It's been a really long time since I have taken a pen and a paper in my hand to write. But they say there is a time and place for everything. I guess I was destined to write today. Something made me pen down my thoughts.
If someone were to tell me to run from Mumbai to Dubai a few years back, I would say are u crazy.. Heck if someone would have asked me to run a half marathon few years back I would still looked and said have you lost it!!
Once in while life gives you something amazing. Actually life always give us something amazing, we realise it once in a while. One lovely Sunday morning I realised the power of my soul, the strength of my feet, the magical rhythm of my heart & the tenacity of my mind.
My running coach, my friend my guide and mentor threw up an amazing statistic. Adidas micoach (my running app) said that I had crossed 2000 Kms of running distance since I started running a few years back. My other trusted friend google whispered to me that
1. 2000 Kms is more than the distance between Mumbai and Dubai
2. 2000 Kms is just about the distance between Mumbai to Kolkata
3. 2000 Kms is a few Kms away from the distance between Delhi & chennai
I was oblivious to the music which was blaring in my ears, I was pounding my feet on the roads of Mumbai. My heart was racing not cause I was running fast, cause I remembered a song called 'life is a roller coaster, just gotto ride it'
I had to pen down what these 2000 Kms have taught me and hence I was destined to write about it.
1. People going ahead in life: All these years as I ran along, I saw many people running faster than me. Most times I would want to catch up with them by trying to chase them. As I ran faster to match them thinking that I was a good runner I would lose my breath and be left behind. In the process I would lose focus of my own goal. The days when I let go such runners and the temptation to race them, I would find out that most of these runners would either run for very short distances and tire out or I would be ahead of them after a certain while. Many a times we hear that someone has bought a new house , car or travelled the world and we let that someone's achievements determine our self worth. Actually life is not a race and even if it is, it's only with yourself.
2. Friends: Running is a lonely sport and that's why I love it. But as I ran over the years I saw many familiar faces every morning. And though I never smiled back at them, in my heart I had become friends with them and was used to seeing them run. But as years passed by many familiar faces faded away and I saw new faces. Each time the familiar faces stopped coming I used to wonder what must have happened to the person. Did he get married, move out of town? What's his story. Running taught me that all of us have our own story and we gotto accept the other person's story even if they disappear.
3. My biggest enemy: Most people ask me that don't you just get bored of running alone. And to their surprise I say "Yes". The truth is that running is the most boring thing ever invented. And so is anything you do over and over again (overall life) unless you inspire yourself. So I started inspiring myself each day to run (live life). I took some famous scenes from rocky 1,2,3,4 , kungfu panda and many such movies and started listening to all the inspiration I could. Something inspiring I want to share that I listen to "A lot of people become comfortable, they stop growing, stop wanting anything out of life. People getting ready to go to jobs they don't like, jobs that make them sick. You see when you don't pursue your goals you commit spiritual suicide. When the messenger of mystery visits you what are you going to do? What will keep you in the game of life? What is that one that you looked at and felt you couldn't do it, that you talked yourself out of it? What reason can you remember that you can call on, that you reach ? The question now is what are you going to do with your time. Greatness is lot of small things done well, day after day, workout after workout, obedience after obedience. There are 86400 seconds in a day and how you use them today is critical. When you die, leave no dream, leave no opportunity left, accomplish every single thing. I have realised that the biggest enemy that you have to deal with is yourself and your own mind!! As soon as I conquered this enemy within the enemy outside disappeared. Suddenly each run ( living day) becomes so much more interesting:)
4. Pain: In the past few years I never got injured. But recently I sustained a small injury and that taught me few things. I have broken it down futhrer
A. When life goes well you take it for granted and you don't bless it. You rather complain about everything. But when I got injured and I couldn't even walk I realised that I was taking my body and my runs for granted. I was taking life for granted. As I sat frustrated not being able to walk I realised how I would complain in the days when I could run freely.
B. My road to recovery was slow and painful. During those times I started questioning if I could run again. I remember what Rocky Balboa said to his son - " the world ain't all sunshine & rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit back, it about how hard you get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward". Pain also made me remember a wonderful story. "What is wrong, Your Highness?" – asked one of the wise men.
"I’m confused," replied the king. "At times I am overcome by melancholy, and feel powerless to fulfill my duties. At others, I am dizzy with all power I have. I’d like a talisman to help me be at peace with myself." The wise men – surprised by such a request – spent long months in discussion. In the end, they went to the king with a gift. "We have engraved magic words on the talisman. Read them out loud whenever you are too confident, or very sad," they said. The king looked at the object he had ordered. It was a simple silver and gold ring, but with an inscription:
"This shall also pass away"
C. If you are not where you are, if you are not where you want to be, stop blaming everyone else. Stop running from your pains in life. Embrace your pain and allow your pain to push to you from where you are. Pain eventually is going to be a part of the prize.
5. Give life one more chance: I heard a story about a budding cricketer. He scored just 65 runs in a series and was a complete failure & ready to give up cricket since he never thought he could be the best. He loved cricket so much that he was appalled at his own talent and filled with thought of failure. His coach and his team realising that he was very talented, persuaded him to play one more year. Just one more year. So he decided to give life one more chance. He gave life all he had in the second chance and he scored record runs. I heard this player on radio and realised that one needs to give life one more chance sometimes, just one more. Just one more run, just one more day success may be just just around that last corner..
Phewwww heavy stuff, I guess. But the experience of 2000 Kms of running was brewing in my mind like a cup of coffee.. This article brewed in mind till it made me crazy enough to write down.
I again go to my trusted friend google and ask him for the following distances
1. Mumbai to Seattle
2. Mumbai to Singapore
3. Mumbai to London
4. Trips to the moon (why not? Currently at 0.002)
5 Trips around the World ( currently at 0.015)
I then look at my coach & shoes & smile....wondering what's in store...waiting for my inspiration and two happy feet to carry me across slowly.
My music player whispers to me ask tie my show laces " You don't pick average people to be phenomenal, you don't pick good people to be phenomenal, you just are phenomenal and you attract phenomenal"
Waiting to run a few more runs to be able to tell another tale...
