I never had road run in India, not even did I run to catch a bus or a train.
In school and college days, I never participated in any of the sports event. Only in kinder garten, I recollect some memories associated to games, since it was mandatory then, to participate in the annual event. It scared me off to run and participate in those outdoor games. Yes, I was scared that what if a ball hits my face, or that I break my leg while playing football. Most students do it for extra marks and I would say “I don’t want those marks, I will get enough !”
I am 30+ years old and had an opportunity to visit Amsterdam for my work assignment. The people in Amsterdam are so conscious about their health, that be it rain or summer or winter, you can see them exercising one way or the other. Be it cycling, or running or morning yoga or gymming , each and every individual is responsible for his or her own health. It was while I was at Amsterdam, that I started realizing the importance of physical activities.
Running was my first milestone in the journey of fitness. I came to Amsterdam on Saturday 14th Oct, 2017. The very next day 15 Oct was the marathon day. It was not easy for me to take the decision and find the guts to run. Also with no practice, it was hard to complete the race. But still , I decided to try. Crossing the “finish” line was going to be a big motivator for me that day.
I wished to run The Amsterdam Marathon 8km and asked my friends if they can arrange a BIB (a specific number allotted to each runner) for me at the last moment. My friend collected a BIB no for me and there I was, all waiting for the whistle to blow on the start line. From that day, 15th oct is the most memorable day of my life . The day I started my journey towards fitness.
Its been one year now that I started running. I participate in many running events in the Netherlands like Dirty Sweater run, Leiden Marathon 10km, Amersfort Marathon 10km, Zurich 17km, Bokemei run etc. I cannot tell you how accomplished and satisfied I feel, every time I complete a journey. Running ha snow become an essential part of my daily routine.
Every Friday I run with my fellow colleagues after work. Now i can run more than 20kms at a stretch. Another day I completed 35kms in 4 hours. What a proud feeling!
Whenever people look at me while running , I tell them to join me. I remember the day looking at people running, and saying to myself “I wish I could also run like them!”. Today I can proudly say that “Yes I can run.” Even though I was scared of the outdoor games in college, even though I never wanted any extra marks, even though I never participated in any sport events. I can run !
This is my short story of how I made running as my daily routine. I hope this inspires you to cultivate this good habit in you.
