RUN YOUR OWN RACE.!

A lot of exchanges going on among the runners community anticipating the surat night marathon.

All are upbeat, sharing their thoughts, excitement displayed out of exuberance stirred up by the home town marathon, the prime rave for all Surti Runners....the Surat Night Marathon. It's first half marathon for me. Training was great but the nervous pull is greater.

Asking our coach in a group out of the urge of venting the nervous energy, masking it in innocent curiosity the desciples are discussing how to go about the run. Brotherhood coming out in a flare, comradery flowing all over, the experienced in the flock trying to ease out the beginners like me.

Nish, by big brother, my towing van, my Sargent in the troop for running asked what's the target for me, and should he be pacing me for some target and there was a long silence and the Colonel Ashish Kapadiya declared......

"Hey all of you...run your own race !."

RUN YOUR OWN RACE !

It was a strong command of four words ! The ears heard the words, and the mind interpreted as.."attention! " I felt like the loud command I used to listen to, that came out of a strong and penetrative voice of the March Past commander in the Preparation of the Republic Day Parade I was a part of when I was a Sargent and leading my 5 Guj Battalion NCC troop to the nationals.

The pause and the break in the discussion sat on like a heavy weight on the fluid flow of thoughts and exchanges jumping across the board. Things settled. All ears aligned. All in a rapt attention to fathom the depth of what the command meant.

And that's it. Only the four words. No explanations, no sugar coated lines of efforts to up ease, no beating around the bush. A thud of a gun fire that immediately makes way to the stunning silence which is the only event that the mind is able to register consciously, the effect of that bang so powerful that washes away the cacophony of the unnecessary voices and the haphazard flutters of the sound plane.

I did not even realise that I was not in command of my thoughts anymore. The state of mind was taken over.

The immediate picture that was projected by my mind on the full screen of my attention on the immediate following moment after the command, was the simple yet proud face of Lance Nayak Hanumantappa whom the nation had lost yesterday.

Immediately next was the strong and ever smiling face of my close friend Ajay, our captain of wildlife rescue whom we lost to the captain of all diseases last year and immediately next came the face of my Aunt, who is fighting her battle with the same disease.

It is totally impossible for the commoners like us to even attempt to imagine what a race it would have been for the lone wolf, the true son of the mother India, who lived to prove the lines of the famous Kargil martyr amarjawan Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey of the 1/11 Gorkha Rifles, the recipient of the Param veer Chakra - posthumous. ......."if death strikes before I prove my blood, I swear I will kill death."

The martyr Lance Nayak Hanumantappa had proved his blood in that icey grave where he was fighting a ton of snow over his head and the minus 30 temperature that was invading his senses every moment of those unimaginable long six days of being trapped under the cruel avalanche that took away our nine brothers.

What a way to kill death!! If someone who has beaten death, then here was the example. Even the destiny was crying when the brave boy's body could not stand with his indomitable soul that had nothing but the nation's freedom to look up to. !

Then the present sense took over and I felt myself. Goosebumps and sweaty palms. My hands trembled while I typed back the answer and I could not.

Can we all ever even attempt to imagine what a race it would have been for that brave man? Race for six days running only on mind where the body was frozen and just not available ? Who's race it was ? And for whom ? For whom did our Parent's run the whole life ? Who could have imagined the pain behind the smiling face of a cancer patient,..Weakened beyond imagination who used to be the main pillar of our strength in team Prayas, my friend Ajay to whom physical pain could not never bog down.?

In his gruelling travel to the immortality, he was running his own race as no one can feel his pain. Pain of the body which was loosing the battle and the pain of the soul which did not want to give up. We all just sat around him, trying to comfort someone who never needed any support, and always saying...I am running my own race.!

As the family try and comfort my Aunt, who is running her own race after running for whole life for the family, are we just bystanders ??

No we are not. We are fellow runners who are running our own race! On the road or in the life. !

All are running our own race, so it's a false thought that I was running for someone or something....before this word of command had struck, I was enjoying my false pride that I was dedicating my first race to my friend, or to my Aunt, or to some cause....the loud bang of these four words shot like a big cannon to wash out the thoughts....

We may be running together....but we all are running our own race !

Running is about being alone with oneself..! Like a small practice of that final run that we all have to run alone. ! So practice hard, and train for the race ....the race that we have to run alone. . . Race of life .....

Only thing the "coach" asks for is to finish in style...finish strong....

Finish like the brave hearts on the border, finish like how Ajay did,
Finish strong, finish smiling.....as this race is all about actually realising....that ...

We have to run our own race !

All the best runners!

Testing the deeper waters. .! Gulped a bit, swam a bit.! And tugged out at last.! (Running long along.!)

Testing the deeper waters. .! Gulped a bit, swam a bit.! And tugged out at last.!
________________________

I am feeling blank right now. Feeling exhausted and with a slight head ache, things today at office were simple..! I just went through the motions. No creativity, no commitments. Just let it flow sort of a day…

I am not at all like this. Am hyper-active my friends say to me, and are amused at the speed I answer back the texts, and talk so much on calls, but all of them found me different today. It was simple for them also.! Just points, straight forward. Issues at work first time faced a flat “first things first approach” from me, as generally I do try to make things easier for everyone. Well, to the close ones, perplexed by the blunt answers, I had to declare softly that I have ran a 20k in the morning so just leave it for some other day ..! Yes it was the day when I tested the deeper waters for the first time, in running terms, it was that milestone of 20k run which I very frankly had never imagined would come so early, just in 2 months time since taking up running.!

Woke up beating the alarm as usual I am doing since my first day at Core sessions workout started in November 2015, and swiftly went through to prepare and out for the start point. With the last week’s 15k exuberance inside me, and then the elation of the Republic day run of 6K, I felt confident, if not excited. Picked up Nish Desai , my Towing Van, who already walked up to half way to warm up, we then drove off to that start of the Bridge start point. This particular start point of this running route is by the way having very interesting psychological effect. Will explain it a bit later, as I don’t want to get lost in the short and full description of the run I had, but to those who can connect to that, may agree that it is like that.!
Crossed Jignesh, who was also driving to his first run in 7 months, after undergoing rigorous and religious trainings with Ashish bhai, and smiled at his tense looking face..! Aaha, that feeling of being ahead in the “running journey”..!

What I see is as usual, Nipun bhai, warming up, returning towards us, and that feeling of safety immediately filled in. Though I was not thinking much about today’s run, as Jignesh was also with us and did not know the plans, so there was not much anticipation. Reeling in that last 15k bliss, I actually did not even realized that I had picked up my water bottle right from the fridge and it was damn chilled…the realization came when the point came when I came out of the car and it struck my mind that I will have to hold it throughout..! at least half way till we finish the water up.! Last Sunday was chilled as we entered the country side and I recollect myself and Amarbhai both feeling the chill when we started to cross that patch back.!

Still I had no idea, that I was being over confident.! With having Jignesh to cheer to, we all just started quickly when Ashishbhai came around on bike in his “psycho” outfit which he will definitely mutate or evolve in his next life..!! Hardly had I realized, that this quick thought of fun was going to be the pivot of the biggest lesson that today’s run had in store for me.!
All started well, Jignesh looked happy, and we all were for him as he was on the road, running after a long frustrating period living with an injury that occurred due to ill-informed start of his running.

Walk, run and here we were on the 3 k mark with all cheering Jignesh and how can I forget the super-runner Preeti ma’am who accompanied us after finishing their running of may be an hour or more with Nipunbhai.! They were there since 4 am working on their run, to do the 20 k coinciding with us.! Well…It was not told but what was told was that it will be the same longer bit.!

Reached the start of the country side road, and Jignesh was happy to return and it was still dark, and the bus went ahead.! He offered me his water bottle, and I jokingly said, “yaar, you will need it more”..! Was it to be..??

Chatting all along, it was easy time till we hit the trail on the canal bank, and it was a super sight to discover that Canal was not empty and the water was gushing touching both banks to the brink!

They say that “Water is the elixir of life..!” And instantly proven as the flock of egrets just glided past us on eye level, landing in the field which was a food festival for them as the irrigation water had propped up all the insects for them to munch on..! A huge Purple heron just took off from the next tree and Ashishbhai and I were instantly enchanted by the thought of seeing a lot many birds !

Trail was the best part as the flow in the canal was in the opposite direction, and just chewing on the sentence told a moment before by Nipunbhai, how he was the first runner in his family, pulled out words from me…”Go against the Flow”..! Well I was not the first in our family..! The first runner in our family Nish, was just running ahead of me, clearing his mind of the fear of injury by instantly applauding the minimal running shoes that he had on .! It was my first serious run with him, barring that symbolic run on the republic day which I did half, my “towing-van” looked happy and confident.! It was surely the effect of running with Ashishbhai of course, may be for all the runners running in that flock.!

Trail just went by and we stopped at the returning point taking pictures and just bracing for a nice soft organge tinge of Sun coming up from the two high water tanks far in the field, It was just the most easy feeling for me so far.! Even had some knick-knacks on the way as Nipunbhai and Priti ma’am had come prepared with some good food with them.!

On return, I wanted to run a bit alone on this trail, reminding me of our early morning bird watching trips since we were in school. I wanted to realize that I was running more than 10k for the third time and wanted to pinch myself for it.! But I guess the birds morning calls did the trick.!
The bird check list grew in numbers with each kilometer passing by, and Ashishbhai started anticipating the birds on the next part of trail as may be the birds also anticipated Ashishbhai and started coming out on the path in groups to cheer .! The check list is a separate affair and will share with my birding pals for sure, but what I had in store ahead may interest the runners here. Ravi Sir was to join and couldn’t and I really thought he missed this one because of the birds we saw if not the super run we were having.!

Then we all saw a man in a red cape coming towards us gliding..!
Was it a bird..? Was it a plane..? No it was Nehal bhai.! Our own Super-man who does not feel any gravity since long.! A small chat and expressions of pure joy, as if they were accidently meeting on a long flight to some new-found land.! I managed to click one picture and he had a usual smile and a stare at me.! Well, I walked ahead and the legends stopped by to have air of some different chemical composition as they had a bit of oxygen overload may be..! My list of moments to day –dream about was growing day by day and this was the one of them..!

Anyways, all happy and well, we hit the road side, and while my rescue calls for animals and birds started coming and I realized that the city was just waking up now.! 13th kilometer on the route and we were running on the main road to Olpad, and I did not even realized when I was nearing 15th Kilometer, answering the rescues phone calls and delegating them into our unique rescue management system..!

A pause, I put my phone in my pocket, and I saw that at that very moment, Nipunbhai and all were a bit ahead of me, and I was going on the same distance. I wanted to catch them up, so leaned forward a bit and started to run a shade faster, and I just couldn’t.! Immediately in a few seconds, I had to slow down, and then walk.! I actually felt alone for the first time in the whole run, earlier when I had taken ahead in the positive way and this time in a not so positive way. I just could not increase the speed.! It was surely not the niggle that I used to get in the knee as today it was faint, and started only after 12th km I guess, but it was the breathlessness. This was a new feeling. I immediately took to walking, and caught my breath, and the stomach actually started showing signs of uneasiness. I slowed down more, walking trying to look around and divert my mind, but this feeling was there to stay.! What had gone wrong suddenly.? Well I immediately realized that I was feeling thirsty and the water was not around.! My bottle was in Ashishbhai’s back pack..! I managed to reach to the flock ahead when they already had started their return and joined them, taking the bottle and having that couple of sip back to life feel.!

I was out I thought.! Before the flock vanished, I shouted to Ashishbhai, “Is that okay if I come behind at ease.?” He waved both his hands up and sort of communicated…”You are on your own kid.!”
Aah, is this what is like in the finishing zone,? It was so easy for me to cheer the Summitters last month, when I was not a runner..! Oh man, I needed the cheer badly I thought.! No one was around and the feeling of suddenly going in to bottomless river while swimming for the first time in the deeper waters was there real.!

Just as we do in swimming, we take a deep breath, calm the nerves and started the slowest speed mode on.! I had some solace when I found the bikers and commuters passing by crossing me from front, looked at me in an curious and respectful way, the exact way I used to see the pilgrims walking on the road side bare foot, to their endless journey of faith.! Well that though gave me some refreshing energy and I managed to catch up with Nipunbhai who was taking it easy after his even longer run and only an hour of sleep may be .!

I needed a tug-boat badly and I got one. I was in deep waters for the first time, and all along the long hard climb of the Saroli bridge on the return, I was just being pulled by his sight running with a cool determination.! Applied the technique Ashishbhai taught me last time to negotiate the climb and it was through.! Trucks had started roaring past and it was all hot, humid and dusty and suddenly I was in the “finisher” phase of my run..! I can clearly now imagine the plight of the runners nearing the finish line .! Apurvabhai…I remembered your frankness when you described your experience exactly as you felt when we had met before and it was tough.!

Nipunbhai was the man of the hour.! We started talking and it diverted the mind and then I could feel that I was at last nearing the finish of this never ending last lap of 5 k..!
Finished with him in steady pace, I clearly feel I mentioned Amar bhai, company last time, and we agreed in no time that the running buddy is so important in the last laps.! Lot’s of emotions, but cant express as this sharing is now getting to a marathon length.!
Finished, oh it was not me, it was my newly found TUG-Boat in the form of Nipunbhai who talked me out this time! Can’t thank you enough Sir.!
Not as invigorated as the 15k last week, it was a happy feeling to finish 20k, but with a load of fatigue.!

Water was finished and we actually had to stop for water like thirsty deers to fetch some on the way back home.!
Since I reached home, it’s all going slow motion so far as I at last finish this sharing, by concluding that I am surely the fatigue was due to the dehydration.! Badly done.! You need to plan your run Man.!
All well’s that ends well, and it ends well when there is a lesson learnt.! Know, Plan and seriously prepare for any longer run you take, whatever the speed may be..! The distance will have you down on your knees, and in this case, I had my trekking stamina take me through, but I did felt that shudder for sure, the same shudder that a swimmer feels when he or she is in the deeper waters for the first time.!

Testing the deeper waters. .! Gulped a bit when I was struggling on the start of the 15k, , swam a bit with a swimmer by the side And tugged out at last by Nipunbhai.!
Swimming legacy that runs in Ashishbhai’s family has made him a great coach, just pushing kids having reasonable promise, in the deeper waters and then saying “ you are on your own kid..!” and surely knowing that the lesson will be learnt.! So it is Sir.!

Running is a freedom to cherish and protect.!

Running is a freedom to cherish and protect.!

Being a Republic state is to have a set of essential agreements made by ourselves which define how we will use the state of freedom that is hard earned. The respect that we show to the essential agreements that we take oath to honor shows how much we value our freedom. In the context of the national freedom, it's our constitution. And in the context of personal freedom, it's the self discipline.

To be able to run is a great state of freedom, all will agree with me. But the way we train, follow the cardinal rules of training, methods and religiously honor the essential agreements that improves us as runners shows actually how much we respect that state of freedom, called running.

So as we prepare for yet another year of oath to abide by the rules and responsibilities that we have agreed to carry out in the lines of our constitution, let it be defending the weak, or keeping the neighbourhood clean, let us also apply some essential agreements that are so necessary to defend our freedom of being runners.

The duties tell us to follow the disciplines of running, training, helping the others and try and be the true sons of mother earth, by being sportsmen and women and grow as runners by disciplined training. As in running, we can break all thresholds by actually following the principles of training.

It was a first republic day run for me in the nation called Surti Runners, and was an inspiration. Frankly speaking last year's photograph was creating an envious feeling, like as if I was behind the bars of lethargy and inaction seeing smiling happy faces of people of a free nation, and had it not been Pranav bhai who would have nudged me into running, I would still be envious grumpy fellow...but the things are different. Though i am not in the group photo, i know i am somewhere there !

Miles to go but happy to join the flock of seagulls who are just floating free of friction of the road and are feeling a lesser bit of gravity than the other earthlings.

Jai hind.!

My First longer run.!

My First longer run.!

Great freedom run it was - overcoming the fears of longer runs, especially after the first 10k and the niggles after that - was a bit nervous all along the start point, and it all just evaporated when i saw Nipun bhai already warming up there, and then Ashish bhai and Amardeep bhai arrived and it was just all started to run without even starting the run..!

So basically I was pulled into a big bus, that started with walk and then easy fun run, they called, - it was easy till it was easy...then there came a bridge...but just could not remember when it got crossed...as Ashishbhai diverted my mind into showing a technique on how to negotiate the climbs and descents - Full moon was the pinn that we all had hinged our run on, and it was all talks and fun after that -

Bridge was done and then came a side road - ... Arvind bhai joined us from behind as he was running his own road....then came a trail....canal bank trail , and then my kinda road patch - then it was all about birds - trees - and odd jokes - and then the return -

The places in my legs that started putting presence in the earlier Valsad 10k at the 5K mark...came around when the trail came - remained there till the trail was, and then when we were back on the plain road, it was gone- ..Zap..Vanished - - .. Amardeepbhai gave good tips till end and at one point I was actually surprised when he told that we were doing 9+ speed....

I was made to walk for cool down on the last km, where we helped a dog walk along us to find his way back to his area saving him from other ones...he actually needed a human company to make him cross that patch were other dogs were trying to fight him....while Amardeepbhai tried to shoo away the defender dog - I gave cover to the traveller....it was all set and then it was over - The point where we started return on the canal, Ashishbhai told to take a different route back to starting point and told that the starting point will be around 15k and there it was - - - - on dot...! 15 K run with an awesome mentors - - - 2 hours just flew away -

I came home - stretching and had my green tea - and ate a lot of khaman and stuff - along with the routine breakfast...celebrating. Can’t believe it though - and I am sure all must have gone through this feeling - feeling of crossing over a threshold ...the feeling was the same when I had my first swim in the river at the causeway - after all the splashes in swimming pool only - It was a true run - first one - a run that is letting me free - would want just this - same - as many as I can till I could run.!

my feeling at that 11K mark point was the same as the stressed out dog in the alien territory - and as we helped that dog through pass by the alien territory - talking him out till last - Amar bhai did the same to me....10+ run was the first time for me - an alien territory - and he talked me through as we talked that poor thing to his safe zone - thanks for the same.!

One portion of my mind still is day-dreaming about the rest of the 4 hours plus which Nipun bhai and Ashishbhai would have had...when they continued along the earth into the oblivion,.....showing us the way back on the return....I could feel the same when we had that poor chap cross the danger patch..and delivered at the junction...when he had sort of found his territory......I am sure the same feeling the mentors would have felt....almost...I guess. ...

The moral is that if you have courage to initiate...there will be mentors to help you cross and guide the way...! There will always be diversions ...by the worldly things....like that dog who was preventing this one to enter....by his own insecurity I guess. ...but if you find a right Guru...and have faith in him to just walk along....you are bound to go through...it’s the faith that you put in your guru makes him walk that slow and handhold you to the right path...! I am feeling terrifically lucky in that sense.

Can't possibly measure the run in numbers so no numbers, no figures...just a picture with the full moon and the mentors...and the runners in motion.!