, you sort of feel that you have arrived. The feeling is incredible and the high you get rivals most things you manage to achieve in life. Of course, as always getting there is the easier part, staying there is a harder job.

The first time after you do it, you realise that you can indeed achieve it. But then you start to get a feeling that perhaps it was the high adrenaline levels or the thrill which took you over the line. Well, I crossed another threshold. I managed to run again consecutively for 2 days and cover 8 kms each in 48 minutes. So it was not a flash in the pan. The emotions that one feels during the various stages of a run are hard to describe. You know can do it, but the body sometimes just does not co-operate. And you want to stop. Those are the hard times, the real hard ones, when you have to start thinking positively and will your body on. And then the end, the blood sort of rushing through your veins when you stop, your body drenched in sweat, exhilarating stuff indeed!

So what's next, keep this going and aim for the next level. To put things in perspective, a half marathon is about 22 kms and the world record is an hour and six minutes. Thanks for the reminder.