Getting closer to my goal. Half marathon is just 5 Kms away. And a full marathon is 27 Kms away. When will I reach 42Kms mark ?!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
dahsiN's top 10
A lot of people, friends, relatives, park joggers keep asking me, How can you run so much ? How can you pedal for so long ? Why do you have to get up so early ? Why are you doing all this to yourself ? What do you get after doing all this ?
In order to answer all the above questions, I have created my Top 10 reasons, Why I am doing all this. I will start in the reverse order,
10. When I was 20 years old weighing 73 kg, I wasted (or rather enjoyed) my time playing Quake 3. College days, played quake 3 all day and night. Food I ate was all junk, Chicken, eggs, fried rice, Noodles, and what not. At the age of 24, I was 82 and I realised where I was heading. That's when I decided to lose weight.
9. Joining a Gym, a diet program was all tried and tested, nothing worked.
8. Running at first thought, was not for me. Like others, I used to bonk in just 1 or two rounds. Others of my age, completed 5-6 rounds in ease. That made me feel ashamed of myself. One day, I don't know, what happened, This running and cycling got into me. (In Marathi, we call it "zapatne") It became my habit, that every morning, I go to the park, run at least 3 rounds and come back. I took the harder way of losing weight, Run run and run. Cycling helps build your stamina, so cycling came along.
6. Of all the people I see around, I notice, 60% are overweight, if not overweight, they have a bouncing tummy. A survey has predicted that by 2040, all the people in US will be overweight. I have made up my mind, Never in my whole life, I will become overweight again, have a tummy like that. Today, I have a massive intake of food. In order to maintain, I have to go through all this running and cycling.
5. Nobody is born strong, You have to make yourself strong. People drop their jaws when they hear about my stamina, how much I can run or pedal. (I drop my jaw when I hear about real athletes, and their stamina) You need not be this strong, but at least you should have the stamina to walk the stairs 6 floors without running out of breath. Trust me, I was one of those who would come last in a 200 mts race. Afraid of the traffic on the road. Ate chicken as if it was the last chicken left on the earth. Waited for lifts to take me to the 2nd floor. Now, I don't care if the lift works or not. going up to the 10th floor is never a problem.
Check these 3 things in life, and you will live healthy :
a. Always use the stairs. Never take the support of the handles along the stairs.
b. Sit on the floor with your legs folded. When you get up, never take help of your hands. If you already have problems getting up, I doubt, you need exercise.
c. Everybody uses shoes. Majority of them tie their shoe laces while sitting on the chair. I say DON'T DO THAT. Make it a habit to pull your socks, tie the shoe laces while you are standing.
If you follow these 3 habits, you will never have a health issue. You might also not have to read all of my dahsiN's top 10 !!!
4. These habits help me save money ! Don't believe me ? I have saved a lot ! A descent bicycle cost me 4000 rs. I have done at least 10,000 kms on it. Imagine me buying a motorcycle and riding it for, lets say 10000 Kms. I might have consumed petrol worth 12000 rs + the actual cost of the motorcycle. I can travel to any part of Bangalore on my bicycle without second thoughts. I don't keep any shame in my mind about being such a grown up, and still riding a bicycle.
3. This habit has changed my lifestyle. Earlier, I used to sleep late, get up late. With this running in my mind, I have to go to sleep early, and wake up early. And you all know the benefits of a early morning walk. These habits make me stand out in a crowd. Instead of a me being recognized as on of the millions and millions of software engineers, I am better known to people as a guy who rides a cycle to his office and does a 10K run in his free time.
2. We have a company bus to our office, One of my team mate asked me, why don't you join the bus ? You can come to office, and go back sitting peacefully. I replied, " That is what I don't want" People find it easy to board an auto, bus or accelerating a bike. Instead of the easier way, I would rather choose the harder way. Accelerating a bike is easier than pedaling a bicycle. Even for the weight loss, joining a fitness centre, paying thousands and thousands of rupees to lose weight was much easier than running. I chose the hard way to lose weight, so, weight gain for me will be harder :-)
1. People say, riding a bicycle for such a long distance is crazy stuff. Yes it is !! but only in India. In many European countries, people respect cyclists. For them, no distance is too far on their bicycles. People ask, "What pleasure do you get by doing all this to you ? " I said, "Pleasure ? I do it for the pain" Yes, its as as crazy as riding a bicycle. Like most of us, my parents have brought me up in a very simple way. No costly gifts, no un-necessary spending, no fancy clothes. When I started earning, I was living a luxurious life. A salary which my parents would not have thought of when they were of my age. A few month's salary is enough for you to forget the pains your parents had to suffer, just to give you good food, good education, and a good life. Riding a bicycle or running long distances, hurts a lot. My legs pain, my stomach pains, my back aches. Every time they hurt, it reminds me about my parents, my relatives and all the good people who came in my life. There was pain when your mom's hands burnt when she prepared food for you. There was pain when your mom was worried about your illness. There was pain when your dad had to pay donations for your admissions. There was pain when you grew up and stopped listening to what your parents said. I feel good when my runs make me hurt. Maybe this is my way of thanking my parents for all the things they did for me! This pain will not go unnoticed. In a couple of years from now, my mom will see me as a healthy, fit, and a very active son.
In order to answer all the above questions, I have created my Top 10 reasons, Why I am doing all this. I will start in the reverse order,
10. When I was 20 years old weighing 73 kg, I wasted (or rather enjoyed) my time playing Quake 3. College days, played quake 3 all day and night. Food I ate was all junk, Chicken, eggs, fried rice, Noodles, and what not. At the age of 24, I was 82 and I realised where I was heading. That's when I decided to lose weight.
9. Joining a Gym, a diet program was all tried and tested, nothing worked.
8. Running at first thought, was not for me. Like others, I used to bonk in just 1 or two rounds. Others of my age, completed 5-6 rounds in ease. That made me feel ashamed of myself. One day, I don't know, what happened, This running and cycling got into me. (In Marathi, we call it "zapatne") It became my habit, that every morning, I go to the park, run at least 3 rounds and come back. I took the harder way of losing weight, Run run and run. Cycling helps build your stamina, so cycling came along.
6. Of all the people I see around, I notice, 60% are overweight, if not overweight, they have a bouncing tummy. A survey has predicted that by 2040, all the people in US will be overweight. I have made up my mind, Never in my whole life, I will become overweight again, have a tummy like that. Today, I have a massive intake of food. In order to maintain, I have to go through all this running and cycling.
5. Nobody is born strong, You have to make yourself strong. People drop their jaws when they hear about my stamina, how much I can run or pedal. (I drop my jaw when I hear about real athletes, and their stamina) You need not be this strong, but at least you should have the stamina to walk the stairs 6 floors without running out of breath. Trust me, I was one of those who would come last in a 200 mts race. Afraid of the traffic on the road. Ate chicken as if it was the last chicken left on the earth. Waited for lifts to take me to the 2nd floor. Now, I don't care if the lift works or not. going up to the 10th floor is never a problem.
Check these 3 things in life, and you will live healthy :
a. Always use the stairs. Never take the support of the handles along the stairs.
b. Sit on the floor with your legs folded. When you get up, never take help of your hands. If you already have problems getting up, I doubt, you need exercise.
c. Everybody uses shoes. Majority of them tie their shoe laces while sitting on the chair. I say DON'T DO THAT. Make it a habit to pull your socks, tie the shoe laces while you are standing.
If you follow these 3 habits, you will never have a health issue. You might also not have to read all of my dahsiN's top 10 !!!
4. These habits help me save money ! Don't believe me ? I have saved a lot ! A descent bicycle cost me 4000 rs. I have done at least 10,000 kms on it. Imagine me buying a motorcycle and riding it for, lets say 10000 Kms. I might have consumed petrol worth 12000 rs + the actual cost of the motorcycle. I can travel to any part of Bangalore on my bicycle without second thoughts. I don't keep any shame in my mind about being such a grown up, and still riding a bicycle.
3. This habit has changed my lifestyle. Earlier, I used to sleep late, get up late. With this running in my mind, I have to go to sleep early, and wake up early. And you all know the benefits of a early morning walk. These habits make me stand out in a crowd. Instead of a me being recognized as on of the millions and millions of software engineers, I am better known to people as a guy who rides a cycle to his office and does a 10K run in his free time.
2. We have a company bus to our office, One of my team mate asked me, why don't you join the bus ? You can come to office, and go back sitting peacefully. I replied, " That is what I don't want" People find it easy to board an auto, bus or accelerating a bike. Instead of the easier way, I would rather choose the harder way. Accelerating a bike is easier than pedaling a bicycle. Even for the weight loss, joining a fitness centre, paying thousands and thousands of rupees to lose weight was much easier than running. I chose the hard way to lose weight, so, weight gain for me will be harder :-)
1. People say, riding a bicycle for such a long distance is crazy stuff. Yes it is !! but only in India. In many European countries, people respect cyclists. For them, no distance is too far on their bicycles. People ask, "What pleasure do you get by doing all this to you ? " I said, "Pleasure ? I do it for the pain" Yes, its as as crazy as riding a bicycle. Like most of us, my parents have brought me up in a very simple way. No costly gifts, no un-necessary spending, no fancy clothes. When I started earning, I was living a luxurious life. A salary which my parents would not have thought of when they were of my age. A few month's salary is enough for you to forget the pains your parents had to suffer, just to give you good food, good education, and a good life. Riding a bicycle or running long distances, hurts a lot. My legs pain, my stomach pains, my back aches. Every time they hurt, it reminds me about my parents, my relatives and all the good people who came in my life. There was pain when your mom's hands burnt when she prepared food for you. There was pain when your mom was worried about your illness. There was pain when your dad had to pay donations for your admissions. There was pain when you grew up and stopped listening to what your parents said. I feel good when my runs make me hurt. Maybe this is my way of thanking my parents for all the things they did for me! This pain will not go unnoticed. In a couple of years from now, my mom will see me as a healthy, fit, and a very active son.
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