Running

On April 28 2024, my husband of five years, Arjun, and I ran the TCS 10K. It felt fulfilling, yet exhausting. Pretty unconventional to celebrate our marriage anniversary but nothing seemed 'more' apt for ours - we met as part of our running group in college, he's been my "sole" partner for years, and he pushed me to do my first half marathon earlier and even though we have different paces when running long distances, it's ok. We always meet at the end with happy smiles.

And, this got me thinking why running long distances is therapeutic for me and for many others that I know. And, why I enjoy it so much.

- Beating Burnout: I have been reading Hidden Potential by Adam Grant, which explains why hobbies are so important for us, especially when it comes to beating burnout. Running long distances helps develop this flow state, which hobbies enable us to. 

- The Marathon Mindset: In this day, where there's an impatience to everything we want to do and get instantly, we're often taught to move fast; make things happen. There, you are running a sprint, but you should be running a marathon. A marathon requires patience, practice and sustaining motivation.

- Partnership and The Vibes: I have been very lackadaisical in my fitness goals this year, and I wouldn't have done this without my focused running partner. The vibe/environment created by well-organised runs such as Procam help you achieve what you didn't think you could, it's a vibe and a festival. That's what happens with good partners (cofounders), teams and an enabling organisational culture.

“Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It’s the easiest sport.” - Bill Rodgers,  American runner, Olympian, and former record holder in the Boston marathon