Sunday, September 5, 2010

How i ran into Running...

January 1st( The year doesnt matter)
5:20 AM: I was angry, so very angry. and i wanted to take it out on someone or something... i tied my laces, walked down the Malad Hill( its the poor mans equivalent of Malabar and Pali Hill) and touched the Western express Highway... A deep breath.. Another one.. And then i started running... A blur of thoughts kept me occupied so much so that i couldnt hear the "in hibernation" heart pleading to stop. I must admit, i havent seen how Mumbai looks at that time ever. Well, to be honest i have but returning home at around 5 Am is not the same as getting up at 5 AM. Strange Na...

As i ran i alternated between phases of becoming obvious of my surroundings to being oblivious. i was aware of the darkness enveloping the Malad stretch, the pleasant cold air that hits you around the Arey Goregaon road, late night revellers drinking tea at Andheri and the Sun and the stench at Mahim but totally unaware about how i managed to miss the stretch at Jogeshwari, Vile parlet, Santacruz, Bandra etc

Just when i thought i might as well run till office at Worli, all pain came back to me in one instant and i stopped at Mahim... i took a cab back to malad.

14 kms stretch.. How did i do it.. I mean i have never run more than 3 kms in my entire life and that too because of a cross city race back in 8th grade. A day before i wouldnt have bet on myself to complete a 5 km non-stop and here i was doing a 14... So what was it that made me forget the pain on that day... a Freakish Forrest Gump kinda episode, extreme emotional upheaval.. Am still trying to figure out...

The feeling as i was returning in the cab was not describable. A feeling of relaxation, satisfaction, alertness... It was my first long run... And i knew i would run for life..

Monday, August 16, 2010

and So it Begins....

Social Embarassment is a major trigger in most of our decisions. Our decisions today are hugely influenced by our friends, acquaintances around us.

Taking this logic forward, Iam testing a hypothesis: One is more likely to stick to a resolution if lots of people know about it and failure to stick to the resolution can lead to social embarassment.
There are deeper questions one could ask: If one keeps up the resolution, is it a triumph of social networking sites or an indicator of the depths to which our individuality has been banished to... In case of failure, is the person doomed beyond hope or will he once again learn to rely on his self...

But for Now, rumbling stomach calls for cutting this monologue short and announcing the resolution to anyone who cares to read this....

"Nitin Nair promises to be Completely off Non-veg till 1st November, also intends to run the 42 km marathon in Mumbai this year"

Phew... Thats it.. Done.. Easy it was.. or was it.. I could have made a bombastic statement like Only time will tell but then unfortunately todays dinner pangs might just decide the fate of this experiment...