Obsessed with Running!

Have you ever gotten obsessed with something overnight? You think about it all the time and you talk about it to others in your conversations. The enthusiasm that you have while talking about your obsession lures people to try to do what you do. Crazy, Stupid, Awesome, Kewl, Interesting, Exciting are some of the words people tag you with. You care less about what others say because what you are doing matters the most to YOU.

I have been bitten by the running bug and I have been obsessed with running ever since. Of course, the series of events that I am going through is also a major factor in keeping me running. I am new to this sport. I had never run more than 2km in my life until last month. I do go on crazy hikes every weekend to remote forests and I have spent my time in the wild. I have walked 40km in two days with a heavy backpack under the hot sun for long hours without water in the toughest terrain. But when it comes to running, no! I never could. I don’t know why I got obsessed with running. But there is something to it. I like it for its SIMPLICITY. Get up, lace up your shoes and RUN. That’s all, just three quick steps, with the first one being the most difficult to do. I have read and watched several stories of marathoners and ultramarathoners and they just amaze me. People choose to run ultra-marathons like Badwater, Jungle Marathon, Western States 100 etc., putting themselves in inhuman conditions, enduring pain and torture, and above all they love it. Why? Some say the pain makes them feel that they are ALIVE. Some say it’s about finding your true self. Some run for a cause. Some run to forget a pain that they endured. I am yet to find out why I have chosen to run, but for now I RUN and I am loving it. I am feeling like Forrest Gump! (That’s the reason I chose the name for this blog.) When I first decided to do my 5K run along with like-minded friends three weeks back, I thought it would just be a piece of cake considering my hiking experience. I was wrong. After running for 1.8km I was gasping for breath like a dead man and my feet wouldn’t move an inch. It was pain and soreness everywhere. That was just for 1.8km, and my target is to run a marathon, that’s 42.195km. I was laughing at myself, but I was determined to RUN. Runner’s World and Running Times are where I started hanging out most of the time. I created a profile for myself on MapMyRun to keep track of my weekly mileage. Pasta, Gatorade and Mountain Dew have become my food and drink. In the following days, I tightened my shoelaces and began my run again. Pain, soreness and injuries started surfacing, but I never quit. And I could see a visible change happening within. My heartbeat is more systematic, my breathing pattern has got a rhythm, my posture while running has changed and I no longer gasp for breath like a dying man. After two weeks of running every alternate day, I am amazed to see myself running about 15km in 1hr 15min. Above all, I could see a change in my attitude, in the way I approach and look at things. My day starts so fresh. I am sure there’s more in store for me in this journey called Running and I am excited about the lessons that it’s going to teach me. Let me tell you. Run!! It’s just amazing. You’ll find it for yourself. It’s painful but it is fun. I have a goal: to run the Hyderabad Marathon. I have sufficient time at hand to train myself, to cross the finish line, to run for a cause where every mile counts. An ultramarathon is my aim, but I would like to take one step at a time. I’ll post my experiences to keep myself accountable for my commitments. With my running shoes and a free road to run, I’ve got everything I need. To RUN!