Musings
After my 30K 10 days back, I decided to reward myself with a couple of ales with a friend. As we waited for a table at the bar, the discussion inevitably circled back to why I run. And why I run so much. To be honest, sometimes I don't know. Other times, the goal helps me focus. I'm the sort of person who needs a goal to constantly work towards. So I told my friend that I had some goals to achieve, some dreams even. When prodded further, I was honest and said that my dream was to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Now, ask any runner worth his or her salt and they will most likely tell you a seemingly impossible, fantastic dream they wish to live. Upon hearing of just how difficult it is to qualify for Boston (someone my age must run a marathon in a time of 3:15 to enter the draw), my friend burst out laughing saying it would never happen. I sipped my ale and said you have to dream.
It is precisely at moments like these that I understand in a very simple way why I run. It opens up possibilities. It allows for dreams. It helps you see that your destiny is indeed truly in your own hands. It makes you realise the only barriers are those of your own creation. That there really are no limits. And any limits are in your mind.
If I had met myself in 2004 when I was a happy, obese, fun-loving 23 year old and someone pointed at me and said, "hey look..that kid, he's going to run a marathon some day" I would have burst out laughing. If that same someone had said I would run a 50K Ultra I would have probably just rolled my eyes and walked away. But it happened. It's real. It happened because I dreamt. It happened because I wanted to live that dream. And I made it happen. If you had met me 5 months ago and I had said to you, "hey you know I am going to try and run a full marathon in 5 months, then maybe an Ultra a month after that and then maybe another full marathon 2 months after that Ultra" you would be calling my wife telling her to check me into rehab. But again, it's real. And I'm living the dream. Sometimes they come true. Sometimes not. But the truth is that if you dream it, you probably can do it. I may never run Boston but I do know at some point in my life, I'm going to give it a damn good shot.
On another connected note, I had the good fortune once again of being in the same room as Geet Sethi. He spoke about many things...about the importance of being in the "now", in the moment. About the need to be truly obsessed with a goal. About the kind of dedication one needs to have to achieve those goals. About the frivolity of material attachments and their pursuit. But mostly about the importance of mental toughness and the unwavering focus on the dream. Whatever that dream may be. He stoked the embers yet again. I won't say I felt a kinship with his approach to his sport...that would be too much of a stretch. I am not a world beater in anything. But having played 1 sport for a major part of my life and now participating in another one for the better part of 6 years, I could connect with his musings on his playing days and his dedication and the stories he shared about the dedication of one of India's greatest sportsmen Prakash Padukone. These stories are the stuff of legend. But I need to remind myself that Prakash Padukone sweated and toiled not less than 500 metres from where I grew up.
I guess the point I'm trying to emphasise to myself is that no dream is too big. It only boils down to how badly you want it.
It is precisely at moments like these that I understand in a very simple way why I run. It opens up possibilities. It allows for dreams. It helps you see that your destiny is indeed truly in your own hands. It makes you realise the only barriers are those of your own creation. That there really are no limits. And any limits are in your mind.
If I had met myself in 2004 when I was a happy, obese, fun-loving 23 year old and someone pointed at me and said, "hey look..that kid, he's going to run a marathon some day" I would have burst out laughing. If that same someone had said I would run a 50K Ultra I would have probably just rolled my eyes and walked away. But it happened. It's real. It happened because I dreamt. It happened because I wanted to live that dream. And I made it happen. If you had met me 5 months ago and I had said to you, "hey you know I am going to try and run a full marathon in 5 months, then maybe an Ultra a month after that and then maybe another full marathon 2 months after that Ultra" you would be calling my wife telling her to check me into rehab. But again, it's real. And I'm living the dream. Sometimes they come true. Sometimes not. But the truth is that if you dream it, you probably can do it. I may never run Boston but I do know at some point in my life, I'm going to give it a damn good shot.
On another connected note, I had the good fortune once again of being in the same room as Geet Sethi. He spoke about many things...about the importance of being in the "now", in the moment. About the need to be truly obsessed with a goal. About the kind of dedication one needs to have to achieve those goals. About the frivolity of material attachments and their pursuit. But mostly about the importance of mental toughness and the unwavering focus on the dream. Whatever that dream may be. He stoked the embers yet again. I won't say I felt a kinship with his approach to his sport...that would be too much of a stretch. I am not a world beater in anything. But having played 1 sport for a major part of my life and now participating in another one for the better part of 6 years, I could connect with his musings on his playing days and his dedication and the stories he shared about the dedication of one of India's greatest sportsmen Prakash Padukone. These stories are the stuff of legend. But I need to remind myself that Prakash Padukone sweated and toiled not less than 500 metres from where I grew up.
I guess the point I'm trying to emphasise to myself is that no dream is too big. It only boils down to how badly you want it.
posted by Abs @ 9:54 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home