Sparkle

It is so to get caught up in routines or relationships without noticing that our edges are getting fuzzy or that we are forgetting the things that make us sparkle. Running is high on the list of things that return me to myself. Writing is another one. I have a couple of friends who return me to myself in a matter of moments, like a chiropractic adjustment for the soul; things crack back into rightful position. The best relationships are the ones where we are strengthened enough to take off, but whose love always beckons us back home.

Onto running! When your body is used to a certain amount of mileage like mine is; running is alot more mental than it is physcial. My body has learnt to perform even when it doesnt feel like it and is always enough in shape to be able to clock double digits every single day. When the mind is tired however, it is so unbelivably difficult to get going. I knew I wasnt tired yesterday, but my legs just refused to perform. I made a deal with myself - go out for a mile and see how you feel. I went for 1.8 miles before bagging it. No regrets!

This morning I buckled down and ran on the treadmill for 24kms. Took me 1.59 minutes. Goodtimes!

I procrastinated for a whole hour this morning before dragging my azz to the gym. 11 boring boring kms on the dreadmill. I wish I had someone on the machine next to me so atleast I have some competition! Anyway, it took me 52 minutes.

P.S. 'At my most beautiful' by R.E.M. Forgot how great this song is. Reminds me of a time when R.E.M was worth listening to.

80 sweaty minutes on the stairs this am - I'm getting better at this. I keep it fun and interesting by mixing it up - almost like a ladder workout.

I shall leave you with something I found insanely funny this morning (almost feel like I'm a 15 year old boy - I eat like one, might as well have a sense of humour like one). Anyway, some dude from nearby introduced himself - I shall spare you the details but his last name was Dikshit. Heehee. Get it? We do have some funny names in our part of the world :-)

Running makes the world a smaller place.

When life gets overwhelming, it helps to break it down into parts - compartments. I realised something this morning: most of my life (and yours too), atleast three quarters of it, can fit into a single training run. In about 90 minutes, I could circle the entire universe of my adolescence. In November, a day before my wedding, I went for a run outside. Note that I got married in Bombay and India isnt the easiest country to navigate being on your feet! Once again I realised how humbling running can be - I'd grown up thinking that the walk from my house to school was a tremendous hike. Turns out it was barely a mile.

The seemingly epic bike ride from home to the shop that sold my favorite 5 stars? That was half a mile. In fact, I discovered to get the miles I needed, I had to circumnavigate every neighbourhood I used to hang out in. Inside a 11 mile loop I fit:
My pre-school, grade-school, the houses of all my childhood friends, the public park where I learnt to swing on a swing-set, the church I hung out at where all the cute boys went (I was 12!!), etc etc. At first, this was scary. 75% of my life took place inside that training run. Later on however, I realised there was a bright side and it was this - running breaks down barriers.

All of these landmarks once seemed worlds apart. But when you learn to run, you learn that you can conquer any length with enough persistence and time (perhaps less time if there are jalebis at the end - *sigh*).

Distances that were unfathomable simply become new challenges. Hard long runs make short easy runs easier and shorter. Your perception of what is far changes. What used to be a whole mile away becomes something that is just 10-15 easy minutes down the road.

When you see just how those feet can take you, this small world becomes even smaller.

I found a 1km path and went back and forth 10 times for a 45 minute 10k. I didnt push myself at all - it felt easy and natural.

Mondaily and a recipe.

I clocked in the equivalent of 15 miles on the stairs this morning - decided to strap on my garmin just to have numbers that I can record on my spreadsheet. Super geeky - I know! Anyway, it said I burned 1200 calories and I was correct - I mainly stay in the anaerobic zone which means this body burns carbs, not fat. This is fine with me since the aerobic zone feels like I'm barely moving. I was working for 132 minutes. Came back home and jumped into a freezing cold shower. I live in Delhi at the moment and we are into spring - cold, sunny mornings, warm afternoons and nippy evenings. Perfect running weather! I'm not confident enough to step out yet - its only been 5 days, but I will soon. I also jumped rope for 8 minutes. Love it!

The house is equipped with just bare essentials; especially the kitchen. I couldnt bear another day of an unsatisfying breakfast, so this is what I did! I drained 2 cups of yogurt last night in a cloth to drain out the water. This morning I had something that resembled cream cheese. I added a touch of sugar (or equal for those that use it - you know who you are!!), topped it with marmalade I made 6 months ago and a handful of mixed nuts that I caramalized with honey (boil some honey in a small pan and add nuts). So easy, so yummy and if you want to be fancy you can call it a 'yogurt parfait'.

Thats all I have this monday: 700 stair repeats, followed by 8 minutes of jump rope.