Run billy run!
The unusual applause and the cheering provided the final thrust....
August 2005, as nominations for the second edition of the Mumbai Marathon were invited; I decided to take part in the 21 kms run! I was an athlete at school, but for almost a decade, I had never participated in any event that involved extensive body movements ;-), not even lifted a two-pound dumbbell at the gymnasium.
Many were sceptical about my crossing the finish line. There were questions and doubts in my mind. To add insult to injury, I was asked to visit the London office in December 2005! Biting cold weather made it impossible for me to even trudge/move out for a walk...I had given up hope of participating.
“There is always some light at the end of the tunnel”... , I kept telling myself. During one of my late evening walks, I happened to be at “Lilywhites” the largest supermarket in London! As luck would have it... they had a 70% sale on all items! As Paulo Cohelo said “When you desire something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” Accidentally I went into the footwear section...BINGO! Brand new Nike Air 2000.... shoes to ‘help you fly’ (short pause) caught my eye... The next section had sports goods... it was as if I was being pulled into submission and acceptance...
Happily I bought shoes, T shirts and track pants in anticipation of the run.. Then , I got the good news ... my travel would have to be curtailed as it was the Festive season when most of the employees and all of London would be holidaying! I was back in Mumbai on Christmas eve.....
On the morning of January 15, 2006, the alarm went off at 4:30!! I jumped out the of bed, got ready and hastened to board the 4:45 first train to Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus. It was a long journey and I tried to catch-up on my sleep. But I was too excited. I reached CST at 6:00 and the race was to begin at 6:45 a.m. I looked around and felt lost! Not a single familiar face was in sight! I began my warm up exercises aping others around who appeared to be fully prepared and ready to go! I began the run with great enthusiasm. The crowd cheering, the floodlights and the cameras pumped up my adrenalin and I dashed ahead! It was like cakewalk till the time I reached Flora Fountain and then Churchgate. I was clocking about 6 minutes to a kilometer. By the time I completed 5 kms, I was ready to give up! Phew!!!! And as I was about to quit, I saw a middle-aged woman, running at a steady pace, not bothered about anything. That was when I realised that my focus was wrong and reoriented myself...
Though I had expected to complete the race in less than 2.5 hours... the reality was different...It was just about 2 hours 15 minutes and I was closer to the finish line... Proudly I called up my friend Rita – from the administration team. I asked for the cameras to be kept ready as I would run past the finish line.... The pizzeria turn was in sight, I was sure that I would reach the finish in a maximum of 15 minutes! Suddenly an excruciating pain in my leg left me motionless... I could hardly move. I saw the Nigerians from the full marathon run past me as I stood there helplessly unable to move. Rita was frantically calling and I avoided answering... I was almost in tears... I saw an ambulance carry another participant writhing in pain... I will complete the race...I will complete the race….is all that I can remember saying to myself. I still run the half marathon, only to challenge myself and with a belief that one day, I will run this well under the 2 and a half hour mark.
Motivation may come in any form, external, internal but you must be able to identify it at the right time. I almost gave up when I was at 5 kms the first time, since then I have participated in 4 editions and have thoroughly enjoyed each.. After the first marathon I was unable to walk, thanks to the blisters and pain... This first experience in long distance running gave me three valuable lessons
1. Be focussed What we want is something that only we can determine. External factors may impair our progress. But we must stay focussed and ensure that we never lose track. Unless we have the right focus, we would never reach anywhere!
2. Learn from failures Failures are only an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently, said Henry Ford. We must learn to take failures in our stride and remember that we will not achieve anything in one giant leap. At times we may have to go back two steps and then move one step forward.
3. Push hard We may have many dreams; we need to follow the one we truly believe in! Take this opportunity as an adventure, something that will give us satisfaction. It is easy to give up... it takes courage to push back and push hard.
As I eagerly await the next marathon on January 16, 2011, I look forward to the crowd and my belief from within, to cheer in unison “Run Billy, Run”!!
August 2005, as nominations for the second edition of the Mumbai Marathon were invited; I decided to take part in the 21 kms run! I was an athlete at school, but for almost a decade, I had never participated in any event that involved extensive body movements ;-), not even lifted a two-pound dumbbell at the gymnasium.
Many were sceptical about my crossing the finish line. There were questions and doubts in my mind. To add insult to injury, I was asked to visit the London office in December 2005! Biting cold weather made it impossible for me to even trudge/move out for a walk...I had given up hope of participating.
“There is always some light at the end of the tunnel”... , I kept telling myself. During one of my late evening walks, I happened to be at “Lilywhites” the largest supermarket in London! As luck would have it... they had a 70% sale on all items! As Paulo Cohelo said “When you desire something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” Accidentally I went into the footwear section...BINGO! Brand new Nike Air 2000.... shoes to ‘help you fly’ (short pause) caught my eye... The next section had sports goods... it was as if I was being pulled into submission and acceptance...
Happily I bought shoes, T shirts and track pants in anticipation of the run.. Then , I got the good news ... my travel would have to be curtailed as it was the Festive season when most of the employees and all of London would be holidaying! I was back in Mumbai on Christmas eve.....
On the morning of January 15, 2006, the alarm went off at 4:30!! I jumped out the of bed, got ready and hastened to board the 4:45 first train to Chattrapati Shivaji Terminus. It was a long journey and I tried to catch-up on my sleep. But I was too excited. I reached CST at 6:00 and the race was to begin at 6:45 a.m. I looked around and felt lost! Not a single familiar face was in sight! I began my warm up exercises aping others around who appeared to be fully prepared and ready to go! I began the run with great enthusiasm. The crowd cheering, the floodlights and the cameras pumped up my adrenalin and I dashed ahead! It was like cakewalk till the time I reached Flora Fountain and then Churchgate. I was clocking about 6 minutes to a kilometer. By the time I completed 5 kms, I was ready to give up! Phew!!!! And as I was about to quit, I saw a middle-aged woman, running at a steady pace, not bothered about anything. That was when I realised that my focus was wrong and reoriented myself...
Though I had expected to complete the race in less than 2.5 hours... the reality was different...It was just about 2 hours 15 minutes and I was closer to the finish line... Proudly I called up my friend Rita – from the administration team. I asked for the cameras to be kept ready as I would run past the finish line.... The pizzeria turn was in sight, I was sure that I would reach the finish in a maximum of 15 minutes! Suddenly an excruciating pain in my leg left me motionless... I could hardly move. I saw the Nigerians from the full marathon run past me as I stood there helplessly unable to move. Rita was frantically calling and I avoided answering... I was almost in tears... I saw an ambulance carry another participant writhing in pain... I will complete the race...I will complete the race….is all that I can remember saying to myself. I still run the half marathon, only to challenge myself and with a belief that one day, I will run this well under the 2 and a half hour mark.
Motivation may come in any form, external, internal but you must be able to identify it at the right time. I almost gave up when I was at 5 kms the first time, since then I have participated in 4 editions and have thoroughly enjoyed each.. After the first marathon I was unable to walk, thanks to the blisters and pain... This first experience in long distance running gave me three valuable lessons
1. Be focussed What we want is something that only we can determine. External factors may impair our progress. But we must stay focussed and ensure that we never lose track. Unless we have the right focus, we would never reach anywhere!
2. Learn from failures Failures are only an opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently, said Henry Ford. We must learn to take failures in our stride and remember that we will not achieve anything in one giant leap. At times we may have to go back two steps and then move one step forward.
3. Push hard We may have many dreams; we need to follow the one we truly believe in! Take this opportunity as an adventure, something that will give us satisfaction. It is easy to give up... it takes courage to push back and push hard.
As I eagerly await the next marathon on January 16, 2011, I look forward to the crowd and my belief from within, to cheer in unison “Run Billy, Run”!!
Comments