I RACE-d


We run! Yes, We all run! We run towards umpteenth living and non-living goals & destinations! We run to beat life...

But few of us run trivially! Sounds trivial, right? Running which was once practiced as a purely food-hunting activity has now transformed into fully-fledged sport! Even human evolution inherits a lot to running (source). But when it comes to running daily or for that matter running long distances, it has to be trivial (read: materially trivial)-purpose being simply joy of running. By the way, what do you think why people run marathons, ultra runs..no not to slim down or remain fit but simply for the joy of it or may be to test their extremes. Mind you, it’s much beyond the world of holiday homes, BMWs, Bentley, Rolex watches, designer wears, lavish parties or premium club memberships that one usually run towards in such a high-paced, super-hungry, show-biz lifestyle! 

Well, I did start running for all the usual fitness reasons. But, I hardly ever considered it that way. For last couple of months, I had been running quite consistently although last fortnight had been quite inconsistent. Though I plan to run Marathon in near future but that's not what keeps me on track! If I miss a day, I can see the difference! It's become a chore without which I become un-me! Sorry to sound so narcissistic!

By the way, last Sunday I-Race-d! I-RACE is a running event modelled by IIT-Powai folks, where your height, weight, age & gender are considered to evaluate the standard time you need to complete in. The model is being replicated in Mumbai, Pune and Portland(outside India). However complicated and complex it may sound, the base fact is that it makes you compete with your own set targets which indeed is highly interesting! Although it was just 10km run, it's always a great experience whenever you run early mornings and too under lovely drizzles! 

The time was August, Monsoon was at its best! With water droplets pouring over, weather was really conducive & indeed there'd be no better call for running. The loop through the university ran ups and downs though with just a little gradient. However, when one runs, judgement magnifies! After running & analyzing for couple of months now, I do agree that running is very hard hitting sport plus it needs proper technique to run long distances.  But I must admit, even under rains, water (read: water intake) do make the difference. A sip of water at around 5km mark, and there it triggered new lease of energy increasing my pace! Water indeed is a valuable commodity, makes a lot difference! I say, Keep Hydrated!! :) 

Now, it’s always good to participate in such events but when you persuade someone novice to participate along with and they accomplish it comprehensively, it do feels great! And yes, it was indeed great to see a friend of mine completing 10k for the first time even when not feeling well. Hats off! By the way as far as stats go, I clocked 53 min 38 sec for 9.2km to be precise, well just around 50%(according to model) of my set target! May be this'll keep me running if triviality vanishes..;-)

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2 Response to "I RACE-d"

  1. Anagha, on August 25, 2010 at 10:54 AM said:

    10k in less than an hour is awesome!!
    I had registered for this race too, but did not hear back from the organizers. Was the race held in pune on 1st Aug?

  2. Ankur, on September 2, 2010 at 4:17 AM said:

    Thanks! Yeaa, it was in UoP!
    Btw, there's one more version happening in Oct-Nov, see you then!

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