ADHM 2017

Here are the official pictures of Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2017.

Something about me and my running or other activities. My forte is endurance and not speed. My another strong point is that I really know how to pace myself. Not bragging but this is what I am sure about. A long time ago I had decided that I am running for myself and not to compete with anyone. Whichever activity you take up, you will find people much better than you. Someone who does sub 2 in half marathon, someone who has excellent timing in full marathon, someone who does an ultramarathon, even someone who has done 100 km each in 100 days. There is just no end. So if you get in that competing mode, you kill yourself. So I decided, I will run only this much at this pace and not think about what others are doing.

There are half marathons or some other events almost every week in the city. How many can you participate in? I do not want to burn myself out. I gave myself a limit of participating in one yearly ADHM and one yearly Triathlon. That is it. I look nowhere else. In Yoga, there is no end to how flexible people can be. Splits are not my forte. So I have decided to simply enjoy what I do and not bother how good and strong people are. 

I do not want to be a part of any running group. I run and train alone. I know my pace and I design my own strategy which is very simple- I listen to my own body. I am not saying that joining running groups or training under someone is not useful. Different things work for different people. For me, it does not work. What if the group strategy is to do a long run today and I am pressed for time. Or speed run today and my body is not up to it. Probably, they are starting too early. Maybe I would get up little later and start later. I like to enjoy nature and my own company when I train. Even for the marathon, I did not run with any pacer. I did not even try to compete with any person who was ahead of me. I just focussed and did my own run. You can see in pictures below, how focused I am.

When I was about 7 years old, we used to go on a Rickshaw to school with many other children. The Rickshaw would come at a certain time. Sometimes he would come too early and sometimes too late and I would be waiting for him. One day, without asking or consulting my parents, I told that guy, "Please do not come from tomorrow to pick me up." My mother was shocked to learn that her 7-year-old kid had fired the guy. She was concerned how was I planning to go to school. I told her, I have my own bike and I will go to school on a bike. At that time, no one in my school came on a bike (cycle).  I was the only kid coming to school on the bike.  I had taken the decision myself and of course, I never regretted it. From that age till I was 15 years old, every day I enjoyed biking to and fro from school. Initially, I went alone and later a friend joined me on her bike. I did that just to have my own freedom. I wanted to have my own timing and not be dependent on the rickshaw guy. It was my way of pacing myself. Later, I got a scooter and then a car. But I never lost my independence and my freedom.

I always like to be in the driver's seat in the car. Being in the passenger seat stresses me. It is some kind of good or bad personality trait, where I like to be in control. 

The same trait applies to my running also. No running groups, no pacers- I, me, myself. I am not saying it is good or bad. But this is what works for me.