One of the interesting things I notice as a Indian immigrant in the bay area is, how many of us within this small community take to running. As in running marathons and such. It is nuts. I used to wonder what possesses these people to run. I am sure a small percentage start running after their total cholesterol crosses 280 and their doctors instill the fear of Yama in them. But the general majority of them seem to run just for fun. In a very Forrest Gumpy way. Put your shoes, put one leg in front of the other and off you go. 26.2 miles, one step at a time.

I have three very good friends in my close circle who are runners. Given that they are perfectly sensible people otherwise :) , I used to wonder what drives these guys to run. I don’t know the real answer yet, but I think I am treading down the path of enlightenment.

I am the perfect example for Newton’s first law, only that I never move and no external force can make me move. [Ask my wife, she tried for nearly 8 years to get me off the couch]. I have been fat and overweight for nearly the past two decades, so shame is out of the question. I think sub-consciously even when I chose my doctor, I went with a fat one :) . Every year when we discuss my health, the doctor would go ‘Yeah, I know it is SO difficult to even lose a pound’ :) , and there goes that.

I was one of those perfect cases who wouldn’t move out of the couch until my cholesterol crossed 280. But then some thing happened. I had a pre-fixed number in my mind which I thought was the heaviest I could weigh. That was in my mind, my ‘fat-wall’. And of course I hit it.

I tried every fat-boy stunt first, I was in total denial. I first tried a different weigh machine, then tried a different set of clothes, moved the weigh machine to the hard floor, tried the wii-fit’s weighing machine (which of course shows 5 lbs less when on a carpet). And then it hit me like a tonne of bricks. I AM FAT. I AM GOING TO DIE SOON IF I DON’T CHANGE.

Now, in the past, I have tried various types of exercise routines. Gyms worked for me two decades ago, but in the US, every time I went to the 24 hour fitness gym, half my time was spent to avoid the hard-selling trainers who were trying to sell me their services. And the gym was of course so far away, you don’t have the motivation to drive. I have tried playing every game out there, so my garage has every type of racket there is :) . Tried Bikram Yoga and got half cooked to death.

NOTHING worked. I had given up. And then I started to think what my friends do, of course they all ran. They ran like there is no marathon left untouched.

I started running the next day. This left my wife quite nonplussed. After all, she has tried to move me for the past 8 years and here I am, cursing at the weigh machine one evening and next morning at 6:30 am at 40 deg F, I was trying to run.

Google found me this excellent beginners running program. As a self respecting geek, I had to get my software and work-flow in place before I start to do any activity, so I experimented with various running software on the iPhone and settled on RunKeeper.

The first few days were hilarious and extremely painful.

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I was barely trying to make the 60 seconds of running at a stretch. It is amazing how your lungs and heart adapt. Every run you feel it, you feel the difference. Every run was better, every step felt better.

Now, motivation and obsession come natural to me. I used to wake up at 5 am each Saturday, drive 50 miles so I can take photos of San Francisco at sunrise. These days even though I don’t take photos on Saturday mornings anymore, I barely can sleep beyond 5:30 am :) . Go figure.

So from the day I started, I have run every other day for the last six weeks. I have run in rain, I have run when it was 36 degrees outside. I was dressed like the Russians trying to save Stalingrad and looked like a complete fool, but still I ran.

And the results began to show. From the day I started, I have lost 5 6 lbs, dress fits very well, I almost cried when I had to move my belt hole to one inside :D . Very soon I was doing this:

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If someone told me 6 weeks ago that I was going to run 2 miles without a break, I would have laughed me head off. Now, 5k run is all but certain within the next two weeks. My mind is thinking about a 10k run soon after that.

Using a tool like Runkeeper is incredible. It gives you instant feedback, allows you to share your runs – and that in way is incredibly motivating for your next run. Even better, using twitter search, I can see who else is using Runkeeper to run and watch them as well. A very narrow vertical search, but lots of fun.

The one completely unexpected benefit of running is how it alters your mood. I have been upbeat and energetic since the day I started running. Yes, the economy is still in the dumps, but somehow it doesn’t creep me out as much any more :) . Scott Adams thinks it is Biceps Femoris, others think it is endorphins. [I don't think it is endorphins for a 2 mile run :D ]. Whatever it is, it works.

I now understand why my friends run. It is incredibly freeing. It raises your spirits. It sets you free. It pushes your limits and each time you cross it, you feel better about yourself. And best of all, as Manohar puts it, ‘all you have to do is to put your shorts and shoes and put one foot in front of the other’. I don’t have to hide from the gym trainer any more. I put my shoes and off I go.

I finally get it. My friends aren’t crazy after all.

I probably will never run a marathon or half-marathon in my life, but a 10k run seems very possible before summer is out.

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