Running away from stereotypes

The Mumbai Marathon fever is back and took me down the memory lane. The 1st time I ran the half marathon it was Standard Chartered sponsored event and now it's TCS. Well thats not the only thing that has changed- I ran in 2013 , I was 29 years old and  weighed 92 Kgs (at the time of the run and weighed 95 Kg at the time I began training). There was an entire clan enrolling at workplace and it soon became a group activity …the enrolling I mean. 

My (over) weight never stopped me from trying out some physical activities like rock climbing , trekking etc. so this was just another check box I had to tick to prove my theory to myself that fitness has got nothing to do with weight. Over time I realized it's not entirely true you do need to have an optimum weight for agility. Why I have been over weight is a separate conversation. 

When I submitted my form to the concerned person she looked at me head-to-toe and said "You know this is for the 21K ...right?!"...I just nodded and left the scene. Well she was not wrong to pass judgement...I had many things going against me - Weight , Flat feet , Lack of training in running and there are many more things one can come up with!

This was perhaps one of the few activities I was invested in and had a strict schedule for over 4 Months.  My objectives were clear  - 1) Lose weight :)) 2) Mental conditioning 3) Channel my scattered energy 4) Regain self esteem 5) FOMO - even before I discovered the term to explain the feeling , like I said there were a bunch of us that year (7 newbies) who decided to run 21.01 Km 6) And last to see it through the finish line. 

I used to regularly walk and would like to believe my Pranyam helped me with a good lung capacity ...did not get tired very quickly. I started with brisk walks and gradually increased it to a km  and then 5K  and then decided to do a 10K run. I managed to finish that in 1Hr:05Mins not the most impressive timing but it told me that I could do the Half Marathon. In my head I would finish the run under 3 Hrs which was a milestone for me , but a couple of weeks before the run I decided to change my humble footwear (Nike Flex  to Asics Gel 1090) my feet really dint adjust to the new found fancy friend and the splits read : 1Hr:19 Mins (6.5 Km) | 1 Hr:39  Mins (8 Km) | 1 Hr: 59 Mins (9 Km) also, my toughest split. I learnt a lot of things about myself that day but the most important ones- 1) if I decide to I will see through the finish line and 2) I thanked my body it is stronger than we know but definitely treat it like a temple take care of it well (Every thought ,food, an intimate moment , energy you exchange be mindful of it -the body stores). Its been 10 years to this milestone , 10 years later and 10 Kgs lighter I wonder if I should train again 😇😊

She inspired me over the years http://fatgirlrunning-fatrunner.blogspot.com/

P.S: This is not a training post (I am still a beginner) but just  to tell you that do whatever makes you feel good about yourself whether someone gives you the validation or no , whether someone believes you in or not . Do not give up on yourself because a lot of people will give up on you along the way !