Monday, January 14, 2013

Week 7 - Dec 31 to Jan 6

Week 7 started normally like all new weeks. Monday or the rest day was the December 31st and we had a blast of a New year party to ring in the new year. After a night of partying, dancing and making merry, the next day morning, I did not do the Tuesday short run as I had a very valid excuse :) that I had partied hard last night, it was the New Year and blah blah blah, bluh, bluh, bluh. But added to all this, I had developed severe pain in my legs due to dancing and wanted to rest and added to that, after many days the hubby adn the kids were at home on a holiday and wanted to spend a lazy holiday with them at home.

The Wednesday quality workout (killer workout!) was the 400 mts strides. We are divided into groups according to our running pace and we all run as a group for 400 mts, wait for the last person to catch up, give that person 100 counts to catch her breath and then all run again at the fastest speed possible. So the person who reaches the group last, which is always invariably me :(, always gets to rest the least.  Our coaches really pushed us a lot and we all gave it our best shot and ran our hearts out. We had to do 8 laps. After the 7th lap our group was the last and we all started chatting and lost count of time. Santosh came in search of us and we ran like kindergarten kids who have been caught red handed and running away from their teachers. It was the most hilarious moment and we all laughed our heads off. Santosh really pushed me to run the last lap and not give up and start walking. But for his urging and encouragement, I am sure I would not have run the last lap but would have walked it through. 

I developed severe pain in my knee and shins after the run and iced my leg after coming home. I did the exercises given by the physios all through the day in the office.

My exercise week was cut short by the hospitalization of my father on Thursday. I had to rush to Mysore to be with my mother and father. He needed to be given blood and I got hundreds of calls from the running community and friends all over the globe through my message on facebook. It was overwhelming to see so many people responding and reaching to me. So many strangers came to give blood, to drop donors at the blood bank etc. An auto driver heard me speaking to people over the phone explaining my need and soliciting blood of AB+ and he organised for two of his rickshaw driver friends who had that blood group type to come and donate blood. 

Week 8 - Jan 7 to Jan 13

But alas! none of the efforts could save my father and he passed away on Monday, 7th January. It was a very sensitive moment for our family and all our friends and relatives reached out to us and helped us in many ways which enabled us to get the immediate formalities done and also helped us to get over our grief. Our house was filled with people from morning to night and not once did we feel that we were alone. Not once did we have a moment to feel helpless or hopeless.

On Tuesday I felt that at this time it was important for me to focus. Focus on the positives that I have in my life. I have many reasons to smile. I have many reasons to be thankful for. No matter how sad I am or how dejected I am, every opportunity to live, persevere and succeed are within my reach. I cannot let the darkness that threatens to engulf me to overpower me as I have to be strong for my sisters and my mother. Just when these thoughts were going on in my head, Santhosh called me and as I was talking to him I decided then and there that I will start running. maybe I will not be able to run or maybe I will tire out. But, I will just put on my running shoes and track pants and just go out to the park. Thankfully for me, maybe the whole universe was conspiring to ensure that I do not miss my runs for too long, I had worn my running shoes to come to Mysore as my feet were paining a lot and wearing my running shoes made the pain bearable and less. 

Since I had my running shoes and the blessings of Santosh, I went out to the Jayalakshmipuram park on Wednesday and ran for 30 minutes. My feet were aching a lot and there was some clicking sounds in my knees. I was tiring out too much and added to all this my phone did not have good songs and I had to switch to FM radio. I am not much of a music listener during my runs as I like all the noise around me and like to listen to the natural sounds going on rather than blocking it all out with loud music playing in my ears. So it was a first for me to run with music.  But it felt good to at least get out of the house and do something normal and routine again.

On Saturday, we were scheduled to run 7 km as a group.  My sister, who had come down from US and who is a half marathoner ran with me. She had tried to migrate to Vibram and had injured her calf and was on a long lay over and recovering. Despite all that she is in good form. We both decided to run around the beautiful lake called 'Kukkanahalli Kere' outside the Mysore University campus. The serene lake is home to many migratory birds during the months of September to December. So we did not get to see many birds of the feathered kind except for a few cranes. We also missed the sun rise by a few minutes as we had started late. But we were able to do the 7 km and my sister whose pace is faster than mine ran at my pace and gave me company throughout. Wee came back home and did the stretches and foot drills. She taught me a few yoga poses of the Bikram Yoga school which she practices regularly. Our one year old nephew gave us comic relief by crawling under us and climbing over us and giving us much needed cheer, joy and laughter by just being cute and cuddly.

On Sunday, we both ran at the Jayalakshmipuram park. It was a short recovery run of 30 mins and we came back home to  complete our stretches and foot drills. 

It was a week of great learning where I learnt that there there is nothing more to be done after all that is done. We have to just move on and move forward. Once we decide to do what needs to be done, the rest is just doing it. It is all in the mine, really! They say Kaya, Vaacha, Manasa has to be aligned. I say, let eh Manasa alignment happen, Kaaya and Vaacha are just corollaries that simply follow.   

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