Six years ago, I did not know how to run! I could not run for more than 2-3 minutes at a stretch without running out of breath. Being overweight, the best I could do was high pace running, which is the go-to alternate suggested by most fitness trainers . However, I realised that it be easy but it isn’t the ultimate solution, as I had encountered challenges with losing weight until the point I quit some of my habits – lessons from quitting. So I did eventually decide to break the mental blocks and give it a dedicated shot using some online tutorials.
As we all know, consistency is not easy. And being consistent with something that seems tiring and painful adds few more layers of inertia. Overcoming this requires moral support; for me it was my then life coach who kept nudging me and a neighbour who was training for half marathon. This made it possible to wake up at 5 AM, at least a few days a week. And with 50 days of training, I completed my first 10k with a timing of around 80 minutes, which now seems slow.
And there is lesson in this, which I discovered while reading the book – practising mind. The lesson is that I was not training to win, as even today with my pace down to 56 minutes for 10k run I do not stand a chance with elite runners who finish it in 30-40 min range. I just wanted to learn running and get engrossed in the process.
Despite the initial progress, my fling with running had been on-and-off until it matured in to a romance in 2022. Once I started my MBA at IIM Bangalore, life got into a certain routine along with the amenities and conveniences offered by education campuses, offering the perfect opportunity to start again. Being disciplined with running is difficult amidst a demanding academic and social schedule – especially at Business schools, where routine social drinking is an ancillary curriculum.
True challenge is keeping up with this rigour without noticeable wins or rewards. Eventually you do lose weight but results take time and demand discipline. Also, you never win! If you find company, it is great but given schedule and urban challenges, you might be alone on most of your runs. And combined with the demands of modern life, it is easy to deviate. Even today, I have phases when I skip running. But the frequency and duration of such phases have been minimised.
So what did I gain with running? Too many things but I will only highlight these three most important things that have changed my mindset and evolved my approach to life.
Longterm Mindset
You have to show up everyday. Running is among those things in life that need to be done regularly without any carry forward to the next day. Also, there are no tangible benefits or immediate gains, resulting in a long term mindset. And if you successfully extrapolate this longterm thinking to other avenues, you might be able to deal with instant gratification.
Never Give Up
At times in life when you feel defeated or disappointed. Running, especially long distance running, empowers you with the mindset to keep going. When you run, the first 3 km is when your body wants to give up but consistently pushing yourself beyond the inertia, empowers your mind.
Inner Peace
Everyone has this inner voice that always seems to have a lot to say. Either we suppress it or run into an endless dialogue in the shower. Shower is accidental meditation – as mentioned in the book Alamanck of Naval Ravikant – Running is another avenue to meditate. Long runs offer an excellent opportunity to engage with your inner voice to let your thoughts flow while subconsciously focusing on the responses from every nerve ending. Though this is not an apple-to-apple substitute to mediation, this has worked well. And today:
When everything seems to go wrong, running is where I find solace!
PS: Though somedays I find solace in fermented malt or grape juice.
Savvy Munshi 