By Vivek Vyas

Why do I run?

What are the moments of your life you still remember vividly? is the counter-question I ask when someone asks me ‘why do you run?’. Having crossed the line for over 20 Half, Full and Ultra marathons, I can relive the memory of most of them even today. The memory of crossing the line the first time is as vivid as holding my child in my arms for the first time. From the sense of achievement to an insult of DNF ( Did not finish); from the question of ‘why am I doing it? in the initial kms to the question of ‘when is the next race?’ at the finish line; from planning the entire race in the mind to one step at a time when you are almost dead, each emotion is unparalleled. The enormity of other’s efforts and yours makes you HUMBLE and RESPECT fellow beings for their efforts in running their own races. Over the last 5 years, running has got me closer to find myself and many times it helped me lose myself in ‘meditation in motion’ state.

My new found passion

Since my childhood, I was never into any sport, not even playing Chess. It all began on Oct. 2011 when a health situation of a family member pushed me to reflect on a healthy lifestyle and got me into running. Soon it became a passion taking me to different races in Mumbai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Satara, Gurgaon, Leh, and Everest base camp. Over time, I realized my interest in improving distance rather than improving timing in my pursuit of UPPING THE GAME.

Yes, I can do it

As I was struggling to improve my half marathon runs, I met my coach Raj Vadgama, an elite Ultra Runner. On the first weekend of training, he made me run 32kms from Goregaon to NCPA. He dismissed my disbelief by his classic words ‘Ho jayega’ and I to my surprise, I ended up finishing 32 Km on that day. 21Km has never been a big issue since then. I learned the simple meaning of COACHING. A coach makes you believe in yourself and then helps in achieving what you want to achieve.

” You are an inspiration “

INSPIRATION can come from anyone around you. Keep looking for the stories. Runners constantly crave inspiration to do more, better and push their limits. Watching my CEO run a half marathon was a starting point and now I find it in abundance not only from runners but even from common people around me. At times I have been the inspiration for a few. There is no greater sense of pride than hearing someone say ‘you are an inspiration’. It can do wonders for people.

Get up and show-up

After the initial years, I started enjoying the RANDOMNESS of running. I enjoy ‘being in the moment’ rather than thinking too much of the race. It has its own charm for me. I don’t plan much, just GET UP AND SHOW UP to test my mental strength. Happy with the outcome so far. Especially when it still got me into Guinness Book of Records. Looking forward to continuing the ‘Romance with Randomness’ in 2020.