The legend has it that in the year 490 BC the
Persians tried to invade Greece. The war was fought between the citizens of
Athens and a mighty Persian army in the battlefields of Marathon. The Greek
army decisively defeated the more numerous Persians. The news of victory was
instantly shared with Athenians by WhatsApp. It was instantly a worldwide top
trend over the twitter, Instagram was flooded with gruesome picture of
mutilated Persian soldiers. Oh! sorry there was no internet back then, not even
telephone or a radio. So, they used their own fastest mode of communication.
Pheidippides. No, it’s not an app. He was a human being, just like you and me, who was tasked to run from Marathon to Athens and share the good news with the Spartans. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly “Joy to you, we have won.” And then and there he died breathing his last breath with the words “joy to you “. The joy experienced by him was not just of the victory of Greeks over Persians but must also have been intensified by what is called as the runners high. Simply put, it is the happy feeling we experience when we run. But those who have experienced this state of pure bliss also call it fulfillment, zero gravity, invincibility and even Nirvana. Who wouldn’t want to nirvana? And who wouldn’t want nirvana for free? So did I. The day I learned about this free high I started reading everything about it.
Pheidippides. No, it’s not an app. He was a human being, just like you and me, who was tasked to run from Marathon to Athens and share the good news with the Spartans. It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly “Joy to you, we have won.” And then and there he died breathing his last breath with the words “joy to you “. The joy experienced by him was not just of the victory of Greeks over Persians but must also have been intensified by what is called as the runners high. Simply put, it is the happy feeling we experience when we run. But those who have experienced this state of pure bliss also call it fulfillment, zero gravity, invincibility and even Nirvana. Who wouldn’t want to nirvana? And who wouldn’t want nirvana for free? So did I. The day I learned about this free high I started reading everything about it.
The scientists
have found out that during long runs our brain pumps out endorphins and
endocannabinoids which make us happy, relive pain and just lift our mood.
I just had to try this out. I had a huge advantage with me. I live just next to
the only clean lake they still have left in Bangalore. The first day I tried
running I couldn’t even run for a single minute. I was completely out of
breath. Exhausted. I looked around me, the lake has a beautiful park and it is
littered with joggers every morning. I saw a group of Uncles at least 6 of
them, all out of shape, all 40 plus, jogging comfortably chatting with each
other. I thought how is this even possible? They went past me. I sat on the
nearest bench. A few minutes passed, and this group of uncles returned going
all the way from the other end of the park. This park is huge. From one end to
other it is well over a kilometer. I was just sitting there and saw them
going past me again and again. I had to find out how can these people run miles
with no effort and I couldn’t even do a few meters. I started reading more
about running and stumbled upon a program called Couch to 5K. It is a fantastic
program designed to get anyone, including people like me who have no running
experience, from couch to running 5km or 30 minutes in 9 weeks. I decided to
give it a try. First couple of weeks I struggled, somehow managed to do half of
what was asked. Then I went home for a vacation and my first attempt to C25K
was over, so my passion for running, at least for a while. I was still going to
the park in the morning just to enjoy the cool morning breeze. I was still
seeing people running miles and secretly having a nirvana. Slowly the latent
desire sparked again, and I started my second attempt. Failed again. And again.
Every couple of weeks I would follow the program and other couple of weeks I
would be too lazy to even get up from the bed. However slowly I graduated to
week 5 of the program, not in 5 weeks, may be in a year altogether. This week 5
is the biggest hurdle. Up until week 4 the program only asks you to run
for at most 5 to 7 mins at a stretch. But in week 5 you have to run a full 20
minutes non-stop. I was pretty confident that I will fail miserably. I will at
most run 10 min and then will be looking for the nearest bench to catch my
breath. Anyways, I thought let’s do it, let’s see how far I can go. Guess
what?? To my utter astonishment, I ran for a full 20 mins non-stop. I was
exhausted, but I was in a bliss. I had my nirvana.
Now I can run 10Ks with ease, I have
participated in a 10k race. I have got a medal too. My first ever medal in
athletics. And so far, I have done a maximum of 15k nonstop run.
