Balancing Acts: The Resilient Runner's Tale of Life and Fitness

Why does fitness take priority for a person in their 20s?

Is it to shed weight? Overcome depression? Address health issues?

 

The reasons can be many. One of these reasons prompted me to choose running and begin my fitness journey.

 

I have written much about how I started running in previous articles. Today, I want to write about the ups and downs of this beautiful journey and the blessed life I have.

 

Disclaimer: Weight is not the only factor to assess fitness levels; it is used here solely as a reference value.

My weight was 33 kg when I was 15, a lean guy who spent more time on the ground than indoors.

I was 63 kg when I was 21, playing cricket occasionally and reduced outdoor activities, just like any other engineering student engrossed in computer games and movies (screen time).

 

I maintained a healthy weight range of 69-71 kg from 23 to 27 years. I did my first 10K in 2013, a half marathon in 2014, and a full marathon in 2015. I ran, cycled, and worked out in the gym.

 

I got married at 27 and hit 76 kg at 28. Then life happened, ate more outside (junk food) and I hovered around this weight until I was 31. I would work out a bit and bring it down to 73-74 kg, then it would rise again to 78 kg. This cycle happened 3-4 times, and eventually, I gave up.

It peaked at 79 kg in 2021. 

My wife and I were expecting, and this was the time we changed our lifestyle. I realized that letting go makes you lighter (mentally and physically). We started letting go of many things. The first thing we let go of was eating non-vegetarian food, followed by sugar, white rice, junks etc. While we were in Japan, meat was a part of our diet 2-3 days a week because it was easily available and finding vegetable options was challenging.

 

It wasn’t hard, and it has been 3+ years since we made this choice, and we are happy with it. Thanks to my wife for sharing eye-opening documentaries about the harm to animals, the health issues it can cause to humans, and how we are naturally designed to lead a whole-food plant based lifestyle.

Although my contribution to cooking hasn’t been significant, I don’t demand specific food items and eat whatever is offered. This is the only fact I am proud of... haha.

During pregnancy, we attended classes on holistic development, which significantly changed our lifestyle.It was more about child-like learning for both of us and the start of a beautiful journey of parenthood.

Our champ was born in 2022.

 

She committed to breastfeeding from day one, even when many were not supportive. Comments like "Milk is not enough for the baby," "It takes a few days for milk to generate," and "You should give formula/animal milk" were common. Again, all I did was support her. This would need another day to explain how we triumphed during this challenging phase.

 

For our son, we followed baby-led weaning, and he can eat by himself most of the time. I am happy to say our son hasn’t tasted sugar/junk yet and has no screen time. We get comments everywhere about how long we can hold this, but we are happy with how far we have come. He is more active, it takes a lot more energy from us to keep him engaged, but it is a good phase to be in. 

My wife follows the Satvic movement, which brought about a dynamic change in our lives. A typical day starts with fruits, nuts, seeds, and millet malt or sprouts. Breakfast includes millet or South Indian dishes. Lunch features ragi balls or red rice, lentil and legume curry, and mushroom or tofu with veggies. In the evening, We have soup or corn, and dinner consists of various rotis with plenty of vegetables.

 

I never knew we had so many options in vegan food. People think diet is about staying hungry or cutting down on food. It is just mindful eating to your stomach's full. Cutting down on dairy took a while. I have stopped having milk-based coffee at home and have it occasionally when I am outside. We are yet to completely stop curd (Again occasionally). Over time, we will let this go as well.

 

I was astonished to see that my weight dropped from 79 to 74 kg without workouts, just by healthy food habits and mindful eating. I wish we had followed this 10-15 years ago.

I would wake up early most days but wouldn’t move myself to work out. I would read a book, prepare coffee, watch something, or start office work early. If my son was up, I would play with him.

 

As my son is growing up, I want to set an example for him and make fitness part of his routine. This triggered me to wake up, show up, and restart my fitness journey—not like the previous times without a purpose, but this time with a renewed focus.

I am happy to say I have dropped to 69.4 kg (went back by 12 years) with workouts over the last 4+ months. I aim to stay consistent on this journey and committed to making healthy choices every day.

Tough-21 Season 3

RunAddicts Tough-21 Season 3 Experience Sharing

Splendid! This is what I can say about the awesome event I was part of. Having volunteered for the last two editions, I chose to run this one to experience our own event. The previous editions were organized in RR Nagar and had their own course of fun and good experiences with elevations as part of it.

 

During one of the book distributions at Maralwadi, Harohalli, we passed through the picturesque location and the runner's brain decided to explore this one. The main road is a popular stretch among cyclists, and exploring the suburbs on foot is even sweeter. We are thankful to Simha Estates and Connectivity Solutions, who have partnered with us for the rural education initiatives we carry out. We have successfully collaborated to uplift rural children by supporting their education. They helped us with space and connecting with locals for this event.

Being runners, we know what to expect from an event. When runners become organizers, even the minutest details are taken care of. We have been organizing events on a scale of up to 4000 runners. We also have the experience of organizing Ultra runs (3 editions of RunAddicts Ultra). Unlike other events, in RunAddicts everything is taken care of by the runners; we do not hire anyone to volunteer. This adds a sense of inclusiveness to the event.

 

The idea of providing a nature feel away from the city triggered the thought process of taking the event from RR Nagar without compromising on the ‘Tough’ part.

 

I myself was doubtful if runners would turn up if they needed to drive an hour and a half in the morning and do a HM. Mahesh said, “Let us do this even if only 50 runners turn up.” This kickstarted the proceedings for the greatest 21K we have done.

 

I had the opportunity to visit the place once but, in a vehicle, and knew of the hardships a runner must go through while running here. I had a taste of this when I did the Anchetty 115K cycle ride around the vicinity.

 

This being a RunAddicts exclusive event promoting the causes of “Educating a Rural Child” and “Fitness for All,” this is another non-commercial event, all the event organized from the registration cost. A few partners did their services without charging us for the great bond we have developed over the years.

We followed the “Vocal for Local” in the true sense by sourcing local vendors for the event breakfast and other needs.

 

The localities were supportive of our event and there was excitement all around us.

 

Event Day:

 

 

August of this year has been particularly blissful with the rains and good weather. We couldn’t have asked for a better day for the run.

 

We had a great response from RunAddicts and their friends in registrations for the run. This one being an exclusive RunAddicts event, our team didn’t disappoint us and registered in great numbers. Although we had another event coinciding with ours, we had ~150 registrations. The ones who didn’t sign up would have surely regretted it.

 

The parking was carefully planned and had sufficient space for everyone.

As usual, this was a green event with only reusable items and no plastic whatsoever.

 

The setting had all the sense of an Ultra; we were pampered with pre-race delicacies of toast, coffee, tea, etc.

 

0 to 5km: Don’t fall for the bait!

 

The race began promptly at 6:30 am. The race took us off-road. The air was clean, and the sounds of the birds and steps of fellow runners were a treat to hear. It took us through a rolling terrain with overnight rain causing a few slippery stretches. We navigated cautiously through them. I had the company of Yash, who promised to stick together the entire run. Also, the likes of other amazing runners. The legs were fresh, and we decided to either not over speed or be slow. Just take it km by km. We had an aid station at 2.5 and 5 km.

 

At the 5th km, the climb took the better of us, it was time to walk. In a road race, some of them usually run fast initially and tire out but here the race director didn’t give that option. He tired out everyone. This gave us a trailer of what to expect for the rest of the run.

 

5km to 10km: A 10K run would have been good?

 

Searching for a target was the tough part of this run, it was just about enjoying what shows up. The route was beautiful, passing through a couple of villages, fields all across. 

A few occasional dogs showed up and reminded us to speed up. The 6th and 8th km were probably the toughest, thanks to some juices left in the legs and the aid station at the 7th km, we could climb these and sweat out.

 

10km to 15km: Calm before the storm!

 

This was probably the best part of the run with good drops and lungs took a break from the huffs and puffs. It was a well-tarmacked stretch with villagers cheering us and every 2 km served with the best of delicacies any run would offer. The natural protein bars and laddus were mouthwatering. The photographers stationed at strategic locations made us climb up a few hills to show up a good pose. The route marking was top-notch with no incident of any runner wandering away.

 

15km to 21km: Your ego takes a break and the run makes you grounded 😊

 

This is the point of time, you are not sure what to expect from the run. Your legs are crying but the mind wants to finish it. A good part about this run, it makes you cautious, you know you do not want to push as a hill might be just around the corner. This is what makes the runners fall in love with distance running, it is all about strategy and having a great day out there. You pass one runner, another passes you, you cheer both. That’s the beauty of RunAddicts; we celebrate each other’s success and take pride in each other’s victory.

 

The 18th and 20th km felt like they would never end but again we were blessed with an aid station at the 19th km. 

The volunteers are the first winners of this run, followed by the runners. Showing up early and cheering from the first to the last runner is not an easy affair.

 

The last km was a drop and brought a smile to everyone’s face. It concluded yet another RunAddicts run but etched in our memories forever.

 

This run reflected where we stand physically and mentally. It was a good pause to reflect on the journey of the self and appreciate the beautiful life God has given us.

 

Post-run included a sumptuous meal and nothing short of an extravaganza with a few singing and entertaining. Thanks to every volunteer and runner who helped us pull this off.

 

Thanks to all our partners who supported us.

 

Social Cause Partner: Connectivity Solutions

Location Partner: Simha Estates

Medical Partner: PES Institute of Medical Sciences and Research

Energy Partner: Fast&Up

Time Partner: Racetime India

Event Partner: Maple Events

Physio Partner: Wellness Sports Inc.