Running Ruminations
“Dust in the wind. All we are is dust in the wind”
It’s been a little over a year and 3600+ km since I started running regularly again and I wanted to pen down a few thoughts about this experience. In the past during my years in the SF Bay Area, I really enjoyed the weekend hiking/running amongst so many wonderful trails like Rancho San Antonio, Shoreline, Mission Peak, etc. When I returned to Hyderabad more than 14 yrs ago these outdoor activities came to a grinding halt. Accessibility to outdoor trails is a challenge here but I also got very busy with work at my startup. Long hours at work and frequent travel pretty much caused severe deterioration in my overall health and fitness.
Old lower back and knee injuries flared up again and I ended up getting an ACL operation done about 9 years back. But frequent bouts of back pain was a major concern and in Oct 2018 things got really bad. My disc popped (L4-L5) and I was in pain and literally on the bed for 2–3 months due to severe sciatica. Based on the MRI, my neurosurgeon suggested I go for surgery but I wanted to try other options first including physiotherapy, massages, etc. Nothing worked and I ended up getting the discectomy. Though the sciatica pain went away immediately after the surgery, it was a slow and long recovery process. Luckily through rehab and physio I was able to get back to a normal routine within a few months after the surgery.
Once Covid struck, like most other companies we went completely remote. During this time I started to increase my daily walks and I was averaging 12000+ steps a day. It helped that I could take a lot of internal meetings/concalls during these walks!
Getting 12k-14k steps a day via walking in a small neighbourhood park was getting a bit monotonous and it needed 2+ hours of commitment every day which I usually broke up into morning and evening sessions. I gradually started to add some running into my daily schedule. I was very apprehensive initially as to what toll it would take on my back but fortunately my back was holding up very well.
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Luckily for me a nice new 3.8 km loop walking/running trail was constructed at Durgam Cheruvu (Secret Lake) which is just 5 mins away from my home. The iconic cable-stayed bridge towering above the trail is a perfect juxtaposition of the modern amongst the surrounding beautiful ancient Deccan rocks that are millions of years old. The lake and surrounding greenery is home to a lot of birds including peacocks which makes running on the trail even more pleasant.
After the initial couple of weeks of walking/running, I quickly ramped up my daily runs covering close to 7–8 kms. There was a pushback from my body and it let me know through some knee pain (infamous runner’s knee!) that I was probably ramping up too fast. So I started listening to my body more closely and slowed down whenever there was a pushback. Luckily the pain subsided and I continued to ramp up my mileage and in a couple of months I was doing 3 loops (11+ km) comfortably daily in 65–70 minutes. I’ve tried to run everyday and have been averaging close to 70–80 km per week. Only times I’ve missed these morning runs were either due to travel or other schedule conflicts. My longest unbroken streak at Durgam Cheruvu was 29 days which I achieved last September.
The best thing about running outdoors in a city like Hyderabad is that it can be done year-round as there are no weather constraints (assuming you’re running early in the mornings) — summer, monsoon or winter seasons! Running through the monsoon months in the rains is just a special feeling with the temperature being perfect unlike the bone-chilling experience of running during the rains in Northern California.
I prefer running solo and majority of my runs are solo runs but occasionally I end up running with other regulars for short durations. One such running buddy who I see almost daily is Tapan. He also has been running consistently at Durgam Cheruvu for the past couple of years and is a very cheerful person. While most runners have desk jobs, Tapan’s background is a bit unusual. He has been working as a chef at one of the popular Chinese restaurants for the past 20+ yrs. His family lives in a village in Orissa and he stays alone here and visits them for a month once a year. His day job involves standing for long hours until late in the night but yet he has prioritised running to fit it into his daily grinding schedule. He wakes up early in the morning to fit in his long runs and he tells me that he has become addicted to these morning runs and he has seen huge health improvements. His main goal currently is to save up enough money to make sure he is able to provide all financial support to his family and especially son (a class topper) who is preparing for his boards and medical entrance exams. While we take a lot of things for granted, it’s really something to see people make such hard sacrifices for their kids’ education. One of the greatest hallmarks of our civilization is that parents have always prioritized their kids’ knowledge and education above everything else — Maa Saraswati’s blessings alone will ensure that from these embers, the flame of our wounded civilization will rise and shine brightly once again.
When it comes to running gear/equipment, for me it’s just mostly the basics. Since I tend to sweat a lot during these runs, the main thing I needed to take care of was to run with clothing that can get rid of moisture as quickly as possible and prevent chafing. After some experimentation I settled on Under Armour quick dry tees and shorts. They’re a bit pricey here but really worth it for regular runners. A good pair of running shoes is obviously important to prevent leg injuries. I have flat feet and tend to overpronate so getting the right pair of running shoes was a bit tricky. After some trial and error I settled on Asics Gt-2000 10 and it has worked out very well for me. During the initial days I used to listen to books/podcasts/music during my runs. I cycled through various earphones to find the best one to handle the dripping sweat. I finally gave up listening to music/podcasts during the runs since it was turning out to be a distraction from enjoying the run itself and moreover trying to line up interesting content was getting to be an unnecessary overhead. Running being such a primordial activity is best enjoyed by taking a minimalist approach when it comes to gear/accessories.
I really didn’t set any goals or targets when I started running again last year but the streak extended from days to weeks to months and now it’s been a year! It’s become such an important ritual for me now that I try to prioritise it over anything else in the mornings. The health benefits have been huge as well with excellent RHR (in the 40s) and significant weight drop as well as a byproduct! I’ve lost 13+ kgs since I started running and overall more than 23 kgs since my peak weight before my back surgery.
Most runners have some sort of goal when they start running, either training for a 10K, half marathon, full marathon, etc. But in my case I have set no goals and in a weird way I feel like this has helped me being consistent and injury free during the past year. What motivates me is the sheer joy of having those 70+ mins of time early in the morning for oneself where you’re one with nature and it feels almost like a spiritual experience. It’s a daily chitta shuddhi or cleansing of the mind akin to a reboot before the start of the daily bustle. Overtime I’ve consciously tried to clear out all thoughts during this time and just try to focus on the moment making it almost like a daily meditative practice for me. It’s when the inner sakshi bhava animates itself and one becomes a detached observer separated from the observed.
For anyone who wants to get started running, my advice is just go for it and you’ll have no regrets! Remember consistency > intensity and just make sure you listen to your body while ramping up your mileage and enjoy the journey!
