On 25 August this year, I ran my first half marathon. I had tears as I crossed the finish line at the Gachibowli stadium in Hyderabad. It was a pleasant morning with cool breeze and an overcast weather to rescue. Though I felt I strugled towards the end. I finished with a better timing than I hoped for.

Why did it all start?

Around Novermber 2023, we were planning to go for a trek. My eyes were set on Bali Pass trek which was of difficult level. Eligibility criteria at India Hikes stated that one should be able to run 10km within 60 minutes. This was beyond imagination for someone who struggled to run even 1km at a stretch before having to stop and catch breath.

At around that time, I also came across this book "Outlive" by Peter Attia. Among other things, there is one chapter in this book which caught my eyes - "The Centenarian Dacathlete". In summary, this is what Peter Attia says one should think about their long term health goals: Suppose one gets to an age of 100, what 10 things one would hope to be able to do? For example, such a list may include, if one were to be realistic, tasks such as

• Walk 2km a day without any aid

• Lift 2kg weight and place it on a shelf above the head

• Climb 10 steps

and so on. You get the idea.

Now, not all of us, or most of us would live to be 100 years old. So, let's say, we live to cut our 70th birthday cakes. What would we want to be able to do? How do we define our "good health" at that age? Saying that I want to be "healthy" is too vague to be useful. What do we envision for ourselves?

For example, my father, who is of 71 years old of now, walks about 8 to 9km every day, carries groceries of 4 to 5kg for about 2km, goes on about his day without anyone's help. This is good considering he has lived most part of his life in a village, without much polution, eating mostly what was grown in his backyard or own farm, doing physical work in the farm. In his heydays, he could carry 25kg rice bag for as far as 10km over his head.

So, I thought to myself that I, one who has a desk job, spends most of one's time sitting in one place, eats junk day in day out, enjoys almost all forms of physical comfort money could buy, cannot hope to lead such a life when I get to be 70 years old, if I get to be. I have to change my lifestyle. But, if I have to be able to run a 10km run or hike up a hill when I am 70 years old, then I have to change my lifestyle drastically. Anything less than that will not cut it.

To simply put it, in Peter Attia's own words, the longer one lives heathily, the healther lifestyle one had.

Also, around the same time I started working with this lady who runs full marathons; has been running for over 10 years. She was the Architect for the team I was working for. When someone asked her how she does it despite having a full time job and a small kid, she said, if one planned ones training and trained consistently, anyone could do it. At that moment, I asked myself "What's my excuse to not do it?"

So, I decided I would keep running, if not for the sake of trekking, at least for my own good, for the sake of my 70 year old self or even older one.

How did I start it?

I had been using Adidas Running app for quite some time. I mostly used it to track my cycling which was not so regular anyway. They have a free "5km walk to run" training plan. This was perfect. One fine morning, I took the initial test which was to run for 500 meters as fast as I thought I could maintain. Using that data, it generated a training plan of 12 weeks. Good thing was I had to run just 3 days a week. And, after 12 weeks, I would be able to run a 5k!

This was great for me. Till now, I had always heard people telling me that to develop some new habits, one has to do it every day for 40 days, 21 days and so on. And if you could not do it for 21 days, you were hopeless, nothing could be done about you! This might work for many. But not for all.

Consistency does not mean "every single day". It can be as frequently as you chose it to be. Just that, do not keep them too far apart lest you forget that you are training. Also, when you set the bar too high for yourself, not being able to meet the bar registers as "failures" in your brain. Many such failures, and you will stop doing the activity altogether. So, the trick is in keeping it as frequently as it is comfortable for you but a little more challenging such that it is not impossible to meet the bar most of the times and also not too easy to do it that it becomes boring. Every small win counts and becomes a motivation to do the activity again.

So, a training plan in which I had to run only 3 days a week was just the right one for me. I felt I could stick to it. And I did.

By first week of February 2024, I completed my first training and I could run 5km under 30 minutes. Soon after that, I took the 10k traning plan. On 18 February 2024, I ran my first 10k during one of the training sessions. I punched in the air and was overcome with joy as my watch buzzed to mark 10km. On 10 March 2024, I ran my first official timed 10k (Karnataka Police Golden Jubille Run in Bengaluru) in 54 minutes. I was qualified to go on that Bali Pass trek though I chose to go on a different one later.

By May this year, I started training for Half Marathon and ran my first one at NMDC Hyderabad Marathon on 25 August 2024.

Running was not cheap

It is cheap, if you want to do "naked runs"! By naked I do not mean stripping one's own clothes off and running. I mean, runnng without tracking or training specifically for longer runs etc.

But me being me, who measures more than he does things, was happy with holding a mobile phone and running in the beginning. Soon, it became a nuisance. So, I got a waist pouch to carry the mobile phone. Mobile was required because it would shout out the instructions about next lap, pace for the lap etc. But, when I carried it my pouch, I could not hear them anymore. So, I had to buy a pair of earpods. Wired earphones were clumpsy, yikes!

But then I saw all runners had a Garmin watch. I wanted that too. I would be free from having to carry anything. So, Garmin Forerunner 55 was brought by my dear sister-in-law when she travelled from Malaysia to India in January this year. This costed a hefty INR 16000 (7000 less than if I were to buy it here in India).

So far, I was running on a pair of regular sports shoes. The day I ran about 8km, I got blisters on my toes. I asked my colleague about it. She declared I needed a good pair of shoes. Being a long time runner, she did not shy away from suggesting some good brands. So, I went and bought a pair of Asics Evoride Speed which has foam cushions. This came at a cost of INR 5000.

One always wants better things. I am no exception. Garmin Forerunner 55 did not offer strength training workouts on the watch, nor a Triathlon or 100 other things which I convinced myself that I needed. Convincing myself was at all difficult. But, convincing my wife was which was done after the fact. So, I asked one of my friends who was travelling from US to get a Garmin Forerunner 255! This reduced my bank balance by around INR 27000 while the Forerunner 55 happily rests on my wife's beautiful wrist!

What changed because of running?

In Atomic Habits, James Clear talks about something called a 'cornerstone habit'. A habit around which ones whole routine is formed. I see my wife and for her it is her yoga practices. Everything else of her day is planned around this. Timing of her meals, bed time, wake up times, what kind of foods she eats, where she chooses to travel and at what times depend on whether and how she can practice her yoga. I feel, running, in a way has become like that for me over past 7 8 months.

I have to go running early in the morning before the traffic starts. To be able to train effectively, I had to have sufficient sleep. Else, I noticed, I struggled to complete the training. If I ate too much of oily food the previous day, I struggled to run. So, I had to make conscious choices about what I eat, when I eat, my sleep etc. I started eating my night meal earlier than I used to. Stopped screen time at night except when I have to be on meetings. Decided not to eat deep fried foods outside to improve my training. Started yoga practices, body weight training to build strength.

If you anyway want to give it a shot, why not give your best?

So, one habit, running, is shaping my day for most part. And for good, I believe.

I hope to keep this for as long as possible. Some time next year, I want to finish a full marathon. And a couple of years down the line, may be an Ultra Marathon of 50k or 75k. Though, winning finisher medals at various marathons is a motivation to keep a specific training plan, the "Centenarian Decathlete" is still the bigger motivation behind all this.

PS: Today being Ganesh Chaturthi, I ate a lot of deep fried, home made delicacies. Lest Lord Ganesha may get angry. So, with his blessings, I will go for a long tomorrow and shed those calories.