Delhi Half Marathon

Life becomes beautiful when challenges are thrown onto our own self and you come out winning it in the end. One such challenge I undertook recently thought of sharing it with you all.
I finally took the successful attempt at running a Half Marathon. It gives immense happiness as I write this blog amidst cramps and pains in all recognizable and unrecognized parts...
Two days before marathon on 7th of Nov I went to the expo organized by the promoters to collect by running kit. The organizer have done fabulous job on promoting the cause. Write from fitness tips to selection of right kind of running gears to the survivor tips for the race day. Awareness on who can run and why running is best exercise to remain fit (with least dependence and expense)
The exposure to running is something which is natural to me. I run when I am not in a good mood, I run when I am happy I just love to be on the field and enjoy the rhythm of my heart and sweat. And 21 km seems fun
Finally on the race day 9th nov , I woke up at 5 got ready for my running dash and woke up my father to drop me at the venue..
I was at venue at 6:30 AM. The temp was just right for running it was low won humidity and 18 degree Celsius with little breeze.
Once again the organizer was impressive, people who know Delhi would agree that under this sort of event the chaos of parking, finding the venue, lack of utilities and organization on whole is a miss, but here everything was very well organized with excellent parking management, Crew helping with any query and guidance req.
I was waiting for the bell to go live for running. Was little intimidated with the talk around me, ppl practicing for month on fitness and coaching, and here I was who thought running in jogger parks for 15-20 min is good enuf.
With 7:30 on clock the bell suddenly comes alive and all of us were cheered by the bollywood celebrities and audience to run for glory.
I had focused on two basic strategies to tackle this challenge, is to find for natural rhythm for running and maintain it for the rest of the race or as far as I can manage. Second to compete with my own self.
I started with nice pace to warm up and once 3 km mark was crossed I was running at pace where I covered 1 km every 6 th min. there was water and refreshments boot at every kilometer mark water was availed both in plain and glusoced version along with cookies too.
I participated alone so had a complete focus on my running. While at 7th Km mark suddenly a platoon of CISF joined they were very peppy and singing songs all the while, I happened to join them for a while ... it pepped up my pace too
I managed to reach 14 Km mark in 82th minute from the start time... was little exhausted so stopped for my first break and decided to have small sips of water. They decision proved to be fatal as I gulped down entire 250 ml of water... and it become difficult to run at my pace now .. I walked for 5 mins and poured another bottle of water (this time on my head..) and started running again towards the finish line
I was completely drained with any ounce of energy left within me. I slowed down and kept running towards the line, suddenly a van van in front of us guiding us towards the finish line announces that the finish line is 1.5 km away.. I mustered all the strength I can and followed the van
Eventually I covered the finish line at 142 minute and 29 sec and managed to finish in 2hr 22 min and 29 sec
They were distributing medals and certificates for all the finishers but my instincts made to run towards the refreshments counter had a package handed over to me with 2 bananas and apple and a pack of very Indian Tiger biscuits I ate all of it in flat 5 mins and found myself standing again in line for another one ... gulped down that one too in no time...
Finally collected my certificate and medal. I boarded the Shuttle bus service organized by the organizers and came back home.....
It’s a great feeling now having learned that I covered 21.09 km in 2 hr 22 min time now I have a benchmark for me to break in next race....

Between Devil and Ditch

Struggle between self esteem and cravings
Often there are situations that force one to pick between the choices of self esteem and cravings. It could vary from choice of color of car esteem J , should it be that metallic grey or apple red, to choice of remaining loyal to one partner to multiple engagements.
The eternal conflict between self esteem and cravings are much more gruesome. Everyday we phase these challenges, be it be travelling in DTC bus where one sees a ladies seat vacant and immediately jumps towards it, only later to be evacuated by much humiliation by women from Najafgarh decent.
So often we are lured by the cravings that we commit ourselves to carnal clinging, which result in immediate gratifications. We overlook the internal cry and give a damn about long term results and repercussions. The shear wildness and excitement overpower all reasons and give stroke to that boldness from within. However the outcome is perishable and devastating in long-term. And on the other hand the self esteem with no immediate results and as a medicine calls for serious sacrifices. They are painful choice and often make you ponder, so as to why I have chosen that path. But the results are much more wholesome and results in great satisfaction which are less perishable in nature.
The choice of self esteem demands persistency. It’s similar to walking on tight rope with a fine balance in hand. The shear difficulty in pursuing it offends majority of us from thinking in that direction. Mother Nature has her own rewards for individuals who do that. And truly as mother forgives its son if he succumbs to the carnal tingling, but the son has to admit it mistake and pledge not to falters in future.
The whole feelings are coming from experience rather than as some intellectual debate. I have committed mistake innumerous time so as I have lost count. And the times I have kept my self esteem higher are fewer and thinner. But the shear impact of those few scattered moments are so overwhelming that it feels like a holy dip in Ganga. When you have a choice between getting easy reward from your lady boss with a little tip from your side. To be it be get an entrance in medical college without any illegitimate interventions. To the time, when after a party your fellow colleague is drunk and she becomes easy target for you and you keep your sanity in place and not repent on that later.
Off late my inclination towards self esteem was increasing. I got in touch with vipassna which helped me keep my gravity. People around me felt the difference and I noticed it in my own reactions. I became more “neat” guy.
But now this self esteem and neat guy image is killing me instead and make me feel more sinner than I was.
This whole self esteem exercise seems to be a worldly recognition and the urge for recognition is overpowering that alchemist feeling that I once had. It make me feel at the starting of vicious circle.
What has happened, how can I achieve that alchemist feeling and still loose it in due course?
The thoughts took me to next level and the more analysis dawn the realization that the Ego has taken over self esteem and took over all the charm. The once pure self esteem is now a pseudo- self esteem a sister cousin of carnal clinging this sister cousin is more powerful and stronger too.
This made me to find the cause of such debate. What is origin of that behavior and how that choice decision is taken? The first argument that came to my mind was Moral Values. Which to an extent depend on your upbringing and previous karmas.
But a more deep analysis reveals that all moral values are chronous in nature and keep reinventing themselves from era to era. How can they be an answer to it? It has to be more fundamental and achronous in nature. Felling that is not affected by time.
The answer to that came from nature itself. It’s the pleasure of living with laws of Mother Nature that makes you follow the path is self esteem. The excitement of living in harmony with your own self makes the alchemist thing come back to you. It would be always be contemporary in nature and will never loose its foundations
Its will lead to your own path for salvation
It allows one to experiment
It allows one to make mistakes
It allows one to accept them
It allows one to improve on them
It allows one to life with head held high …that’s self esteem

And like all practices it makes a better man out of a human being. It still leaves the scope to experiment with carnal cravings and natural urges. At the end it will be you as an individual who will come out winning.