Ops i did it again!!

I ran One thousand kilometres this year.. Again after 2017.

Although in a different context. Completely different circumstances (to say the least) this year. But as with the last time, incredible experience and lots of learnings. So here I am, sharing my story of running another 1000 kms in 2020.

This one starts from the 1st lockdown, sometime late March, when the Squash scene came to an abrupt disruption. Until then, running wasn't on the agenda at all. Along with the lockdown, came work from home for both of us. Plus online classes for Maahi (7) and Naina (3) at the same time. You know how chaotic it would have become. The rigour of it all made you want to step out for some fresh air.

One of Maahi's (my elder one) friends had started cycling and we thought it might be a good opportunity for her to learn cycling as well. And that way ill get my legs moving a bit too. In about 4-6 weeks we had started going for small stretches (couple of Kms) and thats how running started in Q2 this year.

Maahi broke for her summer break in July. We wanted her to continue cycling so that she builds some strength and stamina during her break. To ensure she remains committed to the cause, we agreed to raise money for a charity through cycling 200 Kms during her summer break. That’s when the running scene became serious for me.

Converting her goal into a charity challenge made it fun for both of us. Charity goal also removed any doubt either of us had to be able to finish on time. She finished with a couple of weeks to spare. Raised way more than her target. She was (and continues to be) very proud. Someone who had just learnt cycling a couple of months back, to be able cycle 200km in 2 months was a big deal. But I think she was proud for the fact that she was raising money for such a great cause (GOSH - Hospital for children with brain cancer).

#1: If you want to do something big, attach a purpose to it. It takes the hesitation out of the equation and ensures you stay on course.

Thanks to Maahis cycling effort, I had run a couple of hundred kilometres by the end of Summer. I think the effort was just enough to prompt me to take it to some sort of conclusion. That’s when I thought of taking it all the way to a 1000kms for the year.

#2: Once you are invested into something over a couple of months, putting in physical hours, you feel naturally motivated to take it some sort of logical conclusion.

This was a tall ask considering it meant you had to run over 600km in 4 months. If I had not run a thousand kilometres in a year earlier in my life I may not have had the courage to consider doing such a thing. What also helped was that I knew a colleague in Matthias, who would run 10kms everyday (TBH he is much fitter though :)). I had to do only half.

#3: You never know where could your next inspiration come from. Important to keep your eyes & mind open.

Having decided this for myself, I thought it was only customary to ask my 2017 running mate, Varun, if he would be keen. He didn’t hesitate to join in.

#4: You start a good thing. People around you feel naturally motivated to join in.

Armed with energy of a new and exciting challenge, I was tempted to go all but like in all big projects, you need to find the right balance between ambition and delivery. The approach was simple, you have finite number of running days remaining in the year and you have to come up with an optimum running rhythm. You have to account for days you can’t run because of rest days, work pressures, weather, travel, illness etc. I tried all sorts of combinations from shorter more frequent runs to longer more infrequent ones. It didnt take long to discover that ‘10k x 4 a week’ suited me the best .

#5: Any big project will need a lot of hard work, that too, over a sustained period of time. It’s critically important to discover your own ‘running pace’ balancing ambition and delivery.

Months of September, October and November saw most of the grunt work leaving a manageable 100km for Dec. During this time there was a down time for a couple of weeks (Rajinder fell ill, I was down myself for a few days). I had to course correct a few times to stay on course but no point did the remaining challenge look impossible.

Having said that, I have to be honest here to admit that there were days (cold and wet) where thoughts of abandoning crossed my mind more than once. But perhaps I didn’t want to let my running partner down and also having completed over two-thirds you just couldn't leave it incomplete (#2).

#6: Sharing your challenge with other people will help in quelling any doubts that might come up in your journey. Needless to say it will make the whole challenge experience way more fun and exciting.

By December the finishing line was in sight. It was was quite easy and relaxed, in the end.

Running 1000kms this year is a huge personal achievement. And i am so glad I went for it. Apart from its obvious fitness benefits, It kept me sane in a year which was anything but. It may not be a coincidence that I had a fantastic year at work as well.

Now, normally this would be a good enough outcome of a year's worth of effort. But you think, what if your effort could help someone else as well. I remember how happy Maahi is, even to this day, of having raised some money for the hospital through her effort. Incidentally, sometime in December I learnt about a small community in Kenya raising money to get access to clean water (thank you Stephen). Such a basic necessity in life. I have to be honest, being able to help them with a small donation somehow felt way more gratifying than running those kilometres for myself, which brings me to my last and perhaps most important learning of all.

#7: There is great joy in doing something for yourself, even greater to do it for family & friends but perhaps the greatest of all is to do it for someone needy, who you might not even know.

With that I am signing off for the year.

What a year 2020 was. I am so glad I made something out of this year and I hope I do something more in 2021. I hope you do too.

Wishing you merry Xmas and a fantastic 2021.

Cheers!!

Sharing the link (you will need to paste it in your browser), if you are keen to help the Kenyan community, I was referring to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/t8nys-walking-for-water